Korea nuclear test — U.S. and South Korean officials reported seismic activity in North Korea early today that appeared to be evidence of the country’s third, long-threatened nuclear test and a new challenge for the Obama administration in its effort to keep the country from becoming a full-fledged nuclear power. “We believe that North Korea has conducted a nuclear test," said Kim Min-seok, spokesman of the South Korean Defense Ministry.
Knight criticizes Paterno report — Nike co-founder Phil Knight issued a statement Monday blasting a 2012 report’s characterization of Penn State coach Joe Paterno in the child sex abuse scandal involving assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Following the release last year of former FBI director Louis Freeh’s report, Knight said he was saddened that Paterno apparently made missteps that led to “heartbreaking consequences." But Knight now says that he may have jumped to conclusions, after a new critique that was commissioned by the Paterno family.
European meat scandal — European officials on Monday threatened criminal investigations and other legal action after revelations that frozen foods made with horse meat, disguised as more expensive beef, had been sold to potentially millions of unwitting customers across the region. “It is already clear that we are dealing with a Europe-wide supply network," Owen Paterson, the British environment secretary, told the British Parliament.
Tribute to slain sniper — Military leaders, law enforcement officials and thousands of others gathered at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Monday to remember Chris Kyle, the retired Navy SEAL sniper and author who, along with another man, investigators say was killed earlier this month by a troubled veteran he was trying to help.
Afghan detainee torture — An Afghan government panel on Monday acknowledged widespread torture of detainees, after a two-week investigation of a U.N. report citing rampant abuses. In a news conference, the panel’s director said its inquiry confirmed evidence that nearly half of the 284 prisoners interviewed had been tortured during arrest or questioning. The inquiry also found that many of the detainees never had access to legal defense.
Medal of Honor awarded — Saluting Clinton Romesha for embodying the soldier’s creed of never leaving behind a fallen comrade, President Barack Obama on Monday bestowed the Medal of Honor on him for courageously defending a remote U.S. outpost in eastern Afghanistan from a ferocious attack by more than 300 Taliban fighters. During the daylong attack on Combat Outpost Keating, the president said, Romesha showed “conspicuous gallantry."
Women detained in Jerusalem — Ten women, including two U.S. rabbis, were detained by the Israeli police in Jerusalem on Monday for praying at the Western Wall wearing prayer shawls that are traditionally used by men, in the latest escalation of a conflict over one of Judaism’s holiest sites. Those detained were part of the group Women of the Wall, which has gathered each month for the past 24 years to protest the ultra-Orthodox insistence that only men may pray at the wall wearing traditional garb.
Chicago shooting — Chicago police say the two men accused of killing a 15-year-old honor student mistook her and her friends for rival gang members who’d shot one of the men over the summer. Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy says murder charges were filed Monday against 18-year-old Michael Ward and 20-year-old Kenneth Williams. Both are accused in the Jan. 29 death of Hadiya Pendleton, who’d recently performed during inauguration ceremonies in Washington.
— From wire reports
