Magnitude-6.1 Earthquake Strikes Near South Pacific Islands; No Reports Of Damage Or Tsunami

Syrian activists: Shelling near Lebanon kills 16 Associated Press Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 5:41 am, Sunday, May 19, 2013 AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The Syrian military on Sunday launched an offensive to retake a strategic rebel-held town near the Lebanese border, a government official said, as activists reported that regime airstrikes and shelling of the town have killed at least 16 people, including opposition fighters. According to opposition activists, members of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group were fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's forces in the area. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 16 people, including rebel fighters, were killed before noon in Qusair but that the death toll was expected to rise as fierce fighting is underway and the military's operation intensifies. Speaking over the telephone, a government official in Qusair said government forces have encircled the town, beefing up three offensive positions around it while leaving one "safe passage for fleeing civilians and the armed terrorists who want to surrender." Assad's government and loyalists deny there is a civil war in the country but blame the conflict on "terrorists" — a term they use for rebel fighters — backed by a foreign conspiracy.

UN chief hopes for Syria conference in early June MOSCOW (AP) — U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is holding out hope that an international conference to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the Syrian civil war will be held in early June. The state RIA Novosti news agency quoted him saying Sunday that he is hopeful the conference can take place "very soon," possibly in early June.

Honeybees trained in Croatia to find land mines Associated Press Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 5:22 am, Sunday, May 19, 2013 When Croatia joins the European Union on July 1, in addition to the beauty of its aquamarine Adriatic sea, deep blue mountain lakes and lush green forests, it will also bring numerous un-cleared minefields to the bloc's territory. Nikola Kezic, an expert on the behavior of honeybees, sat quietly together with a group of young researchers on a recent day in a large net tent filled with the buzzing insects on a grass field lined with acacia trees. The method of training the bees by authenticating the scent of explosives with the food they eat appears to work: bees gather mainly at the pots containing a sugar solution mixed with TNT, and not the ones that have a different smell. Dijana Plestina, the head of the Croatian government's de-mining bureau, said the suspected devices represent a large obstacle for the country's population and industry, including agriculture and tourism. The government admitted guilt in the case for failing to keep the minefield sign, but the court has yet to determine financial compensation. [] they will conduct controlled tests, with real mines but which are marked. Kezic said American researchers have in the past experimented with mine-searching bees, but TNT — the most common explosive used in the Balkan wars — wasn't part of their experiment because its smell evaporates quickly, and only small traces remain after time.

Karzai seeks Indian military aid amid Pakistan row KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An aide to Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he will seek military aid from India during a three-day visit this week. Karzai's trip comes during escalating border tension with Pakistan, India's archrival.

Chinese fishing boat owner says unidentified North Koreans detaining boat, crew, want ransom