The Palestinian Authority officially became a member state of the International Criminal Court at The Hague on Wednesday, opening an unprecedented new front in its self-declared “diplomatic war” against Israel. Oil fire: A huge ball of flames engulfed an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, killing four people and sending terrified workers jumping into the sea. 3 Gambia coup: A human rights group says Gambia has sentenced three soldiers to death after a secret trial in which they were convicted of participating in an attempted coup. The rights group called the death sentences a “cruel violation” and said they should be commuted to prison terms. Three days after a resounding electoral victory for his conservative party, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is appearing before investigators probing financing of his failed 2012 re-election bid. The Paris prosecutor’s office says the Union for a Popular Movement party leader was being questioned Wednesday by an investigating judge looking into suspected breach of trust. Misao Okawa died of heart failure and stopped breathing as relatives and nursing home workers stood by her side and praised her for achieving a long, healthy life, said Tomohiro Okada, an official at her Osaka nursing home.