Nation and World News

WASHINGTON – Americans' wages increased at a faster rate from January through March than the previous quarter, a trend that helped boost consumer spending at the start of the year. But their benefits barely grew.

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson's struggle against drug addiction was on display Monday during opening statements in his mother's wrongful death case against concert promoter AEG Live.

WASHINGTON – This year got off to a sour start for U.S. workers: Their pay, already gasping to keep pace with inflation, was suddenly shrunk by a Social Security tax increase.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – Sgt. 1st Class Greg Robinson has become the first amputee to complete Army air assault school, a course so grueling his prosthetic leg broke twice over the 10 days spent rappelling down ropes, navigating obstacle courses and completing long road marches.

NAIROBI, Kenya – The 2011 Somali famine killed an estimated 260,000 people, half of them age 5 and under, according to a new report to be published this week that more than doubles previous death toll estimates, officials told The Associated Press.

PHILADELPHIA – The high-profile murder trial of a Philadelphia abortion provider sparked courtroom debate Monday over when life ends, a tweak of the politically charged question of when life begins.

WASHINGTON – Depending on whom you ask, Rep. Bob Goodlatte is either trying to stand in the way of landmark immigration legislation or he illustrates the new face of the GOP trying to find common ground on a contentious issue.

PRAGUE – A powerful blast believed to be a gas explosion ripped open an office building in the center of Prague on Monday, injuring at least 35 people and sending shockwaves through the Old Town tourist district.

DAMASCUS, Syria – Syria's prime minister narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in the heart of the heavily defended capital Monday, state media said, laying bare the vulnerability of President Bashar Assad's regime.

NEW YORK – The rusted metal aircraft part believed to be from one of the hijacked jetliners that slammed into the World Trade Center in the Sept. 11 attacks came from a wing, not landing gear, police said Monday.

NEW YORK – NBA veteran Jason Collins became the first active male player in the four major American professional sports to come out as gay.

WASHINGTON – America’s blacks voted at a higher rate than other minority groups in 2012 and by most measures surpassed the white turnout for the first time, reflecting a deeply polarized presidential election in which blacks strongly supported Barack Obama while many whites stayed home.

BOSTON – In photos of her as a younger woman, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva wears a low-cut blouse and has her hair teased like a 1980s rock star. After she arrived in the U.S. from Russia in 2002, she went to beauty school and did facials at a suburban day spa.

SAVAR, Bangladesh – The fugitive owner of an illegally constructed building that collapsed and killed at least 377 people was captured by commandos as he tried to flee into India. At the disaster site, meanwhile, fire broke out in the rubble and forced authorities to suspend the search for survivors temporarily.

WASHINGTON – State funding for pre-kindergarten programs had its largest drop ever last year and states are spending less per child than they did a decade ago, according to a report released Monday.