HGRASS FIRES BURN HOMES IN OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS

hGrass fires burn homesin Oklahoma and Texas
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Bernice Alvarez, left, tries to comfort her daughter, Gerianne Patterson, as they look on at what is left of Alvarez's home, which was lost to wild grass fires in Arlington, Texas. Fires fueled by dry brush and driven by gusty wind damaged several homes in Oklahoma and Texas on Tuesday. Several firefighters and residents suffered minor injuries, authorities said. In Oklahoma, the biggest fire burned at least 400 acres in a rural area near the town of Mustang, southwest of Oklahoma City. Texas Gov. Rick Perry said dozens of fires, mostly in north and central parts of his state, prompted him to deploy firefighters and issue a disaster declaration. "It's like trying to stop a 30-mph car coming down the street," Texas Deputy Fire Marshal Keith Ebel said. "The wind is the worst enemy right now." TV station helicopter footage showed at least a half-dozen structures were burned in Mustang.
China says it will considersearching military archives
BEIJING -- Chinese officials have agreed to consider a U.S. request to search military archives that could yield clues to the fate of missing Korean War servicemen possibly held by China, the U.S. Embassy said Tuesday. Beijing was "optimistic that a way could be found to access the documents," the embassy said in a statement. China also will help organize local support for U.S. investigations at sites where the remains of U.S. airmen from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War might be found, it said. The probes should take place next year, it said. The Chinese military ran prisoner-of-war camps in North Korea after intervening in the war in October 1950 to push U.S.-led United Nations forces back from the Yalu River separating China and North Korea. The Pentagon has said it has information that China took some U.S. POWs into China during the war.
Syrian suspect arrestedin editor's assassination
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- A Syrian was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in the assassination of Gibran Tueni, the anti-Syrian general manager and columnist of Lebanon's leading newspaper. Abdel-Qadar Abdel Qader was among three Syrian nationals detained earlier for questioning in the Dec. 12 killing of Tueni, who was also An-Nahar's top editor. The two others were released after questioning, but an arrest warrant was issued against Abdel Qader by the Lebanese military prosecutor, based on his presence near the site of Tueni's killing and telephone calls he made before and after the blast, a judicial official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation.
Suspect planned to killprosecutor, officials say
MIAMI -- A serial-rape suspect who escaped from jail told another inmate he planned to kill a prosecutor in his case and flee to his native Honduras, authorities said Tuesday. A tip led police to Reynaldo E. Rapalo, who is accused of escaping from a Miami-Dade County jail Dec. 20 by prying open a ceiling vent, cutting through bars and rappelling down the building using tied-together bed sheets. He was captured Monday night at a Miami shopping center. Rapalo, 34, appeared briefly in court Tuesday via closed-circuit camera from jail. He was denied bail on an escape charge. While Rapalo was at large, officers guarded two prosecutors who are handling the case, as well as Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
Former Enron executiveavoids trial with plea deal
HOUSTON -- Enron's former chief accounting officer, Richard Causey, has struck a plea bargain with federal prosecutors and will avoid going to trial with the fallen energy company's two top executives, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. Causey was expected to plead guilty today to one or more of the 34 criminal charges pending against him, this person told The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the discussions. Causey, 45, agreed to testify against his former bosses, Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling, in exchange for a much lesser prison sentence than he would receive if convicted on all counts.
Associated Press