WORLD NEWS DIGEST: Senator: Keep US bases in Afghanistan

Senator: Keep US bases in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON

A leading GOP lawmaker on U.S. military policy says he wants American officials to consider establishing permanent military bases in Afghanistan.

Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina says that having a few U.S. air bases in Afghanistan would be a benefit to the region and would give Afghan security forces an edge against the Taliban.

President Barack Obama plans to begin drawing down American forces in Afghanistan next year and hand security to Afghan forces in 2014.

Magnitude-7.1 quake shakes up Chile

SANTIAGO, Chile

A magnitude-7.1 earthquake shook southern Chile on Sunday, sending tens of thousands fleeing for higher ground for fear that it could generate a tsunami like the one that ravaged the coastline last year.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or damage, and Vicente Nunez, head of the National Emergency Office, said no tsunami alert was issued.

Israeli PM wants nonstop talks

JERUSALEM

Israel’s prime minister on Sunday proposed nonstop, face-to-face talks with the Palestinian president until a peace agreement is reached — offering a possible way to advance talks that have stalled over the construction of Jewish settlements.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal offers the appeal of leaders working together to make history, and it comes in response to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ latest claim — made over the weekend in South America — that genuine talks could yield a deal within months. But the Palestinians showed little enthusiasm for Netanyahu’s offer.

Reached by The Associated Press in Brazil on Sunday, Abbas reiterated his call for a settlement freeze. “If he does so, we can reach an agreement not in six months, but in two months,” he said.

Key party will quit Pakistan coalition

ISLAMABAD

The second-largest party in Pakistan’s ruling coalition said Sunday it is quitting the government and joining the opposition, depriving the country’s pro-U.S. government of a parliamentary majority and throwing its future into doubt.

It was not immediately clear whether the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s move will prompt the downfall of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s government. But it is almost certain to distract Pakistani officials at a time when the U.S. is pushing Islamabad to do more to help turn around the war in neighboring Afghanistan. It also raises the possibility of a new government that could be less friendly to U.S. interests and less vocal in opposing the Taliban.

Family files claim after teen’s death

LOS ANGELES

The parents of a 15-year-old girl who died of an ecstasy overdose after attending a rave have filed a claim against the management of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Sasha Rodriguez’s parents are seeking $5 million in damages from the Coliseum Commission.

The claim, filed Dec. 23 with both the city and county of Los Angeles, is a necessary step before suing in court.

Sasha, a Los Angeles high-school student and drill-team member, was able to get into the event despite the 16-and-over age requirement advertised by Los Angeles-based Insomniac Events, the producer of the rave. Sasha attended with friends; her parents said they did not know she was going to a rave.

She died days after falling into a coma after attending the rave.

Combined dispatches