Iran quake toll rises

Iran quake toll rises

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran raised its earthquake death toll Monday to 306, a day after rescuers called off the search for survivors from the rubble of their homes in the country’s northwest, state media reported.

Health Minister Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi told a session of parliament that the number jumped by about 50 after victims died in the hospital. More than 3,000 people were injured in the twin earthquakes that struck two days ago, she added in comments broadcast on state radio.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Monday that the U.S. has not had “any pickup” from Iran on Washington’s offer of assistance, and noted Iranian public statements that it did not need outside aid. “Nonetheless, our offer stands on the table,” she told a news conference.

Police: Man kept girlfriend prisoner

PATERSON, N.J.

New Jersey State Police got what they came for when they raided a Paterson apartment last week looking for drugs: $125,000 worth of prescription pills, marijuana and cash. But they found something they didn’t expect after busting through a padlocked bedroom door: a woman, believed to be the alleged drug dealer’s girlfriend, who police believe was kept locked up inside the apartment off and on for at least two years.

State police say they have recovered evidence from the room that suggests the 44-year-old woman had been held there for at least two years and possibly much longer. And although they would not divulge the evidence, authorities are treating the woman as a victim — not a co-conspirator — in the case.

Rep treated for bipolar disorder

CHICAGO

U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., a Chicago Democrat who took a hushed medical leave two months ago, is being treated for bipolar disorder, the Mayo Clinic announced Monday.

The Rochester, Minn.-based clinic specified his condition as Bipolar II, which is defined as periodic episodes of depression and hypomania, a less-serious form of mania.

Bipolar II is a treatable condition that affects parts of the brain controlling emotion, thought and drive and likely is caused “by a complex set of genetic and environmental factors,” the clinic said.

Report: No progress year after massacre

OSLO, Norway

A year after a far-right militant’s bomb and gun attacks exposed flaws in Norway’s terror preparedness, police are being criticized for failing to improve their ability to stop a gunman bent on inflicting mass casualties.

In contrast to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Colorado, which led to sweeping changes in police tactics and training in the U.S., the massacre of 77 people in July last year hasn’t had a tangible impact on Norway’s police force, critics say.

A government-appointed commission presented a long-awaited 500-page report Monday outlining flaws — and some bright spots — in how police and other authorities responded to Norway’s worst peacetime attacks.

17-foot-long python caught in Florida

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.

The biggest Burmese python ever caught in Florida — 17 feet, 7 inches long and 1641/2 pounds — was found in Everglades National Park, the University of Florida announced Monday.

The snake was pregnant with 87 eggs, also said to be a record. Scientists said the python’s stats show just how pervasive the invasive snakes, which are native to Southeast Asia, have become in South Florida.

Combined dispatches