Russians probe adoptee’s death

Russians probe adoptee’s death

DALLAS

Russian authorities have blamed “inhuman treatment” for the death of a 3-year-old boy adopted by an American family, but Texas officials say they still are investigating claims that the child was abused before his death.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said Monday that it had questions about the death of an adoptee authorities identified as Maxim Kuzmin. The committee is the country’s top investigative agency.

Texas Child Protective Services spokesman Patrick Crimmins confirmed the agency had received a report Jan. 21 of the death of a 3-year-old named Max Shatto, and that the Ector County Sheriff’s Office in West Texas was investigating.

UN: Syria, rebels guilty of atrocities

BEIRUT

A United Nations commission said Monday fighters on both sides in Syria’s civil war have committed atrocities and should be brought to justice, while European Foreign Ministers extended an arms embargo on the country in hopes it would limit the ability of both sides to wage war.

The announcements had little resonance inside Syria, however, where rebels fought to capture airbases in the north and the forces of President Bashar Assad shelled rebellious areas throughout the country.

TV viewing linked to criminal behavior

LOS ANGELES

Two recent studies linking childhood television viewing to antisocial behavior and criminal acts as adults are prompting some pediatricians to call for a national boob-tube intervention.

A commentary published alongside the studies in the journal Pediatrics on Monday lamented the fact that most parents have failed to limit their children’s television viewing to no more than one or two hours a day — a recommendation made by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

On average, preschool-age children in the United States spend 4.4 hours per day in front of the television, either at home or in day care.

Now, based on evidence from a University of Washington study, researchers say pediatricians should focus instead on the type of television children are viewing. Parents should steer children toward educational or “prosocial” programming instead of shows featuring violence and aggression.

Round-the-world cyclists killed

LONDON

A British couple’s round-the-world cycling odyssey ended in tragedy when both of them were killed in a road accident in Thailand.

Peter Root and Mary Thompson, who had been chronicling their journey in a blog, died Wednesday when they were hit by a pickup truck in a province east of Bangkok, Thai police said Monday.

The couple, both 34 and from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, left Britain in July 2011 and had cycled through Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and China.

2 injured in blast after lottery win

WICHITA, Kan.

One of two south-central Kansas brothers whose drug-fueled celebration of winning $75,000 in the lottery resulted in an explosion in their duplex has been released from a hospital.

The Wichita man suffered second-degree burns to his hands, arms and chest Friday night after he refueled butane torches that he and his brother planned to use to smoke drugs.

The brother told police Friday they had purchased marijuana and methamphetamine to celebrate their lottery win.

He was arrested, but details about charges were not available Monday because of the Presidents Day holiday.

Combined dispatches