CALIFORNIA

Fugitive ex-cop charged in murders Christopher Dorner was charged Monday with murdering a Riverside police officer and special circumstances that could bring the death penalty. He also was charged with the attempted murder of another Riverside officer and two LAPD officers last week, said Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach. Dorner, 33, became the target of a manhunt after allegedly killing a former LAPD captain's daughter and her fiancé. There is a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

FLORIDA

Ex- GOP chief pleads guilty to 5 charges Former GOP Chairman Jim Greer on Monday abruptly pleaded guilty to four counts of theft -- one each for what the state characterized as phony invoices totaling $66,000 that were paid by the state Republican Party. He also pleaded guilty to a reduced count of money laundering. He was facing up to 75 years in prison for fraud, money laundering and theft. Now he's looking at a maximum of 35 years.

MEXICO

Cruise ship fire strands 3,100 A fire on board a Carnival cruise ship has left 3,143 guests stranded off the coast of Mexico. No one was harmed. The ship's automatic extinguishing system put out the fire, and two tugboats will bring the ship to the closest port, Progreso, Mexico, late Wednesday.

SYRIA

Bomb thought to target anti-Assad leader A minibus exploded at a crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border, killing more than a dozen people. Some activists said the target might have been one of the leading figures in the Syrian opposition. The blast struck the Turkish side of the border minutes after Syrian National Coalition Vice President George Sabra passed through, several opposition activists said. Sabra was returning to Turkey after a trip to the city of Aleppo, said activist Ahmed Aasi, in nearby Idlib Province. The Turkish side connects with Bab al-Hawa crossing, which for months has been controlled by forces who oppose the Assad government.

PHILIPPINES

Town mourns largest captive crocodile A remote southern Philippine town has gone into mourning over the death of the world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity, even though it was suspected of killing people. The town of Bunawan plans to preserve the remains of the one-ton crocodile, named Lolong, in a museum to keep tourists coming and stop the community from slipping back into obscurity, the mayor said. Lolong was declared dead Sunday after being found floating on its back in a pond in an ecotourism park that had begun to draw tourists, revenue and development because of the immense reptile, Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said.

NORTH KOREA

Evidence points to fourth nuclear test U.S. and South Korean officials reported seismic activity in North Korea on Tuesday that appeared to be evidence of the country's third, long-threatened nuclear test. "We believe that North Korea has conducted a nuclear test," said Kim Min-seok, spokesman of the South Korean Defense Ministry. The shock appeared to be centered in the same location where the North conducted tests in 2006 and 2009, and the U.S. Geological Survey said it was only a kilometer underground, all indications consistent with a nuclear blast. There were no reports on the size of the detonation.

NEWS SERVICES