MISSISSIPPI

Sunday tornado rips through Hattiesburg A tornado tore through Hattiesburg on Sunday as part of a wave of severe storms that downed trees, damaged buildings and injured at least three people. The twister traveled down one of Hattiesburg's main streets and mangled homes and several structures on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi.

CALIFORNIA

L.A. offers $1 million for info on ex-cop The city of Los Angeles announced a $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest and capture of Christopher Jordan Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer who is suspected of killing three people and wounding two others. Police Chief Charlie Beck said the reward was "the largest local reward ever offered to our knowledge."

LOUISIANA

4 injured in Bourbon Street shooting Gunshots erupted in a crowd of late-night revelers on Bourbon Street during the countdown to Mardi Gras, wounding four people and sending bystanders running and screaming. Hours later, the same stretch was packed with partiers who said they weren't letting the violence dampen their fun.

AFGHANISTAN

New U.S. commander takes over in Kabul Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford took charge of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, as the coalition enters its final stretch of the more than 11-year-old war. The new commander, who faces daunting challenges, succeeds Marine Gen. John Allen and will likely be the last commander of the U.S.-led international military coalition.

PAKISTAN

Girl shot by Taliban out of London hospital Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager shot by the Taliban in October for defying the group's ban on girls' education, has been discharged from Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham after cranial reconstruction and a coch-lear implant to restore hearing in her left ear. The 15-year-old was discharged "after making a good recovery from her surgery last weekend," a hospital statement said.

SOUTH SUDAN

103 reported slain in cattle raid attack Officials said 103 people were killed in a cattle raid attack in a region of South Sudan known for violent clashes. The attackers are believed to be members of a rebel group led by a former member of the South Sudan army.

NEWS SERVICES