SPAIN

Corruption scandal engulfs politicians While Spaniards suffer with the sacrifices of government-imposed austerity, top politicians, including Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, have been accused of pocketing envelopes of cash sometimes amounting to nearly $35,000 a year for nearly two decades. The scandal has now reached the very top of the political pyramid, directly threatening Rajoy's government and rattling financial markets.

INDIA

Troops kill Pakistani in border clash Indian troops shot and killed a Pakistani soldier at the de facto border between the two countries in Kashmir. The Indian army said that soldiers saw an intruder in the Nowshera sector of the so-called Line of Control in Kashmir. The Indian soldiers challenged the intruder, who "opened indiscriminate fire," wounding two soldiers, the statement said.

BELGIUM

E.U. to test beef meals for horse meat Ready-meals labeled as beef should be tested across the European Union for the presence of horse meat, according to E.U. food safety experts in Brussels. Tests conducted in Britain, meanwhile, found traces of horse meat in 29 of 2,501 beef products. Some tests revealed "beef" products contained up to 100 percent horse meat.

CALIFORNIA

Sentencing put off for boy in murder A Riverside County judge postponed until March 1 the sentencing of a 12-year-old boy found guilty of murder in the death of his neo-Nazi father, who was shot in the head as he slept on his living room couch. The judge said she needed more information about the boy's mental health. The youngster's father, Jeffrey Hall, was a West Coast leader for the National Socialist Movement. The judge said Hall's attempts to indoctrinate his son into the hate group corrupted the thought processes of a boy already displaying violent tendencies. Because the boy was charged as a juvenile, he can be held only until he is 23.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Lawmakers probe Job Corps shortfall House and Senate lawmakers are investigating a nearly $100 million shortfall in the federal Job Corps program that prompted the Labor Department to freeze enrollment at all 125 job centers around the country. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., has called on the agency's inspector general to investigate what he called "serious questions about the management by the department" that will prevent 30,000 disadvantaged and at-risk youth from getting job training this year.

Obama plans golf weekend in Florida President Obama spent last year's Presidents Day weekend at the White House. This year, he's lined up a trip to an exclusive Florida golf course. Obama was scheduled to fly on Air Force One from Chicago to West Palm Beach, Fla., for a weekend getaway with friends while his wife and daughters are on a ski vacation. The White House was keeping details to a minimum.

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