World/nation briefs

Senators will hold Secret Service hearing The director of the Secret Service will be called before a Senate committee May 23 to provide details about the investigation into the Colombia prostitution scandal that has resulted in the dismissal of nine employees. Director Mark Sullivan has not spoken publicly on the misconduct last month in Cartagena, where a dozen agents were implicated in a night of carousing two days before President Obama arrived for an international summit. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, announced the hearing.

Teams search for missing FBI agent Law enforcement officers in Southern California searched in rugged mountain terrain for a second day on Sunday for a missing FBI agent who was said to be despondent and possibly suicidal. About 100 FBI agents, 40 sheriff's department rescuers and a dozen local police officers participated in the search for Los Angeles-based Special Agent Stephen Ivens. FBI Special Agent Steve Gomez said dogs had tracked Ivens toward the Verdugo Mountains, east of Burbank. Ivens, 35, has been working for the FBI for the past three years in the national security area. Before that, he worked as a Los Angeles police officer for eight years.

30 Al-Qaida militants killed in fighting Government troops backed by warplanes and artillery pounded Al-Qaida positions in southern Yemen, killing at least 30 militants, officials said. The army launched its assault in Abyan Province at dawn Sunday, pushing out Al-Qaida-linked fighters who have controlled the area since taking it over last year.

Palestinians say Israeli proposal falls short Palestinian officials dismissed an Israeli proposal for restarting peace talks, saying it falls short of their long-standing demands. The cool reception bodes poorly for hopes of resuming talks between the Palestinians and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who fortified his ruling coalition last week by bringing in the main opposition party. Netanyahu's alliance with the centrist Kadima Party raised speculation that he might make a more generous proposal to the Palestinians now that he no longer has to rely on hardline nationalists to keep his governing coalition intact. The Palestinians have said they will not resume talks until Israel halts settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. They also want assurances on the borders of a future Palestine.