World/nation briefs

Jury chosen in polygamist's trial A jury has been chosen in San Angelo in the trial of a polygamist sect leader charged with forcing underage girls into plural marriages. Twelve jurors and two alternates were selected to hear the trial of Warren Jeffs. Conviction could mean life imprisonment for the 55-year-old ecclesiastical head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. That's an offshoot of mainline Mormonism that still holds that polygamy brings exaltation in heaven.

Bear in mauling will not be sought Authorities said there were no plans to hunt down a grizzly that mauled four teenagers hiking in the wilderness last weekend. A Department of Fish and Game biologist said the decision was made given the remoteness of the location and the likelihood that the bear was a mother protecting a cub. The injured teens were among a group of seven outdoor survival students who encountered the bear Saturday night as they lined up to cross a river in the Talkeetna Mountains north of Anchorage. They were rescued early Sunday.

Liu nominated for state Supreme Court Gov. Jerry Brown nominated Goodwin Liu for the state Supreme Court a little more than two months after Liu's nomination for the federal bench was blocked by Republicans in Congress. Liu, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, is expected to face a much easier confirmation process than he did in the U.S. Senate, where a filibuster in May ended his hopes of joining the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

Housing protests evolve into crisis Thousands of young protesters have set up sprawling tent camps in Israeli cities, forcing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to introduce economic reforms to address a swell of discontent over high housing costs and stave off the worst domestic crisis of his two years in power. Netanyahu's plans, meant to bring down steep housing prices, appeared unlikely to end the crisis, which already has forced him to cancel a high-profile visit to Poland and sent his approval ratings plummeting.

Kosovo police take control of border Kosovo police moved into parts of Serb-populated northern Kosovo, taking control of one border crossing with its larger neighbor. The move was "not helpful," said a spokeswoman for European Union. Serbia needs to come to terms with its former province, which declared independence in 2008, as a key requirement to open E.U. membership talks this year. The tension between the two sides escalated last week after Kosovo, whose independence is recognized by 22 of 27 E.U. members, imposed a trade embargo on Serbian products in reaction to the country's refusal to recognize it.

Plane crash kills 78 in mountains A military plane crash in a mountainous region killed at least 78 people and seriously injured three. The C-130 transport plane carried 60 soldiers, nine crew members and a dozen civilians and was preparing to land at an airport near the border with the disputed region of Western Sahara, according to local media reports. Bad weather reportedly caused the crash. NEWS SERVICES