Malaysia's No. 3 policeman arrested, charged with corruption

One of Malaysia's top ranked police officers was arrested and charged with corruption Thursday for allegedly concealing massive wealth _ a scandal likely to further tarnish the frequently maligned force.

Ramli Yusoff, director of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department, was charged with failing to reveal that he owned property worth about 1 million ringgit (US$300,000; euro200,000) and 154,000 shares of unspecified value in a manufacturing firm. It is not known how much the shares are worth. If convicted he faces up to 20 years in jail.

The country's third-highest ranking police officer, Ramli was also charged with breaching government employee rules …

Drogba: I'm staying at Chelsea until June

LONDON (AP) — Didier Drogba intends to stay at Chelsea at least until the end of the season, rejecting speculation of a money-spinning move to ambitious Chinese team Shanghai Shenhua in the January transfer window.

Sections of the British media are reporting that the Chinese team is ready to buy the 33-year-old Drogba this month and pay him a stunning 270,000 pounds ($420,000) a week, making him one of the highest-earning players in world football.

In an interview with France Football, Drogba, who is on duty with the Ivory Coast at the African Nations Cup, said he wants to "start having more fun again, more sensations, more enthusiasm, pressure and passion out on the …

ARTS NEWS

MESSIAH CHOIR

Where would Hollywood "Ah, ha!" moments be without George Frideric Handel? Though his 'famous "Hallelujah" chorus from the oratorio Messiah was originally composed to honor the resurrection of Christ, it now rings out every time someone pries a penny from beneath a couch cushion.

But if those innumerable pop culture sound bites aren't enough for you to get a "handel" on Messiah, the Boise Master Chorale has a holiday treat for you. This year, the BMC will not only haul its full orchestra, chorus, trumpets and timpani to the Cathedral of the Rockies for a matinee on Sunday, Dec. 21, but will also perform an evening show at Northwest Nazarene University's Brandt …

San Diego hotel being built hit by apparent blast

Several floors of a Hilton hotel under construction in downtown San Diego have been badly damaged in an apparent explosion, and authorities say a dozen workers have been injured.

Fire spokesman Maurice Luque says two of the injured are in critical condition, eight are in serious condition and two have minor injuries.

The incident was reported shortly after 2 p.m. Monday.

The fire spokesman say it is still not known what happened, but there is no fire.

About four lower floors of the waterfront skyscraper near the San Diego Convention Center show serious damage and debris litters a driveway beneath the area.

…

Rezai withstands pressure at French

Aravane Rezai mastered her emotions on centre court on Sunday to make an impressive start to her French Open campaign.

Coming off the biggest win of her career earlier this month, when she claimed the Madrid title, the 23-year-old Frenchwoman withstood the pressure of a buoyant home crowd to demolish Heidi El Tabakh of Canada 6-1, 6-1 in just 48 minutes.

Relying on her powerful groundstrokes from the baseline, the 15th-seeded Rezai did not face a single break point and had 21 winners.

Rezai is considered a strong contender at the clay-court Grand Slam after her performance in Madrid, where she beat three former world No. 1s: Justine Henin, Jelena …

THE PROBLEM

Stanley Sherry, 63, would like to retire from driving a truck forthe City of Chicago. And it seems the city wouldn't mind, havingoffered him and a number of older workers an early retirementincentive program. They must decide by May 31.

Sherry is tempted by the offer.

He and his wife, Marge, 55, have three kids, age 12, 14 and 16.If he retired, he still would get medical coverage, but he'd losedental and optical insurance.

The most important consideration would be getting enough moneyfrom his pension, annuities and retirement savings to livecomfortably without dipping into savings principal. Originally, theSherrys defined living comfortably as getting …

US concerns mount over Sudan, Yemen

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has dispatched a top national security aide to the Persian Gulf and Sudan as U.S. concerns mount over increasing violence in Yemen and the future of Sudan's north-south peace agreement.

The White House said Obama's Homeland Security and Counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, held meetings in Sudan's capital of Khartoum on Wednesday to discuss deteriorating security conditions around the disputed Sudanese border town of Abyei that threaten a fragile peace. Brennan will then travel this week to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for talks with officials there about Yemen.

Khartoum's troops have occupied Abyei, a flashpoint town …