Threat closes U.S. embassy in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- The United States closed its embassy and all other diplomatic offices in Indonesia today, citing a security threat. The decision comes a week after Australia urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Indonesia because of a warning by police in Jakarta about possible suicide bombings, particularly at embassies, international schools, office buildings and shopping malls. In an e-mailed statement, U.S. officials said the American embassy in Jakarta, the consulate in the city of Surabaya and all other American government facilities would be closed. They also reaffirmed earlier warnings that the threat of terrorism in Indonesia "remains high," but did not elaborate on what led to the closings today.

Power outages cripple parts of Russian capital

MOSCOW -- Electricity outages crippled large sections of the Russian capital and nearby regions Wednesday, forcing hospitals to resort to emergency power and stranding thousands of commuters subways during an unseasonable heatwave. President Vladimir Putin, in an unusually quick and stern reaction, criticized the state-controlled power monopoly and its controversial head. The outages, which began with an explosion and fire at a 40-year-old substation, underlined the poor condition of much of Russia's infrastructure. No injuries were reported in the outages.The shutdown of subways and trolleybuses forced tens of thousands to reach their destinations on foot. Subways started returning to service some four hours after they stopped. Russian Emergencies Ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova said 20 hospitals lost electricity supplies, forcing them to resort to backup power.

Canada's worst killer gets new murder charges

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- A pig farmer alleged to be Canada's worst serial killer was charged Wednesday with 12 new counts of first-degree murder as part of a probe into the disappearances of more than 60 women, mainly prostitutes who vanished from a seedy downtown neighborhood. The new charges come on top of the 15 murder charges that Robert Pickton already faces. The 55-year-old suspect lives with his brother and sister on a farm where the remains of at least 31 women have been found. He is expected to stand trial in the fall. Pickton has been in custody since his arrest Feb. 7, 2002, when police descended on the farm and other property he and his family owned.

Iran renews promise to refrain from nukes

GENEVA -- Officials negotiating Iran's nuclear future left the table in an upbeat mood Wednesday, with Tehran renewing its vow to refrain from developing nuclear weapons and signaling it will pursue talks with Europe toward a final agreement on its atomic program. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and other key European ministers met for three hours with Iranian negotiators under an implied threat that Tehran could be brought before the U.N. Security Council to face possible international sanctions over its suspected nuclear activities.