The Chilean army found three more bodies in snow at Antuco in the Andes Saturday, bringing to 38 the number of soldiers confirmed dead, with seven conscripts still unaccounted for in a military maneuver that went wrong. Rain that fell Saturday is believed to have helped in uncovering bodies hidden in the snow, said Los Angeles regiment commander Colonel Patricio Espinoza. The dead include one sergeant and 37 conscripts. Nearly 400 soldiers were involved in the failed maneuver in which blizzards hit on May 18 while the men marched along a 25km path linking two shelters near Antuco, east of the army base at Los Angeles.
■ United States
Stripping leads to charges
A mother faces criminal charges after she hired a stripper to dance at her 16-year-old son's birthday party. Anette Pharris, 34, has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and involving a minor in obscene acts. The boy's father, the stripper and two others also face charges. "I tried to do something special for my son," Pharris said. "It didn't harm him." About 10 people under the age of 18 were at the birthday party in September, including minors who were not related to the family, authorities said. Police spokesman Don Aaron said minors are not permitted in adult establishments. "A person shouldn't be allowed to circumvent that law by hiring a stripper, a lady who took all her clothes off and danced around minors," he said.
■ United States
Police end standoff on crane
A murder suspect perched about 100m up a construction crane in Atlanta, Georgia was arrested Saturday after a standoff with police that stretched for more than 48 hours. It only ended when an officer was able to approach him by offering a cup of water before drawing a concealed Taser stun gun and using it to subdue the suspect. Police had shut down the neighborhood around the site, prompting complaints from local businesses, and news channels ran regular updates as fugitive Carl Roland, 41, gained national notoriety. Police said that Roland, suspected of killing his former girlfriend in Florida, had refused food and drink while sitting or lying on the crane's arm.
■ United States
General to mediate talks
The government has expanded the role of its pointman for Middle East security to mediate between Israelis and Palestinians on security issues as Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, the Washington Post said Saturday. Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, who attended a White House summit Thursday, disclosed US General William Ward's new mandate to a small group of reporters Friday in Washington, according to the Post, which said the change was confirmed by an Israeli official and a senior US official.
■ Greece
Students busted for cheating
Three students were arrested on Saturday for conspiring to cheat in a university entrance exam using a wireless camera hidden in a pen, police said. The police were alerted to the ploy by the principal of the Athens high school where the mathematics exam was being held, who noticed an antenna cable running from the school's front gate to a clump of bushes nearby. Two of the unidentified youths, aged 20 and 24, had hidden a laptop in the bushes overnight, allegedly planning to use it to help their 19-year-old friend cheat.
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