Lava creeps toward homes on Big Island

PAHOA, Hawaii – After weeks of slow, stop-and-go movement, a river of asphalt-black lava destroyed a wooden shed Tuesday as it crept closer to homes in a Big Island community.

The lava flow easily burned down the empty shed at about 7:30 a.m., several hours after entering a residential property in Pahoa Village, said Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira.

At least 50 or 60 structures – including homes and businesses – are in the area likely to be hit.

FBI admits faking story for operation

SEATTLE – The FBI confirmed Tuesday it faked an Associated Press story to catch a bomb threat suspect in 2007, but now says it did not spoof a Seattle Times Web page as part of the investigation.

Police in Lacey, near Olympia, sought the FBI’s help as repeated bomb threats prompted a week of evacuations at Timberline High School in June 2007.

After police interviews of potential suspects came up empty, the agency obtained a warrant from a federal magistrate judge to send a “communication” to a social media account associated with the bomb threats, with the idea of tricking the suspect into revealing his location, according to documents obtained by the San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation.

U.N. official urges North Korea charges

TOKYO — The United Nations’ point man on North Korea’s human rights violations called Tuesday for Pyongyang to be referred to the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity, saying it is time to take actions against the regime “to a new level.”

The damning report from Marzuki Darusman comes six months after a U.N. commission of inquiry released a 372-page report detailing brainwashing, torture, starvation and imprisonment for “crimes” such as questioning the system or trying to escape it.

Associated Press and Washington Post