NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

US/ HARMON KILLEBREW DIES AT 74: Harmon Killebrew, a Hall of Fame slugger who became one of baseball's premier home-run hitters with the Minnesota Twins, has died. He was 74. Killebrew died Tuesday of cancer at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. He said in December that he was undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer and last week said he had entered hospice care. He hit 573 home runs during 22 seasons with the Washington Senators, Twins and Kansas City Royals, including 8 seasons in which he hit at least 40 home runs. Killebrew helped the Twins reach the World Series in 1965, where they lost to the Dodgers, and he was named the American League's most valuable player in 1969. A 13-time All-Star, Killebrew was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984. He is survived by his family.

WORLD/ LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY ROUTE UNVEILED: The 1st 74 locations on the 2012 London Olympics torch relay route, starting at Land's End, have been revealed. The route, which covers every nation and region in the UK and includes island visits, will see the Olympic torch travel 8000 miles. Organizers stress the route details are not comprehensive and more places to be visited will be named in coming months. A search for 8000 "inspirational torchbearers" has also been launched, half of whom will be aged 12-24. The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Locog) said the Olympic flame would come within a 1 hour journey of 95% of people in the UK.  The torch will leave Land's End, Cornwall, on the morning of Saturday May 19, 2012, the day after it arrives in the UK from Greece. During the 70-day torch relay, it will pass through towns and cities including Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, Oxford, Southampton and Dover. The 2012 torch will travel for about 12 hours a day, arriving at the Olympic Stadium on July 27, 2012 for the lighting of the cauldron at the opening ceremony. Locog said the route would also include 6 island visits, to the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, Shetland, Orkney and the Isle of Lewis. Meanwhile, the feasibility of taking the Olympic flame on a short visit to Dublin is still being explored.

WORLD/ MAN TRIES TO BOARD TRAIN IN UK WITH HIS HORSE: A man has been captured on CCTV in England trying to board a train accompanied by a pony. Shocked staff watched as the man tried to get on the train at Wrexham General station with the white pony in tow. After a conductor refused him entry, the man returned to the ticket booth where he tried to buy 2 tickets, for himself and the animal. Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) said horses were not permitted on safety grounds. The RSPCA said it was concerned and was viewing the CCTV tapes. The man tried to travel on Saturday's 1902 BST service to Holyhead on Anglesey with his horse. Officials said he later left the train station after being refused to board. Meanwhile, it later emerged the man and pony turned up at the accident and emergency unit at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, asking for treatment for the animal from doctor. A health board spokesman added: "He was politely asked to leave the premises by the Security Guard and duly left, taking the pony with him." In a statement, the RSPCA said of the station incident it was "not a safe nor acceptable manner in which to transport an equine." The RSPCA is concerned for the animal's health and has asked for help from local citizens in order to track down the man and horse.

WORLD/ JILTED BRIDE SAVED IN CHINA: A jilted bride in China was captured hanging precariously outside a 7th story window, just as she was saved from an officer inside. The desperate woman had clambered out on to the window ledge of a residential building in Changchun, Jilin province in China, dressed in a flowing ivory wedding gown. As horrified onlookers tried to talk her away from danger, the bride-to-be was about fall when she was saved by a local community officer. It has been reported that she had climbed out of the apartment window after her boyfriend of 4 years broke up with her. The incident took place yesterday, in what was supposed to be their wedding day. As she hung out the window, Emergency Services responded and put a soft cushion on the street, underneath the window, in case she fell. Hundreds of onlookers in hushed tones, many of them praying, watched the drama unfold. She was eventually saved when a local community officer grabbed her and held her by her shoulders and wedding dress. A 2nd man was seen clambering out from the window directly below to support the woman's feet and assist her rescue. He held 1 arm around the woman's neck and another round her shoulders before managing to pull her to safety. The woman was not injured and was reportedly hospitalized following her rescue.

WORLD/ US TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS AGAINST SYRIA'S PRESIDENT: The US said today it will impose sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for human rights abuses. It would be the 1st time Mr Assad has been targeted personally by the international community for his government's crackdown on protesters. President Barack Obama last month imposed sanctions on Assad's brother Maher, his cousin and an intelligence chief. Meanwhile, Assad has said his security services made some mistakes in their handling of demonstrations, the al-Watan newspaper reported. He attributed the shortcomings to a lack of experience with such situations, which he said would normally be the police's responsibility. Assad also "gave assurances that Syria had overcome the crisis" and that "events were coming to an end", the newspaper added. The admission came as European media reported new reports of attacks on civilians in Tal Kalakh, near the border with Lebanon, which has been besieged for several days. Activists say at least 27 people have died. (CLICK ON GRAPHIC FOR LARGE VIEW).