Not enough evidence to charge Phelps, sheriff says

Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps will not face criminal charges in connection with a November party at which he was photographed using a bong, a South Carolina sheriff said Monday. “We do not believe we have enough evidence to prosecute anyone” who was at the party in Columbia, South Carolina, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told reporters, adding that authorities are ending their investigation into Phelps. “We had a photo, and we had him saying he was sorry for his inappropriate behavior,” Lott said.

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N. Korea preps for satellite launch amid ‘space development’ claim

Denying recent intelligence suggesting it is preparing to test a long-range missile, North Korea signaled Monday it is gearing up to launch a satellite, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. A senior U.S. official told CNN last week that an American spy satellite had snapped an image of preparations at a North Korean site previously used to launch Taepodong-2 missiles.

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Clinton visits Asia to send key message

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Japan Monday to begin a week-long trip through four Asian nations, looking to begin building new international relationships to help tackle some of the world’s toughest challenges. Speaking to reporters en route to Tokyo, Clinton said “going to Asia is, for me, a very big part of how we’re going to demonstrate the Obama administration’s approach to dealing with the multitude of problems that we see, but also the opportunities as well.” Her visits to Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, and China will include discussions on a host of sensitive topics, from climate change to nuclear proliferation

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California’s Big Race to Succeed Schwarzenegger

Ever since gold miners first scraped their fortunes out of the hills of northern California, America’s most populous state has been a land of titanic dreams. These days, though, it’s a place with even bigger problems. Its $42 billion budget deficit would make an out-of-control Hollywood director blush — and bankrupt a small nation

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Afghanistan to help review U.S. war on terror

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday that his country would join the strategic review of the U.S.-led war on terrorism. Speaking at a joint news conference with visiting U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke, Karzai said he is “very, very thankful” that President Barack Obama accepted his proposal to join the review

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Talking to Iran: What Are Washington’s Options?

President Obama says he’ll talk to Iran if Tehran “unclenches its fist”; President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran is open to negotiations but only on a basis of “fairness and mutual respect.” Both men’s coded conditionals are a reminder that after three decades of mutual hostility, talking won’t be easy. TIME tapped a number of Iran experts for perspective on some of the key questions facing U.S.-Iran diplomacy

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