Americans Abroad

The State Department has warned Americans to stay away from Madagascar because demonstrations there have turned violent and gangs of youths have been attacking foreigners in the capital, Antananarivo. A general strike aimed at forcing out President Didier Ratsiraka went into its fourth day Friday in the island republic off the east coast of Africa. About 300 Americans reportedly live in the country; 70 more are connected with the U.S. government.

Larry Houlgate is a university professor from California's central coast who is presently on a sabbatical leave in the south of France. He and his wife have been living in the Provence region since September, in a quaint rented house. Their village is so small that it appears on few maps. Houlgate spent two years preparing for this getaway. He is writing a book and won't return to his San Luis Obispo home until the end of March.

Weak, tired and suffering the effects of enduring 39 days of captivity in Mexico on weapons charges, Scott McClung arrived home three months ago seeking to resume the life of a charter boat captain. Since then, McClung has taken on a new role: media darling. The Newport Beach man has been interviewed by numerous newspaper reporters and was featured on television's "Inside Edition" and the Rev. Robert H. Schuller's "Hour of Power." Even NBC's "Dateline" has shown an interest.

A team of American political strategists who helped Gov. Pete Wilson with his abortive presidential bid earlier this year said this week that they served as Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin's secret campaign weapon in his comeback win over a Communist challenger.

A U.S. civilian working at a naval base in Saudi Arabia was shot three times in the abdomen but is expected to recover, a U.S. diplomat said. "It seems he was shot by someone in a Saudi naval uniform," said the diplomat, on condition of anonymity. The Saudi Press Agency said the gunman fled after the attack at King Abdul Aziz Naval Base near Jubayl. Sources in Jubayl said the attack took place in the victim's home.

Michael Braxton was approaching his teenage years, already trapped in a wretched environment of dropouts, drugs and truancy. The Baltimore youth had few friends, his grades were slipping, and his chances of escaping a future on the streets seemed bleak. But an African experience is helping Michael turn his life around.

ONE of the most popular movie stars in South Korea admits he speaks Korean like a 12-year-old. Confesses he wouldn't be able to handle a Korean-language script and isn't completely comfortable expressing emotions in a Korean way. Says the nature of Korean family relationships still eludes him. Fortunately for Daniel Henney -- born in the U.S.

Gary Witherall says he's already forgiven the man who killed his wife at a Christian clinic in Saida, Lebanon, last month. It's part of his faith, he told nearly 300 people Saturday at a memorial service for Bonnie Witherall. "If Jesus exists, he exists more in me today," Witherall said. Bonnie Witherall, 31, was shot three times in the head Nov. 21 as she opened the door of the Unity Center clinic.

Saudi border guards on Wednesday arrested a Kuwaiti man who is suspected of killing one American and critically wounding another during an ambush in Kuwait, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. The news agency quoted an official from the Saudi Interior Ministry as saying that the Kuwaiti, who was not identified, was arrested early on Wednesday while "sneaking into Saudi Arabia from Kuwait."

The government does not need a search warrant when it taps the phones or checks the e-mails of suspected terrorists who are outside the U.S., even if Americans may be overheard on the calls, a special intelligence court ruled in an opinion released Thursday. The decision confirms what Bush administration officials and some legal experts have long argued. Although the Constitution protects the privacy rights of Americans against "unreasonable searches and seizures," this principle does not bar U.