In the World

LONDON - TV personality Piers Morgan denied Tuesday that he had indulged in illegal methods to obtain stories during his time as editor of two British tabloids, which ended in 2004.

The CNN moderator was grilled by a British panel investigating the ethics and culture of journalism after revelations that the now-defunct News of the World, a tabloid where Morgan once worked, this year hacked into the cellphone voice mail account of a 13-year-old kidnap victim who was later found slain.

Testifying via video link from the United States, Morgan insisted that unlawful methods were not the practice at the Daily Mirror during his time at that tabloid.

Questioned about a call he once said he had listened to between Paul McCartney and the rock star's then-wife Heather Mills, Morgan refused to reveal the source of the tape. "I can't discuss that tape or who made it," he said. "I'm not going to discuss where I heard it or who played it to me." - AP

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - International Criminal Court prosecutors said Tuesday that they would review efforts by Libya's new rulers to investigate the death of the country's longtime dictator, Moammar Gadhafi.

Prosecutors said in a letter to the lawyer of one of the late dictator's daughters that they would give details of the review to the U.N. Security Council in a report next May. In the report, prosecutors will outline their "strategy with regards to future investigations" of alleged war crimes in Libya.

Attorney Nick Kaufman wrote to prosecutors earlier seeking details of any ICC investigation into the October slayings of Gadhafi and one of his sons, Muatassim, after they were captured by rebels. Under the ICC's treaty, prosecutors are obliged to investigate all sides of conflicts. - AP

ALUMOT DAM, Israel - Israel has pledged to release about 1 billion cubic feet of water to restore the biblical Jordan River.

Israel, Syria, and Jordan have diverted nearly all of the river's fresh water. The trickle that remains is mostly raw sewage. Last year, Israel began building a $106 million complex to remove the sewage water and treat it for agricultural use. But that would have left the river dry.

Environment Minister Gilad Erdan promised to start replacing the sewage with clean water in 2013, saying it will "allow life to return to the river."

Environmentalist Gideon Bromberg said the promised amount is less than a 10th of what is needed to fully restore the river. "It's a first drop, but it's an important drop," Bromberg said. - AP

Pakistan remained the deadliest country for journalists for the second year in a row, while coverage of political unrest was "unusually dangerous," the Committee to Protect Journalists said. Forty-three journalists were killed in 2011. The number of deaths while covering dangerous assignments reached the highest level since 1992.