For the communist cadre who has everything, a shadowy Chinese company is offering a $1,590 tablet computer called the "Red Pad" reserved for the nation's top officials.

The pricey device, whose existence was publicized by state media this week, has drawn mocking comparisons to Apple's iPad from Chinese netizens.

Pakistan police have arrested a man who spent three years posing as a general to grab land and solicit favors from the government in a country where the military holds formidable power, police said Friday.

Maqsood Shah, 52, was detained Thursday near an army area in eastern Karachi as he strolled in uniform to meet a government official in order to clinch approval for an illegal land transfer, officials said.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned Friday that any foreign military intervention against Iran's nuclear program would trigger "war and chaos" across the Middle East and beyond.

"Time is limited. France will do everything to avoid military intervention, but there is only one way to avoid it: a much tougher, more decisive, sanctions regime," Sarkozy told an audience of diplomats in Paris.

Turkey on Friday asked French senators to reject a bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide, which comes before the French Senate next Monday.

"We expect (President Nicolas) Sarkozy, his party, and the French Senate to respect European values before anything else. Those who exploit history will themselves suffer from this exploitation," Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in televised remarks.

Police called out when an alarm went off after hours at a northern German bank found the culprit was -- a small spider.

Having initially found nothing untoward at the bank in Lower Saxony state, officers called the bank's caretaker to be on the safe side and went inside to investigate, they said Thursday.

President Nicolas Sarkozy declared Friday that France cannot stand silently by and allow Syrian leader Bashar Assad to put down the pro-democracy revolt in his country.

"We cannot accept the ferocious repression by the Syrian leadership of its people, a repression that has led the entire country into chaos, and a chaos that will help extremists of all kinds," he said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held talks Friday with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas focused on efforts to kick start stalled peace negotiations with Israel.

Abbas told Medvedev in opening remarks at the Russian president's suburban Moscow residence that the Palestinians "will always draw upon your advice and the favorable approaches proposed by the Russian Federation."

British novelist Salman Rushdie withdrew Friday from India's largest literary festival, saying he feared assassination after his participation was opposed by hardline Muslim groups.

"I have now been informed by intelligence sources... that paid assassins from the Mumbai underworld may be on their way to eliminate me," the Indian-born writer said in statement read by the producer of the Jaipur Literary Festival, Sanjoy Roy.

Many male birds use their flashy colored feathers to lure females, but the great bowerbird of Australia has mastered the art of illusion to captivate the ladies, researchers said Thursday.

Part architect, part magician, the great bowerbird constructs an elaborate arched walkway called a bower made from twigs.

Ailing LeBron James scored 31 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 98-87 NBA victory over Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Hours after he was sent home from the morning shoot-around because of flu-like symptoms, two-time NBA Most Valuable Player James rose to the occasion in the clash with the Lakers and their superstar.