A school bus taking primary students home slipped off a country road into an irrigation ditch in eastern China, killing 15 children and highlighting continuing safety problems in the country's school transport system following a similar tragedy last month.

Workers at a nearby factory heard cries for help and rushed to the overturned bus, broke open the windows and began pulling children out.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta arrived in Kabul on Tuesday to reaffirm America's commitment to Afghanistan as Washington starts to withdraw combat troops and hand over security to Afghan forces.

The Pentagon chief, who says violence is falling in the country where the United States has been at war with the Taliban for 10 years, is slated to meet Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Defense Secretary Abdul Rahim Wardak.

Real Madrid's first chance to exorcise the memory of its 3-1 defeat to Barcelona at the weekend comes with a visit to third-tier team Ponferradina in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday.

"This is very welcome to us. For any club of our level, playing against Madrid is the best," said Ponferradina president Jose Fernandez. "It's also important economically. For us, it's like a lottery win."

UEFA has started taking ticket applications for 2012 European Championship matches from fans of the 16 competing countries.

UEFA says it will sell at least 6,000 seats to fans of each team at each of the 24 group-stage matches.

Fast-growing Gulf carrier Etihad Airways says it is buying 10 more of Boeing's new 787-9 planes, making it the largest customer for that version of the aircraft.

Etihad said on Monday it is also ordering two Boeing 777 cargo planes.

The European Union should help teach bloggers living under oppressive regimes how to communicate freely and avoid detection, and develop technology to help them, the bloc's digital affairs commissioner said Friday.

Speaking at an online free speech conference, Neelie Kroes said digital dissidents need tools that are "simple and ready-made."

The Facebook group was titled "No More West Indian Day Detail," referring to the police patrol for a raucous annual Brooklyn parade.

Sprinkled among the frustrations aired about regulating the crowded, loud, often-violent event were comments that were more offensive. Some called the parade, held in a predominantly black neighborhood, "ghetto training," and a "scheduled riot." Others referred to participants as savages.

"The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" flew away with the game of the year trophy at the Spike Video Game Awards.

The dragon-slaying epic also won as best role-playing game, and "Skyrim" developer Bethesda Softworks was selected as the studio of the year at Saturday's ninth annual Spike Video Game Awards, which honors outstanding achievements within the gaming industry over the past year.

Meryl Streep may be considered one of the finest actresses around, yet she says she believed her career was over 20 years ago.

Streep, now 62, tells Vogue magazine she was offered three different roles to play a witch after turning 40. She believed it meant women in her age group were "grotesque on some level," and told her husband "It's over."

Karen Jackson and Kiki Stafford were moved to tears as they walked among the items that surrounded Michael Jackson in his final days: The Victorian baby grand piano, the wooden armoire where Jackson had written a note to himself on the mirror, the kitchen chalkboard where his children inscribed the message, "I love daddy."

Jackson, 57, and Stafford, 47, were among dozens of Michael Jackson fans who got an early look at items that will be sold at auction from the singer's final home — and left behind tributes to the King of Pop.