BOSTON - The longtime girlfriend of reputed gangster James "Whitey" Bulger lost her bid to reduce the eight-year prison sentence she received for helping Bulger during his 16 years as a fugitive.

A three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Friday that it found no basis to change the sentence that Catherine Greig received after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to harbour a fugitive, identity fraud and conspiracy to commit identity fraud. The panel included retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter.

NEW DELHI - Indian actor Sanjay Dutt surrendered before a Mumbai court Thursday to begin serving time for a weapons conviction linked to a deadly terror attack in the city in 1993.

India's Supreme Court sentenced Dutt to five years in prison in March for illegal possession of weapons supplied by mafia bosses linked to the terror attack, which killed 257 people in the Indian financial capital and entertainment hub.

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek alternate sleeping arrangements when travelling after receiving a sky-high bill for installing a customized bed on a recent flight to London, officials close to the Israeli leader said.

Netanyahu found himself facing a public uproar on Sunday after Channel 10 TV reported over the weekend that he had spent $127,000 in public funds on a special sleeping cabin for the five-hour flight to attend Margaret Thatcher's funeral last month.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's government fired the defence secretary Wednesday and the army warned of "grievous consequences" for the country, escalating a political and legal crisis that some believe could end in the dismissal of government.