ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP)- A young American diplomat has been found dead at his house in the Ethiopian capital and foul play is suspected, U.S. and Ethiopian officials said Thursday.

A U.S. State Department official in Washington said the body of Brian Adkins was discovered Saturday in Addis Ababa on his 26th birthday. The official said Adkins had not been the subject of any threats but foul play appeared to be involved.

“It could have been random crime. We just don’t know,” the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity due to privacy concerns.

Adkins, of Columbus, Ohio, was serving as a consular officer at the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia.

Exotic dancer set on fire outside club

LOS ANGELES (AP) – An exotic dancer was set on fire outside the nightclub where she worked early Thursday, burning more than 60 percent of her body, police said. They were searching for two suspects.

A woman and a man called the 27-year-old dancer outside around 1 a.m. and then doused her with a flammable liquid next to the Babes & Beer sports club in the San Fernando Valley, police said.

Police identified the suspects as Rianne Celine Theriault-Odom, 27, and Nathaniel Marquis Petrillo, 22, both frequent patrons of the club.

“Given the condition of this victim, they may be responsible for ultimately her murder,” Deputy Chief Michel Moore said.

Moore said the dancer, a mother of two, was in grave condition..

Judge: Palin used child as a ‘prop’

NEW YORK (AP) – A federal judge presiding over a case involving an autistic boy took a shot at former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin for bringing her Down syndrome child on stage after a debate last year.

U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald made the remarks during a settlement conference with lawyers involved in a lawsuit against a luxury building in Manhattan. The parents of an 11-year-old boy are fighting a 25-pound limit on dogs, saying a big dog is medically necessary to help their son cope with Asperger’s syndrome.

“That kid was used as a prop,” the judge sa id. “And that to me as a parent blew my mind.” Such conferences are held in private, but the remarks were heard by a New York Daily news reporter.

Buchwald, 62, was appointed by former President Bill Clinton.

AP-ES-02-05-09 1649EST