SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — Christopher Evan Welch, the actor whose roles on New York stages led to a series of film and television parts, including a regular spot on AMC's "Rubicon," has died in Southern California.

The White House would like Afghan President Hamid Karzai to sign a bilateral security agreement by the end of the year, but the deadline could slip into early January, a spokesman said on Wednesday. The deal would permit the United States to keep troops in Afghanistan beyond the end of 2014 to support Afghan forces and conduct limited counterterrorism activities. "If you're asking, 'Does that mean that if they sign it on January 10th, that's going to be a huge problem?' Probably not," said Josh Earnest, a deputy spokesman for the White House. The United States says it gave Afghanistan a year-end deadline to sign the agreement because it needs time to plan its troop presence after 2014.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — As one world leader after another paid homage to Nelson Mandela at a memorial service, the man standing at arm's length from them appeared to interpret their words in sign language. But advocates for the deaf say he was a faker.