Nation & World

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Thursday, July 24, 2008 Nation, World Briefs: L.A. council votes to ban all plastic shopping bags LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles shoppers soon won't hear the question, "Paper or plastic?" at the checkout line. The City Council voted Tuesday to ban plastic shopping bags from stores, beginning July 1, 2010. Shoppers can either bring their own bags or pay 25 cents for a paper or biodegradable bag. The council's unanimous vote also puts pressure on the state, which is considering a bill that would impose bag recycling requirements on stores. City officials said their ban would not be implemented if the state passes the bill and requires at least a 25-cent charge per bag. Bear mauling victim drives away A woman mauled by a bear in a rural area of Southern California was recovering Wednesday as game wardens sought to trap and kill the animal. Allena Hansen, 56, was resting comfortably after undergoing extensive surgery to repair injuries suffered in Tuesday's attack, a spokeswoman for the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center said. Despite suffering severe lacerations to her face and head, the woman managed not only to escape but to drive herself to a nearby fire station, a Kern County fire spokesman said. Hawaii: B-52 crew are all dead All six crew members aboard a B-52 bomber that crashed off Guam were killed, the Air Force said Wednesday as the search effort shifted focus from rescue to recovery of the crew and pieces of the wreckage. Two bodies have been found; the Air Force said forensic specialists were trying to identify additional remains. The unarmed bomber crashed Monday during a swing around the island as part of Guam Liberation Day celebrations, marking the day when the U.S. military arrived to retake control of the island from Japan during World War II. The B-52 had been scheduled to conduct a flyover in a parade. Louisiana: Oil spill blocks river A stretch of the Mississippi River at New Orleans could be closed for days as crews clean a 12-mile oil slick caused Wednesday when a tanker and barge collided, officials said. Heavy, almost tar-like fuel oil spilled from the barge, forming the slick and closing about 47 miles of the river, the Coast Guard said. The barge "was T-boned and split in half," a Coast Guard spokeswoman said. It held more than 419,000 gallons of fuel oil in three tanks. D.C.: Near collision at Chicago The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday it is investigating a near collision of planes at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the third such incident at a major airport this month. The board said the latest incident occurred Monday as an American Eagle ERJ-145 jet was taking off on one runway and a Learjet was arriving on another, perpendicular runway. When controllers realized the planes' flight paths intersected and the jets were about to collide, they ordered the Learjet to abort its landing and fly around again. South Dakota lawmaker expecting South Dakota Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin is expecting her first child in late December. In an e-mail, Herseth Sandlin and her husband, former Texas Rep. Max Sandlin, said they were overjoyed to share the news. She said they are looking forward to a "particularly blessed holiday." A spokesman said the pregnancy will not affect Herseth Sandlin's re-election this year. He said the late December due date works well with the congressional schedule, since Congress is not expected to be in session at that time. Texas: Skinny escapee captured Police in Houston say a murder suspect who lost weight so he could escape from jail by squeezing through a vent has been caught taking a dip in a motel swimming pool. Police said Darryl Layne Norris was back in custody Wednesday. Authorities said Norris escaped early Saturday from the Waller County Jail in Hempstead, about 50 miles northwest of Houston. Investigators said he escaped through an air conditioning vent that is less than a foot wide. Philippines: Pirates seize ship Pirates have seized a cargo ship with 20 Filipino sailors on board off the coast of Somalia, a Philippine government official said Wednesday. The pirates climbed aboard the bulk carrier Stella Maris in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday, a government spokesman said. The Japanese owner of the ship has been in contact with the crew and they are safe off the northeastern tip of Somalia, he said. He ruled out the Philippine government paying a ransom to free the hostages, saying it is against policy. Russia: Bears kill mine workers A pack of enormous bears searching for food killed and ate two men at mines in the Pacific Kamchatka region and have kept hundreds of geologists and miners from reaching the mine, news agencies reported Wednesday. A pack of up to 30 Kamchatka bears -- which are similar to grizzlies -- prowled around two mines of a local platinum mining company where they killed the two guards, officials said. Company workers have refused to return to the mines for fear of the bears, which stand 10 feet tall on their hind legs and weigh up to 1,500 pounds, Interfax reported. From Herald news services

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