Nation, World Briefs: Hurricane Dolly rains blamed for vehicle death
Published 9:58 pm Saturday, July 26, 2008
EL PASO, Texas — Heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Dolly is closing streets and flooding homes in El Paso, and is blamed for causing the death of one person in New Mexico. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that a passenger in a sport utility vehicle was killed when the vehicle hit a large puddle and rolled over. The driver and two children were hospitalized. A National Weather Service meteorologist said some areas of El Paso have gotten as much as 3 inches of rain.
California: Wildfire near Yosemite
Authorities say a wildfire is threatening several hundred homes near the main entrance road to Yosemite National Park. A spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said the 1,000-acre fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain along both sides of the Merced River. The Mariposa Sheriff’s Department is warning residents of the town of Midpines to prepare to evacuate. Midpines is located along Highway 140, the thoroughfare to the west entrance of Yosemite National Park.
New Mexico: Navaho smoking
Navajo Nation Council has approved a ban on commercial tobacco in public places on its vast reservation — including such outdoor venues as rodeos and fairs. The measure would ban cigarettes and chewing tobacco — but not tobacco used in ceremonies for traditional or religious purposes — on the reservation across parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The reservation is about the size of West Virginia. The Navajo Nation president has 10 days to sign or veto the law once it reaches his desk.
Florida: Hurricane weakens
Hurricane Genevieve has weakened to a tropical storm far off Mexico’s Pacific coast and forecasters say it is expected to continue losing strength as it moves farther out to sea. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said early Saturday, Genevieve was about 720 miles west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas in Baja California and was moving farther west at about 13 mph. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 70 mph. Forecasters said the storm is expected to continue gradually weakening during the next couple of days.
New Jersey: Search discontinued
The Coast Guard has stopped searching for the owner and captain of a Rhode Island fishing boat that sank off the coast of New Jersey. The Coast Guard suspended its search for 58-year-old Philip Ruhle at sunset Friday after searching an area larger than the state of Delaware. A Coast Guard spokeswoman won’t say if the suspension means that Ruhle is believed dead. Two crew members were rescued after spending three hours in the water.
China: Islamists claim bombings
A group calling itself the Turkestan Islamic Party has released a video asserting responsibility for deadly bus bombings last week in China’s western Yunnan province and other recent incidents, and threatening attacks during the Olympic Games. Police officials in Yunnan and in Shanghai, where a bus explosion in May killed three people, said there was no evidence the two attacks were connected to terrorists, state media said. In the video, a man identified as Commander Seyfullah says the group aims “to target the most critical points related to the Olympics. We will try to attack Chinese central cities severely, using the tactics that have never been employed,” he said.
Gaza Strip: Blast triggers arrests
Hamas security arrested about 200 supporters of the rival Fatah group, hurled grenades at the home of a Fatah leader and set up checkpoints across Gaza on Saturday after a mysterious beachside blast that killed five Hamas members and a 6-year-old girl. Hamas leaders blamed Fatah for Friday’s explosion, and began the toughest crackdown against the rival group in recent months. A Gaza-based human rights group reported Hamas security officials arrested at least 160 Fatah loyalists, and some 40 institutions connected to the group were raided.
Nigeria: Foreign workers freed
Eight foreign oil workers kidnapped Saturday in Nigeria have been released unharmed, a military spokesman said. Six unidentified men in a speed boat seized the workers at gunpoint from a liquefied petroleum tanker earlier in the day in the restive Niger delta. A state military spokesman said no ransom was paid to obtain their release and the nationalities of the oil workers were not immediately known. Kidnappings are common in the West African nation’s oil-rich region.
South Korea: Deadly rainstorms
Torrential rains that lashed South Korea this week have led to the deaths of seven people and left six others missing, the government said Saturday. Six people were also injured, with one in critical condition, in landslides and flash floods triggered by heavy rain that started battering the country Wednesday, the National Emergency Management Agency said. Two people were found dead Saturday after they were reported missing in Bonghwa, 150 miles southeast of the capital Seoul, the agency said. Three people also died Friday after their houses were pounded by landslides, it said.
From Herald news services
