WASHINGTON — Forty-two workers suspected of being in the country illegally were detained Wednesday at Dulles International Airport as immigration authorities checked the identities of people entering one of the employee entrance gates. Although immigration officials were still investigating, they say the detainees, all of whom are men, were Latin American construction workers involved with some of the extensive building projects under way at the airport. A similar operation at the airport in June 2006 resulted in the arrest of 55 workers.
National Zoo: No panda this year
The National Zoo says panda mother Mei Xiang will not give birth to a cub this year after all. A spike in Mei Xiang’s hormone levels in June suggested she might be pregnant again. But zoo scientists and veterinarians said Wednesday that they believe she may have miscarried or possibly had a false pregnancy. Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated in March with semen from Tian Tian. He is the zoo’s giant male panda.
Michigan: Hearty handshake blues
The rigors of campaigning caught up with Cindy McCain on Wednesday. She suffered a minor sprain after an “enthusiastic supporter” shook her hand at a fundraiser in West Bloomfield. Later in the afternoon, McCain stood beside her husband, presidential hopeful John McCain, wearing a soft cast on her right arm supported by a black fabric sling with a sparkly broach. John McCain joked that his wife now would “not have to shake so many hands” while on the stump.
New York: Air conditioning rules
The New York City Council wants to slam the door on stores that blast their air conditioning to lure foot traffic from sizzling sidewalks. A bill is expected to pass today that would prohibit stores from keeping doors open while running their air conditioners. A first violation gets a warning, the second a $200 fine and the third double that amount. Shops that are smaller than 40,000 square feet are excluded.
Oklahoma: Sheriff’s sex charges
A former sheriff was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on felony charges that accuse him of demanding sex from female inmates in exchange for his help in getting them into a drug court rehabilitation program. A Special District judge found there was enough evidence to bring former Custer County Sheriff Mike Burgess, 55, to trial on 35 charges, including rape, following a two-day preliminary hearing during which several inmates testified that they feared they would be sent to prison if they didn’t perform sexual acts on Burgess.
New Zealand: Emergency landing
A Qantas Airways flight landed safely Wednesday night after a problem with one of its engines on a flight from Australia to New Zealand, the company said, the latest in a series of mechanical incidents for the airline. One of four engines on a Boeing 747-300 from Melbourne was “reduced to idle” speed while the airplane approached Auckland Airport on Wednesday night, a Qantas spokeswoman said. However, the pilot managed to land the aircraft with 219 passengers and 16 crew safely, she said, blaming the problem on a “faulty fuel-flow regulator.”
Canada: Deserter to be deported
A U.S. Army specialist who fled Fort Bragg for Canada after learning his unit was to be deployed to Iraq was ordered deported Wednesday. Jeremy Hinzman, 29, is likely to be court-martialed when he returns to the United States and could face up to five years in prison. Hinzman said Canada’s Border Services Agency ordered him to leave the country by Sept. 23 and he would be handed over to U.S. authorities. Before he fled Fort Bragg, N.C., in January 2004, Hinzman had already served a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
Argentina: Obesity, bulimia bill
Argentine senators have approved a bill declaring obesity and other eating disorders diseases covered by the nation’s public and private health care programs. The lawmakers unanimously backed the “Obesity Law” Wednesday, saying that fighting obesity, anorexia and bulimia is in the national interest. Patients can now seek treatment under Argentine health programs. The law also prohibits the media from releasing diets that aren’t backed by a health professional and requires that high-calorie foods carry a warning label.
Yemen: Pirates may have ship
Yemeni authorities say pirates have attacked and possibly hijacked a British-flagged commercial ship off the Gulf of Aden. A naval official says Aden’s port received a distress signal from the ship Wednesday after it came under heavy attack from armed pirates. After sounding an alarm, port officials lost radio contact with the ship, named “Thorstar.” It was believed to be about 100 miles off the coast. Another Yemeni official who works at Aden port says the ship “has clearly been taken over by the pirates.”
From Herald news services
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