Nation, World Briefs: Anti-war protesters arrested after march

WASHINGTON — Thousands of protesters — many directing their anger squarely at President Barack Obama — marched through the nation’s capital Saturday to urge immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. At least eight people, including activist Cindy Sheehan, were arrested by U.S. Park Police at the end of the march, after laying coffins at a fence outside the White House. Friday marked the seventh anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. “Arrest that war criminal!” Sheehan shouted outside the White House before her arrest, referring to Obama.

LaHood plans Toyota parley

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Saturday he’ll go to Japan this summer for talks with Toyota executives about the sudden acceleration problem plaguing some Toyotas. LaHood also says he’ll examine Japan’s high-speed rail system. His department has defended its policing of the auto industry and noted it sent safety officials to Japan last year to urge Toyota to take safety concerns seriously. Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles since last fall. It blames the problem on floor mats that trap gas pedals or on accelerators that become sticky.

Florida: Two planes collide

A single-engine plane and a kit-built aircraft collided in clear skies Saturday, killing three people, authorities said. A Williston woman who thought she heard a gunshot discovered the kit-built plane upside down in a field near her house and called authorities, a Levy Sheriff’s spokesman said. When emergency responders arrived, they found a second plane engulfed in flames in a dense wooded area several hundred yards away. “The fire was extremely intense and at the area of the Piper 32 crash an oak tree caught on fire some 40 feet above ground,” he said.

California: Whale meat sale

A Santa Monica sushi restaurant accused of serving illegal and endangered whale meat is closing its doors. A statement on the restaurant’s Web site, thehump.biz, said it’s voluntarily closing its doors on Saturday. A sushi chef at the high-end restaurant allegedly was caught serving whale meat. Typhoon Restaurant Inc., the parent company of The Hump, and the chef were each charged with illegally selling an endangered species product, a misdemeanor.

Somalia: Militant said dead

A witness said a senior commander of the Somali insurgent group al-Shabab has been assassinated in an area tightly controlled by the militants. At least three masked men armed with pistols shot Sheikh Daud Ali Hasan several times in the head and chest as he was coming out of a mosque Friday night in Kismayo. Al-Shabab officials said they had arrested several suspects Saturday. The U.S. State Department said al-Shabab militants have links to al-Qaida.

China: Sandstorm in Beijing

Tons of sand turned Beijing’s sky orange as the strongest sandstorm this year hit northern China, a gritty reminder that the country’s expanding deserts have led to a sharp increase in the storms. The sky glowed Saturday and a thin dusting of sand covered Beijing, causing workers and tourists to muffle their faces in vast Tiananmen Square. The city’s weather bureau gave air quality a rare hazardous ranking. Air quality is “very bad for the health,” China’s national weather bureau warned. It said people should cover their mouths when outside and keep doors and windows closed. Some flights at Beijing’s international airport were delayed but eventually took off, an official said.

Australia: Cyclone disaster

The premier of Queensland state has declared parts of its coast a disaster zone as a tropical cyclone approaches. She said Saturday that the declaration gives the state the power to order mandatory evacuations if required. Tropical Cyclone Ului is forecast to cross the northeastern Australian coast early today packing winds of up to 105 miles an hour. The Bureau of Meteorology has warned that up to 12 inches of rain could fall.

Aruba: Search for Holloway

Authorities will search once again for a missing U.S. teen after an American couple took an underwater picture of what they believe might be Natalee Holloway’s remains, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors’ office said Saturday. A police diving team will soon do preliminary work at the spot where officials believe the picture was taken, she said. It is too early to say whether the tip is more viable than the other numerous ones authorities have received, she said. Holloway disappeared while on vacation in Aruba in 2005.

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