WASHINGTON — Air travelers may have their hands swabbed more often as part of a stepped-up effort to screen passengers for explosives, an Obama administration official said Wednesday. Airports were told Wednesday that more passengers should be randomly screened for explosives before, during and after they go through metal detectors, the official said. The screening could include swabbing travelers’ hands or their carry-on luggage to check for traces of explosives, said the official. Heightened screening measures have been tested at five airports over the past month.
Maalox to change packaging
The maker of Maalox is changing the name of its most potent medication because health regulators say consumers are mistaking it for a milder stomach reliever. The Food and Drug Administration said Maalox Total Relief contains potent drug ingredients that can cause internal bleeding. The anti-diarrhea medication is often confused with traditional Maalox, a gentler anti-acid formula. The FDA said manufacturer Novartis will rename Maalox Total Relief and change its packaging to avoid confusion.
New Jersey: Senator improves
An aide to hospitalized New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg says the senator is “recovering comfortably” in the hospital and is anxious to get back to work. The 86-year-old Democrat underwent an endoscopy procedure this week to treat a bleeding ulcer. He was taken to the hospital Monday night after becoming lightheaded and falling at his Cliffside Park home. The spokesman said Lautenberg spoke with his staff several times Wednesday. It’s not yet known when the senator will be released from the hospital.
Hawaii: Spokane man dies
A man from Spokane has drowned after swimming off the coast of Maui. Police said 54-year-old Daniel Barney was pronounced dead Wednesday at Maui Memorial Medical Center after he was pulled from the ocean near Black Rock. They said officers were called to the scene by two bystanders. Barney was being pulled from the water at the time. Police said attempts to resuscitate the man failed.
California: Prince will run
Prince Frederic von Anhalt, a flamboyant socialite and eighth husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor, has officially entered the California governor’s race. Von Anhalt’s political platform includes legalizing marijuana and prostitution, lifting the import ban on Cuban cigars then taxing them all. The 65-year-old flew to Sacramento Wednesday from his Los Angeles home to file his candidate papers. Von Anhalt said he was motivated to run by watching the mistakes of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Cops seize roosters and hens
Sheriff’s deputies have seized more than 600 chickens that authorities believe were being trained for cockfighting. Authorities said deputies seized about 400 roosters and 200 hens Tuesday morning at the residence in Yucaipa in San Bernardino County. Investigators believe the birds were going to be sold in Mexico to compete in cockfighting derbies. A Humane Society of the United States law enforcement specialist said the operation had been written about in a cockfighting magazine. Deputies and animal control officers were acting on a tip from the Humane Society.
Malaysia: 3 women caned
Authorities caned three Muslim women for having extramarital sex, making them the first women in the country to receive such punishment under Islamic law, an official said Wednesday. The caning of women has fueled debate about whether Islamic conservatism was intruding into people’s personal lives in this moderate Muslim-majority country. Another woman, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, a 32-year-old mother of two, was sentenced to caning last year for drinking beer. It was not clear whether the men who had sex with the women were also caned.
Italy: Shroud of Turin show
Officials said more than 1 million people have already reserved a place to see the Shroud of Turin when it goes on display in the northern Italian city for the first time in 10 years. Major celebrations are shaping up in the Olympic city of Turin when the archdiocese displays the linen cloth from April 10 to May 23. The Vatican said Pope Benedict XVI will be among the visitors. The shroud is revered by many Christians as Jesus Christ’s burial cloth but it is described by some as a medieval forgery.
From Herald news services
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