LOS ANGELES — The City Council voted Wednesday to boycott Arizona businesses, making Los Angeles the largest city to take such action to protest the state’s tough new law targeting illegal immigration. The 13-1 vote, which came after emotional discussion in which several council members recounted their immigrant ancestors, was largely symbolic since only a small percentage of the city’s business dealings are affected. The resolution is expected to be signed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. It bars the nation’s second-largest city from conducting business or reaching new contracts with Arizona businesses unless the immigration law is repealed, and also prohibits most city business trips to the state.
D.C.: DNA kit sales on hold
The largest U.S. drugstore chain, Walgreen Co., says it is holding off selling genetic testing kits at its stores after the Food and Drug Administration raised concerns with the kits’ manufacturer. Pathway Genomics had said that its saliva swab would be on Walgreen’s shelves later this month. It said consumers can use the kits to determine if they have a predisposition for chronic diseases or might have a response to a common drug. A Walgreen spokesman said Wednesday the company decided to wait until the outcome of discussions between Pathway and the FDA before stocking the kits.
State veto on offshore drilling
Coastal states could veto offshore drilling plans under long-awaited legislation to curb global warming unveiled Wednesday. The bill, sponsored by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., would allow states to opt out of federal drilling up to 75 miles from their shores, a concession to lawmakers concerned about offshore exploration in the wake of the Gulf Coast oil spill. The measure also would allow states directly affected to veto drilling plans of nearby states if they could show that significant negative effects would result from an accident.
Maryland: GOP convention
Republicans choose Tampa as the site of their 2012 presidential convention, hoping the swing state of Florida will help them defeat President Barack Obama. A Republican National Committee panel recommended the Gulf Coast city during a closed-door meeting, rejecting Salt Lake City and Phoenix. The decision came amid calls from Hispanic groups and others to boycott Arizona after it adopted a law to crack down on illegal immigrants. Florida, with its hefty 27 electoral votes, decided the 2000 election for George W. Bush. Obama won the state in 2008.
Hawaii: ‘Birther’ requests
It’s now law in Hawaii that the state government can ignore repetitive requests for President Barack Obama’s birth certificate. Republican Gov. Linda Lingle on Wednesday signed a bill allowing state government agencies not to respond to follow-up requests for information if they determine that the subsequent request is duplicative or substantially similar to a previous request. The law is aimed at so-called “birthers,” who claim Obama is ineligible to be president. They contend the Democratic president was born outside the United States, and therefore doesn’t meet a constitutional requirement for being president.
Belgium: Volcano flight rules
The European air safety agency proposed new procedures Wednesday that would drastically shrink the no-fly zone around volcanic ash particles — a move that should decrease future airspace closures and travel delays. A spokesman for the European aviation safety agency, said the new solution adopts the U.S. practice of imposing a 120-mile no-fly buffer zone for all aircraft in the vicinity of any visible ash plume. This no-fly zone is hundreds of miles smaller than the one used now in Europe.
Canada: Victims of sinkhole
Authorities said they have found the bodies of all four members of a family who went missing after their house was swallowed by a gaping sinkhole northeast of Montreal. Authorities said the family was cheering on the Montreal Canadiens in their Stanley Cup playoff ice hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins when the massive sinkhole hit Monday night in Saint-Jude.
S. Africa: Killed by giraffe
South Africa’s press agency said a giraffe kicked a woman to death at a game farm. The agency said Wednesday that the woman took a walk with her two dogs on the game farm in Limpopo province on Saturday. The agency said one of the dogs ran towards a herd of giraffe, scaring them. The agency said the 25-year-old woman tried to protect the dog, prompting a giraffe to kick her in the neck, killing her.
From Herald news services
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