CARSON CITY, Nev. — Gov. Jim Gibbons said Nevada has officially joined at least 18 other states in a lawsuit challenging the federal health reform law. On Friday, the first-term Republican governor said an amended lawsuit adding Nevada as a plaintiff was filed Friday in Florida. Gibbons has been an outspoken critic of the law signed in March by President Barack Obama. He and others claim it is unconstitutional because it would force people to buy health insurance or face penalties imposed by the Internal Revenue Service. He also said it would increase Nevada’s Medicaid costs by $575 million.
D.C.: Army recalls helmets
The Army says it is recalling 44,000 advanced combat helmets that have been issued to soldiers worldwide because they do not meet military specifications. The Army said Friday that the risk to soldiers wearing the helmets is still being determined. New helmets are being issued to anyone who has a defective one. The recall amounts to 4 percent of all advanced combat helmets issued by the Army. The helmets are made by ArmorSource LLC. The company, based in Hebron, Ohio, is a leading maker of combat headgear for the military and police.
Colorado: Military GPS glitch
The Air Force said a software glitch in its GPS network in January temporarily left some defense systems unable to lock onto locator signals from satellites, but the problem has since been fixed. The Air Force Global Positioning Wing said Friday one program halted operations as a precaution. SpaceNews.com reported the Navy interrupted development work on an unmanned jet because of the problem. An Air Force spokesman said up to 10,000 military GPS receivers could have been affected, but no civilian GPS functions were.
California: Gray whale dies
A young gray whale that captured public concern as it swam listlessly around Dana Point Harbor after rescuers freed it of nets and rope has died. A federal biologist said the whale, nicknamed Lily, died about 4 p.m. Friday off Orange County’s Doheny State Beach. The whale showed up Monday at Dana Point. Experts found it was entangled in rope and netting. The entanglements were removed, but the whale never rejoined the California gray migration north to Alaska. An official said the whale’s emaciated condition indicated it hadn’t been feeding.
Somalia: Pirates release ship
The European Union’s anti-piracy force said Somali pirates have freed a British-flagged chemical tanker they had held for more than four months after receiving a ransom. The EU said Friday that the St. James Park is now sailing to Thailand after pirates received a ransom Thursday. Somali pirates seized the St. James Park on Dec. 28 as it headed for Tha Phut, Thailand. Somali pirates are currently holding at least 20 vessels.
Nigeria: Refineries planned
Nigeria signed a $23 billion agreement with China to build three gasoline refineries and a fuel complex in the oil-rich, but gas-starved nation that imports much of its fuel, officials have announced. The deal struck by Nigeria’s state-run oil company comes as China’s resource-hungry economy maneuvers its way into the African market. The Chinese have been in negotiations with Nigeria for months and reportedly have offered $50 billion for 6 billion barrels of oil.
Britain: Cabinet mostly male
Prime Minister David Cameron’s three-day-old administration was criticized by activists, the press and even his new coalition partners Friday for picking an almost entirely white, male and upper-class Cabinet despite pledging that his Conservative party would no longer be an old boys club. Cameron and his deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats, both grew up in wealthy families and attended elite schools. The 23-member Cabinet they selected after forging a coalition government this week includes Britain’s first female Muslim, but only three other women. Only two run government departments, the mark of influence and power.
Italy: Pink Panther arrest
Italian police have arrested a suspected member of a gang of jewel thieves known as the Pink Panthers, who are believed to have carried out daring robberies across the world. The Interpol and Rome police said Friday that Radovan Jelusic, 39, a Montenegrin national, was arrested in the Rome on an international arrest warrant. The Pink Panthers are believed to be mainly from the Balkans. Interpol said the group is believed to have carried out jewel robberies worth more than $310 million in the last decade.
From Herald news services
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