Nation/World Briefly: Gas prices up 17 cents in two weeks nationwide
Published 10:54 pm Sunday, May 18, 2008
CAMARILLO, Calif. — A national survey says the average price for regular gasoline rose about 17 cents in the last two weeks.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline Friday was $3.79 a gallon. Midgrade was at $3.91, and premium was $4.02. That’s according to the Lundberg Survey of 7,000 stations nationwide released Sunday.
For the first time, the survey found average prices for regular gas surged above $4 a gallon in two metropolitan areas: Chicago and on Long Island in New York.
Of the cities surveyed, the cheapest price was in Tucson, Ariz., where a gallon of regular cost $3.48 on average. The highest average price was in Chicago, at $4.07.
Massachusetts: Kennedy awaits test results, which could be today
Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy remained in a Boston hospital Sunday, awaiting test results, which could be available today, that could explain why the 76-year-old Democrat suffered a seizure Saturday. The hospital and Kennedy’s office released no new information about his condition on Sunday. Kennedy was resting, eating and watching the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics games on television Sunday afternoon, said a top aide.
Florida: Heavy smoke advisory
Parts of southern Florida were under a dense-smoke advisory on Sunday as firefighters worked to control several wildfires that have burned about 62 square miles. The majority of fires burned around Lake Okeechobee in Glades County and on the coast in Brevard County, where a smoky haze was expected to linger throughout the day.
Louisiana: Residents can return home after derailment’s toxic spill
Thousands of Lafayette residents were allowed to return to their homes Sunday night as crews continue to clean up hydrochloric acid that spilled when six train cars derailed Saturday. Saturday’s derailment spread a toxic cloud over the city. Authorities cut the one-mile evacuation radius Sunday to 1,000 feet from the accident site, state police said.
Egypt: Bin Laden slams Arab leaders
Osama bin Laden released a new message on Sunday denouncing Arab leaders for sacrificing the Palestinians and saying the head of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah did not really have the strength to take on Israel. The al-Qaida leader said the only way to liberate Palestine is to fight the Arab regimes that are protecting Israel. And he called on Muslim militants in Egypt to help break the blockade of Gaza. Bin Laden said Muslims should ignore the Islamic prohibition against raising arms against fellow Muslims, claiming it was legitimate to rise up against leaders who are not governing according to Islamic law. Those leaders, he said, came to power “either by a military coup or with backing from foreign forces.”
Mexico: Juarez police chief quits
The police chief of the border city of Ciudad Juarez has submitted his resignation after a string of killings that included some of his top officers, officials said on Sunday. A city spokesman said Public Safety Director Guillermo Prieto would be replaced by a military officer on leave from the armed forces but declined to release the name of the new police chief. Murder rates have spiked this year in this city across from El Paso, Texas, and at least seven city police commanders were killed by hit men believed to be linked to drug cartels.
Afghanistan: Blast kills civilians
A suicide bomber blew himself up next to a police convoy in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province on Sunday, but instead killed four civilians and wounded eight other people, an official said. A U.S. coalition member and another civilian died in a separate roadside blast, also in the south.
Philippines: Kids die in shooting
A man strafed several houses with an M-16 rifle early today in Calamba, a town south of Manila, killing eight people and wounding six others. Five of the dead were children aged 4 to 12 years who were sleeping inside their homes. A police official said the suspect escaped, and police were investigating. He said a family feud may have been responsible.
Pakistan: Suicide bomber kills 11
A suicide bomber blew himself up at the gate of an army base in Mardan, in Pakistan’s militancy-plagued northwest, on Sunday, killing at least 11 people including four soldiers, officials said. There were no immediate claims of responsibility.
From Herald news services
