7 U.S. troops killed in latest Afghanistan fighting
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Seven U.S. troops have died in attacks in Afghanistan’s embattled southern and eastern regions, while officials found the bodies Sunday of five kidnapped campaign aides working for a female candidate in the western province of Herat.
Two servicemen died in bombings Sunday in southern Afghanistan, while two others were killed in a bomb attack in the south on Saturday and three in fighting in the east the same day, NATO said. Their identities and other details were being withheld until relatives could be notified.
The latest deaths bring to 42 the number of American forces who have died this month in Afghanistan after July’s high of 66. A total of 62 international forces have died in the country this month, including seven British troops.
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Hurricane Earl barrels toward eastern Caribbean
MIAMI (AP) — Forecasters say Earl has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it barrels toward several islands in the eastern Caribbean.
Meanwhile, the Category 1 Hurricane Danielle was bringing dangerous rip currents to the U.S. East Coast.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says Earl could make landfall over the Northern Leeward Islands as soon as Sunday night. It could become a major hurricane by Tuesday.
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WWII tanker off Calif. coast may still pose threat
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A tanker ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine during World War II near California’s Central Coast may still represent a danger to the environment, said scientists investigating the rusting hulk.
The 440-foot Montebello has been lying under 900 feet of water since Dec. 23, 1941 — 16 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Nearly 70 years later, scientists with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute are trying to determine if the 3.5 million gallons of crude oil in its hold are still there, and whether the sludge can threaten the coastline.
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Obama says he isn’t worried about Muslim rumors
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President Barack Obama says he isn’t worried about a recent poll showing nearly one-fifth of Americans believe he is a Muslim.
In an interview broadcast Sunday on “NBC Nightly News,” the president, who is a Christian, blamed the confusion over his religious beliefs on “a network of misinformation.”
He says he can’t go around with his “birth certificate plastered on (his) forehead.” He says he has faith in “the American people’s capacity to get beyond all this nonsense.”
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Officer, that’s not me! Mistaken ID jails Louisiana minister
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — A series of unfortunate coincidences led to a case of mistaken identity that put a Louisiana minister behind bars. Gregory Jones, pastor at Eden Worship Center, was pulled over for speeding and arrested as a man wanted for violating parole in Texas. The minister not only had the same name as the wanted man, but the same birthdate and a Texas driver’s license. So he was handcuffed and taken to a Shreveport jail.
Jones said deputies treated him well. A photograph and fingerprint check confirmed he wasn’t the wanted man.
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Judge tosses brutality suit against officers
OPELOUSAS, La. (AP) — A state judge has dismissed a lawsuit accusing three Opelousas police officers of brutality.
Judge James Doherty ruled there was insufficient evidence to bring the case to trial.
Adrien Henry filed suit in 2008 against Sgt. Bill Ortego, Sgt. Brody Ortego and Freddie Henderson, a reserve officer. Henry claimed excessive force by the officers left him with injuries after his 2007 arrest.
The Daily World reports that all three officers have remained on the force. Police Chief Perry Gallow says an internal affairs investigation found no evidence to support Henry’s claims.
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Destroyer had 4 kittens aboard on two-day trip to Louisiana
LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — When the USS Orleck departed for Lake Charles on May 18, the Gearing-class destroyer had four secret stowaways who managed to remain undetected for the vessel’s two-day trip. Once the Orleck docked at its new homeport, Debbie Lynn Hoffpauir and other USS Orleck Naval Museum volunteers discovered the kitten quartet as they inspected the newly arrived ship.
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