Superhero characters cheer up children in Japan’s tsunami zone
ISHINOMAKI, Japan (AP) — The battle between a buggy-eyed blue superhero and an evil sea monster and his ninja henchmen was a brief but refreshing return to normalcy for children in this Japanese coastal city.
Nearly two months after their lives were roiled by a massive tsunami, the boys and girls of Ishinomaki — many who still live in shelters or half-ruined homes surrounded by debris — were treated to the stage show as part of Children’s Day celebrations.
 
Islamic world goes quiet as the age of Osama bin Laden closes
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — With Osama bin Laden’s death, voices across the Islamic world are now relatively muted in sharp counterpoint to the rage and shame — or hero-worship — that he long inspired.
For some, the account of bin Laden’s death during a U.S. raid early Monday on his Pakistan compound is still too much to accept. One post on a militant website asks: “Has the sheik really died?”
 
Body of US student found by Costa Rican Red Cross official
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — A Costa Rican Red Cross official says the body of a second U.S. high school student who drowned off the country’s Pacific coast has been recovered. He says rescuers are still looking for a missing student.
Red Cross spokesman Freddy Roman says James Smith’s body was recovered Thursday. He says authorities are still searching for missing student Kai Lamar.
 
Republican presidential hopefuls: Release Osama bin Laden photo
GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Some of the Republican presidential hopefuls are calling for President Barack Obama to release photos that prove U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden during a covert raid in Pakistan.
Earlier this week, several of the potential candidates praised Obama for getting the world’s most-wanted terrorist.
 
Number of people missing after Tuscaloosa tornadoes unclear
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Where is Johnnie Brown’s sister? Or the friend Billie Sue Hall talked to every day? A week after tornadoes ripped neighborhoods to shreds across the South, there still are no answers.
It’s unclear how many people are missing across the seven states where 329 deaths have been reported. There are 25 unaccounted for in Tuscaloosa alone, the mayor says, but that number could be off because of the chaos the storm left behind.
Cadaver dog teams across the region are scouring the debris to uncover whatever tragedies may remain, and even bad news would be comforting to some families.
 
La. sets 2011 spring shrimp season opening dates
(AP) — The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has set spring shrimp season dates — but Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham can change them if high rivers or spillway openings threaten the harvest.
The commission set dates Thursday from May 6 to May 23 based on biologists’ expectations of when at least half the inshore brown shrimp will number 100 or fewer per pound.
 
Jazz Fest’s Thursday opening performers boast local flair
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — As Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys performed Thursday under blue skies and bright sunshine, couples danced to the distinctly Cajun sounds as the second — and final — weekend of this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival began.
Karen Nelson, of New Orleans, and her friend Brenda Lackey, of Dallas, sat in a field nearby to enjoy Gal Holiday & The Honky Tonk Revue and await Cajun fiddler Amanda Shaw’s show on a stage not far away.
“This is an experience you can’t get anywhere else,” Nelson said of the jazz fest. “I can walk here from my house, listen to great music, eat great food and meet great people. It’s the atmosphere.”
Lackey said she enjoys people-watching and gets a lot of it during the festival.