Number of US troops in Iraq below 50,000 for first time since 2003BAGHDAD (AP) — The number of U.S. troops in Iraq has fallen below 50,000 for the first time since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and ahead of the end-of-the-month deadline mandated by President Obama, the American military said in a statement Tuesday.The number is a watershed in the more than seven years that the United States has been at war in Iraq. Under Obama’s plan, American forces will no longer conduct combat operations but are instead to focus on training Iraqi troops.”We’ve met our goal,” Gen. Ray Odierno, the commanding general in Iraq, told reporters Tuesday. “But the story is not about 50,000. The story is that we are continuing to be committed to Iraq. But our commitment is going to change.”Odierno said that going forward, the focus will be on economic, political, cultural and technological developments.—-Jet misses runway and crashes in China, kills 43 and injures 53BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese passenger jet broke apart as it approached a fog-shrouded runway in the country’s northeast and burst into flames as it hit the ground Tuesday, killing 43 people and injuring 53 others, state media said.The Henan Airlines plane with 91 passengers and five crew crashed on the outskirts of Yichun.—-Romanian nurse arrested after hospital fire killed 5 newbornsBUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A court in Romania ruled Tuesday to imprison a nurse following a blaze that killed five newborns and injured six others at a maternity hospital in Bucharest.The court said nurse Florentina Carstea will be imprisoned for 29 days pending trial on manslaughter charges. The decision can be appealed.—-Obama mulls options after stem cell plan blocked by judgeVINEYARD HAVEN, Mass. (AP) — The White House says it’s considering its options, including a possible appeal, after a judge ordered a halt to federally funded research under President Obama’s stem cell research blueprint.Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton told reporters Tuesday that Obama still believes his policy can lead to lifesaving treatments while maintaining “stringent ethical guidelines.” Asked if an appeal is planned, Burton said “all possible avenues” are being explored.—-Gay couple files federal lawsuit against Wyoming’s marriage lawCHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A gay couple has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Wyoming law that defines marriage as existing only between a man and a woman.David Shupe-Roderick and Ryan W. Dupree of Cheyenne say the Laramie County Clerk’s Office has refused to issue them a marriage license. They’re asking U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson to stop the state from enforcing any laws that block gays and lesbians from access to civil marriage.Wyoming Attorney General Bruce Salzburg declined comment Tuesday.—-Wildfire forces evacuations, threatens homes in CaliforniaLEBEC, Calif. (AP) — Fire roared through 750 acres of mountain wilderness northwest of Los Angeles on Tuesday, forcing evacuations as flames threatened dozens of rural homes, authorities said.Firefighters worked in 100-degree heat in rugged terrain as airtankers painted ridges with orange swaths of retardant to try to corral the flames’ advance.Fifty to 60 homes were threatened, said Michelle Puckett, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.—-Scientists discover new oil-eating microbe in Gulf of MexicoWASHINGTON (AP) — A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe is suddenly flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists discovered the new microbe while studying the underwater dispersion of millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf following the explosion of BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.—-Field worker first to die of rabies in Louisiana in more than 60 years(AP) — The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals says a Hispanic field worker died during the weekend of rabies.DHH says the unidentified victim was initially taken to a hospital in New Roads and transferred to New Orleans, where he later died.Lisa Faust with DHH tells WAFB-TV that the case is the first death in Louisiana attributed to rabies in more than 60 years.—-Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at [email protected]