Former cop sentenced for assaulting women

Former cop sentencedfor assaulting women
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- A former police officer was sentenced to 34 years in prison for sexually assaulting women while he was on duty alone during the night.
Ronald Allen VanRossum, 38, admitted arresting women for outstanding warrants, then driving them to remote areas or a police substation, where he would sexually assault and then release them, prosecutors said.
Judge James Edwards said VanRossum, who had no prior criminal history, abused his power as a police officer.
"The victims were vulnerable, and he was in a position of leadership and authority," the judge said.
In a plea bargain, VanRossum pleaded no contest to 11 felony counts including rape and sexual battery in the attacks on more than a dozen women.
Quake hits Japan
TOKYO -- A magnitude 5.5 earthquake rocked northern Japan early today, a day after a stronger temblor hit the same area, the Meteorological Agency said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Today's quake and the magnitude 6.1 temblor the day before were both centered 43 miles beneath the earth's surface off the southeastern coast of Japan's northernmost main island, Hokkaido, the Meteorological Agency said.
An earthquake of magnitude 6 or higher can inflict widespread damage when centered in a heavily populated area.
A powerful quake slammed Hokkaido on Sept. 27, injuring more than 750 people. A series of strong aftershocks have hit the area since then, and some experts have warned that a major fault line in the area still has pent-up energy to release.
Government supportsstudents' expulsion
PARIS -- The government and its main opposition joined Saturday in supporting school officials who expelled two sisters for refusing to remove traditional Islamic head scarves in class.
Administrators at the girls' high school, in Aubervilliers outside Paris, said the head scarves were ostentatious symbols of religion.
Lila Levy, 16, and her sister Alma, 18, were expelled Friday for violating regulations aimed at keeping public schools secular.
Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy backed the decision, saying "these rules must be respected by everyone."
"Our Muslim compatriots know and respect them. It must be done in a way that no one feels humiliated," he said.
Francois Hollande, leader of the opposition Socialist Party, agreed, saying "the law must be applied. We're in a secular country."
The girls' father, Laurent Levy, accused school officials of practicing "educational apartheid." He blamed the decision to expel his daughters on what he claimed is a phobia of Islam "eating away at French society."
Bus plunge kills 30
LIMA, Peru -- A passenger bus plunged off a 1,000-foot cliff in the Andes mountains Friday, killing at least 30 people and wounding 17, rescue workers said Saturday.
The accident took place on a mountain highway 150 miles northeast of Lima. The bus was headed from Huanuco to La Union, Huanuco fire chief Leoncio Pardave said. The causes of the accident were not immediately known.
Pardave said the exact number of victims was not yet known because the difficult terrain delayed rescue efforts. Also, several people had climbed aboard or gotten off while the bus was traveling.
Sextuplets are healthy
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- A Lebanese woman gave birth Saturday to sextuplets -- four girls and two boys, hospital officials said. All appeared to be in good health.
Doctors delivered the babies by Caesarean section 30 weeks into Soumaya Ghosson's pregnancy, officials at the suburban Al-Hayat Hospital said.
The babies and mother are "doing fine," one hospital official said on condition of anonymity.
The babies weigh between 1.1 pounds and 2.4 pounds. The girls were named Batool, Mariyam, Aya and Hitaf, while the boys were called Ali and Abdelrahman, hospital officials said.
Ferry capsizes
LAGOS, Nigeria -- A ferry hit a bridge in eastern Nigeria and capsized, and authorities said Saturday they believed dozens were dead.
Fifty of the up to 100 people aboard were rescued after the accident Tuesday, said Aminu Abah, a spokesman for the eastern state of Ademawa.
The ferry had been traveling from the town of Neman on the Benue River. It hit a pillar of the Neman bridge and sank, Abah said.
News of the accident in the remote region reached Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, only Saturday.
Associated Press