Unruly airline passenger faces federal charges

Unruly airline passengerfaces federal charges
HONOLULU -- A passenger who became agitated and purportedly threatened to harm a baby on a flight to Honolulu faces federal charges of interfering with a flight crew. Passengers and crew members overcame Santiago Lol Tizol midway through the flight from Los Angeles late Friday and restrained him with plastic handcuffs. The 37-year-old citizen of Mexico was scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Honolulu today. Interfering with a flight crew is a felony, and he could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Al-Qaida deputy: All Muslims must be militant
CAIRO, Egypt -- In a tape that surfaced Sunday, Osama bin Laden's deputy urged all Muslims to take up arms, saying a refusal to join the fight against "the Cross and Zionism" was a "malignant illness" that would lead to the defeat of militant Islam. Egyptian-born Ayman al-Zawahri said the global Islamic community had "no hope for victory" until all Muslims signed on to the Al-Qaida-led jihad. "As long as this malignant illness continues to survive within us, there is no hope for victory and there can only be more defeats, tragedies, disasters and betrayals," al-Zawahri said. His comments were contained in a 48-minute tape titled "Impediments to Jihad." The video portion of the tape was a still photo of a white-turbaned al-Zawahri with English subtitles running under it. The audio appeared to be his voice speaking Arabic.
Whales, dolphins getstranded on Cape Cod
BREWSTER, Mass. -- More than two dozen whales and dolphins became stranded on the shores of Cape Cod Bay last week, and experts say the snowstorm may have contributed to their deaths. In all, at least nine pilot whales and 24 dolphins died. Five of the whales and seven of the dolphins had to be euthanized, and the rest were found dead, according to Kristen Patchett of the Cape Cod Stranding Network, a group that works to free stranded animals. Officials suspect that high winds and strong tidal fluctuations from Friday's storm caused the dolphins and whales to become trapped in shallow water. Illnesses also could have contributed to the strandings, the network said.
Report: California isunprepared for a tsunami
LOS ANGELES -- Tsunami waves generated by a large offshore earthquake would threaten at least 1 million coastal residents in California and inundate the nation's largest port complex, according to a new report. The bleak study being released today found gaps in the state's readiness to handle a tsunami, including flaws in the warning system, lack of evacuation plans by coastal communities, and building codes that don't take into account tsunami-strength surges. In addition, many residents are unaware of the potential danger of tsunami waves and wouldn't know how to respond, the report said. "I don't think we're ready yet, but we're getting there," said Richard McCarthy, executive director of the California Seismic Safety Commission, which issued the report. The commission, an independent advisory panel, formed a special committee to look at the dangers after last December's deadly tsunami in Southeast Asia.
Iran invites U.S. to helpin building nuclear plant
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran opened the door Sunday for U.S. help in building a nuclear power plant -- a move designed to ease American suspicions that Tehran is using its nuclear program as a cover to build atomic weapons. The offer, which did not seem likely to win acceptance in Washington, was issued as Israel said it had not ruled out a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. "America can take part in international bidding for the construction of Iran's nuclear power plant if they observe the basic standards and quality," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said in a news conference. In Washington, neither the State Department nor the White House issued any comment on the proposal.
Papua New Guinea hitby magnitude-6.5 quake
SYDNEY, Australia -- A powerful earthquake shook Papua New Guinea early today, but there were no reports of damage or injuries, a disaster official in the country said. The quake had an initial magnitude of 6.5 and struck at 12:20 a.m. local time in the New Britain region of Papua New Guinea, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The region is 395 miles northeast of Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby, and 1,440 miles north of Brisbane, Australia. There were no immediate reports of damage or a tsunami, said Martin Mose, assistant director for community and government liaison at Papua New Guinea's National Disaster Management Office.
Associated Press