7-YEAR-OLD SWIMS FROM ALCATRAZ TO SAN FRANCISCO

7-year-old swims fromAlcatraz to San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO -- A 7-year-old Arizona boy swam from Alcatraz Island to the city in 47 minutes Monday, then was lifted by his father from the chilly waters. Braxton Bilbrey was joined by his coach and two other adults for the estimated 1.4-mile swim. The second-grader was greeted at the finish by reporters, photographers and well-wishers. "I think it's pretty cool," the wetsuit-clad boy said shortly after his father grabbed him under the arms and out of the water, which was in the mid-50s Monday. Braxton said his next ambition is to swim the English Channel. He said he ate pizza for dinner Sunday and was helped along by shouts of encouragement from his coach, Joe Zemaitis. The toughest part of the swim was the water temperature, the boy said. Zemaitis said the boy was aided by flat water and good tides. San Francisco Bay is known for strong currents and rough waters.
Shootout in Gaza City
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Hamas militiamen and Palestinian police attacked each other with assault rifles and grenades in a chaotic firefight Monday that turned downtown Gaza City into a battlefield and killed an aide to the Jordanian ambassador. The shootout near the parliament building, which also wounded 11 people, was the worst fighting since the Hamas-led government sent its militia into the streets last week and increased fears the Palestinians were careening toward civil war. The violence, which has killed eight people in two weeks, was fueled by a bitter power struggle between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate from the Fatah Party, and Hamas militants who won January parliamentary elections and gained control of the Palestinian Cabinet.
Senators back proposalto put troops on border
WASHINGTON -- The Senate, eager to stanch the flow of illegal immigrants, signaled overwhelming support Monday for President Bush's plan to dispatch National Guard troops to states along the Mexican border. No tour of duty could last longer than 21 days, and troops would be excluded from "search, seizure, arrest or similar activity." They would support the Border Patrol, which has primary responsibility for intercepting illegal immigrants. The vote was 83-10 on an amendment by Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., to authorize governors to order their states' National Guard units to perform annual duty training in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona or California. Administration officials have said Bush has the authority needed to deploy the Guard, making the vote a largely symbolic show of support. The agreement came as the Senate debated the most far-reaching immigration bill in two decades. The measure would strengthen border enforcement, create a new guest worker program and provide an eventual opening for citizenship to many of the millions of men and women already in the country illegally.
Kentucky mine deaths
HOLMES MILL, Ky. -- The men who died from carbon monoxide poisoning at an eastern Kentucky coal mine were using the same air pack model as the Sago Mine disaster victims. The lone Sago survivor questioned the reliability of the devices about a month ago, while the federal government has said they work when used properly. Holly McCoy, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Office of Mine Safety and Licensing, said the self-contained self-rescuers, or SCSRs, used Saturday were the exact models the Sago miners were using: CSE SR-100. Miners commonly use that model. Citing preliminary tests, a coroner said Sunday that three of the five Kentucky miners who died in a Harlan County mine Saturday survived the initial blast but succumbed to carbon monoxide. A sixth miner made it out alive.
Earthquake hits Indonesia
HONG KONG -- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake rattled parts of eastern Indonesia early today, the Hong Kong Observatory said today. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The epicenter was in the Banda Sea about 120 miles southwest of Ambon, the capital of Maluku province, the observatory said. The quake was recorded at 4 a.m. local time. A magnitude 9.1 earthquake on Dec. 26, 2004, off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island triggered a tsunami that killed more than 131,000 people in nearby Aceh province and 100,000 others in countries around Asia. A magnitude 6 earthquake can cause severe damage.
Associated Press