N. Korea-Syria nuke link

N. Korea-Syria nuke link

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress will be told this week about intelligence suggesting that North Korea was helping Syria build a nuclear reactor similar to one it has constructed, a government official familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

The Senate and House intelligence committees were scheduled to be briefed Thursday, and several other panels such as the Senate Armed Services Committee were expected to be briefed as well.

North Korea has been suspected of helping Syria with a secret nuclear program, but both countries deny it. Pyongyang says it has never spread its nuclear expertise beyond its borders.

Naval Academy rape case

WASHINGTON — A female midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy testified Tuesday that a fellow midshipman raped her in her dorm room after he had been drinking.

Mark Calvanico is accused of rape, making a false statement to investigators, conduct unbecoming an officer and unauthorized absence.

The woman, who is in her second year at the academy, testified at an Article 32 hearing at the Washington Navy Yard. The hearing is being held to determine whether Calvanico, a third-year student, should stand trial.

Hamas makes concession

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Senior Hamas representatives said Tuesday that the militant group is willing to accept a cease-fire limited to the Gaza Strip, dropping a long-standing demand that the West Bank be included in a halt to fighting with Israel.

It was a significant concession, but any deal appeared distant, because Hamas also insists Israel reopen Gaza’s border crossings and Israeli officials say they won’t negotiate with the Islamic militants.

Ruling favors ex-EPA chief

NEW YORK — Former EPA chief Christine Todd Whitman cannot be held liable for telling residents near the World Trade Center site that the air was safe to breathe after the 2001 terrorist attacks, a federal appeals court said Tuesday.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Whitman’s comments reassuring people about the safety around the site apparently were based on conflicting information and reassurances by the White House.

The appeals court said legal remedies are not always available for every instance of arguably deficient governmental performance.

Droopy drawers still legal

BATON ROUGE, La. — A state Senate panel rejected a bill Tuesday that would make it a crime to wear one’s pants too low, even as Cajun-country towns around Louisiana have been banning saggy pants from their streets.

Sen. Derrick Shepherd’s bill would have made it illegal to wear, in public, clothing that “intentionally exposes undergarments or intentionally exposes any portion of the pubic hair, cleft of the buttocks or genitals.” Violators would have faced a fine of up to $175 and eight days of community service.

Exceptions included thong swim suits and clothing worn in fashion shows.

Floating priest missing

SAO PAULO, Brazil — Rescuers scoured the waters off Brazil’s southern Atlantic coast Tuesday looking for a Roman Catholic priest who disappeared after floating into the sky strapped to hundreds of helium party balloons.

Rev. Adelir Antonio di Carli lifted off from the port city of Paranagua on Sunday afternoon wearing a helmet, aluminum thermal flight suit, waterproof coveralls and parachute in a bid to break a record for the longest time in-flight with party balloons.

He was reported missing about eight hours later after losing contact with port authority officials. A cluster of colored balloons was found Tuesday night, floating intact in the sea off Brazil’s southern Santa Catarina state near di Carli’s last contact point, according to a photograph posted on Sao Paulo’s UOL news Web site.

Teen charged in bomb plot

CHESTERFIELD, S.C. — An 18-year-old straight-A student accused of planning to bomb his high school was charged Tuesday with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, which carries a possible life sentence.

The charge is one of three federal counts Ryan Schallenberger faces in what authorities say was a scheme to detonate explosives in a suicide attack on his high school in the small town of Chesterfield.

Schallenberger also faces charges in state court, where he appeared for a hearing Tuesday. Cuffed and shackled, the teenager smiled and gave a quick wave to courtroom spectators, including his parents and some classmates.

Associated Press