Strong aftershock rattles stricken areas in China

Strong aftershock rattles stricken areas in China

YINGXIU, China — A powerful aftershock knocked out roads and communications in some of the most quake-ravaged parts of central China on Friday, as emergency crews rescued more than 30 people who had survived up to 100 improbable hours trapped in the ruins.

With the official death toll at more than 22,000, an air force unit reached Yinchanggou, a scenic spot in the mountains north of the Sichuan provincial capital of Chengdu, finding landslides had swept away rustic small hotels.

“There are several hundred hotels, including farmer homestays, probably 800 in all. They are all rubble now,” Cai Weisu, an official with an air force unit from the Chengdu Military Region, told Sichuan Television. Most of the dead are tourists, he said, but did not identify whether they were foreign or Chinese.

Iran blames U.S. for wounding of diplomats

BAGHDAD — Iran angrily blamed the United States on Friday after at least three of its diplomats were wounded in a Baghdad shooting, saying the Americans are encouraging attacks on Iranians in Iraq.

The United States defended the actions of Iraqi security forces but said Americans were not involved in the incident and that the U.S. “condemns any attack on guests or visitors of any country.”

The shooting — which may have been by Iraqi soldiers during an argument at a checkpoint — comes amid unprecedented strains between Iran and the Iraqi leadership, which has long been close to Tehran.

Offenders charged with using MySpace, Facebook

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. — Three convicted sex offenders have been arrested for surfing social networking Web sites and are believed to be the first charged under the state’s new law that restricts their use of the Internet, authorities said Friday.

State police set up accounts on MySpace and Facebook, posing as teenagers to monitor the sex offenders, Lt. Joseph Furlong said, but he wouldn’t elaborate. The suspects did not seem to be behaving improperly online, “but they are not allowed to be on there doing anything,” he said.

The law adopted in January restricts Internet use for convicted sex offenders who used a computer to help commit their original sex crime, such as trying to lure a potential victim with electronic correspondence. The law also may be applied to paroled sex offenders under lifetime supervision, but exempts computer work done as part of a job or search for employment. Violators can face up to 18 months in prison.

FDA issues second warning about drugs

WASHINGTON — Health regulators warned again Friday that Roche and Novartis drugs prescribed to organ transplant patients can cause miscarriages and birth defects when used by pregnant women.

The Food and Drug Admin-istration last October said it received reports of miscarriages and infants born with ear and mouth birth defects after their mothers took Roche’s CellCept. At the time, FDA added its most serious warning to CellCept and a similar Novartis AG drug, Myfortic.

FDA spokesman Christopher Kelly said the agency has not received any new reports of pregnancy-related problems, but was concerned some doctors may not have seen the initial warning.

Officials: Syringes, vials led to hepatitis C outbreak

RENO, Nev. — A hepatitis C outbreak was caused by workers improperly reusing syringes and medicine vials at a Las Vegas clinic, federal health officials said Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was contacted by state health officials earlier this year after two people treated at the now-closed Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada were diagnosed with hepatitis C.

Officials have linked 84 cases of the liver disease to the clinic after notifying 50,000 patients of the clinic to be tested.

War crimes trial delayed

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A military judge wants to hear from the Supreme Court before starting the first war crimes tribunal at the Guantanamo Bay prison.

The judge hearing the case against Osama bin Laden’s former driver ruled Friday that the trial should be postponed six weeks, to July 14.

Navy Capt. Keith Allred said he wants to wait until the Supreme Court rules on whether Guantanamo detainees have a right to challenge their detention in U.S. civil courts.

Associated Press