hEurope welcomes return of ugly fruit, vegetables

hEurope welcomes return of ugly fruit, vegetables

LONDON — Britain’s Prince Charles watches the Duchess of Cornwall as she inspects a gift basket of vegetables for her 61st birthday during a visit to the “Dig for Victory” allotment in London’s St James’s Park recently. Welcome back the curvy courgette, mangled mushroom and other odd and ugly fruit and veggies. The European Union bid adieu Wednesday to rules that have cemented its image as an ivory tower: starting next summer, it will allow the sale of fruit and vegetables that may be crooked, bent or twisted but are fine for consumption. “This marks the new dawn for the curvy cucumber and the nobbly carrot,” said EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel.

Angry Iraqi soldier kills 2 Americans, wounds six

BAGHDAD — An Iraqi soldier opened fire on U.S. forces in northern Ninevah province Wednesday, killing two and wounding six before he was shot to death by American soldiers.

The motive for the shooting was unclear. U.S. officials said the Iraqi unleashed a barrage of AK-47 fire without provocation; Iraqis said the soldier was angry after an incident with U.S. troops.

Supreme Court OKs sonar

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that military training trumps protecting whales in a dispute over the Navy’s use of sonar in submarine-hunting exercises off the coast of southern California.

Writing for the majority in the court’s first decision of the term, Chief Justice John Roberts said the most serious possible injury to environmental groups would be harm to an unknown number of the marine mammals the groups study. “In contrast, forcing the Navy to deploy an inadequately trained anti-submarine force jeopardizes the safety of the fleet,” the chief justice wrote.

Associated Press