NATION & World digest

Foreclosure numbers soar

WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. households on the verge of losing their homes soared by nearly 15 percent in the first half of the year as more people lost their jobs and were unable to pay their monthly mortgage bills.

The mushrooming foreclosure crisis affected more than 1.5 million homes in the first six months of the year, according to a report released today by foreclosure listing service RealtyTrac Inc.

The data show that, despite the Obama administration’s plan to encourage the lending industry to prevent foreclosures by handing out $50 billion in subsidies, the nation’s housing woes continue to spread. Experts don’t expect foreclosures to peak until the middle of next year.

Cops kill man near Capitol

WASHINGTON — A chaotic scene unfolded near the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday after police shot and killed an armed man in what authorities described as a routine rush-hour traffic stop that turned deadly.

U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Schneider said the unidentified 35-year-old man sped away in a white car after being told to stop about a block north of the Capitol grounds. The man drove the wrong way down a street, ultimately striking two officers with his car, and crashed into a police cruiser, she said.

Police then opened fire after seeing the man hold up his handgun and refuse to put it down, said Schneider.

Honduras’ interim leader puts conditions on leaving

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Honduras’ interim leader said Wednesday he is willing to step down if it helps end his country’s political crisis, conditioning the move on guarantees that ousted President Manuel Zelaya doesn’t return to take his place.

Roberto Micheletti, who was sworn in as president after the June 28 military-backed coup that toppled Zelaya, says the resignation offer was presented by a Honduran delegation in the United States, presumably to the U.S. government.

The interim president told reporters in Tegucigalpa that he is “willing to leave office if at some point that decision is needed to bring peace and tranquillity to the country, but without, I stress, the return of former President Zelaya.”

Calif. bill would tax sale of pot to generate $1.4B

SAN FRANCISCO — A bill to tax and regulate marijuana in California like alcohol would generate nearly $1.4 billion in revenue for the cash-strapped state, according to an official analysis released Wednesday by tax officials.

The State Board of Equalization report estimates marijuana retail sales would bring $990 million from a $50-per-ounce fee and $392 million in sales taxes.

The bill introduced by San Francisco Democratic Assemblyman Tom Ammiano in February would allow adults 21 and older to legally possess, grow and sell marijuana.

The way the bill is written, the state could not begin collecting taxes until the federal government legalizes marijuana. A spokesman says Ammiano plans to amend the bill to remove that provision.

Authorities: Accomplice didn’t turn off cameras

PENSACOLA, Fla. — The accomplice assigned to turn off surveillance cameras before an elaborate, deadly break-in at a sprawling Florida Panhandle home never did, but the seven people accused in the crime apparently did not know that, authorities said Wednesday.

Melanie and Byrd Billings, known for adopting children with special needs, were shot to death a week ago. An extensive surveillance system captured footage of masked men — some dressed as ninjas — slipping into front and back doors at the home.

The video led investigators to a red van used as a getaway car and eventually to the suspects, a loosely connected group of mostly day laborers who knew one another through a power-washing business and an auto-detailing operation.

Russian activist slain

MOSCOW — A well-known Russian-rights activist was found slain execution-style Wednesday, hours after being kidnapped in Chechnya — the latest in a series of brazen murders targeting critics of the Kremlin’s violent policies in the war-torn North Caucasus.

The daylight slaying of Natalya Estemirova follows the killings in recent years of reporters, lawyers and activists, and appeared to indicate that Russia remains a place where political murders are committed with impunity.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev reacted quickly to the murder — in contrast to other recent killings — expressing his condolences, and ordering the country’s top investigative official “to take all necessary measures.”

Associated Press