Nation & World Digest

High court hears argument against life terms for kids

WASHINGTON — Confronted with the stark reality of a 13-year-old sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison, the Supreme Court justices signaled Monday they are inclined to limit, or perhaps abolish, the use of life prison terms for young teenagers whose crimes do not involve murder.

Until now, the high court has often invoked the Constitution’s ban on “cruel and unusual punishment” to restrict the death penalty. But on Monday, the justices sounded ready to rule that some states, in particular Florida, have gone too far by sentencing young teenagers to life in prison without a chance for a parole.

“To say to any child of 13 that you are only fit to die in prison is cruel,” attorney Bryan Stevenson told the court. “It cannot be reconciled with what we know about the nature of children. It cannot be reconciled with our standards of decency.”

Honduran Congress awaits court opinion on president

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — The head of Honduras’ Congress said Monday there is no guarantee lawmakers will vote on whether to restore ousted President Manuel Zelaya before the Nov. 29 election that will choose his successor.

Washington and the rest of the international community — which cut off most foreign aid and diplomatic ties to Honduras after the June 28 coup — are pushing for a swift solution and Zelaya’s reinstatement. A U.S.-brokered pact calls on Congress to decide whether to return Zelaya to office with Supreme Court input but imposes no deadline.

Congressional leader Jose Alfredo Saavedra said lawmakers are still awaiting an opinion from the Supreme Court on whether Zelaya should resume the presidency.

Auction of Madoff items

NEW YORK — Of all the items set to go on the auction block this week at a midtown Manhattan hotel, there’s one that would take some mettle to wear in public: a satin New York Mets baseball jacket emblazoned with the name “Madoff.”

The jacket — valued at between $500 and $700 — is among hundreds of pieces of jewelry, clothing and other personal effects once owned by disgraced financier and vanquished Mets fan Bernard Madoff and his wife, Ruth.

Madoff, 71, was sentenced in June to 150 years in prison for orchestrating a massive Ponzi scheme that spanned decades. The property will be sold to raise money for his victims. The auction will be Saturday at the New York Sheraton.

Miniskirted student allowed to return to class

SAO PAULO — A Brazilian woman whose short, pink dress caused a near riot at a private college and led to her expulsion will be allowed to return to class.

The private Bandeirante University backed down Monday on its decision to expel 20-year-old Geisy Arruda after a flood of negative reaction in a nation where skimpy attire is common. Videos of students ridiculing her and making catcalls Oct. 22 made her an Internet sensation.

Just hours after the Brazilian government sought an explanation from the university, its dean released a note saying he was reversing the school’s decision to expel Arruda.

Study finds two diets affect moods differently

Which is better for weight loss: a high-protein diet or a high-carb diet? That endless debate got a new twist Monday.

In a yearlong study, Australian researchers found that both diets worked equally well when it came to shedding pounds, but those on the low-carb diet were in considerably worse moods.

The report, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, assigned 106 overweight and obese men and women to either a low-carb diet high in fat and protein or a high-carb diet low in fat and protein.

The participants’ weight was noted at weeks eight, 24, 40 and 52, and their emotional state was evaluated via three standard questionnaires measuring aspects of mood, including anxiety, depression and anger.

Both groups lost an average of 30 pounds. And in early weeks of the study, both groups showed an improvement in mood. However, although mood improvements remained in the high-carb group, they went back to original levels in the low-carb group.

Fatal Bay Bridge crash

SAN FRANCISCO — An accident-plagued stretch of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge saw its first fatality Monday when the driver of a speeding big rig lost control and the truck plummeted 200 feet from the span, authorities said.

The truck hauling a full load of pears was traveling about 50 mph — 10 mph over the speed limit — when the driver lost control on a westbound S-curve, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Trent Cross said.

Combined dispatches