Airplane crew sickened

Airplane crew sickened

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — US Airways says seven crew members were taken to a hospital from a North Carolina airport after complaining of headaches and nausea aboard a flight.

The crew had been on a plane that had just arrived at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport on Saturday from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. US Airways spokeswoman Michelle Mohr said Sunday that eight passengers were treated on the scene and went on to board connecting flights out of Charlotte.

Shortly after the plane took off from St. Thomas, crew members noticed an odor and alerted Charlotte authorities.

Mohr says the plane has been taken out of service. Authorities are investigating what caused the odor.

Afghan parliament adjourns; Cabinet unfilled

KABUL — Afghanistan’s parliament adjourned Sunday for its winter recess without waiting for President Hamid Karzai to offer new Cabinet nominees to replace those rejected in two rounds of confirmation votes. Karzai said he’ll appoint caretakers to run those ministries without confirmed leaders to avoid government paralysis as NATO ramps up the war against the Taliban.

The uncertainty over the makeup of Karzai’s administration after the flawed presidential election last year compounds the many problems facing Afghanistan, most notably the increasingly bloody insurgency.

Girl admits rape was a lie

RICHMOND, Calif. — A 15-year-old California girl who claimed she had been kidnapped off the street at gunpoint and raped in the same town where another teenager was assaulted in a gang rape three months earlier told police Sunday she made up the story, authorities said.

The 15-year-old had claimed she was forced Friday night into a car with four males at gunpoint and driven around for several hours before two of them raped her.

But the girl called Richmond police around 1 p.m. Sunday and told them the story was not true, said Lt. Mark Gagan.

The girl told police Sunday that she had had consensual sex with someone, but needed an explanation for why she was late getting home Friday night, Gagan said.

The girl’s accusations prompted a major police investigation in Richmond, where the gang rape of a high school girl outside a homecoming dance made national headlines in October.

Pope, Jews agree on need to strengthen relations

ROME — In a synagogue visit haunted by history, Pope Benedict XVI and Jewish leaders sparred Sunday over the record of the World War II-era pope during the Holocaust and agreed on the need to strengthen Catholic-Jewish relations.

Both sides said the visit to the seat of the oldest Jewish community in the diaspora was an occasion to overcome what Benedict called “every misconception and prejudice.”

Benedict defended his predecessor Pius XII against critics, telling the audience that the Vatican worked quietly to save Jews from the Nazis during World War II.

Many Jews object to Benedict moving Pius toward sainthood, contending the wartime pope didn’t do enough to protect Jews from the Holocaust.

Coast Guard suspends search off San Diego coast

SAN DIEGO — The Coast Guard has suspended its search for more potential victims of the crash of a small boat packed with suspected illegal immigrants off the San Diego coast.

One person died when the 30-foot boat overturned before dawn Saturday in the surf at Torrey Pines State Park.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Henry Dunphy says boats and helicopters spent 32 hours searching 144 square miles for other survivors.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says 16 people, all Mexican citizens, have been accounted for. It’s unclear how many people were aboard the boat before the crash.

Officials say it was likely a human- smuggling operation from Mexico.

Prison-release program for illegal immigrants stalls

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A federal program allowing illegal- immigrant inmates to get out of prison if they agree to be deported hasn’t resulted in a single person’s leaving jail early in Rhode Island.

The program was trumpeted by Gov. Don Carcieri as a way to save money. Similar programs have saved millions of dollars in Georgia and Arizona.

But a year and a half after Rhode Island signed up, no one’s been deported early because of the relatively small population of imprisoned illegal immigrants and the strict program criteria.

Associated Press