Prosecutor: Spies have help in US

Prosecutor: Spies have help in US

NEW YORK

A prosecutor warned Thursday that a powerful and sophisticated network of U.S.-based Russian agents were eager to help defendants in an alleged spy ring flee the country on bail. U.S. authorities also said one defendant confessed that he worked for Russia’s intelligence service, and others had large amounts of cash.

“There are a lot of Russian government officials in the United States who are actively assisting this conspiracy,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Farbiarz told U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald L. Ellis as he argued that those arrested last weekend should remain held without bail.

Ellis ruled that two defendants, Cynthia and Richard Murphy, should remain in custody because there was no other way to guarantee they would not flee since it was unclear who they were.

35 die in blasts at Pakistan shrine

LAHORE, Pakistan

Two suicide bombers struck a popular Muslim shrine in Pakistan’s second largest city late Thursday night, killing 35 people and wounding 175 others in the second major attack in Lahore in a month, the city’s top official said.

The bombers struck as thousands of people were visiting the Data Darbar shrine, where a famous Sufi saint is buried. Muslims in Pakistan visit shrines and mosques in large numbers on Thursday and Friday nights.

Lahore has experienced a growing number of attacks as Taliban fighters along the northwest border with Afghanistan have teamed up with militant groups in the country’s heartland once supported by the government.

Committee ends hearings on Kagan

WASHINGTON

The Senate Judiciary Committee concluded nearly a week of hearings on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, who’s on track for confirmation after a smooth performance before senators. A vote by the committee is expected within weeks to send Kagan’s nomination to the full Senate, where Democrats have more than enough votes to confirm her.

Still, conservative opponents are stepping up their efforts to get senators to vote “no.”

H1N1 vaccines wasted

ATLANTA

About a quarter of the H1N1-flu vaccine produced for the U.S. public has expired — meaning that a whopping 40 million doses worth about $260 million are being written off as trash.

“It’s a lot, by historical standards,” said Jerry Weir, who oversees vaccine research and review for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The outdated vaccine, some of which expired Wednesday, will be incinerated. The amount, as much as four times the usual leftover seasonal flu vaccine, likely sets a record. And that’s not even all of it.

Obama signs bill on Iran sanctions

WASHINGTON

President Barack Obama has signed into law a bill imposing tough new sanctions against Iran over its alleged nuclear-weapons program.

The bill Obama signed Thursday evening in an East Room ceremony targets exports of gasoline and other refined petroleum products to Iran. It bans U.S. banks from doing business with foreign banks providing services to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Associated Press