‘Victory is in the air,’ Specter says

‘Victory is in the air,’ Specter says

PHILADELPHIA

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter told a union rally Saturday that “victory is in the air” and reprised his charges that Democratic primary challenger Joe Sestak is misleading voters in Tuesday’s Democratic primary and skipping too many votes in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Sestak, a second-term congressman who spent Saturday stumping for votes in western Pennsylvania, shrugged off Specter’s comments and said they show the fifth-term senator is “desperate” in the home stretch of their campaign.

Episcopals ordain second gay bishop

LONG BEACH, Calif.

The Episcopal Church has ordained its second openly gay bishop.

Church spokesman Bob Williams says the Rev. Canon Mary Glasspool, of Baltimore, was consecrated Saturday at a ceremony attended by 3,000 people in Long Beach, Calif.

Glasspool and another female bishop also are the first two women bishops ordained in the 114-year history of the Diocese of Los Angeles.

Glasspool and the Rev. Canon Diane Jardine Bruce were elected last December.

Airliner lands in Canada after threat

VANCOUVER

Canadian fighter jets escorted a Cathay Pacific airliner incoming from Hong Kong to a safe landing at Vancouver International Airport on Saturday because of a potential unspecified security threat, a North American Aerospace Defense Command spokesperson said.

The Canadian Press news agency cited Canadian defense-department officials as saying there was a bomb threat aboard the plane, which originated in Hong Kong, but they could not provide details.

hYoung Aussie sets sailing record

SYDNEY

A 16-year-old Australian who braved boat knockdowns and seven months of solitude on a sail around the world set foot on dry land outside the Sydney Opera House on Saturday and quickly set an earthier goal — getting her driver’s license.

Jessica Watson became the youngest person to sail around the globe solo, nonstop and unassisted when she cruised into Sydney Harbour in her pink, 34-foot yacht to a rock-star welcome. She successfully maneuvered her boat through raging storms, 40-foot waves and seven knockdowns during the 23,000-nautical-mile journey that critics thought she wouldn’t survive.

Thai leader defends protest crackdown

BANGKOK

Thailand’s leader defended the deadly army crackdown on protesters besieging the capital’s heart, saying Saturday the country’s very future was at stake. Protesters dragged away the bodies of three people from sidewalks — shot by army snipers, they claim — as soldiers blocked major roads and pinned up notices of a “Live Firing Zone.”

“I insist that what we are doing is necessary,” Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in a defiant broadcast on national television, making it clear he would not compromise.

Associated Press