Hot-dog-eating champ gets 5th win

hHot-dog-eating champ gets 5th win

NEW YORK

Joey Chestnut scarfed down 62 hot dogs to win his fifth-consecutive Fourth of July hot-dog-eating contest at Coney Island — the equivalent of about 20,000 calories in 10 minutes.

It wasn’t a personal best for the 27-year-old nicknamed Jaws, but it was enough to out-eat second-place finisher Patrick Bertoletti by nine wieners. Chestnut, of San Jose, Calif., won $10,000 and the coveted mustard-yellow belt.

Biden sends his 1st Twitter message

WASHINGTON

Now appearing on Twitter: Vice President Joe Biden.

The famously verbose veep sent his first tweet Monday, a Fourth of July message from himself and wife Jill Biden asking Americans to take time to think about U.S. troops and military families.

His office announced the development with a post on the White House blog.

Given his gift for gab — not to mention gaffes — Biden might seem an unlikely candidate to say it in 140 characters or less. Not to worry — like most politicians’ tweets, Biden’s will be staff-written.

Drug-cartel chief arrested in Mexico

MEXICO CITY

Mexican authorities said Monday they have arrested a co-founder of the Zetas drug cartel who is suspected of involvement in the killing of a U.S. customs agent.

Jesus Enrique Rejon Aguilar is identified as third in command of the criminal organization founded by former elite soldiers. Over the course of a decade, it went from being the military arm of the Gulf Cartel to its own drug-trafficking organization.

Rejon was one of Mexico’s most-wanted men, and the U.S. State Department had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

Shuttle astronauts in Fla. for countdown

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.

The four astronauts who will close out NASA’s 30-year space-shuttle program arrived Monday for their history-making launch week, saluting the nation’s birthday and all those who contributed to Atlantis’ final flight.

The launch countdown begins today. Liftoff is set for Friday at 11:26 a.m. before an estimated crowd of up to 1 million people.

Riots erupt in Egypt

CAIRO

Hundreds of Egyptians attacked a courtroom in Cairo on Monday, scuffled with security guards, and blocked a major highway for hours after the court ordered the release of 10 policemen charged with killing protesters during the country’s uprising. The unrest added to tensions already running high in Egypt over the ruling military council’s failure to hold accountable security forces involved in killing protesters during the uprising that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. Nearly five months later, only one policeman has been convicted in the deaths of more than 846 people killed in a government crackdown on protesters. He was tried in absentia.

Associated Press