UN: Evidence Iran working on nukes

UN: Evidence Iran working on nukes

VIENNA

The U.N. nuclear agency said Friday it is “increasingly concerned” about a stream of intelligence suggesting that Iran continues to work secretly on developing a nuclear payload for a missile and other components of a nuclear-weapons program. In its report, the International Atomic Energy Agency said “many member states” are providing evidence for that assessment, describing the information it is receiving as credible, “extensive and comprehensive.”

Flooding threatens fall tourism in Vt.

MONTPELIER, Vt.

The flood damage in New England is all but certain to hurt Vermont’s vital leaf-peeping season, when thousands of tourists come to see the autumn colors, pick apples, visit craft fairs and, at the end of the day, go to sleep under a down comforter at a historic inn. Some inns have closed because of damage to roads or rooms from the rainy remnants of Hurricane Irene. A few harvest festivals scheduled for mid-September, when the leaves begin to turn, have been called off.

Fire forces 1,500 evacuations in Calif.

HESPERIA, Calif.

A fast-moving wildfire erupted Friday on the main interstate between Southern California and Las Vegas, forcing evacuations of 1,500 homes, temporarily closing the freeway to holiday- weekend traffic and surging through hundreds of acres of desert brush.

The fire began around 1 p.m. on the center divider of Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass. It quickly grew to more than 500 acres in two hours, jumping the freeway and burning chaparral in rolling hills that form the nearby San Bernardino National Forest and unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County, U.S. Forest Service spokesman John Miller said.

Chilean plane with 21 aboard crashes

SANTIAGO, Chile

A Chilean air-force plane with 21 people aboard, including a popular local television host, crashed in the ocean Friday near the Juan Fernandez islands off the country’s Pacific coast, authorities said.

The CASA military plane tried twice to land at the airport on the remote island, but strong gusts of wind buffeted the plane, and it later was lost from sight, said Felipe Paredes, a local council member who was in the airport’s control tower at the time.

Turkey expels Israeli ambassador

ANKARA, Turkey

Turkey expelled Israel’s ambassador and cut military ties Friday over Israel’s refusal to apologize for last year’s deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, further straining a relationship that had been a cornerstone of regional stability.

The dramatic move came hours before the release of a U.N. report that called the Israeli raid that killed nine pro-Palestinian activists “excessive and unreasonable.” The U.N. panel also blamed Turkey and flotilla organizers for contributing to the deaths.

Judge weighs if Anthony owes $517K

ORLANDO, Fla.

Casey Anthony’s attorney said Friday that Florida authorities are trying to recoup the money spent investigating her 2-year-old daughter’s disappearance only because of “sour grapes” over the woman’s acquittal on a murder charge.

Judge Belvin Perry said after hearing arguments on the issue that he would not issue a ruling until at least Sept. 22. He could extend that date but said he hopes to rule by then.

Several agencies, including the sheriff’s office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement, filed expenses of more than $517,000.

Associated Press