Neil Armstrong has heart surgery

Neil Armstrong has heart surgery

COLUMBUS

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was recovering Wednesday from heart surgery, days after his 82nd birthday.

It wasn’t clear where the surgery occurred or where Armstrong was recuperating. A NASA spokesman who talked to Armstrong’s wife, Carol, said only that the former astronaut was recovering Wednesday. His birthday was Sunday.

Komen president is resigning

DALLAS

The president of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is resigning, and founder Nancy Brinker is moving away from day-to-day management as fallout from the foundation’s brief decision to end Planned Parenthood funding reaches its highest ranks.

Komen issued a statement Wednesday saying President Liz Thompson will leave next month and Brinker will assume a role more focused on fundraising and strategic planning.

It’s the latest fallout since news emerged in January that Komen decided to eliminate its funding for Planned Parenthood. Komen reversed that decision after a three-day firestorm, but it didn’t quell the criticism.

Judge rules against Hawaii gay marriage

HONOLULU

A federal judge ruled Wednesday against two Hawaii women who want to get married instead of enter into a civil union, handing a victory to opponents of gay marriage in a state that’s been at the forefront of the issue.

U.S. District Court Judge Alan C. Kay’s ruling sides with Hawaii Health Director Loretta Fuddy and Hawaii Family Forum, a Christian group that was allowed to intervene in the case.

Egypt fires intel chief over attack

CAIRO

Egypt’s president fired his intelligence chief Wednesday for failing to act on an Israeli warning of an imminent attack days before militants stormed a border post in the Sinai Peninsula and killed 16 soldiers.

Team to make try at Antarctica rescue

SYDNEY

An Australian rescue team was flying to Antarctica today to evacuate an American experiencing a medical emergency at a U.S. scientific base.

The specialist medical team from the Australian Antarctic Division left Christchurch, New Zealand, this morning and will attempt to land on an ice runway near the U.S. McMurdo research station by early afternoon, when there is a brief window of winter daylight, said Patti Lucas, a spokeswoman for the Australian agency.

The patient, whose identity has not been released, is in stable condition, but may need “immediate corrective surgery,” according to the U.S. National Science Foundation, which runs the research station.

Wis. boy, 17, is fastest texter in US

NEW YORK

The reigning 17-year-old champion of cellphone texting has reclaimed the title of fastest texter in America.

Austin Weirschke of Rhinelander, Wis., won after eight rounds at the texting competition Wednesday in New York’s Times Square. He gets $50,000 in prize money.

Eleven contestants from around the U.S. competed, all using the same type of phone. The competition tested three skills: speed, accuracy and dexterity.

The annual competition is sponsored by cellphone-maker LG Electronics.

Associated Press