Colo. fire forces evacuation of town

Colo. fire forces evacuation of town

WRAY, Colo.

A wind-fueled wildfire on the plains of northeastern Colorado destroyed at least two homes and forced all 300 residents of a rural town to evacuate Sunday, authorities said.

More than a dozen area fire departments were working to extinguish the blaze, which started about 1:15 p.m. south of Yuma before spreading toward Eckley, prompting evacuation orders for the town. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries.

Tongan king dies; started democracy

WELLINGTON, New Zealand

Tonga’s King George Tupou V, who gave up most of his powers to bring a more democratic government to his Pacific island nation, died Sunday at a Hong Kong hospital. He was 63.

His father, King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, died in 2006.

The new king delayed his official coronation until 2008 while he put together the framework for sweeping political reforms. Three days before the coronation ceremony, Tupou announced he was ceding most of his executive powers to a democratically elected parliament.

3 participants die in Fla. boating event

TAVARES, Fla.

A day after a boater died at the Spring Thunder Regatta on Lake Dora in Tavares, two other boaters were killed when their boats collided.

The fatal crash was the second at the boating event. Officials suspended activities Saturday after a man was killed during a demonstration lap. After Sunday’s fatalities, which occurred in the general vicinity of the first accident, the event was canceled.

Joy Hill, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, identified the two dead men as Charles Woodruff, 64, of Jensen Beach, Fla., and Dea Wiseley, 73, of Sun City Center, near Tampa, Fla.

Blast near Syrian security building

BEIRUT

An explosion struck near a Syrian government security building in the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday, while a harsh security crackdown prevented opposition rallies marking one year since the first nationwide protests of the uprising against President Bashar Assad.

The Syrian state news agency called the Aleppo explosion a “terrorist bombing” and said one policeman and one female civilian were killed, and 30 were injured. It was the second attack in two days on regime strongholds.

Yemen: More than 2,000 killed in year

SANAA, Yemen

More than 2,000 people have been killed in a year of political turmoil that led to the resignation of Yemen’s longtime president, the government disclosed Sunday. The figure is much higher than human-rights groups estimated.

The government released its first casualty figures on a day when crowds of protesters were marking one year since a particularly bloody day, when dozens were killed.

Ex-Crystal Cathedral pastor starts church

ORANGE, Calif.

A Crystal Cathedral splinter church launched Sunday in a rented movie theater in Orange County, with the breakaway pastor urging the congregation not to speak ill of its former house of worship.

Sheila Schuller Coleman abruptly announced she was forming the Hope Center of Christ at a worship service March 11. Coleman was senior pastor at Crystal Cathedral, which her father, Robert Schuller, founded more than 50 years ago. Her departure surprised many but came amid a financial crisis and personality clashes that have dogged the megachurch over the past year.

Combined dispatches