Police: 29 killed in Uganda tanker blast

Police: 29 killed in Uganda tanker blast

kampala, uganda

A car crashed into a moving gas tanker, sparking a fire that killed at least 29 people and left scores more badly burned, Ugandan police said Sunday.

Police spokesman Ibn Senkumbi said the gas tanker exploded after colliding with a passenger car late Saturday near the Ugandan capital, Kampala, and that investigators concluded the crash was an accident.

Court wins draw many to pride events

san francisco

Gay-rights supporters crowded parade routes in San Francisco, New York and other major U.S. cities Sunday to celebrate what once was unimaginable — two Supreme Court victories on same-sex marriage.

The high court gave celebrants one more reason to cheer Sunday when Justice Anthony Kennedy rejected a last-ditch effort by opponents to stop gay marriages in California.

Croatia celebrates its EU membership

zagreb, croatia

Fireworks lit the sky and festive crowds gathered on the streets to mark Croatia’s entry today into the European Union, a major milestone some 20 years after the country won independence in a bloody civil war that shook the continent.

Croatia became the 28th EU member, the bloc’s first addition since Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007. Though enthusiasm for the country’s achievement has been dampened by the EU’s financial turmoil, it is a historic turning point for the small Balkan nation of 4.2 million, which endured years of carnage after declaring independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.

Kerry: Progress made in peace talks

tel aviv, israel

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry completed a new round of shuttle diplomacy Sunday without a hoped-for breakthrough in relaunching Mideast peace talks, but optimistically said he had narrowed the gaps between Israel and the Palestinians and vowed to return to the region soon to complete his mission.

Kerry said he was working on an emerging “package” meant to bring the sides together, and said he would leave a team of aides in the region to continue the efforts. It was not clear how much progress Kerry had truly made.

Firemen unaccounted for in Arizona blaze

yarnell, ariz.

A fire information officer says 19 firefighters are unaccounted for while battling the Yarnell Hill Fire in a central Arizona community.

Mike Reichling told the Arizona Republic that 20 firefighters were involved in a “serious incident.”

The newspaper reported that one of the firefighters has been located.

JLo sings to leader, unaware of issues

NEW YORK

Jennifer Lopez sang “Happy Birthday” to the leader of Turkmenistan during a show, but her representative said she wouldn’t have performed there if she had known there were human-rights issues in the country.

The singer and actress performed in the former Soviet bloc country Saturday night. A statement released Sunday by her publicist to The Associated Press said the event was hosted by the China National Petroleum Corp. and wasn’t a political event.

Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, did attend. He has been criticized for oppressive rule by human- rights organizations.

Associated Press