Last cardinal arrives for conclave

Last cardinal arrives for conclave

VATICAN CITY

The last cardinal who will participate in the conclave to elect the next pope arrived in Rome on Thursday, meaning a date now can be set for the election. One U.S. cardinal said a decision on the start date is expected soon.

Some American and other cardinals had said they wanted to continue the pre-conclave meetings that have been going on all week for as long as it takes to discern who among them has the stuff to be pope and discuss the problems of the church.

Some Vatican-based cardinals, defensive about criticisms of the Vatican’s internal governance that have been aired recently, seemed to want to get on with the vote, arguing there’s no reason to delay.

Lion opened gate, killed zoo intern

DUNLAP, Calif.

A lion that killed a woman at a privately owned Central California zoo escaped from a feeding cage and attacked while she was cleaning his enclosure, authorities said Thursday.

Fresno County Coroner David Hadden said Dianna Hanson, a 24-year-old intern described by her father as a “fearless” lover of big cats, died instantly when the 5-year-old lion broke her neck.

Hanson had been working for two months as an intern at Cat Haven, a 100-acre exotic zoo east of Fresno. The large enclosure where Hanson was killed includes a smaller cage where animals can be confined for feeding or when the large space is being cleaned.

The lion known as Cous Cous somehow managed to open the gate, said Hadden, who was briefed by investigators.

Ga. lawmakers vote to ease gun limits

ATLANTA

While some states push to tighten gun control laws after the Connecticut school massacre, lawmakers in gun-friendly Georgia want to ease rules preventing some mentally ill people from getting licenses to carry firearms.

Legislators in Georgia’s House voted 117-56 on Thursday to allow people who have voluntarily sought inpatient treatment for mental illness or substance abuse to get licenses. The same bill would force officials to check on whether applicants have received involuntary treatment in the past five years before issuing licenses. Georgia also may change its laws to allow people to carry guns in churches, bars and on college campuses, contrary to what’s happening elsewhere in the U.S.

Obama signs anti-violence law

WASHINGTON

President Barack Obama signed expanded protections for domestic-violence victims into law Thursday, renewing a measure credited with curbing attacks against women a year and a half after it lapsed amid partisan bickering.

The revitalized Violence Against Women Act also marked an important win for gay-rights advocates and Native Americans, who will see new protections under the law, and for Obama, whose attempts to push for a renewal failed last year after they became entangled in gender politics and the presidential election.

Court strikes down Idaho fetal-pain law

BOISE, Idaho

Idaho has become the first state to have its so-called fetal-pain law banning abortions after 20 weeks struck down by the federal courts.

The decision from U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill was handed down Wednesday as part of a ruling that also overturns other abortion restrictions in Idaho.

The ruling is binding only in Idaho but could have a persuasive effect in lawsuits challenging similar bans in other states — such as Arizona, where a suit is pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Associated Press