At least 25 killed in attacks in Iraq

At least 25 killed in attacks in Iraq

BAGHDAD

A suicide bomber attacked a funeral Saturday in northern Iraq attended by members of an ethnic minority, part of a series of assaults that killed at least 25 across the country, officials said.

Iraq is weathering its deadliest bout of violence in half a decade, raising fears the country is returning to a period of widespread killing such as that which pushed it to the brink of civil war after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. More than 4,000 people have been killed in violent attacks since the start of April, including 804 just in August, according to United Nations figures.

World’s oldest man dies in NY at age 112

GRAND ISLAND, N.Y.

The world’s oldest man, a 112-year-old self-taught musician, coal miner and gin rummy aficionado from western New York, has died. He was 112.

Salustiano Sanchez-Blazquez died Friday at a nursing home in Grand Island, according to Robert Young, senior gerontology consultant with Guinness World Records. Sanchez-Blazquez became the world’s oldest man when Jiroemon Kimura died June 12 at age 116.

Born June 8, 1901, in the village of El Tejado de Bejar, Spain, he was known for his talent on the dulzaina, a double-reed wind instrument that he taught himself and played at weddings and village celebrations. At 17, he moved with his older brother Pedro and a group of friends to Cuba, where they worked in the cane fields.

In 1920, he came to the United States through Ellis Island and worked in the coal mines of Lynch, Ky. Ultimately, he moved to the Niagara Falls area of New York, where he worked in construction and in the industrial furnaces. He married his wife, Pearl, in 1934.

Texas law gets tough on drones

AUSTIN, Texas

Texas is among seven states to recently pass a law limiting drone use in civilian airspace.

While discussion in almost every state legislature has mainly focused on protecting private citizens from too much surveillance by law enforcement, the new law in Texas limits the use of drones by public entities and ordinary citizens.

It also includes a broad exception that allows police to forgo required search warrants if they have probable cause or suspicion of wrongdoing.

Supporters say Texas is ensuring privacy protections keep pace with technology. But opponents worry the law may violate citizens’ constitutional rights and bar the media from using unmanned aircraft to chase stories.

Still, the clamor to pass it was such that lawmakers in the Texas House chanted “Drones! Drones! Drones!”

2 children found dead in hotel room

SANTA ANA, Calif.

Two children were found dead in an Orange County hotel room Friday after police said an apparently suicidal woman made remarks that led authorities to them, authorities said.

Officers found the children dead in a third-floor room at about 9 a.m. at the Hampton Inn & Suites. Police in nearby Costa Mesa had called to request that Santa Ana officers check on the childrens’ welfare, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

The children’s names and ages were not immediately released.

Associated Press