Alaska highway could reopen today

hAlaska highway could reopen today

ANCHORAGE, Alaska

Cars and trucks could be rolling into the city at the end of the trans-Alaska pipeline by this afternoon, nearly two weeks after avalanches cut off highway access.

A spokeswoman for the Alaska Department of Transportation said Tuesday that road crews are nearing completion of snow removal from the last blockage of the Richardson Highway, about 12 miles from Valdez. The highway is projected to open at 3 p.m. today.

Hannah Blankenship said damage has mostly been limited to guardrails. Previous avalanches had not damaged the roadbed, and that was the case again.

A dozen or so avalanches combined to close the highway Jan. 24, including two that completely covered the highway and about 10 that partially covered it.

1 child dies, 1 injured in cruise-ship pool

RALEIGH, N.C.

A 4-year-old boy died and a 6-year-old boy was revived and taken to a North Carolina hospital after both were pulled from a cruise- ship swimming pool off the state’s coast Monday, according to officials who offered few additional details Tuesday.

Norwegian said on its Facebook page that the ship’s emergency medical team responded to a report that the children were unresponsive on its pool deck and quickly administered CPR.

“After extensive efforts, the younger child could not be revived,” the Facebook post said. “We extend our deepest sympathies to the family during this extremely difficult time and are providing full assistance and support.”

It was unclear whether the boys were related.

Libya: All chemical weapons destroyed

TRIPOLI, Libya

Libya’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday the country’s caches of chemical weapons, including bombs and artillery shells filled with mustard gas, have been completely destroyed.

“Libya is totally empty of any presence of chemical weapons ... which could pose a threat to the safety of people, the environment, or neighboring regions,” Mohammed Abdel-Aziz said in remarks carried by Libya’s state news agency.

Scotland passes gay-marriage bill

LONDON

The Scottish Parliament has overwhelmingly voted in favor of a same-sex marriage bill, allowing the first such ceremonies to take place by the end of the year.

Scottish Health Secretary Alex Neil called the bill’s approval “one of the great historic days of the parliament.” But some religious leaders criticized it as an assault on tradition.

The bill was passed Tuesday by 105 votes to 18. Under the bill, religious bodies in Scotland that wish to perform gay marriages can “opt in” to do so. Groups opposed to same-sex marriage cannot be forced to solemnize such unions.

Legislation to allow gay marriage in England and Wales was passed in July last year. The change does not apply to Northern Ireland.

Associated Press