2 boys co-champions of spelling bee in Md.

2 boys co-champions of spelling bee in Md.

OXON HILL, Md.

For the first time in 52 years, two spellers have been declared co-champions of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Sriram Hathwar of Painted Post, N.Y. , and Ansun Sujoe of Fort Worth, Texas, shared the title after a riveting final-round duel Thursday night in which they nearly exhausted the 25 designated championship words. After they spelled a dozen words correctly in a row, they both were named champions.

Police knew about videos during check

LOS ANGELES

Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies who checked on Elliot Rodger three weeks before he killed six college students were aware he had posted disturbing videos but never viewed them before or after determining he was not a threat to himself or others, the department disclosed Thursday.

The statement from the sheriff’s office corrected an earlier assertion that deputies were unaware of the videos when they checked on him April 30. It also provided new details on the sequence of events during that pivotal visit to Rodger’s apartment, a time when he was planning the rampage that would end with him apparently taking his own life after being wounded by police.

Queen to make trip for D-Day event

LONDON

The queen’s joints are creaky, and her husband recently has battled serious illness, but the royal couple won’t let aches and pains keep them away from a grand overseas commemoration: the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.

Elizabeth II and Prince Philip have for the most part stopped traveling abroad — a reluctant concession to their advanced years — but next week they intend to be in Normandy for ceremonies to honor those who sacrificed their lives to liberate Europe from the Nazi grip.

The perils of World War II directly shaped the lives of Elizabeth, 88, and Philip, 92. The anniversary is so heartfelt that the royal couple is preparing to cross the English Channel once more, this time on a Eurostar train through the Channel Tunnel that Elizabeth helped inaugurate 20 years ago.

China plans for extra 2M babies per year

BEIJING

China is preparing for 2 million extra babies a year as a result of a loosening of its “one child” birth limits that will allow more couples to have two children, health officials said Thursday.

The ruling Communist Party introduced birth limits in 1980 to curb population growth and demand for water and other resources. Most urban couples are allowed one child and face fines and other penalties for additional births. Pressure to enforce limits has led local officials to force women to abort fetuses or to be sterilized, even though such measures are illegal.

The party announced in November that couples in which one parent was an only child would be allowed to have a second baby in some areas. Previously, both parents had to be an only child to qualify for this exemption.

Insurers accused of discrimination

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.

Two health organizations filed a complaint with federal health officials Thursday alleging some Florida insurance companies are violating the Affordable Care Act by structuring their insurance plans in a way that discourage consumers with HIV and AIDS from choosing those plans.

The National Health Law Program and The AIDS Institute said four insurance companies offering plans in Florida through the federal online exchange required HIV and AIDS patients to pay a percentage of their often expensive drugs instead of a flat co-pay.

Associated Press