VA reverses stance on Agent Orange

VA reverses stance on Agent Orange

WASHINGTON

Reversing a long-held position, the Department of Veterans Affairs now says Air Force reservists who became ill after being exposed to Agent Orange residue while working on planes after the Vietnam War should be eligible for disability benefits.

The VA said it has been working to finalize a rule that could cover more than 2,000 military personnel who flew or worked on Fairchild C-123 aircraft in the U.S. from 1972 to 1982. Many of the Vietnam-era planes, used by the reservists for medical and cargo transport, had sprayed millions of gallons of herbicide during the 1955-1975 military conflict in Southeast Asia.

UN offers DNA tests for kids left behind

UNITED NATIONS

The U.N. peacekeepers arrive; months later, some leave infants behind. Now the United Nations has quietly started to offer DNA testing to help prove paternity claims and ensure support for the so-called “peacekeeper babies.”

It’s a delicate step, as countries that contribute U.N. troops might not welcome a practice that could prove not only fatherhood but wrongdoing. Of the dozen paternity claims received last year, four were associated with alleged sexual abuse of a minor.

The new effort comes a decade after a groundbreaking report on sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers suggested that the U.N. secretary-general be authorized to “require DNA and other tests to establish paternity” so peacekeepers would be pressured to support the children they “father and abandon.”

Official: Taliban kill 20 policemen in raid

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan

Taliban fighters overran multiple checkpoints in a nighttime raid in Afghanistan’s volatile southern Helmand province, killing at least 20 police officers as the battle raged into Saturday, authorities said.

The assault came as Afghanistan’s military acknowledged the Taliban controls at least four districts across the country. The spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Sediq Sediqqi, said fighting ended Saturday afternoon with about 30 insurgents killed, including a group leader he named as Abdul Hadi.

LA raises minimum wage to $15 an hour

LOS ANGELES

Mayor Eric Garcetti signed into law Saturday an ordinance that makes Los Angeles the biggest city in the nation to gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

He called the law “a major victory for our city” at a signing ceremony in south LA, and said the wage increases will enable working families to lift themselves out of poverty.

Hurricane warning issued over Carlos

MIAMI

A hurricane warning has been issued as Carlos is expected to strengthen and increase its forward speed over coming days as it heads toward southwestern Mexico. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the hurricane’s eye was slowly drifting north Saturday evening and was about 120 miles south of Acapulco and that Carlos’ winds had increased to 85 mph.

Scientists leave dome

HONOLULU

Six scientists who were living under a dome on the slopes of a dormant Hawaii volcano for eight months to simulate life on Mars have emerged from isolation.

The scientists are part of a human-performance study funded by NASA that tracked how they worked together as a team. They have been monitored by surveillance cameras, body-movement trackers and electronic surveys.

Associated Press