Pentagon: 2 US Navy boats held by Iran

Pentagon: 2 US Navy boats held by Iran

WASHINGTON

Iran was holding 10 U.S. Navy sailors and their two small boats that drifted into Iranian waters after experiencing mechanical problems. Iran accused the sailors of trespassing but American officials said Tehran has assured them that the crew and vessels would be returned safely and promptly.

The sailors, nine men and one woman, were being held overnight at an Iranian base on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf, and were expected to be transferred to a U.S. ship in the region this morning. Officials said they believe the U.S. had spoken to one of the crew, and all 10 were fine and uninjured.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told The Associated Press that the Riverine boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the U.S. lost contact with them.

S. Korea to China: Help punish N. Korea

seoul, south korea

South Korea’s president is calling for Chinese help to launch what she calls the “strongest” international sanctions on North Korea over its recent nuclear test.

President Park Geun-hye also told a news conference that South Korea will continue the propaganda broadcasts into North Korea that her government resumed in retaliation for the North’s bomb test.

Park’s comments today come amid a continuing standoff on the Korean Peninsula. Both Koreas are piping propaganda meant to undermine the other across their shared border, the world’s most heavily armed.

A nuclear capable U.S. B-52 flew close to North Korea over the weekend in a show of force meant to underline America’s alliance with the South.

NJ mulls raising smoking age to 21

TRENTON, N.J.

New Jersey could become the second state to raise the smoking age to 21, as part of a movement that’s been spurred in part by a major study released last year and a sharp increase in electronic cigarette use among young people.

The state’s Legislature on Monday passed a bill that would fine retailers up to $1,000 if they sell cigarettes or other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes that are often called “vapes,” to anyone 20 years old or younger. The law wouldn’t punish underage smokers.

It’s unclear whether Gov. Chris Christie will sign it into law. He has until Jan. 19 to decide.

US agents inspect trucks in Mexico

TIJUANA, MEXICO

U.S. authorities began working Tuesday on Mexican soil for the first time to inspect trucks bound from Tijuana to the United States as part of a new enforcement program intended to reduce congestion and speed cargo across one of the nation’s busiest border crossings.

The joint inspections by U.S. and Mexican officials were launched after Mexican lawmakers overcame resistance and approved changes to the country’s firearms law to permit foreign customs and immigration officials to be armed on the job.

Studying food safety of oilfield wastewater

rancho cordova, calif.

More farmers in drought-stricken California are using oilfield wastewater to irrigate, and a new panel Tuesday began taking one of the state’s deepest looks yet at the safety of using the chemical-laced water on food crops.

In the fourth year of California’s drought, at least five oilfields in the state are passing along their leftover production fluid to water districts for irrigation, for recharging underground water supplies, and other uses, experts said.

Chevron and the California offshoot of Occidental Petroleum are among the oil companies supplying oilfield wastewater for irrigating thousands of acres in California.

Associated Press