11th death due to Takata air bags

11th death due to Takata air bags

DETROIT

A 50-year-old woman who died after a car wreck last month in California is the 11th U.S. victim of Takata Corp.’s defective air bags.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirmed the woman’s death on Thursday but didn’t release her name. She is the 11th known U.S. victim. Up to five people also may have been killed by the air bags in Malaysia, bringing the number of deaths globally to as many as 16.

Takata air bags can inflate with too much force, which causes their metal interior to rupture and spew shrapnel into the vehicle. ontain the explosion.

Miss. county bans clowns for now

DEKALB, Miss.

A Mississippi county has had enough of the creepy clown craze, at least until after Halloween.

Kemper County supervisors this week banned people from wearing any clown costume, mask or makeup in public. The local law carries a $150 penalty, and it will be lifted Nov. 1.

The Kemper County Messenger reports that supervisors President Johnny Whitsett says it’s a matter of public safety because people could react badly if they get scared by a clown in their yard.

The county along the Alabama line has a population of about 10,000.

Mexican judge denies El Chapo’s extradition appeals

MEXICO CITY

A federal judge ruled against five appeals by convicted drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in his legal battle to avoid extradition to the United States, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office said Thursday, but he can still appeal to higher courts.

In a statement, the office said the judge denied two of Guzman’s appeals and threw out the other three. Guzman’s lawyers did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

UK to pardon those convicted under past anti-gay laws

LONDON

Thousands of men who were convicted under now-abolished British laws against homosexuality are to receive posthumous pardons, the government announced Thursday. Those who are still alive will be eligible to have their criminal records wiped clean.

The Ministry of Justice said the pardons apply to men convicted for consensual same-sex sexual relations before homosexuality was decriminalized several decades ago. Men living with convictions can apply to the government to have their names cleared.

Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said the government was trying “to put right these wrongs.”

Opponents to take aim at giant telescope in Hawaii

HONOLULU

A $1.4 billion project to build one of the world’s largest telescopes is up against intense protests by Native Hawaiians and others who say building it on the Big Island’s Mauna Kea mountain will desecrate sacred land.

Hearings for the project’s construction permit began Thursday, with a few witnesses for the University of Hawaii, the permit applicant, expected to testify and answer questions from numerous parties involved in the case. It’s the second time the project has faced the proceedings.

Dozens of witnesses plan to testify over the next few weeks, including a group of Native Hawaiians who support the telescope.

Associated Press