One dead in Miami airport bus crash

OFFICIALS say a double-decker bus has hit an overpass at Miami International Airport, killing at least one person and injuring more than two-dozen people on board.

Airport spokesman Greg Chin says the bus, which was a cruise or tour bus, hit the overpass going into the airport's arrivals section on Saturday morning. The bus was going about 32km/h when it clipped the roof entrance.

Chin says 32 people were on the bus, and all have some sort of injuries. The arrival area remained blocked off by fire trucks and police cars Saturday morning.

Chin says buses are supposed to travel through the departure area, not the arrival section, because it has a higher clearance for large vehicles.
 

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Pope greets clowns, acrobats

POPE Benedict XVI has greeted thousands of clowns, acrobats, puppeteers and even a pair of lion cubs as the circus came to town for an unusual papal performance.

Benedict clapped and watched amused as circus workers flipped, flopped, juggled and twisted before him in what the Vatican has called a historic audience to make street performers and other itinerant entertainers feel like they belong to the church.

Benedict, a known cat lover, paid particular attention to a pair of lion cubs that were brought up to him on Saturday, stroking them and chatting with their trainers. At one point Benedict even bent down to caress one - not an easy feat given the 85-year-old pope has trouble with his knees and occasionally uses a cane.

Benedict acknowledged the sacrifices circus workers make to bring joy to young and old alike, travelling constantly and living on the margins of society. He noted they lack schools for their children or parish churches to call home. But he urged them to keep the faith.

"I hope that you can find, in the communities where you stay, people who are welcoming and available and able to care for your spiritual needs," Benedict said. He urged governments to better integrate itinerant entertainers in the social fabric.

A big top tent and carousel were mounted in St Peter's Square to make the scene complete, and thousands of entertainers from a dozen countries filled a Vatican audience hall for the papal performance that featured acrobats and a puppet show.

Benedict has been entertained before by various circus troupes, but Vatican officials said Saturday's audience was unusual in that it involved so many different types of travelling performers from around the world, and was dedicated to them alone.

 

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US warns against N.Korean missile launch

THE United States has urged North Korea to scrap plans to launch a rocket later this month, warning the "highly provocative" move would destabilise the region.

"Devoting scarce resources to the development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles will only further isolate and impoverish North Korea," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement on Saturday.

Her comments came after Pyongyang announced it would conduct between December 10 and 22 its second long-range rocket launch this year following a much-hyped but failed attempt in April.

As in April, the North said it would be a purely "peaceful, scientific" mission aimed at placing a polar-orbiting earth observation satellite into orbit.

The announcement was certain to ratchet up tensions with South Korea, which is just days from a presidential election.

The US and its allies insist the launches are disguised tests for an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

As such, they would contravene UN resolutions triggered by Pyongyang's two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.

"A North Korean 'satellite' launch would be a highly provocative act that threatens peace and security in the region," Nuland said.

"We call on North Korea to comply fully with its obligations under all relevant UNSCRs," she added, referring to UN Security Council resolutions.

Washington and its allies say the North's Unha-3 rocket is actually a three-stage variant of the Taepodong-2 ICBM that Pyongyang has been developing for years but has never tested successfully.

"The path to security for North Korea lies in investing in its people and abiding by its commitments and international obligations," Nuland added.

She said Washington was "consulting closely" with its allies on a response.

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Internet resumes in Syria after blackout

INTERNET connections were back up and running in Damascus, after a three-day blackout of Internet and mobile phone communications, according to an AFP journalist in the capital.

"Internet is back in Damascus and in parts of Damascus province," the correspondent said.

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Protesters, police clash in Mexico

HUNDREDS of protesters have clashed with police outside Mexico's congress ahead of Enrique Pena Nieto's presidential inauguration, throwing firebombs while officers responded with tear gas.

At least five police officers were injured on Saturday as around 500 protesters, many wearing masks, threw objects and Molotov cocktails outside the congress, which was surrounded by metal barricades.

One officer was hit in the face by a stone while two others were struck by a Molotov cocktail. They were taken away in ambulances.

Two more officers were carried out by their colleagues, apparently affected by the tear gas.

"We weren't expecting something so violent," an officer told AFP.

Pena Nieto's presidency will mark the return of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, which ruled Mexico with an authoritarian hand for 71 years until it lost the 2000 presidential election.

The second-place finisher in this year's election, leftist leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has refused to conceded defeat, charging that the PRI bought millions of votes. The electoral court threw out his claims.

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European stealth-combat test drone flies

A PAN-EUROPEAN stealth combat drone has taken its first test flight in southern France.

French defence company Dassault-Aviation is lead contractor on the "Neuron" project launched in 2005 involving firms from France, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Greece and Switzerland to provide a test bed for developing future combat aircraft.

Its successful flight took place on Saturday near Istres.

Program officials say the Neuron is not a prototype, but aims to help European countries explore stealth technology for possible use - years from now - in future drones or successors of fighters like the Eurofighter or France's Rafale. The program will also seek innovations like the release of air-to-surface weapons from an internal bay.

Many experts believe armed drones will play an increasing role in the future of air combat.

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Ram on the lam in Iowa

A SHAGGY brown sheep successfully dodged police, his handlers and a few cars while trotting through downtown Des Moines after escaping from his trailer.

But the ram's freedom only lasted about an hour on Friday before he was cornered and tackled by about a half dozen of his pursuers.

The Navajo-Churro ram jumped from a trailer near the Iowa Capitol on Friday morning. He led police, Animal Rescue League officials and some Capitol workers on a chase.

Video from KCCI-TV shows the animal strolling along downtown sidewalks and streets, resembling a wooly ball of hair bouncing on tiny legs and picking up speed when someone gets too close.

Authorities say the ram was being taken from Creston to Cedar Rapids.

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