In brief: Official removes Hess’ bones

Berlin – The bones of Adolf Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, have been removed from their grave in a small Bavarian town after it became a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis.

The administrator of the cemetery in Wunsiedel told the Associated Press that the bones were exhumed early Wednesday. Andreas Fabel said the remains were cremated and the ashes scattered into a lake whose name is being kept secret.

Hess was captured in 1941 when he parachuted into Scotland on a bizarre mission to negotiate peace between Britain and Germany. He hanged himself at age 93 in West Berlin’s Spandau prison, and was buried in his family’s plot in Wunsiedel.

Hurricane Dora loses power

Los Cabos, Mexico – Hurricane Dora lost power swirling northward in the Pacific on Thursday as a powerful Category 4 storm with winds of 150 mph that kept nearby coastal areas on alert.

The Mexican government changed its Tropical Storm watch to a warning late Thursday in the southern Baja California peninsula, including resort-dotted Los Cabos.

Dora continued to move gradually away from the coast, but waves generated by the hurricane battered shore communities. The foundations of a small lighthouse about 35 miles east of Acapulco toppled Wednesday. About 60 thatch-roofed restaurants on beaches in the area, around La Penitas and La Bocana, were damaged or swept away by the storm.

Al-Qaida leader killed in fighting

Sanaa, Yemen – A senior leader of Yemen’s al-Qaida branch has been killed in fighting in the nearly lawless south of the country, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

A ministry statement said Ayed al-Shabwani was killed in fighting on Tuesday near the town of Zinjibar, a provincial capital that has been held by al-Qaida-linked militants since May.