In Brief: Deadly winter storm moves offshore

Philadelphia – A winter storm that brought snow and ice to the East Coast moved offshore Friday after causing at least 25 deaths, leaving hundreds of thousands without power and causing a large pileup in Pennsylvania that injured 30 people.

The latest go-round of bad weather came just in time to delay tens of thousands of deliveries of Valentine’s Day flowers, dropping snow, sleet and rain on roads already covered with deep puddles and icy patches.

Traffic accidents involving multiple tractor-trailers and dozens of cars completely blocked one side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike outside Philadelphia on Friday morning and injured 30 people, none seriously. The crashes were reported about five hours after snow ended. Speed restrictions enacted during the storm had been lifted, but motorists say the roadway was coated with ice.

By the time it stopped falling, 22.5 inches of snow was reported in Somerset County, Pa. Parts of upstate New York got between 12 and 27 inches of snow.

Ugandan president plans to sign controversial bill

Kampala, Uganda – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni plans to sign a bill into law that prescribes life imprisonment for some homosexual acts, officials said Friday, alarming rights activists who have condemned the bill as draconian in a country where homosexuality already has been criminalized.

Museveni announced his decision to governing party lawmakers, said government spokesman Ofwono Opondo.

Museveni’s decision was based on a report by “medical experts” presented at the retreat, saying that “homosexuality is not genetic but a social behavior,” said Opondo.

Evelyn Anite, a spokeswoman for the governing party, said the report, which had been requested by the president, was prepared by more than a dozen scientists from Uganda’s Health Ministry.