Academy student falls from window
Annapolis, Md. A student at the U.S. Naval Academy was found dead outside a campus dormitory of an apparent fall, authorities said.
Midshipman Second Class Jay Michael Dixon, 21, of Destrehan, La., was discovered Saturday and declared dead at the scene.
The academy said no further information was available Sunday.
In February, a judge dismissed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Navy filed by the family of a Naval Academy student who fell from his dorm window in 2002.
Freight train hits van, leaving 4 people dead
Columbus, Wis. A freight train smashed into a minivan Sunday at a crossing that lacked lights or gates, killing all four people in the vehicle, authorities said.
The minivan’s driver apparently was trying to cut through a highway construction area when the vehicle was hit by the train and pushed about a mile down the tracks, authorities said. The train was traveling about 60 mph.
The victims reportedly were from southeastern Wisconsin. The freight train was traveling from Chicago to St. Paul, Minn.
Undersea earthquake shakes Indonesian isle
Jakarta, Indonesia A strong undersea earthquake rocked the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Sunday, sending thousands of people fleeing from their homes, but no tsunami was triggered, seismologists said.
The 6.8-magnitude temblor hit the western city of Padang, media reported. There were no reports of casualties or major damage.
Local media reports urging people to leave their homes added to the panic, a resident said.
Sumatra was devastated by the Dec. 26 quake and tsunami that killed nearly 183,000 people in 11 countries and left 129,000 missing.
Rescuers seek crew after cargo ship sinks
Beijing Rescuers searched today for 18 North Korean crew members missing after their iron-ore laden cargo ship sank, officials said.
Twelve surviving crew members and the recovered bodies of five sailors returned to North Korea on Sunday, media reported.
The freighter sank Wednesday with 35 crew aboard about 60 miles from Dandong, one of China’s main gateways for trade with the isolated North. The vessel was en route from a North Korean port to Dandong.
U.S. blocks KLM flight over two passengers
Amsterdam, Netherlands A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Mexico City was blocked mid-flight by U.S. authorities for having two undesirable people on board, the airline said Sunday. A KLM spokesman said the flight was approaching the U.S. border from Canada when the pilots were told they would not be allowed to enter U.S. airspace because two passengers were considered a risk, apparently due to terrorism fears.
The plane returned to Amster- dam, later departing again without the two passengers on board.
Chinese protests widen over Japanese textbook
Beijing Anti-Japan protests over a controversial new Japanese textbook erupted in southern China on Sunday, a day after a violent rally in Beijing.
Tokyo demanded an apology and better protection for its citizens as a simmering diplomatic row threatened ties between the Asian heavyweights.
Demonstrations against Japan have spread since Tokyo last week approved new textbooks critics say fail to address the Japanese military’s wartime invasion and occupation of Asian nations in the first half of the 20th century, including forcing women into sexual slavery for troops.