Runway reopens at Brazil airport after crashSAO PAULO, Brazil (AP):
Planes are again using the main runway of Brazil's busiest airport, almost two weeks after a TAM airlines jet crashed there and killed 199 people in the country's worst aviation disaster.
A TAM plane was the first to touch down on the 1,939-meter (6,362-foot) main runway Friday afternoon, but the airline has imposed new restrictions since the crash and says it will not use Congonhas airport when it is raining.
Traffic at Congonhas had been restricted to a 1,436-meter (4,711-foot) backup since the crash, while investigators tried to determine if the main runway's condition played a role in the accident. Both runways are relatively short by modern standards.
Bus falls 300 metres in Bolivia, killing eight
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP):
A small bus fell some 300 meters (1,000 feet) into a ravine, killing eight people and injuring six, Bolivian police said yesterday. The driver apparently lost control on a road 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Bolivia's high-altitude capital of La Paz on Friday night, transit police spokesman Ramiro Romecín said.
Dick Cheney does surgery to replace heart monitor
WASHINGTON (AP):
Vice-President Dick Cheney, who has a history of heart problems, had surgery yesterday to replace an implanted device that monitors his heartbeat.
"The device was successfully replaced without complication," said Megan McGinn, the vice president's deputy press secretary.
Obama could go 'toe to toe' in renegade talks
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP):
Democrat Barack Obama cast himself yesterday as the leader the United States needs for it to stand up to and engage renegade nations such as North Korea.
"We need a president who'll have the strength and courage to go toe to toe with the leaders of rogue nations, because that's what it takes to protect our security," the Illinois senator told Democrats at a rally. "That's what I'll do as your next commander in chief."
Obama and rival Hillary Rodham Clinton have had a running argument since clashing in last week's debate over how far the United States should be willing to go in its diplomacy with countries such as Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea.
Former Nigerian state governor freed
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP):
Aformer Nigerian state governor was freed a day after he was convicted of corruption because he had already served his time while awaiting trial, prison officials said yesterday
Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha, former governor of oil-rich Bayelsa state, pleaded guilty Thursday to six counts of corruption and money laundering. The judge sentenced him to two years' jail on each count, but ruled the jail terms be served concurrently from the time of his arrest in Nigeria two years ago.
Alamieyeseigha was freed hours after police took him to prison Friday because he had already served the required time, prisons department spokesman Ope Fatinikun said.
The former governor was the first politician to be convicted in a push by the newly-elected government to rout out rampant corruption in West Africa's oil giant by prosecuting officials for stealing public funds.
