■ Canada
Engine failure ruled out
With investigators on Monday ruling out engine or mechanical failure in the Air France crash last week, runway conditions, stormy weather and pilot error now appear to be the focus of their probe. The chief investigator, Real Levasseur of Canada's Transportation Safety Board, declined on Monday to concede that the aircraft slammed into a ravine and exploded on impact due in part to "human error." He acknowledged, however, that the flight data and voice recorders had indicated there were no engine or equipment failures, leading investigators to now focus on the heavy rains and winds during the afternoon landing, as well as a slight decline in the east-west runway.
■ United States
More daylight-saving time
The US will have an additional four weeks of daylight-saving time beginning in 2007. Some people are cheering, while others worry. The energy law signed on Monday by US President George W. Bush specifies daylight-saving time to begin three weeks earlier and be extended by a week. Sponsors of the proposal say it will save energy because people won't have to turn on their lights so early in the evening. But some worry that the new regime will have their children waiting for school buses in the early morning darkness as late as mid-March. Farmers complain the time change adversely affects livestock and disrupts milking schedules.
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