■ United States
Two killed in skydive
A skydiving teacher and his Japanese student died after a botched tandem jump over Hawaii, the head of the parachuting school said on Saturday. Erich "Max" Mueller, an experienced, 69-year-old instructor from Germany, and his 33-year-old student missed the intended landing zone and came down in the sea, striking an underwater reef about 300m off shore, said Frank Hinshaw, president of Skydive Hawaii. Both the Japanese woman, a tourist, and the German teacher were flown in extremely critical condition to a hospital, where they died without regaining consciousness, Hinshaw said.
■ United States
Funerals for miners begin
Families on Sunday began burying the 12 coal miners who died underground after an explosion on Jan. 2 at the ill-fated Sago Mine in West Virginia. Up to six funerals were held on Sunday, with more church services scheduled yesterday and today. The men apparently were poisoned by carbon monoxide that filled their mine shaft after the still unexplained mishap trapped them underground. A sole survivor of the accident, 26-year-old Randal McCloy Jr., remained hospitalized in critical condition in Morgantown, West Virginia. He remains unconscious and under sedation as doctors continue to try to slowly restore his organ functions.
■ Mexico
Candidate softens tone
Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador strove to portray himself as a moderate as he formally registered his presidential candidacy on Sunday, promising to reduce immigration to the US and maintain a balanced foreign policy. Portrayed as a radical and a populist by detractors, the former Mexico City mayor has worked to move toward the political center as his once-commanding lead in public opinion polls shrank since late fall. Calling for "a broad, representative and inclusive citizen's movement," Lopez Obrador promised Mexicans "a new economy" but said it wouldn't be based on ideology. He said he would work to stem the flow of immigrants to the US in search of jobs by stimulating Mexico's economy.
■ Canada
Liberals slam rival's budget
The ruling Liberal Party branded its chief rival's economic promises on Sunday as budget busters that would plunge Ottawa into multibillion-dollar deficits, but the Conservatives said they have the figures to back up their plan. With two weeks until a nationwide parliamentary election, the Liberal Party estimated the Conservatives' promises to date would rack up C$12.4 billion (US$10.6 billion) in deficits in five years, a charge denied by the Conservatives. "As of today we've costed what's in the Conservative platform so far ... and there's a deficit every year," Finance Minister Ralph Goodale said in a phone interview. Canada has had a surplus in each of the past eight years.
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