■ United States
Zoo probes elephant death
The keepers of a 48-year-old Asian elephant that died last month did not begin emergency procedures for more than eight hours after the animal was discovered in a sitting position, a Los Angeles Zoo investigation has found. A zoo statement issued on Friday said Gita, a female, was seen sitting down -- a general sign of distress -- the night before she died, but it did not say who observed her. Keepers did not begin emergency procedures until the following morning, it said. Animal rights activists had long complained about conditions for elephants at the zoo, and have asked for a federal investigation into Gita's death.
■ United States
Shuttle launch delayed
NASA prepared for a new attempt yesterday to launch the Discovery shuttle on a critical mission for the US space program after storm clouds scuttled Saturday's liftoff. The launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, was scrubbed just minutes before its scheduled liftoff. NASA were due to try to launch the shuttle again yesterday afternoon for a mission to the International Space Station aimed at improving space flight safety. Saturday's attempt was canceled due to storm clouds near the launch pad that officials feared could produce lightning during blastoff.
■ United States
Bikers defy rally cancelation
Thousands of bikers roared into Hollister, California -- the town made famous by Marlon Brando's 1953 film The Wild One, defying a city council decision to cancel the rally. The bikers cruised Hollister's streets on Saturday on personalized choppers, racing bikes and tricked-out Harley-Davidsons. Bars were packed before noon. The Hollister Independence Rally has been a destination for bikers for decades, but earlier this year the Hollister City Council voted to cancel the event, saying it was too expensive and too dangerous. Police estimated about 5,000 people attended on Saturday compared to 15,000 to 20,000 in previous years.
■ United States
Dutch resistance hero dies
Jaap Penraat, an architect and industrial designer who helped 406 Jews sneak out of Nazi-occupied Netherlands and withstood torture to protect fellow resistance members, died June 25 at his home in Catskill, New York, of cancer. Born in Amsterdam in 1918, Penraat was in his 20s when he began forging identity cards for Jews. He was imprisoned for several months and tortured, but refused to tell his captors anything. After his release, Penraat and other resistance members began disguising Jews as construction workers and escorting them to France. He made 20 trips to Lille, with about 20 Jews each time. The French underground then escorted the Jews to Spain.
RSS