■ United States
Bombs found in aqueduct
Three pipe bombs were found during a routine search of an aqueduct that supplies water to millions of people in southern California, officials said. The bombs were found on Tuesday next to a valve in a branch of the California Aqueduct, which carries water from the northern part of the state to the southern. It was unclear whether the devices were left there intentionally. Had they detonated, the devices could have blown open the valve and released water, California Highway Patrol Sergeant Fernando Contreras said. A bomb unit detonated the devices in a safe area. Also found were at least four weapons and 25 vehicles, Contreras said.
■ United States
Escapee misses mom
The mother of a man accused of escaping from a prison van, stealing country singer Crystal Gayle's tour bus and trekking hundreds of kilometers in a failed attempt to see her has died after a long battle with cancer. Anna Shull died on Wednesday, almost three weeks after Christopher Daniel Gay, 33, allegedly escaped from a prisoner transport van near Hardeeville, South Carolina, and stole a series of vehicles in what authorities said was an attempt to see her. Services for Shull were scheduled for tomorrow, said a partner at Jennings and Ayers Funeral Home in Murfreesboro. Her son is currently in jail in Daytona Beach, Florida, near where he was caught on Jan. 26.
■ United States
State senate limits abortion
The Mississippi Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that would ban most abortions and charge those who perform the procedures with a misdemeanor. The bill would prohibit abortions except in cases of rape, incest or if the woman's life were endangered. Anyone found guilty of providing an abortion would face misdemeanor charges, a US$5,000 fine and up to a year in jail. Mississippi joins a handful of other states, including South Dakota and Utah, in considering abortion bans or restrictions this year in their statehouses. The measure now goes to the Mississippi House.
■ United States
Billionaire bound, robbed
A phony delivery man forced his way into the house of a billionaire and bound him, his wife and a housekeeper with duct tape before making off with only a few hundred dollars, police said on Wednesday. Investigators say the intruder specifically targeted Ernest Rady, 69, a financier ranked No. 140 last year on Forbes magazine's list of the 400 richest Americans. The man left the house with less than US$1,000 in cash about five hours after arriving, police said. The Radys freed themselves and called police; Ernest Rady was briefly hospitalized with minor injuries. Police are searching for the man.
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