■ United States
Obama's family held slaves
Genealogists have uncovered a new ingredient in the melting pot identity of Senator Barack Obama, the Illinois Democrat who hopes to become the first black president: His white maternal ancestors once owned slaves. Obama is the American-born son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya. The genealogists, led by William Addams Reitwiesner, studied the family history of Obama's mother and determined that his great-great-great-great grandfather, George Washington Overall, owned two slaves listed in the 1850 census in Nelson County, Kentucky.
■ United States
Coast guard ends search
The US Coast Guard on Friday ended its search for 49 Haitians missing after their vessel caught fire and capsized off the Dominican Republic. "Despite the aggressive search and a significant number of assets used, no survivors were found," the USCG said in a statement. Air and sea rescue crews had searched the waters off the Haitian island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, after the sail freighter caught fire and capsized on Monday. The USCG said a Coast Guard cutter crew recovered five bodies, while two survivors were taken to a hospital in the Dominican Republic after suffering severe burns and dehydration.
■ United States
Pirate ship may be excavated
A shipwreck off the eastern US coast believed to be that of notorious pirate Blackbeard could be fully excavated in three years, officials working on the project said. "That's really our target," Steve Claggett, the state archaeologist, said Friday while discussing 10 years of research that has been conducted since the shipwreck was found just off North Carolina. The ship ran aground in 1718, and some researchers believe it was the French slave ship Blackbeard captured in 1717 and renamed Queen Anne's Revenge. Several officials said historical data and coral-covered artifacts recovered from the site remove any doubt the wreckage belonged to Blackbeard.
■ Venezuela
Anti-terror pact nixed
Venezuela refused to sign an anti-terrorism declaration approved on Friday by the Organization of American States, saying the US government is protecting a man accused of bombing a Cuban jetliner in 1976. Venezuela wants Luis Posada Carriles, a former CIA operative, to stand trial for allegedly plotting the bombing. The 79-year-old was arrested two years ago in Texas on an immigration violation and is being held in an El Paso jail while officials determine where to deport him.
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