■BAHAMAS
Jurors see Travolta tape
A jury on Monday watched a hidden-camera videotape of negotiations between a lawyer for John Travolta and a former Bahamas senator accused of trying to blackmail the movie star. The tape shows politician Pleasant Bridgewater telling Travolta’s lawyer that a paramedic who treated the actor’s son wants at least US$20 million as payment to not release a private document to the media. Bridgewater and ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne have pleaded not guilty to extortion charges at the trial that began on Sept. 21.
■UNITED STATES
Stalker released on bond
An Illinois insurance executive accused of secretly making nude videos of cable TV sports reporter Erin Andrews apparently uploaded videos of other unsuspecting nude women to the Internet, a federal prosecutor said on Monday. Michael Barrett, 47, of Westmont, was released on US$4,500 bond but was ordered to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet, to adhere to a strict curfew and not to use the Internet. He is due in US District Court in Los Angeles on Oct. 23 to face federal charges of interstate stalking.
■ECUADOR
VP claims accord signed
The government said it would consider changes to draft mining and water laws that provoked a clash with Indians last week, claiming a protester’s life. Vice President Lenin Moreno said an accord signed with Indian leaders would bring down Amazon roadblocks that have been up for a week. But Indian leaders said after six hours of talks on Monday that before acting they needed to consult with their communities, who account for roughly one in three Ecuadoreans.
■UNITED STATES
Woman killed by bear
A woman was mauled to death by a captive 160kg black bear in front of her children as she cleaned the animal’s cage, officials said on Monday. The woman’s husband was an exotic pet dealer in rural northeastern Pennsylvania who was operating with an expired license, an official with the Pennsylvania Game Commission said. Kelly Ann Walz, 37, was pronounced dead at the scene, said Tim Conway, an information and education supervisor with the commission.
■UNITED STATES
Raccoon victim in hospital
A 74-year-old woman, seriously injured by raccoons when she tried to shoo them away from her central Florida home, remains hospitalized, authorities said on Monday. Gretchen Whitted of Lakeland, Florida, was in stable condition two days after the attack. She told rescue personnel she tried to wave the animals away when she saw them near her back patio; a few minutes later, she spotted them at her front door and tried to run them off again. Then they attacked. A neighbor called for help after hearing the woman’s cries and seeing her covered in blood.
■CANADA
Tiger bites man’s arm
A man suffered injuries to his arms after he and a friend hopped the fence at a zoo early on Monday and stuck his hands into the tiger exhibit, zoo officials said. The Calgary Zoo said the two men snuck into the facility after midnight and headed to the Siberian tiger enclosure, where one of the men climbed over an outer fence. Security guards took the alleged intruders to their office, where the injured man was treated before being rushed to hospital.
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