Machu Picchu rail to reopen
Train services to the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu will be restored on March 29, officials said. Fierce rains washed out the rail link in January. Transport Minister Enrique Cornejo told congress on Friday that while rail service from Cuzco to the famed tourist site would not be restored until June at the earliest, the last 28km would be ready by month’s end. Tourists will be able to take a bus from Cuzco to the town of Ollantaytambo, then go by road to the rail link.
■UNITED STATES
Police tow away ‘corpse’
A police tow truck removed a minivan parked outside a New York City funeral home — with a body inside. New York police spokesman Paul Browne said there was “nothing to indicate it was more than just an illegally parked car.” Redden’s Funeral Home director Paul DeNigris said a windshield placard had fallen flat. The van’s tinted windows helped obscure the white cardboard box that held the remains. DeNigris said he was “a wreck” after discovering the van missing on Monday in Manhattan, the Daily News newspaper reported. He rushed to the tow pound, where he discreetly explained the circumstances and got the van back. He also got the body to an airport in time for a scheduled flight to Miami. He plans to fight the US$115 parking ticket.
■UNITED STATES
Snails sicken devotees
Devotees of a Miami man who claims to practice a traditional African religion said they were sickened when they drank the mucus of a giant African snail. Federal authorities in January raided Charles Stewart’s home after receiving complaints. Stewart has not been criminally charged, but prosecutors and state and federal wildlife agencies are investigating. The giant African snail is prohibited in the US without special approval. Stewart told the Miami Herald he meant no harm, and his religion uses the snails in healing ceremonies.
■UNITED STATES
Reid’s wife hurt in accident
US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s wife suffered a broken back and neck in an auto accident in the Washington suburbs. Landra Reid, 69, underwent surgery yesterday and is on her way to making a full recovery, said Dr Elizabeth Franco at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia. “She’s done very well,”Franco said. “She’s in good spirits.” Landra Reid could be released in a few days, said Jon Summers, a spokesman for the senator. The majority leader was at the hospital during the surgery, Summers said. Truck driver Alan Snader of Ohio was charged with reckless driving in the accident on Interstate 95 in Fairfax County, Virginia, state police said.
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