Patch plea
A consumer advocacy group petitioned the U.S. government Thursday to pull the birth-control patch off the market, calling it far riskier than the pill. Warnings about the Ortho-Evra weekly patch have escalated since a 2005 investigation by The Associated Press found patch users suffer higher rates of life-threatening blood clots than women who take birth-control pills.
Gunman down
About 12 seconds was all it took for two bailiffs to gun down a man who shot at them in a courthouse lobby, authorities in St. Petersburg, Fla., said Thursday. Glen Lee Powell carried a handgun, 79 rounds of ammunition, an extra gun magazine, a lengthy fighting knife and a gas mask into the building Wednesday.
Leader arrested
The leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was arrested in Mosul, the Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman said Thursday. The U.S. military in Baghdad said “we are currently checking with Iraqi authorities to confirm the accuracy of this information.” Media reports indicated al-Masri was captured during a police raid.
Police chief killed
Mexico’s acting federal police chief was shot dead Thursday outside his Mexico City home — a brazen attack that comes as drug traffickers increasingly lash back at a nationwide crackdown on organized crime. Edgar Millan Gomez was shot 10 times after at least one gunman was waiting for him at his home before dawn, officials said.
THE DIGIT
1,034
Number of residents who live in Daisetta, Texas, who could be evacuated if a monster-sized sinkhole continues to grow, officials said. The hole, which opened up abruptly Wednesday, already is one of the largest on record at about 600 feet by 525 feet and almost 150 feet deep, geologists said.
AND FINALLY …
House passes housing aid plan to provide $300 billion in refinanced mortgages for struggling homeowners – Police: Victims’ own photo helped cops nail robbery suspect – Somali insurgents seize police headquarters in Mogadishu – Rocket hits downtown Baghdad park, killing at least 2
