News Briefs

Romanian driver hits rabbit, fined

Nicolae Balaita, of Romania, was recently fined for failing to reduce his speed when passing a rabbit. He told reporters there was no way he could avoid the animal so he was forced to hit it. The accident left Balaita with a broken bumper so he chose to report the problem to the police in order to avoid further problems. He said the officer, Nelu Spiroiu, was an avid animal lover who wouldn’t accept any excuses. He even checked Balaita’s blood-alcohol levels. The officer said judging by the dent in the car the driver was going above speed restrictions. The driver was fined a week’s worth of pay.

Parents on patrol in Philadelphia

A Philadelphia school district has hired 250 truant officers to get thousands of school-age children back in school. The school district is specifically hiring parents such as Jennifer Jones. Paul Vallas, chief executive of the school system, said that parents understand the culture of the children the best. On any given day, more than 12,000 students are absent without an excuse in Philadelphia. School officials worry these truants are more likely to join gangs, commit crimes, use drugs or drop out. Vallas worked with 600 parents in a similar program in Chicago, which cut the truancy rate from 5.7 percent to 3.9 percent. Vern Trent heads the program. He said the primary goal of the truant officers is to inform the parents that their child has not been in school and that there are resources available to help.

Trainer kidnaps distressed circus elephant

A German circus director kidnapped his deeply distressed elephant. Officials had ordered the trainer not to move the animal, Kenia, because she was upset about the death of another circus elephant, Rani. The man and his elephant disappeared Wednesday and haven’t been spotted since then. Rani was put to sleep after surgery failed to mend her broken hind.

AIDS test in 20 minutes

The Health and Human Services Department has approved a rapid AIDS test. The test is said to provide results in 20 minutes. The Food and Drug Administration said the new test, called OraQuick, made by OraSure Technologies Inc., has a 99.6 percent accuracy. The test is administered by testing a drop of blood drawn from a finger. There is a high need for such tests because every year an estimated 8,000 infected people go to clinics but do not return a week later for test results. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one-quarter of the 900,000 HIV-positive people in the United States don’t know they are infected. More than 36 million people are infected with HIV. 25 million of those victims are in Africa. President George W. Bush asked Congress Tuesday to triple AIDS spending in Africa and Haiti to $15 billion over five years. He said Friday he was proposing $16 billion for AIDS prevention and treatment in the United States in the 2004 fiscal year. The United Nations predicts AIDS will kill 70 million people in the next 20 years unless richer nations step up humanitarian efforts.

American imports stray dogs

A British website reports that American animal shelters are apparently importing stray dogs to supply the growing number of citizens who want to adopt a pet. The homeless animals are being collected from as far away as Taiwan. An organization in Puerto Rico claims they have shipped more than 14,000 strays to the United States in the last seven years. Gary Patronek of the Tufts University Centre for animals said bringing in dogs from abroad can also import diseases.

Train crash in Zimbabwe

A passenger train collided with a freight train carrying flammable liquid in northwestern Zimbabwe Saturday. Radio reports said hundreds were injured as both trains exploded. At least 40 people were killed. It is unclear whether both trains were moving at the time of the collision. Both trains were en route to the northwestern resort town of Victoria Falls. An acute fuel shortage in recent months has forced many commuter buses, taxis and private cars off the road and onto increasingly crowded passenger trains in Zimbabwe. Rail officials were forced to close the line between Bulawayo and the capital, Harare, after a train derailed in a separate incident. Zimbabwe’s economic crisis and a shortage of hard currency have made it difficult for the state railroad company to import spare parts and maintenance equipment for its locomotives and freight cars. At least 22 people were injured a month earlier when a passenger train derailed after hitting an elephant near Victoria Falls.

National Geographic swimsuit issue

National Geographic is publishing its first swimsuit issue, on newsstands and online on Saturday. The issue’s publication is around the same time of Sports Illustrated’s bathing suit frenzy. Most of the pictures in the edition are from the magazine’s archives, which show how people dressed for swimming over the last 100 years. One photograph, from 1900, shows a Red Cross swimming instructor with only her head and arms uncovered. When wet, the costume would have weighed about 22 pounds. A more modern picture, 1988, in Australia is from a zone of beach labeled “clothing optional.” The partial nudity of National Geographic has always made it a must-read for adolescent boys.