In the news

WORLD

LILONGWE, Malawi – Madonna jetted out of the Malawi on Sunday after a six-day visit to the impoverished homeland of the toddler she wants to adopt, carrying the boy in her arms as she boarded her plane.

Madonna and her husband, film producer Guy Ritchie, took custody of David Banda last October after finding him in an orphanage. Critics said the 48-year-old star used her celebrity status to circumvent Malawian adoption laws – allegations she denies.

The 20-month-old toddler waved to the bodyguards and driver who had escorted him during the visit. Madonna, wearing her now familiar straw hat, did not look back as she disappeared into the silver jet, with her daughter Lourdes following.

The star and her entourage spent their time visiting orphanages, projects for street children and agricultural development programs as well as opening a new day care center funded by her charity, Raising Malawi.

Madonna, who lives in London, made one visit to the Home of Hope orphanage, where David lived after the death of his mother in childbirth. There was no sign that Madonna had met with Yohane Banda, the peasant farmer who placed his son in the orphanage saying he was too poor to care for him.

NATION

HUNTINGTON, N.Y. – Humans weren’t the only species basking in the Northeast’s warm weekend weather, as police helped capture a small alligator sunbathing by a small pond in this Long Island town.

It was a startling sight on Saturday in a community just 35 miles from Manhattan. The American alligator is native to the South and it is against New York law to own one, said Ray Gross, chief of the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Green with yellowish stripes and roughly 2 feet long, the animal appeared to be about 3 years old, Gross said.

County police helped capture the alligator, which “wasn’t too happy to see us,” said Officer Vinny O’Shaughnessy.

“We were incredulous at first, but then we knew that we had to do something about it,” he said.

The SPCA is looking for whoever may have released the alligator. That person could face animal cruelty charges, Gross said.

He said the animal had probably been raised in captivity and would be unable to fend for itself in the wild.

STATE&LOCAL

NEWPORT NEWS – The new, $2.3 billion nuclear submarine North Carolina was christened Saturday at a Virginia shipyard before a crowd of thousands.

The North Carolina is a joint project of the Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipyard and General Dynamics Electric Boat, of Groton, Conn.

It is the fourth sub of the new Virginia-class nuclear attack vessel that is being built older Los Angeles-class boats.

About 2,500 people attended the christening behind the nine-story submarine facility at the shipyard on the James River. Construction began in 2002 is about 88 percent completed. The boat is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in December.