THU

High:40 Low:22

40°

22°

FRI

High:40 Low:29

40°

29°

SAT

High:31 Low:16

31°

16°

Subscribe to the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader
Wilkes-Barre, Scranton and NEPA Garage SalesWilkes-Barre, Scranton and NEPA JobsWilkes-Barre, Scranton and NEPA Cars for SaleWilkes-Barre, Scranton and NEPA Homes
Times Leader FacebookTimes Leader TwitterTimes Leader YoutubeTimes Leader RSS Feeds
View Story As PDFView story as PDF
January 28, 2010

International News brief

Unsafe food handling, including signs of rodent infestation, remains a problem at the Statehouse cafeteria, inspectors said Wednesday, a month after similar issues forced its temporary closure.

click image to enlarge

After building’s collapse, a royal visit Belgium’s King Albert II, right, visits the scene where a five-story apartment building collapsed in Liege, Belgium, on Wednesday. An apartment building collapsed following an explosion early Wednesday that injured at least 20 people, two of them critically, officials said.

AP photo

click image to enlarge

Edwards

A Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture inspection report generated by an unannounced walkthrough on Monday also found problems with hand-washing procedures and inadequate temperature control for foods.

Inspectors said there were rodent droppings in a cabinet, near an electrical box, on storage shelves and in a mixing bowl.

RALEIGH, N.C.

Edwards couple separates

Elizabeth Edwards has separated from her husband, two-time presidential candidate John Edwards, after a tumultuous three years in which the couple’s marital troubles became tabloid fodder.

Andrea Purse, a friend of Elizabeth Edwards, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the couple has separated. She released a statement on behalf of the 60-year-old mother of four that said, “Elizabeth is moving on with her life … ”

The announcement comes as details emerge from a book by longtime Edwards aide Andrew Young, who initially claimed that he fathered a child with John Edwards’ mistress in the weeks leading up to the crucial presidential primaries. John Edwards publicly declared last week that he was the father of the child with Rielle Hunter.

PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA.

PETA: Retire all Phils

Punxsutawney Phil might be the most pampered groundhog in the world, but that’s not good enough for the folks at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

They recently sent a letter to Phil’s handlers, urging them to use a robotic rodent rather than the real Phil on Tuesday.

“Make the compassionate decision to use an animatronic Phil and retire the live groundhogs who are used for Groundhog Day activities to a sanctuary,” wrote Gemma Vaughan, an Animals in Entertainment Specialist for PETA.

Such a proposal to replace the iconic Phil is blasphemous, said Bill Deeley, the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. “Phil is probably treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania.”

TEHRAN, Iran

Leader predicts Israel’s fall

Iran’s supreme leader predicted the destruction of Israel in comments posted on his Web site on Wednesday, in some of his strongest remarks in years about the Jewish state.

In the past, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called Israel a “cancerous tumor” that must be wiped from the map, but the new comments mark the first time in years he has openly speculated about Israel’s demise.

Khamenei, who made the comments during a meeting with the Mauritanian president on Tuesday, also accused Israel of trying to destroy the Palestinians “through continued pressure, blockades and genocide.”








Times Leader Commenting Guidelines
Thursday January 28, 2010, 12:00:00 EST


The Times Leader Directory



Find Local Restaurants, Shopping & Businesses


Place Quick Ads