World 6/2/11

THURSDAY

FBI officials say the “Mullet Bandit” struck another Ohio bank, knocking over a Key Bank in Grove City. The robber, with his trademark 1980s haircut, was dressed as usual, wearing a Seattle Mariners baseball cap and large dark sunglasses.

A Wisconsin judge voided a controversial Republican-backed law restricting the collective bargaining rights of public sector unions in the state, ruling legislators violated the state’s open meetings law in rushing the legislation through amid massive public protests at the state capitol.

IRS revenue agent, Albert Bront, 51, was sentenced to three years in prison for filing 15 fraudulent tax returns.

A Pennsylvania medical center demoted a surgeon and suspended a nurse who were involved in the transplant of a kidney from a donor who had hepatitis C.

FRIDAY

Greek politicians opted not to accept tough austerity measures to free up more economic relief payments from the European Union and the IMF. Long-term economic and fiscal reforms were requirements of international aid.

The Dutch government said it would start banning tourists from buying cannabis from “coffee shops” and impose restrictions on Dutch customers by the end of the year.

Tavern owner Scott Beach was cited by police in the Iowa town of Danville for running a mouse race operation in his Bucktail Lodge. Bar patrons pick a mouse for a dollar, and whoever picks the winning mouse gets the payout.

Planned Parenthood sued South Dakota over a law that imposes a 72-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions.

U.S. rights envoy Robert King won the release of an American citizen detained in North Korea on unspecified charges for the past six months.

WEEKEND

The United States on Saturday equaled the record for deaths from tornadoes in a single year with 519 killed in 2011, and more than a month still to go in the tornado season. Alabama has suffered the most in 2011 with 243 confirmed deaths.

From one-year-old Hayze Howard to 92-year-old Margaret Tuit, a list of 52 victims of last week’s Joplin tornado was released by Missouri officials Saturday. The death toll had reached 142 people with more still missing.

Briton Dan Wheldon won the Indianapolis 500 on its 100th anniversary in stunning fashion Sunday, claiming an unlikely victory after rookie J.R. Hildebrand crashed into the wall within sight of the finish line.

The streets of Washington and the surrounding area echoed with the rumble of thousands of motorcycles Sunday as veterans and their supporters gathered for the main events of the annual Rolling Thunder rally. Possible Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd, joined the rally.

MONDAY

Historic flooding in the Missouri River basin spurred voluntary evacuations in North Dakota, while Montana emergency workers ferried food and water to a town cut off by flood waters.

Sarajevo announced plans to open a museum of its brutal siege by Bosnian Serb forces, saying the approaching trial of their commander Ratko Mladic made it all the more important to display the evidence.

Two Australian robots have begun talking to each other in a language of their own devising. Specially-designed location games led them to construct a shared vocabulary for places, distances and directions.

TUESDAY

General Motors Co announced plans to invest $88 million in equipment and tooling for an unspecified new model to be built at its Lansing Grand River assembly plant in Michigan.

Florida will begin testing welfare recipients for illicit drug use under a new law signed by Governor Rick Scott.

A new study by the World Health Organization said cell phones should be classified as “possibly carcinogenic” until more information is known about their potential to develop brain tumors.

DC Comics will reset the dial by renumbering its lineup of superhero comics when it releases 52 issues tagged No. 1, starting with its famed Justice League series.

“Charlie Chaplin in ‘Zepped,’” a newly-found short film featuring footage of comic legend Charlie Chaplin is expected to fetch over $165,000 at auction next month.

WEDNESDAY

Space Shuttle Endeavour touched down at its Florida home base, capping a 16-day mission to deliver a premier science experiment to the International Space Station on NASA’s next-to-last shuttle flight.

Australian Senator David Bushby touched off a political fight in Canberra after he meowed during an open hearing at Finance Minister Penny Wong.

A military helicopter with the head of the provincial paramilitary force on board crashed in eastern Pakistan, killing at least two people.

North Korea rejected the South’s proposal for a series of three presidential summits over the next year.

Compiled by the Gazette from a variety of sources.