Around the World: March 19, 2015

 

LONGMONT, Colo. (AP) — Authorities in Colorado say a 34-year-old woman accused of stabbing a pregnant woman in the stomach and removing her baby had advertised on Craigslist that she had baby clothes to sell.

 

Longmont police tell the Daily Times-Call newspaper that the 26-year-old victim, who had been seven months pregnant, was found at the woman's home Wednesday afternoon and she had been stabbed and beaten but she's expected to survive.

 

The suspect was arrested at a hospital. The child didn't survive.

 

 

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Police in Mesa, Arizona, say they don't know why a 41-year-old ex-convict allegedly went on a rampage Wednesday, shooting six people, killing one of them.

 

The shootings happened at a motel, a restaurant and an apartment complex, where Ryan Giroux eventually was taken into custody.

 

Police also accuse him of carjacking a vehicle. State corrections officials say Giroux has served three stints in state prison.

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — A California lawmaker says today he'll introduce legislation on Capitol Hill that would better coordinate the government's efforts to free U.S. hostages held abroad.

 

The bill by Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter comes as Islamic extremists are targeting Americans across the globe.

 

The legislation is winning early support from Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

 

 

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A Spanish tourist says he hid behind a pillar as gunmen attacked a museum in Tunis, Tunisia Wednesday, killing at least 19 people and wounding 44.

 

The militants dressed in military-style uniforms and carrying assault rifles burst from a vehicle and began gunning down tourists climbing out of buses at the National Bardo Museum.

 

The attackers then charged inside to take hostages before two were killed in a firefight with security forces. Authorities are searching for up to three accomplices.

 

 

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish police say a shooting inside a restaurant in Goteborg (GOH'-teh-borg), Sweden's second largest city, killed at least two people and left up to 15 wounded — three or four of them seriously.

 

Police say the eatery was full when men with automatic weapons opened fire late Wednesday, and some of those wounded may have been ordinary guests.

 

Police say there were known gang members inside the restaurant and that the violence could have been related to gang feuds.

 

No arrests have been made and police were still searching for a possible getaway car.

 

 

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — Police in Medford, Oregon, say an 85-year-old female resident of an adult foster care home was smashed in the face with a brick and choked before a passer-by intervened to help her. Police arrested a 65-year-old man who also lives at the home.

 

Lt. Mike Budreau says the woman was taken to a hospital with significant facial injuries. He calls it "a very bizarre" and unprovoked attack.

 

Budreau says the woman lives at the home as a companion for a family member. She was outside gardening when she was attacked Wednesday. A 25-year-old woman who was driving by stopped and intervened. That woman called 911 and helped the victim until aid arrived.

 

Police say James Charles Lowman was booked into jail for investigation of attempted murder, second-degree assault and strangulation, with bail set at $2 million. Budreau says the victim and the arrested man did not know each other well.

 

 

AMHERST, N.H. (AP) — Real estate mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump is heading to New Hampshire as he again considers a presidential run.

 

Trump will attend a reception Thursday at the Amherst home of Republican state Rep. Steve Stepanek.

 

The visit comes one day after Trump announced plans to form a presidential exploratory committee, allowing him to raise money and hire staff as he weighs a White House bid. Trump says he's already hired political aides in the key early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

 

Trump has frequently flirted with a presidential run, but appears more serious this time. He recently said he would not renew his contract for his reality show, "The Apprentice."

 

 

TOKYO (AP) —First lady Michelle Obama and her Japanese counterpart Akie Abe (ah-keh ah-bay) have announced plans to deepen cooperation in helping girls in developing nations finish their education.

 

The agreement was announced Thursday in Japan.

 

The first lady wrote in her online travel journal that her trip is "part of a journey that began decades ago, back when I was a little girl."

 

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A new study says a Los Angeles law that restricted the opening of new stand-alone fast-food restaurants in one of the poorest sections of the city did not curb obesity or improve diets.

 

The zoning ordinance passed in 2008 limited the opening or expansion of fast-food outlets in South Los Angeles, which struggles with high obesity rates and other health problems.

 

The law did not ban new eateries in strip malls.

 

The research by the Rand Corp. think tank found that obesity rates in South Los Angeles continued to rise after passage of the law.

 

Health experts say a single intervention will not reverse the obesity problem. People also have to exercise and make lifestyle changes.

 

 

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A St. Louis family on Thursday will bury a 6-year-old boy who was killed last week in an attack his parents say stemmed from a traffic dispute.

 

The family says Marcus Johnson Jr. had been recovering from heart surgery a week earlier when the occupants of a car opened fire on the family's minivan as they left a park in north St. Louis.

 

The boy's father says he returned fire as the shootout continued for several blocks.

Marcus' 15-year-old brother and an adult family friend were wounded.

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Prince Charles and his wife will finish up their visit to Washington, D.C. with a whirlwind day that will including meeting with President Barack Obama.

 

The royal couple will begin today by visiting an armed forces retirement home. Prince Charles will then visit a charter school for adult immigrants, while his wife Camilla tours a forensic sciences center.

 

The couple then will meet with Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the White House before a number of other events.

 

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Washington on Tuesday and have visited cultural and educational sites including the Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. memorials, Mount Vernon, the National Archives and the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

 

It's Prince Charles' 20th visit to the U.S.