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Nation in brief
Compiled from Times wires Shuttle grounded for another weekCAPE CANAVERAL -- NASA on Friday delayed the launch of space shuttle Endeavour until late next week, giving engineers more time to evaluate a pair of potential problems. Space agency officials said Endeavour will lift off no earlier than Friday. Endeavour should have blasted off on its overdue mission to the international space station on Monday, but the countdown was halted with just two hours remaining because of a leak in the astronauts' oxygen supply. While finding and replacing the leaky hose in Endeavour's cargo bay, workers accidentally knocked a platform into the shuttle robot arm. The arm was scraped and ultrasonic tests were ordered to determine whether the damage was more than skin deep. Testing was expected to go into the weekend. Following the postponement, NASA had aimed for a launch as early as Monday. But on Friday, mission managers added at least four more days to the delay. Endeavour will deliver a fresh three-man crew to the space station, as replacements for the one American and two Russians who have been on board since early June. FDA issues drug warningWASHINGTON -- People who develop a rash upon taking a new painkiller called Bextra should immediately stop the drug because it has been linked to some rare but life-threatening skin diseases, federal health officials warned Friday. The Food and Drug Administration has about 20 reports of serious reactions -- including the skin diseases Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis and exfoliative dermatitis, as well as allergic reactions -- among Bextra users since sales began in March. The FDA estimates about 800,000 to 1-million people had recently begun taking Bextra when the reactions were reported. Students subdue gunmanSCURRY, Texas -- A shotgun-wielding man threatened a rural East Texas high school Friday morning until students and a teacher wrestled him to the ground, authorities said. The 18-year-old man, a former student at Scurry-Rosser High School, went into the school office and ordered students into the cafeteria, said principal Richard Sneed. The man allegedly began pouring gasoline on the floor. Students then helped subdue him, authorities said. School to face protestsCOLUMBUS, Ga. -- Thousands of protesters will gather outside Fort Benning's main gate Sunday for the 13th annual protest against a military school they blame for human rights abuses in Latin America. The demonstration, organized by School of the Americas Watch, commemorates the Nov. 16, 1989, killings in El Salvador of six Jesuit priests. Some of the killers had attended the Army's former School of the Americas. Sniper suspect bid deniedFAIRFAX, Va. -- A judge refused to order better treatment for jailed sniper suspect John Lee Malvo on Friday despite defense complaints that the 17-year-old is under constant scrutiny and is being denied basic rights. Among other things, Malvo's lawyers say his mattress is too thin, he has been denied reading material, his cell lights glare 24 hours a day and he is being denied vegetarian meals.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
