World / Nation Briefs October 15, 2011
Hawaii man sues Burger King over needles in burger
HONOLULU - A Hawaii-based soldier says he got something dangerous with his burger, fries and soda when he ordered a Burger King value meal.
Army Staff Sgt. Clark Bartholomew claims he was injured by needles when he bit into a Triple Stacker on Dec. 1 from a Burger King located on Schofield Barracks, a sprawling Army base in central Oahu.
According to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu this week, Bartholomew took the meal home and while eating the hamburger, he bit into the needle that pierced his tongue and made him bleed. He was hospitalized and put on bed rest for six days after another needle was found lodged in his small intestine.
The lawsuit said Bartholomew suffered "severe physical injury, including injuries to his stomach, rectum and tongue" because of Burger King's negligence. He also suffered "anxiety, fear, loss of sleep, extreme distress and lost wages."
Bartholomew's Haleiwa attorney, Paul Saccoccio, said Friday that the soldier joined the Army after retiring from the Pentagon Police Department in 2007. Bartholomew was outside the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.
Court: Alabama can't check student status
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - In a blow to Alabama's toughest-in-the-nation immigration law, a federal appeals court sided with the Obama administration Friday when it blocked public schools from checking the immigration status of students.
The decision from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also said police can't charge immigrants who are unable to prove their citizenship, but it let some of the law stand, giving supporters a partial victory. The decision was only temporary and a final ruling wasn't expected for months, after judges can review more arguments.
Unlike crackdowns in other states, Alabama's law was left largely in effect for about three weeks, long enough to frighten Hispanics and drive them away from the state. Construction businesses said Hispanic workers had quit showing up for jobs and schools reported that Latino students stopped coming to class.
While the long-range implications of the decision remain to be seen, immigrants celebrated the judges' ruling. Word spread quickly through the state's Hispanic community as Spanish-language radio stations aired the news.
UK defense minister quits after scandal
LONDON - Britain's defense minister Liam Fox quit his post Friday after days of allegations about the influence-peddling of a close personal friend who joined key visits overseas and posed as an unofficial aide.
Fox acknowledged he had blurred the lines of his professional and private lives in allowing Adam Werritty, who had previously worked as a defense lobbyist, to organize meetings and join him during 18 trips overseas.
A government inquiry into the case will continue to investigate whether Werritty used his access and friendship with Fox for personal gain, or on behalf of others seeking to win favor or contracts with Britain.
Prime Minister David Cameron named Philip Hammond, who had been Transport Secretary, as Fox's replacement.
U.S. missile kills four in Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Drone-fired U.S. missiles killed four people in a northwestern Pakistani region controlled by the Haqqani militant network on Friday, a day after a similar attack there killed a top commander of the group, Pakistani officials said.
The identities of the dead in the North Waziristan region were not known, the officials said.
The four were riding in a car close to Miran Shah town, the main base of the Haqqani network, when two missiles struck, said the officials, who did not give their names because they were not allowed to brief reporters.
- The Associated Press