World/Nation Briefs October 26, 2011

Gadhafi secretlyburied in unmarked grave

MISRATA, Libya - Flamboyant and grandiose in life, Moammar Gadhafi was buried in secrecy and anonymity, laid to rest in an unmarked grave before dawn in the Libyan desert that was home to his Bedouin tribal ancestors.

The burial ended the gruesome spectacle of Gadhafi's decaying corpse on public display in a cold storage locker at a Misrata warehouse for four days after he was killed in his hometown of Sirte on Oct. 20.

The location of the brutal dictator's grave site was not disclosed by the interim government for fear of vandalism by his foes and veneration by his die-hard supporters.

Gadhafi, 69, was buried Tuesday along with his son, Muatassim, and former Defense Minister Abu Bakr Younis after the military council in the city of Misrata ordered a reluctant Muslim cleric to say the required prayers.

Libya's new leaders hope the funeral will allow the country to turn the page on the four-decade Gadhafi era and the bloody eight-month rebellion against him. Still, the book cannot be closed completely, with unanswered questions remaining about his slaying, and his son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, still at large.

Panel: Boys should get the HPV vaccine, too

ATLANTA - The controversial HPV shot given to girls should also be given to boys, in part to help prevent the spread of the virus through sex, a government medical panel said Tuesday.

The expensive vaccine, which protects females against cervical cancer, hasn't been popular. And doctors admit it will be a tough sell to parents of 11- and 12-year-old males, too.

For males, the vaccine is licensed to prevent genital warts and anal cancer. Experts say another key benefit of routinely vaccinating boys could be preventing the spread of the human papilloma virus to others through sex - making up somewhat for the disappointing vaccination rate in girls.

The vaccine has been available to boys for two years but Tuesday's vote was the first to strongly recommend routine vaccination. Officials acknowledged the disappointing rate in girls encouraged them to take a new, hard look.

Soldier's death shows women's Special Ops role

WASHINGTON - Army 1st Lt. Ashley White died on the front lines in southern Afghanistan last weekend, the first casualty in what the Army says is a new and vital wartime attempt to gain the trust of Afghan women.

White, like other female soldiers working with special operations teams, was brought in to do things that would be awkward or impossible for her male teammates. Frisking burqa-clad women, for example.

Her death, in a bomb explosion in the Taliban heartland of Kandahar, underscores the risks of placing women with elite U.S. special operations teams working in remote villages.

Military leaders and other female soldiers in the program say its rewards are great, even as it fuels debate over the roles of women in combat.

Ohio's 'Joe the Plumber' begins bid for Congress

TOLEDO, Ohio - Joe the Plumber is launching his bid for Congress in Ohio.

Samuel "Joe" Wurzelbacher, who became a household name after questioning Barack Obama about his economic policies during the 2008 presidential campaign, will make his announcement Tuesday night, a county Republican official told The Associated Press.

Wurzelbacher already filed the paperwork to run as a Republican in Ohio's 9th U.S. House district, and he has set up a website to raise money.

The seat is now held by Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving Democratic woman in the House. She's expected to face a primary challenge from Rep. Dennis Kucinich after Ohio's redrawn congressional map combined their two districts into one that appears heavily tilted toward Democrats.

Four children taken from filthy Nebraska trailer

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. - Four children were removed from what authorities described as a filthy Nebraska trailer home where a 3-year-old boy and his 5-year-old brother were kept in a wire dog kennel, police said Tuesday.

North Platte officers went to the home late Monday after receiving a call from someone asking that police check on the welfare of the children living there, police Lt. Rich Hoaglund said. When officers went inside, they were met with the stench of urine and found trash and animal feces throughout the home, Hoaglund said.

An officer soon found two boys, ages 3 and 5, in a 30-by-42-inch wire dog kennel.

The children's mother, 22-year-old Ashly Clark, told officers she put her boys in the kennel at night to keep them from climbing out of the trailer through a window, Hoaglund said.

- The Associated Press