1. PASSENGER PLANE ESCORTED BY FIGHTER JETS IN U.K.
A Manchester-bound commercial flight from Pakistan was diverted by two British fighter jets near London after two passengers reportedly got in a loud argument with the crew. Despite initial reports that the incident might have been terror-related, officials later said that it was only a criminal offense. [The Guardian]
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2. SECOND SUSPECT IN LONDON ATTACK IDENTIFIED
The second suspect in the gruesome murder of an off-duty soldier in London by two knife-wielding assailants has been identified as Michael Adebowale, 22, a British citizen of Nigerian descent. Adebowale attended school with the other suspect, Michael Adebolajo, 28, at the University of Greenwich and had previously been seen by neighbors handing out radical leaflets in the streets. [The Telegraph]
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3. OBAMA ADDRESSES SEXUAL ASSAULTS IN THE MILITARY
In a commencement speech to the U.S. Naval Academy, President Obama addressed reports that sexual assaults in the military had risen by 35 percent from 2010 to 2012 by telling graduates, "Those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that makes our military strong." [CNN]
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4. MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE HITS RUSSIAN COAST
A powerful earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale hit near the coast of Russia's eastern Kamchatka peninsula. While a tsunami warning was called off, the quake was still strong enough for people in Moscow — around 4,000 miles away — to feel it. Russian officials say no injuries have been reported. [Washington Post]
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5. FOUR FEDERAL AGENCIES CLOSE DUE TO SEQUESTRATION
Four federal agencies started their furloughs on Friday as part of the sequestration cutbacks: The IRS, EPA, HUD, and OMB. Around 5 percent of the federal workforce — about 115,000 people — will not get paid for Friday or Monday. [Politico]
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6. TALIBAN MILITANTS ATTACK U.N.-AFFILIATED BUILDING
One Afghan police officer was killed and 10 more were wounded during a five-hour attack on a building housing the International Organisation for Migration, a U.N.-affiliated non-governmental organization, in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Friday. The Taliban took responsibility for the attack, claiming that the building was really a C.I.A. "rest house." [Reuters]
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7. BUS AND TRACTOR COLLIDE AT ATLANTA AIRPORT
A hotel shuttle bus and a tractor-trailer collided at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on Friday morning, leaving at least 16 people injured. At least two people were taken to the hospital in critical condition. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
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8. TORONTO MAYOR OFFICIALLY DENIES DOING CRACK
"I do not use crack cocaine, nor am I an addict of crack cocaine," Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said at a press conference on Friday. Ford had previously been avoiding media after Gawker and the Toronto Star claimed to have seen video of the mayor smoking what appeared to be crack cocaine. [Associated Press]
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9. WORLD'S HIGHEST MINE SHUT DOWN BY CHILE
Construction was halted at the Pascua-Lama mine, which straddles the Andes mountains 4,500 meters above sea level on the border of Chile and Argentina, after Chilean authorities discovered "very serious" environmental violations. Barrick Gold Corp., the world's largest gold miner, was fined $16 million — the most possible under Chilean law. [Associated Press]
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10. SOMEONE PAYS $1.5 MILLION TO FLY TO SPACE WITH LEONARDO DICAPRIO
A seat next to Leonardo DiCaprio on a flight into space went for $1.5 million at an auction benefiting AIDs research. The spacecraft, built by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, is expected to take off from New Mexico by the end of the year. [E Online]
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