Washington, D.C.
Nader rides again: Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, 74, announced this week that he would make a fourth run for the presidency. Nader, whose third-party run in 2000 siphoned off enough Democratic votes in Florida to tip the election to George Bush, said he’s running to expose the lack of difference between the major-party candidates. “The two parties have spoiled our country,” Nader said on NBC’s Meet the Press, on which he announced his candidacy. “They’re the real spoilers.” Nader played down the possibility that he could sway the election one way or another. “If Democrats can’t landslide the Republicans this year,” he said, “they ought to wrap up, close down, emerge in a different form.” In 2000, Nader won 2.7 percent of the vote; in 2004, he won 0.4 percent.
Yorba Linda, Calif.
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Family slaying: A 41-year-old man last week murdered his wife and three of his four children before killing himself, police said. The oldest child was wounded but survived the attack. Authorities say they are not sure what led Orlando Cho to open fire on his family. The shooting spree claimed the lives of his wife, Maricel, a 39-year-old nurse; Nicole, 9; Kathleen, 8; and Christopher, 4. Police say the surviving child—14-year-old Ian, who is recovering from wounds to his torso and hand—may hold the key to the mystery. “We’re hoping he can fill in some of the blanks,” said police Lt. Jack Conklin. “There are a lot of them.” The family’s home is located across the street from the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace Museum in Yorba Linda.
Miami
Big blackout: A massive blackout knocked out power from Miami to Orlando this week, leaving more than 1 million people without electricity and forcing the shutdown of two reactors at the Turkey Point nuclear plant south of Miami. The outage was traced back to a fire in a substation west of Miami, which was followed by the failure of a switch designed to keep blackouts from spreading throughout the grid. The blackout sparked rumors of sabotage, but officials quickly laid those to rest. “There is absolutely no evidence that there was any foul play involved,” said Miami Mayor Carlos Alvarez.
Tailandia, Brazil
Rain-forest clash: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sent 160 soldiers to the jungle this week to fight illegal deforestation. The deployment follows clashes last week between Brazilian environmental inspectors and sawmill workers in Tailandia, on the edge of the Amazon rain forest. The dispute highlights the conflict between economic development and environmental protection. Deforestation contributes to global warming, but logging companies in the Tailandia region are a mainstay of the local economy, employing some 3,000 workers. Brazilian officials say that despite local opposition, they will continue their crackdown, focusing on major routes plied by loggers in the rain forest.
Fort Lauderdale
Shark kills tourist: An Austrian tourist on a scuba-diving vacation died this week after being mauled by a shark that had been intentionally lured toward him. Vienna lawyer Markus Groh, 49, had traveled with other Austrian divers to Florida, where they joined a tour conducted by Scuba Adventures, a Florida company promising “unique shark trips.” The company’s website advises potential customers that to ensure “face to face” encounters with sharks, “we will be ‘chumming’ the water with fish and fish parts.” Groh, who was bitten on the leg, died after being airlifted to a Fort Lauderdale hospital. Scuba Adventures declined comment.
Buenos Aires
Ex-president charged: Former Argentine President Fernando de la Rúa faces trial on bribery charges this week after a federal court charged him with attempting to buy support from senators. De la Rúa’s government collapsed in 2001 amid an economic crisis, with widespread unemployment, rioting, and defaults on foreign debts. The court charged de la Rúa with distributing millions of dollars in bribes to secure the political support of senators and to win backing for legislation outlawing general strikes. De la Rúa, who has maintained his innocence, is also under investigation in connection with the deaths of five people killed in the rioting that brought down his government. He faces up to six years in prison on the bribery counts.
