Nation briefs 7/10/06

Calif. court to hear gay marriage arguments

SAN FRANCISCO -- A state appeals court in San Francisco on Monday will consider whether a trial judge erred in declaring the state's existing marriage laws unconstitutional. The First District Court of Appeal is scheduled to hear six hours of arguments in as many related cases -- four of them filed by the city and lawyers for 20 couples seeking the right to wed, and two brought by groups that want to maintain the status quo barring same-sex unions. Although any ruling is expected to be appealed to the state Supreme Court, advocates on both sides say the stakes remain high at the intermediate court. New York's highest court upheld that state's one man-one woman marriage laws Thursday, shifting the gay rights movement's focus to other jurisdictions that might join Massachusetts in legalizing gay marriage. High courts in New Jersey and Washington state are already deliberating cases brought by same-sex couples. But it is California, home to more same-sex couples than any other state, where a ruling could have the most impact.

Pope praises family values during Spain visit

VALENCIA, Spain -- In a visit billed as a mini-showdown with Spain's Socialist government, Pope Benedict XVI drove home the importance of the traditional family before hundreds of thousands of pilgrims Sunday, insisting that marriage must be between a man and woman. During a 26-hour trip, the pope met with Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose government has legalized gay marriage and introduced other liberal reforms that have irked the Vatican. Government officials described the talks as cordial and said no criticism was exchanged. There was no comment from the Vatican. At an open-air Mass before leaving for Rome, Benedict reiterated that the family was "founded on indissoluble marriage between a man and a woman." Spanish organizers estimated some 1.5 million people attended the Mass, while witnesses estimated the crowd at less than half that.

National Zoo observes panda's first birthday

WASHINGTON -- One year ago, he was nearly hairless, pink and weighed about four ounces, less than most bagels. On Sunday, his first birthday, giant panda Tai Shan is an active, 56-pound cub and the star attraction of the National Zoo. "He's like a rambunctious little toddler that loves to get into everything," said Dr. Suzan Murray, the zoo's chief veterinarian. Murray has monitored every developmental benchmark for the black-and-white panda since his birth July 9, 2005. Those included the opening of his eyes, the development of his distinctive markings, his heartbeat, his mobility, and even the frequency of his squeals, grunts and barks. The cub still nurses, but he has advanced from milk provided by his mother, Mei Xiang, to eating bamboo. The woody perennial grass is the staple of adult pandas' diets, accounting for more than 90 percent of their nutrition. For his birthday, staffers prepared a giant fruitsicle for the cub, a frozen melange of apples, yams, carrots and fruit juices. That is a favorite of Mei Xiang's, but this was the first prepared for the growing cub.

Video could give clues after car plows into crowd

NEW LONDON, Conn. -- A video surveillance tape might help police determine what caused a man's car to plow into a crowd and injure 27 people at a festival. The victims, whose injuries ranged from scrapes to severely broken bones, were treated at a hospital after the crash Saturday and released later that day and early Sunday. The driver, 89-year-old Robert Laine, was uninjured, and no charges have been filed. Reached at his home by telephone Sunday, Laine said, "I have no comment. I'm upset. I'm very upset." Police believe the accident, which happened near a train station, was caught on tape by an Amtrak surveillance camera. Police impounded Laine's Chevrolet station wagon and plan to have a mechanic examine it, Capt. Kenneth Edwards said Sunday. A witness said a shaken Laine told her after the crash that his gas pedal had stuck. Police also are interviewing Laine, the victims and dozens of witnesses who were attending the city's annual Sailfest.

-- From wire reports