Portion of U.S.-Canada border shut after threat

HIGHGATE, Vt. -- A bomb threat made to a business near the U.S.-Canada border and a suspicious vehicle prompted federal officials to close two major border crossings Wednesday.

Vehicles heading toward the ports of entry at Champlain, N.Y., and Highgate, Vt., were stopped by police Wednesday afternoon and directed to smaller border crossings, said Craig Jehle, port director in Highgate.

"The caller said: 'There's a bomb that's going to go boom,"' said John Holzscheiter, Deringer marketing vice president and co-owner.

The company's offices in Champlain, Highgate Springs and St. Albans were evacuated.

Officials were investigating the threat Wednesday afternoon and could provide few details.

The only thing they said about the suspicious vehicle is that it was near Highgate.

Israeli Cabinet stops Arab return to former villages

JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Cabinet decided Wednesday not to allow families from two Arab villages evacuated during the 1948 Mideast war to return despite residents' claims they were promised at the time they could go back.

The Supreme Court is slated to rule in the coming weeks on the case, which has been pending for years. First the court will hear arguments from attorneys for the state based on the Cabinet decision.

Last year, the court asked the previous government of Ehud Barak to make a decision on the issue, but Barak was voted out of office in February before deciding.

Airliner diverted after onboard disturbance

SHREVEPORT, La. -- A Delta airliner bound for California was diverted to Shreveport with an escort of two military planes Wednesday after a passenger gave a threatening note to a flight attendant, the FBI said.

Flight 357, with 148 people aboard from Atlanta to Los Angeles, landed safely after the incident.

Edward A. Stephenson, 36, of Venice, Calif., was arrested and charged with interfering with a flight crew member and attendants, FBI spokeswoman Sheila Thorne said.

The passenger's note was in response to an announcement by the pilot that they would be taking a different flight path because of bad weather, U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan said.

Alaska commuter plane crashes; nine killed

DILLINGHAM, Alaska -- A commuter plane with 10 people aboard crashed in the tundra shortly after takeoff Wednesday, killing nine people and critically injuring one, state police said.

The plane, a single-engine Cessna 208 Caravan operated by PenAir, Alaska's biggest commuter airline, went down in calm, clear weather about two miles from the end of the runway, authorities said.

It was on its way to King Salmon, a community about 75 miles away, with nine passengers and a pilot.

Britons mark 'Jedi Knight' when asked their religion

LONDON -- Centuries after King Arthur, a new type of knight is wandering Britain -- and Luke Skywalker would be proud.

When asked their religious affiliation on the 2001 census forms, many Britons are writing in "Jedi Knight," government officials said Wednesday.

So many, in fact, that the government has been forced to give "Jedi Knight" its own category when compiling census results.

--From wire reports