Two arrested in alleged plot to bomb subway

NEW YORK -- A U.S. citizen and a Pakistani national were arrested in an alleged plot to bomb a subway station in midtown Manhattan and possibly other locations around the city, police said Saturday. Police commissioner Ray Kelly said the men were not thought to be connected to al-Qaida or any other international terrorist organization, although he said they expressed hatred for America. The arrests came two days before the start of the Republican National Convention, which is drawing tens of thousands of visitors to the city. The men had been under police surveillance and had discussed placing explosives at the Herald Square subway station and stations at 42nd and 59th streets, Kelly said. The men never obtained explosives, he said.

Cause of fatal fire probed at Mississippi University

OXFORD, Miss. -- Students at the University of Mississippi questioned the school's fire safety procedures as investigators returned to a charred fraternity house Saturday to find the cause of a fire that killed three people. Twenty students and a house mother escaped the fire at the two-story, brick-and-wood frame Alpha Tau Omega house on Friday. The house was cordoned off so investigators could continue their work Saturday, and a university spokesman said work was likely to continue throughout the weekend. The spokesman, Mitchell Diggs, said a memorial service was planned, but no date had been set.

Navy's newest destroyer receives commission

PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- The Navy's newest destroyer, named for the late Vice Adm. Charles "Swede" Momsen, was commissioned Saturday with an inaugural crew that includes the submarine and diving pioneer's great grandson. Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew Hailey enlisted three years ago after learning a ship was going to be named for his great-grandfather, who led the daring rescue of 33 men trapped aboard the sunken submarine USS Squalus 65 years ago. The Navy offered Hailey no promises, but he was assigned to the crew in October 2002 while the ship was under construction. The ship is due in its home port in Everett, Wash., in October.

-- From wire reports