World briefs 2/25/06

South Dakota Legislature passes abortion ban

PIERRE, S.D. -- South Dakota lawmakers approved a ban on nearly all abortions Friday. Republican Gov. Mike Rounds said he was inclined to sign the bill, which would make it a crime for doctors to perform an abortion unless it was necessary to save the woman's life. The measure would make no exception in cases of rape or incest. If a rape victim becomes pregnant and bears a child, the rapist could have the same parental rights as the mother, said Krista Heeren-Graber, executive director of the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault.

Dorm window fall kills one student, injures one

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Two students horsing around in a college dormitory crashed through a third-floor window early Friday and fell onto the concrete below, school officials said. One was killed, and the other was critically injured. The two young men were "just running, horsing around, playing," and went through a window at the end of a hallway, University of North Carolina spokeswoman Lisa Katz said. Keith Shawn Smith, a 20-year-old sophomore from Greensboro, died at a hospital. Tyler Joseph Ely Downey, a 19-year-old freshman from Asheville, was injured.

Coup rumors bring state of emergency in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced she had quashed a coup plot Friday and declared a state of emergency, gambling that the backlash wouldn't leave her government crippled. An army general was arrested and a police commander was relieved of his duties as military chiefs moved to prevent any rebellion. And in Guinsaugon, the scene of last week's deadly landslide, officials declared an end to the search for survivors. Only 139 bodies have been recovered, and nearly a thousand villagers are missing. Emergency crews will now focus their efforts on helping evacuees who lost their homes in the disaster.

Daytime curfew dents sectarian fury in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Appeals from religious leaders and an unusual daytime curfew Friday curbed violence that claimed more than 140 lives across Iraq after the bombing of a Shiite shrine. The daytime curfew kept most vehicles and pedestrians off the streets of Baghdad, preventing many people from reaching mosques for the main Muslim prayer service of the week but also blunting protests and preventing attacks.

Virus found in some men with prostate cancer

SAN FRANCISCO -- Researchers said Friday they have found a virus in the prostates of some cancer patients, a remarkable discovery that may suggest disease could play a role alongside genetics and the environment in causing this cancer. The researchers, with the University of California, San Francisco, and the Cleveland Clinic, presented the findings at an American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in San Francisco. They warn that they have not found any links between the virus and prostate cancer.

Moscow director detained after roof collapse

MOSCOW -- The director of a Moscow market was charged with negligence after a roof collapse killed at least 61 people, reports said. Hope faded Friday of finding anyone alive in the snow-covered rubble. Russian news agencies cited chief prosecutor Anatoly Zuyev as saying the suspect was charged with negligence leading to the deaths. Emergency officials said it was impossible to say how many people were in the market when it collapsed.

-- From wire reports