World briefs 4/19

Amtrak train derails; at least six people killed

CRESCENT CITY, Fla. -- An Amtrak train barely an hour into a nonstop journey to Washington derailed Thursday in northern Florida, killing six people and injuring dozens, state police said.

Firefighters climbed ladders to reach windows on overturned railcars and help people escape. A makeshift triage center was set up at the site.

"We just started hurtling and left the track and the next thing we knew, we were bouncing off the walls," said Bernie Morgan, traveling from Naples to Doylestown, Pa.

The Auto Train carrying more than 450 people left Sanford after 4 p.m. It derailed in a rural area 44 miles from the station, and 14 passenger cars overturned.

Anthrax hoax suspect guilty on other counts

CINCINNATI -- A man suspected of allegedly mailing fake anthrax letters to abortion clinics nationwide was convicted Thursday on separate firearms and car theft charges.

A U.S. District Court jury deliberated 40 minutes before finding Clayton Lee Waagner of Kennerdell, Pa., guilty of all six charges. He faces 15 years to life in prison and fines of up to $250,000 on each count. Waagner, who is not an attorney, defended himself in the case. He said he will appeal, though he admitted in his closing argument that he stole a handgun and wasn't surprised by the verdict.

Al-Qaida group pays homage to hijackers

CAIRO, Egypt -- The Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera aired additional excerpts Thursday from a videotape in which Osama bin Laden praises the Sept. 11 hijackers.

Excerpts from the undated videotape were first broadcast Monday. On Wednesday, clips from a similar tape were aired on another Arab satellite station across the Middle East.

Neither tape appears to offer any leads to bin Laden's whereabouts or condition and there is no way to tell how recently the clips of him were filmed. A senior defense official said the United States thinks bin Laden is alive. He did not elaborate.

Bush hands out young environmentalist honors

WASHINGTON -- A Texas boy who championed a public smoking ban and documentary filmmakers who exposed oil seepage were among student environmentalists President Bush honored at the White House on Thursday.

Bush presented the President's Environmental Youth Awards in the Rose Garden, where he saluted 30 winners for their civic spirit.

Environmentalism can be simple, Bush said. "What may appear to be a small act is really important: cleaning up a park, or recycling, or encouraging people and showing people how to conserve energy."

Bush judge nominee sent to full Senate vote

WASHINGTON -- The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a former New Hampshire attorney general for a federal appeals court position on Thursday.

The committee sent the nomination of Jeffrey Howard, candidate for the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, to the full Senate by a 19-0 vote.

The Senate has approved 43 of President Bush's 98 nominations for federal trial and appellate courts. The Democratic-controlled Judiciary Committee rejected one nominee, U.S. District Judge Charles Pickering of Mississippi, for an appeals court seat.

-- From wire reports