Combined briefs

PBP AND ALL BUSINESS SECTIONS: Note supplement recall. Check your lineups.***

TEXAS

Recruiter sentenced in sex case

An Air Force recruiter was sentenced Friday to 27 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault and other offenses. A panel of officers sentenced Tech Sgt. Jaime Rodriguez at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Rodriguez faced up to life in prison. Rodriguez previously pleaded guilty to 16 counts, from engaging in or attempting to engage in unprofessional relationships to obstructing justice. He was also convicted of aggravated sexual assault, abusive sexual contact and non-forcible sodomy.

GEORGIA

Ranger dies in parachute drill

An Army Ranger was found dead on the ground with parachute cords wrapped around his neck after a routine training jump in southeast Georgia and commanders hope an investigation will reveal what went wrong, a military spokesman said Friday. The fatal jump occurred Thursday afternoon as Rangers stationed at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah conducted parachute drills at a training range on nearby Fort Stewart, where the elite soldiers practice jumping from planes several times a year. Soldiers cut away the cords but were unable to revive him.

NORWAY

Gender-neutral conscription urged

Mandatory military service in Norway could be extended to all citizens, regardless of gender, according to a resolution backed by a broad majority in the country’s parliament Friday. The resolution urged the government to push ahead with legislation on gender-neutral conscription. The bill is expected to sail through the legislature. The first female conscripts under the new system would be enrolled in 2015.

TEXAS

Cuts hurt Border Patrol, agents say

Budget cuts have hampered the U.S. Border Patrol’s work in its busiest sector on the Southwest border, agents said Friday, with the agency introducing fuel conservation measures in the Rio Grande Valley that have agents patrolling on foot and doubling up in vehicles. The Border Patrol instituted the changes after the across-the-board government spending cuts known as sequestration. The constraints come as Congress moves deeper into the debate over comprehensive immigration reform and Republican legislators push for stronger border security components as a precursor to any path to citizenship for immigrants who have entered the country illegally.

MEXICO

Ex-governor detained in corruption case

Authorities detained a former Mexican governor under investigation for allegedly embezzling millions of dollars from state coffers. Federal prosecutors who were questioning former Tabasco Gov. Andres Granier said they detained him Friday based on a request from Tabasco state prosecutors. The Attorney General’s Office said federal prosecutors have opened an investigation but have not charged him. The state’s current governor has accused Granier of plunging the state into debt by squandering and embezzling millions of dollars.

FLORIDA

Weight loss supplements recalled

A South Florida company is voluntarily recalling weight loss supplements called “JaDera” and “Xiyouji Qingzhi.” Florida Dolphin Intertrade Corp. announced Friday that these products have been found to contain undeclared Sibutramine, which was a previously approved controlled substance for the treatment of obesity. It was removed from the U.S. market in October 2010 for safety reasons. The supplements were distributed from May 2011 to May 2013. Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact 305-383-7600.

UNITED KINGDOM

Prince Philip improving, Charles says

Prince Charles visited his father Prince Philip in the hospital and reported that he is doing much better following his abdominal surgery. Philip, who earlier this week spent his 92nd birthday in the hospital, received a flurry of family visits Friday. Charles and his wife, Camilla, arrived at the London Clinic shortly before his sons William and Harry joined them. Queen Elizabeth II’s husband is recovering well after the exploratory surgery last Friday, officials said. He will continue to be hospitalized for several days before going into convalescence for about two months.

BRAZIL

Thousands protest transit fare hikes

Protesters on Friday promised more organized action across Brazil in the days to come, following clashes in which police in Sao Paulo set upon thousands of young demonstrators angered by hikes in bus and subway fares. Newspapers carried photos of bloodied protesters and journalists with battered, swollen faces, a young couple being beaten by police and videos of tear gas canisters and rubber bullets being fired into crowds chanting “no violence!” Protesters set fire to garbage bags piled in streets, broke windows and spray-painted graffiti on buildings and buses.