nation and world briefs

Freed woman detained at airport

A Christian woman sentenced to death in Sudan and later freed has been detained at an airport while trying to leave the country Tuesday, her lawyer said. Lawyer Eman Abdul-Rahim said the 27-year-old Meriam Ibrahim was held along with two children and her husband at the international airport in Khartoum, the country’s capital. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the Sudanese government had said Ibrahim and her family were “temporarily detained” over issues relating their travel documents.

ILLINOIS

Chicago to host Lucas museum

“Star Wars” creator George Lucas has selected Chicago to house his much-anticipated museum of art and movie memorabilia, a spokesman for the mayor’s office said Tuesday. The decision is a major victory for the nation’s third-largest city, which was locked in a battle for the museum with San Francisco. The selection was somewhat of a surprise, given Lucas’ close ties to San Francisco and California: He is a native of the state, Lucasfilm’s visual effects division is based in the city and the headquarters for LucasFilm and Skywalker Sound is across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County.

IOWA

Scientist faces charges over false data

Responding to a major case of research misconduct, federal prosecutors have taken the rare step of filing charges against a scientist after he admitted falsifying data that led to millions in grants and hopes of a breakthrough in AIDS vaccine research. Investigators say former Iowa State University laboratory manager Dong-Pyou Han has confessed to spiking samples of rabbit blood with human antibodies to make an experimental HIV vaccine appear to have great promise. Another laboratory uncovered irregularities that suggested the results were bogus.

WASHINGTON

Kings honored for role in rights bill

Congressional leaders commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act on Tuesday by posthumously bestowing the Congressional Gold Medal upon Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, for their efforts in passing the landmark legislation. The Kings’ children, Martin Luther King III, Dexter Scott King and Bernice A. King, accepted the honor in the Capitol Rotunda as several hundred looked on. The civil rights leader was assassinated in 1968. His wife died in 2006. The Civil Rights Act helped end legal discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion and national origin.

NEW MEXICO

Ban on negative speech rejected

A federal judge came down hard on a New Mexico village after officials tried to ban residents from saying anything negative at council meetings. U.S. District Judge James O. Browning issued an injunction finding that the village of Ruidoso’s rule or policy barring speakers from being critical is “an unconstitutional burden on free speech.” Under the village rules, a speaker could praise personnel, staff or the village council, or could make a neutral comment, but couldn’t voice criticism. Lawyer William Griffin had sued after the council refused his request to speak at a meeting.

NEW MEXICO

High-flying balloon, capsule pass test

An Arizona company says it has successfully completed the first small-scale test flight of a high-altitude balloon and capsule being developed to let tourists float 20 miles above the earth. World View Enterprises of Tucson said Tuesday that it launched the flight last week from Roswell. CEO Jane Poynter said the system broke the world record for highest parafoil flight, lifting a payload to 120,000 feet. “It went really, really, really well,” Poynter said. “Actually, the guys hit the ball out of the park. We’re thrilled.”

PAKISTAN

Gunman fires at plane, kills passenger

Authorities were looking for a gunman who opened fire at a plane Tuesday just as it was landing in the volatile northwest, killing one passenger and wounding two others, officials said, casting fresh doubts about security at the country’s airports. The violence in Peshawar comes just two weeks after gunmen laid siege to the country’s busiest airport in Karachi in an attack that shocked Pakistanis and the international community and helped trigger a long-awaited military offensive against militants in the northwest.

EGYPT

Christian convicted of blasphemy

A court convicted an Egyptian Christian to six years imprisonment for blasphemy and contempt of religion on Tuesday. The Luxor court issued its verdict against Kerolos Ghattas, 30, after his arrest earlier this month for posting pictures deemed insulting to Islam on his Facebook page. Ghattas’ arrest sparked fears of sectarian conflict in his village, where unidentified assailants have attacked shops owned by Christians.

WISCONSIN

Girl stabbed by classmates recovering

A 12-year-old girl who authorities say was stabbed 19 times by two classmates trying to please a fictional character is making steady physical and emotional progress, and she recently enjoyed a movie date with her father, her family said Tuesday. The southeastern Wisconsin girl, who was stabbed in the legs, arms and torso, can walk but her movement is limited by breathing problems, said family spokesman Steve Lyons. Court documents say two 12-year-old classmates stabbed the girl in a plan to curry favor with Slender Man, a character in horror stories they had read online.

OREGON

Thief steals 1930 Model A, crashes it

Central Oregon authorities say a 79-year-old man took a 1930 Ford Model A coupe to church on Sunday to show it off. But when he left it so he could get a bite of lunch, sheriff’s deputies say, it was stolen and crashed into the Crooked River south of Prineville. No estimate of the damage was immediately available. Capt. Michael Boyd says 34-year-old Erik Blake Halpin, described as a transient, was accused of drunken driving and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

NEW YORK

Dylan lyrics bring $2 million at auction

A draft of one of the most popular songs of all time, Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” sold Tuesday for $2 million, which the auction house called a world record for a popular music manuscript. A working draft of the finished song in Dylan’s own hand went to an unidentified bidder at Sotheby’s. The selling price, $2.045 million, included a buyer’s premium. The draft is written in pencil on four sheets of hotel letterhead stationery with revisions, additions, notes and doodles: a hat, a bird, an animal with antlers. The stationery comes from the Roger Smith Hotel in Washington, D.C.