RIO DE JANEIRO

Bomb damages McDonald's in Brazil

Associated Press

A bomb exploded outside a McDonald's restaurant in downtown Rio early yesterday, shattering windows and knocking out ceiling panels, police said. No one was hurt.

Police said the bomb contained dynamite and apparently was homemade. It was left in a knapsack outside the restaurant in the heart of Rio's financial district and exploded at around 3:30 a.m.

The restaurant was closed at the time, and two workers on the second floor were not injured, police said. There was no apparent reason for the bombing. Political violence practically disappeared with the collapse of Brazil's 21-year military regime in 1985.

"The act doesn't seem related to international organizations, but rather to some backyard agitator," Rio de Janeiro State Security Chief Josias Quinbtal told the government news agency, Agencia Brasil.

SAN FRANCISCO

Judge Carlos Moreno sworn in as only Hispanic member of California Supreme Court

Associated Press

Carlos Moreno was sworn in yesterday as the sole Hispanic member of the California Supreme Court and only the third in its 151-year history. The 52-year-old federal judge was appointed to the state's highest bench by Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and becomes the only Democrat on one of the nation's most influential state courts. Cases pending before the seven-member court include the rights of smokers to sue tobacco companies and whether inmates can profit from their crimes from prison. Like Davis, Moreno backs the death penalty. The Stanford Law School graduate was a Los Angeles deputy city attorney, a lawyer in private practice and a state judge before President Clinton appointed him to the federal bench in Los Angeles in 1998.

As a federal judge, Moreno has been tough on crime and presided over litigation that would define Internet trademark law.

TUCSON

Delta announces new Tucson-Atlanta flights

Associated Press

While airlines are cutting flights around the country, Delta Airlines announced yesterday that it will add nonstop service between Tucson International Airport and its hub in Atlanta. The flights would be the easternmost non-stops available from Tucson. Currently, passengers can only get as far as Cincinnati without stopping. The Atlanta link is a crucial improvement as Tucson continues to add destination cities. A key criticism often given by companies considering relocation to Tucson is limited air service.

"Anything we can do to increase air capacity is a great thing for Tucson, both for citizens and businesses and economic development," said Steve Weathers, president of the Greater Tucson Economic Council. "It's a first step in the right direction." Delta wouldn't say yesterday when flights will begin or how many are planned.

"(Airlines) typically announce these things 30 to 60 days out," said Walter Burg, Tucson Airport Authority chief executive. "They announce it before they put the flights in the reservation system." Tucson has nonstop service to 15 cities: Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Jose, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Denver, Albuquerque, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati and Hermosillo. "Atlanta is a great gateway for the southern states," Fleischman said. "Anything down in that area connects through Atlanta. It helps domestic and international travel (from Tucson) because Atlanta has many international connections so you can bypass New York and Chicago."