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Officials have said that the Alaska Highway has partly reopened following a wildfire that quickly flared and caused evacuations and the closure of 26 miles of highway.

The Anchorage Daily News reported on Thursday that Alaska State Troopers are escorting drivers whenever possible through the highway near Tok.

Drivers should expect a 1-hour delay, the state Department of Transportation has said.

Authorities have said that fighting between Jamaican forces and supporters of a reputed drug lord continued in Kingston Thursday with the death toll reaching 73.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that on the fifth day of urban violence, sections of the capital remained under a state of emergency as the manhunt continued for alleged drug kingpin Christopher "Dudus" Coke, considered a hero by some but wanted for extradition to the United States on drug-trafficking and gun-running charges.

Court records have indicated that Hmong Americans accused of plotting to overthrow the Laotian government seek dismissal of the case in California.

The Sacramento Bee reported on Thursday that the 11 defendants allege in a Sacramento federal court lawsuit that an undercover firearms agent acted unconstitutionally in playing mind games with them.

IT has been reported that the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 16-12 on Thursday to allow the repeal of the longstanding ban on gays serving openly in the U. S. military.

The New York Times has reported that the vote on the measure, part of the annual defense authorization bill, came in closed session after about an hour of what Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, called "vigorous" debate.

The newspaper also said that Collins said she was the only Republican to vote in favor of repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

It has been reported that John William Finn, a retired Navy lieutenant who was the United States' oldest living Medal of Honor recipient, has died in California. He was 100.

He and first lady Michelle Obama offered their thoughts and prayers to Finn's family, President Barack Obama said in a statement issued by the White House.

Finn received the nation's highest honor for heroism for his actions during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that drew the United States into World War II.

According to the official reports, a 40-year-old man studying for a Ph. D. in criminal justice at a university in England was charged Thursday in the slayings of three prostitutes.

The Daily Mail has reported that Stephen Griffiths is to appear in court Friday to face charges in the deaths of the three women, all of whom have vanished within the past year in Bradford, about 200 miles north of London.