World/Nation Briefs July 26, 2012

Romney causes stir across Britain

LONDON - Mitt Romney wanted to highlight U.S.-British bonds - and show off his diplomatic skills to boot - but he managed to rankle the Olympic hosts instead, from Prime Minister David Cameron on down.

The Republican presidential candidate, taking a turn on the world stage, called London's problems with Olympic Games preparation "disconcerting." That prompted Cameron to retort on Thursday that doubters would "see beyond doubt that Britain can deliver." And London Mayor Boris Johnson told tens of thousands gathered in Hyde Park: "There's a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know if we are ready. Are we ready? Yes we are!"

Amid the uproar, Romney tried to back off his critique, finally concluding, "I expect the games to be highly successful."

Romney also caused a stir with his attendance at a fundraiser with banking executives tainted by a British interest rate-fixing scandal. And he inadvertently disclosed that he held a secret meeting with the head of Britain's intelligence service.

The bobbles threatened to undermine Romney's first international tour as the man who would replace Democratic President Barack Obama.

Poll: Qualms about Mormonism widespread

WASHINGTON - Most of America doesn't relate to Mitt Romney's religion but that may not matter in his race against President Barack Obama.

Those are the findings of a new Pew Research Center poll released Thursday, about a month before Republican Romney is set to become the first Mormon presidential nominee of a major political party.

Misgivings about the Mormon faith are widespread and persistent. Nearly two-thirds of non-Mormons said they see Romney's faith as very different from their own while just half consider it a Christian faith. Those numbers are little changed since Romney's first run for the presidency pushed Mormonism to the political forefront in 2007.

Despite those qualms, most voters who know that Romney is a devout Mormon say they are comfortable with his religious beliefs, and few voters reject his candidacy solely because of concerns about his faith.

Romney rarely discusses the details of his faith in public, preferring to focus on how it has helped him connect with people. In an interview Wednesday with NBC News, Romney again credited his religion with shaping his perspective and said he would talk about his experiences in the church. He did not address his spiritual beliefs.

Ambulance near massacre idled for 20 minutes

DENVER - As police officers pleaded for all available medics to converge on the scene of the Colorado movie theater massacre last week, a two-man ambulance crew and their rig were idling just a few miles away.

While some ambulances were quickly called to duty, it took dispatchers more than 20 minutes into the crisis to ask the Cunningham Fire Protection District and other nearby agencies to provide aid at the multiplex in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

By the time the Cunningham crew arrived, it was more than a half hour after authorities got first word that a gunman opened fire at a packed midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises," killing 12 people and injuring dozens of others.

Radio traffic from last Friday showed emergency personnel struggling to grasp both the scope of the tragedy and mobilize a response. The ambulance delays came during crucial minutes for the injured victims, though it's not clear whether a faster response would have saved more lives.

Officials have declined so far to release call records of the response, and the Aurora Fire Department declined to discuss the handling of ambulances from that night.

Probe of hep. C outbreak spreads from Northeast

CONCORD, N.H. - A dozen hospitals in seven states are scrambling to identify people who might have been infected with hepatitis C by a traveling medical technician who was charged a week ago with causing an outbreak in New Hampshire.

With details of David Kwiatkowski's resume still emerging, a hospital official in Arizona said he had been fired from her facility in April 2010, after he was found unresponsive in a men's locker room with syringes and needles. Kwiatkowski was treated at the hospital, and tests showed he had cocaine and marijuana in his system, said Monica Bowman, chief executive officer of the Arizona Heart Hospital.

Kwiatkowski, 33, is accused of stealing anesthetic drugs from Exeter Hospital in New Hampshire and contaminating syringes used on patients. His same strain of hepatitis C, a blood-borne viral infection that can cause liver disease and chronic health issues, has been diagnosed in 30 of the patients.

Testing has been recommended for about 4,700 people in New Hampshire alone, and officials are still determining who should be tested elsewhere. In addition to Arizona, hospitals and state health agencies have confirmed that Kwiatkowski also worked in Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania before being hired in New Hampshire in April 2011.

While other health care workers have been prosecuted for diverting drugs and infecting patients, the Kwiatkowski case stands apart, said U.S. Attorney John Kacavas.

Report shows drought in middle of U.S. worsening

ST. LOUIS - The widest drought to grip the United States in decades is getting worse with no signs of abating, a new report warned Thursday, as state officials urged conservation and more ranchers considered selling cattle.

The drought covering two-thirds of the continental U.S. had been considered relatively shallow, the product of months without rain, rather than years. But Thursday's report showed its intensity is rapidly increasing, with 20 percent of the nation now in the two worst stages of drought - up 7 percent from last week.

The U.S. Drought Monitor classifies drought in various stages, from moderate to severe, extreme and, ultimately, exceptional. Five states - Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska - are blanketed by a drought that is severe or worse. States like Arkansas and Oklahoma are nearly as bad, with most areas covered in a severe drought and large portions in extreme or exceptional drought.

Other states are seeing conditions rapidly worsen. Illinois - a key producer of corn and soybeans - saw its percentage of land in extreme or exceptional drought balloon from just 8 percent last week to roughly 71 percent as of Thursday, the Drought Monitor reported.

Facebook's first public quarter proves solid

NEW YORK - Facebook's first earnings report as a public company had solid numbers, but in the end it landed with a thud - much like its rocky initial public offering two months ago.

Facebook reported stronger-than-expected revenue and a gain in user numbers Thursday. But investors weren't impressed and after a brief spike, its stock fell more than 10 percent, or $2.74, to $24.10 in after-hours trading. The decline means Facebook's stock will most likely open at its lowest level since going public.

It's another big disappointment for the Harvard-born company that was supposed to usher in the next Internet boom.

- Associated Press