Georgia
FBI issues warning on air-conditioner coolant
ATLANTA – As the U.S. tries to phase out a polluting refrigerant that is used in millions of air conditioners across the country, unapproved coolant is popping up on the market – with potentially dangerous consequences.
The FBI is warning people to be on alert for refrigerant substitutes that have not been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Some contain propane, which is flammable and can explode or catch fire if, for example, a technician servicing an air conditioner gets too close to the coolant while soldering. So far, the explosions have been rare.
The problem has cropped up as the U.S. phases out R-22, a chemical used for decades as a refrigerant in air conditioners and refrigerators. Because R-22 destroys the ozone layer, it is being banned globally under an international treaty. The EPA is guiding the switch over to ozone-friendlier refrigerants and has listed approved ones on its website.
Russia
U.S. congressman, 12 Americans banned
MOSCOW – Russia has placed a U.S. lawmaker and 12 other people connected with the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq on its list of those banned from entering the country.
In a statement Saturday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said congressman Jim Moran, a Democrat from Virginia, was banned in response to the July 2 U.S. ban on Russian parliament member Adam Delimkhanov.
The other 12, including Guantanamo commander Rear Adm. Richard Butler and Lynndie England, a former soldier convicted of abusing prisoners in Abu Ghraib, were banned in response to the United States’ adding 12 names in May to the so-called Magnitsky List of Russians sanctioned for human-rights abuses.
Kentucky
Town opens no-frills filling station to the public
SOMERSET, Ky. – Somerset’s city hall ventured into the retail gas business Saturday, opening a municipal-run filling station that supporters call a benefit for motorists, and critics denounce as a taxpayer-supported swipe at the free market.
The Somerset Fuel Center opened to the public selling regular unleaded gas for $3.36 a gallon, a bit lower than some nearby competitors. In the first three hours, about 75 customers fueled up at the no-frills stations, where there are no snacks, no repairs and only regular unleaded gas.
The mayor says the station was created in response to years of grumbling by townspeople about stubbornly high gas prices in the city of about 11,000 near Lake Cumberland, a popular fishing and boating haven.
Egypt
Gunmen attack troops, killing 21 near Libya border
CAIRO – Gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked a border guard post Saturday in Egypt’s western desert near Libya, killing 21 troops, the military said.
The attack targeted a checkpoint in the western desert governorate of Wadi el-Gedid, on the Farafra Oasis Road, more than 300 miles from Cairo, according to a statement on the official Facebook page of Brig. Gen. Mohammed Samir.
Samir said one of the gunmen’s rockets struck a cache of weapons at the checkpoint, sparking an explosion. He said the attack killed 21 troops.
Associated Press
