NATION IN BRIEF

Navy to Modify Swastika-Shaped Complex

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CORONADO, Calif. -- The Navy will spend as much as $600,000 to modify a 40-year-old barracks complex that resembles a swastika from the air, a gaffe that went largely unnoticed before satellite images became easily accessible on the Internet. The Navy said officials noted the buildings' shape after the groundbreaking in 1967 but decided against changing it at the time because it wasn't obvious from the ground. Aerial photos recently made available on Google Earth have revealed the buildings' shape.

The Navy decided to alter the shape of the buildings, used by members of the Naval Construction Force at the Navy's amphibious base at Coronado, near San Diego, after requests this year by Anti-Defamation League regional director Morris Casuto and Rep. Susan A. Davis (D-Calif.).

"I don't ascribe any intentionally evil motives to this," Casuto said of the design. "It just happened. The Navy has been very good about recognizing the problem. The issue is over."

Dismissed Charge Against DeLay Won't Be Reconsidered

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AUSTIN -- Texas's highest criminal appeals court said it will not reconsider its decision to dismiss a conspiracy charge against former U.S. House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.). In June, the Republican-controlled court narrowly affirmed a lower court's dismissal of an indictment against DeLay and two associates accusing them of conspiring to violate the state election laws during 2002 Texas legislative races. The trial court judge had said the law that the three were accused of violating was passed the year after that election. Prosecutors had asked the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to rehear the case. DeLay and two GOP consultants still face charges of money laundering and conspiracy to launder money. No trial date has been set.

More Blacks, Hispanics in Prison Than in College Dorms

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More than three times as many black people live in prison cells as in college dormitories, the government said in a report. The ratio is only slightly better for Hispanics, at 2.7 inmates for every Latino in college housing. Among non-Hispanic whites, more than twice as many live in college housing as in prison or jail. The numbers, driven by men, do not include college students who live off campus. Previously released census data show that black and Hispanic college students -- commuters and those in dorms -- far outnumber black and Hispanic prison inmates. The data show that big increases in black and Hispanic inmates occurred since 1980.

Bush Stands by Afghan President Against Taliban

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NEW YORK -- President Bush reasserted his support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai in talks, affirming U.S. commitment to his government as it faces resurgent Taliban attacks. "It's in the interest of the United States that we continue to help you," Bush said after meeting Karzai on the sidelines of a U.N. General Assembly session. "It's in our security interest that this democracy flourish."

-- From News Services