School bus crash leaves 33 dead
AKSARAY, Turkey, April 14 (UPI) -- A school bus carrying elementary students and a truck collided in Turkey Saturday, leaving 33 dead and 35 injured.
Durmus Akif Ozbek, chief public prosecutor of Aksaray, said the bodies were transferred to various morgues across the region. He added he could not give any details of the accident until the investigation is finished, the Cihan News Agency reported.
Twenty-nine of the injured were at the Aksaray State Hospital, while three others had to be transferred to Konya and three more to Kayseri where better medical equipment was available.
The bus was on its way from Izmir to Cappadocia for a school trip and there was some speculation that the vehicle's capacity was exceeded.
Romney tops Republicans in fundraising
WASHINGTON, April 14 (UPI) -- Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has raised the most money of any candidate for the Republican presidential nomination with $20.7 million to date.
A report from the Federal Election Commission released Friday showed that Romney's fundraising efforts beat fellow Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani and his $13.8 million since the 2008 presidential election campaign began, the New York Times reported Saturday.
While the Republican governor and former mayor of New York now remain nearly even in available funds after a costly start to their campaigns, the report shows both garnered their money from minor donations.
The average donation given to Romney's campaign was $650, while that average dropped to only $500 for Giuliani's presidential effort.
The Times said the financial reports from the remaining presidential candidates were expected to be filed before Sunday's deadline for such matters.
Corzine doing well after another operation
TRENTON, N.J., April 14 (UPI) -- Doctors said Gov. Jon Corzine of New Jersey appeared to be making a good recovery after additional surgery Saturday to repair damage from a car crash.
Dr. Steven Ross, head of the trauma unit at Cooper Medical Center in Camden, N.J., said Corzine showed no sign of brain injury, The New York Times reported. Corzine remained heavily sedated.
The governor is scheduled for another operation Monday, said Dr. Robert Ostrum, an orthopedic surgeon.
The state Senate president, Richard Codey, is serving as acting governor. While Corzine's staff have suggested he might be able to begin functioning as governor from his hospital bed soon, they acknowledged that depends entirely on how quickly he recovers.
State police said Saturday that they had located a 20-year-old casino employee they believe set off the crash by swerving into the path of a truck that swerved toward the governor's two-car motorcade. The young man faces no charges because troopers do not believe he was aware of the crash.
Corzine, who was in the front passenger seat of an SUV, was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown into the back seat. A state trooper and a staff member who had fastened their seat belts suffered only minor injuries.
Vatican set to honor pope's 80th birthday
VATICAN, Vatican City, April 14 (UPI) -- The 80th birthday of Pope Benedict XVI is being recognized this weekend by the Vatican with a special Mass and tribute concert.
The (London) Telegraph said Saturday that the birthday celebration will include an honorary Mass on Sunday morning and the Vatican will be filled with the sounds of classical music during a tribute concert that night.
While the pope's birthday is not until Monday, tributes to the leader of the Catholic Church began this week as thousands of the faithful began to arrive in Rome.
Catholic officials at the Vatican offered their praise this week as well, crediting his firm beliefs and unique nature for his success.
"He has always defended simple faith over the ambiguous and erroneous doctrines from the so-called wise men of this world," said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state.
The newspaper said the German-born pope will also have his birthday recognized in his hometown of Marktl am Inn, where area officials will rename the market square in his honor.
