In the news

Mayor Rob Ford of Toronto acknowledged a drug problem for the first time and vowed in an emotional statement at City Hall that his commitment to "living clean is now unwavering" as he returned to work after a two-month stay in rehab.

Indio Falconer Downey, 20, the son of Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr., was booked on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, thought to be cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia after a car he was riding in was pulled over in West Hollywood, Calif., authorities said.

m Sergei Filin, the Bolshoi Ballet director who suffered burns and a loss of vision in an acid attack in January 2013, is back at work after being hospitalized for an allergic reaction that led him to be put in intensive care.

Rolf Harris, 84, an Australian-born television entertainer known to generations of children in Britain and Australia, was found guilty in London of a string of indecent assaults on young girls that took place from the 1960s to the 1980s.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on their first foreign trip as monarchs and invited the pontiff to visit their country.

Jim Michelotti of Sunnyvale, Calif., discovered that a stray kitten had hitched a ride in the engine compartment of his 1993 Mitsubishi Diamante during the 30-mile trip to his parents' house and said it was greasy and scared, but otherwise OK.

Travis Paul Smith, 49, of Elsmere, Del., received second- and third-degree burns to his lower body when the lighted cigarette he threw out his car window blew back in and ignited the interior of the vehicle.

Ronald Johnson, 49, of Wilmington, Del., who authorities say tried to retrieve 72 pounds of whole frozen chickens he stole from a delivery truck and stashed at a day care, was charged with assault and theft.

Wayne Dodge, 52, who was accused of punching another man and hitting him with his car in a dispute over pew space in Utah, was ordered to spend 30 days in jail after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge.

Sinh Vinh Ngo Nguyen, 25, of Garden Grove, Calif., who used Facebook and other Internet communications to connect with al-Qaida and planned to train its fighters in Pakistan, was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.

A Section on 07/01/2014

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