New England: Storm brings rain, ice; thousands lose power

New England’s first major ice storm of the season spread freezing rain across the region Sunday, downing trees and knocking out power to thousands of homes.

More than a half inch of ice had accumulated in parts of northern and western Connecticut, and more than 130,000 utility customers were without power at the height of the outages there.

Afghanistan: Muhammad Ali travels on goodwill mission

Former world heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali, arrived in war-torn Afghanistan on Sunday for a three-day visit to focus world attention on rebuilding one of the most devastated countries on Earth.

Ali, a devout 60-year-old Muslim and now a “U.N. Messenger of Peace,” was handed flowers by Foreign Ministry officials in the Afghan capital Kabul, as he stepped off a U.N. plane.

Foreign Ministry officials said Ali was holding informal talks with President Hamid Karzai on Sunday.

Boston: Archdiocese denies it will sue insurer

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston denies a report that it will sue one of its largest insurance carriers over the company’s reluctance to pay millions in sex-abuse settlements.

An archdiocese spokeswoman dismissed as “totally inaccurate” a report in the Sunday editions of the Boston Herald that a lawsuit against Travelers Insurance Co. would be filed as early as this week.

The Herald’s report quoted Cardinal Bernard Law’s attorney, J. Owen Todd, as saying the archdiocese would sue to clarify whether Travelers must pay some or all of the settlement money, given that the church covered up abuse by some clergy.

India: Hindu leaders arrested when rally ban enforced

Two Hindu nationalist leaders were arrested Sunday as police broke up a banned pre-election rally in western India, where religious clashes killed at least 1,000 people this year.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had asked the Hindu nationalists not to have the procession, even though it could help win more Hindu votes for his Bharatiya Janata Party, which rules Gujarat state, in the Dec. 12 election.

Pravin Togadia and Dharmendra Maharaj, key officials of the council, were taken into custody in Ahmadabad, Gujarat’s largest city, shortly after they made aggressive speeches kicking off the rally.

Los Angeles: Jewish Defense League leader Rubin buried

Jewish Defense League chairman Irv Rubin was remembered Sunday as a tireless activist who dedicated his life to the fight against anti-Semitism.

About 200 relatives, friends and supporters gathered at the Sholom Memorial Park in Sylmar to attend funeral services for Rubin. He died Wednesday of his injuries from what federal authorities said was a suicide attempt in jail, where he was awaiting trial for an alleged bomb plot.

“Irv Rubin was our spokesperson. He was also the person who did what most of us would or could not do,” Rabbi Tzvi Block said.