NATION NEWS BRIEFS

NEW JERSEY / Info sought in shooting

Authorities on Sunday pleaded for the public's help in finding a man who opened fire at an off-campus house party near Seton Hall University, killing a student and wounding four other people. On Sunday, police had set up a highway electronic sign offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Students said the shooter was kicked out of a students' Friday night party when he refused to pay the cover charge, then returned with a handgun and started firing.

PUERTO RICO / New birth records needed

Puerto Rican birth certificates issued before July will no longer be accepted as a valid form of ID at state and federal agencies beginning Thursday, officials say. The change coincides with a decision by the Puerto Rican government to issue new, more secure birth certificates because the old ones, they said, were frequently used unlawfully to obtain driver's licenses, passports, and Social Security benefits. Several agencies issued reminders that anyone from the U.S. commonwealth seeking a government-issued document will need the new birth certificate.

NEW YORK CITY / Fed funds fight dirty bombs

New York City will receive an $18.5-million federal grant to detect and deter the detonation of "dirty bombs" made with nuclear or radioactive materials, officials announced Sunday. "As we've repeatedly seen, New York City is the number-one target for terrorists," and has experienced 11 bombing attempts since 9/11, said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).

NATIONWIDE / Abu Ghraib claims unpaid?

Former Bush administration Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld promised six years ago he would make sure that Iraqi detainees abused by American troops at the Abu Ghraib prison would be compensated. But now, the U.S. Army is unable to document a single payment for prisoner abuse at the notorious lockup. Nor can the more than 250 Iraqis or their lawyers now seeking redress in U.S. courts. Their hopes for compensation may rest on a Supreme Court decision this week. The Army says about 30 former Abu Ghraib prisoners are seeking compensation from the U.S. Army Claims Service. Those claims are still being investigated and many do not involve inmate abuse.

NATIONWIDE / Gaps in BP probe revealed

Engineering experts probing the Gulf of Mexico oil spill exposed holes in BP's internal investigation as the company was questioned Sunday for the first time in public about its findings. BP's lead investigator, Mark Bly, acknowledged that the company's probe had limitations. He told a National Academy of Engineering committee that a lack of physical evidence and interviews with employees from other companies limited BP's study. The internal team only looked at the immediate cause of the April disaster, which killed 11 workers and unleashed 206 million gallons of oil into the Gulf.