Judge chases inmates during attempted escape

A judge removed his robe and gave chase after two handcuffed inmates made a run for it from his Washington courtroom. Video footage shows Judge R W Buzzard leap into action when the inmates bolted for the door. The judge grabbed one just as he was about to exit the court, while authorities apprehended the other few blocks away.

EUROPEAN UNION PARLIAMENT APPROVES BAN ON SINGLE­USE PLASTICS

The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly Wednesday for an EU-wide ban on single-use plastics such as straws, cutlery, cotton buds and balloon sticks. The European Commission, the 28-nation EU’s executive arm, proposed banning such items that it said account for 70 percent of the waste in the oceans and beaches. “Today we are one step closer to eliminating the most problematic single-use plastic products in Europe,” the EU’s environment commissioner Karmenu Vella said. The European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, voted for the ban on single-use plastic by 571 votes for, 53 against and 34 abstentions.