INTERNATIONAL NEWS in brief

Snow heads back to Northeast after Midwest slammed

Winter-weary residents of the Northeast are getting another dose of snow, sleet and freezing rain. The second winter storm of the week is cancelling classes, closing government and business offices, and causing hundreds of thousands of power outages across the region after wreaking similar havoc in the Midwest on Tuesday.

Anywhere from a few inches to a foot or more of snow was expected to fall Wednesday on East Coast states, while some were getting freezing rain and sleet that made driving treacherous. It's their second go-round since a good coating of snow fell on Monday.

States hope steps to rein in government surveillance will prompt federal changes

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP):

Angry over revelations of National Security Agency surveillance and frustrated with what they consider outdated digital privacy laws, state lawmakers around the nation are proposing bills to curtail the powers of law enforcement to monitor and track citizens.

Their efforts in at least 14 states are a direct message to the federal government: If you don't take action to strengthen privacy, we will.

"We need to stand up and protect our liberty," said Republican Missouri state Senator Rob Schaaf, author of a digital privacy bill.

Police groups, however, say the moves will in some cases hinder efforts to deter or solve crimes.

Sailors implicated in alleged cheating on naval nuclear reactor tests

WASHINGTON (AP):

In a new twist to a widening tale of ethical lapses in the military, the Navy is investigating cheating allegations against about one-fifth of its trainers at a school for naval nuclear power reactor operators.

It is the second exam-cheating scandal to hit the military this year, on top of a series of disclosures in recent months of ethical lapses at all ranks in the military as it transitions from more than a decade of war-fighting.

Unlike an Air Force cheating probe that has implicated nearly 100 officers responsible for land-based nuclear missiles that stand ready for short-notice launch, those implicated in the Navy investigation have no responsibility for nuclear weapons.