NJ Transit probes bizarre bus trip into New York

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Some New Jersey bus commuters apparently have gotten an unexpected tour of the New York metro area they'd rather forget.

New Jersey Transit is investigating why a trip that normally takes about 45 minutes took nearly two hours more Thursday when the driver took a circuitous route into Manhattan's Port Authority bus terminal.

A passenger on the ill-fated trip tells Newark's The Star-Ledger newspaper (http://bit.ly/162JhxE ) the driver seemed lost and passed the Secaucus (sih-KAW'-kuhs) train station several times, drove past outlet stores and eventually crossed the George Washington Bridge. Normally, the bus would go through the Lincoln Tunnel, several miles south.

Aileen Iosso tells the newspaper when passengers asked to be let off after the driver passed the bus terminal the driver yelled at them.

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Information from: The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger, http://www.nj.com

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China probes reports of film director Zhang Yimou's seven children

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese authorities have begun investigating reports that Zhang Yimou, one of China's best-known movie directors, has seven children in violation of strict family planning rules, which could result in a fine of 160 million yuan ($26.05 million), state media said on Thursday.

Online reports have surfaced that Zhang, who dazzled the world in 2008 with his Beijing Olympic ceremonies, "has at least seven children and will face a 160 million yuan fine," said the website of the People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece.

An unnamed official at the Wuxi Municipal Population and Family Planning Commission said "based on the current policies and regulations, an investigation is currently being carried out", according to the report.

It is unclear where Zhang's children were born, the report said, citing a worker at the Jiangsu Province Population and Family Planning Commission.

Both the Wuxi and Jiangsu Population and Family Planning Commission could not be reached for comment.

Zhang, 61, once the bad-boy of Chinese cinema whose movies were sometimes banned at home while popular overseas, has since become a darling of the Communist Party, despite long being a subject of tabloid gossip for alleged trysts with his actresses.

Zhang's newest project, a film to depict wartime Nanjing under Japanese occupation starred Hollywood actor Christian Bale in a leading role.

There are signs that China may loosen the one-child policy, introduced in the late 1970s to prevent population growth spiraling out of control. The policy has long been opposed by human rights and religious groups but is also now regarded by many experts as outdated and harmful to the economy.

Last December, authorities in southern Guangdong said they were investigating a family for having given birth to octuplets through in-vitro fertilization, a case that sparked intense public debate about China's one-child policy and how wealthy families were able to circumvent the rules.

The one-child policy was meant to last only 30 years and there are now numerous exceptions to it. But it still applies to about 63 percent of the population. ($1 = 6.1410 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee, Additional reporting by Sally Huang; Editing by Michael Perry)

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California probes killing of intern by lion in enclosure

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A 24-year-old intern who was killed by a lion at a California wildlife sanctuary apparently liked to get close to big cats, and state officials on Thursday said they are investigating why she was inside an enclosure with the predator and what caused the attack.

The Cat Haven sanctuary east of Fresno remained closed the day after Dianna Hanson was killed. Authorities said a 350-pound male Barbary lion named Cous Cous attacked her inside a pen.

Sheriff's deputies shot and killed the lion so they could tend to Hanson, who died at the scene, the Fresno County Sheriff's Department said.

Dianna Hanson's Facebook page showed pictures of her standing or sitting next to big cats, apparently in enclosures, and she had worked on a wild feline reserve in Africa.

Her father, an attorney in Washington state, told Seattle television station KING 5 that his daughter, originally from the Seattle area, had given him a tour of Cat Haven, the sanctuary, about 40 miles east of Fresno.

"I've always had a premonition this would happen," Paul Hanson told the station. "She really loved getting up close and personal with the animals."

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health sent two inspectors with questions such as whether the sanctuary allowed the woman to enter the enclosure, said agency spokesman Peter Melton.

"We'll find out exactly what she was doing and what her job duties we're and whether she was following the procedures as they were supposed to be done," Melton said.

Authorities said Cat Haven, a 100-acre (16-hectare) sanctuary in Dunlap run by the group Project Survival, would remain closed until further notice.

PASSION FOR CATS

Hanson, who graduated in 2011 from Western Washington University with a degree in biology, had previously worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor at a pool in the city of Shoreline, in the Seattle area.

She spent six months in Kenya last year working on a wild feline reserve and "her passion for big cats was evident," a statement from the city of Shoreline said.

In 2011 and 2012, Hanson also volunteered in Seattle for the Snow Leopard Trust, which seeks ways to protect the endangered species, the organization said.

The 4-year-old Barbary lion that killed Hanson was of a species that is extinct in the wild, said Janice Mackey, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which oversaw the permit that allows the sanctuary to operate.

The lion had been handled by humans since it was weeks old, and was one of two Barbary lions at the facility, Mackey said.

Several years ago, when it was a cub, "Cous Cous" also made an appearance on the talk show "Ellen," Mackey said.

On Thursday, a necropsy was performed on the lion to determine if it suffered from any health problems that could have led to the attack, Mackey said.

Cat Haven was founded in 1993 "to exhibit a variety of wild cats and engage public support for their conservation in the wild via specific projects," according to the park's website.

A representative for Cat Haven could not be reached for comment.

Aimee Zundell of Las Vegas visited Cat Haven last summer with her husband and their two young daughters, and she saw "Cous Cous."

"I never forgot him. He was just so ... gorgeous," she said. "He was sitting by this big bathtub, and his chin was on the bathtub. He was absolutely stunning."

"My impression was that nobody goes into the enclosure by themselves," she said. "I was told they always worked in teams, especially if the cat needed medical attention."

(Additional reporting by Laura L. Myers in Seattle, Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and David Gregorio)

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