Around the nation

Abramoff near deal with prosecutors

Federal prosecutors and attorneys for Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff consulted briefly yesterday with a federal judge in Miami as they put the finishing touches on a plea deal that could be announced as early as Tuesday, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.

The plea agreement would secure the lobbyist’s testimony against several members of Congress who received favors from him or his clients.

Mr. Abramoff and a former partner were indicted in Miami in August on charges of conspiracy and fraud for purportedly lying about their assets to help secure financing to purchase a fleet of gambling boats.

Soldier charged in shooting death

NEW YORK — A U.S. soldier was charged with manslaughter yesterday after purportedly firing into the air and accidentally killing a mother of two while he was on leave in New York City.

Army Pvt. Danny Carpio, 23, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on charges of second-degree manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon. Bail was set at $300,000. Each count carries a possible 15-year prison sentence.

Police said Pvt. Carpio fired the gun into the air several times when he ran into some friends in the street after a night of partying.

One of the shots pierced the window of a nearby fifth-floor apartment, striking Selina Akthel, 28, in the head and killing her instantly.

Record-tying storm forms in Atlantic

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Zeta formed in the open ocean yesterday, tying a record for the latest-developing named storm.

Although the National Hurricane Center said Zeta wasn’t forecast to become a hurricane or threaten land, its development was significant because it came a month after the official Nov. 30 end to the unprecedented season.

The season brought a record 14 hurricanes, including Hurricane Katrina, which devastated Louisiana and Mississippi in August, killing more than 1,300 people in the most costly disaster in U.S. history. Forecasters exhausted their list of 21 proper names and began using the Greek alphabet to name storms for the first time.

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