NEW ORLEANS – A New Orleans federal judge on Thursday awarded seven Virginia families $2.6 million in damages for homes ruined by sulfur-emitting drywall made in China, a decision that could affect how lawsuits by thousands of other homeowners are settled.

It remains to be seen how the plaintiffs can collect from Chinese companies that do not have to respond to U.S courts, although some have talked about getting orders to seize U.S.-bound ships and cargoes from the drywall companies.

Thousands of homeowners, mostly in Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, have reported problems with the drywall, which was imported in large quantities during the housing boom and after a string of Gulf Coast hurricanes.

The drywall has been linked to corrosion of wiring, air conditioning units, computers, doorknobs and jewelry, along with possible health effects.

U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon ruled Thursday that the drywall needs to be removed and the plaintiffs’ homes need to gutted because of the ruinous effects of corrosion. He said all electrical wiring, the heating and air conditioning system, appliances, carpet, cabinetry, trim work and flooring damaged by corrosion would have to be removed.

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SAN FRANCISCO — The first hint of scandal at the San Francisco crime lab came in December when officials received a tip that a technician might be stealing cocaine used as evidence.

An investigation soon revealed that small amounts of cocaine were missing, and the scandal has just snowballed from there.

Hundreds of narcotics cases may have to be thrown out, the drug-testing lab has been closed indefinitely, and outside reviews have unmasked even deeper concerns with how evidence is handled at the facility. The scandal has served as an embarrassment to the police department and raised questions about why officials weren’t more proactive in dealing with the problems.

“Anybody who doesn’t see the magnitude of this problem is either blind or stupid,” San Francisco Police Chief George Gascon said after a review cited bad management at the lab has led to poor practices.

The district attorney’s office has already thrown out or not charged 550 cases because of possible evidence tampering, and is reviewing about 1,400 more for possible dismissal.

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MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – Nigerian police and immigration services are on high alert after officials said Monday they received text messages threatening new religious violence by a radical Islamic sect.

Officers set up checkpoints in armored tanks around Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state where rioting by the Islamic sect Boko Haram and an ensuing police crackdown left 700 people dead. Immigration agents in the state that borders Chad, Niger and Cameroon also are watching for Boko Haram members who may cross the border to spark new violence in the area, said Adamu Isa Azare, an assistant superintendent of police in Borno.

Azare said the increased security presence comes after police received text messages that promised the group would rise again and attack around Maiduguri. Violence between Christians and Muslims in central Nigeria has left more than 500 people dead since the start of the year, sparking recent calls from an al-Qaida-affiliated Web site for a Muslim uprising against Christians.

“We are not (sure) if it is Boko Haram per se, because some people we are yet to identify were just sending text messages to people that there was going to be attacks,” Azare said. “For this reason, we stepped up our security apparatus as proactive measures to ensure we were not caught unaware. We want to ensure the people are well-policed. We don’t want to take anything for granted.”

Azare also asked the public to call authorities if they saw large groups of unfamiliar people moving into the region.

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