QUICK HITS

A former funeral home owner accused of keeping a woman’s corpse in the back of a hearse for two years and hoarding the cremated remains of 35 people has been arrested, authorities said. Thursday night’s arrest of Miles Harford, 33, is the latest allegation of misconduct by Colorado funeral home owners, including the discovery of nearly 200 decomposing bodies in a bug-infested funeral home last year. The horrifying finds have underscored the laxness of state funeral home regulations and pressed lawmakers to try to strengthen the laws.

2 Germany’s parliament votes to legalize some marijuana:

German lawmakers on Friday approved a government plan to liberalize rules on cannabis, paving the way for the country to decriminalize limited amounts of marijuana and allow members of “cannabis clubs” to buy it for recreational purposes.

Indonesia and Australia hold 3 high-level defense talks to strengthen ties:

Indonesia and Australia held high-level talks in Jakarta on Friday as the neighboring countries seek to strengthen security ties by signing a defense cooperation agreement in the coming months. Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who is set to become Indonesia’s next leader, said that he and Australian counterpart Richard Marles discussed ways of maintaining and enhancing the good relationship between the two nations.

4 Smithsonian should speed up return of human remains, task force says:

The remains of tens of thousands of individuals taken by the Smithsonian Institution without consent should be proactively returned to their families and communities, a task force convened by the world-renowned museum complex has concluded. If adopted into policy, the recommendations outlined by the 15-person task force would represent a historic shift for the Smithsonian, significantly broadening its repatriation efforts.

5 3 University of Wyoming swimmers killed in highway crash in Colorado:

Three members of the University of Wyoming swimming and diving team were killed and two others were injured when their sport utility vehicle veered off-road and rolled over along a rural highway known for deadly wrecks, including one that killed eight other Wyoming athletes. The latest crash happened Thursday afternoon on U.S. 287 about 10 miles south of the Wyoming-Colorado line between Laramie and Fort Collins, Colo. The two injured team members were expected to survive, according to a University of Wyoming statement.