■ United States
Friendly fire pilot charged
The US Air Force set aside manslaughter and assault charges against a US pilot Monday and said he will face trial on dereliction-of-duty charges for mistakenly bombing Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan last year, killing four. Major Harry Schmidt, 37, could get six months in prison if convicted of the offense. A date for the court-martial was not immediately set. The dereliction count alleges that Schmidt ``failed to comply with the applicable rules of engagement'' and ``willfully failed to exercise appropriate flight discipline over his aircraft.'' Schmidt and fellow National Guard pilot Major William Umbach, the mission commander, attacked the Canadians' position on April 17, 2002, from their F-16s.
■ United States
Cat lovers fear serial killer
Four more dead cats have been found in the Denver area, heightening fear among pet owners that a serial cat killer is in their midst. Authorities say at least 40 mutilated cats have been discovered in Denver and its suburbs in the past year, including four killed over the weekend. The toll in Salt Lake City is 10 cats and another unidentified animal. In several cases, it appears the attacker kills the cat, then taunts the owner by bringing back the remains. Some of the animals were are cut with surgical precision. Some may have been killed by another animal.
■ United States
Swordsman kills two
A sword-wielding supermarket employee killed two co-workers and wounded three other people in a crowded store where he worked before police shot him to death. The incident occurred Sunday in a supermarket in Irvine, about 50km south of Los Angeles, when Joseph Parker, 30, who worked as a grocery bagger, entered the store wielding a meter-long samurai sword. He calmly went about attacking people, nearly decapitating one of his victims as staff and customers tried to fend him off with cans of food and other items from the shelves.
■ United States
Alleged snakehead deported
One of the alleged masterminds of a 1993 immigrant-smuggling voyage that ended in the deaths of 10 Chinese in the waters off New York City was put on a plane from Hong Kong to the US to face federal charges. Cheng Chui Ping, a reputed immigrant-smuggling kingpin lost a three-year extradition fight and was en route Monday. Ping, 53, was to be arraigned today in connection with the voyage of the Golden Venture. The rickety freighter, packed with 300 illegal Chinese immigrants, completed the 25,750km trip to the US before running aground off the city.
Agencies
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