■ United states
Accused pilot faces hearing
A preliminary hearing was scheduled yesterday in the court-martial of an F-16 pilot who accidentally dropped a bomb on Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan last year, killing four. Major Harry Schmidt is charged with dereliction of duty and could face up to six months in prison if convicted. His defense lawyer, Charles Gittins, has said the pilot will plead innocent at a future hearing. Schmidt's trial is not expected to begin until next year. Schmidt, 38, and fellow Illinois Air National Guard F-16 pilot Major William Umbach, the mission commander, attacked the Canadians' position on April 17 last year.
■ United states
Silicone implants OK'd
In a 9-6 vote, an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration has recommended that silicone breast implants be allowed back on the market after an 11-year hiatus. But concerned about the dearth of data on the safety of the silicone implants and their durability over a decade or more, the panel said its approval was contingent on a list of conditions, like education of surgeons and patients and continued monitoring of women who receive implants. The implant maker, Inamed, had volunteered to meet most of those conditions in seeking the agency's approval.
■ United states
Twins making progress
Doctors have started to decrease the drugs keeping formerly conjoined two-year-old Egyptian twins in comas since they were surgically separated over the weekend. It could take days for the drugs to wear off, but doctors have not detected anything amiss so far, said Dr. James Thomas, chief of critical care at Children's Medical Center Dallas. When the boys come out of their comas, doctors will watch for spontaneous motor functions seen even in sedated children: reaching to pull out tubes, looking around the room, grimacing.
■ United states
Oil firm accused of gouging
Two senior Democratic congressmen are questioning whether Halliburton is overcharging the US government in the procurement of gasoline and other fuel for Iraq, which is now importing fuel to stave off shortages. In a letter sent on Wednesday to the White House, Henry Waxman and John Dingell contended that "Halliburton seems to be inflating gasoline prices at a great cost to American taxpayers. According to the letter, Halliburton has charged the government US$1.62 to US$1.70 a gallon for gasoline that could be bought wholesale in the Persian Gulf region for about US$0.71 and transported to Iraq for no more than US$0.25.
RSS