■ United States
Air Force officer found guilty
An Air Force officer accused of drugging and kidnapping servicemen he met in bars was found guilty of raping four men and attempting to rape two others. A nine-member military jury deliberated for about seven hours in Captain Devery Taylor's court-martial at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Taylor, the former chief of patient administration at Eglin Regional Hospital, faces a maximum of life in prison. Sentencing was to begin yesterday. Taylor was charged with two counts of attempted sodomy, four counts of forcible sodomy, two counts of kidnapping and one count of unlawful entry.
■ United States
Hep A scare for Hollywood
A Sports Illustrated bash for its annual swimsuit issue has turned into a health scare for stars in Hollywood after a caterer working for celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck may have exposed them to acute Hepatitis A. The Los Angeles County health department recommended that anyone who ate uncooked food at the party get treatment to avoid developing the serious liver disease. Guests at the party included singer Beyonce Knowles, former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, portly Borat co-star Ken Davitian, and a slew of models. Health officials said the risk was "quite low" and that no Wolfgang Puck pre-packaged foods or restaurants were affected.
■ United States
Government counts homeless
The US has three-quarters of a million homeless people, filling emergency shelters throughout the year and spilling into special seasonal shelters in the coldest months, the government said yesterday. The Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated 754,000 homeless people lived in the US in 2005, including those living in shelters, transitional housing and on the streets. That is about 300,000 more people than available beds in shelters and transitional housing. The report is the government's latest attempt to count people who are notoriously difficult to track. The estimate is similar to one by an advocacy group in January.
■ Mexico
Court allows HIV soldiers
Mexico's Supreme Court ordered the armed forces on Tuesday to readmit HIV-infected soldiers to the ranks, in a groundbreaking ruling that will set a precedent for similar cases filed by military personnel. In a case brought by 11 members of the military, the court declared unconstitutional a law requiring naval officers and soldiers with HIV/AIDS to leave the armed forces. Mexico's armed forces will now have to prove HIV-infected soldiers and naval officers are unfit for service with certified medical reports in order to fire them. Of the 11 who brought the Court case, four will be immediately readmitted.
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