■ UNITED STATES
Major indicted for bribery
An Army major and two of his family members, accused of taking bribes from Defense Department contractors in 2004 and 2005, have been indicted in federal court in San Antonio, Texas. Major John Cockerham, a contract officer, and his wife, Melissa Cockerham, are accused of taking at least US$9.6 million in bribes while Cockerham was stationed in Kuwait and responsible for contracts for Defense Department services, including bottled water for soldiers in Kuwait and Iraq. The Cockerhams were arrested last month at Fort Sam Houston, where the major had been reassigned.
■ UNITED STATES
Parrots returned to Mexico
Officials returned 149 parrots and parakeets that were sedated and hidden under blankets or in duffel bags and smuggled from Mexico. The neon-green birds, which had been held in quarantine for up to 18 months at the San Diego, California, Otay Mesa border crossing, were handed over in cages to Mexican authorities on Wednesday. They will be returned to native habitats in southern Mexico or kept for breeding purposes if veterinarians determine they cannot survive in the wild. Strict quarantine rules, partly in response to outbreaks of exotic Newcastle disease in California, have created a thriving black market for pet birds, authorities say.
■ UNITED STATES
Security proposed for farms
Poultry growers are protesting proposed regulations from the Department of Homeland Security that would label propane gas a "chemical of interest" and require anybody with 3,402kg or more of the fuel to register with the agency. At that amount, poultry farmers who use propane to heat chicken houses would have to fill out the forms. "I could think of a lot easier, better targets" for terrorists than chicken farms, groused Richard Lobb, spokesman for the National Chicken Council, a Washington-based industry group. The Poultry & Egg Association and the National Turkey Federation have joined the protests.
■ UNITED STATES
Hunger-striker deteriorating
The health of a hunger-striking TV cameraman at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay has deteriorated sharply in recent months, according to notes released on Tuesday by his lawyer after they were censored by US authorities. Sami al-Hajj, a cameraman for the al-Jazeera TV network, has lost 18kg since he began his strike late last year and has developed intestinal problems and other conditions, according to the notes from attorney Clive Stafford Smith. Al-Hajj, who has been held at Guantanamo since June 2002, seemed anxious and "even paranoid," and had difficulty concentrating or speaking his previously fluent English.
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