■CANADA
US soldier requests asylum
A lesbian who deserted the US military has requested asylum in Canada, claiming she faced harassment and death threats from fellow soldiers over her sexual orientation, media said on Wednesday. Private Bethany Smith, 21, claimed she had asked the US military for a discharge after being outed by another soldier who spotted her walking hand in hand with a woman at a mall, but she was denied because her superiors wanted to send her to Afghanistan, she told Canadian media. In deferring her case until she returned from Afghanistan, the US military broke its so-called “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy of discharging openly gay members, she contended. A Canadian immigration panel rejected her refugee claim — believed to be the first by a lesbian or gay US soldier — but she appealed on Tuesday to a federal court to overturn the tribunal’s decision.
■CANADA
Drunk driver gets life
A drunk driver with 19 convictions on his record, including an accident that took the life of a woman last year, was sentenced by a Quebec court to life in prison, court officials said. Roger Walsh, 57, was found guilty of drunk driving last October when he struck and killed Anee Khudaverdian, 47, a mother of two young children. Walsh, who did not even stop to help the victim, was apprehended some 10km from the accident scene. He pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and vehicular homicide while drunk — the 19th time since 1971 that he was found to have taken the wheel of a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
■UNITED STATES
Man held on sex charges
A Hawaii man accused of having illicit sex with a 12-year-old girl in Cambodia is being held without bond in Honolulu pending a detention hearing. Federal prosecutors say Richard Mitchell of Kamuela, Hawaii, was arrested by police in Cambodia in August last year. He remained in custody until he was returned to the US on Saturday, when he was arrested at Honolulu International Airport.
■UNITED STATES
Couples marry for US$0.99
Nine couples marked Wednesday’s special date 09/09/09 by getting married for the low price of just US$0.99. The mass ceremony took place as part of a special promotion for the 99 Cents Store in Hollywood, California. Local TV station KTLA showed the brides and grooms sauntering down the aisles adorned in US$0.99 flowers and other bargain decorations. The ceremony was followed by a buffet of US$0.99 food, before the store whisked the happy couples off for luxury honeymoons.
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