■AFGHANISTAN
US reviews firefight
A top US military commander has ordered a new investigation of a firefight in Afghanistan on July 13 last year that claimed the lives of nine US soldiers and led to allegations of negligence by their senior commanders. General David Petraeus, who heads the US Central Command, has appointed Richard Natonski, a Marine Corps lieutenant-general, to handle the inquiry, Central Command said on Wednesday. New issues have arisen since an official Army investigation into the battle was completed more than a year ago, the command said, but it would not say what those issues were.
■UNITED STATES
Dapper suspect escapes
Police are looking for a well-dressed robbery suspect who walked out of a Manhattan courthouse after an officer apparently mistook him for a lawyer. Ronald Tackman, 54, was wearing a business suit while waiting to appear before a judge on Wednesday morning. Authorities say Tackman slipped away from a prisoner holding area to a locked area behind a court room. A court officer spotted him and, thinking he was a lawyer, let him out.
■UNITED STATES
Woman fries, eats goldfish
Goldfish fried in lovers’ spat
Authorities say a Houston-area woman who was angry with her former common-law husband fried their pet goldfish and ate some of them. Pasadena police said it was a civil matter and no charges will be filed. The seven goldfish were purchased together by the couple during happier times. Police spokesman Vance Mitchell says the man reported on Saturday that the woman took the goldfish from his apartment. Officers who were dispatched to the woman’s home arrived to find four fried goldfish on a plate. The woman said she already ate the other three.
■UNITED STATES
WTF quietly changes name
A Wisconsin tourism lobbying group is changing its name after realizing its initials formed a crude acronym. The Wisconsin Tourism Federation group did a quiet rebranding in July, changing its name to the Tourism Federation of Wisconsin and updating its logo from WTF to TFW after it was featured on Web sites and blogs poking fun at it. Chet Gerlach, lead lobbyist for the group, said the federation made the change after the meaning of the common text message lingo was brought to their attention.
■BRAZIL
Architect operated on twice
Celebrated architect Oscar Niemeyer underwent colon surgery on Wednesday in the second operation for the 101-year-old in a week. Niemeyer underwent gall bladder surgery at Hospital Samaritano in Rio de Janeiro last Thursday. On Tuesday doctors discovered intestinal bleeding unrelated to the gall bladder condition. They then found a tumor in his colon and opted to remove a segment of the large intestine, a hospital spokesman said.
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