US concerned over Sri Lanka military killings
US concerned over Sri Lanka military killings
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The United States has expressed concern over the Sri Lankan military’s fatal shooting of three civilians and attack on people seeking protection in a church during a recent protest demanding clean drinking water.
In a statement dated Friday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said “there was no excuse for violence, especially in a house of worship.”
Residents of the town of Weliweriya, northeast of Colombo, and surrounding villages protested Aug. 1 against a factory that allegedly discharged toxic waste, polluting drinking water.
Church authorities and witnesses said the military shot at unarmed protesters, killing two teenagers and a 29-year-old man. Government ministers said the troops acted in self-defense.
Missing teen found safe in Idaho wilderness
CASCADE, Idaho — The man suspected of abducting 16-year-old Hannah Anderson and killing her mother and brother has been killed in Idaho and the teen has been found safe, San Diego County Sheriff’s officials said Saturday.
The confrontation between 40-year-old James Lee DiMaggio and the FBI happened after a campsite was spotted from the air, according to Gore. Gore said DiMaggio was killed in the shootout.
He said San Diego sheriff’s authorities have notified Hannah’s father of her rescue.
DiMaggio is suspected of killing Hannah’s mother, 44-year-old Christina Anderson, and her 8-year-old brother Ethan Anderson, whose bodies were found Sunday night in DiMaggio’s burning house in California.
Bombings in Iraq
kill 69 people
BAGHDAD — A wave of car bombings targeting those celebrating the end of Ramadan across Iraq killed 69 people Saturday, a bloody reminder of the inability of Iraqi authorities to stop violence threatening to spiral out of control.
Many of the attacks occurred within an hour of each other, suggesting a level of coordination in the assaults. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, though security forces and civilians are frequently targeted by al-Qaida’s Iraq branch.
Funeral held for boy who served as best man
JEANETTE, Pa. — In his short life, the 2-year-old Pennsylvania boy who died days after he served as best man at his parents’ wedding touched the hearts of many people.
About 75 family and friends attended the service at the Mason-Gelder Funeral Home in Jeannette, about 25 miles east of Pittsburgh, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.
Christine and Sean Stevenson had planned to marry next year but moved the ceremony to Aug. 3 so their son could participate after the couple learned he had weeks to live.
The child, who died Monday night in his mother’s arms, had leukemia and other medical complications, including a mass on his remaining kidney.
Pilot in deadly crash survived earlier crash
HARTFORD, Conn. — The plane accident that killed four people in a Connecticut neighborhood was not the first crash for the pilot, a former Microsoft executive who was taking his teenage son on a tour of East Coast colleges.
The pilot, Bill Henningsgaard, was killed along with his son, Maxwell, and two children who were in a house struck by the propeller-driven plane on Friday.
East Haven police on Saturday released the names of the crash victims, including Henningsgaard, 54, of Medina, Wash.; his 17-year-old son; 13-year-old Sade Brantley and 1-year-old Madisyn Mitchell, who lived in the East Haven home hit by the plane.
National Transportation Safety Board investigator Patrick Murray said Saturday the plane was upside down when it struck a house at about a 60 degree angle. The pilot was making his first approach to the airport and did not declare an emergency before the crash.
By wire sources