Illinois

‘Friendly fire’ pilot says he, flight leader scapegoats

An Illinois fighter pilot contends in a letter that the government is trying to scapegoat him and his flight leader for an accidental bombing in Afghanistan that killed four Canadian soldiers and injured eight.

The letter being circulated by supporters of Maj. Harry Schmidt says “many are responsible” for the April 17 bombing.

Schmidt and Maj. William Umbach face charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated battery stemming from a mission near Kandahar. Schmidt dropped a 500-pound bomb after seeing ground fire he said he thought was hostile and a danger to Umbach’s plane. It actually came from live-fire exercises by Canadian soldiers.

Washington, D.C.

U.S. to send envoy to North Korea

The White House said Wednesday it would send an envoy to North Korea to reopen security talks with Pyongyang for the first time in almost two years, signaling the administration’s determination to once again engage the communist outpost.

President Bush in January labeled North Korea a member of the “axis of evil” along with Iraq and Iran but by summer administration officials had already decided to once again pursue a dialogue. The idea was killed after a deadly naval skirmish between North and South Korea on June 29.

Washington, D.C.

Measure would allow hospitals to nix abortions

The House passed a bill Wednesday that would let hospitals and insurance companies refuse to perform or pay for abortions without forfeiting Medicare and other federal funding.

Anti-abortion activists hailed the 229-189 vote as a key action that would shield Catholic hospitals and other health providers that oppose abortion. Supporters of abortion rights accused conservatives of attempting to scale back women’s access to the procedure.

Wednesday’s bill would allow health providers and insurers to refuse to perform, pay for, counsel or refer patients for abortion services.

The vote was just the latest abortion debate waged in the House. In July, Republicans pushed through a ban on the late-term procedure known by opponents as partial-birth abortion.

Argentina

Archbishop offers resignation after allegations of abuse

An Argentine archbishop offered his resignation Wednesday to the Vatican after accusations that he sexually abused members of his seminary, church officials announced.

News reports published in August had accused Archbishop Edgardo Storni, 66, of sexually abusing at least 47 men at his seminary in Santa Fe, 310 miles northeast of Buenos Aires.

In a prepared statement read to journalists, Storni said that “my renunciation in no way signifies guilt on my part nor does it mean I accept the allegations. God is my judge,” he said.

Seminary officials said the Vatician would decide whether to accept Storni’s resignation.