U.S. soldier sentenced in killing of prisoners
VILSECK, Germany: A U.S. soldier pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of accessory to murder and was sentenced to eight months in prison for his role in the killing of four Iraqi prisoners who were bound, blindfolded, shot and dumped in a canal. Spc. Steven Ribordy, 25, of Salina, Kan., also will receive a bad conduct discharge from the Army as part of a plea deal. In addition, he agreed to testify against other members of his unit. Ribordy testified that he had helped stand guard as the prisoners were killed by other members of his patrol in early 2007. He said he approached the scene after the shots were fired and saw three bodies lying in a pool of blood, and the fourth already in the canal.
NYC mayor seeks to change two-term limit
NEW YORK: Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced yesterday that he's pushing for changes that would allow him to seek a third term leading the nation's largest city, saying he wants to handle unfinished business including the "unprecedented challenges" brought on by the recent financial crisis. Bloomberg, confirming reports about his plan this week, said he will ask the City Council to change New York's term-limits law so he can run next year for another four years in office. The current law limits the mayor to two terms. Council Speaker Christine Quinn said a bill to alter the term-limits law for city officeholders would be introduced Tuesday. The measure would change the limit from two consecutive terms, or eight years, to a maximum of three terms, or 12 years.
HIV infection estimated at 1.1 million in U.S.
ATLANTA: New estimates of the prevalence of HIV infection among adolescents and adults in the United States put the total number of cases in 2006 - diagnosed and undiagnosed - at about 1.1 million. The figure means the infection rate is nearly 550 people for every 100,000 in the population. The total is similar to 2003 estimates, but officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say improved surveillance and new methods for calculating the estimates mean the two can't be directly compared. The highest incidence of infection continues to be found among black men, with 2,388 cases per 100,000 population, the CDC said. That is six times the rate for white men (395 per 100,000). Black women are infected at nearly 18 times the rate of white women (1,122 versus 63 cases per 100,000). The CDC study found the highest percentage of cases - 48 percent - can be attributed to male-to-male sexual contact.
