USAF: 34 missile officers in scandal

USAF: 34 missile officers in scandal

WASHINGTON

The Air Force says 34 nuclear-missile launch officers have been implicated in a cheating scandal and have been stripped of their certification in what is believed to be the largest such breach of integrity in the nuclear force.

Some of the officers apparently texted to one another the answers to a monthly test on their knowledge of how to operate the missiles. Others may have known about it but did not report it.

The cheating was discovered during a drug investigation that involves 11 Air Force officers across six bases in the U.S. and England.

New pharaonic tomb discovered

CAIRO

Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities says that American and Egyptian archaeologists have discovered the tomb of a previously unknown pharaonic king dating to roughly 1650 B.C.

Minister of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim said in a statement Wednesday that archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania, cooperating with the ministry, uncovered the tomb of 16th-dynasty King Seneb Kay near the southern city of Sohag. The team determined his name by deciphering hieroglyphics on the tomb’s walls.

During the second intermediate period of ancient Egyptian history, the country was divided among several rulers.

5th anniversary of ‘Miracle on Hudson’

NEW YORK

The pilots and some passengers on a plane that made an extraordinary landing on the Hudson River marked the fifth anniversary of that remarkable event Wednesday, giving thanks to those who kept everyone who was on that flight alive.

“I’m filled with joy and gratitude about what was able to be accomplished by so many five years ago today and the fact that all 155 passengers and crew are here today because of it,” said Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III, who gained instant fame for his calm handling of US Airways flight 1549.

Study disputes ‘obesity paradox’

The “obesity paradox” — the controversial notion that being overweight actually might be healthier for some people with diabetes — seems to be a myth, researchers report. A major study finds there’s no survival advantage to being large, and a disadvantage to being very large.

More than 24 million Americans have diabetes, mostly Type 2, the kind that is on the rise because of obesity. About two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight, including one-third who are obese.

Weighing too much increases the chances of heart disease, cancer and premature death. But some small studies have suggested this might not be true for everyone, and that Type 2 diabetics might even benefit from a few extra pounds — a “metabolic reserve” to help get them through sickness.

The new research — which looked at deaths according to how much people weighed when they were diagnosed with diabetes — dispels that idea.

Calif. diocese files for bankruptcy

STOCKTON, Calif.

A Roman Catholic diocese in Central California filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday after paying out millions of dollars to plaintiffs who made sexual-abuse allegations during the past two decades.

The Diocese of Stockton, which filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Sacramento, serves about 250,000 Catholics in a region spanning more than 10,000 square miles. It has paid more than $14 million in settlements and judgments in sexual-abuse cases, and its insurance providers have paid an additional $18 million.

Associated Press