Castrations lead to arrests of three men

Sheriff's investigators said Richard Sciara, 61, Danny Reeves, 49, and Michael Mendez, 60, admitted performing at least eight surgeries, including castrations and testicle replacements, on six consenting clients in the past year. None of the three is licensed to practice medicine, officials said.

The suspects, all residents of the house in Haywood County, in western North Carolina, where the surgeries were allegedly performed, were arrested Thursday. Each man faces 10 felony counts and eight misdemeanor counts of performing medical acts without a license.

FAA, air controllers halt contract talks

Contract talks between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the air traffic controllers union halted Friday in what the union called a collapse and the agency called a recess.

The suspension raises the prospect of the government imposing terms on the controllers.

If the talks are not revived, the FAA can send proposed contract terms to Congress. The FAA has said it believes it can impose a contract on the 14,500 unionized controllers if Congress fails to act.

U.S. arrests son of ex-Liberia leader

Charles McArthur Emmanuel, son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, has been arrested by U.S. authorities in Miami, days after his father was handed over to a war-crimes tribunal.

Emmanuel, a U.S. citizen, led Liberian forces responsible for Taylor's security until he went into exile in 2003, according to an affidavit filed in federal court in Miami.

Emmanuel, 29, appeared in federal court Friday on a charge of passport fraud, said a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman.

A businessman said Friday he would challenge Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., in the fall Democratic primary.

Mark Greenstein, 42, a self-described "new Democrat," has never held elective office but challenged Vice President Al Gore in New Hampshire's 2000 Democratic primary, winning 75 votes.

Airport X-ray screeners fail

A software glitch knocked out computerized X-ray machines at Nashville International Airport for five hours Friday, causing long lines and flight delays while officials searched bags by hand.

None of the Smiths Heimann X-ray detectors at the Nashville airport's two screening checkpoints was working when security operations were to open Friday morning.

Officials think the problem occurred when upgrades to the X-ray machine software were installed, Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Laura Uselding said.

Also

Scott Peterson's family Friday offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the murder of his pregnant wife. Peterson was convicted of the killing and is on death row at San Quentin State Prison.

Compiled from The Associated Press and Reuters