Pilots told to keep eye out for falling satellite
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- NASA's so-called dead satellite is still in its death spiral around the Earth.
The bus-size satellite is to re-enter the atmosphere in a shower of debris within hours, but NASA doesn't know exactly when or where it will come down. The United States is not likely to be in its path, however.
The Washington Post said as of 7:30 p.m. EDT, NASA projected the satellite would hit sometime between 11 p.m. Friday and 3 a.m. Saturday. The space agency said the satellite will over Canada, Africa and Australia, as well as the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans during that time frame.
SPACE.com reports the Federal Aviation Administration issued an alert to pilots Friday advising pilots to watch out for any sign of the falling debris from the 20-year-old Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite.
"Aircraft are advised that a potential hazard may occur due to re-entry of satellite UARS into the Earth's atmosphere," the FAA said in the statement. "FAA is working with the Department of Defense and NASA to ensure the most current re-entry information is provided to operators as quickly as possible."
Missing woman's father-in-law arrested
TACOMA, Wash., Sept. 23 (UPI) -- The father-in-law of a missing Utah woman pleaded not guilty Friday in Washington state to possessing sexual photos of women and girls.
A judge set bail at $200,000 for Steve Powell, 61, and ordered him to stay away from children, The News Tribune of Tacoma, Wash., reported. Powell was arrested Thursday night on 15 charges that included voyeurism and possession of pictures of minors engaged in sexually explicit acts.
The charges against Powell stem from the investigation into the disappearance of Susan Cox Powell, Ed Troyer, a spokesman for the Pierce County sheriff, said. Utah detectives found more than 2,000 images during searches of Steve Powell's home in Puyallup, Wash., and notified Pierce County investigators.
Images of Susan Powell were found among the others, said investigators, who believe many of those photographed were unaware they were being watched. Troyer said the photos, some of which were taken from Steve Powell's home, were of a sexual nature and were taken in public or through windows with a telephoto lens.
Susan Powell, 28, a native of Puyallup, vanished in December 2009, while she, her husband Josh and their two children were living in West Valley City, Utah. Josh Powell, who has since returned to Puyallup, was named a person of interest by West Valley police after he told them he took their young sons on a short camping trip and found his wife missing when he returned.
Susan Powell's parents have gone to court to obtain custody of the two boys, who had been living with their father at Steve Powell's home, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. A state social services official said said the 4- and 6-year-old boys have been taken into state custody.
GI gets 7 years for killing Afghan boy
SEATTLE, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- A U.S. soldier who admitted his role in a plot to kill Afghan civilians was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison for killing a teenage boy.
Pfc. Andrew Holmes' sentence was limited to seven years as part of his agreement to plead guilty in military court Thursday to unpremeditated murder. Holmes also pleaded guilty to smoking marijuana and keeping the finger of an Afghan victim as a souvenir.
He will be given credit for 499 days he has been confined since his arrest in the January 2010 slaying of 15-year-old Afghan Gul Mudinon and could have his term reduced by good behavior.
The (Tacoma, Wash.) News Tribune reported members of Holmes' family cried as the sentence was read after the presiding judge told the defendant, "I hope and I believe you will have a long and productive life, and I believe a happy life."
Holmes, a member of Fort Lewis-McChord's 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, asked the court for a shorter sentence.
"Please give me the opportunity to be a son, a brother, a nephew," he implored the judge.
"It breaks my heart," he said of the fatal shooting. "I wish I could've stopped this whole thing."
But the judge, Army Lt. Col. Kwasi Hawks said it appeared to him the soldier had not come to terms with "the awful moral gravity" of his crime, the newspaper said. Hawks said he would have given Holmes a 15-year term if he had the leeway.
The 21-year-old Boise, Idaho, man admitted firing his machine gun at Mudinon and said he knew the youth was probably innocent. He said, however, that he hadn't known about the attack in advance, The News Tribune said.
"I fired six to eight rounds at the man, and I've regretted it ever since," he said.
The youth was one of three Afghan civilians killed by U.S. soldiers, authorities said.
Talabani seeks foreign investment in Iraq
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told the U.N. General Assembly Friday his country is trying to build a democratic state open to all sects and ethnicities.
Noting Iraq has shed the sanctions and restrictions imposed after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, Talabani said the international community has opportunities to invest in Iraq's hydrocarbons industry, a U.N. release said Friday. He said the government is working hard to encourage investment and provide a regulatory environment that ensures investors their capital is safe.
Talabani also said Iraq is capable of combating terrorism and providing for its own security after U.S. forces leave at the end of this year. He said the Middle East should be free of weapons of mass destruction and enjoined Israel to submit its nuclear program to the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency.
