Sidelights

Turkey vulture grounds Canada PM’s jet
OTTAWA: A jet used to ferry Canada’s prime minister and top government officials, as well as the British royal family on visits, has been grounded after a mid-air collision possibly with a turkey vulture. The Challenger jet was on approach to land at the MacDill Air Force Base in Florida on May 24 when it collided with a “very large bird,” a defense department official revealed Saturday. It landed safely but was so badly damaged that it was grounded for several weeks until a temporary fix allowed it to return to Ottawa on July 10. The bird strike caused damage to the radome and bulkhead, the official said. The daily Ottawa Citizen cited an anonymous defense source saying the aircraft may not be returned to service. There have been more than 50,000 collisions between birds and US military aircraft in recent decades, according to US Air Force statistics cited by the newspaper, costing some $ 30 million a year. Turkey vultures, which can have a wingspan of nearly two meters and weigh more than two kilograms (4.4 pounds), are said to be a leading cause of plane collision-related costs for the US Air Force. The Canadian jet had reportedly been traveling to Florida to pick up the head of Canada’s special forces, Brig. Gen. Denis Thompson, as well as allied special forces officers and return them to Ottawa for a high-level meeting. After the accident, a second government jet was sent to pick them up.

Honduran held after selling baby for $5
TEGUCIGALPA: Honduran police have arrested a woman said to have sold her two-month-old daughter for 100 lempiras ($ 5) and $ 1 worth of grapes, local media reported Saturday. Karina Castro, an 18-year-old from west of the capital, Tegucigalpa, was reported by a friend to guards at the Hospital School. Emerita Ondina Vega said Castro, who allegedly suffers from mental illness, gave her daughter born May 2 to an unknown woman, who has not yet been located, for 100 lempiras and grapes at Belen Market northwest of the city. Castro “came here saying that the other woman, to whom she practically gave her daughter, had promised to return from the hospital,” Hospital School’s guard chief Javier Hernandez said. But Vega said Castro had in fact sold her daughter and was arrested by police based at the hospital who have launched an investigation to search for the child. Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America.

— Compiled from agencies