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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Korean airplane overshoots strip

From Wire Reports

TOKYO – Japanese television says a South Korean passenger jet overshot the landing strip at a northwestern airport but no one was hurt in the incident.

Tokyo Broadcasting System reports that Korean Airlines Flight 763 could not come to a halt quickly enough Monday night at Niigata Airport on the northwestern coast of Japan’s main island. It says the Boeing 737 came to rest with its front half in a grassy area and there were no injuries. The flight originated from Seoul’s Incheon International Airport.

TBS says at least 19 flights into Niigata were canceled this morning while an investigation continues.

Crash spurs request to ground copters

TOKYO – Japan asked the U.S. military not to fly its Japan-based HH-60 helicopters until it determines why one crashed at a U.S. base on the southern island of Okinawa, as the U.S. Air Force said it had ended the search for a missing crew member after finding remains.

Three of the helicopter’s four crew members ejected from the aircraft and were in stable condition, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement. It said the remains found near the crash site were not yet identified.

Ex-chief in Turkey ordered to prison

ANTAKYA, Turkey – Turkey’s former military chief was sentenced to life in prison on Monday, convicted along with many others of trying to overthrow the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Retired Gen. Ilker Basbug was the highest-profile person among the 275 defendants, which included other military officers, politicians, academics and journalists, Turkish media reported.

Prosecutors accused the defendants of being secular, ultra-nationalist members of a group code-named Ergenekon, who committed political assassinations and bomb attacks to create chaos and trigger a military coup against Erdogan.

CAMPBELLTON, New Brunswick – Two young boys were killed by a python that escaped its enclosure at a pet store in Canada, police said Monday.

The brothers, ages 5 and 7, were sleeping in a friend’s apartment above the pet store when the snake strangled them, said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Const. Julie Rogers-Marsh.

Police arrived at the apartment in Campbellton, New Brunswick, at 6:30 and found the two boys dead. The friend of the brothers was sleeping in another room and was unharmed, Rogers-Marsh said.

The snake was believed to have made its way into the apartment through the ventilation system overnight.

The snake was captured and is in the possession of police.