World in brief: Pilot hit with drinking charge

London – A United Airlines pilot who was pulled from his trans-Atlantic flight to Chicago shortly before takeoff has been charged with having too much alcohol in his system, British police said Tuesday.

Scotland Yard said that 51-year-old Erwin Vermont Washington, of Lakewood, Colo., was arrested after officers were called to United Airlines Flight 949, which was already full of passengers and due to leave London’s Heathrow Airport just after noon on Monday.

Scotland Yard said that Washington, who has been released on bail, would have to appear at a court in northwest London on Nov. 20. If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison, a fine, or both.

United Airlines spokeswoman Megan McCarthy said Washington, who she did not identify by name, has been removed from service pending an investigation.

Detainee vaccine plan draws fire

Toronto – Canadian military officials in Afghanistan said detainees are being offered swine flu vaccinations – a decision the federal health minister on Tuesday denounced as “outrageous” at a time there is a shortage of the vaccine in Canada.

The Defense Department later said there is no plan to vaccinate Afghan detainees in Canadian custody.

In Afghanistan, Task Force Surgeon Cmdr. Rob Briggs had told the Canadian Press that detainees being held at Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan would be given the chance to get vaccinated beginning today. Canadian soldiers have been receiving the vaccine for more than a week.

“That is something we are going to press forward with, at least offering whether or not they want the immunization,” Briggs said.

Saudis blockade Yemen coast

Cairo – Saudi Arabia imposed a naval blockade on the Red Sea coast of northern Yemen to stem the flow of weapons and fighters to Shiite rebels along its border, a Saudi government adviser and media reports said Tuesday.

Iran, the dominant Shiite power in the Middle East, warned neighboring countries not to interfere in Yemen’s internal affairs in a clear reference to predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia. Yemen and the Saudis have accused Iran of sending money and weapons to the rebels to fight government forces. Iran denies the charge.

Saudi Arabia launched an air and ground offensive against the Yemeni rebels last week. The fighting has raised concerns of another proxy war in the Middle East between Iran and rival Saudi Arabia.