ISLAMABAD

Pakistan plans to cancel refugee status of Afghans

Pakistan plans to cancel refugee status at the end of this year for the 3 million Afghans who are living in the country, officials have told McClatchy Newspapers, leaving the refugees facing possible forced resettlement in their homeland, a war-torn country that many of them barely know.

Pushing the refugees into Afghanistan probably would create a new crisis for that country, which already is struggling with an insurgency, an economy almost entirely dependent on the U.S.-led foreign presence and the illicit drug trade, and the impending withdrawal of foreign combat troops by 2014.

Officials in Pakistan, which has hosted Afghan refugees for more than 30 years — one of the longest-running refugee problems in the world — say that “enough is enough” and are resisting entreaties by the United Nations and others to reconsider the decision.

JOLIET, Ill.

Jury selection starts in trial of ex-cop in wife’s murder

Drew Peterson formally introduced himself to would-be jurors Monday in his long-delayed murder trial, but it was clear many of them already were familiar with the former suburban Chicago police officer known to make crass jokes in the media.

Peterson, 58, is charged with killing his third wife, Kathleen Savio, in 2004. Her body was found in a dry bathtub in her home, her hair soaked with blood, but her death was ruled accidental until police began investigating the 2007 disappearance of the ex-police sergeant’s fourth wife, Stacy Peterson. He is a suspect in that case as well, although he has not been charged.

Finding an impartial jury was the first immediate challenge for attorneys in the trial, in which jurors are likely to hear statements Savio and Stacy Peterson allegedly made to friends and relatives about threats Peterson made. Such hearsay is usually barred, but an appellate court ruled jurors can hear the statements.

One question looming over the trial is how much Peterson’s personality will influence the jury. Before his arrest, Peterson was often seen joking about a “Win a Date With Drew” contest, his missing wife’s menstrual cycle and other topics that were widely seen as inappropriate.

McALLEN, Texas

Officials working to identify 14 immigrants killed in crash

Authorities were trying to identify 14 immigrants who were killed when a pickup truck packed with nearly two dozen people crashed in South Texas in one of the nation’s deadliest immigrant smuggling accidents.

The men, women and children were carrying toothbrushes, toothpaste and changes of socks and underwear but no identification. Authorities said the white Ford F250 was carrying 23 immigrants from Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala when it veered off a highway and crashed into trees Sunday night.

“It’s the worst single-vehicle wreck I’ve worked in my 40 years in the funeral business,” said Adrian Fulton, a funeral home director who picked up the 11 who died at the scene. He estimated their ages from 8 to 30 and said Homeland Security agents came Monday to photograph and fingerprint the dead.

Federal immigration agents are looking into the human smuggling aspect of the case, while public safety authorities are investigating the cause of the crash in Goliad County, about 150 miles northeast of the Mexican border.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

Teen who named attackers on Twitter escapes charge

A Kentucky teenager frustrated by light punishment for two boys who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting her was spared Monday from having to face a contempt charge for naming them on Twitter in violation of a court order.

The case of Savannah Dietrich, 17, quickly gathered supporters nationwide who were upset that the victim of an assault could be punished for speaking out against her attackers.

The girl turned to Twitter after she said she was frustrated with what she felt was a lenient plea deal. The judge had ordered no one to speak about the case, which was in juvenile court.

On Monday, attorneys for the boys dropped their motion to charge her with contempt. David Mejia, an attorney for one of the boys, said the decision to withdraw the motion had nothing to do with public sentiment and online attention to the case.

He said the purpose of the motion had been to enforce the law that protects juveniles and their actions from disclosure.