Milestones: Paedophile priest killed

DIED. John J. Geoghan, 68, former Catholic priest and convicted child molester, after being strangled by an inmate serving a life sentence for killing a man he believed was gay; in a maximum security facility in Shirley, Massachusetts. Geoghan was accused of sexually abusing up to 150 boys during his 30 years as a priest, and last year was convicted of fondling a 10-year-old boy in Boston in 1991. After his sentencing, Geoghan was sent to the protective custody facility in Shirley because authorities worried he would be attacked by fellow inmates. Joseph L. Druce, 37, who has been charged with the murder, reportedly planned the killing for more than a month, according to another prisoner. A single guard was on duty, in charge of 22 prisoners in Geoghan's cell block, according to the Worcester district attorney. Last year, the Church settled several cases with Geoghan's victims by paying out $10 million.

RETIREMENT ANNOUNCED. Pete Sampras, 32, the quiet yet dominant American tennis champion who won a record 14 Grand Slam titles; in a ceremony at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, New York. Sampras won the U.S. Open at the age of 19 and was the only player to finish six straight seasons ranked as the world's No. 1. In his 13-year career, he raked in a hefty $43 million in prize money, another record for the sport.

RETIREMENT ANNOUNCED. Michael Chang, 31, tennis player known for his incredible hustle and for being one of the first Asian-Americans to make it in the game; after losing to Fernando Gonzales of Chile in the first round of the U.S. Open; in Flushing Meadows, New York. After turning pro at age 17, Chang burst into the tennis world with a win at the French Open in 1989. In 1997, he was the No. 2 tennis player in the world. Chang said he would devote his time to promoting tennis in Asia.

SENTENCE REDUCED. Pham Hong Son, 35, Vietnamese physician convicted of spying and using the Internet to slander the government, after a campaign by international human rights groups; in Hanoi. Son translated an article from the U.S. State Department website titled What is Democracy? and distributed it to Vietnamese language websites. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison in June, now lessened to five years.

SENTENCED. Mamoru Takuma, 39, to death by hanging for murdering eight schoolchildren and stabbing 13 students and two teachers in June 2001; in Osaka. Takuma's rampage, which he said was prompted by a hatred for his father and ex-wife, was Japan's worst ever school killing.

CHARGED. Two Unidentified Iranian Interrogators, with the "semi-intentional murder" (in the words of the Tehran prosecutor's office) of Canadian photojournalist Zara Kazemi; in Tehran. Kazemi, 54, died of head injuries two weeks after she was taken into custody for shooting pictures outside a prison in the Iranian capital, and officials claimed she suffered a stroke. But after protests by Reporters Without Borders and the Canadian government, they admitted Kazemi died of a hemorrhage caused by a severe blow to the skull.

Numbers

69,000 Estimated number of people who disappeared or died between 1980 and 2000 in Peru's Maoist rebel war

52 Number of people killed by last week's car bombings in Bombay

39 Number of people trampled to death by pilgrims at a Hindu Kumbh festival in Nasik, India

25 Number of people killed when a bridge collapsed in Daman, India

$1 billion Cost per week for the U.S. to occupy Iraq

400,000 Estimated number of pets in government-owned apartments that are officially banned in Hong Kong

960 Number of endangered star tortoises found in three pieces of hand luggage at an airport in Madras, India on their way to Singapore

18 Age of Jeffrey Lee Parson, American teen charged with spreading the MSBlast Internet virus

Omen

A British study has found that students who are younger than their classmates are more likely to have psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, behavioral and emotional difficulties.