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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Nov 04, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Early Results Show Luis G. Fortuno Garners Historic Landslide SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico voted today, in what early results show to be record numbers, to elect fiscal and social conservative Luis G. Fortuno as the next governor of Puerto Rico - making him the Island's first Republican governor since 1968. Fortuno, Puerto Rico's current sole representative in the U.S. Congress, ran in a four-way gubernatorial race as president of the Island's pro-statehood New Progressive Party. His running-mate, Pedro R. Pierluisi, also won, becoming the Island's next representative to Congress. Preliminary results show Fortuno has won solidly the gubernatorial election by the largest margin in more than 44 years. Popular Democratic Party candidate Anibal Acevedo Vila - Puerto Rico's current governor - running for re-election - conceded defeat at 7:12PM in Puerto Rico. "This historic victory demonstrates that the people of Puerto Rico want change for progress, and I am fully committed to delivering it," said now Governor-Elect Fortuno. "I have a vision for a stronger, more economically sound and prosperous Puerto Rico, and I am confident that together we will re-energize the Island's economy. The people of Puerto Rico voted to re-instate good government, and my administration will deliver on our promise." Throughout his campaign, Fortuno proposed a profound reform of the Island's government to transform it into a smaller and more agile facilitator of individuals' initiative that will result in spurring economic growth. The wave of change chosen by voters in Puerto Rico today bodes well for Puerto Rico's economy as it sends a clear message that the Island is once again open for business under Fortuno's leadership. A rising star in the Republican Party, Luis Fortuno will continue to work with the GOP leadership to grow and strengthen the party. LUIS G. FORTUNO BIOGRAPHY Governor-elect Luis G. Fortuno is the first Republican elected governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico since 1968. Fortuno is also president of the Island's Pro-Statehood New Progressive Part (PNP). In 2005, he was the first Republican elected to Congress, representing the people of Puerto Rico. A rising star in the Republican Party, Fortuno began his tenure in Congress by being elected Vice-President of his Freshman Class alongside Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. He was also unanimously elected to serve as Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, and is a founding Co-Chair of the Congressional Friends of Spain Caucus, which strengthens the relationship between the United States and Spain and focuses on political, cultural, economic, commercial, and educational relations between the two countries. Rep. Fortuno was also appointed to serve on the Executive Committee of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and is a member of the House Republican Policy Committee. As the sole representative in Congress to 4 million U.S. citizens residing in the island, Fortuno defended equal rights and parity in federal funding for Puerto Rico. Under his leadership, Puerto Rico received over $7 billion in federal funds, including over $800 million for infrastructure and transportation and the first increase in Medicaid funding in over 9 years. During the 110th Congress, Rep. Fortuno has served on the Committee on Natural Resources and is Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs - a distinction rarely awarded to a Member with only two years in Congress. Rep. Fortuno has also served on the Committee on Education and Labor - Subcommittees on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and Healthy Families and Communities. And he has earned the privilege of serving on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and is assigned to the Subcommittees on Western Hemisphere and Europe. Before being elected to Congress, Rep. Fortuno was a partner at a San Juan law firm specializing in corporate finance and real estate law. He entered public service in 1993, after being appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico as Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and President of the Hotel Development Corporation. In 1994, he became Puerto Rico's first Secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce. As Secretary of Economic Development and Commerce, Rep. Fortuno was tasked with the development and implementation of large-scale reforms of Puerto Rico's tax, labor, corporate and commercial codes, aimed at facilitating business growth and job creation, reducing bureaucracy, and tax reform. Some of these initiatives included the adoption of the Uniform Commercial Code, the revamping of the General Corporations Law, an aggressive investment package to jumpstart the tourism industry, and the largest tax cut in Puerto Rico's history. At the time of Rep. Fortuno's departure from public service, Puerto Rico's unemployment rate had reached its lowest level in over a generation. Born in 1960, Rep. Fortuno was raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He earned a bachelor's degree from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and obtained his Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Virginia Law School. He is married to attorney Luce Vela and has three children. SOURCE Fortuno 2008 Copyright (C) 2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved ||||| rosari feliciano David no te olvides que muchos de esos populares que tu vilmente mencionas, le dieron el voto a tu gobernador electo no todo el credito es de los PNP's No te equivoques. ...no lo olvides porque esto cambia cada 4 year, y los prestavotos siempre van a existir. | Fortuño is a Republican delegate to the US Congress The candidate of the , , was elected the new governor of Puerto Rico in the general elections held on November 4, 2008. Fortuño obtained more than 52% of the votes. The other candidates were the current governor of Puerto Rico, of the , — the , and — the . In addition to obtaining the governor position, the New Progressive Party retained the position of and won a majority of seats in the . The Puerto Rican Independence Party lost its franchise as a political party because it received less than 3% of the votes, the level required by the electoral law. The results also indicate that the Puerto Ricans for Puerto Rico Party may have lost its franchise too. |
A thick, milky haze shrouded the city, and many Muscovites peered with red-rimmed eyes over the tops of surgical masks or wet handkerchiefs. Image Smog from wildfires outside of Moscow hung over the city on Friday. Credit... Natalia Kolesnikova/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images By 1:40 p.m., the city’s environmental protection agency said the concentrations of carbon monoxide were five times as much as acceptable levels, while particulate pollution was three times as much. The heavy smoke disrupted flights into Moscow. At Domodedovo Airport, visibility on the runways was down to about 400 yards on Friday, the news agency Itar-Tass reported. Dozens of arrivals were delayed or late, the airport reported on its Web site. Artillery rockets housed at the Alabinsk base, about 45 miles southwest of Moscow, were moved to safer ground away from the fires, a Defense Ministry spokesman told reporters. The fires posed a different threat when they burned through forests toward a nuclear missile warning center outside Moscow; the center’s fire brigades suppressed two fires Friday that had threatened the site, news agencies reported, citing a Russian Space Forces spokesman. ||||| Fires lay ghostly shroud of smoke on Moscow MOSCOW — A miasma of smoke from wildfires cloaked the sweltering Russian capital on Friday, turning the city's spires into ominous blurs and grounding flights while glum pedestrians trudged the streets with faces hidden by surgical masks and water-soaked bandanas. The smoke crept into many buildings, hovering about the ceiling in entryways. The State Historical Museum, on Red Square was forced to close because it couldn't stop its smoke detectors from going off. Airborne pollutants such as carbon monoxide were four times higher than average readings — the worst seen to date in Moscow, city health officials reported. The concentration appeared likely to intensify; the state news agency ITAR-Tass reported smoke was thickening in the city's southeast late Friday. The fires, which are raging across much of western Russia, come after weeks of extraordinary heat — daily highs of up to 100 (38 C) compared with the summer average of 75 — and practically no rain. Natural Resources Minister Yuri Trenev said Friday that there's no water shortage yet because officials had kept reservoir levels high. But he noted that river levels are down by more than 20 percent, due to increased demands for water to battle the fires and practically no water flowing in. The fires drew comment from officials and activists at international climate-change talks in Bonn, Germany. Chief U.S. delegate said Russia's situation and the recent floods that have devastated Pakistan are "consistent with the kind of changes we would expect to see from climate change and they will only get worse unless we act quickly." But the environmental group Greenpeace said the negotiators weren't getting the message. "Russia is burning and Pakistan is drowning -- yet they seem happy to continue as if they have all the time in the world," the group's climate policy director Wendel Trio said in a statement from Bonn. Dozens of flights were grounded and others were diverted away from the capital's airports as visibility deteriorated to as little as 200 yards (meters) during the day. By Friday evening, the three airports reportedly were resuming normal service. Visibility in the capital was down to a few dozen yards due to the smoke, which is forecast to hang around for days due to the lack of wind. "It's just impossible to work," said Moscow resident Mikhail Borodin, in his late 20s, as he removed a face mask to puff on a cigarette. "I don't know what the government is doing, they should just cancel office hours." Russian health officials have urged those who have to go outdoors to don face masks and told people staying inside to hang wet towels to attract dust and cool the airflow. The Health Ministry said hundreds have needed medical attention due to the smog. Ken Donaldson, professor of respiratory toxicology at the University of Edinburgh, said people with asthma, bronchitis, lung disease or heart problems were the most vulnerable to the smog. "For people with underlying health problems, the particles in the smog could be the straw that breaks the camel's back," he said, causing them to have a serious lung problem or a heart attack. He said concentrations of carbon monoxide, even at four times higher than normal, was not alarming unless people became trapped in an enclosed space. The more dangerous gases are ozone or sulfur dioxide, he said, but those are not usually produced by burning. More than 500 separate blazes were burning nationwide Friday, mainly across western Russia, amid the country's most intense heat wave in 130 years. "All high-temperature records have been beaten, never has this country seen anything like this, and we simply have no experience of working in such conditions," Moscow emergency official Yuri Besedin said Friday, adding that 31 forest fires and 15 peat-bog fires were burning in the Moscow region alone. At least 52 people have died and 2,000 homes have been destroyed in the blazes. Russian officials have admitted that the 10,000 firefighters battling the blazes aren't enough — an assessment echoed by many villagers, who said the fires swept through their hamlets in minutes. To minimize further damage, Russian workers evacuated explosives from military facilities and were sending planes, helicopters and even robots in to help control blazes around the country's top nuclear research facility in Sarov, 300 miles (480 kilometers) east of Moscow. A wildfire last week caused huge damage at a Russian naval air base outside Moscow. Moscow faces temperatures approaching 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) for the next week, according to the forecast, in contrast to its average summer temperature of around 23 C (75 F). Associated Press writers David Nowak and Mansur Mirovalev in Moscow, Arthur Max in Bonn and Medical Writer Maria Cheng in London contributed to this report. Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | Massive wildfires in western and central Russia have killed at least 52 people and blanketed Moscow in dense smoke and . According to '''', around 560 fires were still burning on Friday. More than 800 wildfires have been reported this week in Russia, which is currently suffering from the worst heat since records began over 130 years ago. Since June, temperatures in the country have been rising, and Moscow was expected to reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.78 degrees Celsius) on Friday, about 25 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius) above the normal temperature for this time of the year. The environmental protection agency of Russia's capital has already stated that {w|carbon monoxide}} levels in the city's air were five times as high as safe levels and that pollution levels were three times as high as safe levels. The dense smoke also caused chaos at Moscow airports. Visibility at was reportedly around 400 yards (365.76 metres) on Friday, and many flights were either delayed or arrived late. At Russia's Alabinsk military base, located around 45 miles (72.42 kilometres) southwest of Moscow, were moved to a location where they would not be threatened by the fires, said . The fires also burned close to a nuclear missile warning site near Moscow, but a spokesperson for the said that the warning center's fire brigades had extinguished two fires in the area. Previously, materials from a nuclear research center in were moved out of the way of fires to avoid a possible explosion occurring. Russian officials have received criticism over their handling of the blazes. Last week, Russia's president, Dmitri Medvedev, dismissed five military officers for letting a fire burn hangars at an air base near Moscow. One of Medvedev's aides said on Friday that mayors will be debriefed and that those who did not adequately respond to the wildfires "will be brought to justice." Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said last week that local officials not dealing with the fires should resign. The spree of wildfires has left at least 3,000 people without homes. Seven regions are now under a state of emergency, and 28 more are under a state of emergency for farmers with crops failing in the heat. Fire crews from other nations in both Europe and Asia were arriving to help fight the fires, and a shelter was set up in to support 150 children from central Russia who were displaced by the crisis. |
(CNN) -- Former Sen. Fred Thompson on Tuesday ended his run for the presidency, coming off the heels of a disappointing third-place finish in South Carolina's GOP primary and heading into the showdown state of Florida next week. Former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee has dropped out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination. "Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States," Thompson said in a statement. "I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people." Thompson entered the race in September, long after his Republican rivals had announced their candidacies and began raising money. His campaigning style was criticized as lackluster, and he was never able to capitalize on the anticipation supporters had built before he announced that he was getting into the race. Thompson was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994 and represented Tennessee for eight years. Short of cash and sinking in national polls, Thompson had staked his hopes on South Carolina, where a strong showing could have reinvigorated his flagging campaign. Watch how Thompson's withdrawal could affect the race » Thompson played to the voters as a staunch conservative and a son of the South. While he did draw some evangelical voters from one-time Baptist preacher and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, it wasn't enough to pull him into contention for the nomination. He finished with 16 percent of the vote. Sen. John McCain won Saturday's contest with 33 percent, followed by Huckabee with 30 percent. "He's really been good lately, but it's too late," CNN analyst Bill Bennett said of Thompson after South Carolina returns started to come in. "If you're a Southern conservative and you can't make it in South Carolina, it's over." Earlier, Thompson finished third in Iowa, fifth in Michigan and Nevada, sixth in New Hampshire and a distant second to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in Wyoming. Thompson teased Republicans all last summer after forming a fundraising committee for a possible presidential campaign on June 1. When he announced in September that he was formally entering the race, it was well after the other Republicans had launched their campaigns, and analysts said the late entry may have hurt him. Thompson is an actor best known for his role as District Attorney Arthur Branch on NBC's "Law & Order." Five candidates remain in the Republican race -- McCain, Huckabee, Romney, Rep. Ron Ron Paul of Texas and former New York Mayor Rudy Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani has largely skipped the early voting states to focus on the January 29 primary in Florida and the delegate-rich races in the "Super Tuesday" primaries February 5. E-mail to a friend All About Fred Thompson • U.S. Presidential Election ||||| Former senator Fred D. Thompson of Tennessee, whose candidacy fizzled after a summer of expectations, pulled out of the Republican presidential race yesterday after disappointing finishes in all of the primary contests held so far. In a terse, three-sentence statement, the actor-politician abandoned a candidacy that once seemed to offer everything a Republican voter could want: solid conservative credentials, Washington experience, Hollywood panache, Southern charm and a commanding personality. "Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States," Thompson said in the news release. "I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort." The statement was a diminutive end to a campaign that began with enormous hype. It was the image of Thompson as commander in chief -- a part he played in a movie -- that seemed so promising when he contemplated running for the White House last spring and summer. Instead, the campaign became roiled in staff disputes that centered on Thompson's wife, Jeri, and was dogged by assertions that Thompson did not have the desire or energy to mount an aggressive presidential campaign. That view was affirmed soon after Thompson entered the race in early September. He ignored some of the states with the earliest contests and campaigned sporadically in others. Thompson's withdrawal may have little effect on Tuesday's Republican contest in Florida, where the remaining five candidates are already trading barbs. He had averaged about 8 percent in recent polls in the state. Speculation swirled among rival campaigns that Thompson may endorse Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Rumors had suggested for weeks that Thompson was staying in the race only to help McCain by pulling votes from other rivals. Two senior Republicans in Washington with knowledge of the campaign said yesterday that Thompson told them he will not endorse anyone anytime soon. In an interview on MSNBC, candidate Mike Huckabee, a former governor of Arkansas, said he might have beaten McCain in South Carolina had Thompson already bowed out. "The votes that he took essentially were votes that I would have most likely had," Huckabee told the network. Another rival, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, praised Thompson for running a positive campaign. "Throughout this campaign, Fred Thompson brought a laudable focus to the challenges confronting our country and the solutions necessary to meet them," Romney said in a statement. "He stood for strong conservative ideas and believed strongly in the need to keep our conservative coalition together." With or without a direct endorsement, the remaining Republican candidates will begin courting Thompson's supporters for what appears to be a tight race in Florida. ||||| Thompson Quits Presidential Race NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Republican Fred Thompson, the actor-politician who attracted more attention as a potential presidential candidate than as a real one, quit the race for the White House on Tuesday after a string of poor finishes in early primary and caucus states. "Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort," the former Tennessee senator said in a brief statement. Thompson's fate was sealed last Saturday in the South Carolina primary, when he finished third in a state that he had said he needed to win. In the statement, Thompson did not say whether he would endorse any of his former rivals. He was one of a handful of members of Congress who supported Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2000 in his unsuccessful race against George W. Bush for the party nomination. Thompson, best known as the gruff district attorney on NBC's "Law & Order," placed third in Iowa and South Carolina, two states seemingly in line with his right-leaning pitch and laid-back style, and fared even worse in the four other states that have held contests thus far. Money already tight, he ran out of it altogether as the losses piled up. Thompson, 65, exits the most wide open Republican race in half a century; three candidates each having won in the six states that have voted. In Florida, McCain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani are battling for the lead ahead of its Jan. 29 primary, while former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee evaluates his next steps amid money troubles. In an interview Tuesday, Huckabee suggested he would have beaten McCain in South Carolina if Thompson had dropped out earlier. "The votes that he took essentially were votes that I would have most likely had, according to the exit polls and every other analysis," Huckabee said on MSNBC. Despite initial impressions that Thompson could garner strong conservative support, it never materialized. He never won backing from more than one in five conservatives in any of the earliest primaries and caucuses, including the 19 percent who exit polls for The Associated Press and television networks showed supported him in South Carolina. His showings were similarly weak with white born-again and evangelical Christians. In New York, McCain told The Associated Press: "Fred Thompson ran an honorable campaign. He and I will remain close friends, and I wish him and his family the best." In a statement, Romney commended Thompson's candidacy. "Throughout this campaign, Fred Thompson brought a laudable focus to the challenges confronting our country and the solutions necessary to meet them," Romney said in a statement. "He stood for strong conservative ideas and believed strongly in the need to keep our conservative coalition together." Thompson's withdrawal capped a turbulent 10 months that saw him go from hot to not in short order. He began toying with a presidential run last March, emboldened by a fluid Republican nomination fight and a restive conservative GOP base. He also was charmed by resounding calls for him to get into the race — and his meteoric springtime rise to the top of national and state polls. Fans trying to draft him as a candidate launched an online effort, seizing on his conservative Senate voting record as well as his lumbering 6-foot-5 frame and deep baritone as they argued that he was right out of central casting. They painted him as the second coming of Ronald Reagan and the would-be savior of a Republican Party demoralized after electoral losses in 2006 at all levels of government. Expectations rose higher — and his standing in polls started to fall as he failed to meet them. Thompson played coy about his intentions all the while taking steps to prepare for a formal entrance into the race with a flourish. He cut ties with NBC, visited early voting states and delivered high-profile speeches. And, he started raising money and set up a preliminary campaign organization. He delayed his expected summertime entrance in the race until fall, perhaps missing an opening created by McCain's near campaign implosion. As he prepared to officially join the race, Thompson was plagued by lackluster fundraising; high-profile staff departures, including some prompted by his wife Jeri's involvement in the campaign, and less-than-stellar performances on the stump. Thompson also endured repeated questions about his career as a lobbyist and his thin Senate record. Thompson formally announced his bid in early September, but hit a rocky patch from the get-go. He skipped a Republican debate in New Hampshire, annoying some in the state, to announce his candidacy on NBC's "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. His easygoing style and reputation for laziness translated into a light campaign schedule that raised questions about his desire to be president. A spate of inartful answers to campaign-trail questions — on everything from the Terri Schiavo case to Osama bin Laden — didn't help matters. Though his star had faded, Thompson earned positive reviews for a series of debate performances last fall and earned an endorsement by the National Right to Life Committee. Thompson first made a name in Washington politics three decades ago when he served as minority counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee. Thompson, who was 30 at the time, was appointed to the high-profile job by his political mentor, then-Sen. Howard Baker of Tennessee, who was the top Republican on the committee. Thompson had managed Baker's re-election campaign and had been an assistant U.S. attorney in Nashville. Thompson asked one of the key questions of the Watergate hearings: "Mr. Butterfield, are you aware of the installation of any listening devices in the Oval Office of the president?" Butterfield's reply was the first time the public learned that President Nixon had been secretly taping his conversations. But Thompson, who knew the answer before he asked his famous question, had tipped off the White House before the hearing that the committee had discovered the existence of the tapes. Several years later while practicing law in Tennessee, Thompson represented Marie Ragghianti, the head of the Tennessee Parole Board who was fired after exposing a pardon-selling scheme involving aides for then-Gov. Ray Blanton. Thompson played himself in the 1985 movie "Marie" based on the episode and got generally positive reviews. The film launched Thompson's acting career. Among his many characters, he played President Ulysses S. Grant in last year's made-for-TV HBO movie "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," and the fictional President Charles Ross in the 2005 film "Last Best Chance." Thompson was elected in 1994 to the Senate to fill the unexpired term of Al Gore, who had been elected vice president. He easily won re-election in 1996. During his eight years in the Senate, Thompson was considered a reliably conservative vote. A couple of months after his 38-year-old daughter died of a heart attack, Thompson announced he would not run for re-election in 2002. In April of last year, Thompson disclosed that he was diagnosed in 2004 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a highly treatable form of cancer. Associated Press Writer Joan Lowy in Washington contributed to this report. | Fred Thompson will no longer be running for President. Republican Fred Thompson has officially withdrawn his bid for the United States presidency. This announcement comes after Thompson's third place finish in the South Carolina Republican primary, in which he received 16% of the vote, trailing Mike Huckabee and John McCain. "Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States," Thompson said today. "I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people." He hoped to do well in South Carolina after his disappointing showings in other primaries, including a sixth place finish in New Hampshire and fifth place finishes in Michigan and Nevada. Thompson's campaign began in September when he announced his candidacy on ''The Tonight Show''. However, this was long after the other Republican candidates had already started their campaigns. He had been contemplating a presidential bid since March and formed an exploratory committee in June. Thompson served as a Tennessee senator for 8 years, from 1994 to 2002. He is also an actor who played a district attorney on the television series ''Law and Order. The five Republicans left in the race are McCain, Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, and Rudy Giuliani. |
The fatal shooting of eight people at day spas in and around Atlanta have intensified fears in Asian-American communities that have been the target of attacks since the onset of the coronavirus. Six of the eight victims were Asian women. The 21-year-old suspect, Robert Aaron Long, has been charged with four counts of murder according to media reports. ||||| Israeli artillery continued shelling areas in the Gaza Strip Israeli forces in Gaza Sixty-four MPs and officials were seized, amid Israeli efforts to secure freedom for a captured soldier in Gaza. Israeli forces meanwhile massed at Gaza's northern border, as troops and tanks dug into positions in the south, a day after their original incursion. Air strikes have damaged infrastructure in Gaza without causing casualties. Much of Gaza has been left without electricity and running water after a power plant was hit, while several bridges were also destroyed, preventing travel between the north and south of the 45km Strip. The Israeli army dropped leaflets in northern Gaza urging residents to avoid moving in the area because of impending military activity They are not bargaining chips for the return of the soldier. It was simply an operation against a terrorist organisation Israeli army spokeswoman Press review Voices from Gaza The militants escaped, although one was lightly injured in the blast, witnesses said. Separately, the body has been found of an Israeli settler who Palestinian militants abducted and killed at the weekend. The body of Eliyahu Asheri, 19, was found in a shallow grave near the city of Ramallah. Another missing Israeli, who militants also claimed to have seized, was found dead, apparently from natural causes. 'Blackmail' Hamas has condemned Israel's seizure of its officials. Gaza Strip in detail Enlarge Map But an Israeli army spokeswoman told Reuters the detainees "are not bargaining chips for the return of the soldier". "It was simply an operation against a terrorist organisation," she was quoted as saying. The detained ministers include Finance Minister Omar Abdal Razeq, Social Affairs Minister Fakhri Torokma and Prisoners' Affairs Minister Wasfi Kabha and Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Nasser Shair. The BBC's Alan Johnston in Gaza says Israel is dramatically stepping up pressure on the Hamas government to secure the soldier's release. Cpl Gilad Shalit was seized by Palestinian militants in an attack on an Israeli border post on Sunday, that also left two Israeli soldiers and two militants dead. 'Wanton destruction' We are living, but we feel as if we are dead Doaa Abu-Harb Student, Rafah In pictures: Gaza offensive Seized settler found dead Air strikes continued throughout Wednesday, with missiles striking a road near Khan Younis refugee camp and a sports field of the Islamic University in Gaza City. Nervous civilians in the north stockpiled batteries and candles, as well as food and water. In southern Gaza, where the Rafah crossing with Egypt has been closed since Cpl Gilad's capture, militants blew a large hole in the border wall. Palestinian security forces stopped people from pushing through the gap by forming a human cordon and a curfew was imposed. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the air strikes collective punishment. Amnesty International, the human rights group, called for all hostages to be released and for "an end to the wanton destruction and collective punishment" by Israel. 'Self defence' Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, of Hamas, criticised Washington for giving approval to the Israeli incursion. CAPTURED ISRAELI SOLDIER Cpl Gilad Shalit, 19 First Israeli soldier captured by Palestinians since 1994 Family waits for news Send us your comments A spokesman for US President George W Bush said Israel had a right to defend itself and the lives of its citizens. The spokesman said Hamas must shoulder the blame for the Israeli assault because militants linked to it had captured Cpl Shalit. Mr Haniya urged the UN Security and Arab League to move to end the crisis. "The Israeli occupation must put an end to its aggression before the situation gets complicated and the crisis gets worse," Mr Haniya said. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he hoped for a swift diplomatic solution to the crisis in Gaza. He warned that the crisis risked inflaming tensions across the region. ||||| The fatal shooting of eight people at day spas in and around Atlanta have intensified fears in Asian-American communities that have been the target of attacks since the onset of the coronavirus. Six of the eight victims were Asian women. The 21-year-old suspect, Robert Aaron Long, has been charged with four counts of murder according to media reports. ||||| Israeli Troops Kill 2 Palestinians NABLUS, West Bank (AP) -- Israeli soldiers enforcing a curfew in Nablus killed two Palestinians and seriously wounded two Friday, the second day of a large-scale search for fugitives and bomb labs in the West Bank city. In one incident, members of a Palestinian family were hit by army fire on their balcony, killing a 19-year-old man and seriously wounding his father and brother with shots to the head and face, witnesses and medics said. The military said soldiers opened fire after spotting suspicious figures crawling on the roof of a building. Soldiers also opened fire on an 18-year-old on a rooftop after spotting him holding a gas canister over his head. The army said soldiers feared he was about to drop the canister on them. Hundreds of Israeli troops entered Nablus' old city, or Casbah, on Thursday, and began searching homes and shops. They commandeered 16 buildings in the Casbah, home to about 20,000 residents and a stronghold of militants. Families in the buildings were confined to one room per apartment. Soldiers forced open doors with grenades and sledge hammers. Palestinian medics said that in all, 12 Palestinians were wounded by live fire. The military said the Nablus operation, the largest in over a year, would last several days. The raid was triggered in part by the arrest earlier in the week of an 18-year-old resident recruited by Al Aqsa to blow himself up in Jerusalem. The youth was caught at an Israeli checkpoint, and soldiers found explosives hidden in a school bag. On Thursday, soldiers handed out leaflets explaining that they were looking for seven men, most from the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group with ties to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement. "Help us catch them because they are the ones who are causing damage to Nablus," it said. In their search, troops discovered an explosives belt weighing 44 pounds in an apartment and a roadside bomb at a junction, the army said. Also Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told U.S. envoy William Burns that he is skeptical about Egyptian assurances that the Palestinians are committed to security reform. The meeting came two days after Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman held separate talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on the terms of Israel's Gaza withdrawal, to be completed by the end of 2005. Israel refuses to talk directly to the Palestinians, and Egypt has stepped in as mediator. Egypt has given Arafat until September to reform his security services by merging many of the branches and replacing some of the commanders. The Palestinian leader also is expected to relinquish some of his powers. Arafat told Suleiman he was ready to carry out reforms, but there have been no signs of changes on the ground. Arafat has fiercely resisted security reforms in the past, fearing they would undercut his authority. In meetings with Mofaz and Israel's foreign minister, Suleiman reportedly said he is optimistic the Palestinians would fulfill their obligations. "Don't be so pessimistic," the Yediot Ahronot daily quoted Suleiman as telling Mofaz. However, Mofaz said Friday he remains skeptical. "I have considerable doubt that they (the Palestinians) will really do everything that is required of them - true reform, the merging of the security branches, replacing security chiefs, dismantling the terror infrastructure," Mofaz told Burns. Under the Egyptian plan, Palestinian militant groups would gather in Cairo in September for a cease-fire declaration. Within eight months, Palestinian security forces would begin collecting illegal weapons. Mofaz said Israel welcomes Egypt's involvement, "but the test is in the results." On Thursday, Mideast envoys from the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia - the so-called Quartet of Mideast mediators - met in Cairo to discuss the Gaza withdrawal and how to tie into the "road map" peace plan. The plan, backed by the Quartet, envisions a Palestinian state by 2005. Burns, who participated in the Cairo talks, said Friday the Gaza withdrawal "is a step, hopefully, toward the implementation of the road map." In the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Israeli troops demolished the apartment of a senior militant of the Islamic Jihad group, the army said. Ahmed Abu Akher was involved in a suicide bombing in Jerusalem last year and shooting attacks on an outlying neighborhood of the city, a spokesman said. © 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| Israeli Warplanes Make Warning Flight Over Syria Reuters Wednesday, June 28, 2006 3:06 PM JERUSALEM, June 28 (Reuters) - Israeli warplanes flew over one of President Bashar al-Assad's palaces on Wednesday to warn Syria against supporting Palestinian militants who abducted an Israeli soldier, the Israeli army said. Israeli media reports said four planes carried out the overflights at low altitude, early in the morning, and created several sonic booms. An army spokeswoman said the planes flew over Assad's palace near the city of Latakia, "because the Syrian leadership supports and harbours terrorist leaders, among them Hamas, the kidnappers of the soldier". Israeli media said Assad was at the palace at the time. The armed wing of the ruling Hamas movement was among the three factions that took part in the cross-border raid into Israel from Gaza in which the soldier was seized on Sunday, but it has not said it is holding him. Israeli leaders have accused Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal of being responsible for the kidnapping. Exiled Hamas leaders say they were not involved in the operation to capture the soldier, but are taking seriously Israeli threats to kill them. A senior Syrian official told Reuters that two Israeli planes had penetrated Syrian air space and that Syrian air defences forced them to leave. Israeli television said no ground to air missiles were fired at the Israeli aircraft. "This is a provocative action and it is totally rejected," the Syrian official said. Syrian political commentator Thabet Salem said in Damascus: "The Israelis are trying to make their problems into a regional one because the capture of the solider and settler is embarrassing for their military establishment." (Additional reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis in Damascus) Reut18:56 06-28-06 © 2006 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive ||||| Would you like to receive information from your local NPR member station? (see NPR's privacy policy ) May we contact you with information about NPR programming? (see NPR's privacy policy ) ||||| Israeli artillery continued shelling areas in the Gaza Strip Israeli forces in Gaza The detainees include eight members of the Hamas-led government and 20 MPs. Palestinians called it an act of war. The Israelis say they suspect them of involvement in terrorism, and are holding them for questioning. Foreign ministers of the G8 countries meeting in Moscow called on Israel to exercise utmost restraint. Israeli military units advanced into southern Gaza on Tuesday night as part of efforts to get the soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit, released. They are not bargaining chips for the return of the soldier - it was simply an operation against a terrorist organisation Israeli army spokeswoman Gaza infrastructure suffers Gaza voices: Thursday Much of Gaza has been left without electricity and running water after a power plant was hit by Israeli missiles on Tuesday. Israel aircraft also destroyed several bridges, preventing travel between the north and south of the 45km (30-mile) Strip. The body of a teenage Israeli settler abducted by Palestinian militants on Sunday has now been recovered by Israeli troops near the West Bank town of Ramallah. 'War of terror' Israel has said it will not negotiate Cpl Shalit's release with his captors, or free Palestinian women and children held in its jails, as the militants demand. Gaza Strip in detail Enlarge Map "They are not bargaining chips for the return of the soldier - it was simply an operation against a terrorist organisation," said an Israeli army spokeswoman. As they called for calm, the G8 foreign ministers were among a number of international bodies to question Israel's move. "The detention of elected members of the Palestinian government and legislature raises particular concerns," the ministers said in a written declaration. They also demanded the immediate release of Cpl Gilad - who was seized by Palestinian militants during a raid on an army post outside Gaza on Sunday. "We are united in demanding that the Israeli soldier be freed as soon as possible," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a news conference. We are living, but we feel as if we are dead Doaa Abu-Harb Student, Rafah In pictures: Strike aftermath In quotes: World reaction Meanwhile Syria condemned an incursion by at least two Israeli war planes into its airspace on Wednesday, flying over the summer residence of President Bashar al-Assad. Israeli officials accuse the Syrian government of harbouring the political leadership of Hamas, which it blames for the seizing of Cpl Shalit. Dug in The Israeli military detained more than 64 Hamas officials and parliamentarians in overnight raids across the West Bank. The detained ministers include Finance Minister Omar Abdal Razeq, Social Affairs Minister Fakhri Torokma and Prisoners' Affairs Minister Wasfi Kabha and Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Nasser Shair. CAPTURED ISRAELI SOLDIER Cpl Gilad Shalit, 19 First Israeli soldier captured by Palestinians since 1994 Family waits for news Send us your comments The Israeli air force staged mock raids over Gaza, causing sonic booms, and dropped leaflets in northern Gaza urging residents to avoid moving in the area because of impending military activity. Israel aircraft later attacked a car in Gaza City carrying militants from the Islamic Jihad group, Palestinian sources said. The militants escaped, although one was lightly injured in the blast, witnesses said. Nervous civilians stockpiled batteries and candles, as well as food and water. In southern Gaza, where the Rafah crossing with Egypt has been closed since Cpl Gilad's capture, militants blew a large hole in the border wall. Palestinian security forces stopped people from pushing through the gap by forming a human cordon, and a curfew was imposed. ||||| אזרחי ישראל יכולים רק לדמיין איזה סוג של מידע נאסף עליהם אזרחי ישראל יכולים רק לדמיין איזה סוג של מידע נאסף עליהם. ולא בטוח שאכפת להם | A 3,000 strong detachment of the Israeli Defense Forces has moved back into the Gaza Strip only months after withdrawal of settlements from the area. Eight Hamas cabinet ministers, in addition to other officials, have been detained in a coordinated action codenamed Operation Summer Rains. The pre-planned operation was launched in immediate response to what Israel said was the kidnap of 19-year-old Israeli tank gunner Cpl. Gilad Shalit on 25 June. Map of the Gaza Strip. Three bridges in the Gaza Strip have been bombed for the stated purpose of restricting the movement of the hostage takers and the hostage. In other operations a helicopter attack on a power station in Gaza plunged large portions of the Gaza Strip into darkness, leaving somewhere around 700,000 civilians without electricity or water. While Israeli troops and armored vehicles, lead by bulldozers, also moved into Gaza near a disused international airport. There were also reports of Israeli warplanes making warning flights over Syria in what has been reported to be a warning "against supporting Palestinian militants." "Fight your enemies, who came to their deaths. Grab your rifles and resist," said Nizar Rayan in a radio message to Palestinian militants. Despite this exhortation, there were no immediate reports of casualties or conflicts. "We have no desire to remain in the Gaza Strip," said Israeli National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, on Israel Radio, although he did not give a timetable for the operation. "We want to bring our boy home, that's all." The Popular Resistance Committees threatened to kill an Israeli soldier, kidnapped in the West Bank. The body of an 18-year-old Israeli settler, Eliyahu Yitzhak Asheri, kidnapped while hitchhiking in the West Bank, was found in the A-Tira neighbourhood of Ramallah today; he was killed by Palestinian militants from the Popular Resistance Committees on Sunday. Israel has also detained dozens of Hamas MPs and ministers in a what Israel claims is an unrelated operation. An Israeli official denied the capture as a use for bargaining with the kidnappers saying, "They are not bargaining chips for the return of the soldier - it was simply an operation against a terrorist organisation." |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska was indicted Tuesday on charges that he lied about receiving gifts worth more than $250,000 from an Alaska-based energy company on whose behalf he intervened in Washington. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury. The indictment, returned Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Washington, says the veteran lawmaker "schemed to conceal" the fact that Veco paid for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of work on his home. The indictment follows a wide-ranging investigation into ties between the company and lawmakers in Alaska. The indictment does not accuse Stevens of accepting bribes, Matt Friedrich, the acting assistant attorney general, emphasized in a news conference announcing the charges. "Bribery is not charged in this case," he said, adding that such a charge "requires proof of a specific quid pro quo. This indictment does not allege that." But it does accuse Stevens and his staff of receiving requests from Veco for help in Washington and acting on some of them. In the 28-page indictment, Stevens was charged with seven counts of making false statements on his Senate financial disclosure forms. Stevens has not yet commented on the indictment. The indictment says the home improvements provided by Veco and its chief executive officer, Bill Allen, a "personal friend of Stevens," included a new first floor, a new garage, a new first- and second-story wraparound deck, new plumbing and new wiring. Allen gave Stevens a new 1999 Land Rover worth $44,000 in exchange for $5,000 and Stevens' 1964 Ford Mustang, which was worth less than $20,000 at the time, the indictment charged. In exchange, Stevens "could and did use his official position and his office on behalf of Veco," one of the state's largest employers, the indictment charges. Allen pleaded guilty in May 2007, paying out more than $400,000 "in corrupt payments" to Alaska officials, the Department of Justice said in announcing the Stevens indictment. Allen is cooperating with the Department of Justice as part of his plea agreement, Friedrich said. Veco was acquired by another company, CH2M Hill, in September 2007. The indictment does not restrict Stevens' ability to vote in the Senate, speak on the Senate floor or participate in committee work. Reacting to the indictment, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said it was up to Senate Republicans to decide if any punishment was warranted. "I, of course, have served with Sen. Stevens my entire congressional career," Reid said. "It's a sad day for him, us. But I believe in the American system of justice that he is presumed innocent. "As far as what's going to happen in the Republican caucus, that's up to them. ... How they handle Stevens is certainly up to them. It is not our responsibility. I'll cooperate in any way that I can." Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican, recalled that he and Stevens were veterans of World War II and that "he was a hero and a fighter, and he's been a fighter for this country since then -- a fighter for his state ever since and a strong leader in the Senate. "So all I can say is I hope this can turn out fairly consistent with the law and good decision," Warner said. Another Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, said, "I have known Ted Stevens for 28 years, and I have always found him to be impeccably honest. "I don't know there is anything -- any stronger comment that can be made, and that is my comment," he said. Sen. Daniel Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat who is one of Stevens' closest friends in the Senate, said he thinks Stevens is innocent of the charges against him. "I won't say I'm surprised," Inouye said of the indictments. "He's been under questioning for some time." He said he hadn't spoken to Stevens since news of the indictments broke. Sen. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat who chairs the Senate ethics subcommittee, said she would release a statement later Tuesday. FBI and Internal Revenue Service agents searched Stevens' Alaska home in July 2007 in connection with the investigation, which has snared two oil company executives and a state lobbyist, among others. At the time, he urged constituents "not to form conclusions based upon incomplete and sometimes incorrect reports in the media." The 84-year-old senator is a former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is renowned for his prowess in steering federal funds to his vast, sparsely populated state. Stevens is the oldest Republican senator and second in age only to Sen. Robert Byrd, the 90-year-old Democrat from West Virginia. He has represented Alaska in Washington since 1968 and is up for re-election in November. He is the longest-serving Republican senator in history. All About Ted Stevens • U.S. Senate • U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations ||||| WASHINGTON Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, a legendary political figure closely tied to the rough-and-tumble history of his home state, and who wields outsize influence over federal spending, was indicted on Tuesday on seven felony counts of failing to disclose gifts that he received from an oil services company. A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia charged Mr. Stevens, who is 84 and the longest-serving Republican in the Senate, with failing to report more than $250,000 in gifts, including extensive renovations to his house in Alaska, a Land Rover and home furnishings on financial disclosure forms that he filed from 1999 to 2006. The indictment said that Mr. Stevens “knowingly and willfully engaged in a scheme to conceal” the gifts he received from the VECO Corporation, once one of Alaska’s largest oil field contractors, and its former chief executive, William J. Allen, who last year pleaded guilty in the case. And it comes nearly a year to the day after F.B.I. agents raided the senator’s home as part of a long-running and expansive public corruption investigation in Alaska. Mr. Stevens was informed of the indictment through a telephone call to his lawyer on Tuesday morning and was allowed to surrender instead of being arrested. He was expected to make an initial appearance in Washington before a federal judge, Emmet G. Sullivan, once a hearing is scheduled. ||||| July 29 (Bloomberg) -- Ted Stevens of Alaska, the U.S. Senate's longest-serving Republican, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington on charges he hid hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts from one of his state's largest corporations. The senator, who is seeking re-election and proclaimed his innocence, was charged with seven counts of making false statements on his Senate financial disclosure forms from 1999 to 2006. He failed to report more than $250,000 in gifts and renovations on his house, prosecutors said. A legendary figure in Alaskan politics, Stevens, 84, has steered billions of dollars to the state from his seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. FBI agents raided Stevens's house a year ago as part of the corruption probe. The case will likely boost Democratic chances of winning an Alaska Senate seat for the first time in almost three decades if he remains a candidate, analysts said. ``I think it probably means the end of Ted Stevens's career,'' said former House Republican leader Dick Armey of Texas. Democrats captured control of both houses of Congress in 2006 in part by accusing Republicans of a ``culture of corruption'' in their dealings with Jack Abramoff, the now- imprisoned Republican lobbyist. Stevens's case is unrelated to that federal probe of influence peddling. Denying the Charges In a statement, Stevens said he had never knowingly submitted a false disclosure form. ``I am innocent of these charges and intend to prove that,'' he said. In accordance with party rules, he temporarily stepped down from his posts as ranking Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee and the defense appropriations panel. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, a Republican, said news of the indictment ``rocks the foundation of our state.'' Stevens ``has dedicated his life to the betterment of Alaska,'' she said in a statement. ``I share Alaskans' concern and dismay at this turn of events.'' Today's indictment said Stevens ``knowingly and willfully engaged in a scheme to conceal'' gifts he got from Veco Corp., an Anchorage oil-services contractor, and its chief executive officer. Prosecutors didn't charge Stevens with bribery, a crime that would require the government to prove he took official action in exchange for the gifts. Still, the indictment said Stevens used ``his official position and his office on behalf of Veco.'' Funding for Projects Stevens and the company discussed obtaining funding for international projects, contracts and grants, as well as getting the senator's help for an effort to construct a natural gas pipeline, the court papers said. The government said the gifts he received included improvements on a home in Alaska, new vehicles, furniture and a professional Viking gas grill. Over six years, Veco and Bill Allen, its former chief executive officer, provided free labor and materials to renovate Stevens's house in Girdwood, Alaska, the indictment said. Prosecutors said the project included adding a full basement and a first-floor addition with bedrooms and a bathroom and Stevens often referred to the house as ``the chalet.'' Privately held Veco is now owned by CH2M Hill, a Denver- based global contracting firm. The parent company isn't involved in the investigation. Allen pleaded guilty last year to bribing state lawmakers and is cooperating with the government. Remodeling Bills Stevens told reporters last summer that he and his wife paid all the remodeling bills that were passed onto them. Stevens has served in the Senate since 1968 and has held some of its most powerful positions, including chairmanships of the Appropriations and Commerce committees. Virginia Republican Senator John Warner called Stevens ``a fighter'' and said, ``I hope this will turn out fairly.'' Between 1995 and 2008, Stevens directed more than $3.3 billion in pet projects, or ``earmarks,'' toward his state, according to Citizens Against Government Waste, a Washington- based nonprofit advocacy group. The organization calculated that in 2006, the federal money amounted to almost $500 per person in Alaska, whose population is just 670,000. One particular earmark in 2005, termed the ``Bridge to Nowhere,'' earned notoriety for Stevens and Don Young, Alaska's lone representative in the U.S. House. While funds for the bridge -- which was to connect the town of Ketchikan to an island of 50 full-time residents -- were eventually canceled, the money became a symbol of excessive spending on special-interest projects. Threatening to Resign Stevens, undeterred by the negative publicity, threatened at one point to resign if the Senate rescinded the bridge money. The senator is the latest lawmaker from Alaska charged in the federal political corruption investigation that began in 2004. Allen testified last year that he paid for part of a 2000 remodeling of Stevens's house. The investigation has resulted in seven criminal convictions, including three former state lawmakers, two former oil executives, a lobbyist and the chief of staff of former Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski. Politics played no part in the Stevens case, Matthew Friedrich, the Justice Department's acting criminal division chief, said at a news conference in Washington. ``We bring cases as prosecutors when we believe they are ready,'' he said. ``That policy has been followed to the letter in this case.'' On July 10, after Alaska state Senator John Cowdery was charged with conspiring to bribe another state lawmaker, Stevens said in a statement that he wouldn't comment until the investigation was complete. Working for Alaska ``For over 50 years I have worked hard for Alaskans as part of our territorial, state and federal governments,'' Stevens said in the statement. ``And I will continue to do all I can to assure that Alaska's unique needs are met.'' Stevens faces six Republican challengers in an Aug. 26 primary election. Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is among three candidates seeking the Democratic nomination. On July 21, Rassmusen Reports released a poll that had Begich ahead of Stevens 50 percent to 41 percent. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Texas Republican, was the most recent U.S. senator to be indicted, according to the Senate historian. She was charged in 1993 by a Travis County, Texas, grand jury with misusing state resources. A judge ordered Hutchison acquitted a year later. That same year, Senator David Durenberger, a Minnesota Republican, was indicted on federal charges of misusing public funds. He pleaded guilty in 1995 to misdemeanor charges and was sentenced to one year of probation. To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Schmidt in Washington at rschmidt5@bloomberg.net. To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Forsythe at mforsythe@bloomberg.net. ||||| Tuesday, July 29, 2008 WWW.USDOJ.GOV FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETuesday, July 29, 2008 CRM (202) 514-2007 TDD (202) 514-1888 U.S. Senator Indicted on False Statement Charges WASHINGTON – United States Senator Theodore F. Stevens of Alaska was charged today in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia with seven counts of making false statements related to Stevens’ financial disclosure forms, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division announced. The seven-count indictment charges Sen. Stevens, the former chairperson of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, with engaging in a nearly eight-year scheme to conceal his receipt of more than $250,000 in things of value from VECO Corporation, formerly a multi-national oil services company based in Alaska, and Bill J. Allen, the Chief Executive Officer of VECO at the time. According to the indictment, Stevens concealed these things of value from his publicly filed United States Senate financial disclosure forms. The things of value that Stevens allegedly received included: substantial home improvements to property Stevens owns in Girdwood, Alaska; automobile exchanges in which Stevens received new vehicles worth far more than the used vehicles Stevens provided in exchange; and household goods. The indictment also alleges that Sen. Stevens, during the same time that he was concealing his continuing receipt of these things of value from VECO and Allen, received solicitations for official actions from Allen and other VECO employees, and that Sen. Stevens used his position and office on behalf of VECO during that same time period. The indictment specifically charges Stevens with making false statements on his financial disclosure forms for calendar years 2001 to 2006. The indictment alleges that, during each of those years, Stevens knowingly failed to report his receipt of any thing of value from Allen, VECO or two other individuals, despite the fact that the forms required Stevens to report his receipt of such things of value. As set forth in the indictment, the Ethics in Government Act requires all members of the United States Senate to file a financial disclosure form, detailing specified financial transactions that the elected official engaged in during the prior calendar year, including disclosure of gifts over a specified monetary amount and disclosure of liabilities in excess of $10,000 owed during any point of a calendar year. The indictment is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation in the state of Alaska. An indictment is merely an allegation. Defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law. To date, there have been seven criminal convictions arising out of the ongoing investigation. Thomas T. Anderson, a former elected member of the Alaska House of Representatives, was convicted in July 2007 and sentenced to five years in prison for extortion, conspiracy, bribery and money laundering for soliciting and receiving money from an FBI confidential source in exchange for agreeing to perform official acts to further a business interest represented by the source. Peter Kott, a former Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives, was convicted in September 2007 and sentenced to six years in prison for extortion, bribery and conspiracy. Victor H. Kohring, a former elected member of the Alaska House of Representatives, was convicted at trial in November 2007 for attempted extortion, bribery and conspiracy, and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. In March 2008, James A. Clark, chief of staff to the former governor of Alaska, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services mail and wire fraud. In addition, former Anchorage lobbyist William Bobrick pleaded guilty in May 2007 to felony public corruption charges. Former VECO Chief Executive Officer Bill J. Allen and former VECO Vice President of Community Affairs and Government Relations Richard L. Smith, pleaded guilty in May 2007 to providing more than $400,000 in corrupt payments to public officials from the state of Alaska. This case is being prosecuted by Principal Deputy Chief Brenda K. Morris, Trial Attorneys Nicholas A. Marsh and Edward P. Sullivan of the Criminal Division's Public Integrity Section, headed by Chief William M. Welch II, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph W. Bottini and James A. Goeke from the District of Alaska. The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigative Division. Indictment Press Conference Transcript ### 08-668 | United States Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska has been indicted by federal grand jury on seven criminal counts for making false statements in his Senate financial disclosure forms. The longest-serving Republican in the Senate, Stevens is the highest-profile politician ensnared in the corruption scandal surrounding VECO Corporation and its executives' attempts to influence politics. United States Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska VECO, a subsidiary of CH2M Hill as of September 2007, is an oil pipeline and services company. It is alleged to have funded renovations to the Stevens home in Girdwood, Alaska in 2000. The renovations include a new garage and first floor, a two story wrap-around deck, as well as new wiring and plumbing. In 2007, VECO chief executive Bill Allen pleaded guilty to charges of extortion, bribery, and conspiracy. The 28-page indictment alleges that Stevens "knowingly and willfully engaged in a scheme to conceal" gifts from VECO, which totaled "hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of things of value." A press release was issued by Stevens' office in response to the allegations: "I am innocent of these charges and intend to prove that." And Stevens himself commented, "I have never knowingly submitted a false disclosure form required by law as a U.S. senator." Senator Daniel Inouye, a close friend of Stevens, commented: "As far as he's concerned, he's not guilty. And I believe him." Stevens was reportedly caught unawares on Tuesday when the indictment charge was filed. "Apparently, the media knew about it before he did," Inouye stated, adding that he had just talked to Stevens. Ted Stevens was in a meeting with other Republicans when he found out about the charge. Stevens is the longest-serving Republican senator in history and is up for reelection this November. Calls to his office in Washington for comment were redirected to a voicemail indicating that his "office is closed." The United States Department of Justice says it has already obtained seven convictions in the case: Peter Kott, a former Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives; Thomas T. Anderson, a former state representative; Victor H. Kohring, another representative; James A. Clark, chief of staff to the former governor of Alaska; William Bobrick, a lobbyist; Bill Allen, VECO chief executive; and Richard L. Smith, VECO vice president of government relations. |
We've noticed you're adblocking. We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Thank you for your support. ||||| The Chancellor's message to the countries of Africa was this: "We are aware of our responsibility and we will honour our commitments." The G8 needed to "fulfil the promises we made," she said. Photo: REGIERUNGonline / Bergmann Welcome at the assembly rooms At the same time, the G8 and the African partners were in agreement that they would also have to fulfil their commitments, for example as regards democracy and good governance. Now the task was to see what had already been achieved in that respect and what still remained to be done. Speaking on behalf of the African Union (AU), the Chairman, Ghanaian President John Kufuor, said that African countries were also prepared to play their part in making the Outreach Process a "true partnership". Kufuor proposed establishing a body which would be responsible for supporting and regularly reviewing the co-operation. US$60 billion to combat infectious diseases Over the coming years the G8 will be making a total of US$60 billion (around €44 billion) available to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. This is to be used to safeguard universal access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention programmes, treatment and care, and to develop health systems at local level. Particular attention in the fight against infectious diseases is to be paid to the needs of adolescent girls, women and children. Germany will be providing €4 billion to support efforts to combat these illnesses. A continent on the move In their Final Declaration on Africa, the G8 underlined again their strong interest in a stable, democratic and prosperous African continent. The governments of the G8 countries stressed their firm resolve to implement the commitments made at the 2005 G8 Summit. The historic debt relief is "well on the way", the document claims. Official development assistance (ODA) for Africa will be increased by $25 billion a year, compared to 2004, by 2010. Photo: REGIERUNGonline / Bergmann Working session Despite political and economic reforms and the associated economic growth in countries in Africa, the G8 feel that much still remains to be done. A "vigorous impetus" seems necessary to ensure that Africa will achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. A further set of measures is thus to be introduced to promote sustainable development in Africa. The leading industrialised nations have made the following commitment: "We will focus on promoting growth and investments in order to combat poverty and hunger, to foster peace and security, good governance and the strengthening of health systems, and to assist the fight against infectious diseases." ||||| Aids charities say the pledge does not go far enough Officials said half of that amount would come from the United States. On the final day of their summit, they repeated a commitment made at the 2005 Gleneagles summit to double aid for Africa by the end of the decade. But anti-poverty campaigners expressed disappointment, with Bob Geldof saying the outcome was a "total farce". This wasn't serious, this was a total farce Bob Geldof Modest progress for the G8 Excerpts of summit agreements The pledge followed a deal to seek "substantial" cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to tackle climate change. US President George Bush missed the first few hours of business on Friday, suffering from a stomach complaint. At the close of the summit, the G8 issued a number of statements on other topics, saying: It supported "further measures" against Iran if Tehran failed to stop its uranium enrichment programme It would back further action against Sudan if Khartoum failed to support international efforts to end the conflict in Darfur North Korea should stop testing nuclear-capable missiles and abandon all nuclear programmes It had failed to find a common position on the future status of Kosovo Limited progress Mr Bush announced last month that the US would dedicate $30bn to the fight against Aids, and diplomats confirmed that would make up half of the funding announced on Friday. GLENEAGLES SUMMIT 2005 G8 nations agreed to wipe the debts of 18 African countries Announced $50bn boost to aid for Africa Pledged universal access to HIV drugs in Africa by 2010 Committed to training 20,000 peacekeepers for Africa Vowed to work towards a new trade deal In return, African leaders committed to democracy and good governance One year on: Progress report Diary: On tour with Bush The BBC's James Robbins, who is at the summit, says the pledge follows acknowledgement that the G8 members had not met their 2005 commitments. They have now agreed to a declaration stressing their firm resolve to implement those commitments, and to keep Africa at the top of the agenda in Japan next year. Specifically, after much wrangling, the eight agreed to make up the $500m shortfall in this year's spending for education in Africa, our correspondent says. But anti-poverty campaigners were unimpressed by the moves. "This wasn't serious, this was a total farce... I won't have it spun as anything else except a farce," Bob Geldof said. He added that instead of re-committing to the promises made two years ago, the G8 leaders had to get serious and deliver. But he praised UK Prime Minister Tony Blair for pursuing the anti-poverty campaign "to the point of exhaustion". Oxfam said only $3bn of the money was new. UK development agency Tearfund said there was nothing in the G8 communique which could benefit trade in Africa, and the key issues of water and sanitation were not mentioned at all. The Aids package was also criticised as inadequate. "While lives will be saved with more money for Aids, this represents a cap on ambition that will ultimately cost millions more lives," said Steve Cockburn of the Stop Aids Campaign. HAVE YOUR SAY We should be looking at why the G8 haven't fulfilled previous commitments rather than allowing them off the hook to make more empty promises John Brooks, Manchester, UK Send us your comments Mr Blair said "immense progress" had been made in Germany. He said the G8 had reasserted the Gleneagles goals, "but the important thing is we have set out how we are going to do them". Most campaigners acknowledge that some progress has been made since Gleneagles. Writing off the debt of 18 African nations has allowed Zambia, for instance, to expand free healthcare in rural areas. But other commitments - like a sustained boost to aid, and the pledge to work towards a free trade deal that would remove tariffs on African exports to developed countries - have still not materialised. Global greenhouse gas emissions must stop rising, followed by substantial global emission reductions G8 statement Reaction to climate deal In pictures: Anti-G8 protests Nigeria's newly elected President Umaru Yar'Adua, one of six African leaders attending the summit on Friday, told BBC News he would be seeking better trade deals for Africa and increased efforts to resolve the crisis in Darfur. Thursday saw leaders agree a climate change deal. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the G8 would negotiate within a UN framework to seek a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol by the end of 2009. No mandatory target was set for the emissions cuts, but Mrs Merkel's preference for a 50% cut by 2050 was included in the statement. ||||| By Madeline Chambers and Gernot Heller HEILIGENDAMM, Germany (Reuters) - World powers on Friday pledged $60 billion to fight AIDS and other diseases ravaging Africa but development campaigners complained the Group of Eight had offered little fresh cash for the poor. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, hosting G8 leaders and heads of five African states, trumpeted the agreement as a showpiece achievement of the three-day summit, along with Thursday's deal to push for greenhouse gas emissions cuts. "We are conscious of our obligations and want to fulfill the promises we made. And we will do that," said Merkel. "We also gave a push to the fight against AIDS," she told reporters. Despite deals on aid and climate, cracks showed in the united front leaders tried to present, with tension between an emboldened Russia and an alarmed West never far from the surface. Russian President Vladimir Putin refused French entreaties to accept the independence of Kosovo. He told President George W. Bush to scrap plans to put anti-missile equipment in central Europe and use Russian facilities instead. Putin, who is due to step down next year, ended the summit by warning foreigners not to meddle in Russia's elections after hearing concern from G8 leaders about the erosion of freedoms. British leader Tony Blair, who steps down this month, said he did not expect tension with Russia to diminish soon. London wants the suspected murderer of poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko extradited. Putin has called the request foolish. FALLING SHORT Continued... | Heiligendamm, Germany on Thursday, June 7, 2007 G8 leaders at the 33rd G8 summit have announced a deal pledging US$60 billion in aid to Africa. The deal, to which all the leaders agreed, called "Growth and Responsibility for Africa" is a commitment to fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria on the continent. It is similar to the pledge made at the G8 at Gleneagles two years ago. The communique says the G8 will "implement a package for HIV prevention, treatment and care" to achieve "as close as possible to universal access to treatment for all those who need it by 2010." German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "We are aware of our responsibility and we will honour our commitments." Critics have noted, however, that the document, "Growth and Responsibility for Africa," estimates that it will "support life-saving anti-retroviral treatment through bilateral and multilateral efforts for approximately five million people." The United Nations says that 9.8 million people need such care, 7 million of whom live in Africa. Groups advocating for Africa aid say it falls short of United Nations targets. "While lives will be saved with more money for AIDS, this represents a cap on ambition that will ultimately cost millions more lives," said Steve Cockburn of the Stop AIDS Campaign. "Do they think we can’t read or count?" asked musician/activist Bono. "We are looking for accountable language and accountable numbers: we didn’t get them today." |
1 of 9. Free Syrian Army fighters run for cover after Syrian forces fired a mortar in the El Amreeyeh neighborhood of Syria's northwestern city of Aleppo August 30, 2012. DUBAI/AMMAN | DUBAI/AMMAN (Reuters) - Egypt called on Thursday for intervention to halt bloodshed in Syria, telling a meeting of 120 nations it was their duty to stand against the "oppressive regime" of Bashar al-Assad, prompting a Syrian walkout. President Mohamed Mursi, elected two months ago after a popular uprising toppled Egypt's long-standing leader Hosni Mubarak, said Assad had lost legitimacy in his fight to crush a 17-month-old revolt in which 20,000 people have been killed. Mursi's scathing speech to a summit of non-aligned leaders, hosted by Assad's Shi'ite ally Iran, prompted Syria's foreign minister to accuse the moderate Sunni Islamist leader of inciting further bloodshed in Syria. The political broadside against the Syrian president came as rebels said they shot down a fighter plane in northern Syria, where his air force has been bombarding opposition-held towns in a fierce counter-offensive against insurgents. It was the latest strike by Assad's foes on the air power he has increasingly relied on to crush the uprising. Rebels said this week they attacked a northern military air base and shot down a helicopter that was bombarding a district of Damascus. "The bloodshed in Syria is our responsibility on all our shoulders and we have to know that the bloodshed cannot stop without effective interference from all of us," Mursi said. "We all have to announce our full solidarity with the struggle of those seeking freedom and justice in Syria, and translate this sympathy into a clear political vision that supports a peaceful transition to a democratic system of rule that reflects the demands of the Syrian people for freedom." His comments prompted Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem to storm out of the meeting, complaining that Mursi was inciting fighters to "continue shedding Syrian blood", Syrian state television said. ASSAD SAYS NEEDS TIME Assad, in his first television interview since rebels took their fight into the heart of Damascus and the country's biggest city, Aleppo, said on Wednesday his fight to put down the uprising was going well but needed more time. "Everyone wants this battle to be completed in days or weeks but this isn't reasonable, because we are in the middle of a regional and international struggle and it needs time to be resolved," he said. Mainly peaceful protests were met with force by Assad's military, and the uprising has degenerated into a civil war with sectarian overtones and regional dimensions. The mainly Sunni Muslim rebels are backed by regional Sunni powers, particularly Gulf Arab states and Turkey. Assad, whose Alawite community is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, has support from Iran, a rival of Gulf Arab states and Western powers. Lebanon's Shi'ite militia Hezbollah has also shown solidarity with the Syrian president. The role of regional powers has assumed greater significance because of deadlock at U.N. Security Council, where diplomatic stalemate has marginalized the major powers. U.S., Russian and Chinese ministers are not expected to attend Thursday's U.N. Security Council meeting on Syria, underlining the fact that both Assad's critics and backers on the council see little prospect of it taking any action. "We wanted a resolution on humanitarian issues, but we faced a double refusal," said a French diplomat, whose country will chair the meeting in New York. "The United States and Britain believe we have reached the end of what can be achieved at the Security Council, and Moscow and Beijing said that such a resolution would have been biased." Nearly a year and a half after the uprising erupted, Assad's political foes are equally divided. A member of the Syrian National Council, which once hoped to win international endorsement as the country's leadership-in-waiting, resigned this week complaining it was not doing enough to back the revolt and must be replaced by a new political authority. "My sense was that the SNC was not up to facing the increasing challenges on the ground," Basma Kodmani, the latest council member to break from the SNC, told Reuters. PLANE "SHOT DOWN" The Syrian Martyrs Brigade said on Thursday it brought down a plane near the town of al-Thayabiya. Video footage on Al Arabiya television showed what appeared to be smoke in the sky and a person parachuting down. An army helicopter hovered over the area, apparently in search of the pilot. "The brigade has started targeting the regime's air assets, including military airports," a member of the group said from Idlib, declining to give further details. As well as targeting rebels, Assad's jets and artillery have also struck at least 10 bakeries in Aleppo province in the last three weeks, killing dozens of people as they waited in line to buy bread, the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said. It said the attacks were either deliberate or done without care to avoid the hundreds of civilians forced to queue outside a dwindling number of bakeries in Syria's biggest city, a front line in the civil war. One attack two weeks ago killed around 60 people and wounded more than 70, it said. The fighting around Aleppo, Damascus and the southern province of Deraa, where protests against Assad first erupted in March 2011, has prompted waves of refugees to flood into neighbouring Turkey and Jordan. Turkey urged the United Nations to protect displaced Syrians inside their own country, to take the pressure off its crowded refugee camps, and France said it was studying the issue of buffer zones in Syria, an idea Assad dismissed as unrealistic. (Additional reporting by John Irish at the United Nations, Erika Solomon in Beirut, Marcus George in Dubai; Writing by Dominic Evans; Editing by Jon Boyle) ||||| Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood official who became Egypt’s first democratically elected president in June, aroused concern in the west that his decision to attend a meeting of the non-aligned movement in Tehran marked a shift in the country’s pro-western foreign policy. But he used his keynote speech to the meeting to call on the Assad regime in Syria, Iran’s closest ally, to step down. “We should all express our full support to the struggle of those who are demanding freedom and justice in Syria and translate our sympathies into a clear political vision that supports peaceful transfer to a democratic system,” he said. As he spoke, the Syrian foreign minister, Walid al-Muallem, walked out. He told state television that Mr Morsi’s speech interfered in Syrian internal affairs and “incited continued bloodshed". Mr Morsi’s attendance at the conference represented the first visit by an Egyptian president to Tehran since the 1979 Iranian revolution put the two countries on opposite sides in the struggle between America and its allies and the so-called “axis of resistance". But he has also been keen to insist that while the new Egypt will be open to all countries in the Middle East, it will stick to old agreements, including the peace deal with Israel. His backing for the opposition in Syria is not unexpected - it is now largely dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, the Assad regime’s fiercest enemy - but his speech was stronger than it needed to be. He made clear that he was considering the wider implications for his stance. “Our solidarity with the struggle of Syrians against an oppressive regime that has lost its legitimacy is an ethical duty, and a political and strategic necessity,” he said. He said explicitly that the uprising against the Assad regime followed those in Tunisia, Libya and Yemen, and the revolution that brought him to power in Egypt. Iran’s stated view is that the downfall of pro-American regimes in Tunisia and Egypt was part of the “Islamic awakening” that stemmed from its own 1979 revolution, and in contrast to the “imperialist" counter-revolution in Syria. The speech also cast in a new light a bid by Mr Morsi to put together a Middle Eastern “contact group” involving Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to find a solution to the Syrian crisis. His speech made clear that he would form part of a Sunni-led, anti-Assad majority in which Iran would be boxed into a corner. He has previously opposed foreign military intervention in the Syrian war, but he hinted that more options were on the table. “The bloodletting in Syria is the responsibility of all of us and we should know that this bloodletting won’t be stopped without active interference,” he said. Attention will now turn to a meeting of the United Nations security council in New York later on Thursday, where Turkey is expected to present proposals for a “safe zone” for refugees inside Syria’s northern border. Any suggestion that such a zone would be policed by outside forces - such as the Turks themselves - is likely to be resisted by Russia and China, which hold vetoes. In Syria itself, meanwhile, rebels claimed to have shot down a regime fighter jet in the northern province of Idlib. On Wednesday, rebels, including an Islamist brigade working with the Free Syrian Army, claimed to have attacked two military air bases in Idlib province, destroying ten helicopters, ten Mig fighter jets, and a number of tanks, though their claims could not be independently verified. | Mohamed Morsi (left) pictured in June. Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi strongly backed the Syrian rebels Thursday in a speech at the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Iran. Morsi, a Sunni Muslim and member of the Muslim Brotherhood, is the first Egyptian leader in 30 years to visit Iran – an ally of Syrian Prime Minister Shi'ite dominated regime. In a strongly worded speech, which caused Syrian foreign minister to walk out in protest, Morsi called the Syrian regime "oppressive", saying that it has lost legitimacy. Delegates were told, "the bloodshed in Syria is our responsibility on all our shoulders and we have to know that the bloodshed cannot stop without effective interference from all of us." Morsi called on delegates to "... announce our full solidarity with the struggle of those seeking freedom and justice in Syria, and translate this sympathy into a clear political vision that supports a peaceful transition to a democratic system of rule that reflects the demands of the Syrian people for freedom." For the Syrian government, foreign minister al Muallem subsequently told state media that President Morsi was interfering in Syrian domestic affairs and inciting further violence in the conflict. Morsi's speech was viewed by commentators as a direct rebuke to Iran and a message that they had chosen the wrong side in the Syrian conflict. The speech also allayed fears in the west that his attendance at a meeting of non-aligned countries indicated a change in Egyptian foreign policy to a less pro-Western stance. == Sources == * * |
Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has confirmed that nine-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt will train with the Bundesliga club. The chief executive told Kicker magazine on Sunday that “it was no joke” and “not a marketing move”. Dortmund and Bolt are both sponsored by the same Germany-based sports goods company Puma, whose president contacted Dortmund to say that Bolt had asked about training with the team. “We decided this some time ago,” Watzke said. “Puma CEO Bjorn Gulden, who is member of our board, has told us that Usain is highly interested in practising with us. “For us that’s no problem. Our coach Thomas Tuchel likes the idea as well. Of course he won’t visit us in an important week with Champions League matches but maybe in the pre-season. We are delighted and take this as an honour.’ Asked if Bolt could have a future in Dortmund, Watzke replied: “We don’t even need to talk about it.” Bolt’s love of football is well documented and the Jamaican is known to be an avid Manchester United fan. Watch the moment Usain Bolt became triple Olympic champion in the 100m The sprinter, who claimed three gold medals in Rio at the Summer Olympics, has previously outlined his desire to play for the Premier League side. "For me, if I could get to play for Manchester United, that would be like a dream come true," he said. "Yes, that would be epic." ||||| Already famed for their lightning-quick attacking style, Borussia Dortmund may be set for a lesson in how to hit the turbo boost with sprinter Usain Bolt set for a stint training with Die Schwarz-Gelben. Click here to bolster your Official Fantasy Bundesliga team with some of Dortmund's deadly attackers. In an interview with English daily The Guardian over the weekend, it was suggested that the reigning World and Olympic 100m and 200m champion had been in contact with Dortmund about the possibility of training with the North Rhine-Westphalia club. Check out our overview of next weekend's Klassiker between Dortmund and Bayern. "It's neither a joke nor a marketing measure, it's something that has been decided on for quite a while," Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke told German sports magazine Kicker when asked about Bolt's intentions. Watzke added that he learned, "...a few weeks ago that Usain had asked if he could train with us; I said absolutely, no problem at all. Our coach (Thomas Tuchel) is also good with it." A huge fan of the game, Usain Bolt may be about to test himself alongside Borussia Dortmund's finest. It is well-known that the Jamaican sprinter is a passionate football fan and, despite now being 30, still harbours serious ambitions of playing professionally. Although he would not be drawn on Bolt's desires to sign for a top club, Watzke said that BVB would be delighted to entertain the Kingston-native at their Dortmund-Brackel training base. "We wouldn't organise it during a period where we have a midweek game, of course, but perhaps during a preparatory phase or something like that," the CEO explained. "The team would no doubt think it a great idea too. We're looking forward to it, and it's an honour for us." A one-on-one sprint against Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would be an intriguing prospect... Dortmund host FC Bayern München on Matchday 11 - head to the Match Centre for all the pre-game build-up! ||||| Usain Bolt has revealed that he will train with Borussia Dortmund as he targets a "dream" sporting switch to Manchester United. The 30-year-old Olympic sprinting star has said on numerous occasions that he would love the chance to become a professional player for his favoured club United. The Jamaican plans to retire from athletics after the 2017 World Championships in London next August, which would - hypothetically - be perfect timing to make the switch to football in time for the 2017/18 season. Speaking about a potential career in football, Bolt told the Guardian: "We've genuinely been talking to people." The nine-time Olympic champion will soon train with Bundesliga club Dortmund after contacting coach Thomas Tuchel, and says he will "see what happens" at BvB. Bolt has been a long-time United fan (Man Utd via Getty Images) But Bolt's intention is to play at Old Trafford under Jose Mourinho if given the opportunity: "For me, if I could get to play for Manchester United, that would be like a dream come true. Yes, that would be epic." Bolt also said recently: "If [United] call me to say, ‘we need you now’, I’d take the next flight to England." Bolt has been questioned about his future of late, with one journalist asking whether the sprinter sees himself more in the mould of Barcelona legend Lionel Messi or Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Never one to miss the chance to impress, Bolt said: "I’d be a good mixture. By combining the talents of the two and adding my speed and my heart, I would be the greatest!" | On Sunday, German football club Borussia Dortmund (BVB) announced Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt is to train with the club. 30-year-old Usain Bolt, a nine-time Olympics gold-medal winning , is a Manchester United F.C. supporter. File photo of Usain Bolt, 2016 Summer Olympics. Known as "the fastest man on earth", Bolt is sponsored by German sports company who also sponsors Borussia Dortmund. According to Dortmund CEO , Puma CEO Bjørn Gulden informed the club of Usain's interest in practising with them. In remarks to magazine '''', Watzke said this was "neither a joke nor a marketing measure". He did say, "We wouldn't organise it during a period where we have a midweek game, of course, but perhaps during a preparatory phase or something like that". Watzke said BVB coach is agreeable with the idea, but the club hasn't suggested offering the Jamaican a contract. Taking about a chance to play for his favoured club, Bolt said, "For me, if I could get to play for Manchester United, that would be like a dream come true. Yes, that would be epic." Bolt won three Olympics gold medals in this year's Olympics edition in Rio de Janeiro. Bolt has indicated he means to retire from athletics after next year's World Championships scheduled to be hosted in London in August. == Sources == * * * |
CHETUMAL, Mexico (CNN) -- Hurricane Dean made landfall on Mexico's Yucatan coast Tuesday morning as a monster Category 5 storm -- capable of inflicting catastrophic damage -- after gaining intensity in the western Caribbean overnight. Residents look at the waters in Chetumal, Mexico. Rain from the storm hit Monday. more photos » The leading edge of Dean's eyewall moved ashore at about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday just north of Chetumal, the capital of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Dean's maximum sustained winds were 165 mph, and the center of the storm was about 35 miles east-northeast of Chetumal moving west-northwest at about 20 mph, according to the NHC's 4 a.m. (5 a.m. ET) advisory. A Category 5 storm is the most extreme level on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity. Such hurricanes can have a storm surge of more than 18 feet and are powerful enough to take off roofs, uproot trees, blow out windows and even completely destroy some structures. The area where the eye came ashore is rural and sparsely populated. However, hurricane force winds extended 60 miles from the center, and tropical storm conditions extended 175 miles. Electricity was out in Chetumal, where most of the 130,000 residents in the coastal city appeared to have heeded government warnings to seek shelter or evacuate. Further north, tourists fled popular resort areas such as Cancun and Cozumel, trying to get a seat on the last planes out before the storm. Of the 20,000 tourists in Quintana Roo, about 13,000 had been evacuated as of Monday evening, and planes were still taking off, said Rosario Ortiz Yeladaque, the state's secretary of government. About 20,000 tourists remained in Cancun hotels. Security guards at the Gran Melia Hotel prevented guests and journalists from going outside into the storm by chaining and barricading exits, according to CNN's Jason Carroll. Watch I-Reporter Kevin Canning's video of Hurricane Dean in Belize » Jeff Spiegel, owner of the Azul Resort in Amerbergris Caye, Belize, said it was "incredibly windy" and the ocean surge was "very, very high." Most of the docks and piers have been washed away on the western side of his narrow island, he said. Dean is so large -- about the size of Texas -- that its tropical winds and waves were expected to affect the entire Yucatan and neighboring Belize to the south. The Mexican government deployed 4,000 troops to the area, and a state of emergency was declared in the inland state of Campeche, where residents were bracing for as much as 20 inches of rain in some places. Watch I-Report images of Dean's effects on the Caribbean » Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who was in Canada for a trilateral meeting with President Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, announced he would cut short his visit and return home Tuesday to deal with the storm. In anticipation of the storm, parts of Belize, including Belize City, were put under a curfew Monday night, and Prime Minister Said Musa froze prices of goods and services to prevent price gouging. People were being evacuated from low-lying, coastal and valley areas to hurricane shelters, the prime minister's office said in a statement. Dean is forecast to weaken substantially as it crosses the Yucatan peninsula Tuesday, before re-emerging in the Gulf of Mexico, strengthening again and hitting central Mexico Wednesday with winds around 100 mph. Forecasters do not believe it presents a threat to the United States, although officials in Texas continued to make storm preparations just in case Dean's path takes an unexpected turn. Hurricane warnings were in effect for Belize and both the east coast of the Yucatan, facing the Caribbean, and the west coast, facing the Gulf of Mexico, which means hurricane conditions, including winds of at least 74 mph, were expected in those areas over the next 24 hours. Along the northern Yucatan coast, winds were only expected to reach tropical storm force, above 39 mph. Mexican authorities also issued a hurricane watch for the country's western Gulf coast from the Bay of Campeche northward to Tampico, which means hurricane conditions were possible within 36 hours. Meanwhile, in Jamaica, residents cleaned up fallen trees and debris Monday as the island nation started to recover from its brush with Dean on Sunday. While electric service was still out and most stores were closed, the international airport in Montego Bay reopened Monday night, allowing tourists who had been caught in the storm to finally begin leaving. Impact Your World See how you can make a difference Although parts of Jamaica were pounded with sustained winds of 114 mph, the eye of the hurricane actually passed to the south of the island, sparing its 2.8 million residents from a direct hit. While the storm caused property damage and triggered landslides in some rural areas, no deaths were reported. Dean is being blamed for at least seven deaths in its march across the Caribbean, including two fatalities in Haiti, two in both Martinique and Dominica and one in St. Lucia. E-mail to a friend CNN's Susan Candiotti, Harris Whitbeck, Gary Tuchman, and Rob Marciano contributed to this report. Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. All About Hurricane Dean ||||| (Page 1 of 2) Fast Facts Dean could strengthen and come ashore again in Mexico at about 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, possibly near Laguna Verde - home to the nation's only nuclear power plant - or at Tecolutla, a coastal river town and oil industry hub. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Go To Comments (CBS/AP) Hurricane Dean swept across the Yucatan peninsula Tuesday, toppling trees, power lines and houses as it bore down on the heart of Mexico's oil industry. Glitzy resorts on the Mayan Riviera were spared, but vulnerable Mayan villages were exposed to the full fury of one of history's most intense storms. President Felipe Calderon said no deaths were immediately reported in Mexico, after Dean killed 13 people in the Caribbean. But driving rain, poor communications and impassable roads made it difficult to determine how isolated Mayan communities fared in the sparsely populated jungle where Dean made landfall as a ferocious Category 5 hurricane. Dean is the most powerful Atlantic hurricane to hit land in two decades, reports CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano . Dean weakened over land but is expected to strengthen as its eye moved over the Bay of Campeche, home to more than 100 oil platforms and three major oil exporting ports. The sprawling, westward storm was projected to slam into the mainland at about 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, with renewed force near Laguna Verde, Mexico's only nuclear power plant. "We often see that when a storm weakens, people let down their guard completely. You shouldn't do that," said Jamie Rhome at the U.S. National Hurricane Center. "This storm probably won't become a Category 5 again, but it will still be powerful." At 5 p.m. EDT, Dean had winds of 80 mph and was centered about 60 miles west-southwest of Campeche. The storm was moving west at 20 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. For all its power, Dean's path was fortunate, taking it across one of the most sparsely populated sections of the coastlinenear the cruise ship port of Costa Maya, which had largely been evacuated, reports Solorzano. While 50,000 tourists were safely evacuated from resorts on the Yucatan peninsula, many poor Indians closer to the storm's direct path refused military orders to leave their homes, according to Gen. Alfonso Garcia, who was running shelters in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, 30 miles north of the eye's path. Troops evacuated more than 250 small communities, and 8,000 people took refuge in 500 shelters, said Jorge Acevedo, a Quintana Roo state spokesman. Others turned away soldiers with machetes and refused to leave, but some of them changed their minds when the winds and rain intensified, he said. Little was known about the thousands who rode out the storm in low-lying communities of stick huts or the handful who hid from soldiers evacuating smaller resorts like Majahual, where Dean made landfall with 165 mph winds and gusts of 200 mph faster than the takeoff speed of many passenger jets. "I'm really worried the hurricane passed over the Mayan communities, which are the poorest on the Yucatan peninsula," Calderon said before leaving Canada on a flight to Chetumal. Mexican officials said they are making slow progress on nearly impassable, unpaved roads to reach the most likely hardest hit places. In less isolated towns, people emerged to survey toppled trees and downed power lines crisscrossing flooded streets. "If only the government would lend us a hand," said Georgina Hernandez, 59, whose three children all lost their homes in the town of Los Limones. Dean's path takes it directly through the Cantarell oil field, Mexico's most productive. The entire field's operations were shut down just ahead of the storm, reducing daily production by 2.7 million barrels of oil and 2.6 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Insured losses from the storm are likely to range between $750 million and $1.5 billion, according to Risk Management Solutions, which calculates hurricane damage for the insurance industry. Most of that was in Jamaica, which Tuesday postponed its Aug. 27 general elections, in order to take time to survey the damage. Mexico's insured losses won't exceed $400 million, predicted AIR Worldwide, another insurance consulting company. Continued 1 | 2 © MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. | Hurricane Dean satellite image as of 19:15 UTC on August 21, 2007. After gaining strength in the western Caribbean last night, made landfall as a Category 5 storm on Mexico's at about 4:30 a.m. this morning (EDT). The storm struck just north of , the capital of the Mexican state of . However, hurricane-force winds were felt over 60 miles (~100 km) away from the center of the storm, and tropical storm conditions impacted areas 175 miles (280 km) away. The Mexican government ordered the deployment of over 4,000 troops, and declared a state of emergency in the state of Campeche. Some areas braced for up to 20 inches (510 mm) of rain. Dean made landfall as a category 5 storm, before being downgraded hours later to a category 3 storm. Later Tuesday afternoon, Dean was downgraded to a category 2 storm. Currently, the storm maintains category 1 status, with top sustained winds at 85 mph (137 km/h). The hurricane moved towards modern oil installations of the Yucatan Peninsula, prompting evacuations of offshore oil rigs that produce most of Mexico's oil and gas. Forecasters warn the storm could pick up strength as it crosses the and turn into an even more destructive hurricane before making a second landfall on Wednesday. A hurricane warning remains in effect along the Gulf Coast of Mexico from south of Progreso to Tampico. Forecasters do not believe it presents a threat to the United States. Dean is being blamed for 13 deaths already. |
MIAMI (Reuters) - A Sumatran orangutan, thought to be the world's oldest, has died in Miami at age 55, a zoo spokesman said on Sunday. Nonja, who was born in the wild on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in June 1952, was found dead on Saturday morning, Miami Metro Zoo spokesman Ron Magill told Reuters. He said a necropsy had been performed on Saturday and that a small mass of blood had been found on Nonja's brain, pointing to a tumor or aneurysm as the likely cause of death. Magill said one other Sumatran orangutan had lived until the age of 57. But Nonja was believed to be the oldest surviving great ape of her kind in the world, both in captivity and in the wild, he said. Most of the animals die before they reach their mid-40s, according to Magill, who said Nonja had mothered five offspring. "She was a grande dame and I think she knew it," he said. Nonja was shipped to Miami from a zoo in Holland in 1983 and her name means "girl" in Dutch, Magill said. According to the Sumatran Orangutan Society, the species has been classified as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union and could become extinct in the wild in less than 10 years. There were 7,300 Sumatran orangutans in the wild in 2003, the group said. ||||| 55-Year-Old Orangutan Dies in Miami Zoo MIAMI (AP) — A 55-year-old Sumatran orangutan, believed to be the world's oldest, has died, a Miami zoo spokesman said. Nonja, who was born on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and lived in Miami since 1983, was found dead Saturday morning, said Ron Magill, spokesman for the Miami Metro Zoo. "Everybody's very sad, especially with an animal like an orangutan," Magill said. "You see a lot of yourself in these animals. The great apes are our closest relatives." A necropsy is to be performed in the next few days. A typical life span for Sumatran orangutans is 40 to 50 years, Magill said. Nonja had slowed down in recent years because of her age, Mcgill said. "She was really a grand old dame," Magill said. | Nonja in 2006. A 55-year-old orangutan named Nonja, who was believed to be the oldest living orangutan in the world both in captivity and the wild, has died at the Miami MetroZoo in Miami, Florida. "Everybody's very sad, especially with an animal like an orangutan. You see a lot of yourself in these animals. The great apes are our closest relatives. She was really a grand old dame," said zoo spokesman Ron Magill. Nonja, which means 'girl' in Dutch, was born in 1952 in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra. She arrived at the Miami MetroZoo in 1983. Her death is believed to have been caused by a small brain tumor or aneurysm which ruptured. According to the zoo, an orangutan normally only lives about 40-50 years. Orangutans are part of an endangered species and in 2003, only about 7,300 were believed to be left living in the wild. |
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan will suspend its military offensive against insurgents on Sunday as it observes the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, state media reported. Security forces, however, will "retaliate with full force" if militants take advantage of the ceasefire, the Associated Press of Pakistan quoted the Interior Ministry as saying. Pakistan's government decided on the suspension to allow displaced civilians near the country's border with Afghanistan to return home for the month-long period of fasting, which is expected to begin Monday. Pakistan's border with Afghanistan is rife with Islamic extremists and has been the site of recent deadly clashes between Pakistani security forces and militants. The semi-autonomous tribal areas is believed to be home to Taliban and al Qaeda-linked fighters who have carried out attacks inside both Pakistan and Afghanistan. In late June, the military launched an offensive in the area -- the biggest push against extremists in the tribal region since the civilian government took power in March. Islamic militants vowed to retaliate, and the country has been rocked by several suicide bombings since then. The exact start of Ramadan -- Islam's ninth and holiest month -- depends on the sighting of the new moon. Muslims are required to abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk. The government ceasefire will stay in place until the second day of Eid al-Fitr, which heralds the end of the month of fasting with three days of feasts and celebrations. All About Pakistan • The Taliban ||||| ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan announced on Saturday a suspension of military operations against Islamist militants for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, but a senior official said security forces would respond if attacked. Supporters of Jamiat Ulama Islam (JUI) attend a protest rally against operation in the tribal area at the Pakistan-Afghan border town of Chaman, August 29, 2008. REUTERS/Saeed Ali Achakzai Violence has intensified in Pakistan in recent weeks with the military battling militants in three different parts of the northwest. The militants have responded with bomb attacks on the security forces. Deteriorating security has coincided with a faltering economy and political upheaval, with the resignation of the unpopular Pervez Musharraf as president last week followed within days by a split in the ruling coalition. Worry about security and politics has unnerved investors who have sent Pakistani financial markets skidding lower. The country’s main share index has fallen about 36 percent this year. The government’s top Interior Ministry official, Rehman Malik, said security forces would suspend operations from Sunday night for the month of Ramadan, which ends at the beginning of October, but would retaliate if attacked. “If militants take any action the security forces will respond with full force,” Malik told reporters in the eastern city of Lahore. Pakistani Taliban spokesmen were not immediately available for comment. The United States and other allies have been concerned the government led by assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s party might be less committed to the unpopular war against militancy after the resignation of firm ally Musharraf. Washington says al Qaeda and Taliban militants are based in sanctuaries in northwest Pakistan’s ethnic Pashtun tribal areas on the Afghan border, where they orchestrate attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan and plot violence in the West. TOURIST VALLEY But the offensives by the military have eased the worry. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said this week after talks with Pakistan’s army chief he was encouraged by the Pakistani efforts. Some of the most intense fighting in recent weeks has been in the Swat Valley, about 150 km (100 miles) northwest of the capital, Islamabad, where the military said nearly 40 militants were killed in the latest clashes. The military used jet fighters and helicopter gunships to attack militant positions in the Matta area on Friday, with the assault continuing into Saturday. Nearly 40 had been killed in the past 24 hours, a military spokesman said. The mountain valley was one of Pakistan’s main tourist destinations until last year, when Pakistani Taliban infiltrated from sanctuaries in lawless areas on the Afghan border to support a radical cleric campaigning for hard-line rule. The military is also battling militants in the Bajaur area on the Afghan border, across mountains to the west of Swat, and in the South Waziristan region. In a separate incident on Saturday, a missile hit a house in Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, killing five people, said a resident who saw the bodies taken out of the rubble. The house was owned by a man known to have militant links, residents said. A security official said two of the dead were foreigners. It was not immediately clear who fired the missile but U.S.-operated pilotless drones have attacked in Pakistani border regions several times this year, killing dozens of militants. The fighting in the northwest has displaced about 250,000 people, most of whom are staying with friends and relatives. But nearly 100,000 are staying in camps, some set up in schools or in open areas with little or no sanitation, raising fear of disease and concern the government might soon face a humanitarian crisis on top of its many other problems. | The Government of Pakistan has decided to halt the military operation in tribal areas during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. There will be no operation from the night of August 31 till October 2, However, security forces are prepared to deal with the militants using full force, if the militants take advantage of the ceasefire. Pakistan's government decided on the suspension to allow displaced civilians near the country's border with Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to return home for the month-long period of fasting, which is expected to begin September 1st. Pakistan's border with Afghanistan is rife with Islamic extremists and has been the site of recent deadly clashes between Pakistani security forces and militants. Since then, Islamic militants vowed to retaliate, and the country has been rocked by several suicide bombings. Pakistan's five-month-old government at first tried peace talks with militants, but those efforts were ultimately fruitless. It has turned to force in recent weeks, even going as far as using air power to strike insurgent hide-outs. The exact start of Ramadan depends on the sighting of the new moon. Muslims are required to abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk. The government ceasefire will stay in place until the second day of Eid ul-Fitr, which heralds the end of the month of fasting with three days of feasts and celebrations. |
Rigging claims: The emails were written three months before Guantanamo detainee David Hicks was charged. [File photo] (ABC TV ) Leaked emails from two former prosecutors claim the military commissions set up to try detainees at Guantanamo Bay are rigged, fraudulent, and thin on evidence against the accused. Two emails, which have been obtained by the ABC, were sent to supervisors in the Office of Military Commissions in March of last year - three months before Australian detainee David Hicks was charged and five months before his trial began. The first email is from prosecutor Major Robert Preston to his supervisor. Maj Preston writes that the process is perpetrating a fraud on the American people, and that the cases being pursued are marginal. "I consider the insistence on pressing ahead with cases that would be marginal even if properly prepared to be a severe threat to the reputation of the military justice system and even a fraud on the American people," Maj Preston wrote. "Surely they don't expect that this fairly half-arsed effort is all that we have been able to put together after all this time." Maj Preston says he cannot continue to work on a process he considers morally, ethically and professionally intolerable. "I lie awake worrying about this every night," he wrote. "I find it almost impossible to focus on my part of mission. "After all, writing a motion saying that the process will be full and fair when you don't really believe it is kind of hard, particularly when you want to call yourself an officer and lawyer." Maj Preston was transferred out of the Office of Military Commissions less than a month later. Rigged? The second email is written by another prosecutor, Captain John Carr, who also ended up leaving the department. Capt Carr says the commissions appear to be rigged. "When I volunteered to assist with this process and was assigned to this office, I expected there would at least be a minimal effort to establish a fair process and diligently prepare cases against significant accused," he wrote. "Instead, I find a half-hearted and disorganised effort by a skeleton group of relatively inexperienced attorneys to prosecute fairly low-level accused in a process that appears to be rigged." Capt Carr says that the prosecutors have been told by the chief prosecutor that the panel sitting in judgment on the cases would be handpicked to ensure convictions. "You have repeatedly said to the office that the military panel will be handpicked and will not acquit these detainees and that we only needed to worry about building a record for the review panel," he said. Significant find David Hicks' defence lawyer, Major Michael Mori, says the documents are "highly significant". "For the first time, we're seeing that concerns about the fairness of the military commissions extend to the heart of the process," Maj Mori said. David Hicks's father, Terry, says the latest revelations confirm what he has suspected all along. "These commissions weren't set up to release people," he said. "These commissions were set up to make sure they were prosecuted and get the time that they give them, and the other thing we've said all along, that we believe that this system has been rigged as they call it." But the Pentagon's Brigadier General Thomas Hemingway, who is a legal advisor to the military commissions, says an investigation has found the comments are based on miscommunication, misunderstanding and personality conflicts. He says changes have been made in the prosecutors' office. "I think what we did is work on some restructuring in the office, there was some changes in the way cases were processed, but we found no evidence of any criminal misconduct, we found no evidence of any ethical violations," he said. Brig Gen Hemingway says he does not know if the Australian Government has been informed of the claims. "I can't tell you whether they were informed formally, I have so many contacts with representatives of your embassy here in town, the exchange of information has certainly been constant, open and significant but whether or not we got down into the details of this, I really have no recollection," he said. "We certainly would have shared it with them if we found that there was any evidence of misconduct in the office of the prosecution, but we did not find any such evidence." 'Sufficient evidence' Brig Gen Hemingway denies that the cases being prosecuted are low-level. "All of the cases I have recommended that the appointing authority refer to trial, are cases upon which I thought there was sufficient evidence to warrant sending to a fact-finder," he said. "In each of the four cases which have been referred, the appointing authority John Alterburgh made an independent determination that the evidence was sufficient to warrant trial." He also denies that the commission panels are being hand-picked to insure detainees are not acquitted. "I can tell you that any such assertion is clearly incorrect," he said. "There is absolutely no evidence that it is rigged." ||||| Guantanamo trials 'half-assed' 01/08/2005 08:15 - (SA) Related Articles Dogs used to 'scare inmates' Guantanamo: '52 won't eat' Guantanamo: 'Hunger strike on' Guantanamo: 6 could be freed Guantanamo tactics used in Iraq Guantanamo commander axed Bush defends Guantanamo Sydney - Leaked emails from two former prosecutors suggested the US military commissions to try detainees held at Guantanamo Bay are rigged, fraudulent and thin on evidence, Australian national radio reported on Monday. In one of the emails obtained by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, prosecutor Major Robert Preston wrote to his supervisor in March last year that the process was perpetrating a fraud on the American people. "I consider the insistence on pressing ahead with cases that would be marginal even if properly prepared to be a severe threat to the reputation of the military justice system and even a fraud on the American people," Preston wrote, according to the ABC. "Surely they don't expect that this fairly half-assed effort is all that we have been able to put together after all this time." Captured Of the 510 detainees being held at the Guantanamo Bay US naval base in Cuba, most of them captured during the US attack on Afghanistan in late 2001, a dozen have been declared eligible to be charged before the military commissions. One of those facing trial is Australian David Hicks, who was allegedly fighting for the former Taliban rulers when he was captured in Afghanistan. Preston said he could not continue to work on a process he considered morally, ethically and professionally intolerable, ABC reported, adding that he was transferred out of the Office of Military Commissions less than a month later. A second email written by another prosecutor, Captain John Carr, who also ended up leaving the department, said the commissions appear to be rigged, ABC said. Volunteered "When I volunteered to assist with this process and was assigned to this office, I expected there would at least be a minimal effort to establish a fair process and diligently prepare cases against significant accused," he was quoted as saying. "Instead, I find a half-hearted and disorganised effort by a skeleton group of relatively inexperienced attorneys to prosecute fairly low-level accused in a process that appears to be rigged." Carr said the prosecutors had been told by the chief prosecutor that the panel sitting in judgement on the cases would be hand-picked to ensure convictions. "You have repeatedly said to the office that the military panel will be hand-picked and will not acquit these detainees and that we only needed to worry about building a record for the review panel," he wrote. Hicks's military lawyer Major Michael Mori told ABC the documents were highly significant. "For the first time, we're seeing that concerns about the fairness of the military commissions extend to the heart of the process," Mori said. Military But Brigadier General Thomas Hemingway, legal adviser to the military commissions, told ABC that the Pentagon had conducted its own investigation and found no legal or ethical problems. He said an inquiry had concluded that the comments by the prosecutors were the result of miscommunication, misunderstanding and personality conflicts. "I think what we did is work on some restructuring in the office, there was some change in the way cases were processed but we found no evidence of any criminal misconduct, we found no evidence of any ethical violations," he said. Hemingway also denied that the commission panels were being hand-picked to ensure detainees were not acquitted. Discussion Forums | Newsletters | Photo Galleries | Earlier stories | Guantanamo Bay, Cuba According to leaked emails, two former prosecutors allege that the US military commissions at Guantanamo Bay are fraudulent and rigged. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported that one prosecutor, Major Robert Preston, wrote that the process was perpetrating a fraud on the American public."I consider the insistence on pressing ahead with cases that would be marginal even if properly prepared to be a severe threat to the reputation of the military justice system and even a fraud on the American people," Maj Preston wrote. "Surely they don't expect that this fairly half-assed effort is all that we have been able to put together after all this time." Captain John Carr, the second prosecutor, wrote to his supervisor: "You have repeatedly said to the office that the military panel will be handpicked and will not acquit these detainees and that we only needed to worry about building a record for the review panel." "There is absolutely no evidence that it is rigged." Brig Gen Hemingway stated in defence to these claims, "In each of the four cases which have been referred, the appointing authority John Alterburgh made an independent determination that the evidence was sufficient to warrant trial." |
Steve Wright admitted having sex with four of the women The bodies of Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls were found in Ipswich over a 10-day period in December 2006. Wright, 49, of Ipswich, said during his trial that he had had sex with four of the five women, who were working as prostitutes, but denied killing them. Ipswich Crown Court jurors unanimously found him guilty of all five murders and he will be sentenced on Friday. 'Crucifix pose' The trial heard the bodies of Miss Alderton and Miss Nicholls were found arranged with their arms outstretched in a crucifix pose. The prosecution said Wright "systematically selected and murdered" all five women over a six-and-a-half-week period. Suffolk police began an inquiry after Miss Nicol, 19, vanished in late October 2006. Two weeks later, Miss Adams, 25, vanished and detectives began a "major inquiry", saying there were "obvious similarities". This was followed by the disappearance of Miss Alderton, 24, Miss Clennell, 24, and 29-year-old Miss Nicholls. Their bodies were eventually found in isolated locations around Ipswich. In 2001, Wright worked as a barman at the Brook Hotel in Felixstowe before being sacked for stealing hundreds of pounds from the till, for which he was ordered to carry out 100 hours community service. It was a DNA sample taken at the time of that conviction which led to police matching samples taken from the dead women. He was put under surveillance by police before being arrested on 19 December and charged two days later. I am very relieved and pleased for all of the families that this is now over and we can now start to get on with our lives Brian Adams, Gemma's father Victims' families' reaction Peter Wright QC, prosecuting, said the decision by the women to turn to prostitution "was ultimately to prove fatal". He called on the judge to impose a "whole life term". Gemma Adams' father Brian said: "I am very relieved and pleased for all of the families that this is now over and we can now start to get on with our lives. "I can't speak highly enough about the police in this case. "I don't have any feelings about Wright." 'Daunting challenge' Wright's brother Keith said after the verdict: "I'm surprised the verdict has been so quick. "I would have thought there are enough things for them to have some doubt. "Whatever the sentence, it's all over now." Michael Crimp, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said from outside the court: "Steve Wright is the factor that links all five women. "He was last person to see them alive and the scientific evidence proved that he was responsible for their deaths. "One telling piece of evidence was a carpet fibre from the footwell of Steve Wright's car found in Tania Nicol's hair. "This was despite her body being found in water. These appalling crimes left a community, a county and a nation in a state of profound shock Det Ch Supt Stewart Gull "Her killer failed to destroy this significant piece of evidence." He added that the victims' families had sat through harrowing evidence and he hoped they could take some comfort from the verdicts. Det Ch Supt Stewart Gull, who led the investigation, said: "These appalling crimes left a community, a county and a nation in a state of profound shock. "They left Suffolk constabulary facing its most daunting challenge in history." Robert Sadd, Crown Advocate for the CPS in Suffolk, said Wright's motive for the killing may never be known. 'Depraved crime' "Quite often in a murder case we do not know the motive or understand it if we do. "The evidence leads us to who did it, and that's more important." Scientific evidence was a crucial factor in the case and Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said it demonstrated the great strides made in DNA profiling. He said: "This was an evil and depraved crime that caused immense suffering to the families and friends of the victims as well as bringing fear to the local community. "All of those affected have my deepest sympathy." ||||| 4pm GMT update Steve Wright guilty of Suffolk murders Steve Wright was today found guilty of murdering five women in Suffolk during a six-week killing spree that triggered one of Britain's biggest ever manhunts. Wright, a former forklift truck driver, picked up his victims, all of whom worked as prostitutes in Ipswich, from the town's red light district. Jurors took eight hours to convict him unanimously on all counts following a six-week trial at Ipswich crown court. The trial judge, Mr Justice Gross, said he would sentence 49-year-old Wright at 10.30am tomorrow. He thanked the jurors for their "time and attention'' in what he said was an "extremely disturbing case''. The prosecutor, Peter Wright QC, called on the judge to impose a "whole life term". He said the criteria for passing such a sentence were met because there was "a substantial degree of premeditation or planning" behind the killings and because of their sexual nature. The judge indicated that his only alternative in sentencing would be to start on the basis of a life sentence with a minimum 30-year term. Timothy Langdale QC, defending, said Wright should serve no longer than 30 years in prison. Wright showed no emotion as the verdicts were read out, staring straight ahead as he stood in the dock and avoiding eye contact with the jurors and family members. He dumped the naked bodies of his victims in remote locations. Some were found with their limbs arranged in the form of a cross. The trial heard the killings began a few weeks after Wright, who once worked as a steward on the QE2 cruise ship, moved to Ipswich with his partner. He was convicted largely on the strength of forensic evidence that revealed his DNA on three of the women and fibres linking him to all five. Wright admitted frequently using prostitutes in Ipswich and having sex with four of the victims. He denied murdering Gemma Adams, 25; Tania Nicol, 19; Anneli Alderton, 24; Paula Clennell, also 24; and Annette Nicholls, 29. As each verdict was read out, there were cries of "yes" from the public gallery, where the families of three of the dead women had gathered. Members of the Clennell, Nicholls and Nicol families clenched their hands together as they listened to the verdicts. Nicholls's mother, Kim, sobbed, and Clennell's sister and mother broke down. Adams's father, Brian, said: "I am very relieved and pleased for all of the families that this is now over and we can now start to get on with our lives. "I can't speak highly enough about the police in this case. I don't have any feelings about Wright." Speaking outside the court, Detective Superintendent Stewart Gull, of Suffolk police, said the murders of the "vulnerable young women" had left their families "devastated". "I hope that today's guilty verdict on their killer gives them some comfort," he added. Robert Sadd, the Crown advocate for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in Suffolk, said Wright's motive for the killings may never be known. "We will probably never know why. Quite often in a murder case we do not know the motive or understand it if we do," he said. "The evidence leads us to who did it, and that's more important." His CPS colleague Michael Crimp said Wright was the "common denominator" linking all five murdered women. "Significant" amounts of Wright's DNA were found on three of the victims and fibres from his car, home and clothing were found on all five, he said. "Our assessment was that Steve Wright was connected to all these women, and that connection was not just a coincidence," he added. "He was the last person to see them alive and the scientific evidence proves he was responsible for their deaths." A "particularly telling" piece of evidence was a single black carpet fibre from Wright's car that was found in Nicol's hair, he said. "This is despite her body being put in water," he said. "Her killer failed to destroy this significant piece of evidence. "Steve Wright also failed to give a satisfactory explanation of why blood from two of the victims was on his jacket." Wright's brother Keith said he was "surprised the verdict has been so quick", adding: "I would have thought there is enough things for them to have some doubt. "I don't know if surprised at the verdict is exactly the right word. I just didn't think it would be so quick. Whatever the sentence, it's all over now." His other brother David and sister, Jeanette, left the court building in tears. The trial heard that the first woman to be killed was Nicol who - like many of Wright's victims - was alienated from her family by her drug addiction. He picked her up on October 30 2006 and her body was found on December 8. From the time she was reported missing on November 1 to Wright's arrest on December 17, the police investigation involved 600 officers from nearly every force in the country. The inquiry team received more than 12,000 calls from members of the public. Almost 11,000 hours of CCTV footage were scrutinised. Other prostitutes in Ipswich were interviewed about their clients and told to stay off the street. The crucial breakthrough came when Wright's DNA - which was on the police computer database after he was convicted of stealing £80 from his employer in 2002 - was found on one of the bodies. During the trial, he told the jury he had used prostitutes for nearly a quarter of a century. He said that after moving to Ipswich, he began to pick up women off the streets after dropping off his partner for nightshifts at a call centre. Wright said he paid between £65 and £80 for sex in massage parlours, but only between £20 and £40 for street prostitutes. He told the court it was "quite possible" he was the driver of a car seen in CCTV images that showed Nicol getting into a vehicle on the night of her killing. Wright admitted having sex with Adams in his car at around the time she disappeared, and said that at later times he took the other women - Alderton, Clennell and Nicholls - back to his home for sex. He would take them to his bedroom but would not use the bed in case his partner was able to smell them on the bedclothes. Instead, he had sex with them on two jackets on the floor. The court heard bloodstains from Clennell and Nicholls were found on one of the jackets. CPS lawyers said after the hearing that they had no evidence to link Wright with any other crimes, but sources said it was likely that detectives would review unsolved murders and cold cases. ||||| At Ipswich Crown Court today, Steve Wright was convicted of the murders of Tania Nicol, Gemma Adams, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls. After the trial, Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull, who headed the investigation into the murders, said: “Steve Wright has today been found guilty of the murders of Tania Nicol, Gemma Adams, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls. “The murders of these vulnerable young women left five families devastated. Our sympathies are with them. “We can only imagine the grief of the families, who lost their loved ones in such brutal circumstances. But I hope that today’s guilty verdict on their killer brings a little comfort to them. “These appalling crimes left a community, a county and a nation in a state of profound shock. “They left Suffolk Constabulary facing the most daunting challenge in its history. “At its peak, there were more than 600 police officers and staff, both from Suffolk and other police forces, involved in the investigation into the murders. “These enquiries were helped by the public, who made more than 12,000 calls, offering us information. “Today’s verdicts demonstrate how the combination of traditional police work and information from the public, coupled with cutting edge DNA science, can be so effective in today’s crime investigations. “I would like to thank all the police officers and staff, both in Suffolk and in other forces across the country, who helped us with this complex investigation. They gelled quickly as a team, in the most testing of circumstances, and demonstrated exceptional commitment and dedication throughout. Thanks goes to our partner agencies and organisations, who offered us so much assistance. “I would also like to thank the media, for publishing our appeals for information. “And, finally, I would like to thank the local community. Not only did they phone in their thousands to offer information, they showed their support of our investigation in countless different ways.” | Map of the area surrounding Ipswich showing the locations where the bodies of the victims were discovered Steve Wright has today, at Ipswich Crown Court, been convicted of the murders of five women found dead around the Suffolk town in England in December 2006. Tania Nicol, Gemma Adams, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls all worked as sex workers in the area. The first body, that of Gemma Adams, was found on December 2. She had been reported missing on November 15. Tania Nicol, reported missing on October 30, was found December 8, approximately two miles away. On December 10, the body of Anneli Alderton was spotted by a motorist in woodland near to the village of Nacton. The bodies of Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls were found near the village of Levington on December 12. Steve Wright was identified as a suspect after DNA evidence was found linking him to the murders. He was arrested on December 19 and charged two days later. Following the conviction, Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull who led the investigation said that, "These appalling crimes left a community, a county and a nation in a state of profound shock." "Today’s verdicts demonstrate how the combination of traditional police work and information from the public, coupled with cutting edge DNA science, can be so effective in today’s crime investigations." Wright will be sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court tomorrow, February 22. |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bill Gates, the world's richest man, said on Monday the U.S. economy could take years to recover from recession and predicted taxes will have to rise to bring the federal budget into balance. U.S. Speaking on ABC's Good Morning America, Gates also warned against too much government intervention and urged President Barack Obama to focus policy on long-term issues such as education to combat the effects of the worst recession since the Great Depression. "When you have a financial crisis like that, it's years of digging out," said Gates, who co-founded Microsoft Corp and remains its chairman. "The budget's very, very out of balance. And even as the economy comes back, without changes in tax and entitlement policies, it won't get back into balance. And at some point, financial markets will look at that and it will cause problems," he added. "Taxes are going to have to go up and entitlements are going to have to be moderated." Gates spoke two days ahead of Obama's State of the Union speech, which is expected to focus extensively on economic issues including the need for job creation. "We're having a slow recovery and everybody's frustrated by the pace of the recovery. But I don't think the government could change and magically make it speed up a lot," he said. "If you try to do too much, it can distort things. The government's role is more of a long term role, investing in education." Gates also said the United States needs its leaders to level with the American people about the long-term challenges the country faces and the sacrifices needed to overcome them. "We need leadership for these long-term trade-offs and I'm hoping that won't cut back a few key areas like aid to poor countries. But there's going to be cutbacks," he said. "We're seeing this at the state level right now, and so far it's not being handled very responsibly." (Reporting by David Morgan, editing by Vicki Allen) ||||| Despite some recent glimmers of hope, Bill Gates believes it could take several more years for the economy to fully rebound from the great recession, which many economists say began in earnest in late 2008 with the collapse of Lehman Bros and other investment houses. "When you have a financial crisis like that, it's years of digging out," the Microsoft chairman said Monday during an interview on ABC's Good Morning America. "The budget's very, very out of balance," Gates warned. "And even as the economy comes back, without changes in tax and entitlement policies, it won't get back into balance. And at some point, financial markets will look at that and it will cause problems," Gates added. Gates' comments come three days before Microsoft is slated to announce earnings for its fiscal second quarter. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect the company to post earnings per share of 59 cents, on revenue of $17.79 billion. In 2008, Microsoft posted second quarter earnings of 47 cents on $16.63 billion in revenue. The interview coincided with the publication of Gates' annual letter from his charitable organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In the letter, Gates said he talked to co-trustee Warren Buffett "more than ever" during the past year to gain a better understanding of the financial meltdown. "Although the acute financial crisis is over, the economy is still weak, and the world will spend a lot of years undoing the damage, which includes lingering unemployment and huge government deficits and debts at record levels," Gates wrote. Still, there are indications that some markets are stabilizing and are in line for growth. Research firm Forrester is calling for tech spending in the U.S. to grow 6.6% this year, to $568 billion, after being down 8.2% in 2009. Worldwide spending will jump 8.1% to more than $1.6 trillion, following a decline of 8.9% last year, according to Forrester. Microsoft shares were up 1.42%, to $29.37, in early trading Monday as stock markets rebounded from Friday's sell off. Application mobilization tools are both more effective and more confusing than ever. To develop this report, InformationWeek Analytics polled nearly 700 business technology professionals and interviewed mobile application experts. Download the report here (registration required).d | File photo of Bill Gates.Bill Gates, the world's richest man and chairman of Microsoft, has said that he thinks it could take several more years for the global economy to rebound after the recent recession, which most economists believe began in late 2008. Gates made the remarks while speaking earlier today in a televised interview with ABC's Good Morning America. "When you have a financial crisis like that, it's years of digging out. The budget's very, very out of balance," the billionaire commented. "And even as the economy comes back, without changes in tax and entitlement policies, it won't get back into balance. And at some point, financial markets will look at that and it will cause problems." "Taxes are going to have to go up and entitlements are going to have to be moderated," he added. "We're having a slow recovery and everybody's frustrated by the pace of the recovery. But I don't think the government could change and magically make it speed up a lot. If you try to do too much, it can distort things. The government's role is more of a long term role, investing in education. "We need leadership for these long-term trade-offs and I'm hoping that won't cut back a few key areas like aid to poor countries. But there's going to be cutbacks. We're seeing this at the state level right now, and so far it's not being handled very responsibly." Gates' comments come two days before US president Barack Obama's State of the Union speech, expected to focus on the current economic situation, as well as the need to create more jobs. Three days from now, meanwhile, Microsoft is scheduled to announce it earnings for the fiscal second quarter of the year. |
TIP OF THE DAY Khor Dubai won his first race of the season last time at Kempton after a string of consistent efforts and this tactically versatile sort holds solid claims of following up that victory over his optimum trip Khor Dubai Warwick - 4:15 - - ||||| 1st Comply Or Die (7-1 joint-favourite) Jockey Timmy Murphy: "It's everybody's dream to win the National. David [Pipe, trainer] prepared him fabulously and said he was a certainty and wouldn't get beat, so what more can you ask for?" 2nd King Johns Castle (20-1) Four lengths behind Paul Carberry: I was a bit short at the second-last but he winged the last and I thought I was going to pick Timmy [Murphy] up at the Elbow. But he pulled out a bit more. The whole way up the straight I thought I was going to get there." 3rd Snowy Morning (16-1) 1½l David Casey: "He ran great, he jumped super and I just wish I had held on to him a bit longer, but he gave me a super ride. When Hedgehunter won I'd schooled him round for Ruby (Walsh) the year before and the same might happen again." 4th Slim Pickings (10-1) 16l Barry Geraghty: "He ran a blinder, I had a great spin off him and I just said to the lads it is the best craic you'll have all year. He's only nine so hopefully he'll be back next year." 5th Bewleys Berry 8l Denis O'Regan: "A brilliant run. I got a great run and he jumped great. He probably didn't get home, but he's run to his mark." 6th Cloudy Lane 3l Jason Maguire: "He gave me a great ride. He's run really well and he's jumped great. Turning in, I thought if I could tag on to the winning bunch that he would pick up, but the trip has taken a bit of the quickness out of him and he just kept going one pace to the line." 7th Nadover 13l Robbie Power: "He was deadly. He gave me a serious spin. He'll not be 150-1 next year." 8th Baily Breeze 9l Paddy Flood: "Fantastic. He jumped well and travelled well." 9th Chelsea Harbour 1¾l Davy Russell: "A savage spin. He jumped from fence to fence. He did jump a bit left, but he is a game. Perhaps I made a bit too much use of him." 10th Mon Mome 1½l Aidan Coleman: "He gave me an absolutely brilliant spin. He was going well but Tony McCoy's horse fell in front of us at Becher's second time and half fell in front of my horse and that took him out of the race." 11th Hi Cloy 3¼l Tom Doyle: "He jumped round, I thought I had a chance jumping Becher's second time round but he just didn't get home from the second-last." 12th Cornish Sett 1¼l Nick Scholfield: "He gave me a serious spin. He was starting to get into it, but was flat out and for me to finish was just like winning it." 13th Hedgehunter 13l Ruby Walsh: "He was grand. He jumped round, but he justwasn't good enough." 14th Idle Talk 28l Brian Harding: "He gave me a great ride. I was getting excited at Becher's second time, but he just fell in a heap." 15th Milan Deux Mille dist Tom Malone: "He's such an exuberant horse, but I knew if I dropped him in he'd be too keen. In the end I wasn't competitive, but I got round and he's a fantastic old horse." Non-finishers: 30th fence: Mr Pointment (pulled up) Sam Thomas: "He just got very tired, but he jumped serious." 29th fence: Dun Doire (pulled up) Richard McGrath: "He got a bit tired, but had jumped really well." 27th fence: D'Argent (fell) 25th fence: Turko (fell) Richard Johnson:"He was running a very good race though he dragged his hind legs through a couple. For a six-year-old he took to it well and could come back here again." Knowhere (fell) Simon (unseated) Dominic Elsworth: "He went at the same fence last year, but he was only going OK this time. He did travel well for over a circuit." 22nd fence: Butler's Cabin (fell) Tony McCoy: "I was having a good ride. He was travelling nicely and just tipped up at Becher's the second time." 20th fence: Joaaci (fell) Johnny Farrelly: "He clipped the top of the fence and came down." McKelvey (unseated) 19th fence: Vodka Bleu (pulled up) Paul Moloney: "He jumped too deliberately." Bob Hall (pulled up) Noel Fehily:"He jumped well but he just got tired." Naunton Brook (pulled up) Andrew Tinkler: "He didn't really want to go today. He likes leading and he couldn't get his own way." 17th fence: Point Barrow (pulled up) Tony Dobbin: "He wasn't enjoying it as he seemed to remember his fall at the first last year. He was very careful at his fences." 11th fence: Contraband (fell) Keith Mercer: "I just got squeezed up and was half pushed to the ground. He was a bit unlucky, he was still travelling well but it was still a long way out." Kelami (fell) Barry Keniry: "I was getting a great ride when he just touched the top of the fence down the side." Eighth fence: Madison Du Berlais (fell) Tom Scudamore: "He just got in too close at the Canal Turn." Philson Run (fell) Daryl Jacob: "A horse fell right in front of him and we could not get out of the way." Sixth fence: No Full (fell) Shay Barry: "He got in a bit tight and clipped the top of it." Fourth fence: Ardaghey (fell) David England: "He got in a bit tight." Fundamentalist(fell) Paddy Brennan: "He got in far too close." Third fence: Tumbling Dice (unseated) Tom Ryan: "He just took off way too early." Iron Man (unseated) Christian Williams: "He just took off too far out." Second fence: Black Apalachi (fell) Andrew McNamara: "I didn't think he was going to fall, but I was on the way when he was on the way down." Backbeat (fell) Wilson Renwick: "The way he jumped the first I didn't think he'd get very far." L'Ami (fell) Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? | A graph showing the approximate number of lengths behind the winner for each of the top five horses were in the Grand National 2008.The 2008 Grand National at Aintree has been won by Comply or Die, from Ireland. The trainer for the winning horse was D E Pipe. King Johns Castle , who was also Irish, finished approximately four lengths behind the winner. He was also trained by D E Pipe. The Jockey for the winning horse commented on the victory. He said "It's everybody's dream to win the National. David the trainer prepared him fabulously and said he was a certainty and wouldn't get beat, so what more can you ask for?" |
By Mark Coulton, New York March 18, 2006 IF PRIME Minister John Howard ever wants anything from the new United States ambassador, Robert McCallum, here's a suggestion: don't mention General Russell. That is the code used by members of one of the world's most powerful and elite secret societies. President Bush is alleged to have used its connections to get his first job. Both George Bush and Robert McCallum are members of Skull and Bones, the Yale society with a fixation on the symbols of death. The society is said to have the skull of the Apache chief Geronimo, dug up by Mr Bush's grandfather Prescott Bush, in a glass case. Its members have included presidents, generals, journalists and businessmen. General William Huntington Russell founded the society in 1832. Bonesmen, as they are called, are sworn to secrecy. Tradition demands that if someone mentions Skull and Bones its members should leave the room. Mr Bush, in his autobiography A Charge to Keep, wrote: "My senior year I joined Skull and Bones, a secret society. So secret, I can't say anything." Only 15 people are initiated into the society every year, which means there are only about 800 living members at any time. Skull and Bones headquarters is in a windowless stone building on the Yale campus known as "the Tomb". Each year, 15 Bonesmen and since 1992, Boneswomen are "tapped", or invited, to join. The status of the society has never been higher since the 2004 presidential election featured two Bonesmen in George Bush and John Kerry. Members are put through a bizarre initiation ceremony. According to Alexandra Robbins, author of Secrets of the Tomb, it includes a devil, a Don Quixote figure and a pope with one foot in a white monogrammed slipper resting on a stone skull. "Initiates are led into the room one at a time. They shriek at him. The Bonesman is shoved to his knees. The Don Quixote figure taps him on his left shoulder and says: 'By order of our order, I dub yee knight of Eulogia'." But is this just harmless university high jinks or something more sinister? "It depends on how you define sinister," Robbins says. "It's not the Satan-worshipping cult that conspiracy theorists would have the public believe. "What I find disturbing about Skull and Bones is that it's basically the most powerful elite alumni network in the US. It's essentially a form of nepotism that keeps the same people in power, over and over and over again." Robbins said there was "no way in hell" that George Bush would have been in Skull and Bones if his father (former president George Bush) and his grandfather hadn't been members. "That's the only reason they tapped him, because he had no other college merits," says Robbins, who also broke the story of Mr Bush's university grades. "He got a D in astronomy, for God's sake. "It's the old boys' network at its worst, because it's so exclusive, so secretive and it's so pretentious." One of the stranger rituals is that the 15 new members are required to give their full sexual history to the other 14, starting with their first masturbatory experience. This helps reinforce the extreme code of silence that surrounds the society. Before she stopped counting, Robbins says she knew of at least 11 fellow Bonesmen that Mr Bush has appointed to government posts. These include three members of his class of 1968. In fact, ambassador-designate McCallum is coming to the position from his previous post of assistant attorney-general. Other 1968 Bonesmen that Bush has appointed are Roy Austin, who became ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, and Dr Rex Cowdry, associate director of the National Economic Council. One of the more interesting Bonesmen appointments is that of Jack McGregor, to the St Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation advisory board. Skull and Bones owns Deer Island, in the St Lawrence, and uses it for an annual retreat. ||||| By Phillip Hudson, Canberra March 12, 2006 GEORGE BUSH has nominated a university friend, Robert Davis McCallum jnr, to fill the job of American ambassador after leaving the job vacant for 13 months. The US President and Mr McCallum both attended Yale and in 1968 were chosen as members of its elite and secret Skull and Bones society. The 170-year-old group boasts presidents, judges, diplomats and business chiefs among its ranks. It is believed exactly 15 university juniors are recruited each year by being "tapped" on the shoulder by seniors. The appointment must be confirmed by the US Senate, meaning it could still be a few months before Mr McCallum arrives in Canberra. Prime Minister John Howard welcomed the decision, saying Mr McCallum was well qualified. He is currently associate attorney-general at the Department of Justice and before that was assistant attorney-general for the civil division. He was a partner at Atlanta law firm Alston & Bird where he represented big tobacco companies. He is a Rhodes Scholar, has a master's degree from Oxford University and a bachelor's degree from Yale. Despite the close relationship between Mr Bush and Mr Howard, Australia has been uncomfortable about the job being vacant since the departure in February last year of Tom Schieffer, another mate of Mr Bush who was a co-owner in the Texas Rangers baseball team. Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer said the delay was "unforgivable" and the announcement was "long overdue and forced through by the proximity of (US Secretary of State) Condoleezza Rice's visit" to Australia this week. ||||| By Mark Coultan March 18, 2006 IF JOHN HOWARD wants to stay on the right side of the likely new US ambassador, Robert McCallum, he should avoid asking him if he knows General Russell. That is the code used by members of one of the world's most powerful and elite secret societies, founded by General William Huntington Russell in 1823. President George Bush is alleged to have used its connections to get his first job. Mr Bush and Mr McCallum are members of Skull and Bones, the Yale society said to have the skull of the Indian chief Geronimo, dug up by Mr Bush's grandfather, in a glass case. In 2004 both presidential candidates, Mr Bush and John Kerry, were members. Mr Bush, in his autobiography, A Charge to Keep, wrote: "My senior year I joined Skull and Bones, a secret society. So secret, I can't say anything." The Skull and Bones headquarters is in a windowless stone building on the Yale campus known as the tomb. Each year 15 Bonesmen - and since 1991, Boneswomen - are "tapped", or invited, to join, and put through a bizarre initiation ceremony. Alexandra Robbins, author of Secrets of the Tomb, says it includes a devil, a Don Quixote figure and a pope with one foot in a white monogrammed slipper, resting on a stone skull. New members are required to give their full sexual history to the other 14, which helps to explain and reinforce the extreme code of silence that surrounds the society. "What I find disturbing about Skull and Bones is that it's basically the most powerful elite alumni network in the US," says Robbins. "It's essentially a form of nepotism that keeps the same people in power, over and over and over again." She said there was "no way in hell" that George W. Bush would have been in Skull and Bones if his father, the former president George Bush, and his grandfather had not been members. Robbins said that before she stopped counting she knew of at least 11 Bonesmen whom Mr Bush had appointed to government posts. ||||| WASHINGTON, June 15 - Senior Justice Department officials overrode the objections of career lawyers running the government's tobacco racketeering trial and ordered them to reduce the penalties sought at the close of the nine-month trial by $120billion, internal documents and interviews show. The trial team argued that the move would be seen as politically motivated and legally groundless. "We do not want politics to be perceived as the underlying motivation, and that is certainly a risk if we make adjustments in our remedies presentation that are not based on evidence," the two top lawyers for the trial team, Sharon Y. Eubanks and Stephen D. Brody, wrote in a memorandum on May 30 to Associate Attorney General Robert D. McCallum that was reviewed by The New York Times. The two lawyers said the lower penalty recommendation ordered by Mr. McCallum would weaken the department's position in any possible settlement with the industry and "create an incentive for defendants to engage in future misconduct by making the misconduct profitable." At the close of a major trial that dozens of Justice Department lawyers spent five years preparing, the department stunned a federal courtroom last week by reducing the penalties sought against the industry, from $130billion to $10billion, over accusations of fraud and racketeering. | Australia's major newspapers are highlighting the personal relationship between the U.S. President George Bush and his newly nominated Australian ambassador, Robert McCallum. Australian reporters Phillip Hudson of ''The Age'', and Mark Coultan of the ''Sydney Morning Herald'', have written stories examining the Bush/McCallum friendship which allegedly dates back to 39 years ago when they were inducted into the Skull and Bones society. The Australian ambassadorship post had been vacant for 13 months, which former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer said was an "unforgivable" delay. The McCallum nomination on March 11 would replace the former ambassador Tom Schieffer who left the post in February 2005. United States President George W. Bush nominated McCallum on March 11th.,2006 McCallum is an associate attorney-general for the Department of Justice and previously represented big tobacco companies at an Atlanta law firm. He also has a master's degree from Oxford University and is a Rhodes Scholar as well as having a bachelor's degree from Yale. The two Australian papers report on activities of Bush and McCallum in their younger years, and the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' alleges that personal connections were instrumental in the career advancements of both men. McCallum also made news last year when he overrode U.S. Justice Department lawyers who had been handling the government's tobacco racketeering trial for the past 5 years. McCallum ordered the lawyers to reduce the penalties sought at the close of the nine-month trial from $130 billion to $10 billion, angering some of the trial lawyers to the point where it is reported they threatened to quit their jobs. McCallum said the reduction was necessary as a matter of law. |
Laptops go a long way Around 40 kilometres from the city of Lampang a small remote village sits in a valley. Published on October 30, 2007 Children from Ban Samkha school use their rugged laptop computers in biology field experiments. At Ban Samkha, the beauty of nature and the traditional rural way of life have been preserved. Yet adults and children in this faraway land have not been left behind - they can get access to knowledge and learn constructively within their own environment. Every morning the enthusiastic children wake up early to prepare for school. Apart from packing books to use in class, during the past seven months they have never forgotten to also pack their small, green laptop computers. One Laptop per Child, or OLPC for short, is a new device which has become a part of learning for children at Ban Samkha school. No matter where they are around the village, the computers are always in their bags. During classes the machines are a crucial tool to search for information for assignments while outside classes they are used to collect data about the environment around the area and sometimes be part of scientific experiments. Ban Samkha school is the first pilot site in Thailand where children have a chance to use the advanced educational tools. The computers were designed by a group of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with the hope of using them to improve education and learning skills for children around the world. Around 20 machines were donated by MIT through OLPC Thailand for a trial project. The National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (Nectec), as a technology organisation helping to test the machines, brought OLPC to Ban Samkha School in March and found that children in this remote area could use the computers to improve their learning. "We brought the laptops to Ban Samkha seven months ago. From the first day the children received them they could use them by themselves while they taught one another with no need of our help," said Nectec's assistant researcher Sanya Klongnaivai, who is also the project leader to test the machines in Thailand. Nectec is one of the founding members - apart from Darunsikkhalai School and the Institute of Field Robotics at King Mongkut University of Technology Thonburi - to initiate the OLPC Thailand project to bring the new educational tools to Thailand. Even though the OLPC devices look very much like small notebook computers, the easy-to-use machines are not designed to be computers at all but rather a learning tool for educational purposes. Coming with graphic icons, children can learn by themselves and understand the functions needed to get into each activity in the machine. The laptops were built on the idea of offering children a new way to learn through independent interaction and exploration. At Ban Samkha, teachers were also trained to understand the concept of OLPC and use it to help their teaching systems. The 52-year-old teacher, Srinuan Wongtrakoon, said the machines were a key tool for her students to learn both inside and outside the class. With the learning features included, they offered new opportunities for students to learn independently. "As the machines were designed to fit in with our normal constructive way of learning, they can help our children develop and improve their thinking and learning processes," the teacher said. The children are allowed to carry the machines anywhere they want - to and from home, on the playground or even in the forest. The machines are like companions to keep information, collect knowledge and learn. Instead of using the normal notebooks and pencils, a group of selected primary students uses the laptops to search for information, make reports and complete assignments. In the classroom their small fingers are constantly tapping on the green rubber keyboards, typing in search words. Within a few seconds they come out with the result they want. Outside the class, OLPC is also a crucial tool in the exploration of the environment. Along the way to Check Dam, behind the village, the machines were used to keep data about plants in the field during a biodiversity project. While collecting the data, a nine-year-old girl found an unusual, small flower on the ground. Along with her friends, she took the laptop from her schoolbag and used it to capture a photo of the flower with a digital camera built into the machine. "It's really useful and fun," the girl said. "Every time I find something interesting, I keep it in my machine. When I get back to school I'll find more details about things I want to understand from the Internet and I can share files and information with friends." The laptops come with a special network adapter so they can connect to Internet access points wirelessly. Called mesh network, the network also allows each OLPC to connect with others automatically in a range of between 500 and 700 metres and this allows children to share files and do other activities as a group. In some cases, if the children are in the forest, far away from the Internet connection, they can utilise the mesh network to connect to the Internet via another OLPC terminal which is closer to an Internet access point. "This really benefits children's learning," Sanya said. The machines also come with a variety of applications, which are called activities. Not only do they search for information, they allow children to do many activities including mathematics, scientific experiments, drawing pictures, taking photos, playing games, chatting, writing documents, learning Logo programming and playing music. Since the children can take the machines back home, Srinuan said their parents also had a chance to become involved with the new tools. "The machines are not only for children," she said. "The children often use their laptops to help their parents find information. Some students have to run back to the school to get access to the Internet to search for information for their parents. After getting the result, they run back home again and show their parents the result on the screen," she said. Srinuan said that with OLPC, a new style of learning had emerged. The teacher also hoped that new knowledge would flow into the community and this would eventually help people at Ban Samkha improve their way of life. The new educational tools are now being tested with students at Dhammapanya School and Yotheerachsudtharam School in Nakhon Nayok province. The trial, which is done under the HRH Princess Mahachakri Sirindhron project, involves giving 80 OLPC machines to students and teachers at the two schools. The 80 machines are part of 100 machines donated by MIT. Asina Pornwasin Pongpen Sutharoj The Nation ||||| The laptop was designed to be used in developing countries The South American country has bought 100,000 of the machines for schoolchildren aged six to 12. A further 300,000 may be purchased to provide a machine for every child in the country by 2009. The order will be a boost for the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) organisation behind the project which has admitted difficulties getting concrete orders. "I have to some degree underestimated the difference between shaking the hand of a head of state and having a cheque written," Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of the organisation, recently told the New York Times. However, he said he was "delighted" with the first deal. "We commend Uruguay for being the first country to take concrete actions to provide laptops to all its children and teachers and look forward to other countries following this example," he said. Rumour factory The XO laptop, as the machine is known, has been developed to be used primarily by children in the developing world. It is durable, waterproof and can be powered by solar, foot-pump or pull-string powered chargers. It includes a sunlight readable display so that it can be used outside and has no moving parts. OLPC aims to sell the laptop for $100 or less. However, over the last year, the machine's price has steadily increased and now costs $188 (£93). Governments were initially offered the green and white machines in lots of 250,000. However, this has since changed and there are now a variety of ways that the laptops are sold or distributed. For example, from 12 November, members of the public can buy a machine for themselves as well as one for a child in a developing country. The Give 1 Get 1 (G1G1) programme will initially distribute laptops to Cambodia, Afghanistan, Rwanda and Haiti. Other schemes that have been reported include a deal with the government of Libya to provide a laptop for every child as well as deals with Peru and a sponsorship programme with Italy to provide 50,000 machines to Ethiopia. Although various pilot projects had been announced in the past, such as the purchase of 20,000 laptops by Mongolia, there had not been official confirmation of any country that had signed up for the project. Connected country In July, hardware suppliers were told to ramp-up production of all of the components needed to build the low-cost machines. The $100 has already been tested in many countries Many believed that the decision meant that the organisation had met or surpassed the three million orders it need to make production viable. However, the latest news suggests this was not the case. The order for 100,000 machines was placed by the state-run Laboratorio Tecnológico del Uruguay (Latu) which runs a large scale education and communications project known as Ceibal. The scheme will also provide connectivity to all of the schools involved. Before placing the order, Latu had also evaluated the rival Intel Classmate PC. Initially the XO laptops will be distributed in eight to nine of the country's 19 regions. A further 300,000 machines will provide machines for all of the country's children. "We will also cover the rest of the country later in 2008 and Montevideo in 2009," said Miguel Brechner, president of the organisation. | '''OLPC XO-1 Mass Production has started''' India is the latest of the countries where the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) experiment has started. Children from the village of Khairat were given the opportunity to learn how to use the XO laptop. During the last year XO was distributed to children from Arahuay in Peru, Ban Samkha in Thailand, Cardal in Uruguay and Galadima in Nigeria. The OLPC team are, in their reports on the startup of the trials, delighted with how the laptop has improved access to information and ability to carry out educational activities. Thailand's ''The Nation'' has praised the project, describing the children as "enthusiastic" and keen to attend school with their laptops. Recent good news for the project sees Uruguay having ordered 100,000 of the machines which are to be given to children aged six to twelve. Should all go according to plan a further 300,000 machines will be purchased by 2009 to give one to every child in the country. As the first to order, Uruguay chose the OLPC XO laptop over its rival from Intel, the Classmate PC. In parallel with the delivery of the laptops network connectivity will be provided to schools involved in the project. '''The remainder of this article is based on Carla G. Munroy's ''Khairat Chronicle'', which is available from the OLPC Wiki. Additional sources are listed at the end.''' OLPC in Galima (Nigeria) showing children with their lime green XO laptops. |
Apple shares rise as iPad sales top 2 million SEATTLE — Shares of Apple Inc. jumped Tuesday after the company said iPads sales topped 2 million since the tablet computer launched almost two months ago. THE SPARK: Apple gave the iPad sales update on Monday, after it started shipping iPads to nine new countries over the weekend. Earlier in May, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company had announced iPad sales had reached the 1 million mark after just 28 days on sale in the U.S. THE BIG PICTURE: In the weeks before Apple's latest gadget went on sale, analysts and industry watchers wondered whether the iPad could be a hit among mainstream consumers — after all, many companies had tried and failed to get people excited about tablets in the past. So far, Apple has shown people are very interested the slim, keyboardless devices that can be used for a number of digital diversions, including surfing the Web, watching movies, reading electronic books and playing video games. Other consumer electronics companies are rushing to produce tablets of their own, but it has yet to be seen whether those devices will have the same allure. THE ANALYSIS: The iPad is selling faster than many analysts expected. Shaw Wu of Kaufman Bros. wrote in a note to investors that he believes iPad sales were helped by the quick development of more than 5,000 iPad-specific apps that take advantage of the gadget's larger screen and faster processor. Wu said analysts were on average expecting 1.6 million to 1.7 million iPads sold by now. Broadpoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall wrote in a research note that he thinks the iPad will account for more than 10 percent of Apple's revenue in the April-June period; it took the iPhone two quarters to reach that mark. SHARE ACTION: Apple's shares rose $7.41., or 2.9 percent, to $264.29 in afternoon trading. Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ||||| Apple has hit another milestone for its iPad. The company says it has now sold more than 2 million iPads in less than two months. Demand for the device was so strong, Apple pushed back the start date of its international sales. It finally arrived in Europe and Asia over the weekend. (ABCNEWS.com) Asus Unveils Tablet Asus has unveiled a new touchscreen tablet computer. The Eee Pad comes in 10 and 12 inch sizes and runs on Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system. It also has a web camera, something the iPad does not have. The tablets go on sale in the first quarter of next year. Red Dead Redemption Review The maker of the controversial Grand Theft Auto video games is out with a new title. Red Dead Redemption is a trip back in time to the Wild West. Jake Ward of Popular Science says you can get lost in it. "It's unbelievable how much one can do in this world. You can do everything one would expect from a Wild West, you can break horses, you can draw on bad guys, you can play poker, the rest of it. I mean it's really unbelievable how distracting this world ends up being," Ward said. "It's not kid-appropriate, there's a lot of violence, there's a lot of rough language, there's a lot of blood. But for an older audience, this is really one of the great game purchases you can make this year." Red Dead Redemption is available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Fat Makeover App A new iPhone app may make you think twice about what you eat. Fat Booth gives you an instant fat makeover. It takes your picture and shows you what you'd look like if you packed on the pounds, giving you a flabby double chin and plump cheeks. The app is one of the most popular since it went on sale a couple of weeks ago. ||||| SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Apple Inc rallied on Tuesday, as a successful international launch of its iPad tablet prompted Wall Street analysts to raise earnings and sales estimates. Shares of Apple climbed 3.3 percent to $265.40 in early afternoon trading on Nasdaq. Apple said Monday it has sold more than 2 million iPads since the device debuted April 3 in the United States. The announcement followed Friday’s international iPad roll-out, which was delayed by a month as Apple worked to build enough of the devices. The iPad went on sale in nine international markets, with eager fans standing in line overnight in Europe and Asia to get their hands on the 9.7-inch touchscreen tablet, which resembles a large iPhone and is designed for Web surfing, games and consuming digital media in all its forms. Analysts raised their estimates and price targets on Apple on news of the iPad demand, which is tracking much better than many had expected. Before the launch in April, many on Wall Street predicted sales of roughly 1 million iPads for the June quarter. “AAPL’s business model continues to improve on a daily basis and we are raising our estimates and price target once again due to better than expected strength in iPads,” wrote Broadpoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall in a research note. He boosted his price target to $340 from $320. Barclays Capital analyst Ben Reitzes raised his earnings and revenue forecasts and took Apple’s price target to $320 from $315. “We believe (iPad) sales would have been far greater if the company had more supply; iPads in the U.S. still show lead times of 7-10 business days -- stores have very limited supplies as well when shipments do come,” he wrote in a research note. Kaufman Bros analyst Shaw Wu raised his earnings and sales estimates for both the June quarter and fiscal 2010. He noted that there are already 5,000 iPad-only applications available. “We had believed that the key to success for the iPad would be around the development of iPad-specific apps that would take advantage and showcase its larger screen and more powerful processor. It looks like this metric has more than been met,” Wu wrote. Shares of AT&T Inc -- which provides the high-speed wireless data for the iPad in the United States -- also showed strength on Monday. Walter Piecyk, a research analyst for New York-based broker-dealer firm BTIG, pointed to the strong iPad sales, and also anticipation over the next week’s Apple event, where Chief Executive Steve Jobs is widely expected to launch the newest version of the iPhone. “I think there’s an expectation Apple’s going to announce a new iPhone for them next week,” he said. Shares of AT&T rose 1.8 percent to $24.73 on the New York Stock Exchange. ||||| That didn't take long. Apple has now sold more than two million iPad tablets, the company said Monday, less than two months after the iPad's April 3 U.S. launch. On May 28, Apple started selling the iPad in nine other countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. The iPad will go on sale in nine more countries -- Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore -- in July, and additional countries later this year, Apple said. Earlier this month, Apple said it had sold a million iPads in the first 28 days. Supplies of the gadget have fallen short of demand, and Apple has imposed restrictions on the number a person can purchase. "We ... are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement. The iPad is driving the burgeoning popularity of tablets, shipments of which could grow six-fold by 2014, IDC said in research released on May 20. Tablet shipments could total seven million by the end of this year, and top 46 million within four years, IDC said. The iPad is a handheld device with which users can view movies, surf the Internet, read e-books and play games. It has no physical keyboard, but one can be displayed on its 9.7-inch touchscreen display. It is 1.27 centimeters thick and weighs 680 grams. Read more about hardware in Computerworld's Hardware Topic Center. ||||| Believe it or not, Apple has sold 2 million iPads, but that benchmark would have been reached earlier had the company been able to keep up with the market's demand. On Monday the technology consumer products company announced it has sold more than 2 million units of its iPad less than 60 days since its launch on Apr. 3. The announcement comes just after Apple ( AAPL - news - people ) began shipping the iPad in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K. It will also be available in nine more countries in July and additional countries later in 2010. "Considering the significant supply constraints, they probably would have hit [2 million sold] earlier," says Andy Hargreaves, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities. "But given the supply and pace of sales, this is about what we would have expected." That wasn't always the case, as Hargreaves, along with many others, was skeptical about demand before the iPad's release. But that was then, and now he sees a very strong future for the product. "I think the momentum being seen in the iPad can certainly continue through the rest of the year," Hargreaves says. "As you get into 2011 and the market becomes more competitive and people have a broader concept of what the product is, we'll have to see." In Apple's announcement Chief Executive Steve Jobs said he appreciates customer patience and that Apple is working hard to build enough iPads for everyone. Investors should expect to see iPad sales impact the company's bottom-line immediately. "It's a profitable product out of the gate, though it's not up to the corporate average of about 40% gross margins and around 29% operating profit," Hargreaves says. Shares of Apple rose 2.4%, or $6.22, to $263.10, in morning trading. The rest of the technology sector also saw gains: Hewlett-Packard ( HPQ - news - people ) increased 0.2%, Microsoft ( MSFT - news - people ) 0.6%, Dell ( DELL - news - people ) 0.2% and Google ( GOOG - news - people ) 0.3%. Since the beginning of the year Apple has seen its stock rise 24.7%. After Apple sold 1 million iPads, Hargreaves noted that much of the consumer base included an older crowd, whose lifestyles are more conducive to the larger device rather than its pocket-size counterparts, the iPhone and iPod touch. (See "For Apple, A Million iPads Is Just The Start.") He adds, though, that there has been a greater amount of business demand than he would have expected. "Businesses have the standard desktop and notebook for all travel services, but people are augmenting those with the iPad for short trips and day trips, and finding value in carrying them around to all kinds of meetings," Hargreaves says. | The Apple iPad is capable of reading, sending, and receiving . Apple announced Monday that it has sold over two million , just two months after the device began shipping in the US and only days after its international launch. Apple shares rose 2.9 percent (US$7.41) to US$264.29 Tuesday afternoon. Market analysts also upped price targets and sales estimates in response to the announcement. Shares for , who provides data plans for the iPad, also rose yesterday. Prior to the iPad's April 3 launch, many analysts had speculated about the viability and marketability of the device. However, iPad sales have been faster than anticipated. Although it was only expected to sell one million iPads for the whole quarter, Apple announced in early May that it had surpassed the one-million mark in just 28 days. It again surprised industry watchers, who were expecting about 1.6–1.7 million iPads to have been sold when Apple announced that it had passed the two-million mark. iPad sales may make up over ten percent of Apple's revenue this quarter, a feat that took the twice as long to achieve. The iPad has been so popular and supplies of the tablet so low that Apple tried to place limits on the number of iPads a person can purchase earlier. Apple had postponed sales of the iPad to Europe and Asia until last weekend due to strong demand for the tablet in the US. In addition to the US, it now sells the devices in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.K., and will begin shipping iPads to Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Singapore in July. |
LONDON - Symbian Ltd., maker of the top operating system for "smart" cell phones, is licensing e-mail technology from Microsoft Corp., an unexpected deal with a rival that may bolster Microsoft's bid to extend its dominance in computer software to mobile devices. advertisement (MSNBC is a Microsoft - NBC joint venture.) Neither company revealed the terms of the licensing agreement. Symbian, a joint venture formed by some of the world's best known phone makers, has emerged as the best-selling platform for advanced cell phones designed to double as both handheld computers and mobile entertainment centers. However, most of that success has come in European markets where lead investor Nokia Corp. is most influential. In North America and other markets, Symbian has gained only modest traction as compared with rival wireless platforms such as Palm and Windows Mobile from Microsoft. Overall, the smart phone market remains quite small, leaving plenty of room for rivals to vie for customers as the devices grow more popular. According to the research firm IDC, converged mobile devices accounted for only a few percent of the more than 600 million phones sold in 2004, but that number is expected to grow sharply this year. Marit Doving, executive vice president of marketing at Symbian, said the deal would allow the British company "to offer the broadest possible choice of e-mail and personal information management solutions." Dave Thompson, corporate vice president of the Exchange Server Product Group at Microsoft, said the accord gave both companies the opportunity to expand the number of customers who can access their e-mail and other data from wireless services as demand for such services grows rapidly. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| advertisement Symbian Gets Synch Software from Rival Microsoft As a result, users of smartphones that run on Symbian software, over 20 million devices, will be able to wirelessly receive emails via network computers that run Microsoft's Exchange Server software. These servers are used mainly for Microsoft's Outlook email and calendar applications. Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research) , which sells most of the Symbian-based smartphones, last month signed a deal with Microsoft to license the same software, called ActiveSync, for use in its enterprise devices such as the Communicator. The collaboration is intriguing, because Symbian was set up by the world's biggest mobile phone makers in the late 1990s as a force against Microsoft, which handset makers believed was aiming to dominate the cell phone industry in the same way it had become the de facto operating system for personal computers. But six years on, Microsoft's market share in operating software for mobile phones has not crossed 1 percent. Meanwhile, corporate employees have to come to expect email on their mobile devices as it was pioneered by the Blackberry device, from Research In Motion (RIM.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) . "Microsoft isn't a monolithic company. This is a deal we've done with their server division and is aimed to complete the portfolio of email solutions, so that people have the choice to receive emails whichever email system they use," said Symbian spokesman Peter Bancroft. Microsoft's Windows software for mobile devices is run from another division at the world's biggest software company. Symbian continues to support a wide range of other email synchronization protocols such as RIM's Blackberry Connect as well as the Open Mobile Alliance Data Synchronization protocol. ||||| March 22th 2005, Symbian press release Symbian licenses Microsoft Exchange Server ActiveSync Protocol for Symbian OS London, UK – March 22, 2005 – Symbian Limited today announced that it has licensed the Microsoft Exchange Server ActiveSync protocol for use in Symbian OS™, the leading open standard operating system for advanced mobile phones. Under the terms of the agreement, Symbian will develop an Exchange Server ActiveSync protocol – plug-in – for the Symbian OS messaging architecture to enable Symbian OS licensees – the world's leading mobile phone manufacturers – to include in their Symbian OS-based phones direct over-the-air (OTA) synchronization capabilities for email, calendar, contacts and other personal information management (PIM) data supported by Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 . Symbian will make the Exchange Server ActiveSync protocol plug-in available to all Symbian OS licensees which, when coupled with a separate standard distribution agreement with Microsoft, enables the licensees, at their discretion, to implement direct synchronization capabilities with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 in their selected Symbian OS products with reduced time to market, improved interoperability and lower development costs. The terms of the licensing agreement between Symbian and Microsoft were not disclosed. The agreement continues Symbian's commitment to working with leading companies from the mobile communications and IT industries to enable Symbian OS licensees to develop products that meet the diverse needs of network operators, enterprises and consumers around the world. Symbian continues to support a wide range of email and PIM synchronization protocols such as RIM's BlackBerry Connect as well as the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Data Synchronization protocol as implemented in solutions from a wide variety of Symbian Partner vendors. Symbian is committed to ensuring its licensees have the widest choice possible in this evolving space. Symbian "With an installed base of more than 25 million Symbian OS phones and more than 14 m Symbian OS phones having shipped to more than 200 network operators in 2004, Symbian is the leading open standard operating system in 2.5 and 3G phones. Developing Microsoft's Exchange Server ActiveSync protocol plug-in for Symbian OS continues Symbian's drive to offer the broadest possible choice of email and PIM solutions. This will help all Symbian OS licensees meet the needs of the enterprise market," said Marit Doving, executive vice president, Marketing, Symbian. Microsoft "By licensing the ActiveSync protocol and opening up this capability to Symbian OS licensees, Symbian and Microsoft together are significantly expanding the number of customers who can directly access their corporate email and PIM data from wireless devices," said Dave Thompson, corporate vice president of the Exchange Server Product Group at Microsoft. "Our goal, as evidenced by this agreement and licensing of our intellectual property, is to enhance end-user productivity and drive innovation in the mobile industry with an easy to implement, wireless email solution designed to lower IT costs." About Symbian Ltd Symbian is a software licensing company that develops and licenses Symbian OS, the global open industry standard operating system for advanced, data-enabled mobile phones. Symbian licenses Symbian OS to the world's leading handset manufacturers. The following Symbian OS licensees have Symbian OS-based mobile phones in production and / or in development: Arima, BenQ, Fujitsu for NTT DoCoMo FOMA, LG, Lenovo, Mitsubishi, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, Sendo, Sharp, Siemens, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. In 2004, over 14 million Symbian OS-based mobile phones were sold worldwide and more than 25 million have been sold to date. Symbian has its headquarters in London, United Kingdom with offices in the United States, Europe, Israel, Australia and Asia (Bangalore, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo). For further information about Symbian: www.symbian.com press@symbian.com PR Contacts: Symbian Software Ltd. Anatolie Papas, Laura Sykes +44 207 154 1917 press@symbian.com ||||| advertisement UPDATE 1-RIM falls on competition fears after Symbian deal (Adds analyst comments, closing stock price. In U.S. dollars, unless noted) By Jeffrey Hodgson TORONTO, March 22 (Reuters) - Shares of Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) fell almost 6 percent on Tuesday on fears of greater competition for the maker of the BlackBerry wireless e-mail device after mobile phone software maker Symbian struck a licensing deal with Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) . Shares of RIM, which helped popularize mobile e-mailing with its thumb-operated BlackBerry, fell $4.79 to $77.35 on Nasdaq on a volume of more than 11.6 million shares. In Toronto, RIM fell C$5.61 to C$93.69. "That's my sense of it: (fears of) increased competition from Microsoft and Nokia and Symbian," said Martin Cecchetto, an analyst at UBS Securities, who added that he thought investors were "reading too much into it". Britain's Symbian said on Tuesday it agreed to license synchronization software from long-time rival Microsoft in an effort to win more corporate customers. As a result, users of "smartphones" that run on Symbian software, over 20 million devices, will be able to receive e-mails via network computers that run Microsoft's Exchange Server software. These servers are used mainly for Microsoft's Outlook e-mail and calendar applications. Nokia (NOK1V.HE: Quote, Profile, Research) , which sells most of the Symbian-based smartphones, last month signed a deal to license the same software. Merrill Lynch analyst Pat Chiefalo said in a note to clients he does not think the Symbian-Microsoft deal represents a "materially more competitive threat" to RIM's BlackBerry and e-mail service. "Microsoft has found little success in the enterprise market for its e-mail solution. We do not believe that broad handset availability has been the limiting factor to this success; rather, the security and functionality offered by Microsoft has come up short," he said. "As a result, we do not believe greater distribution through Symbian's operating system will drive greater adoption of Microsoft's Mobile solution." Chiefalo reiterated his "buy" rating on RIM stock with a $107 price target. Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM is currently the market leader in providing mobile e-mail and calendar service for companies and other large organizations. But the stock has taken periodic hits in recent months on fears of competing offerings from much larger players like Microsoft and Nokia. Separately, Stanford Group analyst Pablo Perez-Fernandez issued a research note on Tuesday that warned closely held wireless e-mail firm Good Technology is eroding RIM's technical lead in the mobile data sector. But he maintained his "buy" rating and $85 share price on the stock. RIM shares have rallied from a year-to-date low of $60.28 on Nasdaq hit March 11, boosted by the $450 million settlement this month of its three-year patent dispute with NTP Inc. ($1=$1.21 Canadian) NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq and all other quotes delayed by at least 15 minutes. Reuters does not endorse the views or opinions given by any third party content provider. Printer Friendly | Email Article | Reprints Business News Stocks Sag as GM Hits Dow U.S. Warns EU Against New Aid for Airbus Time Warner, Comcast Buying Adelphia MORE | Mobile phone operating software maker Symbian is licensing the Microsoft ActiveSync technology in a move that surprised analysts. The license would allow Symbian to develop a plug-in for mobile phones to let users check email that is served by Microsoft Exchange Server mail system. Symbian was formed in 1998 by Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola and Psion in a collaborative desire to counter Microsoft's emerging market power in operating systems for handheld devices. While Microsoft now provides the Windows Mobile software for mobile phones, it has not attained significant market penetration. At the same time, in part through the increased popularity of Research in Motion's ''BlackBerry'' mobile email device, users have come to expect their mobile phones to synchronize email with various mail servers — including Exchange Server. Symbian appears to be sensitive to the appearance of collaborating with the very competitor that spurred their creation. Symbian's press release emphasized that the licensing of the technology introduces just one of the many methods the Symbian software communicates with email servers. The spokesperson for the company, Peter Bancroft, was also on the defensive: "Microsoft isn't a monolithic company" he said, referring to the fact that Exchange Server and Windows Mobile are created by two different divisions of Microsoft. Shares of Research in Motion dropped on the news. |
Lawmakers on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill introduced by the government of military ruler President Pervez Musharraf that will overhaul widely-criticised religious legislation dating back to 1979. At present the laws say that women must produce four Muslim male witnesses as evidence of rape -- an almost impossible burden of evidence -- or potentially face adultery charges themselves. "We will protest countrywide against the bill and the policies of the military dictator," said Liaquat Baloch, deputy leader of the MMA (Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, United Action Front), an alliance of key Islamic parties. "This bill has been brought under the directions of the United States and implemented by their representative in Pakistan, General Musharraf," Baloch told AFP. The Pakistani government had backed out of three previous attempts to push the bill through following an outcry from religious hardliners in this conservative Islamic republic. It was a largely symbolic victory as the number of women actually convicted under the notorious "Hudood (Limits) Laws" is relatively small. The laws run parallel to Pakistan's British-influenced penal code. But the issue has reopened faultlines between Musharraf, a self proclaimed "enlightened moderate", and the religious parties who bitterly opposed his support for the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. "Women will no longer suffer victimisation because the clause related to rape and adultery has now been put under the (secular) Pakistan penal code," Musharraf said in a televised address to the nation late Wednesday. "We will continue to make efforts to make sure that there is no discrimination against women." Musharraf -- who seized power in a 1999 coup and once counted the religious parties as his allies -- has escaped at least three assassination attempts blamed on Islamic extremists. Bearded and turbaned hardline legislators stormed out of the national assembly, the lower house of Pakistan's parliament, before the vote took place on Wednesday. Opposition leader and MMA secretary general Maulana Fazlur Rehman gave a fiery speech to lawmakers on Wednesday in which he warned that the bill would "turn Pakistan into a free-sex society." The late military dictator General Ziaul Haq introduced the Hudood Laws 27 years ago as part of a sweeping Islamisation of Pakistan that coincided with the country's role in the anti-Soviet "jihad" in Afghanistan. The maximum sentence for adultery by a man or a woman under the laws is death by stoning, although that has never been enforced and those convicted of the crime get jail or a fine instead. Human rights groups who have long campaigned for a change in the law hailed the bill as a step forward for Pakistani women. ||||| Qazi Hussain Ahmed (r) of the MMA boycotted Wednesday's debate The MMA alliance says its members will resign from national and provincial assemblies after MPs voted that rape should no longer fall under Sharia law. President Pervez Musharraf in a television speech said the Islamists were isolated on the issue. The Sharia laws have been widely criticised by human rights groups. The lower house of the parliament voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to amend the controversial Sharia law that dates back to 1979. Until now, rape cases were dealt with in Sharia courts. Victims had to have four male witnesses to the crime - if not, they faced prosecution for adultery. 'US pressure' Under the amended law, the civil courts will be able to try rape cases according to the British-influenced penal code. The MMA parties boycotted the vote, saying the bill encouraged "free sex". They also accuse President Musharraf of pleasing foreign powers. Women protested outside parliament as the debate was held In its Thursday meeting in Islamabad, the MMA's supreme council decided that all the alliance's members would resign from the national parliament and provincial assemblies. Senior MMA leader Liaquat Baloch said this would take place after further meetings on 6 and 7 December. "They have given free leave to adulterers and fornicators, and those who would spread evil in society," he said. The MMA found themselves politically isolated by the vote. Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) voted for the amendment. Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN), led by another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, abstained, although it had indicated earlier that it would support the MMA on the issue. Both the leaders are bitterly opposed to President Musharraf's government and the military's role in politics. The two parties are partners in the opposition Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) that seeks to oust the president. Re-alignment The ARD and MMA have occasionally joined forces in anti-government campaigns, and both have been working towards a grand anti-Pervez Musharraf alliance. Hudood laws can punish women for extra-marital sex But the BBC's M Ilyas Khan says the amendments to the rape laws could drive a wedge between the opposition forces. Analysts now indicate a re-alignment of political forces ahead of the national elections, expected towards the end of 2007. Some say the situation, which seemed to be leading to a face-off between the military and the civilian leadership, may now transform into one that pits the Islamists on one side, faced up against the secular political parties and President Musharraf, who argues for a goal of moderate Islam. But others discount chances of political collaboration between Gen Musharraf and Ms Bhutto. Attempts to pass a new bill failed in September in the face of angry opposition from the Islamists as well as some sections of Gen Musharraf's political allies. Subdued The version of the Women's Protection Bill put before legislators then caused such an outcry that parliament was prorogued. Gen Musharraf has said women need to be better protected But the MMA's top leader in parliament, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, was rather subdued in his opposition of the proposed legislation when it was tabled on Wednesday, media reports said. A hardline MMA leader, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, did not attend the session at all. Under the amended bill, rape cases will be tried in civil courts Adultery, which has always been illegal, will still be tried by both civil and Sharia courts, depending on which system the complainant chooses. Religious parties called the new legislation "a harbinger of lewdness and indecency in the country", and against the strictures of the Koran and Sharia law. The government has said that some of the MMA's proposals were included in the bill. The MMA disputes this. | Islamist groups have vowed large scale protests after Pakistan's amended laws to transfer rape cases from Sharia courts to . Sharia courts in Pakistan, based on Islamic religious law, try rape cases under "''''" laws instituted in 1979. The laws say that a rape victim must herself face charges unless she can produce four Muslim male witnesses to the rape. The maximum sentence for adultery is death by . The laws are widely condemned by women's rights groups as an almost impossible burden of proof. Human rights groups have long campaigned for changes to the religious laws. On Wednesday, Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of the amendments. A coalition of Islamic parties, the (MMA), which forms the Parliamentary opposition, has opposed the changes, saying it encourages "free sex". The MMA says that its members will resign from national and provincial assemblies in protest. |
Peru names new prime minister LIMA - Peru is to swear in a new prime minister on Sunday after bitter violence in the country's northern Amazon region forced the incumbent to resign, officials said. Parliament speaker Javier Velasquez has been tapped to take over from Yehude Simon, who leaves office as the government tries to draw a line under Amazon bloodshed which left at least 34 people dead. "With Velasquez a new stage for the council of ministers will begin," Minister of Interior Mercedes Cabanillas told local media on Saturday. Yehude became a lightning rod for criticism of the government's crackdown on indigenous protesters who had barricaded a major road, calling for land rights in the Amazon river basin. The government sent in troops to break up the demonstrations, with bloody results, leaving leftist and conservative groups baying for Simon's censure. The resignation was an embarrassing political blow for President Alan Garcia, who until days ago expressed his confidence in Simon but who will now have his third prime minister in three years. But with the president facing disapproval ratings of 67 percent, according to one poll, many commentators saw Simon's position as untenable. The 49-year-old Velasquez will be sworn in during a ceremony at 8:00 pm on Sunday (0100 GMT Monday). - AFP /ls ||||| July 11 (Bloomberg) -- Peruvian President Alan Garcia appointed Congress President Javier Velasquez as his cabinet chief and shuffled his cabinet a month after protests against logging and oil concessions turned deadly. Velasquez, 49, a four-term congressman, is Garcia’s third cabinet chief since October. He replaces Yehude Simon, who was ousted after clashes June 5 in the country’s northern Amazon jungle between indigenous protesters and police resulted in the deaths of 34 people. “Agitators are spreading, disturbing the tranquility of the country’s homes,” Garcia said. “I trust this will be my last cabinet, to spur the reforms the country needs to ensure continued growth.” Beginning in early April, protesters blocked roads and oil and natural-gas installations, seeking to overturn laws that sought to award more concessions in the Amazon to loggers and oil companies. The clashes forced Garcia’s 17-member cabinet to tender their resignations and Congress to repeal two of the laws on June 18. Garcia, whose five-year mandate expires in July 2011, also changed trade, production, agriculture, defense, interior, justice and labor ministers. Garcia kept Finance Minister Luis Carranza and Energy Minister Pedro Sanchez. Former Foreign Trade Minister Mercedes Araoz, who negotiated free-trade agreements with the U.S., Canada and China, was named minister of production. “Even with the prime minister resigning and President Alan Garcia appointing a new cabinet, DBRS believes there will be no changes to the basic pillars of the country’s economic policy,” Fergus McCormick, an analyst at Dominion Bond Ratings Service, said in a report yesterday. “Peru’s BBB long-term foreign and local currency sovereign ratings are stable, firmly supported by the country’s sound macroeconomic policies, low debt burden and strong economic growth potential,” McCormick wrote. To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Emery in Lima at aemery1@bloomberg.net To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net | Javier Velásquez, head of Peru’s legislature has been named as Prime Minister by President Alan Garcia. Velásquez is from the President's party, APRA, and replaces Yehude Simon as Prime Minister after Simon resigned on July 10. Simon resigned due to a crisis over indigenous land rights which caused 34 deaths, the worst violence Peru has seen in 20 years. President Alan Garcia Along with Velásquez’s new role President Garcia has also reshuffled the cabinet and named seven new ministers. Former police chief Octavio Salazar has been named as interior minister. Opposition Congressman Fredy Otarola has criticized Velásquez, claiming “Velásquez is more of the same” and that he does not "represent change." Garcia, whose presidency runs out in 2011, has faced several tough years. According to the Agence France-Presse, Peru has gone from a economic strength to a weakness and Garcia also has record disapproval figures, with 67 percent of those polled having a negative opinion of him. |
Jackie Speier (pronounced SPEAR) has lived her entire life inside California’s scenic 12th Congressional District, which she has represented in Congress since April, 2008. She previously served the residents of the San Francisco Peninsula on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and in the California Assembly and Senate. Jackie was the first California legislator to give birth while in office and, during her time in Sacramento, authored more than 300 bills that were signed into law by both Republican and Democratic governors. These included the nation’s strongest financial privacy law and measures that expanded women’s access to reproductive health services, ended gender-based pricing at retail establishments and safeguarded children from hazardous products. Her law to improve collection of delinquent child support has resulted in tens of billions of dollars being recovered for single parents since enactment. She also led high-profile investigations of fraudulent and wasteful government spending which saved taxpayers many more millions of dollars. Jackie continues her focus on consumer and taxpayer issues in the House of Representatives. She is an outspoken critic of the earmark process which allows politicians to direct funding toward favored projects and was an early proponent of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created to help level the playing field for American consumers and investors when dealing with banks and credit card companies. She has also pushed for a crackdown on toxins in children’s products, leading to the recall of 12 million “Shrek” drinking glasses sold at McDonald’s and introduced the “Do Not Track Me Online Act” to enable consumers to opt-out of any collection of personal information by websites, email providers and other online entities. In addition, she fought to require investment advisors to protect their customers’ interests and prohibit credit rating agencies from advising the firms they rate. She is widely credited with being the driving force behind forcing Craigslist to remove its Adult Services section. Nationally, Jackie is best known for her passionate and compelling speeches on the House floor, such as her unscripted response to a congressional colleague who trivialized women who, like her, have had medically-necessary second trimester abortions. She also frequently goes to the floor to tell the personal stories of men and women in our armed forces who have been raped or sexually assaulted while in the line of duty. Locally, Jackie is known as a fighter. In 1978, as a staff member to then-Congressman Leo J. Ryan, she was shot five times while trying to rescue constituents from the People’s Temple compound in Jonestown, Guyana – an attack that left Congressman Ryan and six others dead and was followed by the mass murder-suicide of more than 900 Temple followers. Jackie tenaciously hung onto life for 23 hours on a dusty airstrip before aid arrived. It is this fighting spirit that defines her to her constituents back home. When a devastating gas pipeline explosion destroyed a neighborhood in San Bruno, the residents and city officials turned to Jackie to help lead the effort to determine the cause, repair the damage and find a solution to keep the incident from happening elsewhere in the country. She convened community meetings, held local utility officials accountable and prodded state and federal officials to personally get involved, ultimately leading the Pacific Gas & Electric Company to institute new safety measures and provide increased help for affected residents. Jackie followed up by authoring the “National Pipeline Safety Act” to reduce the risk of similar catastrophes by requiring better and more frequent testing of high-pressure gas pipelines located near residential areas. Jackie serves on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Homeland Security where she is the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. She is also a member of her party’s leadership team as Senior Whip, working within the Democratic caucus to push issues that will create jobs and strengthen the middle class. Jackie received a BA in Political Science from University of California at Davis and a JD from UC Hastings College of the Law. She is also a best-selling author. Along with her husband, Barry Dennis, and children, Jackson and Stephanie, Jackie is a proud fan of the World Champion San Francisco Giants and enjoys yoga, golf and anything that allows her to spend time with her family. ||||| NBC Olympics, USOC partner for coverage of Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games By U.S. Olympic Committee | Sep 24, 2013, 10:00 AM ET Following 5.5 hours of coverage for the London 2012 Paralympic Games, NBC and NBCSN will air an unprecendented 116 hours of coverage for the Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, while the U.S. Olympic Committee will live stream both Games. NBC Olympics and U.S. Olympic Committee acquire media rights to Sochi 2014, Rio 2016 Paralympic Games NBC and NBCSN to provide unprecedented 116 hours of coverage for next two Paralympic Games TeamUSA.org to provide exclusive live streaming in the United States By the numbers 149 hours of live streaming for Sochi 2014 77 athletes expected on the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Team 66 hours of television coverage for Rio 2016 50 hours of television coverage for Sochi 2014 Six sponsors including BMW, BP, Citi, Liberty Mutual and Procter & Gamble signed to support broadcast and streaming for Sochi 5.5 hours of television coverage for London 2012 Two channels (NBC and NBCSN) set to broadcast Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 in the United States One website (TeamUSA.org) set to stream all the action live from Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 channels(NBC and NBCSN)set to broadcastSochi 2014 and Rio 2016in the United Stateswebsiteset to stream all theaction live fromSochi 2014 and Rio 2016 NEW YORK – The Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games will receive an unprecedented 116 combined hours of coverage in the United States, the International Paralympic Committee announced today, as NBC Olympics and the United States Olympic Committee have partnered to acquire the U.S. media rights to the next two Paralympic Games. NBC and NBCSN will combine to air 50 hours of television coverage for March’s Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, starting on March 7 with the Opening Ceremony. It will be followed by daily coverage of all five Paralympic sports in the Sochi program, before the Games’ Closing Ceremony is broadcast on March 16. In Sept. 2016, NBC and NBCSN will show 66 hours of coverage from the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, an increase of 60.5 hours from the coverage of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The 2016 Games are set to be the biggest yet with more than 4,300 athletes competing in 22 sports, and aim to build on the success of London 2012 which were broadcast to a global cumulated audience of 3.8 billion in 115 countries. In addition to the unprecedented U.S. television coverage, the USOC will provide live online coverage of both the Sochi and Rio Paralympic Games at TeamUSA.org. “We are absolutely delighted to announce this two-Games agreement with NBC and the USOC as it provides more airtime of the Paralympics than ever before in the U.S.,” said Sir Phillip Craven, president of the IPC. “Following the success of London 2012, we said it was absolutely essential for the growth of the Paralympic Movement and the Paralympic Games that in future years U.S audiences had a greater opportunity to watch some of the world’s best elite athletes in action. “This is tremendous news for sports fans, too, many of which will be able to watch a Paralympic Games live for the first time. I am sure they will be as captivated and emotionally enthralled as the billions around the world who tuned into London 2012 last summer.” “With the support of the IPC, USOC and leading corporate sponsors, we are thrilled to provide an unprecedented level of coverage for the Paralympic Games from both Sochi and Rio,” said Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics. “We look forward to telling the inspiring stories of the athletes and capturing the compelling competition across NBC and NBCSN.” “We are thrilled with NBC Olympics’ commitment to growing the Paralympic Movement in the United States,” said USOC CEO Scott Blackmun. “With the expanded coverage to be provided through this NBC and USOC partnership, the competition from the Paralympic Games in both Sochi and Rio, and the stories of our country’s best physically disabled and visually impaired athletes, will unfold every day and night. We are proud to have a partner that understands the importance of the Paralympic Movement and is committed to growing its impact.” “This important partnership with NBC is another boost to our on-going efforts to showcase the most innovative Paralympic Winter Games in history,” Sochi 2014 President and Chief Executive Officer Dmitry Chernyshenko said. “We believe that the Paralympics are already acting as a genuine catalyst to change attitudes both in Russia and across the world – NBC’s coverage will further help to achieve this goal and introduce millions more viewers to the excitement of the Paralympic Games.” “Rio 2016 will be the biggest Paralympic Games in history with 4,350 athletes competing across 22 sports and we are delighted that NBC will broadcast more coverage than ever before in the U.S.," Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman said. "We are working closely together with the International Paralympic Committee to continue the growth of Paralympic sport and we are confident that the images broadcast from the Rio Games in 2016 will inspire and excite sports fans across the Americas and around the world.” NBCSN will broadcast 46.5 hours of competition from Sochi while NBC will air an additional 3.5 hours of coverage. The comprehensive programming will feature Paralympic competition in alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, sled hockey, wheelchair curling and the new discipline of snowboard cross. In addition to the comprehensive television plan on NBC and NBC Sports Network, which will include 10 consecutive days of coverage of the Games, the USOC will provide live online coverage of all competition events and Opening and Closing Ceremonies on TeamUSA.org. This unprecedented Paralympic Winter Games coverage is made possible through the support of the broadcast and streaming sponsors BMW, BP, Citi, Liberty Mutual and Procter & Gamble, marking the first time the broadcast has been exclusively sold to USOC sponsors. “As a proud supporter of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams, we are delighted to partner with NBC and the U.S. Olympic Committee on this groundbreaking broadcast event,” said Dermot Boden, Citi’s global chief brand officer. “For the first time, Americans will be able to experience the excitement, drama and spirit of the Paralympic Games live and celebrate with our inspirational athletes as they achieve their dreams.” Over 10 days, the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games will feature near 700 athletes with a physical disability or visual impairment from 45 countries competing in seven disciplines of five sports. The Games feature 72 medal events (34 men, 34 women, four mixed). Team USA will compete in each of the sports contested in Sochi with an estimated team of 77 athletes. For the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, the U.S. sent 50 athletes, winning four gold medals, five silver medals and four bronze medals, finishing fifth overall in the medal count. In 2010, Andy Soule (Pearland, Texas), a U.S. Army veteran, won a bronze medal in the men’s sitting 2.4-kilometer individual pursuit biathlon event, becoming the first U.S. biathlete to medal at an Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games. Of the 50 athletes who competed in Vancouver, five were military athletes: alpine skier Heath Calhoun (Clarksville, Tenn.), ret., U.S. Army; Nordic skier Sean Halsted (Spokane, Wash./Twin Lakes, Idaho), ret., U.S. Air Force; wheelchair curler Patrick McDonald (Madison, Wis.), ret. U.S. Army; Soule; and alpine skier Chris Devlin-Young (Campton, N.H.), ret., U.S. Coast Guard. All are Sochi hopefuls including Calhoun, who was the U.S. flag bearer for the 2010 Opening Ceremony. At London 2012, Team USA featured 227 athletes and guides, including 20 active duty and veteran service members, who finished sixth in the medals table having won 98 medals. Top performers included swimmer Jessica Long (Baltimore, Md.), who won five gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal in nine events, and wheelchair racer Ray Martin (Jersey City, N.J.), who won four gold medals in four events. | File photo of Jackie Speier (D-CA), Member of the United States House of Representatives With the 2014 Winter Paralympics set for March, Wikinews sought comment from U.S. Representative , who serves California's 14th congressional district about the event and how current U.S. policies impact people with disabilities. Elected to the U.S. House in 2008, she serves on the and the . For the first time ever, the Paralympics will be broadcast live in the U.S. on network television. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Will "Obamacare" have a positive or negative impact on the lives of people with disabilities? ::'''Jackie Speier''': By-and-large the will have a significant and lasting beneficial impact on persons with disabilities ... Most importantly, pre-existing conditions will no longer prevent persons with disabilities from obtaining health insurance. Lifetime limits on medical expenses will be removed and preventive services will be free. All of these provisions of the law create health insurance that is highly supportive of good health outcomes for everyone, but in particular for those who have a disability. : Are there any Paralympic athletes or elite athletes with disabilities from your district that people should know more about? '''Jackie Speier''': There are currently two Paralympic athletes who train or live in my district that people will definitely hear more about in the coming years. One is a young woman named Allie Hyatt who trains in with Willy Cahill, whom I have also trained with. Allie, who is visually impaired and just 15, has already won numerous awards and will participate in the Youth Olympic Games next year. She is sure to be a force in the Judo world for many, many years. Hyatt lives in San Francisco and Cahill is the founder and CEO of the Blind Judo Foundation. Another great athlete is Mohamend Lahna who is training for the Rio Olympics in 2016 for the paratriathlon," Speier continued. "He is from Morocco originally but lives now in San Mateo and trains daily at the College of San Mateo. He runs marathons with a prosthetic leg and has his sights set on winning several medals atworld and Olympic events in the future. Lahna has proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD), a birth defect that affects the hip and pelvis. He is married and has a 1-year-old child. ''Wikinews'' also sought comment from other members of Congress, including , , , , and but at publication time, had received no response. == Sources == * * * |
THE Coalition is refusing to endorse plain cigarette packaging unveiled by Health Minister Nicola Roxon today, saying it will examine the details of proposed legislation before deciding whether to support the change. Ms Roxon said the olive-coloured packs, emblazoned with confronting pictures of rotting teeth and diseased eyes, would be the toughest anti-tobacco marketing measure in the world. She called on the Coalition, which accepts political donations from tobacco companies, to back the change in the interest of public health. "There is a clear question for Mr Abbott today: will you join with the Gillard government or will you continue to be in the pocket of big tobacco and accept their donations?" said Ms Roxon. A spokesman for Opposition leader Tony Abbott said the Coalition was yet to decide its position. "We do support sensible measures that are proven to lead to reduced levels of smoking but we want to wait and see the full legislation, and what evidence they are relying on that plain packaging does reduce smoking rates," he said. Opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton said in 2009 that a ban on cigarette branding would be "a bridge too far". Cigarette giant British American Tobacco Australia flagged a massive legal fight against proposed plain packaging. BATA said the government might have to pay billions of dollars in compensation to cigarette firms if it pushed ahead with the plan. The company, whose brands include Winfield, Dunhill and Benson & Hedges, said the proposal would infringe international trademark and intellectual property laws. "The government could end up wasting millions of taxpayers' dollars in legal fees trying to defend their decision, let alone the potential to pay billions to the tobacco industry for taking away our intellectual property," spokesman Scott McIntyre said. Australia would be the first country to mandate plain packaging of cigarettes. New Zealand, Canada and Britain have considered a similar policy and are likely to be watching to see if Australia succeeds. BATA has called on the government to cancel its plans for plain packaging and consult with the industry. It argues alcohol and fast food companies wouldn't stand having their branding taken away from them. The company also claims plain packaging would encourage a black market in tobacco. Unveiling draft legislation to enable to branding clampdown, Ms Roxon said the government was proud to lead the world on tobacco control. "This plain packaging legislation is a world first and sends a clear message that the glamour is gone. Cigarette packs will now only show the death and disease that can come from smoking," she said. "The new packs have been designed to have the lowest appeal to smokers and to make clear the terrible effects that smoking can have on your health. "The legislation will restrict tobacco industry logos, brand imagery, colours and promotional text appearing on packs. "The only thing to distinguish one brand from another will be the brand and product name in a standard colour, standard position and standard font size and style." She said smoking killed 15,000 Australians and cost society $31.5 billion a year. TOBACCO PRODUCTS BILL FACTBOX LEGISLATION: *Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011 *Restricts branding, other than product brand name, on cigarette packs and tobacco products sold *Includes restrictions on symbols, logos and other design features such as novel packaging material, embossing and foils *Cigarette packs must be a specific shade of dark olive brown in matt finish. *Brand name can appear on top, bottom and front of packs in a specific font legible from one metre. *Anti-counterfeiting techniques allowed, including unique alphanumeric codes. IMPLEMENTATION: *60 days for public comment *Bill to be introduced during the winter 2011 federal parliament sitting *If passed, comes into effect January 1, 2012 *Tobacco products sold must comply by July 1, 2012 ENFORCEMENT: *Criminal, civil penalties apply to sales of non-compliant packs from July 1, 2011 *Health regulatory unit within federal department to monitor enforcement. HISTORY: *In 2009, the conference of the parties to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention agreed plain packaging should be considered as part of comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising. *Australia is the first signatory and the first country in the world to commit to implementing recommendations. - with AAP ||||| Cigarette plain packaging moves closer Australian Broadcasting Corporation Broadcast: 06/04/2011 Reporter: Steve Cannane Australia is set to be the first country in the world to ban logos and brand names from cigarette packaging. Transcript TONY JONES, PRESENTER: The Gillard Government is about to take the next step in its bid to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes.In a moment we'll hear from the Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, who will tomorrow release the draft legislation. If the bill passes, Australia will become the first country in the world to ban logos and brand names from cigarette packaging.Steve Cannane reports.STEVE CANNANE, REPORTER: Cigarettes in Australia might soon look like this: no logos, no branding and even bigger health warnings.If the legislation becomes law, plain packaging will be phased in from January next year.SIMON CHAPMAN, UNI. OF SYDNEY: Look, I think it's impossible to underestimate the global importance of this announcement. I can't think of any other consumer good anywhere in the world where governments have said this is entirely how you must package this product for consumers, and I think that's really appropriate because the number of people who are killed by tobacco every year globally and in Australia is astronomical. The tobacco industry will fight this, but I don't expect and other people don't expect them to win.STEVE CANNANE: The tobacco industry has already spent millions fighting plain packaging.As Lateline revealed last year, the tobacco industry gave $5 million to the Alliance of Australian Retailers to fund this advertising campaign.Their latest campaign targets smokers, urging them to oppose increased taxes and plain packaging. And lobbying politicians is also part of their strategy, as these emails from the tobacco industry's former PR advisers show. "Effective political campaigns only work when the targeted decision makers believe that the campaign will be ongoing and intensive. In short, that the campaign will keep going and keep damaging their political standing unless they change their position."But Simon Chapman believes this kind of campaigning will have little impact on the legislation.SIMON CHAPMAN: I'd be very surprised if we didn't get a majority of the cross bench and I wouldn't be surprised if some of the members of the Liberal Party crossed the floor on this.STEVE CANNANE: Lateline asked representatives from Philip Morris for an interview. They offered no comment.British American Tobacco Australia said they won't be commenting until they see the draft legislation.Steve Cannane, Lateline. Do you have a comment or a story idea? Get in touch with the Lateline team by clicking here. | Australian Health Minister has announced plans to introduce legislation requiring cigarette packaging to be plain, and unbranded. The may oppose this move, and will examine the detail of the legislation before deciding. "We do support sensible measures that are proven to lead to reduced levels of smoking but we want to wait and see the full legislation, and what evidence they are relying on that plain packaging does reduce smoking rates," stated a spokesman for opposition leader Tony Abbott. Intended to decrease the number of Australians smoking, the new packaging is to be olive in colour with no logos or branding, and larger health warnings similar to those currently embossed on packaging. "The new packs have been designed to have the lowest appeal to smokers and to make clear the terrible effects that smoking can have on your health," said Roxon in an official statement. Cigarette conglomerate insists the proposed legislation to require plain package cigarettes is an infringement of international trademark and intellectual property laws that could cost Australian taxpayers millions in legal fees alone. If the legislation passes the new law would begin to be phased in from January next year. With the new measures Australia will lead the world on tobacco control; several other countries, including New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Canada, are reportedly watching the situation in Australia before implementing similar legislation. == Sources == * * |
NKorea appears to have launched rocket: Japan TOKYO (AFP) — North Korea appears to have launched a rocket, the Japanese government said in an email alert Sunday. "A short time ago a flying object appeared to have been launched from North Korea," said the Japan Crisis Management Centre at the prime minister's office set up ahead of Pyongyang's expected launch. The centre sent its email alert at 11:32 local time (0232 GMT). Yonhap quoting a South Korea government source said North Korea has fired long-range rocket. The Japanese government made a similar statement on Saturday but later retracted it, saying the information was incorrect. Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More » ||||| Photo: DIGITALGLOBE - AFP/GETTY Photo: AFP/Getty Images Photo: GETTY Photo: REUTERS Photo: GETTY The launch of the missile at 02.30 GMT (11.30am local time) from a coastal site in the country’s northeast presents US President Barack Obama with his first major foreign policy test since he took office in January, analysts say. It came after weeks of escalating tensions in which North Korean has threatened to pull out permanently from the stalled Six-Party nuclear disarmament talks if any country attempted to interfere with its missile test. Military analysts were still trying to assess the success of the launch from radar telemetry data as the US, Japan and South Korea all condemned the launch as a threat to international peace and stability. Four hours after launch North Korea declared the test a success, claiming a satellite reached orbit within nine minutes and has started to transmit revoloutionary songs down to earth. A state media report described the launch as a "proud achievement made out of our battle to upgrade our country's space scientific technology." The United States immediately announced it would take steps to show the regime of Kim Jong-il know that it could not threatened the security of other nations with impunity. U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement that North Korea, which tested a nuclear device in 2006, had violated U.N. resolutions and increased its own isolation. "With this provocative act, North Korea has ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations," said Mr Obama. Yu Myung-Hwan, foreign minister of South Korea called the launch a “reckless” act. “Regardless of any North Korean claims, this is provocative activity which threatens stability and peace on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia,” he added. Japan, which last week had threatened to intercept the missile if it fell towards Japanese territory also condemned the launch as a provocative action. “It is extremely regrettable that North Korea went ahead with the launch ... and we protest strongly,” said Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura. However despite having international opprobrium heaped upon it, analysts said the launch will be seen as a major propaganda coup for Kim Jong-il’s regime which draws its strength at home from defying international opinion. If successful in deploying a satellite into space, the launch will also mean that the North has beaten its arch-enemy in the South which is planning its first satellite launch later this year. Analysts added that the US and other nations would have to tread a fine line between ‘punishing’ the North for its irresponsible actions and driving it further into international isolation and a possible resumption of uranium enrichment for its nuclear weapons programme. The UN Security Council will meet in New York later today to discuss the launch, but diplomats have hinted that fresh sanctions against the North are unlikely as they would be opposed by China and Russia as counterproductive. More likely are discussions on how to apply existing sanctions more thoroughly, the unnamed added. Analysts also say that the response to Pyongyang’s decision to ignore pleas not to launch the missile would also be a test of China’s willingness to support international nuclear non-proliferation efforts. China remained quiet after the launch, although the official Xinhua news agency quoted its South Korean counterpart Yonhap as saying that North Korea's rocket carried a satellite, which would counter suspicions the launch was actually a disguised missile test. The launch took place on the second of the five days that Pyongyang had announced it would test the missile, after unfavourable weather conditions prevented a launch yesterday. Initial reports said that the first booster rocket of the three-stage Taepodong-2 missile had dropped into the Sea of Japan 170 miles of the north Japanese coast. The only previous Taepodong-2 test, in July 2006 ended in failure after the missile blew apart 40 seconds after lift-off. A united diplomatic response to the test is also made more difficult by legal disputes over whether a 2006 UN resolution banning the North from ballistic missile testing would cover a satellite test. The US, Japan and South Korea have said that the test is a ‘cover’ for developing ballistic missile technology that could in theory deliver a nuclear warhead as far as Alaska or Hawaii. ||||| North Korea Fires Missile over Japan DigitalGlobe satellite image thought to show missile launch pad at Musudan-ni, northeast coastal region of North Korea, 27 Mar 2009 North Korea defied demands from Japan, South Korea and the United States not to go ahead with a planned launch of what Pyongyang said would carry into space an experimental communications satellite. The United States says North Korea launched a Taepodong- 2 missile which flew into the Pacific Ocean over northern Japan. North Korea defied demands from Japan, South Korea and the United States not to go ahead with a planned launch of what Pyongyang said would carry into space an experimental communications satellite.The United States says North Korea launched a Taepodong- 2 missile which flew into the Pacific Ocean over northern Japan. Japan says no debris has apparently fallen on its territory after what it calls a provocative rocket launch. Japan has called for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council later in the day to discuss the event, which it and others say violates a U.N. resolution. The Japanese government, which had gone on high alert in case any debris fell on its territory, says the first stage of the rocket fell into the Sea of Japan 13 minutes after the launch at 11:30 a.m. local time about 280 kilometers off Japan's western shore. The booster stage dropped in the western Pacific Ocean nearly 1,300 miles east of Japan. Taro Aso Japan's Defense Ministry says its forces made no attempt to shoot down the rocket as it flew over two northern prefectures -- Akita and Iwate. Shortly after Japan confirmed the launch, Prime Minister Taro Aso briefly spoke to reporters. Mr. Aso says he has instructed authorities to make sure no debris had harmed any person or property in the country. Japan joined South Korea and the United States in calling the launch a provocative act. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Nakamura calls North Korea's action "extremely regrettable." Nakamura says whether North Korea was placing a satellite into space, as it claimed, or was indeed testing a missile, the launch violates a United Nations Security Council resolution forbidding Pyongyang from further ballistic missile development. Nakamura, the top government spokesman, says Japan is prepared to extend economic sanctions by one year against North Korea. The sanctions, which are due to expire next week, followed a previous North Korean ballistic missile firing and a nuclear test, both in 2006. Japan's Foreign Ministry says a protest has been sent to Pyongyang by way of the Chinese government. Japan and North Korea have no diplomatic relations. Japan's Defense Ministry says its forces made no attempt to shoot down the rocket as it flew over two northern prefectures -- Akita and Iwate.Shortly after Japan confirmed the launch, Prime Minister Taro Aso briefly spoke to reporters. Mr. Aso says he has instructed authorities to make sure no debris had harmed any person or property in the country. Japan joined South Korea and the United States in calling the launch a provocative act.Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Nakamura calls North Korea's action "extremely regrettable." Nakamura says whether North Korea was placing a satellite into space, as it claimed, or was indeed testing a missile, the launch violates a United Nations Security Council resolution forbidding Pyongyang from further ballistic missile development.Nakamura, the top government spokesman, says Japan is prepared to extend economic sanctions by one year against North Korea. The sanctions, which are due to expire next week, followed a previous North Korean ballistic missile firing and a nuclear test, both in 2006.Japan's Foreign Ministry says a protest has been sent to Pyongyang by way of the Chinese government. Japan and North Korea have no diplomatic relations. E-mail Print Digg Yahoo Buzz Facebook del.icio.us StumbleUpon ||||| According to the US Northern Command, the infamous North Korean launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile—which went over Japan terrifying Brian Ashcraft—has been a complete failure, with its payload falling into the Pacific Ocean: NORAD and USNORTHCOM monitor North Korean launch April 05, 2009 PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command officials acknowledged today that North Korea launched a Taepo Dong 2 missile at 10:30 p.m. EDT Saturday which passed over the Sea of Japan/East Sea and the nation of Japan. Stage one of the missile fell into the Sea of Japan/East Sea. The remaining stages along with the payload itself landed in the Pacific Ocean. No object entered orbit and no debris fell on Japan. NORAD and USNORTHCOM assessed the space launch vehicle as not a threat to North America or Hawaii and took no action in response to this launch. This is all of the information that will be provided by NORAD and USNORTHCOM pertaining to the launch. | Despite international appeals, North Korea has gone ahead with a long publicised rocket launch. Authorities from the United States, Japan, and South Korea confirm that the rocket lifted off at 11.32 local time (02.32 GMT) on Sunday April 5, 2009. "A short time ago a flying object appeared to have been launched from North Korea," read a statement by the Japanese government. The rocket seems to have passed over the Japanese capital of Tokyo and headed over the Pacific Ocean. Two parts of the rocket, the first and second stages, fell either side of the Japanese home islands, falling into the Sea of Japan and the Pacific. A statement by the North Korean official news agency said that the rocket had successfully launched a satellite which is now broadcasting "data" and North Korean propaganda songs. A South Korean source told the South Korean Yonhap news agency that the rocket did appear to be carrying a satellite. The North Korean statement calls the rocket Unha-2 ("Galaxy-2") and the satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 ("Lodestar 2"). However, the US Northern Command stated that the launch of the rocket failed, and that the payload and second stage have fallen into the Pacific Ocean. President Obama of the United States condemned the launch as "provocative" and stated that "North Korea has ignored its international obligations...and further isolated itself from the community of nations." America, Japan and South Korea will discuss the launch at an emergency UN Security Council meeting at 15:00 EDT (1900 GMT). Pyongyang's one ally, China, has called for "restraint" on all sides. Both China and fellow veto power Russia oppose further sanctions on North Korea. Resolution 1718 enacted in the wake of a stated 2006 nuclear weapons test bans North Korea from missile development. North Korea claims that the rocket is a launch vehicle to orbit a satellite, however its neighbours suggest that this is simply a cover for a long-range missile test, a missile that could potentially hit Alaska and the West Coast of the United States. |
An Australian woman wrongly deported four years ago is still missing. (ABC) Prime Minister John Howard has offered a qualified apology to a woman who was wrongly deported by Australian immigration officials. Mr Howard says the case has been referred to the inquiry investigating the mistaken detention of Cornelia Rau. "I am very sorry if anything unfair has happened in relation to that and on the face of it that does appear to be the case," Mr Howard told Southern Cross Radio. Labor's Laurie Ferguson is not satisfied. "Apology is very interesting. I think it's an admission of a major failure here," he said, adding that a full judicial inquiry is needed. Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has also called on the Federal Government to hold a judicial inquiry. Mr Beattie has revealed the Filipino woman, who was living at Caboolture, has a nine-year-old son still in foster care. He says the Government needs to reconsider its inquiry. "This is an area which, in my view, has demonstrated a clear need for an open public inquiry and I think they should reconsider that," he said. Mental illness The Filipino woman came to Australia after marrying an Australian citizen in the Philippines. New South Wales police came across her after a car accident near Lismore. The woman spoke little English and was sent to the Philippines consulate in Brisbane. She told them her name was Vivian Alvarez and she had been kept as a sex slave in an inner city apartment. She said she had family in neither Australia nor the Philippines. The woman was listed as a missing person in Queensland under the name Vivian Wilson, something immigration officials only discovered in 2003. Immigration authorities deported her in mid-2001. It is understood the woman was suffering from a serious mental disorder, and her marriage had broken down. No one knows her current whereabouts. Filipino community The case has shocked the Filipino community. Melba Marginson, from the Centre for Filipino Concerns, says she has contacted organisations in the Philippines to try to locate the woman. "It is the Australian family on the husband's side that's looking for the woman," she said. "This must have been triggered by the Cornelia Rau case. "It's very concerning and disturbing for us because if this was four years ago... it may be quite difficult tracking down what happened to the woman." She added: "We are very concerned because this is another travesty of justice... we are so worried that the system isn't really treating its own citizens fairly." Ms Marginson says media networks in the Philippines have been alerted to the case, but need more details in order to help find her. The Federal Government is refusing to release any information about the woman, saying it is simply complying with the request of her family in Australia. ||||| About Mental Health - Statistics Over 2 million people in Australia experience a mental illness each year. 3-4% of people in Australia experience severe mental disorders which significantly interfere with their mental well being and reduce their capacity to participate fully in community life. 1 in 5 people in Australia 18 years or older meet a criteria for a mental disorder 1. 62% of people with a mental illness receive no assistance at all or depend on informal support - usually from unpaid carers and families. Children and adolescents younger than 18 years make up 25% of the Australian population. In any 6-month period, 15-20% of this group may have a mental health problem. 1. The National Survey of Mental Health and Well Being (1997), conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. ||||| Government must come clean with unlawful detention details 2nd May 05 Senator Kerry Nettle today called on the government to publicly release information about the detention and deportation of Australian citizens and lawful visa holders. "During the February 2005 Senate Estimates Committee hearings I asked for information on unlawful detentions. I asked for the number of people unlawfully detained, their nationalities, and the periods of detention, as well as the amount the government has spent compensating people for their unlawful detention," said Senator Kerry Nettle. "The government obviously now knows the answers to these questions, yet it refuses to make this information public. The answer was due on the 8th of April and is now seriously overdue. The public has a right to know. "It is through parliamentary mechanisms such as Questions on Notice that the government must be held accountable to the public. I have made a request for the facts about unlawful detention, yet the government continues to hide behind the Palmer Inquiry. "The Greens have repeatedly called for a Royal Commission into mandatory detention and we repeat the call after these latest revelations. Too many seriously negligent activities by the Department of Immigration have been exposed for anything but a full judicial inquiry to suffice." The relevant question is no.75 Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs Portfolio, Legal and Constitutional Committee 15-18 February 2005. Contact: Max Phillips (02) 9690 2038 or 0414 338 526 | * Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs Australian Prime Minister John Howard has made a qualified apology to an Australian citizen who was deported to the Philippines in 2001. The woman, who was born in the Philippines, is yet to be located. "I am very sorry if anything unfair has happened in relation to that and on the face of it that does appear to be the case," Mr Howard said. The woman had come into contact with New South Wales police after a car accident. Speaking but little English, she was then sent to the Philippines consulate in Brisbane, Queensland. She was then deported by immigration officials, in 2001. In 2003 they became aware that she was listed in Queensland as a missing person. A marriage to an Australian man had broken down, and the lady was believed to be suffering from a mental illness. According to the National Survey of Mental Health and Well Being (1997), one in five Australian adults meet at least one criteria for mental disorder. Parallels have been drawn between this incident and the case of Cornelia Rau, an Australian citizen who spent 10 months in immigration detention, including 3 months in solitary confinement at Baxter Detention Centre, before her identity was revealed. The Department of Immigration Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA), responsible for both cases, has left unanswered a question raised in Parliament in February, concerning the number who had been wrongfully detained within its system of mandatory detention. The answer was due on April 8, according to Greens Senator Kerry Nettle. DIMIA indicated in February last year, that over the previous year (2003—2004), 33 people who were lawfully in Australia, had been detained and then released. |
JAKARTA, Sept 19 (Reuters) - An Indonesian parliamentary commission has approved government plans to privatise three state firms including the country’s biggest steel maker via initial public offerings (IPO), a parliament member said on Friday. The approval means the government can proceed with stake sales in steelmaker PT Krakatau Steel, home-loan focused PT Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN) and national airline PT Garuda Indonesia. “Regarding the timing, it’s in the hands of the government, to ensure maximum results,” said Asman Abnur, vice chairman of the commission which handles finance and banking. He added maximum stakes sale had been set at 30 percent for BTN and Krakatau Steel, while Garuda Indonesia had been set at 40 percent. ArcelorMittal SA ISPA.AS, the world’s largest steelmaker and BlueScope Steel Ltd (BSL.AX), Australia’s largest steelmaker, have shown an interest in acquiring a stake in Krakatau Steel. Krakatau Steel aims to raise 3.2 trillion rupiah in the IPO, according to a document from the firm. Krakatau Steel’s president director, Fazwar Bujang, said in an interview with Reuters on Sept. 3 that it would use the IPO proceeds to help finance expansion plans of more than $1.5 billion. The firm aims to double its steel production to 5 million tonnes by the year 2011. Garuda Indonesia, which together with all 51 Indonesian airlines has been banned from European Union airspace because of safety concerns after a series of accidents, has said it will use the proceeds to pay down some of its debt and invest in new planes. The Indonesian government had said proceeds from the stakes sales in the three firms would be used to allow the firms to expand and to improve performance. Previously, the government has used part of the proceeds from privatisation sales to help fund the country’s budget deficit. Other privatisation candidates include plantation firms Perkebunan Nusantara III, IV and VII. (Writing by Adreas Ismar; Editing by Ed Davies) ||||| House approves IPO of three state firms` shares Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The House of Representatives (DPR) Thursday approved the government`s proposal to privatize three state firms through an initial public offering (IPO).The three are steel maker PT Krakatau Steel, Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN) and Garuda Indonesia.In the working meeting with the Office of State Enterprises Minister and the Finance Minister at the parliamentary building on Thursday, the House Commission XI said it fully left the IPO of the three state firms` shares to the government.The House Commission which deals with finance, national development planning, banking and non-bank financial institutions said the IPO should consider the proper time so that it would yield an optimum result both for the government and the state firms themselves.The House was still undecided about the government`s proposal to privatize PT Yodya Karya and three state plantation companies, namely PTPN III, IV and VII through an IPO.However, the House and the government agreed to further discuss the proposal either at a plenary session or a meeting of the working committee on the privatization of state firms.Krakatau Steel which is 100 percent owned by the government is allowed to sell a maximum of 30 percent of its shares with proceeds from the IPO estimated at Rp3 trillion to Rp4 trillion.The steel maker is expected to use the funds to finance its business expansion plan which will cost Rp16.4 trillion in the next three years.Both the House and the government also agreed to allow BTN which is also 100 percent owned by the government to sell 30 percent of its shares at the most to the public.The bank has set itself a target of raising income to Rp36.12 trillion in 2010 from the projected Rp22.9 trillion this year on the assumption that it could conduct the IPO in the fourth quarter of 2008.The bank expects its net profit to surge to Rp1.39 trillion in 2010 from the projected Rp472 billion this year.Meanwhile, its loan to deposit ratio (LDR) is projected to increase to 144.93 percent in 2012 from 105.05 percent in 2008.Garuda Indonesia which is 95.44 percent owned by the government is allowed to float a maximum of 40 percent of its shares to the public.The national flag carrier has expected to raise Rp4.2 trillion in funds from the IPO and planned to use Rp2.5 trillion of the funds to repay its debts and Rp1.7 trillion to strengthen its fleet.(*) COPYRIGHT © 2008 Previous Stories | The parliament of Indonesia has approved government plans to make an Initial Public Offering (IPO) of shares in three major state-owned firms, privatising them. They are steelmaker Krakatau Steel, Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN) and national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia. The parliament has left the process fully in the hands of the government, and has set the maximum stake to be sold at 30% for BTN and Krakatau, and 40% for Garuda. Although Indonesia has been known to fund budget deficits with privatisation, the intention is for the funds from this scheme to go to the businesses themselves to allow expansion. Krakatau expects 3.2 trillion Rupiah (IDR) from the sale, while the estimated price for their stock is between IDR3 and IDR4 trillion (321 - 428 million USD). Both ArcelorMittal SA, the biggest steelmaker in the world, and BlueScope Steel Ltd, the largest in Australia, have expressed an interest in the IPO. Krakatau will use the funds to help finance an expansion scheme which aims to have production doubled to five million tonnes in 2011. BTN, which focuses on home owner loans, has set itself a target income of IDR36.12 trillion (3.86 billion USD) in 2010 compared to a projected IDR22.9 trillion ( 2.45 billion USD) this year. Net profit for this year is projected at IDR472 billion (50.5 million USD)and is hoped to rise to IDR1.39 trillion (148.7 million USD) in 2010. The bank's loan to deposit ratio is predicted to rise from 105.05% this year to 144.93% in 2012. BTN hopes to conduct its IPO before the end of 2008. Garuda is not quite 100% state-owned to start with, unlike the other two, but is very close with 95.44% of the company belonging to the government. Like all of Indonesia's 51 airlines, Garuda is on the list of air carriers banned in the EU due to safety concerns raised after a string of air accidents in the nation. Garuda expects to raise IDR4.2 trillion (449.4 million USD) in funds from the IPO, and will use IDR2.5 trillion (267.5 million USD) to pay off its debts and invest IDR1.7 trillion (181.9 million USD) in new aircraft. The government is still working to get a deal to make IPOs for architectural firm Yodya Karya and three plantation firms called Perkebunan Nusantara III, IV and VII. |
Metal legend Ronnie James Dio dead at 67 Ronnie James Dio, whose soaring vocals, poetic lyrics and mythic tales of a never-ending struggle between good and evil broke new ground in heavy metal, died Sunday, according to a statement from his wife and manager. He was 67. Dio revealed last summer that he was suffering from stomach cancer shortly after wrapping up a tour in Atlantic City, N.J. with the latest incarnation of Black Sabbath, under the name Heaven And Hell. "Today my heart is broken, Wendy Dio wrote on the singer's site, adding he died at 7:45 a.m. "Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away. "Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all, Wendy Dio continued. "We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us ... Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever." The statement was confirmed by Los Angeles publicist Maureen O'Connor. Dio rose to fame in 1975 as the first lead singer of Rainbow, the heavy metal band put together by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who had just quit Deep Purple. Dio then replaced legendary vocalist Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1980 with the critically acclaimed album "Heaven And Hell, considered by many critics to be one of the finest heavy metal albums of all time. His on-again, off-again tenure with Black Sabbath touched off an intense debate among fans as to which singer was the true essence of the band — a discussion that lasted until his death. He also enjoyed a successful solo career with his self-titled band, Dio, in between his three stints with Black Sabbath (1980-82; 1992; and 2007-2009, when the band toured as Heaven And Hell, to differentiate it from Osbourne-led versions of Sabbath). Many of his most memorable songs revolved around the struggle between good and evil, including his signature tune "Heaven And Hell. He also drew heavily on medieval imagery in songs like "Neon Knights, "Killing The Dragon and "Stargazer. "He possessed one of the greatest voices in all of heavy metal, and had a heart to match it, said Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French, whose band toured with Dio since 1983, and was to do so again this summer at European rock festivals. "He was the nicest, classiest person you would ever want to meet. Dio organized an all-star charity collaboration in 1986 called "Hear N Aid to raise money for famine relief in Africa, styled on the successful "We Are The World campaign of a few years earlier. His solo hits included "Rainbow In The Dark, "The Last In Line and "Holy Diver. ___ Online: http://www.ronniejamesdio.com/ Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ||||| Dio had been suffering from stomach cancer American heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio, who replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, has died at the age of 67, his wife and manager have said. Dio had been suffering from stomach cancer. Before joining Black Sabbath he sang in Rainbow - formed when Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple - and later in Heaven & Hell and the self-titled band Dio. Dio's wife Wendy paid a loving tribute to her husband on his website, saying: "Today my heart is broken." She said her husband had passed away on Sunday morning. 'Live on forever' "Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away," she wrote. "Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever." Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi also paid tribute: "I've been in total shock. I just can't believe he's gone. "He loved his fans so much. He was a kind man and would put himself out to help others. I'll miss you so much my dear friend," he wrote on his website. As a mark of respect, the Download Festival will re-name the second stage at this year's festival the Ronnie James Dio stage. He possessed one of the greatest voices in all of heavy metal, and had a heart to match Jay Jay French, Twisted Sister guitarist Dio was being treated at a hospital in Houston, Texas, according to his website. The statement of his death was confirmed by Los Angeles publicist Maureen O'Connor, Associated Press reported. Dio revealed last summer that he was suffering from stomach cancer shortly after wrapping up a US tour. He was born Ronald James Padavona to an Italian-American family in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He is said to have got the idea for his name change from a mobster called Johnny Dio. Rated one of rock's most powerful vocalists, he rose to fame in the mid-1970s as lead singer of Rainbow, before replacing Osbourne in Black Sabbath in 1980. Later that year the band released their ninth studio album, Heaven And Hell, considered by many fans as one of the greatest heavy rock LPs of all time. Dio's solo hits included Rainbow In The Dark, The Last In Line, and Holy Diver. "He possessed one of the greatest voices in all of heavy metal, and had a heart to match it," Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French, whose band used to tour with Dio, told AP. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version | Dio "throwing the horns". Dio is known for introducing the into heavy metal culture. American metal singer died today at the age of 67, as announced by his wife, Wendy. Dio passed at 07:45 () (13:45 ) at the , an American disease treatment center, after a two-year fight with that caused him to stop singing while he received treatment. "Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all...Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever," added his wife in a statement on Dio's website. Dio (born Ronnie James Padavona) was born in July 10, 1942 in the American city of , New Hampshire. He was most noted for his high pitched vocals and lyrical tales involving battles and themes of good versus evil. He performed with several hard rock and metal groups, but he was most notable for his first act, when he joined as singer of the British metal group after lead singer and frontman Ozzy Osbourne left the band in 1979. Before Black Sabbath he performed with several less successful bands, including , led by former 's , and . He also had a very successful solo career under the simple name "Dio", and had recently reunited with former Black Sabbath band mates under the moniker . Some of Dio's hit songs were '''', '''', and ''''. |
Sign-up to receive the weekly top stories, contest and promotion announcements every Tuesday Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of Canada.com Newsletter will soon be in your inbox. ||||| Fast Fact Also found in Chris Benoit were the drugs Xanax and hydrocodone, according to a statement from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Go To Comments (AP) Pro wrestler Chris Benoit had steroids and other drugs in his system when he killed his wife and young son last month and hanged himself in the family's home, investigators said Tuesday. Benoit's body contained 10 times the normal level of testosterone, which appeared to have been injected shortly before he died, as well as the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and the painkiller hydrocodone, authorities said. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Benoit tested negative for alcohol. The state's top medical examiner, Dr. Kris Sperry, said there was no evidence of any other anabolic steroids in the wrestler's body, and nothing to show that steroids played a role in the death of Nancy and Daniel Benoit. "An elevation of that ratio does not translate into something abnormal in a person's thought process or behavior," he said. Sperry said the boy appeared to have been sedated when he was asphyxiated, and Benoit's wife had a "therapeutic" level of sedatives in her body. Benoit killed his wife and 7-year-old son, placed Bibles next to their bodies and then hanged himself on the cable of a weight machine. Anabolic steroids were found in the home, raising questions about whether the drugs played a role in the killings. Some experts believe steroids can cause paranoia, depression and violent outbursts known as "roid rage." Benoit's wife, Nancy, tested positive for Xanax, hydrocodone and the painkiller hydromorphone. Daniel Benoit had Xanax in his system, authorities said. The GBI said it could not perform tests for steroids or human growth hormones on the boy because of a lack of urine. Federal authorities have charged Benoit's personal physician, Dr. Phil Astin, with improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs to two patients other than Benoit. He has pleaded not guilty. Investigators have also raided Astin's office several times since the deaths, seizing prescription records and other documents. Before he was charged, Astin told the AP he prescribed testosterone for Benoit, a longtime friend, in the past. He would not say what, if any, medications he prescribed when Benoit visited his office June 22, the day authorities believe Benoit killed his wife. © MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ||||| Chris Benoit tested positive for testosterone His wife and son had also taken prescription drugs Unclear whether Benoit gave his family the drugs WRESTLER Chris Benoit had a cocktail of drugs in his body when he murdered his wife and son, and even his seven-year-old son tested positive for anti-anxiety pills. Benoit killed his wife and son, placed Bibles next to their bodies and then hanged himself on the cable of a weight machine in the family home. According to Associated Press (AP), investigators have confirmed Benoit's body contained elevated levels of testosterone, as well as the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and the painkiller hydrocodone. However, he tested negative for alcohol. Benoit's seven-year-old son Daniel was found to have Xanax in his system when he died, AP reported, and the wrestler's wife, Nancy, also tested positive for prescription drugs. She had Xanax, hydrocodone and the painkiller hydromorphone in her body, according to AP. It is unclear whether Benoit was reponsible for giving them Xanax or the other drugs before he killed them. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which performed the drug tests, said it could not test Daniel Benoit for steroids or human growth hormones because of a lack of urine. AP had earlier reported that anabolic steroids were found in Chris Benoit's home, which fuelled speculation about whether the drugs caused him to snap. There is some evidence that steroids can cause paranoia, depression and violent outbursts - known as "roid rage." According to AP, Dr Kris Sperry said the results do not show whether steroids played a part in the killings last month at the Benoits' suburban Atlanta home. Authorities have charged Benoit's doctor, Dr Phil Astin, with improperly prescribing painkillers and other drugs to two patients other than Benoit. He has pleaded not guilty, AP reported. Investigators have raided Dr Astin's office several times since the deaths, seizing prescription records and other documents. Before he was charged, Astin told AP he prescribed testosterone for Benoit, who was a longtime friend. According to AP, Dr Astin would not say whether he prescribed any medication to Benoit when the wrestler visited his office on June 22, the day authorities believe Benoit killed his family. Share this article NEWS.com.au is not responsible for the content of external sites. ||||| ATLANTA (Reuters) - Professional wrestler Chris Benoit, who killed his wife and son before hanging himself, injected steroids not long before he died and his son had been sedated, a medical examiner said on Tuesday. Joel Lynch (L) and Barbara Mann look at the floral tributes left at the home of professional wrestling superstar Chris Benoit in Fayetteville, Georgia, June 26, 2007. Benoit, who killed his wife and son before hanging himself, injected steroids not long before he died and his son had been sedated, a medical examiner said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Tami Chappell Nicknamed “The Rabid Wolverine” and “The Canadian Crippler,” Benoit, 40, was found dead with his wife, Nancy, and 7-year-old son, Daniel, on June 25 in their suburban Atlanta home. Police labeled the deaths a murder-suicide. Dr. Kris Sperry, Georgia’s chief medical examiner, said toxicology tests found drugs in all three Benoits -- notably, elevated levels of steroid testosterone in Chris Benoit and the anxiety drug Xanax in his 7-year-old son, Daniel, an indication that he was sedated before he was killed. Investigators said they could not conclude from test results that steroids contributed to the deaths. There has been speculation that the murder-suicide by a bulked-up professional wrestler might be a case of “roid rage,” a theory that steroid users can become uncontrollably violent. Investigators said they found anabolic steroids among prescription drugs in Benoit’s house and would try to determine if they played a role in the deaths. Testosterone can be used by athletes to improve performance and is considered a form of doping in some sports. World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., Benoit’s employer, said after his death that Benoit had passed a random drug test in April. The testosterone in Benoit’s urine, about 10 times the normal level, indicated that he had injected the steroid within a “reasonably short period of time” before he died, but Sperry said he could not draw any conclusions from that evidence. The elevated level “is an indicator that he had been injecting testosterone, but how much, how frequently, how often and for how long is something that cannot be answered through this,” he said. Sperry said the results don’t shed light on what happened in the Benoit house and there was conflicting scientific data on whether steroids spark rage. “This is a question that basically no one knows the answer to,” he said. Traces of hydrocodone, a pain reliever, and Xanax, a drug used to treat anxiety and panic disorders, were also found in Benoit’s body at levels considered normal for therapeutic use. No other steroids were found. Xanax and hydrocodone at therapeutic levels were also found in Nancy Benoit’s body, which had started decomposing when it was found. Police said Benoit first killed his wife, who died of asphyxiation. Daniel was apparently killed as he lay in bed, hours before Benoit hung himself with a cord on his weight machine. ||||| Tonight on E! 8:00 PM C.S.I. 9:00 PM Joan Rivers: Celebrating An Icon 10:00 PM etalk Presents: Can We Talk? Remembering Joan Rivers 10:30 PM TMZ 11:00 PM etalk FULL SCHEDULE ||||| Nancy Benoit was found bound at the hands and feet, and was apparently strangled. Daniel Benoit was found dead in his bed, apparently suffocated. A copy of the Bible had been placed beside both of their bodies. (ABCNews.com) Professional wrestler Chris Benoit had elevated levels of testosterone in his bloodstream when he apparently strangled his wife, suffocated their 7-year-old son and hanged himself, but there were no signs of additional anabolic steroids in his system, according to toxicology reports released today. The tests also indicated that the couple's son, Daniel, was likely sedated with the prescription drug Xanax -- a drug rarely prescribed to children -- before he was killed in his bedroom, Dr. Kris Sperry, Georgia's chief medical examiner, said at an afternoon press conference. "Specifically, I think they do show that Daniel Benoit was sedated at the time when he was murdered," Sperry said. Nancy Benoit, a former ringside wrestling valet, who went by the name "Woman," also showed therapeutic levels of Xanax, as well as the painkillers hydrocodone and hydromorphone, in her bloodstream. An elevated blood-alcohol level could also be tied to the decomposition of Nancy Benoit's body. Since police first discovered the bodies three weeks ago, speculation has centered on the role steroids may have played in the Benoit family murder-suicide. But it's now clear from the toxicology reports that while drugs were discovered in the house and in Benoit's bloodstream -- including "therapeutic" levels of hydrocodone and Xanax -- it's not the "laundry list" of performance-enhancing drugs many assumed would be found. "The only thing we found was testosterone," Sperry said, adding that it was not clear from the tests how frequently Benoit was using the steroid or in what dosages. Nor were the tests able to conclude whether the wrestler had used other performance-enhancing drugs in the past, or if "roid rage" may have driven Benoit to kill his wife, son and himself. "There is conflicting scientific data as to whether or not testosterone creates mental disorders or leads to outbursts of rage," Sperry said. "There's data that suggests it and other data that refute it. Essentially, I think it's an unanswerable question." Forensics experts echoed Sperry's findings that testosterone could not be considered the impetus for Benoit's apparent actions based on the test results. "They have some drugs in their system, so of course it's natural that concerned parties are going to say, 'Is there a connection between these two?'" said Dr. Greg Davis, a state medical examiner in Kentucky. "And all we can say in a case like this is they're coincidental, and there's no way we can make that logical leap to say they're causal." None of the three bodies showed any evidence of the drug GHB, a popular nightclub drug that can also be used to build muscle mass. The bulk of the toxicology work was handled by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, according to John Bankhead, the department spokesman. The steroids testing, which was done using Benoit's urine, was handled by a Georgia hospital. | Baghdad, Iraq. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, toxicology reports reveal that the former pro-wrestler Chris Benoit had ten times the normal level of testosterone as well as hydrocodone (a painkiller), and Xanax (an anti-anxiety medication). Benoit also reportedly tested negative for alcohol. Benoit's wife, Nancy Benoit also tested positive for Xanax, and the painkiller hydromorphone. Benoit's son Daniel could not be tested due to a lack of urine samples, but Dr. Kris Sperry, the medical examiner who performed the autopsies on the bodies says that "Daniel Benoit was sedated at the time he died" and that "there's no reason why a seven-year-old child would be taking Xanax." Federal authorities have charged Dr. Phil Astin with improperly dispensing medication painkillers and other drugs to two other patients. Astin has pleaded not guilty. |
'Trainingskampen voor terroristen in BelgiŽ' In een interview met De Tijd onthult federaal procureur Johan Delmulle dat er informatie is over trainingskampen voor terroristen in ons land. Hij meldt ook dat het parket in 2006 een recordaantal terrorismeonderzoeken opende. (tijd) - Het federaal parket heeft in 2006 een recordaantal terrorismeonderzoeken geopend. Het gaat over 106 nieuwe dossiers, tegenover 89 in 2005 en 134 dossiers in de vorige drie jaar samen. Ook het aantal gerechtelijke onderzoeken dat uit die dossiers volgde, piekt: 26 in 2006, tegenover 14 het jaar voordien. Het zwaartepunt ligt in Brussel met liefst 17 onderzoeken, gevolgd door Antwerpen en Charleroi, met elk 3 onderzoeken. Achter die 'zichtbare statistieken' schuilt een realiteit die het grote publiek amper te zien krijgt, namelijk dat ook in BelgiŽ de strijd tegen het terrorisme - ruim vijf jaar na de terreuraanslagen in de VS - gloeiend actueel is. De nieuwe federaal procureur Johan Delmulle leeft al jaren in die 'verborgen wereld'. Volgens Delmulle blijkt uit de dossiers dat BelgiŽ vooral kampt met 'slapende terreurcellen'. 'Die cellen zullen niet meteen hier operationeel worden, maar ze bieden vaak logistieke steun aan operationele cellen in het buitenland. Ze leveren bijvoorbeeld valse documenten of helpen personen bij het ex- of infiltreren van en naar risicogebieden, zoals Irak en Afghanistan. Er loopt zelfs een gerechtelijk onderzoek naar een cel die hier Belgische onderdanen ronselt om zelfmoordaanslagen te plegen in Irak', weet Delmulle. Een trainingskamp voor terroristen, plaats en datum onbekend. (foto belga) 09:38 - 28/04/2007 Copyright © Tijd.be ||||| Het federaal parket heeft informatie over trainingskampen voor terroristen in ons land. Dat onthult federaal procureur Johan Delmulle zaterdag in een interview met De Tijd. ,,We ontvingen vorig jaar 318 berichten over mogelijke terroristische activiteiten in ons land. Elk bericht behandelen we alsof er écht een aanslag op til is. De foutenmarge moet nul zijn", aldus Delmulle.Er bestaat volgens Delmulle ook informatie over trainingskampen voor terroristen in België. ,,Maar meer kan ik daar niet over zeggen", luidt het.Delmulle meldt ook dat het parket in 2006 een recordaantal terrorismeonderzoeken opende. Het gaat over 106 nieuwe dossiers, tegenover 89 in 2005 en 134 dossiers in de vorige drie jaar samen. Ook het aantal gerechtelijke onderzoeken dat uit die dossiers volgde, piekt: 26 in 2006, tegenover 14 het jaar voordien. Het zwaartepunt ligt in Brussel met liefst 17 onderzoeken, gevolgd door Antwerpen en Charleroi, met elk 3 onderzoeken. | Belgian Federal prosecutor Johan Delmulle has said in an interview published in the Flemish newspaper ''De Tijd'' today that the Federal police are investigating a possible terrorist group that recruits Belgians to commit suicide attacks in Iraq. According to Delmulle, the Federal police started a record 106 new terrorism inquiries last year, compared to 89 in 2005, and 134 between 2004 and 2002. The trend also confirms itself in 26 cases that were handed over to the courts in 2006, compared to 14 the year before. The majority, ''i.e.'' 17 of those cases, concerned terrorist cells that were located in the capital city of Brussels. The cases drew from 318 messages of possible terrorist activities that were received in 2006. Every single case was reviewed carefully, according to Delmulle: "We treat every report as if a real terrorist attack was pending. The margin of error has to be zero." In an interview with TV-station VTM, Delmulle attributed the increasing reports on terrorism to the increased attention for the phenomenon, and not to an increased terror threat. The federal prosecutor told ''De Tijd'' that Belgium mostly has to deal with "sleeping terrorist cells": Delmulle told VTM he wanted the next Justice Minister to deal with the fact that the names of investigators are mentioned in judicial files. According to the prosecutor, people in the terrorist environment are trying to get a hold on names and locations of inspectors, information about their families and so on, which in turn leads to actual threats. Delmulle himself has been under police protection for the last 5 months because he is the prosecutor in the case of Ferye Erdal and other members of the Turkish resistance group DHKPC. |
Posted Mon, 01 Jul 2019 17:13:00 GMT by Samantha WaitesWe present some business ideas for those of you who think that the future is greener than the present- we can think of some who don't ---. The advice is general and does not apply exclusively to any one nation. Posted Mon, 29 Apr 2019 14:30:00 GMT by Jane GoodallWe use the tiger (this is a prime Siberian example) to show up our failure to conserve wild species, but while we monopolise all the food that animals require, we could remember that it is not only their conservation we urgently need to cover. It is also our own indulgences. Posted Wed, 05 Dec 2018 00:00:00 GMT by JW. DoweyHow can you describe the threats existing to species, both large and small? Using the highly-threatened primates, we can perhaps see how they have contrived to exist until the current time. Then we can better understand just how we can prevent factors simply wiping them from the face of the earth, often through ignorance, lack of care, prejudice and of course the universal profit motive. Conservation begins in our minds, but demands much more than that. Posted Wed, 12 Sep 2018 13:31:00 GMT by JW, DoweyWhat does that blue butterfly do when you are not watching. We still have to discover exactly how the Eurasian large blue exploits Myrmica ants, but many of its relatives are either cuckoos (eg. (Phengaris alcon), or outright predators like the AustralasianLiphyra brassolis larvae ,eating the whole brood of the green ants they live with. How did such diverse habits evolve? Well, start reading here. Posted Wed, 20 Jun 2018 08:35:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongFor several years, excitement has been building over the Atlantic presence of Manta birostris and Manta cf birostris/ this is the classification system trying to tell us of a potential new species that is related to genus Manta. Little progress has been made on this W. Atlantic species of oceanic manta, but it cant be long before we can confirm new knowledge of parenting and juvenile growth in at least the main species, which seems to live alongside the potential new manta. Posted Fri, 01 Jun 2018 12:10:00 GMT by Stefan RanstrandOcean plastic pollution could triple in a decade without action by the ocean economy. TOMRA CEO Stefan Ranstrand responds to the UK Governments Foresight Future of the Sea report and explains how container deposit schemes and sensor-based recycling sorting could provide a solution. Posted Wed, 02 May 2018 07:50:00 GMT by JW. DoweyLook at those modified wings and the bee antennae. But this is no stinger or biter. Its a clearwing moth, and you can find similar species near your own location worldwide. Its all about the mimic, and its model- in this case a generalised stingless bee. Trouble is, you wont find this guy. Good luck, but he seems to be almost extinct. One of those many new species that will disappear rapidly, just like many others that have been seen just as we destroy their habitat. Posted Wed, 04 Apr 2018 08:39:22 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThere is a songster we have missed. He sings far beneath the ice in the dark of a polar winter, so maybe its about time we listened to the incredible songs that this whale concocts every winter, every month and possibly each day! Posted Tue, 19 Dec 2017 11:15:00 GMT by Bobbi PetersonYou can deny climate change as much as you like. The evidence contradicts you. Any logical study takes account of scientific data which can be reproduced. That is the difference between media reports and the global warming reality. Here we have an up-to-date report on the state of one nation, with many others also recognising and acting on how to combat climate change in a coordinated global response. Posted Fri, 08 Dec 2017 12:30:00 GMT by JW.DoweyIUCN must be listened to, unless you are one of those who disregards any science on the grounds that it could be fake. Acting is the opposite to disinterest, but what can we do to counter the actions of great industries or the governments of large populations of people? The answer seems bland, but it proves individuals are always important. Posted Mon, 13 Nov 2017 10:10:01 GMT by JW. DoweyFrom Myanmar, through the Congo to the Atlantic forests of Brazil, we are neglecting our rainforests, but temperate forests are also suffering, often from pest influences as global warming really takes hold in certain regions. How to help prevent a treeless future - as always, take these pieces of well-informed, well-rounded and interesting advice. Posted Tue, 26 Sep 2017 09:34:49 GMT by Dave ArmstrongWhere will you wander? The world may be becoming smaller but there are many spots to choose from if you love to explore. A new book reveals many possibilities for those who hanker after a getaway. Whether you imagine shivering in the Antarctic or sweltering in a swamp, this is the ideas factory for you. Posted Wed, 06 Sep 2017 07:15:00 GMT by JW.DoweyDoes the dog in your living room have any similarity to those wild species that we are losing from our savanna and forests? This new discovery of signalling a hunt could lead us to more understanding of much more than our domestic animals. The beauty of the painted dog lies in intricate behaviour and care systems which maintain a society we should envy. Posted Mon, 04 Sep 2017 14:58:01 GMT by Dave ArmstrongZero waste organisations have been spreading to many nations over the last 10 years. Now weve been asking the UK population just how much they care about waste. Posted Wed, 30 Aug 2017 09:45:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongFor the first time, two otters have a comparative study on their ability to learn from others in their clan. This could lead to study of more animals in this area, providing valuable evidence of evolutionary trends in sociability. Posted Tue, 29 Aug 2017 09:25:00 GMT by JW.DoweyHow can we fight the build-up of plastic on landfill, shores and in the middle of the ocean, as well as inside the fish we eat! Fashion can provide a small part of the answer with this new crowd-funded company called Asanox. Plus, you can actually go and pick up the plastic contaminating our best shorelines, alongside sas.org. Posted Mon, 28 Aug 2017 08:59:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongOCEANA are fishing closer to home on this occasion, hoping to catch governments and those who wish to destroy our precious, and decreasing stocks of habitats , fish and even sea grass, mud and bivalves. Posted Wed, 23 Aug 2017 09:25:00 GMT by JW. DoweyPeople wonder why and how hunted animals became the quieter beasts of burden and table fodder of modern times. Here is an interesting moment in time, 14,500 years ago as Jordanians hunted sheep and goats with simple bone and stone weapons, prior to their domestication. Posted Wed, 16 Aug 2017 07:45:00 GMT by TalatGreen web hosting is a simple, inexpensive step businesses can take to reduce the environmental impact of their websites. This is how it works... Posted Mon, 31 Jul 2017 08:59:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongXmas comes very early for us this year, with a tremendous guide to all our ancestors and their evolution into modern forms. You will need a subscription to Nature to read the details but we have the lowdown on the nitty-gritty of fishies and birdies too! The Earth Times site and content have been updated. We do apologise, as this may mean that the article or page you were looking for has changed. The Earth Times now focuses on producing and publishing our own unique content on environmental issues, which is written by our own team of expert authors and journalists. We now publish environmental news articles and information on various environmental problems. You can use the site search at the top of each page, otherwise there are links to some of the main site categories and green blogs we publish included on this page. Some of the environmental topics and categories that we now focus on include climate change and the effects of global warming, including their various impacts on both people and the planet as well as conservation issues and news articles relating to nature and wildlife. The site puts an emphasis on sustainability issues, including the use and technological progress made with various types of alternative or renewable energy. Earth Times runs several eco friendly blogs (environmentally friendly) on various topics such as ecotourism (sustainable travel and tourism), eco fashion, green living, green gadgets and clean technology, plus various other environment based news categories including pollution and science news. If you have any questions or queries please contact us. ||||| 17 kwietnia 2020 Zgodnie z danymi Głównego Urzędu Statystycznego, w roku 2018 w Polsce funkcjonowało 9493 spółek akcyjnych oraz 3815 spółek komandytowo-akcyjnych. Co trzecia z nich nie posiadała wówczas... ||||| A 91-year-old has become one of the oldest women in France to gain a PhD after she completed a thesis that she had begun three decades earlier. Continue reading » | Kamień Pomorski homeless hostel fire. On Easter Monday, a hostel fire killed 22 people and injured 20 more. Nearly two dozen people are still in the hospital, including an eighteen-month-old baby in Kamień Pomorski, Poland. The dead included six children. There is still one person missing. During the intense blaze, parents reportedly tossed children from windows of the upper floors to people waiting below. Residents jumped out of windows resulting in the majority of injuries which were broken bones. The fire alarm sensors, which had been installed in the 1970s, were removed two years ago when the three storey worker's hostel was converted into a homeless family shelter. Several building code violations were found which were not reported by construction inspectors. The flames and smoke built up quickly in the three storey building hallways hindering escape from residential rooms. Only a few people managed to escape via the fire escape. There were 77 people registered in the hostel, some were visitors, and the rest were homeless residents. There are still 11 registered people who are unaccounted for. The Minister of Interior and Administration reported that the recovered remains will be identified through DNA testing which could take weeks to process. The fire broke out in the middle of the night, and a resident suspected that a lit cigarette may have caused the blaze. "The fire started in the hall and then spread in the whole building," said Grzegorz Schetyna, the Minister of Interior and Administration. Kamień Pomorski homeless hostel fire. "I can guarantee that help will be complete and enough when it comes to ensuring a place to live for those saved from this catastrophe," said Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland. The Polish government committed 4 million zloty (US$1.2 million). On Monday, Lech Kaczyński, President of Poland, declared three days of mourning. All Polish shelters will undergo safety inspections as a result of the fire. |
Advertisement The government has instructed Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block 12 websites. The order has come in the wake of the Mumbai bomb blasts, and these websites are perceived to be anti-India. Unfortunately, one of these is blogger or blogspot.com, a Google affiliated site which hosts millions of blogs worldwide. Sources in the government said that a circular was issued by the Home Affairs Ministry three days back asking the Ministry of Information and Technology to block the 12 websites which posted content maligning India. Hundreds of netizens tried unsuccessfully to log on to blogger.com on Monday. These bloggers exchanged flash messages to discover that none of them were being able to log on to the website. Officials defended the decision saying, "We would like those people to come forward who access these (the 12) radical websites and please explain to us what are they missing from their lives in the absence of these sites." ||||| Bloggers criticise jamming of blog sites NDTV Correspondent Tuesday, July 18, 2006 (New Delhi): The major blog sites including blogspot.com, a site meant to set up new blogs, have been jammed in the last couple of days. It isn't clear who has blocked these popular sites but unconfirmed reports say the Department of Telecom has issued orders to Internet service providers to block the websites. There have been angry responses to the blocking of several blogs in India. The order came from the Department of Information Technology, which handles cyber security reportedly on the advice of intelligence agencies. Angry response "All blogs on blogspot.com have been blocked by our Ministry of Communication. All of our blogs are visible to people outside India, but we can't view our own blogs or other blogs at blogspot.com from within India," said Aparna Muralidhar, Bangalore. "It is not ok. Personal sites should not be stopped. It doesn't make sense," said Ishita from Delhi. "There is a lot of propaganda about blogs being used for spreading political views but for people who are not part of it, it is very frustrating to not get through to sites that are private," she added. However, there's yet no official word from either the telecom minister or the home ministry on the order which was apparently passed on Friday. ||||| MUMBAI, JULY 17: Millions of domestic internet users could not access some of the world’s most popular blogs like geocities.com, blogspot.com and typepad.com, as the government ordered a blackout of around 18 sites for publishing content that was ‘anti-national’ and ‘against public interest’. Blogging, particularly on fanatic and religious websites, had surged soon after the Mumbai bomb blasts on July 11. Over 25% of India’s 38 million internet users are active bloggers. Currently, there are over 120 million bloggers worldwide and multiplying at the rate of about 10 million per month. The number is expected to cross 160 million in 2006. ISPs are believed to have been asked to block sites like bloodspot.com, hinduhumanrights.org, hinduuni-ty.org and clickatell.com, besides frontline blogs like the Google-owned blogsp-ot.com. Deepak Maheshwari, secretary of ISP Association of India said: “We have received a letter from DoT, asking us to block around 18 URLs.” Though the communication, dated July 13, by the telcom department to ISPs lists specific pages/ websites, several ISPs have blocked all blogs because they were not equipped to filter specific pages. This could be because all websites hosted on blogspot.com, for instance, have the same IP address. Blackout in Cyber space • hinduunity.org • hinduhumanrights.org • princesskimberley.com • bloodspot.com • dalitstan.org • clickatell.com • blogspot.com • geocities.com • typepad.com Reliance was among the first to restrict access to these sites on Friday. By Monday, other ISPs including Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (which have the largest number of internet subscribers) also followed suit. Interestingly, Sify, also among the top ISPs, said it had not received any formal intimation from the DoT to block any website or blogs. The move invited a strong reaction from the online community with a number of posts springing up all over the Internet. As per law, pornographic websites and websites containing inflammatory material promoting hate, violence or and terrorism, can be blocked. ||||| Bloggers in India are getting together to protest against the sudden blocking of popular Google-owned blog-hosting site Blogger by some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Spectranet, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), Reliance Powersurfer, Airtel Broadband and Sify. On July 15, Mridula Dwivedi, a teacher of management studies in Gurgaon first discovered that visiting any blogspot blog -- such as, say Mumbai Help -- returned the message, 'Site Blocked!' Her ISP, Spectranet, confirmed they had blocked some sites based on government directives. J Grewal, Spectranet's Delhi representative at the National Internet exchange of India, told this reporter that, on July 15, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had sent ISPs a list of sites to be blocked. R H Sharma, senior engineer with MTNL, said the list ran into some 22 pages. Now, several bloggers have organised themselves into a Bloggers' Collective and are planning to file a Right To Information application to obtain the list. Anil Saxena of Spectranet confirmed that the list sent by the DoT contained names of particular blogs, but added that Blogspot as a whole had not been blocked. This is contrary to the experience of customers like Dwivedi, who are still unable to view sites hosted on Blogspot, in addition to those on Typepad and Yahoo!'s Geocities. "The list is confidential and I can't make it public," said Saxena. Under the Information Technology Act, 2000, a body called the Computer Emergency Response Team, or CERT-IN, was created along the lines of similar authorities the world over. Although its main task is in the domain of Internet security, it also oversees Internet censorship under a clause that seeks to ensure 'balanced flow of information.' Any government department seeking a block on any web site has to approach CERT-IN, which then instructs the DoT to block the site after confirming the authenticity of the complaint. Web sites can be blocked if they contain pornography, speeches of hate, contempt, slander or defamation, or if they promote gambling, racism, violence or terrorism. "Such sites may be blocked within the provisions of the Fundamental Right to free speech and expression, granted in India's Constitution," said cyber-law expert Praveen Dalal, adding, "If, however, the blocking is arbitrary, unreasonable and unfair, it would be in violation of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India." The trouble is bloggers don't even know which sites the DoT wants blocked. To make matters worse, ISPs seem to be blocking entire domains on which these blogs are hosted. In 2003, one of the first things CERT-IN did was to approve the blocking of an obscure mailing list run by a banned militant outfit, the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) of the Khasi tribe in Meghalaya. Ironically, the popularity and visibility of the list went up by leaps and bounds, despite it being blocked by all ISPs. Many could still see the list via email or proxy surfing. This time, something similar seems to have happened, to not one but three domains. However, CERT-IN's Director, Dr Gulshan Rai, said he was unaware of the problem and would not be able to respond "off-hand". In a telephone interview, he told this reporter, "Somebody must have blocked some sites. What is your problem?" Bloggers certainly think of it as a problem though, and are all set to react. -- The reporter blogs at National Highway. | The Government of India has reportedly instructed Internet Service Providers to block Blogger, Typepad and Geocities, among around twelve other domains perceived to be hosting 'radical' and 'anti-India' websites. Many Internet users in India were unable to access blogs over the weekend. The ISPs which have complied with this alleged directive are Spectranet, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), Reliance Powersurfer, Airtel Broadband and Sify, among others. Spectranet has confirmed that it has received such a directive, saying that the list of blocked sites ran into 22 pages. As of now, there has been no official confirmation from the government in any form. Bloggers are reportedly "furious" at the action by the government and are planning collective action against the government, including filing a Right to Information request under the Right to Information Act passed in 2005. |
EFFICIENT has won the Melbourne Cup at Flemington racecourse, reeling in Purple Moon in the final metres of the race in a classic finish. The four-year-old Efficient, trained by Graeme Rogerson, won by just over a head from Purple Moon with Mahler three lengths back in third. "I can't believe it, this is just a dream," winning jockey Michael Rodd said in the seconds after the race. Efficient paid out at odds of 24-1 for the win and $7.40 for the place. Purple Moon was at $5.50 while Mahler was at 10-1. The quinella paid $76.10 and the trifecta paid $1431. For those looking for an omen for the federal election on November 24, Kevin Rudd was given Efficient in a sweep, while John Howard had some money on Mahler. Mr Rudd also had $10 on the horse and won more than $200. Damien Oliver had a clear run to the post on Purple Moon and looked to have the nation's biggest horse race won before Efficient's incredible feat in the straight in front of around 120,000 screaming spectators. Setting out from near the back of the field, Efficient mowed down the other runners in the straight and only poked its head in front of Purple Moon in the last 100 metres of the 3200m race. Irish-trained Mahler held on for a placing after hitting the lead just after the 1600m mark. However another of the ealy pacesetters, Tungsten Strike, faded to finish at the tail of the field. "I tell you what I rode 'em home," winning trainer Rogerson said at the trophy presentation, adding that he had dreamed of a Melbourne Cup win overnight. "I've now done it all." The presentation was held on two podiums as part of the biosecurity measures in place since the horse flu outbreak in northern states. The win is Efficient's sixth from only 13 starts and gives owner Lloyd Williams his third Cup win after triumphs with Just a Dash in 1981 and What A Nuisance in 1985. Williams has told Channel Seven that the horse is one of the best he has ever been involved with. When asked if he had a punt on the race, he said: "Age has caught up with me - I'm just happy enough to win". Williams's son Nick has paid tribute to his stables' handling of the horse, saying there had been many detractors of their program. "I hope you can all see me up here now because maybe you weren't right," he said. Efficient won the Victoria Derby at the Melbourne Cup carnival last year but was only ninth to El Segundo in the Cox Plate at his last start. Williams also had Zipping in the race, who ran fourth for the second year in a row. Williams had his favourite horse Gallic scratched from the Cup this morning. Gallic was one of three runners knocked out of the race in the final few hours. The Fuzz and the well fancied Maybe Better were both found to be injured in the lead-up to post time. - with AAP Share this article (What is this?) NEWS.com.au is not responsible for the content for external internet sites ||||| Your Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update Get the very latest news and health information on the coronavirus pandemic delivered to your inbox daily. | The 76th trophy for the Cup The racehorse Efficient has won the 2007 Melbourne Cup. Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia was abuzz today as the Melbourne Cup was raced for the 147th time. The New Zealand horse Efficient finishing the 3200m race in a time of 3:23.24. The horse, which had won the 2006 Victorian Derby, became the first horse since Phar Lap (also a New Zealand horse) to come back and win the Melbourne Cup a year later. The race ended with a stunning finish as Efficient and his jockey Michael Rodd came from behind to overtake Purple Moon in the final stretch. The odds on Efficient were 24-1 to win and A$7.40 for a place. Purple Moon finished second and Mahler finished third. 120,000 spectators looked on as Mahler took the lead at 1600m and fell back to third in the closing stages. Early leader Tungsten Strike finished 21st (last). The win is the third of its kind for owner Lloyd Williams with two previous victories in the 1980s. Williams had two horses in the race, Zipping and Efficient, but Zipping fell to fourth place while Efficient surged forward. Lloyd Williams' son Nick was at the raceground and was aiming high for Efficient. "People keep telling me the last horse to do what he has done was Phar Lap," he said. Efficient was a favourite for the 2006 Melbourne Cup but was scratched at the last minute. |
Senator Andrew Murray Democrats Senator for Western Australia Australian Democrats spokesperson for Taxation, Finance & Corporate Affairs Dated: 27 February 2006 Press Release Number: mfsragjg Portfolio: Taxation, Finance & Corporate Affairs More from Senator Andrew Murray on Taxation, Finance & Corporate Affairs Time to Redsign the Income Tax System The Australian Democrats today reiterated their belief that structural income tax reform is vital to the well being of Australia. The income tax system is complex, inefficient and inequitable. "The Inquiry announced yesterday by the Treasurer may turn out to be a step in the right direction but will be a pointless exercise if it ends up being simply a 'desktop' report," said Senator Murray, Democrats Tax Spokesperson. "The problem with Mr Costello's approach is that in contrast to the approach taken on the GST, the New Tax System, and the Business Tax System, he has seen income tax change to be solely part of the budget process. "Across the whole of the political and public policy spectrum, there is strong agreement that reform is needed, not just tax cuts, and that the income tax system needs redesigning, not just fine tuning. "The Democrats five pillars structural income tax reform plan states that reform should be implemented in a phased manner over a number of years. "The plan consists of raising the tax free threshold significantly, indexing the rates; broadening the base; reforming the tax welfare intersects; and ensuring nominal tax rates remain fair and competitive. "The Democrats will not prejudge this Inquiry - our judgement will depend on its outcomes," Senator Murray concluded. ||||| The Board of Taxation is an independent, non-statutory body established to advise the Government on the development and implementation of taxation legislation and the ongoing operation of the tax system. A key objective of the Board is to ensure that there is full and effective community consultation in the design and implementation of tax legislation. This includes monitoring and advising on the consultative and educative processes for the development of tax law. The Board is also tasked with advising the Government on improving the general integrity and functioning of the taxation system and commissioning research and other studies on tax matters approved or referred to it by the Treasurer. The Board of Taxation is supported by a Secretariat provided by the Commonwealth Treasury. For details on how to contact the Board, click here. ||||| NO.008 INTERNATIONALLY BENCHMARKING THE AUSTRALIAN TAX SYSTEM It is important that Australia build its competitiveness in all areas of policy. I have therefore asked Mr Richard (Dick) Warburton and Mr Peter Hendy to lead a study examining how Australia’s tax system compares with other developed economies. This will involve a comparison of overall taxation levels and rates and coverage of the indirect tax, income tax and company tax systems. The aim of the study is to provide a public document that compares Australian taxes to those in other countries. This will identify those areas where Australia leads comparable countries and those areas where it lags. It will enable a focus on the most important areas. The study will cover taxes collected at national, state and local government levels. This is OECD standard practice for international tax comparisons. Personal, business, indirect, property, transaction and superannuation taxes will be included. Mr Warburton has been Chairman of the Board of Taxation since its inception in September 2000. He is currently Chairman of Caltex Australia Ltd and holds several other directorships. He is also a former Board member of the Reserve Bank of Australia and a past National President of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Mr Peter Hendy took up his position as the Chief Executive of ACCI on 3 June 2002. Mr Hendy is also a board director of Standards Australia, the International Chamber of Commerce (Australia), the Australian Institute of International Affairs (President ACT Branch), the Australian Made Campaign Limited and of the National Business Action Fund. He is a governor of the National Institute of Labour Studies. He is Chairman of the Joint Policy Committee of the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Mr Hendy has a strong background in public administration and policy development at Federal and State levels, for both Liberal and Labor Governments. He was Chief of Staff to the Minister for Defence and Chief of Staff to the Ministers for Workplace Relations and Education. The study will be supported by a small secretariat in Treasury. I have asked Mr Warburton and Mr Hendy to report to me by 3 April 2006. The terms of reference for the study are attached. Further information on the study can be obtained from the website at http://comparativetaxation.treasury.gov.au or by contacting the study secretariat on (02) 6263 3033. MELBOURNE 26 February 2006 TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR AN OVERVIEW OF HOW AUSTRALIA’S TAX SYSTEM COMPARES INTERNATIONALLY The study will compare Australia’s taxation system with other countries. The aim of the study is to provide an authoritative statement on the public record about how Australian taxes compare to those in other countries. This will help inform discussion about Australia’s tax system. The focus of the study will be on the provision of objective, descriptive information on Australia’s tax and revenue system compared with that of other OECD countries. The study will provide information on the overall level of taxes, the tax mix, and the base and rates within each type of tax. As appropriate, the study also will provide information on the publicly stated rationales for different countries’ balances between efficiency, effectiveness and simplicity in the revenue raising effort of these countries. The study will cover all forms of taxation collected in Australia at national, state and local government levels. This is OECD standard practice for international tax comparisons. The study will cover personal, business, indirect, property and transaction taxes. On personal taxes, in line with the recommended OECD approach, information will be provided on taxes levied on both individuals and businesses for social insurance purposes, as well as particular forms of social benefits that can be provided through either the tax system or through social security expenditures. The study will also cover taxes on superannuation, taking account of the very different ways that retirement income objectives are provided in other countries. The study will make comparisons with all OECD countries, largely reflecting the availability of comprehensive and comparable information on their tax systems. These countries cover most of our largest trading partners, as well as the sources and destinations of most of our capital investment. As determined by the authors, the analysis may extend beyond the thirty OECD countries where comparable information is readily available and issues relevant to the study would benefit from a broader analysis. For context, the study will provide an overview of the fiscal situation in each of the comparator countries. Some countries have a much larger/smaller government sector than Australia, and therefore require a higher/lower level of taxes. Additionally, information will be provided on the fiscal situation of comparator countries (especially in terms of budget surpluses or deficits). Where relevant and possible, the study will also cover non-tax revenues and provide information on the extent and composition of tax expenditures in comparator countries. Given the broad scope of the study, and the considerable amount of information and analysis that will need to be covered, the study necessarily will provide an overview of relevant issues for international comparisons of tax systems. Greater detail will be provided in some areas, especially on personal and business taxes. The study is to be completed and passed to the Treasurer by 3 April 2006. Due to the short period of the study, there will be there no formal submission process. However, you can still contact the study or provide comments. Further information is available on the following website: http://comparativetaxation.treasury.gov.au . | The Australian federal treasurer, Peter Costello, has announced a study to compare the Australian taxation system with those of other countries. It will include overall tax levels, as well as indirect tax, income tax and company tax systems. Mr Costello says that the results are intended to inform discussion of the future of the tax system. "The aim of the study is to provide a public document that compares Australian taxes to those in other countries. This will identify those areas where Australia leads comparable countries and those areas where it lags. It will enable a focus on the most important areas," Mr Costello said in a media release. The study will be lead by Mr Richard (Dick) Warburton and Mr Peter Hendy. Mr Warburton is Chairman of Caltex Australia Ltd, and has been Chairman of the Board of Taxation since its inception in September 2000. According to its website, the Board of Taxation is "a non-statutory advisory body charged with contributing a business and broader community perspective to improving the design of taxation laws and their operation." The Australian Democrats welcomed the study but warned that nothing would be achieved without serious reform of the tax system. "The Inquiry announced yesterday by the Treasurer may turn out to be a step in the right direction but will be a pointless exercise if it ends up being simply a 'desktop' report," said Senator Murray, Democrats Tax Spokesperson. "The problem with Mr Costello's approach is that in contrast to the approach taken on the GST, the New Tax System, and the Business Tax System, he has seen income tax change to be solely part of the budget process. Across the whole of the political and public policy spectrum, there is strong agreement that reform is needed, not just tax cuts, and that the income tax system needs redesigning, not just fine tuning." |
Michael Todd had been with the force since 2002 Politicians and leading police personnel have rushed to express their condolences over his death. Here are some of their statements. JACQUI SMITH, HOME SECRETARY I have been saddened to learn that Greater Manchester Police colleagues believe Ch Con Michael Todd has died. Chief Con Todd has had a long and distinguished career in various forces and has contributed greatly to the fight against crime and terrorism. My thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues DAVID DAVIS, SHADOW HOME SECRETARY I was shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Chief Constable Mike Todd. He made an important contribution to policing in Greater Manchester and the other forces he served with. He also gave distinguished service at a national level, in particular in the fight against terrorism, where he always gave frank and thoughtful advice. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. My thoughts are with his family and colleagues. CHRIS HUHNE, LIBERAL DEMOCRATS HOME AFFAIRS SPOKESPERSON Michael Todd was a distinguished chief constable with a lifetime of achievement in British policing behind him, who would have continued to make a great contribution to the fight against crime and terrorism. His death is a great loss to policing in this country, and I offer all my sympathy to his family and friends. SIR IAN BLAIR, METROPOLITAN POLICE COMMISSIONER I am shocked and saddened to hear reports of the death of Michael Todd. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues in the Greater Manchester force at this time. Michael held a variety of posts and ranks in the MPS. He made a significant contribution to policing. In London, this culminated in him being assistant commissioner for territorial policing and leading the important fight against street crime. He was held in high esteem and I and colleagues who knew him are truly shocked by this terrible news. KEN JONES, ASSOCIATION OF CHIEF CONSTABLES (ACPO) We now have to address the awful prospect that Mike Todd has lost his life. Mike has made an enormous contribution to policing in Manchester and nationally throughout his distinguished career. The news of his apparent death is a tragedy and he will be greatly missed by chief officer colleagues and all who worked with him during his career. As a personal friend and valued supporter, I will miss him greatly. Acpo headquarters has received already a huge volume of calls from colleagues across the policing family and in government who were shocked at the news and join us in conveying their support for his family. DAVE WHATTON, DEPUTY CHIEF CONSTABLE OF GREATER MANCHESTER What I can say is that I and all the officers of Greater Manchester Police and all the members of Greater Manchester Police Authority are absolutely shocked by what's happened today and what's taken place in the last 16 hours. JAN BERRY, CHAIRMAN POLICE FEDERATION ENGLAND AND WALES This is an extremely sad day for policing and my thoughts are with Mike Todd's family, friends and colleagues as they come to terms with this tragic news. Mike was a very popular police officer who, despite his rank, never forgot the dangers and pressures those on the frontline face. He was, and will be always be remembered as, a coppers' copper. DAVID BLUNKETT, FORMER HOME SECRETARY Michael Todd was a decent and committed policeman who did a first-class job in difficult circumstances, including in dealing with counter-terrorism and the tragic death of Detective Constable Oakes. His death is a real tragedy and I personally feel very sad to hear of his loss. My thoughts are with his family at this time. SIR GERALD KAUFMAN, MP FOR GREATER MANCHESTER GORTON I'm shocked and saddened to hear of Michael Todd's sudden death. He was in the prime of his life and he was a very good chief constable of Greater Manchester. He will be very much missed. ||||| Michael Todd had been with the force since 2002 Michael Todd profile Michael Todd, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, disappeared while out walking on Snowdon, north Wales, on Monday night. Rescue teams found the 50-year-old's body on part of the mountain called Bwlch Glas on Tuesday afternoon. The cause of his death is not yet known but suicide is understood to be one line of inquiry. Letters addressed to his family were also found. Deputy Chief Constable Dave Whatton confirmed the death of his friend, a father-of-three, in a statement outside force headquarters in Manchester on Tuesday evening. He said: "Yesterday, Michael Todd, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police was off-duty and walking in Snowdonia. MICHAEL TODD Born in 1957 1976 Trains with Essex Police, moves to Met 1995: Assistant Chief Constable, Notts 1998 Dep Assistant Commissioner, Met 2000: Assistant Commissioner, Met 2001: Queen's Police Medal 2002 Chief Constable, Manchester 2006: Vice chairman, Acpo Profile of Michael Todd Tributes to chief constable "Last night we became concerned for his welfare and as a result searches started to find him. "These searches have continued today and unfortunately this afternoon a body has been found. "I and all the officers of Greater Manchester Police and all the members of Greater Manchester Police Authority are absolutely shocked by what's happened and what has taken place in the last 16 hours." Mr Whatton said although the body had yet to be formally identified, he believed it was that of the chief constable. Reports of his disappearance emerged after a large scale search was reported in Nant Peris, above the village of Llanberis, Gwynedd. The Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team began the task of taking his body off the mountain on foot on Tuesday evening. It was brought down at about 1930 GMT and transferred by ambulance to Ysbyty Gwynedd, a hospital at Bangor. Rescue spokesman Ian Henderson said teams had been hampered by "appalling" weather conditions, including heavy rain and high winds, which meant rescuers could not use a helicopter. Mr Henderson confirmed that the alarm was raised by walkers who found "personal effects" belonging to Mr Todd while out on the mountain. His body was spotted just before 1500 GMT about 200 yards away from the spot where the items were found, he added. Sources at Greater Manchester Police said that among the items found with him were personal letters written to his loved ones, the BBC's Nick Ravenscroft said. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith led a series of tributes to Mr Todd, saying she was "saddened" to learn of his death. "Chief Constable Todd has had a long and distinguished career in various forces and has contributed greatly to the fight against crime and terrorism," she said. "My thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues." Taser stunt Tributes also poured in from police bodies, chief constables from other forces, senior MPs and political figures in Manchester. Mr Todd, a former Met Police assistant commissioner, joined GMP in 2002. He also worked in Essex and Nottingham. He was appointed chief constable in Greater Manchester, England's third largest force, in October 2002 following the retirement of Sir David Wilmot. He had been a police officer for more than 30 years, having joined Essex Police in 1976, and was tipped to become Britain's highest-ranking officer - a future Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. Mr Todd's most high-profile media appearance was when he allowed himself to be hit by a Taser stun gun to prove they were a safe alternative to firearms. ||||| Michael Todd, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, has been found dead. His body was reportedly discovered at the bottom of a cliff in Llanberis, north Wales. Mr Todd was reported missing on Monday night, according to the BBC. The police force was expected to make an announcement about Mr Todd's death this evening. ||||| Michael Todd: Allowed himself to be stunned with a Taser gun A career high-flier, Mr Todd was long tipped for the top job in the British police as a future Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. When the current commissioner Sir Ian Blair came under massive pressure because of the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Manchester chief and father of three was among those talked of as a possible replacement. Political policing Mr Todd was one of a new generation of police chiefs. He had a degree and masters in politics from Essex University and began his policing career in the county. MICHAEL TODD Born in 1957 1976 Trains with Essex Police, moves to Met 1995: Assistant Chief Constable, Notts 1998 Dept Asst Commissioner, Met 2000: Asst Commissioner, Met 2001: Queen's Police Medal 2002 Chief Constable, Manchester 2006: Vice chairman, Acpo He moved to the Metropolitan Police under a management exchange scheme and later became assistant chief constable of Nottingham in 1995. Three years later, he was back in London as a deputy assistant commissioner for the north west of the city. Made an assistant commissioner in 2000, Mr Todd commanded major public events and oversaw the Notting Hill Carnival, one of the most political policing jobs in Britain. He was also responsible for managing the Queen's Jubilee celebrations and policing a string of controversial anti-globalisation protests. Taser gun Mr Todd was a widely respected police officer within the UK, partly because of his public relations efforts and because he had worked in four major force areas. During the 2001 May Day protests he conducted 66 television and radio interviews in 48 hours to ensure the police's message was heard loud and clear. His most high-profile media appearance was when he allowed himself to be hit by a Taser stun gun to prove they were a safe alternative to firearms when apprehending dangerous offenders. "I couldn't move, it hurt like hell," he said after recovering. "I wouldn't want to do that again." Overhauling policing When he took over at Manchester, the third largest force in the country, Mr Todd set about turning around what he saw as underperformance - the force was then one of the poorest performers in the UK. He criticised some of his own officers for the way they were conducting interviews with suspects - and in one interview said that the city had to accept it had a problem with gun and gang crime. His supporters say he never lost contact with the frontline, saying that he enjoyed being out on the beat with colleagues more than being behind a desk. Shortly after taking over in Manchester he set a minimum number of hours for beat duties for every officer in the force. In 2006 he became the vice-chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers, the politically powerful group of senior officers that help set policy across constabularies. His interests in the body included counter-terrorism and media policy. Greater Manchester became the first area outside of London to launch a dedicated counter-terrorism unit with Mr Todd calling for close co-operation with MI5. In his official biography, Mr Todd described his interests as chauffeuring his children around, mountain biking, computer games and reading. He said that he was especially interested in military and political biographies. He said his heroes were Alexander the Great and US Generals Norman Schwarzkopf and George Patton. ||||| And we have continued to cut crime. Since 2003, there have been 60,000 fewer crimes, which is a 16 per cent reduction. This includes 17,249 fewer burglaries, 17,766 fewer vehicle crimes and 3,487 fewer robberies. The report states that GMP can no longer be regarded as a 'poor performing organisation'. The change has been made possible by the dedication and commitment of the men and women of GMP. I am pleased that the achievements have been recognised but am not complacent and recognise that there is still work to do. With the support of local communities and partners we can continue to make a difference to the quality of life in Greater Manchester. Michael J Todd Chief Constable If you have any comments please e-mail the Chief Constable. ||||| 6.30pm GMT update Manchester chief constable found dead The chief constable of Greater Manchester police has been found dead in north Wales, the force said today. Michael Todd, a policeman for more than 30 years, had gone walking in the Snowdonia region while off duty yesterday, his force said. A search was launched after he failed to return. Rescue teams found a body believed to be that of the 50-year-old this afternoon, Greater Manchester's deputy chief constable, Dave Whatton. told reporters. The body has yet to be formally identified. "The weather conditions are extremely bad at the moment and are hindering our inquiries," Whatton said. "As you can imagine all of his friends and colleagues are extremely upset. Our hearts and thoughts are with his family, and I would ask that they be left in peace to come to terms with this tragic shock." The search operation involved two mountain rescue teams and an RAF helicopter. Todd's body might not be recovered until late this evening, an RAF spokesman said. First joining Essex police in 1976, Todd rose to become an assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan police where his duties included overseeing the policing of major events such as the May Day demonstrations and the Notting Hill Carnival. Married with three children, a daughter and twin sons, Todd also served with the Nottinghamshire force. The home secretary, Jacqui Smith, said she was "saddened" at the news. The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, said Todd made a "significant contribution to policing". "In London, this culminated in him being assistant commissioner for territorial policing and leading the important fight against street crime," he said. "He was held in high esteem and I and colleagues who knew him are truly shocked by this terrible news." As vice-president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Todd led an inquiry into allegations that CIA rendition flights landed in the UK. Todd was known as being particularly media-friendly - his Greater Manchester police profile notes that he gave 66 separate radio and TV interviews during the 2001 May Day demonstrations in London. He joined Greater Manchester police as chief constable in 2002. In 2005, in a public attempt to demonstrate the safety of Taser guns, Todd was filmed receiving a 50,000-volt jolt to his back from one of the incapacitation weapons. Collapsing in agony, he said later: "And yes, it hurt like hell and no, I wouldn't want to do it again." Video footage of the event was released last year. | Senior police officers and Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom have paid tribute to Michael J. Todd, the chief constable of the Greater Manchester Police, who was found dead yesterday. He was found dead in North Wales yesterday. It has been reported that he was found at the bottom of a cliff with letters found nearby, either on his body or in his car, which were addressed to family and friends, although this has not been confirmed. The discovery came after an extensive search by mountain rescue teams, following Todd's unexpected absence on a. According to Greater Manchester Police, the chief constable had been on a walking trip, which was not uncommon, however when he failed to return the alarm was raised. ===David Blunkett=== David Blunkett, the former UK Home secretary commented: ===Dave Whatton=== Dave Whatton, the deputy chief constable for GMP commented: ===Chris Huhne=== Chris Huhne, who is the Home Affairs spokesperson for the Liberal Democrat party commented: ===Jacqui Smith=== Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary commented: ===David Davis=== David Davis, the shadow home secretary from the Conservative party commented: ===Sir Ian Blair=== The Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair commented: ===Jan Berry=== Jan Berry, who chairs the police federation of England and Wales commented: ===Sir Gerald Kaufman=== The MP for Manchester Gorton, Sir Gerald Kaufman commented: ===Ken Jones=== Ken Jones, from the association of police chief constables commented: |
N A T I O N A L N E W S S T O R Y RELATED LINKS Millions of 5c pieces still to be handed in 25 October 2006 By BENJAMIN HEATHER Start combing those couches and fishing under the fridge somewhere there's a $5 million treasure that will become obsolete in a week. Kiwis have till next Wednesday to offload their five cent coins before they cease to be legal tender. So far just over 280 million coins have been returned, leaving an estimated 700 million still unaccounted for. However, Reserve Bank currency manager Brian Lang said most of the remaining coins had long since been swept down drains and buried beneath rubbish. "We think there is still another 100 million sitting around in people's homes." The coins still lying about could be worth anywhere between $5 million and $50 million. But by the end of the month they won't even get you a lolly at the dairy. Mr Lang remained hopeful of a late dash to trade in the remaining coins. Advertisement Advertisement "A last-minute burst of publicity may convince people to bring the coins in. It's a bit of a hassle though. Human nature being what it is, people just don't care," he said. For people who do not wish to trade in their coins at the bank, old coins can also be given to several charities who are making the most of the changeover. In Wellington the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary has set up donation boxes around the city, amassing $9000 in old coins. Sanctuary spokesman Alan Dicks said the campaign was particularly fitting because the old coins depicted tuataras and kiwis, both of which can be found living at the sanctuary. "The money will go towards supporting general ecological restoration of the sanctuary," he said. "We want to get over ten grand, but the more the better." Plunket, the Leukaemia and Blood foundation, and the Napier Aquarium are also seeking old coin donations. Mr Lang said though the coins will no longer be legal tender, banks will continue to exchange them till tillat least the end of the year. The Reserve Bank will continue to exchange them indefinitely. "We are still getting people coming in with two-dollar notes," he said. »EMAIL THIS STORY »PRINTABLE VERSION »SUBSCRIBE TO FREE HEADLINES »SUBSCRIBE TO ARCHIVESTUFF ||||| The end is nigh for old coins In one week - 1 November - the old 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent coins will no longer be legal tender, which means retailers need no longer accept them as payment for goods. The Reserve Bank is encouraging people to dig out their old 50, 20, 10 and 5 cent coins and either use, bank or donate them. So far, just over 280 million coins have been returned, but there are more out there, said Reserve Bank Currency Manager, Brian Lang. "Since 1967 the Reserve Bank has issued more than a billion of the old 'silver' coins." "So if you don't want to be stuck with loads of old coin - there's never been a better time to empty your coin jars, sweep the car glove box and rummage behind the couch cushions", Mr Lang concluded. For further information contact Brian Lang Currency Manager 04 4713825, 021 2412113 | An old New Zealand five cent coin. On November 1, 2006 the old five, ten, twenty and fifty cent coins will be illegal tender, but the Reserve Bank of New Zealand says there are still at least 100 million still to be returned. According to the Reserve Bank, most of the old coins have been lost in drains or buried in rubbish. "We think there is still another 100 million sitting around in people's homes," Brian Lang, currency manger for the Reserve Bank, said. Lang said: "So far, just over 280 million coins have been returned, but there are more out there. Since 1967 the Reserve Bank has issued more than a billion of the old 'silver' coins. So if you don't want to be stuck with loads of old coin - there's never been a better time to empty your coin jars, sweep the car glove box and rummage behind the couch cushions." The coins still awaiting to be handed in, by either spending them, taking them to a bank or donating them to charity, are estimated to be worth between NZ$5 million and $50 million. "A last-minute burst of publicity may convince people to bring the coins in. It's a bit of a hassle though. Human nature being what it is, people just don't care," Lang said. The Karori Wildlife Sanctuary located in Wellington say that they have collected over $9,000 in old coins. Sanctuary spokesman, Alan Dicks said: "The campaign was particularly fitting because the old coins depicted tuataras and kiwis, both of which can be found living at the sanctuary. The money will go towards supporting general ecological restoration of the sanctuary. We want to get over ten grand, but the more the better." Lang said: "Though the coins will no longer be legal tender, banks will continue to exchange them until at least the end of the year," and the Reserve Bank will always exchange them. "We are still getting people coming in with two-dollar notes," Lang added. |
Young technology companies raised $3.36 billion nationwide, up 13 percent from $2.98 billion a year ago. In the Bay Area, technology startups raised $1.26 billion in the first quarter, up from $1.10 billion in the same quarter last year. "I see a continuation of the interest in Internet business models," said Joe Muscat, Americas director of Ernst & Young Venture Advisory Group. Ernst & Young publishes the quarterly report with Dow Jones VentureOne. "I think it started to pick up last year and has accelerated in 2006." The Bay Area companies that received the largest VC investments in the quarter were both technology companies: Pay By Touch, a San Francisco company that allows consumers to buy things with only a fingerprint for identification, and Sling Media, the San Mateo maker of a product that beams television programming to computers and handheld devices. Pay By Touch, in its second round of funding, raised $6o million in January, and Sling Media raised $46.6 million. Pay By Touch has biometric identification systems in 2,000 stores, including Albertsons, and it plans to offer a version of its product for Internet shopping as well. The company set out to raise just $25 million, but interest was so strong that investors offered four times that. It closed on $60 million in January, after raising $130 million in 2005. "It definitely shows that there is an appetite in the market with institutional investors for great inventions, and they will write big checks for great opportunities," said Gus Spanos, Pay By Touch chief financial officer and executive vice president. "But I think that our success and the amounts of money we've raised ... really is more specific to investors' recognition that this truly could be a transformational company." Sling Media, too, raised more money than it had planned, due to high investor interest. "It's a validation that what we're doing is novel. And especially since it's financing that's taken place after we've gotten the product out to market, it's a validation that we've executed well and that people who bought the product have embraced it," said Jason Krikorian, vice president for business development. Sling Media had already raised $11.5 million in its first round of funding in 2004. Across the board, it was a good quarter for the Bay Area, where companies as usual raised more capital than any other region. In the first quarter of 2006, 172 area companies raised a total of $1.9 billion. That's five fewer deals than in the first quarter of 2005, when 177 companies got funding. However, the companies raised a bit more money this time around than in the first quarter last year, when they raised $1.8 billion. Another trend showing up this quarter, according to Muscat, is an interest in energy technology. For example, the following alternative energy companies all got funded during the quarter: GreenFuel Technologies of Cambridge, Mass., which recycles smokestack emissions into clean fuel; Southwest Windpower of Flagstaff, Ariz.; and Seattle Biodiesel. Investing more money in fewer companies is a trend being seen across the country, Muscat said. "I'm seeing the investors back in a very traditional mode, ... which is to make larger bets, and more specific bets in terms of companies, rather than the peanut butter approach of spreading a lot of dollars in a lot of places," which was more common in the Internet bubble years of the late 1990s and in early 2000, Muscat said. This article appeared on page E - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle ||||| Gates pumps money into ethanol According to an SEC filing, the Microsoft chairman holds a 25.5% stake in corn-fuel maker Pacific Ethanol. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bill Gates holds a 25.5-percent stake in Pacific Ethanol Inc., resulting from a private transaction with the maker of corn-based fuel, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Gates acquired 5.25 million shares convertible preferred stock on April 13 for $16 per share, the filing said. Those shares are convertible to 10.5 million shares of common stock. Gates acquired 5.25 million shares convertible preferred stock on April 13 for $16 per share, according to SEC filing. Special Report full coverage Pacific Ethanol is building an ethanol production facility in California and said in late March it hoped the deal with Cascade Investment, Gates's investment vehicle, would close by mid-April. In the SEC filing, Cascade said it acquired the common stock "for investment purposes only" and will continue to evaluate its ownership stake and voting position. Cascade said it would leave open the possibility of continuing to hold the stock, disposing of it or acquiring more in the open market or through private transactions, and entering into short sales or other hedging transactions. Pacific Ethanol (Research) shares jumped more than 6 percent in morning trade on Nasdaq. -------------- To read about why gasoline prices are soaring, click here. Vietnam gives the chairman of Microsoft a rock star-like welcome, click here for more. ||||| By Tom Cahill Bloomberg News MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2006 The growing interest comes at a time when some of the biggest names in technology, including Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, are pouring money into companies that could help wean consumers from their dependence on oil. "We're finally at a point where some of the alternate energy sources that are more environmentally friendly are worth taking a look at," said David Shaw, whose D.E. Shaw hedge fund manages about $20 billion and is planning to increase its stake in windmills. "We're interested in cleaning up the environment at the same time as we make money for investors." Record oil prices are accelerating the push. Demand for fuels made from corn, sugar and soybeans will quadruple in the next three decades, a period when oil use will increase by less than 60 percent, the International Energy Agency estimated. Diapason Commodities Management, a Swiss-based fund manager that oversees $4 billion, plans to raise $500 million for a biofuels fund that the company started this month. Shares of Pacific Ethanol, in which Gates's Cascade Investments plans to buy a stake this month, have soared 20- fold in the past two years, valuing the seller of corn-based fuel additives at $894 million. The Bloomberg World Energy-Alternative Sources index, which tracks Bonn-based SolarWorld and 14 other stocks, has jumped 33 percent in 2006 and reached a record earlier this month. Stock in Archer Daniels Midland of Decatur, Illinois, the world's largest ethanol maker, is up 49 percent so far this year. Green Plains Renewable Energy, a Las Vegas-based company that is building an ethanol plant in Shenandoah, Iowa, that will handle 50 million gallons per year, is up 37 percent since it started trading last month. And Xethanol, a New York-based ethanol company, has risen 162 percent this year, valuing the company at $175 million. New stock offerings are coming. VeraSun Energy, in Brookings, South Dakota, and Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings of Pekin, Illinois, both filed for initial offerings last month. The average U.S. ethanol price has almost doubled to $2.44 a gallon in the past year. Wholesale gasoline prices have gained 39 percent. "It's great when you can put that crop into your gas tank," Hugh Grant, chief executive of Monsanto, the world's largest developer of genetically modified seeds, said in a recent interview. "With $70 oil, bio-ethanol is here to stay." Crude prices in New York this year have averaged about $64 a barrel, up 26 percent from last year. After reaching $69.60 a barrel on April 12, prices are just shy of last year's post- hurricane record - $70.85 set Aug. 30. President George W. Bush in his State of the Union address on Jan. 31 said ethanol could become a practical alternative in six years. "Ethanol is a huge market," said Vinod Khosla, founder of Sun Microsystems, who is privately financing ethanol fuel research. "I think it can replace all of our petroleum needs, or at least a majority. That creates a big opportunity that's very susceptible to technology." Khosla Ventures plans to invest about 40 percent of its capital in alternative energy; Khosla declined to detail how much he is investing or the size of the fund. He also is co-chairman of a group that has proposed a ballot initiative in California that would tax oil extraction and use some of the proceeds for alternate energy. "Energy has got to be one of the top five problems the world faces, and it's been frustrating to watch activists and politicians fail to solve the problem," said Robert Metcalfe, the co-founder of 3Com of Marlborough, Massachusetts. "Now it's time for the entrepreneurs and scientists to give it a try." He is testing a system to convert smokestack emissions into power-plant fuels in his current role as general partner of Polaris Venture Partners in Waltham, Massachusetts. Polaris is dedicating part of its newest fund's $1 billion to clean-energy technology. The group, which has $3 billion under management, said April 11 that it made a $6.8 million investment in GreenFuel Technologies, which is developing ways to feed carbon dioxide emissions to algae that then can be converted into fuels. The investment is Polaris's first in clean fuels. "The markets for the products are huge," said Metcalfe, who led the Xerox research team that invented Ethernet, a personal computer networking standard, in 1973. "If you can get it right, it's really a market that's infinite." PARIS As energy prices soar, investors are taking a closer look at the makers of alternative power sources like ethanol and windmills.The growing interest comes at a time when some of the biggest names in technology, including Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, are pouring money into companies that could help wean consumers from their dependence on oil."We're finally at a point where some of the alternate energy sources that are more environmentally friendly are worth taking a look at," said David Shaw, whose D.E. Shaw hedge fund manages about $20 billion and is planning to increase its stake in windmills. "We're interested in cleaning up the environment at the same time as we make money for investors."Record oil prices are accelerating the push. Demand for fuels made from corn, sugar and soybeans will quadruple in the next three decades, a period when oil use will increase by less than 60 percent, the International Energy Agency estimated.Diapason Commodities Management, a Swiss-based fund manager that oversees $4 billion, plans to raise $500 million for a biofuels fund that the company started this month.Shares of Pacific Ethanol, in which Gates's Cascade Investments plans to buy a stake this month, have soared 20- fold in the past two years, valuing the seller of corn-based fuel additives at $894 million.The Bloomberg World Energy-Alternative Sources index, which tracks Bonn-based SolarWorld and 14 other stocks, has jumped 33 percent in 2006 and reached a record earlier this month.Stock in Archer Daniels Midland of Decatur, Illinois, the world's largest ethanol maker, is up 49 percent so far this year. Green Plains Renewable Energy, a Las Vegas-based company that is building an ethanol plant in Shenandoah, Iowa, that will handle 50 million gallons per year, is up 37 percent since it started trading last month. And Xethanol, a New York-based ethanol company, has risen 162 percent this year, valuing the company at $175 million.New stock offerings are coming. VeraSun Energy, in Brookings, South Dakota, and Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings of Pekin, Illinois, both filed for initial offerings last month.The average U.S. ethanol price has almost doubled to $2.44 a gallon in the past year. Wholesale gasoline prices have gained 39 percent."It's great when you can put that crop into your gas tank," Hugh Grant, chief executive of Monsanto, the world's largest developer of genetically modified seeds, said in a recent interview. "With $70 oil, bio-ethanol is here to stay."Crude prices in New York this year have averaged about $64 a barrel, up 26 percent from last year. After reaching $69.60 a barrel on April 12, prices are just shy of last year's post- hurricane record - $70.85 set Aug. 30.President George W. Bush in his State of the Union address on Jan. 31 said ethanol could become a practical alternative in six years."Ethanol is a huge market," said Vinod Khosla, founder of Sun Microsystems, who is privately financing ethanol fuel research. "I think it can replace all of our petroleum needs, or at least a majority. That creates a big opportunity that's very susceptible to technology."Khosla Ventures plans to invest about 40 percent of its capital in alternative energy; Khosla declined to detail how much he is investing or the size of the fund. He also is co-chairman of a group that has proposed a ballot initiative in California that would tax oil extraction and use some of the proceeds for alternate energy."Energy has got to be one of the top five problems the world faces, and it's been frustrating to watch activists and politicians fail to solve the problem," said Robert Metcalfe, the co-founder of 3Com of Marlborough, Massachusetts. "Now it's time for the entrepreneurs and scientists to give it a try." He is testing a system to convert smokestack emissions into power-plant fuels in his current role as general partner of Polaris Venture Partners in Waltham, Massachusetts.Polaris is dedicating part of its newest fund's $1 billion to clean-energy technology. The group, which has $3 billion under management, said April 11 that it made a $6.8 million investment in GreenFuel Technologies, which is developing ways to feed carbon dioxide emissions to algae that then can be converted into fuels. The investment is Polaris's first in clean fuels."The markets for the products are huge," said Metcalfe, who led the Xerox research team that invented Ethernet, a personal computer networking standard, in 1973. "If you can get it right, it's really a market that's infinite." | Investors are rushing to fund new ventures in renewable energy as Americans continue to see rising gasoline prices at the pump. The price for crude oil continues to rise to new record highs ($75 per barrel of crude oil on NYMEX as of Friday's close). According to the results of a survey reported by the San Francisco Gate, in the 1st Quarter of 2006 investments in the clean technology sector has increased by 13% to $3.36 Billion in the US. In addition to attracting venture capital, clean technology companies are receiving a buzz from high profile investors. Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft, announced last week that his venture group (Cascade Investments) initiated the purchase of 25.5% ownership in Pacific Ethanol Inc. Pacific Ethanol is an ethanol production company that plans to expand operations by opening a new facility in California. Gates is not alone in high profile investments into the clean energy market, Bob Metcalfe (Founder of 3COM and Inventor of Ethernet), who acts as the managing partner of Polaris Ventures, announced the VC's first investment into the energy market. Polaris, which manages over $3 Billion in funds, invested $6.8 million into GreenFuel Technologies Corporation of Cambridge, MA. GreenFuel Technologies is an emissions to biofuels company, that utilizes natural algae in their patented bioreactors to turn greenhouse gas emissions from power plants into rich bio fuel. Polaris's investment into GreenFuel was part of the company's $18 Million Series B financing round that also included a high profile venture capital investor: Draper Fisher Jurvetson. When asked about the new industry venture, Bob Metcalfe said, "Energy has got to be one of the top five problems the world faces, and it's been frustrating to watch activists and politicians fail to solve the problem,...Now it's time for the entrepreneurs and scientists to give it a try." According to the International Energy Association, demand for renewable energy fuels will more than quadruple in the next decade. The current jump in oil prices is fueling investment into this relatively new market as investors view clean technology as an emerging opportunity rather than a public relations campaign. As gasoline prices continue to rise, alternative fuels become respectively cheaper and more attractive. In his latest State of the Union Address, President Bush outlined a plan to direct new investment into ethanol production and other clean technologies. According to a poll conducted by CBS News, Americans now see gas prices as one of their top three main concerns. With pressure coming from constituents, politicians are beginning to exert pressure on new spending on renewable technology to promote energy independence. Yet another front in this debate is that of environmental concern. With global warming on the rise, and many European governments eagerly searching for a Carbon Dioxide solution, the promise of reducing these emissions by 46% (as claimed by GreenFuel's bio reactor system) begins to resonate as a promising environmental and business opportunity. |
BANGKOK — Thailand ’s Supreme Court on Friday confiscated $1.4 billion in frozen assets from the nation’s fugitive former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra , after finding him guilty of illegally concealing his ownership of a family company and abusing his power to benefit the companies he owned. But it softened the blow by allowing him to keep the remainder of what had been $2.3 billion in frozen assets, saying that “to seize all the money would be unfair because some of it was made before Thaksin became prime minister.” The case resonates in Thailand beyond the assets of one man, part of a long-running and sporadically violent confrontation that has divided the country. It has pitted the nation’s rural and urban poor, who support Mr. Thaksin, against the established ruling class, whose control of the political system he challenged during his six years as prime minister. “This case is very political,” Mr. Thaksin said during a televised response from an undisclosed location outside the country. “The court was used to get rid of a politician. The ruling will be a joke for the world.” In reading the verdict on Friday, the nine-judge panel repeatedly described Mr. Thaksin’s business dealings as “unscrupulous.” It ruled unanimously that Mr. Thaksin and his former wife, Pojaman, falsely claimed to have transferred their shares of his telecommunications company, Shin Corporation, to family members because he was not allowed to hold them while prime minister. The court said that Mr. Thaksin, a telecommunications billionaire who was ousted in a coup in 2006, had abused power by tailoring government policies to benefit Shin Corporation and related businesses. “The accused unscrupulously received money from selling shares through the use of his political powers,” a judge said. The paradox of Mr. Thaksin’s political movement — that a billionaire telecommunications tycoon has inspired a large number of poor, disaffected voters with populist policies like inexpensive health care and financial assistance — was on display Friday at the headquarters of the main opposition party, where his followers gathered to hear the verdict. “It’s not fair; there’s no justice any longer in Thailand,” said Sunaree Siraseehakul, 72, a clothing trader in Bangkok. Calm at first, the crowd at the opposition headquarters angrily shouted obscenities as the judges read the verdict. They broke into a chant: “Thaksin, fight! Fight!” By late in the evening, there were no reports of the violent reaction that the government had warned about. Thousands of police officers and soldiers had been placed on alert around Bangkok to guard against protests by Mr. Thaksin’s supporters. Riot police officers with shields and helmets guarded the courthouse as the nine justices spent more than seven hours reading out the arguments and their ruling. Mr. Thaksin’s supporters, known as the red shirts for the outfits they wear at rallies, have been violent in the past. But they denied that they had planned demonstrations on Friday. Instead, they said, they are organizing a mass rally in Bangkok for mid-March. “We will not do anything today,” said Sit Kitanon, 58, a businessman in a red shirt, as he stood in front of the courthouse. “Today is not our day. But our day will come.” He added: “If the court destroys Thaksin, the court is destroying democracy. I am not here for Thaksin, but I care about justice.” Mr. Thaksin sold Shin Corporation to a Singaporean holding company in January 2006, a transaction that evaded taxes, aroused anger and prompted street demonstrations that set the stage for the coup nine months later. When the generals who staged the coup gave up power in a new election a little more than a year later, a party backing Mr. Thaksin was overwhelmingly elected. Protests resumed, and in August 2008, thousands of anti-Thaksin demonstrators, known as yellow shirts, barricaded the prime minister’s compound, setting up a tent city and demanding that the government be dissolved. In late November 2008, they took over Bangkok’s two airports for a week, stranding thousands of passengers. They ended their protests in December, when a court found the pro-Thaksin governing party guilty of electoral fraud, forcing its dissolution. The current government, led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, took office in a parliamentary vote. Since then, it has been the pro-Thaksin protesters who have been demanding the dissolution of what they call an unelected government. In April 2009, they forced the closing of a regional summit meeting in Pattaya, a resort town southeast of Bangkok, and shortly afterward paralyzed the capital with riots that left two people dead. Many in Bangkok took the government’s warnings to heart and stayed off the streets on Friday, some of them following the court proceedings on radio and on voice feeds to television. Some people said that in the charged atmosphere, they were avoiding wearing the colors red or yellow for fear of starting an argument. “It is a sensitive day,” said Weena Sirithinpayak, a saleswoman in a shopping mall in central Bangkok. But it seems to be a given here now that Thailand’s acrimonious divide will not be resolved easily, or perhaps even peacefully. “It’s becoming more of a class thing, and I’m worried about that,” said Rainy Phrompechrut, a writer for a golf magazine. In a running blog on the court session, Thanong Khanthong, a columnist for the English-language newspaper The Nation, wrote, “The potential clash looks inevitable, as any political compromise is out of the question.” Mr. Thaksin has been living out of the country since August 2007, after jumping bail and fleeing a two-year sentence for violating conflict of interest rules in connection with the purchase of land in Bangkok while he was prime minister. But Mr. Thaksin has remained a political force in Thailand as he has traveled the world from his base in Dubai and apparently retains enough wealth to finance a nationwide political machine. ||||| Mr Thaksin's sustains his popularity from abroad through social media The former Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, faces losing more than $2bn (£1.3bn) of assets if a Supreme Court ruling goes against him. The funds were frozen after Mr Thaksin's elected government was overthrown in a military coup in 2006. Security forces are on high alert amid government predictions of violence by Mr Thaksin's red-shirted supporters if the court decision goes against him. Mr Thaksin remains hugely popular in Thailand and denies any wrongdoing. However, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), which leads the red-shirts, has said it has no plans for any demonstration until mid-March. He says he will continue his political fight against the "military-bureaucratic elite" that deposed him - with or without his fortune. High security Tensions in Thailand remain high, however, with an unexplained small explosion on the weekend and predictions of violent provocation from both sides in a long-running political battle. Tens of thousands of extra police have been placed in and around the capital, and in areas of the north-east of the country where some of Mr Thaksin's supporters are based. Local media have been predicting huge disruptions, counting down to what they call "judgement day". Red-shirted supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra want their leader home But some government and opposition figures have sought to calm fears. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who is in charge of national security, tried to play down the wider significance of the case, saying it concerned only Mr Thaksin's wealth. "Thaksin must respect and accept the rule of law as well as other Thai people. It's not possible for the whole Thai nation to respect the law but not Thaksin," he said. Mr Thaksin's supporters have said they resent being painted as a violent rabble and insist they are fighting for democracy and against military-backed government. "It [a judgement] would not put an end to Thailand's crisis because now Thaksin's supporters, the Red Shirts - the UDD - they have evolved into their own force to be reckoned with," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist from Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. The money The judges will look at whether Mr Thaksin illegally parked his fortune with family members because he was not allowed to hold company shares while prime minister, and whether his administration implemented policies to benefit his family's businesses. They will consider whether telecoms liberalisation measures unfairly benefited the country's main mobile phone service provider, then controlled by Mr Thaksin's family. And they are looking at whether he unfairly promoted a US$127 million low-interest loan to neighbouring Burma to benefit a satellite communications company also controlled by his family. The BBC's Rachel Harvey says the court will be deciding on whether or not Mr Thaksin abused his power during his time as prime minister. The panel of nine judges will decide whether or not there is evidence of a conflict of interest, and how much, if any, of the more than $2 bn of funds should be seized by the Thai state. They will begin reading their ruling at 1300 local time (0600 GMT) and are expected to finish hours later, after the Thai stock market closes ahead of a three-day holiday weekend. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version | Thaksin (right) meeting with Donald Rumsfeld in 2005. Thailand's Supreme Court today ruled that the family of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra be stripped of 46.3 billion baht (US$1.4 billion) in frozen assets, more than half of a contested $2.3 billion fortune. According to the court, the seized assets were illegally gained while Thaksin was Prime Minister; specifically, his familial involvement and connections with Shin Corporation. In a statement released by the court, the judges said that Thaksin had adjusted government policies to favor telecommunications businesses, including Shin Corporation, a large telecommunications company owned by Thaksin, and his family, and sold to a Singapore investment firm in 2006. Additionally, Thaksin was alleged to have deposited shares held in Shin Corporation with family members whilst in office - a move to avoid, under Thai law, illegally holding any company stock while Prime Minister. Additionally, he was found to have unfairly promoted a $127 million loan to Burma – benefiting a satellite communications firm controlled by his family. In a response from an undisclosed location outside Thailand, Thaksin contested the ruling, claiming the case was politically motivated and that, "the court was used to get rid of a politician." In his remarks, he said that he came by his wealth legally, and he would continue his fight against both the ruling and the party that ousted him in 2008. In Thailand, Thaksin's red-shirted supporters publicly opposed the verdict; although, no significant disturbances have been reported despite government warnings over the possibility violence. Instead, protesters say they plan a mass demonstration against the ruling sometime in March. |
Sealand in ruins after blaze A FORMER wartime fortress which is now a self-proclaimed independent state has been left devastated after a fierce blaze tore through the structure. The so-called Principality of Sealand, seven miles off the coast of Felixstowe and Harwich, was evacuated at lunchtime yesterdayafter a generator caught fire. Thames Coastguard, Harwich RNLI lifeboat, Felixstowe Coastguard rescue teams, firefighting tug Brightwell, the RAF rescue helicopter from Wattisham and 15 Suffolk based firefighters from the National Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG) were all called into action to tackle the blaze. One man, believed to be a security guard, was airlifted from the scene and taken to Ipswich Hospital with smoke inhalation but no one else was on the Second World War gun emplacement. Emergency services were first alerted to the drama just after midday when eyewitnesses noticed huge clouds of black smoke billowing out of the concrete structure, which is owned by self-styled King Roy Bates. Brian Ironman, who was fishing just off Sealand along with his dog Rosie, said he noticed something was wrong around 11.30am. “I'd been fishing nearby since 7am for smoothhound and tope and just before lunchtime I noticed there was a lot of smoke coming from the back end of the tower,” he said. “I immediately thought something was wrong and called the coastguard straight away. They were here fairly quickly and there were about five or six extinguishers trying to put the fire out. “The helicopter also arrived and I think it picked up one person who was on the platform.” Andrew Beal, a council worker from Trimley who watched events unfold from his beach hut at Brackenbury, said: “There was thick black smoke billowing out of the gun emplacement. Air sea rescue was heading out at high speed and hovered over the platform and appeared to be taking someone off. “There were several other vessels heading out, including a lifeboat, and there was a boat out there hosing it down. The smoke was hundreds of feet high in the air.” Rod Markham, who runs angling trips out of Felixstowe Ferry in his boat Tracy Jane, was able to see the excitement from his house. “At first I just thought they were stoking up the generators because there is always a bit of smoke - I never realised it was on fire,” he said. “But when I looked back after I'd messed about a bit in the garden I saw there was a big deluge of black and that's when I saw the lifeboat and tug were there.” Firefighting tug Brightwell from the port of Felixstowe was despatched to the scene and doused the flames with vast amounts of water. A team of 15 off-shore firefighters from the National Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG) were also assembled but after a reconnaissance of the area from the air it was decided it was too dangerous to land. Keith Churchman, of Harwich Royal National Lifeboat Institution, said: “The damage is very extensive. The fire started in a generator and spread quickly to the accommodation. “There have been a number of explosions on board as the fire has engulfed gas bottles and batteries. Only one person was on Sealand at the time, whom we understand to be a watchman whose job was to maintain the generators and equipment. “A team of firefighters was flown to the scene but because of the damage to the structure they decided not to go on board. “A firefighting tug sprayed the whole structure with water in the hope this would eventually cool the fire and starve it of oxygen.” A spokesperson for Suffolk Fire Service confirmed the fire was left to burn itself out and was under control by 3.10pm. ||||| Sealand has been hit by a blaze (Picture: Harwich Lifeboat) The blaze on Friday has badly damaged Sealand, an inhabited former military platform, about eight miles east off the coast of Essex and Suffolk. A coastguard spokesman said it was believed a generator caught fire. The one person on board was airlifted to Ipswich Hospital. The so-called "independent state" of Sealand is home to an internet firm. A helicopter from Wattisham airfield rescued the injured man from the platform and Harwich lifeboat were also called to the scene. 'Territorial waters' Britain built the anti-aircraft platform during World War II. It remained derelict until the 1960s when a retired Army major, Paddy Roy Bates, took over the 10,000 sq ft platform and declared it the independent nation of Sealand. At the time, the platform was beyond the then three-mile limit of British territorial waters. All this changed in 1987, when the UK extended its territorial waters from three to 12 miles. The British Government does not recognise the sovereignty of Sealand. ||||| Blaze rages on sea platform Sealand MORE than 20 firefighters have been drafted in to tackle a blaze at Sealand off the coast of Felixstowe.Eight people from Suffolk Fire Service were flown on to the platform of the Second World War gun emplacement and independent principality in the North Sea.The RNLI lifeboat and a firefighting tug from Harwich also joined in the rescue.One man from Sealand was airlifted to hospital after trying to tackle the fire which broke out in a generator.Full story and dramatic pictures, see Saturday's EADT. | Fire being extinguished by tug boat 150px The Principality of Sealand is currently being checked, after a fire caused havoc to the ex-World War II tower. Fire fighters from the Thames Coastguard poured water onto the structure, and rescued a security guard who was taken to Ipswich hospital by an RAF helicopter, suffering from smoke inhalation. It is believed that the fire was started by a fault in a generator. The Harwich off-shore lifeboat team attended the platform, and described the top platform as having caught alight due to an 'electrical fire'. Sealand, formerly HM Fort Roughs, is a self declared principality comprising of an old army fort. It was built to deter, and report back on, any German attempts to lay mines using aircraft in the channel of the Thames. The offshore company HavenCo used it to hold servers for the computer industry. |
Punjab police website hacked Friday, 09 Jul, 2010 Pakistani officials have closed down the website after getting this news. — File Photo LAHORE: According to sources, unknown hackers have hacked the official website of Punjab police on Friday. They have cleared up all the messages from chief minister and IG police Punjab . After doing this heinous act, the hackers wrote down sentences in which they asked the Pakistani government to stop proxy war against India . This suggests that the hackers were from India ; however, it is still not clear. Pakistani officials have closed down the website after getting this news. — DawnNews Tags: Pakistan police ||||| Share this story! Punjab police website hacked LAHORE: The official website of the Punjab Police has been hacked by an Indian hacker, a private TV channel reported on Friday. An Indian cyberpunk has hacked the official website of the provincial police, the channel reported. The hacker has left a top slogan on the website as a message for the authorities to stop what he alleged is a ‘proxy war against India.’ On the main page of the website, the hacker left an anti-Pakistan slogan as a mark of conventional contempt. He mentions his ID as, igcoe_hacker from India and left these words ‘hacked by India’, the channel reported. daily times monitor Home | National Share this story! ||||| add The News to homescreen tap to bring up your browser menu and select 'Add to homescreen' to pin the The News web app ||||| PUNJAB: The Punjab Police’s official website was hacked by a group of Indian hackers.The hackers replaced messages by the Punjab chief minister and inspector general with derogatory remarks and slogans all over the website. Excluding the appreciatory page of the website, all titles were distorted and the hacker groups’ name was being displayed everywhere on the website. The website has not yet been restored to its original position. However, the authorities have blocked the site’s URL. Pakistan Cyber Security experts confirmed that the hackers were Indians, adding that more than 150 Pakistani websites have been hacked in the past three days. However, they said that the attacks were not very serious. | An official website belonging to the of Pakistan was hacked on Friday, a private TV channel reported. The hackers left a message on the homepage in which they asked the Pakistani government to "stop proxy war against India." The messages of the and provincial were also erased from the site. Although the hackers have not been identified, Pakistani sources say the slogan left on the site points to Indian origins; cyber security experts confirmed this and added that 150 Pakistani websites were hacked in the last three days. The Punjab police website has been hacked twice recently; in one incident, the official emblem was replaced with the logo of the . A police spokesman stated they would take legal action against an Islamabad-based company responsible for the website's security as well as stop the use of its services from July 31. “We are also going to give the domain hosting of the website and its maintenance, including the data update to the Punjab Information Technology Board.” The website has temporarily been shut down. |
The woman was killed while working in Glasgow's Alma Street A lollipop lady has died after being hit by a lorry in Glasgow's east end. Catherine Gibson, 59, from the city's Dennistoun area, died after the crash in Alma Street, near Celtic FC's Parkhead stadium, at 0850 GMT. The school traffic patrol officer was taken to the Royal Infirmary but died a short time later. Police said the 64-year-old lorry driver was uninjured. The head of St Anne's Primary said her thoughts were with the family and that counselling would be offered to pupils. Louise Jarvie, who is head of the primary school in David Street, said: "Our thoughts and condolences are with the family at this very sad time. "Support and counselling for pupils and staff will be available to anyone who needs it." Strathclyde Police said a full report would be sent to the procurator fiscal. Sgt Jennifer Aird urged anyone with information to come forward. She said the area would have been busy with both motorists and pedestrians at the time. ||||| Screaming pupils look on as truck kills lollipop lady outside primary school By Julie-anne Barnes Last updated at 10:02 AM on 15th January 2010 A lollipop lady died after being knocked down by a lorry in front of horrified schoolchildren yesterday. Mother-of-one Catherine Gibson, 59, was hit by the truck while on patrol near St Anne's Primary school in Gallowgate, Glasgow. Eyewitnesses said it was snowing at the time of the accident, in Alma Street at around 8.50am. Crash scene: The lorry that hit the woman is put on a tow truck yesterday Mrs Gibson, who is believed to have a son, was left 'face down' on the road after becoming trapped under the lorry's wheels. She was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary where she died a short time later. The 64 year-old driver of the lorry, which is owned by Barrhead, Renfrewshire, based civil engineering firm Allma Construction Ltd, was uninjured but 'deeply shocked'. One witness, who works at a nearby garage said: 'There were children waiting to cross the road and they were all screaming and crying. They all ran back from where the accident happened. Warning: A stop sign like the one the lollipop lady was holding when hit 'The lollipop lady was found face down. She was alive when she was found but died a short time later. It was horrific and the kids will probably need counselling.' He added: 'It could have been a case of the driver not being able to see her... she was caught on the passenger side. 'It's not clear whether she gave him enough time to stop or whether the driver had failed to stop. It was snowing, so that could have been a factor.' The lorry would have been approaching a 20mph 'school zone' when the accident happened. Glasgow City Council officials later confirmed that flashing signs warning motorists to slow down were operating at the time. Robert Lawson had been dropping off his son Bradley, 11, at the school. He said: 'I heard a scream and turned round but all I could see was the yellow jacket underneath the lorry. 'I sent Bradley into the school to ring an ambulance but staff there had already done it. It really was a shocking sight and I really feel for the children.' The road was closed and a police accident investigation unit was called to the scene. The truck was removed from the roadside at around mid-day. Mrs Gibson was employed by Cordia, a subsidiary company set up by Glasgow City Council to provide services in the city. Yesterday, St Anne's school headteacher Louise Jarvie paid tribute to Mrs Gibson, saying: 'Cathy was a very popular and valued member of the school community and I know that she will be greatly missed by everyone. 'She had a great rapport with the children. Everyone is devastated and shocked. 'Our thoughts and condolences are with the family at this very sad time. Support and counselling for pupils and staff will be available to anyone who needs it.' Sergeant Jennifer Aird, of Strathclyde Police, said last night: 'We can confirm that a school crossing patrol officer was struck by a lorry at 8.50am. She was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary but succumbed to her injuries soon after. We are continuing enquiries to establish the full circumstances of the crash. 'The area would have been busy with both motorists and pedestrians and I would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed the accident, indeed anyone who was near to that area of Alma Street at the time of the incident, to contact us.' She asked anyone with information about the accident to telephone Strathclyde road policing unit on 0141 532 6400. Mrs Gibson's family were too upset to comment last night. ||||| A lollipop woman was killed in front of primary children today in Glasgow. She was struck by a lorry at a school crossing while guiding the pupils across the road in Glasgow’s East End. The woman suffered serious injuries and paramedics battled to save her before she was transferred by ambulance to the Royal Infirmary. She was pronounced dead a short time later. It happened in Fielden Street, off Gallowgate, and the crossing was busy with youngsters heading to nearby St Anne’s Primary. None of the children were hurt. The lorry driver was uninjured. The woman was employed by Cordia, the arm’s length company set up by Glasgow City Council to provide services in the city. Louise Jarvie, the head teacher of St Anne’s Primary, said: “Our thoughts and condolences are with the family at this very sad time. “Support and counselling for pupils and staff will be available to anyone who needs it.” Crash investigators were at the scene and the road was closed at Gallowgate. Officers are trying to establish exactly what happened. A police spokeswoman said: “A woman has died following a road traffic incident early today. We are trying to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. We are appealing to witnesses to come forward because the area would have been particularly busy at that time.” Anyone who can help should contact Strathclyde Police Road Policing Unit at Helen Street on 0141 532 6400. | An elderly woman who was a crossing guard or a "lollipop lady" has been killed in an accident involving a truck in Glasgow, Scotland. The woman has been identified as 59-year-old Catherine Gibson, who came from the Dennistoun district of Glasgow. At around 0850 GMT on Thursday, Gibson was assisting children in crossing a road as part of her job near St. Anne's Primary School, located in the east side of the city. Gibson was suddenly struck by a truck and dragged underneath the wheels of the vehicle. The children being assisted witnessed the entire collision. After the accident occurred, Gibson was transported to a hospital but died shortly afterwards. The truck driver, who is aged 64, was not injured in the crash. The vehicle itself was taken away from the scene of the accident at approximately 1200 GMT on the same day. A person working in a garage near where the accident occurred said: "There were children waiting to cross the road and they were all screaming and crying. They all ran back from where the accident had happened. She was found face down and it looked as though the lorry had driven over her shoulder. She was alive when she was found but died a short time later. It was horrific and the kids will probably need counselling. "It could have been a case of the driver not being able to see her because the vehicle is quite high as he caught her on the passenger side. It's not clear whether she gave him enough time to stop or whether the driver has failed to stop. It was snowing as well so that could have been a factor." Louise Jarvie is the head teacher of St. Anne's Primary School. "Our thoughts and condolences are with the family at this very sad time," she said in reference to the incident. "Support and counselling for pupils and staff will be available to anyone who needs it." |
BERLIN (Reuters) - A waxwork of Adolf Hitler will return to Berlin’s new Madame Tussauds as soon as experts have restored the head ripped off by a demonstrator on its opening day, the museum said on Monday. Just minutes after the museum opened its doors to the public on Saturday, a 41-year-old man scuffled with security guards and leapt over a rope barrier into the dark corner where the dummy of a despondent-looking Hitler was seated. Shouting “No more war!” he proceeded to tear off the head. The man, arrested but later released under investigation, told Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper he was angry about the exhibit; but in the end he carried out the attack to win a bet. The Hitler waxwork has unleashed a storm of protest in Germany where public displays of Nazi memorabilia or symbols are generally banned. Critics argue it is tasteless and inappropriate to display a replica of the man who unleashed world war and ordered the extermination of Europe’s Jews in a place mainly aimed at light-hearted entertainment. Some even warn it could attract neo-Nazis who want to pay homage to the Nazi dictator. But Madame Tussauds defended its decision to show Hitler on Monday and said it would reinstate the 200,000 euro (160,000 pounds) figure once it had been put back together, a process which could take weeks. “Hitler represents a significant part of the history of Berlin which cannot be denied,” the museum said in a statement. The museum said it respected other people’s opinions and had taken great care to portray the dictator in a sensitive manner. The figure was depicted at a table in a gloomy mock bunker just a few hundred metres from the site of the original bunker. “We are now considering structural changes to make sure something like this cannot happen again,” said a spokesman for the museum. Erecting a reinforced glass or plastic screen to protect Hitler might be one possibility. The decapitation attracted some praise. “At last a successful attack on Hitler,” said Henryk Broder, a columnist for Der Spiegel. ||||| Madame Tussaud's, a British company, defended its decision on Monday, July 7 to persist with the display against widespread criticism from Germans. "Hitler represents a decisive part of Berlin's history which we can't just pretend did not happen," the company said in a statement. A 41-year-old man broke the head off the figure after he had been egged on by drinking mates in a bar. German public broadcaster ARD said Tussaud's was likely to improve security at the amusement on Berlin's Unter den Linden boulevard. No call for speedy repairs But a leader of Germany's main Jewish group said Monday he saw no pressing need to repair the figure. "I would not be unhappy if the effigy did not come back," said Stephen Kramer, general secretary of the Central Council of Jews. Public figures have been careful not to directly acclaim the attack by Frank L., who faces a criminal damage charge. The self-confessed attacker has told German newspapers he once worked as a policeman in Berlin, but decided that work did not suit his punk-music-influenced lifestyle. He was unemployed for several years before being trained to care for old people in a home. He said friends in a bar had discussed wrecking the effigy and he had boasted he would do it, leaving him little choice. He said he spent hours plucking up courage to carry out the attack. Police have not confirmed if the barroom motive is true. Many Germans were upset that Hitler was included in a commercial amusement close to the Holocaust Memorial and other memory sites. The real Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his bunker close by in 1945. | Hitler's wax model is to return to the Madame Tussauds museum in Berlin, Germany after getting its head ripped off by a 41-year old man who was arrested but subsequently released. At the grand opening of the museum, the man, currently only known as Frank L., pushed aside two officers who were protecting the exhibit. Yelling "No more war!", he proceeded to rip off the wax sculpture's head. The man was arrested but later released pending investigation. He told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag he was angry about the exhibit. It has been reported that he had committed the act to win a bet started by his friends at a bar. The waxwork was criticized around Germany where, generally, Nazi memorabilia or symbols are banned. Critics have argued that it is inappropriate to display a person who started a world war, but the museum has noted that Hitler was an important figure in German history. The museum has announced its intentions to reinstate the €200,000 (£160,000) model after repairs, which could take weeks. |
Washington (CNN) -- Authorities have arrested two Georgetown University students and another person in connection with a suspected drug lab found inside a dormitory Saturday morning, the Metropolitan Police Department said. The three males, each at least 18, face charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, said Officer Hugh Carew, a spokesman for the police department. The third individual was a campus visitor. None was identified. Police said that shortly before 6 a.m., they received a call about a foul odor at Georgetown's Harbin Hall. Initially, police thought the lab was for producing meth but later said it was used to make Dimethyltryptamine, a hallucinogenic drug commonly known as DMT. DMT is classified as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it has no accepted medical use for treatment of any kind in the United States. Federal trafficking of Schedule 1 drugs carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, said Rusty Payne, a Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman. DMT is a hallucinogenic that can be produced synthetically, but it also comes from a variety of plants and seeds found in South America, Payne said. The substance can be sniffed, smoked or injected, giving the user a short high sometimes referred to as a "business man's trip" because it lasts about an hour. In addition to the charges of drug paraphernalia possession, the men arrested could also potentially face federal drug trafficking charges if anything more serious is uncovered by the DEA's investigation, Payne said. Harbin Hall was evacuated most of the day following the discovery of the suspected lab. Medical personnel evaluated seven people, including two security officers, at the scene, said fire department spokesman Pete Piringer No injuries were reported, and the DEA determined that the chemicals used in the suspected lab posed no health risk to students in the dorm. "The DEA has informed us that there was never a health risk to students in Harbin, including those on the same floor, beyond those who lived in the room," Todd Olson, vice president of student affairs, said in a statement to Georgetown students and faculty. "Hazardous materials experts have now removed all potential contaminants." Olson said: "The use, production and distribution of illegal drugs are issues we take very seriously and are violations of the student code of conduct. MPD [Metropolitan Police Department] has arrested three individuals, two of whom are Georgetown undergraduates. They remain in police custody." Both the DEA and university ask that anyone with information in connection with the incident contact the DEA Washington office, or Georgetown's Department of Public Safety at 202-687-4343. CNN's Alison Harding contributed to this report. ||||| Updated 12:46 p.m. Oct. 24. Latest photos of the drug lab incident can be found on The Hoya's Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/cxhyA0 A drug lab was reportedly found in Room 926 of Harbin Hall Saturday morning after officials were summoned to deal with hazardous material on the freshman residence's ninth floor shortly after 5 a.m. According to Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Hugh Carew and Officer Tisha Ganc, Room 926 residents John Romano ’14 and Charles Smith ’14, along with University of Richmond freshman John Perrone, a visitor on campus, were initially detained for questioning, leading to their arrest yesterday on the principal charge of manufacturing a controlled substance. “No drugs were found. Chemicals were found to create [an illegal hallucinogenic drug called Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)],” Carew said. The three suspects could each face up to 20 years in prison and fines of $1 million, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s federal trafficking penalties for a Schedule I drug like DMT. An endogenous hallucinogen that can be inhaled, smoked or ingested, DMT can replicate the sensation of a near-death experience or a dreaming state. When a Georgetown student intentionally manufactures a counterfeit or controlled substance, manufactures or possesses said substance with intent to distribute, or transfers, distributes or sells said substance, the student has committed a Category C violation, according to Georgetown’s Student Code of Content. Category C violations of the Drug and Alcohol policy can result in suspension or dismissal from the university. Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson stated in an email sent at 6:26 p.m. Saturday to all Harbin residents that the DEA confirmed DMT was being produced with intent to sell in a Harbin residence room. Olson assured students that the DEA informed him that no health risk was posed to students living in Harbin, including residents of the ninth floor; only those living in Room 926 could have been subject to health problems. He added that hazardous material experts have now removed all potential contaminants from the scene. According to university spokeswoman Julie Bataille, no similar incidents involving a drug lab have occurred since she took up her post at the university. “I’m not aware of any incident like this having taken place at Georgetown in recent years,” she said. Though Department of Public Safety officers thought originally that the lab was being used for production of methamphetamine, it was later found that the lab was used for a hallucinogenic drug commonly known as DMT. A caller to the Department of Public Safety reported strange odors from a ninth-floor room around 5 a.m. Saturday, Jordan Gray, a specialist in the Office of Communications, told The Hoya. Officers entered the room and discovered the undercover lab, which prompted a response for hazardous materials by D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services, an evacuation of the building and MPD’s arrival on the scene early this morning. According to D.C. Fire Department spokesman Pete Piringer, the chemical repercussions of the lab were limited to the room in question. “The room will have to be decontaminated before anyone can live there,” he said on Saturday, adding that there was little likelihood the substances spread elsewhere. Piringer added that the Drug Enforcement Administration had taken the lead on the situation. Earlier on Saturday morning, DPS said safety conditions in the building were being handled. “There was a corner for hazardous materials in Harbin, but the building is determined to be safe,” Associate Director of the Department of Public Safety Joseph Smith said at 8:15 a.m. As an emergency response measure, DPS officers and RAs reportedly evacuated students from the building. “DPS began an immediate building evacuation as a precautionary measure,” Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson said in the first university broadcast email that was originally sent to Harbin residents Saturday morning. All Harbin residents were evacuated at about 6 a.m. Patrick Killilee, executive director of Student Housing, emailed Harbin residents at 9:19 a.m. to let them know they were allowed back into the building, only to send another message at 9:32 a.m. announcing the area was off limits to students and would be evacuated. Molly Mitchell (COL ’14), who lives on the fifth floor of Harbin, said a fire alarm sounded at around 10:45 a.m., spurring another evacuation. Harbin Patio and some of the surrounding area were cordoned off by caution tape for much of Saturday. “We were told it might be anywhere from a few minutes to we might have to stay somewhere else tonight,” she said Hall Director Winston Tracy told students. As of 8:50 p.m., all Harbin residents were allowed back into their rooms, which remained as they left them early Saturday morning, according to Harbin residents. “They wouldn't let 400 students back in the building if it wasn't safe,” said fifth-floor resident Jessica Kocan (COL ’14) of officials’ protocol for re-entry. D.C. Fire and EMS said seven people were evaluated for treatment and no one was transported for medical care. Three students, three security guards and one Metropolitan Police officer were exposed, Washington News Now Channel 9 reported on Saturday morning. Smith went on to say that police are conducting an ongoing investigation. In his first email at Saturday to Harbin residents and the greater student body, Olson said, “The use, production and distribution of illegal drugs are issues we take very seriously and are violations of the student code of conduct. MPD has arrested three individuals, two of whom are Georgetown undergraduates. They remain in police custody.” Harbin’s ninth floor has been the center of several disciplinary issues this year, according to Harbin residents. “This is ridiculous, even for us,” said Eric Synowicki (COL ’14), who lives on Harbin 9. Residents of Harbin were awoken in the early morning hours on Saturday by resident assistants and DPS officers. Linnea Pittman (COL ’14) thought her friends were knocking on her door way too early this morning, but instead it was something more serious. “It was an RA saying, ‘Get outside and go to the football field,” she said. Olson suggested a number of measures Harbin residents could take to feel at ease while they were barred from re-entering their dorm throughout the day. “We recognize that this is causing inconveniences and have made arrangements for you to access Lauinger Library and Leo’s without your GOCard if needed. You also may want to be in touch with your parents to inform them that you are safe,” Olson said. Olson assured students’ parents of the university’s handling of the incident in an email sent on Saturday. “The safety of your students has been and continues to be our top priority. The university’s emergency response team, and many others on campus, have been working to keep our community safe and secure,” he said. Students said they were surprised by the situation. “It’s completely shocking. I would have never have thought that something like this would happen at Georgetown,” Andrew Strunk (COL ’13) said. But for many Harbin residents left outside their dorm, school considerations during a stressful midterm season were at the top of the agenda. “I didn’t get to get my homework and I have a midterm on Monday,” said Erica Lin (COL ’14) of the sixth floor. | left According to the Washington, D.C. Metro Police Department, three students have been arrested for drug paraphernalia possession at after a suspected drug lab was found in a school dormitory. Students were evacuated from the building around 6:00 am (1000 UTC), and were let back in at approximately 9:00 am local time (1300 UTC). Police officials said that, around 6:00 am local time, they received a call about a strange smell inside the Harbin Hall dormitory. According to police spokesperson Hugh Carew, D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded and found chemicals used to make drugs, but no actual drugs. At first, law enforcement authorities thought they had discovered a lab, but they later found that the drug being produced was the hallucinogen , or DMT. According to Pete Piringer, a fire department official, seven people were exposed to the chemicals and treated on scene; however, none of them were injured. The (DEA) has said that the chemicals used to make the drugs were not a health risk to other students. == Sources == * * |
The price of oil hit a record high above $135 a barrel on Thursday - more than twice what it cost a year ago. The latest surge was driven by data showing that US supplies of crude had fallen - but the price later fell back sharply as traders took profits. In the US, the benchmark light, sweet crude contract hit $135.09, taking its gain for the year to more than 40%. In May 2007 it was priced at about $65. Higher oil prices push up the price of fuel, energy bills and food. The path of UK petrol and diesel prices The average price of a litre of unleaded petrol in the UK is now about 114 pence, and diesel has risen to an average of about 126.4 pence per litre. And the motoring organisation, the AA, said that another $5 leap in the oil price could add a further 2.5p to the price at the pump. "The threat of even higher prices in the pipeline will perch like a vulture above UK forecourts waiting to pick an even bigger hole in the pocket of drivers and consumers," AA president Edmund King said. 'Challenging' The impact of rocketing oil prices continues to feed through into the wider economy. UK'S CHEAPEST & MOST EXPENSIVE FUEL Cheapest unleaded: 107.9p (Gateshead) Most expensive unleaded: 125p (Northampton) Cheapest diesel: 117.9p (Mansfield) Most expensive diesel: 138p (Hexham) Source: PetrolPrices.com The British Chamber of Commerce warned that companies were being pushed to the "absolute edge", and called on Chancellor Alistair Darling to abandon plans to increase petrol duty by 2p in October Meanwhile American Airlines has become the first US carrier to charge for checked-in luggage as it tries to increase revenue being eroded by its fuel bills. It will also cut "thousands" of jobs. Air France-KLM said on Thursday that the cost of oil would make the coming year "challenging". And earlier this month, British Gas owner Centrica signalled that bills could rise again, as its profits are squeezed by higher gas and power prices. Investment needed In a more global economy, there's going to be tougher competition for oil supplies Stephanie Flanders BBC Economics Editor Read Stephanie's analysis UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown is working with international partners to persuade the Opec oil producers' cartel to increase supply. His spokeswoman said that Mr Brown recognised the increases were having an effect on UK consumers and he would be raising this at the forthcoming EU and G8 summits. But one analyst said Mr Brown's efforts were likely to prove in vain and political pressure should, instead, be exerted on leading producers to invest more in long-term capacity. "All this excess profit that has been generated by the oil industry really needs to be invested in refineries, pipelines and oil wells," Francisco Blanch, head of global commodities research at Merrill Lynch, told the BBC. HAVE YOUR SAY This has hit me hard financially as I have to use my car for work Kevin, Gloucester "This is what the market is asking for at the moment and we just need to ensure... we have the political goodwill also supporting this investment." Opec has so far blamed price rises on speculators and says there is no shortage of oil. All but three of Opec's members are already at their maximum daily limits for oil output and pressure has grown on Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, which do have spare capacity. Further rises? Some analysts have raised the possibility of prices rising as high as $200 a barrel during the next 18 months. In addition to falling US stockpiles, the continuing weakness of the US dollar has been another factor cited as supporting prices. The US Energy Information Administration blamed the fall in its stocks figure on a fall in imports and a pick-up in demand from refineries. Oil prices have set new records in 10 of the last 14 trading sessions. Global impact of oil price rises "You really cannot forecast how much further the market will rally now," said Tatsuo Kageyama from Kanetsu Asset Management in Tokyo. "All I can say is the market will continue to rise." Light, sweet crude oil is the type most commonly used for processing into petrol and as a result, it is in high demand. It has large amounts of the content used to make petrol, top-grade diesel and kerosene. It also has low levels of sulphur. Its price pulled back sharply as dealers took profits from the surge, settling down $2.36 at $130.81 a barrel London's Brent crude fell $2.30 to $130.40, having set an intra-day high on Thursday, peaking at $135.14 a barrel. Return to top E-mail this to a friend Printable version Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? ||||| This Week In Petroleum Text Released on January 30, 2002 (Next Release on February 6, 2002) Crude Oil Inputs Fall Substantially Last Week After averaging 14.8 million barrels per day from December through the first half of January, U.S. crude oil refinery inputs had fallen to 14.6 million barrels per day for the week ending January 18. Last week (the week ending January 25) crude oil inputs fell an additional 0.5 million barrels per day, averaging 14.1 million barrels per day (see U.S. Crude Oil Refinery Inputs table and chart on the crude oil page). With relatively high product inventories and low refinery margins, EIA had been expecting a decline in crude oil inputs, maybe even averaging somewhere between 14.0 and 14.5 million barrels per day in upcoming weeks. If so, a prolonged decline in crude oil inputs would reduce refinery production of major petroleum products, such as gasoline, heating oil, and diesel fuel. Last week's data showed declines in refinery production for all three of these major refined products, but the largest decline was seen for jet fuel, which was at the lowest level since the week ending November 23. If refinery production remains relatively low as a result of lower crude oil throughput at refineries, combined with strong demand for these products (more on this below), then a drawdown in product inventories over the next several weeks could be expected. Crude Oil Imports Decline; Gasoline Imports Remain High As we had expected, crude oil imports (excluding imports into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) fell substantially (600,000 barrels per day) last week, averaging 8.5 million barrels per day (see U.S. Crude Oil Imports table and chart on the crude oil page). With Iraqi crude oil imports down since early December 2001, and OPEC, along with some major non-OPEC producing countries, agreeing to reduce crude oil production over the first half of the year, it remains unlikely that crude oil imports in the near-term will continue to average above 9 million barrels per day for any significant period. However, gasoline imports remained relatively high last week, averaging 736,000 barrels per day, bringing the average over the last 13 weeks (since the week ending November 2) to 714,000 barrels per day. With the number of cold weather days this winter dwindling, distillate fuel inventories are not likely to be drawn down to low levels this season. Therefore, some companies may be focusing on securing gasoline supplies, via imports at today’s relatively low prices, in order to have readily available gasoline supplies should prices rise over the next few months. U.S. Oil Demand Continues To Show Underlying Strength? How can we even argue that U.S. oil demand is showing strength when over the last 4 weeks demand has averaged 900,000 barrels per day lower than over the same period a year ago? The answer lies in last year's demand, which was extraordinarily high. Looking back 2 years to January 2000, we see that oil demand averaged 19.0 million barrels per day, or slightly less than has been averaged over the last 4 weeks ending January 25, 2002. This occurred despite an ongoing recession and a reduction in jet fuel demand as a result of reduced air traffic following the September 11 attacks. As we have mentioned before, comparisons to year-ago demand levels are misleading, as cold weather and high natural gas prices encouraged unusually high demand for distillate fuel and residual fuel. Even with motor gasoline demand over the last 4 weeks down considerably from that seen in December 2001, the 4-week average of 8.2 million barrels per day is 0.8 percent above the amount in the same period a year ago. If gasoline demand grows at a rate of about 1 percent or more, jet fuel demand gradually increases as more flights get added, and distillate fuel demand averages between 3.8 and 4.0 million barrels per day over the next several weeks (assuming the warm trend seen recently along the East Coast doesn't continue), then any decline in refinery production as described above could result in a drawdown in total product inventory levels. This could, in turn, put some upward pressure on retail product prices later this winter or, more likely, this spring. Crude Oil Stocks Increased Last Week, But Total Product Stocks Declined For the second week in a row, despite an increase in commercial crude oil inventories (2.1 million barrels), total product inventories declined (0.8 million barrels). The decline in product inventories was led by a 3.3 million barrel decline in "other oils", much of which can be attributed to a propane draw. Smaller declines were also seen in residual fuel oil (0.9 million barrels) and distillate fuel (0.2 million barrels). These declines more than made up for a large increase in gasoline inventories (2.6 million barrels) and a smaller increase in unfinished oils (0.7 million barrels). If both crude oil inputs and imports over the first quarter of 2002 remain lower than seen in the last quarter of 2001, it is possible that crude oil stocks will not increase significantly over this period while product inventories decline. Most Retail Petroleum Product Prices Fell Slightly Last Week The national average retail regular gasoline price dropped to 110.1 cents per gallon on January 28, 2002, down 0.4 cent per gallon from last week and 35.9 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. Following 3 weeks of declining prices, the national average retail diesel fuel price rose last week by 0.4 cent per gallon, reaching 114.4 cents per gallon on January 28, 2002, which is 39.5 cents per gallon less than it was a year ago. Residential heating oil prices were flat over the past week, as the average on January 28, 2002, remained unchanged at 116.2 cents per gallon, but was 36.3 cents lower than the same period last year. The residential average propane price was unchanged at 113.4 cents per gallon last week, but was 52.9 cents per gallon below the same year ago price. ||||| A motorist fuels up as gas prices hover well above the $4-a-gallon mark in Half Moon Bay, Calif., Thursday, May 8, 2008.(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Survey says executives see oil prices falling HOUSTON (AP) — Even as oil prices ascended to new highs of more than $124 a barrel this week, many oil and gas industry executives say they expect the price to fall significantly by year's end, a new survey shows. Fifty-five percent of 372 petroleum industry executives surveyed by KPMG LLP said they think the price of a barrel of crude will drop below $100 by the end of the year. Twenty-one percent of respondents predicted a barrel of oil will end the year between $101 and $110, while 15 percent forecast the year-end price to be between $111 and $120 a barrel. Nine percent said they expect the price to close the year where it's been this week — above $120 a barrel. What's more, 44 percent of the executives said their companies plan to increase capital spending on exploration and production by 10 percent during the next year. The survey was conducted last month and scheduled for release Friday. Participants included executives for major oil companies, independent exploration and production outfits and other energy companies. "The expectation of increased investment by U.S. energy companies shows oil and gas executives are deeply concerned about energy security," said Bill Kimble, who oversees the global energy institute at KPMG, the audit, tax and advisory firm. Of late, all eyes have been on crude prices, which have nearly doubled in the past year. The dollar's decline against the euro and other foreign currencies has helped spur the rise, attracting investors looking for a hedge against inflation. Rising demand for oil from the rapidly developing economies of China and India has played a role too, as have concerns about tighter supplies. Indeed, 63 percent of survey participants said growing demand in emerging markets was the main factor in the historic rise in oil prices. Widely watched oil price prognosticator Goldman Sachs said this week oil prices could rise to $150 to $200 within two years; others say crude could plummet to as low as $40 or $50 a barrel during the same period. "To be sure, the future does not unfold neatly in line with any projection, and the time frame of the actual price surge has been remarkably short," Cambridge Energy Research Associates Inc. said in a report this week. Asked what would most enhance U.S. energy security, participants overwhelmingly said opening up more acreage for domestic drilling was the best option. In particular, 43 percent said the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should be opened for drilling. Another 28 percent said more investment in renewable energy sources such as biodiesel would enhance U.S. energy security the most. However, even though many of the executives support further investment in renewable energy sources, the majority still don't view renewables as a serious near-term solution to the energy supply equation. In last year's survey, 60 percent of 553 petroleum industry executives said large-scale production of renewable fuels was not a near-term possibility, at least not in the next couple of years. In the most-recent survey, 54 percent gave the same response, though 2015 was the target date. | Lubbock, Texas. At US$135 a barrel, the price of oil today reached a new high. BBC News has reported that this recent increase is due to figures showing a large decrease in the US petroleum supply. However, as of 20:00 UTC prices have fallen nearly two percent since yesterday and are back below $131. Over half of oil executives believe that the price will fall to US$100 a barrel toward the end of the year according to an Associated Press report. The U.S. average retail price for regular gasoline also recently increased to a new all-time high, with the price going up 6.9 cents to 379.1 cents per gallon. This was the eighth consecutive week for the US average price to increase. Air France-KLM recently said that they would be challenged by the rising oil price. American Airlines has announced thousands of job cuts. In addition, the U.S. has seen the cost of food rise significantly, an issue which food manufacturers and retail stores blame on the high price of fuel required for transportation. For example, CNN.com reports a 16.7% increase in the cost of hamburger buns, a staple item for many U.S. families. |
Nov 22, 2006 11:37 pm US/Eastern (CBS4) DANVERS Jim Glavin planned a quiet early morning, with a few hours of reclining on his couch and watching TV. His plans were abruptly interrupted. A chemical plant across the street erupted with a spectacular pair of explosions -- throwing Glavin off his couch and sending a blast felt all the way in New Hampshire. Glavin, 70, found his feet, then found his kitchen floor littered with shattered windows and the contents of his cabinets. His back door was blown off the hinges and resting on the opposite stairs. Floor supports in his cellar were knocked over, and the house twisted on its foundation. Outside, a ball of flame rose high above the neighborhood. Glavin called out to his son and daughter, and they joined their neighbors in a quick exodus. "I thought for sure a plane exploded," Glavin said. "I'd swear I was in Lebanon or something. I've never been so scared in my life." The explosions occurred about 2:50 a.m. Wednesday at CAI Inc., a manufacturer of solvents and inks. They sparked a 10-alarm fire that attracted a response from 30 cities and towns surrounding this town about 20 miles northeast of Boston. Amazingly, no one was seriously hurt. The chemical plant, which was empty at the time, was leveled, and officials said it could take weeks to reconstruct the accident and determine the cause. The roof on a building holding a pizza shop and bakery was torn open and caved in. Fire Chief James Tutko said the nearly 90 homes in the neighborhood all suffered some damage, and up to 25 may need to be rebuilt. "It looks like a war zone, that's the only thing I can say," he said. Gov. Mitt Romney, who toured the site, said the devastation was shocking. "The miracle is you have the equivalent of a 2,000-pound bomb going off in a residential neighborhood at night when everybody is home, and no one's dead and no one is seriously injured," the governor said. Residents in the most severely affected areas would not be allowed back into their homes until at least Friday, Tutko said at a press conference Wednesday night. Staff from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross were scheduled to staff an assessment center Friday and Saturday to help displaced residents. U.S. Rep. John Tierney, D-Salem, said the fact so many people were prone -- asleep in bed -- may have prevented more injuries. "You can see where the blast went in one window and blew out through windows on the opposite side of the house," he said. Several small structural fires still burned several hours after the explosion. Firefighters attacked them with foam to avoid creating dangerous runoff into nearby waterways. "All of us at CAI are shocked and devastated by this accident," CAI treasurer Paul Sartorelli said in a press release. "Our foremost concern is for the safety and well-being of our neighbors and employees." Company officials did not know what caused the accident as of Wednesday night, he added. Sartorelli said the company had an "impeccable" safety record and underwent major safety upgrades in 2001. George Merritt, who lives a block away on Riverside Drive, said he got up at 2:45 a.m. to ride an exercise bike that helps him cope with diabetes. He had just put on his head phones and started pedaling when his house rocked from a pair of blasts in rapid succession. He ran back upstairs and found his wife sitting up in bed, crying. The two quickly ran to their car and drove away. State Police Maj. Kevin Kelly, who responded to the scene, said he felt the explosion at his home 21 miles away. Both Tutko and State Fire Marshal Steve Coan said that while CAI makes solvents and inks, the company had a commendable safety record. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board planned to assess the site Friday to determine if a full investigation was needed. The company was inspected once, in 1990, as part of a planned visit by federal officials and no violations were found, according to Ted Fitzgerald, a spokesman for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The lack of inspections indicates a lack of complaints to OSHA, he said. "A lot of people never knew it was there, that's how benign they were," said one neighbor, Jack Fratus. The Danversport neighborhood along the river is among the oldest in the town, dating to the 1700s. Officials said it has always had a mixture of business and homes because it was developed before there was zoning. The first concern was the risk of toxic fumes escaping into the air, but officials said air samples were normal. Mike Nalipinski, on-scene coordinator for the Environmental Protection Agency, said preliminary tests showed low levels of toluene, a solvent, but nothing of significance. Runoff from water used by fire fighters left a purple sheen on the nearby river, and water tests were conducted, but Nalipinski said it would not affect the drinking water and the chemicals would likely disintegrate because they were organic. Deputy Harbor Master Ron Skinner said there was damage to 10 to 20 boats that had been pulled from the water for the season at a Waters River marina. Town officials canceled school for the day, the last day of classes scheduled before the Thanksgiving holiday. The Red Cross established a relief center at Danvers High School, which immediately filled with 100 elderly and disabled residents of the New England Home for the Deaf. Some were picked up by family members, while others were taken to a facility at the Beverly Hospital. The Red Cross was scheduled to leave the shelter Wednesday night. "These people are extremely fragile," said state Rep. Ted Speliotis, D-Danvers. "Many of them have Alzheimer's and other illnesses. It's clear they can't stay here long, but it's clear they won't be able to return for quite a while." Volunteers and nurses attended to them -- many still in their johnnies or pajamas -- as they sat in a gymnasium and huddled under blankets. Other area residents rushed to the scene, one offering blankets and insulin, others bringing over food that had been prepared for a Thanksgiving party at a nearby elementary school. "These are kids from our school district, people in our neighborhood," said Martha Barrett and she and Judith Truax dropped off fruit salad, rolls and corn bread. "It's a miracle no one was killed. It truly was." Several relief funds have been established for those affected by the explosion. Donations by cash, check or money order may be made at any of the 73 Eastern Bank branches. Checks and money orders should be made payable to the “Eastern Bank Emergency Relief Fund.” The money will be turned over to the American Red Cross, which is overseeing relief efforts in Danvers by distributing supplies to those in need. Or you can send donations to: Danversport Victim Fund Danvers Bank 1 Conant St. Danvers, MA 01923 ||||| E-mail: Password: Remember me on this computer Forget your password? and Services: You're already registered! Use your e-mail address and existing password. Members ofandServices:Use your e-mail address and existing password. Register for free access to Boston.com You now have to register to gain complete, uninterrupted access to Boston.com and our features, such as: Up-to-the-minute breaking news Sports news and features Boston Globe daily and Sunday editions Original interactive features Restaurant and movie reviews E-mail alerts and newsletters Message boards and chats It's free, takes only a minute, and you have to do it just once Privacy Policy | Member Agreement | FAQ You now have to register to gain complete, uninterrupted access to Boston.com and our features, such as: | CAI is a Massachusetts-based ink manufacturer and deliverer. According to outgoing Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, an explosion that was "equivalent to a 2,000 lb. bomb" and registered 0.5 on the Richter scale decimated an area of Danvers and is also a "Thanksgiving miracle." The explosion occurred around 2:45 am EST, this morning in the Danversport area of Danvers, Massachusetts at the plant for solvent and ink manufacturer, CAI Inc. The explosion, which was caught on security camera and was heard up to over 25-50 miles away in southern Maine and New Hampshire. The explosion damaged over 90 homes, blowing out windows and knocking some houses off their foundations. Officials believe that some of the more extensively damaged houses will have to be leveled and rebuilt. Some of the buildings damaged included a bakery, boats at a close by marina and the New England Home for the Deaf, an assisted-living facility for people who are deaf or deafblind and elderly residents requiring constant care. "These people are extremely fragile," said state Rep. Ted Speliotis, D-Danvers, whose district includes the affected area. "Many of them have Alzheimer's and other illnesses. It's clear they can't stay here long, but it's clear they won't be able to return for quite a while." Danvers Fire Chief James P. Tutko toured the area by helicopter and said many residents would be kept from their homes for the foreseeable future. "It looks like a war zone, that's the only thing I can say," Tutko said. When asked about the loss of no life at all, he responded "Somebody out there likes us." Finally, he said that finding out the cause of the explosion would take days. Outgoing governor Mitt Romney toured the area and said the explosion was a "Thanksgiving miracle" as the explosion was "equivalent to a 2,000 lb bomb going off in a residential neighborhood," and that no one was killed and only about 10 people suffered only minor injuries in area that included over 300 residents. Residents of the area have been evacuated to the Danvers High School where temporary shelter has been set up by the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay. Donations are being taken for residents affected by the explosion. Residents are also being told to start filing insurance claims right away and to keep track of their expenses for items bought. There were minor environmental concerns due to water runoff of chemicals. According the Environmental Protection Agency's on-scene coordinator Mike Nalipinski, preliminary tests showed low levels of toluene, a solvent, but said it was nothing of significance. Water runoff from the water used by firefighters left a purple sheen on the river and tests were being conducted. However, the water is not a local drinking water supply and the chemical evaporates quickly. Chief Tutko said there was no risk of toxic fumes getting into the air. An Eastern Propane facility was also located near the area, however, it was not the source of the explosion. A spokesman for the company said that although the property suffered some minor damage, their tanks are secure. According to WHDH television, a person who answered the telephone at CAI's Georgetown, Massachusetts headquarters refused comment, and a telephone message left at the company president's home was not immediately returned. |
Dungeon dad Fritzl trial date set Josef Fritzl The trial date for dungeon dad, Josef Fritzl, who imprisoned his daughter for 24 years is set for March 16, a court in Austria said. Fritzl, 73 has been accused of keeping his daughter as a sex slave for 24 years and has been charged with murder, enslavement, rape, incest and false imprisonment, the BBC reported. He has confessed to imprisoning and raping his daughter Elisabeth, and fathering her seven children. He does however deny murdering one of the children. The child, one of twins, died just after birth and he burned the body. It is estimated that the trial will take about a week, court spokesman Franz Cutka told AFP. A psychiatrist's report last October said he was mentally fit to stand trial. He is currently in a pre-trial detention in St Poelten, 80km (50 miles) west of the Austrian capital, Vienna. The horrendous story of the incest family turned everyone's attention to the gross negligence by the local authorities in failing to show any curiosity about Elisabeth's disappearance back in 1984. That was when Fritzl locked his daughter in the cellar and claimed that she had run off to join a sect. SM/HAR E-mail this Story | Print this Story Count of views : 292 Share: Del.icio.us Digg Facebook Newsvine Reddit Technorati Translate this page by Google to French - to German - to Spanish - to Italian Comments Note: The views that are expressed and the links that are provided by contributors on our comment pages are the views of the general public and/or organizations and are not necessarily the views of Press TV or its associates. The views that are expressed and the links that are provided by contributors on our comment pages are the views of the general public and/or organizations and are not necessarily the views of Press TV or its associates. Bruce Lee Fri, 23 Jan 2009 04:40:15 GMT Royal families of Europe engage in incest like that too... they are all related. One hopes they keep their heads about them in the face of Bruce Lee's ACC_U_RAT_E observation - Royal Rats of NIMH - better discuss NIM ASAP. HeadlineDeadlineFeb14StValentinesDayMBerlin2003ShoesULose. Name Email Address Enter the code shown Comments I agree with your terms of use ||||| (CNN) -- Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man accused of keeping his daughter in a cellar for decades and fathering her seven children, will go on trial March 16 on six charges including murder and incest. Josef Fritzl admitted fathering seven children by his daughter during her 24-year captivity. The Austrian Press Agency reported Thursday the trial was expected to last about five days and be held behind closed doors. Further details about the case would be announced Friday, it said. Fritzl, 73, was charged in November with incest and the repeated rape of his daughter, Elisabeth, for 24 years. But he was also charged with the murder of one of the children he fathered with her, an infant who died soon after birth. State Prosecutor Gerhard Sedlacek said Michael Fritzl died from lack of medical care. In all, Fritzl faces six charges at trial: murder, involvement in slave trade (slavery), rape, incest, assault, and deprivation of liberty, Sedlacek's office said. If convicted, he could face life in prison. The case first came to light in April 2008 when Elisabeth's then-19-year-old daughter, Kerstin, became seriously ill with convulsions. Elisabeth persuaded her father to allow Kerstin to be taken to a hospital for treatment. Hospital staff became suspicious of the case and alerted police, who discovered the family members in the cellar. Fritzl confessed to police that he raped his daughter, kept her and their children in captivity, and burned the body of the dead infant in an oven in the house. Elisabeth told police the infant was one of twins who died a few days after birth. When Elisabeth gained her freedom, she told police her father began sexually abusing her at age 11. On August 8, 1984, her father enticed her into the basement, where he drugged her, put her in handcuffs and locked her in a room, she told police. Fritzl explained Elisabeth's disappearance in 1984 by saying the 18-year-old girl had run away from home. He backed up the story with letters he forced Elisabeth to write. Elisabeth Fritzl and all but three of her children lived in the specially designed cellar beneath her father's home in Amstetten, Austria, west of Vienna. The other three children lived upstairs with Fritzl and his wife; Fritzl had left them on his own doorstep, pretending his "missing" daughter Elisabeth had dropped them off. Under Austrian law, if Fritzl is convicted on several offenses, he will be given the sentence linked to the worst crime. In addition to murder, he will face the following charges: Murder: The infant who died in 1996 died from a lack of medical care, the state prosecutor said. The charges he faces are: Involvement in slave trade: From 1984 until 2008, Fritzl held his daughter, Elisabeth, captive in a dungeon, abused her sexually and treated her as if she were his personal property -- in a situation similar to slavery. If convicted, the sentence could range from 10 to 20 years in prison. Rape: Between August 30, 1984, and June 30, 1989, Fritzl "regularly sexually abused Elisabeth," according to the prosecutor. The sentence could be from five to 15 years in prison. Incest: Parallel to the rape charge. It carries a sentence of up to one year. Withdrawal of liberty: Three of the children Fritzl had with Elisabeth were illegally held captive in a dungeon with no daylight and fresh air. That charge carries a sentence of one to 10 years. Assault: Between August 28, 1984, and April 26, 2006, Fritzl repeatedly threatened Elisabeth and their three children with gas and booby traps as warnings in case they tried to escape. The sentence would range from six months to five years. All About Josef Fritzl • Austria • Sexual Offenses • Parenting | The trial been scheduled for an Austrian man who admitted to keeping his daughter prisoner in a dungeon for 24 years and fathering 7 of her children. A court in Austria released a statement saying the trial is set to begin on March 16 and last one week. Josef Fritzl, 73, allegedly began imprisoning and raping his daughter Elisabeth, now 42, on August 8, 1984. He lured her to the basement where she was locked in a room, handcuffed and drugged. He is charged with incest, false imprisonment, murder, rape and the enslavement. The murder charge stems from allegations that Fritzl murdered a twin of one of the children. He then disposed of the body by placing the corpse into a turned on oven, burning the body. Police say the child had died shortly after being born. Fritzl has pled guilty to all of the charges except murder. Map highlighting location of Amstetten. Police became suspicious when a 19-year-old daughter, Kerstin, was taken to hospital with a mysterious life-threatening illness, and the family's medical records were checked. Police say that Elisabeth F. appeared to be "greatly disturbed" psychologically, and only agreed to talk after the authorities assured her that she would not have to have contact with her father, and that her children would be cared for. When authorities arrived at his home, Fritzl told police what he had done. Of the surviving six children, there are three boys and three girls, between 5 and 20 years old. Fritzl was arrested on April 27, 2008, in his home in Amstetten and if convicted, he would spend the rest of his life behind bars. He is currently in a prison located in the Lower Austrian city of Sankt Pölten where he is awaiting trial. |
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Two bombs in the Pakistani city of Karachi have killed at least 25 people and injured more than 50. In the first blast, a motorbike laden with explosives hit a bus carrying Shia Muslims to a religious procession and exploded, killing 12 people. An hour later, another bomb exploded outside the entrance to the emergency ward of the hospital where the victims of the first attack were being treated. At least 13 people were killed in the second attack. The bombings happened in spite of tight security across Pakistan. ANALYSIS Syed Shoaib Hasan, BBC News This is the first time such a double attack has hit Karachi. Although no-one has yet accepted responsibility, the Taliban have often used such tactics in the North West Frontier Province. The attack is likely to fuel more violence in what is already a volatile metropolis. Karachi is already reeling from weeks of unrest due to targeted political killings. These started after political tensions boiled over following a similar attack on a Shia procession in December, which killed more than 40 people. Forty days ago, during the last major Shia festival, a suicide bomber killed 25 worshippers in the city. Shia Muslims are marking the end of the Arbaeen religious festival, with Friday being the final and most important day of 40 days of mourning for the Prophet Muhammad's grandson. Also on Friday, at least 40 Shia Muslims were killed in the Iraqi city of Karbala as they took part in a major Arbaeen event. Approximately a million Shia Muslim pilgrims are in Karbala to visit the Imam Hussein shrine at the end of commemorations. Sectarian tension Karachi police now think both bombs were remotely detonated. The first blast took place on a commercial street near the main Sharah-e-Faisal road connecting Karachi airport with the city. The bus that was attacked was one of dozens used to transport Shia pilgrims from all over the city to a central procession. In pictures: Shia festival attacks Who are the Shia? The attack injured about 50 people, who were taken to Jinnah hospital. About an hour later there was a large blast just outside the emergency ward of the hospital. The BBC's Jaffer Rizvi, who was at the scene at the time, said there was a huge panic inside the hospital. Hundreds of people mourning those killed in the first attack had gathered there and were shouting slogans condemning both militants and the government. Police officer Ghulam Nabi also told Reuters news agency another bomb had been defused after being discovered inside a TV set on the hospital premises. The Shia community in Karachi has declared that Saturday will be a day of mourning. Sectarian tension between the Shia minority and the Sunni majority rose after the December attack, and riots erupted. Tension remains high, and paramilitary troops were deployed in the city days ago amid deadly clashes between rival political groups. The Shia-Sunni schism originates from a dispute soon after the death of the Prophet Muhammad over who should lead the Muslims. Sunnis remain the majority globally, with Shias estimated to number about 10% of all Muslims. Are you in Karachi? Did you witness the attack? Send us your experiences using the form below. Name Your E-mail address Town & Country Phone number (optional): Comments The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| Associated Press Two bombs targeting Shia Muslims exploded in Pakistan's largest city today, one outside a hospital treating victims from the first blast hours earlier. At least 22 people were killed and more than 50 others wounded. Police appealed for calm following the strikes in the chaotic city of 16 million people. Karachi has a history of religious violence between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, and has been tense in recent weeks due to deadly clashes between rival political parties. In late December, a bomb in the southern port city killed 44 Shiites attending a procession to mark Ashura, the anniversary of the death of revered Shiite figure Imam Hussein, sparking deadly riots. Friday's blasts coincided with Arbaeen, the final day of the annual 40-day mourning period for Hussein. One of Pakistan's many al-Qa'ida linked Sunni extremist groups will be suspected in the twin attacks. The first blast targeted a bus carrying worshippers, most of them women and children, killing 12 and wounding 49, officials said. The bomb was attached to a motorcycle and detonated as the bus drove to an Arbaeen procession, witnesses said. One witness said it may have been a suicide bombing, but that could not be confirmed. The second bomb exploded outside the entrance to the emergency ward at Jinnah Hospital, which was packed with victims and relatives of those killed and wounded in the earlier attack. It was either hidden on a motorbike or in or close to an ambulance, a witness and a government official said. Government spokesman Jamil Soomro said 10 people were killed and several others were wounded. Shiites were also attacked in Iraq on Friday as they attended Arbaeen commemorations. A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb alongside a crowd of Shiite pilgrims walking to a holy city south of Baghdad, killing at least 27 people and wounding 70. It was the third deadly bombing this week against Shiites converging on the holy city of Karbala, where Imam Hussein was killed in battle in 632. In Karachi, Ashfaq Ali survived the bus attack, but lost two sons. He sat on the floor near a pool of blood. "I will keep sitting here because it is my sons' blood," he said, half-wailing. "I want the terrorists to kill me as well." Pakistan's Sunnis and minority Shiites generally live in peace, but extremists from the two sects have targeted one another's leaders and worshippers. Al-Qaida and the Taliban are Sunni extremist groups and also despise Shiites, believing them to be infidels. The Pakistani Taliban, whose stronghold is in the northwestern mountains far from Karachi, have staged a string of bombings in recent months against government, security forces and Western targets, but not Shiite ones. The bombings, which have killed hundreds of people, follow a major Pakistan army offensive against the militants near the Afghan border. | Two bombings in Karachi, Pakistan have killed at least twenty-two people and injured over fifty. Karachi, Pakistan In spite of tight security across Pakistan, a motorbike carrying explosives was able to hit a bus carrying people to a religious procession, killing twelve. A second bomb killed at least thirteen when it exploded an hour later outside the local Jinnah hospital emergency ward where the victims, mainly Shia Muslims, of the first attack were being treated. The bus attack took place on a shopping street near the main road that connects the airport with the city, but it is not clear whether it was a suicide bomber ramming the vehicle, or whether the motorbike was parked along side the bus before detonation. The second bombing by the hospital, which struck within a crowd of protesters that had gathered to mourn the people killed in the first attack, was likely a suicide bombing, according to local police. Ghylam Nabi, a local police officer, told Reuters that a third bomb had been found inside a television set in the hospital premises. It was defused successfully. 40 Shia Muslims were also killed in a car bomb attack today in Karbala, Iraq, as they took part in the final day of the religious festival known as Arbaeen, the 40 day mourning for the grandson of the Prophet Muhammed. This was the third bombing in Karbala this week. |
Reporting from Moscow - A suicide bomber targeted a traffic police headquarters in the restive Russian republic of Dagestan on Wednesday, killing five officers and injuring 19 more.As a small, Russian-made SUV careened toward the building about 8 a.m., a team of police rammed their vehicle into the bomber's. The explosives went off on impact, killing all the police officers in the truck but preventing the bomber from reaching his target.The death toll would have been much higher had the officers not intervened, officials in Dagestan said. The men were being hailed as heroes."He was stopped by a special operations group at the last minute," an unnamed spokesman told Interfax news agency."The measures taken by these policemen stopped the terrorist from reaching the site where other police officers prepared for duty."The bomber struck just as 50 traffic police officers were lining up at the headquarters for a procession. In choice of target and timing, the attack bore a marked resemblance to last summer's bombing of a police headquarters in nearby Ingushetia, another Russian republic in the North Caucasus racked by insurgent violence. That attack killed at least 24 people."They managed to prevent a terrorist attack with a higher death toll at the cost of their own lives," the spokesman said.Dagestan, a mountainous republic tucked on the western edge of the Caspian Sea, is an ethnically diverse and oil-rich region that has been rent by tensions from rising Islamism and clan power struggles.Wednesday's explosion shattered windows and damaged roofs for more than a mile around. Investigators poring over the bomb crater concluded that the assailant had been carrying artillery shells equivalent to more than 200 pounds of TNT."When I woke up, 'Bam! Bam!' " neighbor Patimat Aliyeva told Russia's Channel One television, imitating the sound of the blast. "I couldn't find my children. They were screaming, 'Mama.' But I didn't see them because the house is filled with dust and there's glass under my feet."Mukhu Aliyev, the president of the small republic, ordered budget funds set aside to compensate the families of the slain police officers. He also ordered the purchase of 15 new police vehicles.Escalating bloodshed has made the Caucasus region the soft underbelly of Moscow's efforts to portray Russia as a stable, centrally controlled hub of investment and tranquillity. Russian officials have threatened and fired officials and pledged to do better in response to the string of attacks -- but the bloodshed keeps coming.A flare of disappearances and killings in Chechnya, which suffered through two wars between 1994 and the early 2000s, and a swelling Islamist rebellion and raging clan warfare in Ingushetia and Dagestan all threaten to destabilize Russia.The threat appeared particularly acute in November, when a bomb derailed a train on a popular route running between Moscow and St. Petersburg, killing 26 people and raising the possibility that violence would spill deep into the heart of Russia. ||||| Suicide Bomber in Southern Russia Kills 6 Policemen Photo: AP A suicide bombing in Russia's southern Dagestan republic Wednesday killed six policemen and wounded at least 16 other people. Authorities say a suicide bomber attempted to drive a car packed with explosives into a police station near Dagestan's capital, Makhachkala. Russian media report the blast left a two-meter wide crater, and that bomb fragments broke windows as far as 300 meters from the site. Dagestan borders Chechnya, where the long-running fight between Russian troops and Islamic separatists has spilled over into neighboring republics in the North Caucasus. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said last month a recent surge of violence in the region is Russia's biggest problem. Some information for this report was provided by AP. | A suicide bombing in Russia's southern Dagestan republic killed six policemen and wounded at least sixteen other people on Wednesday, according to reports. Authorities said that a suicide bomber attempted to drive an SUV packed with explosives into a police station near Dagestan's capital, Makhachkala. A police team, however, drove into the van, preventing it from reaching its target. "He the bomber was stopped by a special operations group at the last minute. The measures taken by these policemen stopped the terrorist from reaching the site where other police officers prepared for duty." said an unnamed spokesman to the Interfax news agency. Russian media report the blast left a two-meter wide crater, and that bomb fragments broke windows as far as 300 meters from the site. Investigators at the scene believed that the bomber's car had been carrying artillery shells as strong as 200 pounds of TNT. Dagestan borders Chechnya, where the long-running fight between Russian troops and Islamic separatists has spilled over into neighboring republics in the North Caucasus. |
by Robert MacPherson 43 minutes ago Ukraine NATO President George W. Bush ADVERTISEMENT BUCHAREST (AFP) - European leaders kept Georgia andwaiting at's doorstep Thursday in a major setback for USat his last summit of the transatlantic alliance. Inching deeper into what, during the Cold War, had been enemy territory, NATO extended formal invitations to once-communist Albania and Croatia to start negotiations to become the 27th and 28th members of the bloc. If all goes well, those two Balkan states could be full-fledged members when NATO -- the world's most powerful military bloc -- celebrates its 60th anniversary next year with a summit in the adjacent French and German cities of Strasbourg and Kehl. But despite 11th-hour American arm-twisting, European leaders -- wary of upsetting an increasingly assertive Russia -- denied coveted pre-membership status to Georgia and Ukraine, at least until the very end of this year. Both former Soviet republics want in to the so-called Membership Action Plan, or MAP, which grooms erstwhile communist states in eastern European for NATO accession, as a counterfoil to Russian influence. By way of consolation, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said NATO would offer Georgia and Ukraine "intensive engagement", along with a vague promise of membership sometime down the line. "We agree today that these countries will become members of NATO," he told reporters as the heads of state and government broke for lunch. "That is quite something." It would be up to NATO foreign ministers to make "a first assessment of progress" when they meet in December, Scheffer said, adding that they would have the authority to grant MAP status if they choose to do so. Making the best of the situation, Georgia's minister for Euro-Atlantic integration, Giorgi Baramidze, told AFP: "The decision has been made to accept us moving toward NATO." "We think this is a historic achievement for Georgia," he added. With outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin set to join the summit on Friday, his deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko said letting Georgia and Ukraine into NATO would be "a big strategic mistake". It would, he added, entail "the most serious consequences for common European security". The other hefty item on the Bucharest summit agenda -- getting more European NATO members to send more troops and material to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan -- was being tackled later Thursday. France has pledged to send a battalion, comprising fewer than 1,000 men, to be deployed in eastern Afghanistan -- freeing up US troops to reinforce hard-pressed Canadians in the south. In a separate but not unexpected development, Greece foiled Macedonia's NATO ambitions when it blocked an invitation to Skopje to begin membership negotiations, due to a dispute over the name of the former Yuglosav republic. Macedonia wants to be known as the Republic of Macedonia in international forums, but Greece thinks doing so would imply a claim on its like-named northern province -- an argument driven mainly by domestic politics. "An invitation will be extended as soon as a mutually acceptable solution is reached," a NATO official told reporters. Bush, keen to put some gloss on his foreign policy legacy in the waning months of a presidency tarnished by Iraq, pushed hard at the summit for Georgia and Ukraine to be ushered into NATO's antechamber. But in an alliance that takes decisions only by consensus, he was undermined by Europeans -- led by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel -- fearful that such a move might destabilise an already volatile region on Russia's southern flank. In a German newspaper interview published Thursday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili warned that by keeping Georgia and Ukraine in the cold, NATO would be handing a gift to Kremlin hawks. "If we do not get commitments, then the conservative wing at the Kremlin will be strengthened," he told the Handelsblatt daily. "Then we'll give Moscow a free ride to attempt blackmail. We are at a dangerous crossroads." In tandem with the summit, the United States and the Czech Republic reached agreement Thursday on stationing in the Czech Republic a part of a broader US missile defense radar system that is vehemently opposed by Russia. "This legally-binding agreement calls for the stationing of a US radar in the Czech Republic to track ballistic missiles ... linked to other US missile defense facilities in Europe and the United States," they said in a statement. Bush said Wednesday the system is "primarily" intended to deal with missiles liable to be fired by "rogue regimes" in the Middle East -- coded language for Iran -- but Russia sees it as a challenge to its own security. ||||| NEWS EUROPE Nato summit begins in Bucharest The Parliament Palace in Bucharest, where the 20th annual summit of Nato is being held [AFP] One of the biggest gatherings of world leaders, the 20th annual Nato summit, has begun in Bucharest. The outgoing US president is pushing for Nato's eastward expansion, but the military alliance's leaders were divided on the issue as they gathered on Thursday in the Romanian capital. George Bush wants the membership of Nato to be extended to the former Soviet states, Georgia and Ukraine. But with key allies like France and Germany opposing the plan for fear of provoking Moscow, Bush's final Nato summit will require all his diplomatic skills. Conflict of interests The conflict of interests involves Nato's historic open-door policy on the one hand, and on the other hand Russia's feeling that the alliances' borders are growing too close for comfort. Nato was set up in 1949. It was an alliance to counter the military power of the Soviet Union. The Soviets in turn set up the Warsaw Pact and a clear Cold War line was drawn between the two sides. The Warsaw Pact was dissolved in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union and Nato's eastward expansion began. Shadow of Russia At the Bucharest summit, Albania and Croatia too will begin the formal process of their membership. Nato's backing of a US missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic has been harshly condemned by Vladimir Putin. Bush is making his final attendance as US president at the Nato summit [AFP] The Russian president will be making his first appearance at this year's summit to express his fears of a new arms race. The Russian president will be making his first appearance at this year's summit to express his fears of a new arms race. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Nato's secretary-general, says: "If President Putin comes to Bucharest with an open mind, it should be possible for us to advance a broader Nato-Russia relationship." Nato says its eastward expansion will not threaten Russia. Still, Jonah Hull, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Kiev , says Ukraine and Georgia are unlikely to be given this membership action plan in Bucharest. "The problem they face even with President Bush's support is opposition both from Russia and from significant members of the Nato alliance. "Russia has long been wary of Nato's expansion eastwards. It views it as a provocation and even says it will aim missiles at Ukraine if it goes ahead." Other differences Russia's differences with Nato go beyond the proposed eastward expansion. Moscow is also upset by Kfor - a Nato-led peacekeeping force that remains in recently declared independent Kosovo. All of this has threatened to shift the focus of the Bucharest summit away from Afghanistan, supposed to be at the top of the agenda. In Video A reality check for Canadian troops in Afghanistan Nato leads more than 47,000 military personnel in that country. Nato leads more than 47,000 military personnel in that country. Bush wants member countries to send more troops to Afghanistan. "The alliance must maintain its resolve and finish the fight ... we cannot afford to lose Afghanistan," Bush said in Bucharest during a speech at a German Marshall Fund conference on Wednesday. He said that if the alliance does not stay on the offensive in Afghanistan, Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters will use it to launch more attacks on the West like those on September 11, 2001. Only a few countries have so far answered the call for more support to fight the Taliban in the south. French response Last week, France committed more troops to Afghanistan. Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, confirmed on Thursday in Bucharest that France will send a battalion and special forces to Afghanistan to join the Nato mission there. Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, confirmed on Thursday in Bucharest that France will send a battalion and special forces to Afghanistan to join the Nato mission there. The additional soldiers partially meets demands by Canada, which had threatened to withdraw forces if Nato allies did not send reinforcements. Up to 81 Canadians have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002. Source: Al Jazeera and agencies | President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush yesterday, with Romania’s President Traian Basescu and Mrs. Maria Basescu, left, and NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Mrs. Jeannine de Hoop Scheffer during the NATO Summit official greeting at the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest. One of the biggest gatherings of world leaders, the 20th annual NATO summit which began on Wednesday continued today in Bucharest. NATO leaders begin negotiations in earnest over Afghanistan Thursday, after the opening day of their summit in Bucharest saw a successful French offer of more troops, but a public disagreement over the alliance's enlargement. In the morning, the heads of the 26-strong alliance will hold their first formal working session, picking up on the themes of Wednesday's dinner - enlargement, Kosovo and Afghanistan, plus other issues. The conflict of interests involves a delicate diplomatic brinkmanship between NATO's historic open-door policy and Russia's feeling that the alliances' borders are growing too close for comfort. At the Bucharest summit, Albania and Croatia too will begin the formal process of their membership. NATO's backing of a United States missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic has been harshly condemned by Vladimir Putin, who will be making his first appearance at this year's summit to express his fears of a new arms race. The leaders of Albania and Croatia will get their first taste of NATO's highest body, when they sit with their counterparts, alongside Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, in a special session. The ambitions of Macedonia, the southernmost of the former Yugoslav republics -- have been challenged by neighbour Greece in a dispute over its official name. Greece refuses to recognise the former Yugoslav republic's name because it is the same as that of the northern Greek province of Macedonia and Athens worries that this could imply a claim on its territory. |
US Army First Lieutenant Jackson(R) hands over a uniform to a members of the US Army registered local Iraqi protection force A senior Al-Qaeda leader killed in Iraq: US military WASHINGTON (AFP) — A senior leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq was killed in a US air strike in Iraq this week, a US military commander said Friday, calling it a key loss to a group already fractured by US operations. Brigadier General Joseph Anderson identified the man as Abu Usama al-Tunisi, a Tunisian described as a in line to succeed Abu Ayyub al-Masri, Al-Qaeda in Iraq's Egyptian leader. Tunisi also led a cell in Yusifiyah that kidnapped and killed two US soldiers June 16, 2006 -- Kristian Menchaca, 23, and Thomas Tucker, 25, according to Anderson. "Abu Usama al-Tunisi was one of the most senior leaders within Al-Qaeda in Iraq," said Anderson, the chief of staff of Multi-National Corps Iraq. The general said the September 25 strike that killed al-Tunisi was a "significant blow" to al Qaeda in Iraq, which he said has been severely disrupted by US operations and may now be reassessing its position in Iraq. He said his opinion was that Al-Qaeda will shift its forces from Iraq to Afghanistan, and try to expand its operations there. "All we can tell you is that by numbers and how the groups are operating in very remote locations and not collaboratively they're fractured, ruptured, mitigated here. And the question becomes, where would they go? What would they do?" he said. Anderson detailed a series of raids this month in Baghdad, Mahmudiyah, Yusufiyah and Musayyib in which scores of suspects were detained and nearly 20 others killed. Among those captured were other associates of Tunisi. The military learned that the Tunisian was meeting with other Al-Qaeda in Iraq members south of Baghdad in the vicinity of Musayyib on Tuesday. "United States Air Force F-16 aircraft attacked the target," Anderson told reporters here via video linkup from Baghdad. "Reporting indicated that several Al-Qaeda members with ties to senior leadership were present at that time. Three were killed, including Tunisi," he said. "His presence was confirmed by one of the two detainees from the operation, one who left the target area just prior to the air strike, who we eventually captured minutes later," he said. An aerial video of the bombing shown to reporters at the Pentagon indicated that the target was a cluster of buildings in what appeared to be a rural area. Ground forces recovered a handwritten note at the site that was believed to have been written by Tunisi, Anderson said, displaying a slide with photographs of the note. "The key points in this hand-written note include, he's surrounded, communications have been cut and he's desperate for help," he said. "What I make of that is that we're having great success in isolating these pockets," Anderson said. He said the surge in US forces since the start of the year had driven Al-Qaeda in Iraq forces out of the Baghdad area into provinces north and west of the capital. "They are very broken up, very unable to mass, and conducting very isolated operations," he said. "And I think what that little note says is that he was very desperate; he wasn't getting the materials, the supplies, the guidance information; anything he needed." Anderson said Tunisi oversaw the movement of foreign fighters in Iraq and hooked them up with cells launching suicide attacks and car bombings in the Baghdad area. "He was the emir of foreign terrorists in Iraq and, as I stated, part of the inner leadership circle of Al Qaeda in Iraq who had direct contact with Abu Ayyub al-Masri," Anderson said. ||||| By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer Fri Sep 28, 6:06 PM ET al-Qaida Iraq WASHINGTON - A U.S. airstrike killed one of the most seniorleaders in, a Tunisian linked to the kidnapping and killings last summer of American soldiers, a top commander said Friday. Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson said the death of the suspected terrorist in a U.S. airstrike Tuesday south of Baghdad, and recent similar operations against al-Qaida, have left the organization in Iraq fractured. Abu Osama al-Tunisi was killed along with two other terrorist suspects in a U.S. F-16 strike that dropped two 500-pound laser-guided bombs on a safehouse where they were meeting, said the U.S. Central Command Air Forces. "Al-Tunisi was one of the most senior leaders ... the emir of foreign terrorists in Iraq and part of the inner leadership circle," Anderson told a Pentagon news conference. Al-Tunisi was a leader in helping bring foreign terrorists into the country, said Anderson, chief of staff to the No. 2 U.S. commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno. Speaking by videoconference from Baghdad, Anderson said that al-Tunisi operated in Youssifiyah, southwest of Baghdad, November '04 and became the overall emir of Youssifiyah in the summer of '06. His group was responsible for kidnapping American soldiers in June 2006, Anderson said. Anderson did not name the soldiers and Pentagon officials said they did not immediately know to whom he was referring. But three U.S. soldiers were killed that month in an ambush-kidnapping that happened while they were guarding a bridge. Spc. David J. Babineau was killed at a river checkpoint south of Baghdad on June 16, 2006, and Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas Tucker were abducted. The mutilated bodies of the kidnapped soldiers were found three days later, tied together and booby-trapped with bombs. Anderson said recent coalition operations have helped cut in half the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq, which had been at about 60 to 80 a month. He credited the work of the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement and U.S. teams. Commanders have said that the increase in troops ordered by President Bush in January and the increased operations that followed have pushed militants into remote parts of the north and south of the country. Additional operations have been going after those pockets of fighters. "We're having great success in isolating these pockets," Anderson said. "They are very broken up, very unable to mass, and conducting very isolated operations," he said. He could not estimate the number of foreign fighters in Iraq but said they commit over 80 percent of suicide bombings in the country. Anderson said that he believes al-Qaida leadership is taking stock of its ability to disrupt U.S. and Iraqi government activities in Iraq. He said he thought they would shift their attention back to Afghanistan, where they had safe haven before the U.S. invasion that followed the 9/11 attacks. Asked if he had any evidence they were returning to Afghanistan, Anderson said: "Obviously, they had a base there already and what we would think would be ... they would want to expand that base if they can. The question becomes, how much can they?" Anderson said he believes al-Qaida is "fractured, ruptured, mitigated" in Iraq ... and the question becomes, where would they go? What would they do?" He laid out a series of operations over the last two weeks that led up to the air strike on al-Tunisi in the town of Musayyib south of Baghdad. He said associates of al-Tunisi's were captured on Sept. 12 and Sept. 14 in Mahmoudiya, where coalition forces targeted the network that helps bring foreign fighters in the southern belts around Baghdad. More associates were captured over the next few days. On Sept. 25, commanders received information of a meeting between al-Tunisi and other al-Qaida members. Al-Tunisi's presence was confirmed by a detainee who had just fled the area before the attack and was captured minutes later, Anderson said. ||||| This is the most recent version of this article. View article history. This is the most recent version of this article. U.S. eager and it shows in Iraq 1 day ago » U.S. eager and it shows in Iraq « 71 days ago Captured al Qaeda leader moved to Gitmo "In the north, Iraqi army and coalition forces continue successful operations in Mosul," he told reporters. "Kamal Jalil Uthman, also known as Said Hamza, was the al Qaeda in Iraq military emir of Mosul. He planned, coordinated and facilitated suicide bombings, and he facilitated the movement of more than a hundred foreign fighters through safe houses in the area." All told, Bergner devoted 68 words to Uthman's demise. Uthman was indeed a big kill, and the military featured his death last year in a report titled "Tearing Down al Qaeda." "The more we can bring down al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations, the greater probability of reducing violence," Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, the command's chief spokesman said, in 2006. Uthman was listed in the 2006 news release as "the chief of military operations [in] Mosul." When The Examiner pointed out that Uthman's death had been announced twice, a command spokesman said in an e-mail, "You are correct that we did previously announce that we killed him. This was a roll up to show an overall effort against [al Qaeda in Iraq]. We can probably do a better job on saying 'previously announced' when we do long-term roll ups to show an overall effort." rscarborough@dcexaminer.com | Abu al-TunisiThe United States announced today that an airstrike against a house in Yusufiyah, Iraq on Tuesday completed its mission, killing insurgent commander Abu Usama al-Tunisi and two others. The airstrike, by an F-16 carrying two 500 lb bombs, came hours after a tip that al-Tunisi would be holding a meeting that day. However, al-Tunisi had been reported dead more than a year ago. downing of a helicopter, and mutilation of a pilot, by al-Tunisi's "Aeisha" brigade.The Tunisian militant had come to American attention during the Second Battle of Fallujah in November 2004, and had overseen anti-aircraft missions and participated in the 2005 attack against Abu Ghraib. His death was reported by Abu al-Zarqawi's army on May 20, 2006 in an al-Hesbah communique later translated and released by FBI Terrorism consultant Evan Kohlmann. He was reportedly killed after a US helicopter attack in Yusufiyah killed him and four other insurgents. Following this week's bombing, Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson addressed a press conference at the Pentagon stating that the death of al-Tunisi would "fracture" the Sunni insurgency within the country - claiming that the man was "one of the most senior leaders" and "part of the inner leadership circle". His name did not appear on the Iraqi Government's list of 41 Most Wanted. Anderson also stated that al-Tunisi's group, the Aisha Battalion of anti-aircraft operations, was responsible for the kidnappings and deaths of US soldiers in June of 2006, a month after he was reported killed. While the Army could not confirm which soldiers Anderson was referencing, a June 16 kidnapping led to the death of Spc. David J. Babineau, Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas Tucker who were guarding a bridge into Baghdad. al-Tunisi was said to be a potential replacement for al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Hamza al-Muhajir who was killed by tribesmen in May of this year. Multinational Force Iraq spokesman Maj. Winfield Danielson stated that “This is one more al-Qaeda in Iraq criminal who will never kill another innocent civilian,” although all of al-Tunisi's known targets were American soldiers, not Iraqi civilians. While the military stated that they had "definitively identified" the body as being al-Tunisi, they refused to elaborate on their methods of verification - stating only that two captured Iraqis told them that it was al-Tunisi. Although a letter found inside the house referred to being "desperate" and being unable to travel outside the city - it was unsigned, and the only evidence that it was written by al-Tunisi was that it "was with his belongings". The tip was confirmed by a local Iraqi arrested near the site of the house just before the bombing, which killed three. Military press releases reported that al-Tunisi's body had been "definitively" identified and that his handwriting was evident on papers inside the bombed house. Kohlmann said the contradiction raised "some pretty serious questions", and that any claims that al-Tunisi could have faked his own death to deceive US military intelligence would be "virtually unprecedented" behaviour for the insurgents. In May, the US military was forced to admit that Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner's announcement declaring the death of al-Qaeda in Iraq lieutenant Kamal Jalil Uthman was incorrect after the San Francisco Examiner pointed out that the army had already reported Uthman killed a year earlier, in a document entitled "Tearing Down al Qaeda". |
La localité d'Adré bien tenue par l'armée tchadienne TCHAD - 22 décembre 2005 - par PANAPRESS La localité d'Adré, située à 850 km au nord-est de N'Djamena et à seulement 1 km de la frontière soudanaise, est bien tenue par l'armée tchadienne, a constaté un correspondant de la Pana à l'issue d'une récente visite. Théâtre le dimanche 18 décembre dernier, de violents combats entre forces gouvernementales et éléments du Rassemblement pour la démocratie et les libertés (RDL, rébellion), Adré présente les indices évidents d'un véritable jeu de massacre. Des corps calcinés ou en putréfaction avancée, des véhicules tout terrain Toyota complètement brûlés et renversés, les restes d'un hélicoptère crashé et des impacts de balles ou d'obus, comme ceux qui ont lézardé le mur de la résidence du préfet local, le tout dans une puanteur difficilement supportable. La sérénité des habitants de cette bourgade orientale du Tchad tranche étonnamment avec la fébrilité des militaires aux mines graves, enturbannés et armés jusqu'aux dents, prêts à faire feu à la moindre alerte. On les voit partout progressant soit à pied soit à bord de 4X4, assis ou couchés à l'ombre des arbres, près des ouadis (cours d'eau temporaire) au bord du lac Assongha, mais Adré présente l'allure d'un théâtre avec une partie des acteurs sur la scène, les belligérants, et l'assistance constituée par les populations civiles. D'ailleurs, celles-ci ne sont pas éloignées du quartier de l'état- major militaire et de la résidence du préfet, théâtres précis des combats, séparés d'un kilomètre seulement des montagnes qui délimitent la frontière tchado-soudanaise. Les combats ont été en effet violents et les bilans, contrastés du côté gouvernemental et équivoques du côté des rebelles, l'attestent bien. Une centaine de morts et de nombreux rebelles faits prisonniers le matin du 18 décembre, indique un bilan établi à N'Djamena, mais qui sera contrarié par un autre, rendu public le soir du même jour par l'état-major sur le terrain à Abéché, faisant état de 80 morts parmi les rangs de la rébellion. Ce dernier bilan sera lui-même contredit le lendemain à Adré même par un autre mentionnant 170 à 200 morts rebelles, bien en-deçà des 300 morts dont fera état plus tard l'état-major général de l'armée depuis N'Djamena. Les rebelles ont battu en brèche ces bilans contrastés du pouvoir, avançant plus d'une centaine de morts, de nombreux blessés, un nombre important de matériels récupérés ou détruits du côté gouvernemental et des ralliements aussi importants d'éléments gouvernementaux à leur camp. Des journalistes dépêchés sur place, y compris un correspondant de la Pana, ont comptabilisé les uns une dizaine ou une vingtaine de corps, là où d'autres affirment en avoir vu une trentaine, la plupart dans le ouadis où se sont déroulés les combats les plus violents, selon des officiers tchadiens. Des corps avaient été déjà enterrés et d'autres se trouvaient de l'autre côté des montagnes, en territoire soudanais, où les rebelles se seraient réfugiés après avoir été pourchassés par les soldats gouvernementaux... Un hélicoptère de l'armée s'est écrasé après les combats suite à un atterrissage compromis par un câble électrique, entraînant une chute brutale et une explosion des roquettes qu'il transportait. Les membres de l'équipage sont sortis indemnes de l'accident, à l'exception du nouveau commandant de la Garde nationale et nomade du Tchad (GNNT), le colonel Moussa Sougui Hawar, qui a été grièvement brûlé. Il est actuellement hospitalisé dans un centre de soins intensifs de la localité. Un autre hélicoptère, de type MI14 de fabrication soviétique comme le premier, avait été cependant atteint et un membre de l'équipage, co-pilote mécanicien, mortellement atteint. L'appareil, hors d'usage pour le moment, s'est posé sur la piste de l'aéroport d'Abéché distant de 170 km d'Adré. Il s'agit là d'un coup dur pour l'armée tchadienne, car, de l'avis des militaires interrogés sur place, les deux hélicoptères ont été pour beaucoup dans le refoulement des rebelles vers le Soudan. Onze prisonniers sur le nombre important annoncé, ont été présentés aux journalistes. Pour la plupart jeunes, ils affirment n'avoir pas été militaires mais enrôlés soit de force ou trompés par des chefs rebelles et déserteurs de l'armée régulière. Des pièces d'identité tchadiennes, mais aussi et surtout soudanaises attestant l'implication dans la rébellion ou le soutien de Khartoum aux rebelles tchadiens, ont été présentées. Avant et après ces combats, le gouvernement tchadien, par la voix de son ministre de la Communication et celle du ministre des Affaires étrangères, affirmait déjà l'implication du Soudan dans le conflit qui se dessinait à sa frontière orientale. Le président Idriss Déby, qui s'est rendu mercredi sur le théâtre des affrontements pour décorer les différents officiers et remonter le moral des troupes, a regagné N'Djamena jeudi dans la soirée. Le commandant des opérations sur le terrain, le colonel Alifa Weddeye, frère du célèbre Goukouni Weddeye, ancien seigneur de guerre et chef rebelle toubou, a été promu général le 19 décembre dernier, soit un jour après les combats. Il avait appris la nouvelle par message radio. Imprimer Envoyer cet article Tous droit de reproduction et de représentation réservés ||||| The suspect in the fatal shooting of eight people at day spas in and around Atlanta indicated he had issues with sexual addiction and the shootings may have not been motivated by racial hatred, law enforcement officials said. | After the Battle of Ardre, many civilians and military officers of both Chadian and Sudanese origin were killed. After this, Chad declared (according to some translations) a "a state of war" against Sudan, and encouraged all of its people to honor that declaration. There have been many conflicting reports of the number of deaths, but a good estimate would be that both sides have lost around 400-600 people. These battles and declarations is just a continuation of the Darfur that has ravaged this region for several years past. As tensions between the two nations get more fierce, we can only imagine what might come next. |
Military Operation Drone Attacks Dialogue vs Offensive President Zardari Pakistan Peoples Party 'Best' leader Taliban threat vs US, India An exclusive Al Jazeera survey of public opinion in Pakistan has revealed widespread disenchantment with the United States for interfering with what most people consider internal Pakistani affairs. Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of the Gallup International polling group, carried out the survey. The field work was done among more than 2,500 men and women across the rural and urban areas of all four provinces of Pakistan on July 26 and 27 this year. The field work was done face to face. The margin of error is + 2-3 per cent at 95 per cent confidence level. Further details are available in the Methods Report. On military operations Question: Some people favour the military operation by the government against the Taliban, while some oppose. What is your view? Favour 41% Oppose 24% Neutral 22% Don't Know 13% Total 100% Analysis of results Favour Oppose Neutral Don't know/No response Voting Intention-wise (Party for which the respondent intends to vote if elections were held today) PPP 52 23 18 7 PML-N 31 23 25 21 MQM 62 17 17 4 ANP 79 2 19 0 JUI / MMA 16 64 10 10 All Others Parties 43 27 19 11 Other responses 34 26 25 15 Language-wise (Mother Tongue of respondent) Urdu 50 25 21 4 Punjabi 28 25 25 22 Sindhi 64 23 8 5 Pashto 49 20 18 13 All others languages 45 23 26 5 Age-wise Under 30 42 19 24 15 30 - 50 40 27 20 13 51+ 43 27 22 9 Gender-wise Men 42 23 23 12 Women 39 24 21 16 Back to top On drone attacks Question: Do you favour or oppose drone attacks by the United States against Taliban and al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan? Favour 9% Oppose 67% Neutral 24% Total 100% Analysis of results Favour Oppose Neutral Don't know/No response Voting Intention-wise (Party for which the respondent intends to vote if elections were held today) PPP 8 67 24 0 PML-N 9 62 29 0 MQM 7 79 14 0 ANP 6 91 3 0 JUI / MMA 2 79 19 0 All Others Parties 16 58 24 2 Other responses 5 71 19 4 Language-wise (Mother Tongue of respondent) Urdu 5 75 19 1 Punjabi 8 58 33 1 Sindhi 8 70 21 2 Pashto 6 65 27 1 All others languages 14 80 6 0 Age-wise Under 30 11 67 20 1 30 - 50 7 64 28 1 51+ 3 80 16 1 Gender-wise Men 9 68 22 1 Women 8 65 26 1 Back to top On dialogue vs military action Question: In your view, should the Pakistani government have a dialogue with the Taliban of Swat, or carry out military action? Some people support dialogue, others support military action. What is your view? Military Action 41% Dialogue 43% Don't Know 16% Total 100% Analysis of results Military action Dialogue Don't know/No response Voting Intention-wise (Party for which the respondent intends to vote if elections were held today) PPP 51 36 12 PML-N 33 23 21 MQM 41 53 6 ANP 60 38 1 JUI / MMA 28 61 11 All Others Parties 44 40 16 Other responses 35 48 17 Language-wise (Mother Tongue of respondent) Urdu 39 53 8 Punjabi 33 40 27 Sindhi 52 39 9 Pashto 50 34 16 All others languages 46 49 5 Age-wise Under 30 38 45 17 30 - 50 44 39 17 51+ 31 53 16 Gender-wise Men 43 43 14 Women 37 42 20 Back to top On President Asif Ali Zardari Question: Some people believe Asif Zardari is a good leader for Pakistan, while others believe he is a bad leader. In your view, is his leadership good or bad for Pakistan? Good 11% Bad 42% Neither good nor bad / Does not matter 34% Don't Know 13% Total 100% Analysis of results Good Bad Neither good nor bad Don't know/No response Voting Intention-wise (Party for which the respondent intends to vote if elections were held today) PPP 11 42 34 13 PML-N 3 52 26 20 MQM 3 60 32 5 ANP 7 43 44 6 JUI / MMA 0 48 42 10 All Others Parties 6 33 53 8 Other responses 6 46 33 15 Language-wise (Mother Tongue of respondent) Urdu 6 55 34 6 Punjabi 2 48 30 20 Sindhi 36 28 28 8 Pashto 11 26 53 10 All others languages 23 39 34 4 Age-wise Under 30 13 40 34 13 30 - 50 10 43 33 13 51+ 8 45 39 8 Gender-wise Men 13 44 33 10 Women 9 40 35 16 Back to top On the Pakistan Peoples Party Question: Some people believe the PPP's government is good for the country, while others believe it is bad. What is your view? Good 20% Bad 38% Neither good nor bad / Does not matter 30% Don't Know 12% Total 100% Analysis of results Good Bad Neither good nor bad Don't know/No response Voting Intention-wise (Party for which the respondent intends to vote if elections were held today) PPP 57 10 25 8 PML-N 8 47 27 18 MQM 4 60 31 6 ANP 3 42 55 0 JUI / MMA 3 58 37 2 All Others Parties 18 36 41 6 Other responses 11 45 30 15 Language-wise (Mother Tongue of respondent) Urdu 12 51 29 8 Punjabi 8 42 31 19 Sindhi 56 14 24 6 Pashto 19 34 43 4 All others languages 35 36 22 8 Age-wise Under 30 21 38 29 12 30 - 50 20 36 31 13 51+ 15 46 30 9 Gender-wise Men 25 38 27 12 Women 15 37 33 15 Back to top On the "best" leader for Pakistan Question: In your view, which of the following should run the government of Pakistan? In other words, whose rule would be best for Pakistan? President Zardari 9% Prime Minister Gilani 13% Nawaz Sharif 38% Military Government 8% PPP & PML-N Government (jointly) 11% Religious Parties 6% Others Responses 8% Don't Know/No Response 7% Total 100% Analysis President Zardari Prime Minister Gilani Nawaz Sharif Military rule PPP & PML-N (jointly) Religious parties All other responses Don't know Voting Intention-wise (Party for which the respondent intends to vote if elections were held today) PPP 27 27 9 6 13 4 4 9 PML-N 1 4 71 3 10 2 2 7 MQM 4 22 3 47 3 7 15 0 ANP 1 32 5 16 11 2 34 0 JUI / MMA 1 8 40 2 1 40 9 0 All Others Parties 10 12 21 11 13 10 18 4 Other responses 5 8 38 6 16 11 7 9 Language-wise (Mother Tongue of respondent) Urdu 6 15 15 27 13 11 10 3 Punjabi 4 7 60 3 8 2 2 14 Sindhi 31 15 10 6 23 3 12 1 Pashto 11 21 26 15 9 9 8 1 All others languages 10 21 30 4 11 12 12 0 Age-wise Under 30 10 12 40 8 10 6 8 5 30 - 50 9 13 38 9 12 6 6 8 51+ 9 21 31 10 6 7 10 5 Gender-wise Men 12 13 38 7 11 7 7 6 Women 6 14 39 11 11 5 7 7 Back to top On the threat from the Taliban vs the USA and India Question: Some people believe that the (Pakistani) Taliban are the greatest threat to the country, some believe India is the greatest threat, whereas some believe US is the greatest threat. Who do you think is the greatest threat for Pakistan? (Pakistani) Taliban 11% India 18% US 59% Don't Know 12% Total 100% Analysis of results (Pakistani) Taliban India US Don't know/No response Voting Intention-wise (Party for which the respondent intends to vote if elections were held today) PPP 15 20 61 5 PML-N 9 16 56 19 MQM 12 26 59 3 ANP 6 26 68 1 JUI / MMA 1 19 64 16 All Others Parties 8 20 60 12 Other responses 16 16 59 9 Language-wise (Mother Tongue of respondent) Urdu 12 20 62 6 Punjabi 10 21 51 19 Sindhi 30 3 64 2 Pashto 9 23 52 15 All others languages 4 18 78 1 Age-wise Under 30 10 19 60 12 30 - 50 12 19 56 13 51+ 11 13 72 4 Gender-wise Men 13 21 57 10 Women 9 16 61 14 Back to top ||||| By Saad Saud ISLAMABAD—A survey commissioned by Al Jazeera in Pakistan has revealed a widespread disenchantment with the United States for interfering with what most people consider internal Pakistani affairs. The polling was conducted by Gallup Pakistan - a separate organisation affiliated with the US-based Gallup Inc — and more than 2,600 people took part. Interviews were conducted across the political spectrum, and represented men and women of every economic and ethnic background. The resentment was made clear when residents were asked if they support or oppose Pakistan’s own military offensive against Taliban targets. Keeping with recent trends a growing number of people, now 41 per cent, support the campaign. About 24 per cent of people remain opposed, but an additional 22 per cent of Pakistanis remain neutral on the question. That number changes quite significantly when people were asked if they would support government-sanctioned dialogue with Taliban fighters if it were a viable option. The same 41 per cent said they would still support the military offensive. But the number of those supporting dialogue leaps up to 43 per cent. So clearly, Pakistanis are, right now, fairly evenly split on how to deal with the Taliban threat. However, when asked if they support or oppose the US military’s drone attacks against what Washington claims are Taliban and al-Qaeda targets, only nine per cent of respondents reacted favourably. A massive 67 per cent say they oppose US military operations on Pakistani soil. The consensus of opinion on US military involvement is notable given the fact that on a raft of internal issues there is a clear level of disagreement, which can be expected in a country of this size. When asked for their opinions on Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, 42 per cent of respondents believe he is doing a bad job. Around 11 per cent approve of his leadership, and another 34 per cent have no strong opinion either way. That pattern was reflected in a question about the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Respondents were asked if they thought the PPP is good or bad for the country. About 38 per cent said the PPP is bad for the country, 20 per cent believe it is good for the country and another 30 per cent said they have no strong opinion. Respondents were even more fractured when asked for their views on how the country should be led. By far, the largest percentage would opt for Nawaz Sharif, a former prime minister, as leader. At least 38 per cent back him to run Pakistan. Zardari received only nine per cent support, while Gilani, Pakistan’s prime minister, has the backing of 13 per cent. But from there, opinions vary greatly. Eight per cent of the population would support a military government, 11 per cent back a political coalition of the PPP and Sharif’s PML-N party. Another six per cent throw their support behind religious parties and the remaining 15 per cent would either back smaller groups or simply do not have an opinion. The level of diversity disappears when broader questions of security and military intervention are posed. In the same way that most Pakistanis right now reject what they see as US military interference, they strongly oppose US policies as a whole. ||||| KABUL, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has announced to investigate the reported killing of four civilians in Kanahar, said a news release provided by the alliance on Wednesday. "We are aware of news reports of civilian casualties in the area, and are investigating those allegations. The insurgents were engaged in a field away from dwellings or other population areas." it said. Early this morning some 100 people from Kohat village in Arghandab district took four bodies to Kandahar city of southern Afghanistan, as a sign of protest alleging that international troops carried out air raids on the village at 01:00 a.m., which left four civilians including three children dead. Meanwhile, the alliance in its news letter noted that, " a helicopter intercepted four insurgents on motorcycles in a field last night near Arghandab district. The helicopter engaged militants with guns and rockets, however the explosions heard by locals were caused when jugs the insurgents were carrying exploded." Local TV reports said a suspected U.S. drone hit the house of Akramuddin, father-in-law of Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mahsud whom the Pakistani army has been hunting, killing four people including a girl in northwest Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal region on Wednesday There was no information if Akramuddin was inside the house at the time of the attack at Zangara area of South Waziristan. Officials said that the drone destroyed the house. According to locals, several guests were also in the house when the attack was carried out. The U.S. drone aircraft regularly attack hideouts of the militants in Pakistan's trial region. Militants believe that Pakistani authorities provide intelligence to the U.S. for drone attacks, but the government denied the claim. The U.S has intensified drone attacks on the tribal regions despite Pakistan's protest at a time when the security forces are engaged in major offensive against Baitulalh Mahsud in South Waziristan. Pakistan insists that drone attacks are counterproductive and must be stopped but U.S. officials have ruled out any change in the policy. Pakistani officials said the drone strikes have killed more than 400 people in more than 40 attacks since August 2008. ||||| TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- International donors meeting in Japan have pledged more than $5 billion in aid for Pakistan to bolster the country's economy and help it fight terror and Islamic radicalism, officials said. Japan and the World Bank co-hosted the 2009 Pakistan Donors Conference, with representatives of 31 countries and 18 international organizations and agencies. "The international community is facing profound economic challenges," Hirofumi Nakasone, Japan's foreign affairs minister, said at the opening session of the donors conference. "At the same time it must tackle the acute problem of terrorism, which is occurring all around the world and threatens people's peaceful lifestyles and their happiness. He said Pakistan plays a key role in international efforts to combat terrorism and its stability is crucial to the region, particularly neighboring Afghanistan. Spiraling unrest in Pakistan and the rise of Taliban extremists in the country's northwest have alarmed the international community, which has repeatedly urged Islamabad to curb militants operating in remote border regions. Afghanistan, where an international military force is struggling against a resurgent Taliban offensive, says most of the rebel fighters are entering its territory across the porous border from Pakistan. President Asif Ali Zardari welcomed the pledges. "I assure that with the support of world, Pakistan will overcome its challenges and get rid of the menace of terrorism and militancy," he said, according to the official Associated Press of Pakistan news agency. The United States said it was donating $1 billion over a two-year period as part of President Barack Obama's plan unveiled last month to defeat to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Obama said the money, slated to help build schools, roads, and hospitals, was was an investment in America's future "because the security of America and Pakistan is shared." U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard C. Holbrooke said Monday that the pledge, subject to congressional approval, "is a down payment on President Obama's commitment." He said the United States "is the single largest bilateral donor to the Pakistani people," adding that the package would strengthen economic growth and stability through agriculture, education, health, poverty alleviation, and energy. "As President Obama has made clear, the U.S. is committed to working with the government of Pakistan and the international community to assist the people of Pakistan," Holbrooke said. "With help from Congress, we will help meet our commitment with an assistance package that helps address Pakistan's most urgent social, economic, and welfare needs." According to APP, Friday's meeting also saw a pledge of $1 billion from Japan plus others including $700 million from Saudi Arabia, $330 million from Iran, the $300 million from the United Arab Emirates, and $100 million from Turkey. Last month, U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled a plan to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan, calling on Congress to authorize $1.5 billion every year over the next five years. He said the money, slated to help build schools, roads, and hospitals, was a "down payment" on America's future "because the security of America and Pakistan is shared." ||||| Pakistani airstrike sparks protests ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) Missiles fired by Pakistani helicopters destroyed a religious school on the Afghan border Monday that the military said was a front for an al-Qaeda training camp, killing 80 people and prompting strong protests against the country's president and the United States. About 10,000 tribesmen, including armed militants, rallied Tuesday near the site in the northwestern town of Khar, chanting: "God is Great," "Death to Bush! Death to Musharraf!" and "Anyone who is a friend of America is traitor." Islamic leaders and al-Qaeda-linked militants had called for nationwide demonstrations to condemn what they claimed was an American assault on Pakistani soil. The army said those who died were militants, but furious villagers and religious leaders said the pre-dawn missile barrage killed innocent students and teachers at the school, known as a madrassa. U.S. and Pakistani military officials initially denied American involvement and rejected claims that children and women died in the strike that flattened the building in the remote northwestern village of Chingai, two miles from the Afghan border. However, a Pakistani army spokesman on Tuesday said Pakistan used intelligence provided by the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan in the raid. Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan declined to say how much help was provided by the coalition, but stressed that U.S. forces didn't fire any missiles. "Intelligence sharing was definitely there, but to say they (the coalition) have carried out the operation, that is absolutely wrong," Sultan told The Associated Press. Col. Tom Collins, a U.S. military spokesman, said it is common knowledge that the United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan share intelligence as part of a three-way military agreement. But he said he had no information regarding the recent operation in Pakistan. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has been under intense pressure, particularly from the United States and Afghanistan, to rein in militant groups, particularly along the porous Pakistan-Afghan frontier, where Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri are believed to be hiding. The Pakistani leader, along with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, met with President Bush in Washington last month to address the issue. Among those killed in Monday's attack was Liaquat Hussain, a cleric who had sheltered militants in the past and was believed associated with al-Zawahri. The raid was launched after the madrassa's leaders, headed by Hussain, rejected government warnings to stop using the school as a training camp for terrorists, said army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan. "These militants were involved in actions inside Pakistan and probably in Afghanistan," Sultan told The Associated Press. Militant groups in Bajur are believed to ferry fighters, weapons and supplies to Afghanistan to target U.S. forces there and Pakistani soldiers on this side of the ethnic-Pashtun majority tribal belt. The raid threatens efforts by Musharraf to persuade deeply conservative tribespeople to back his government over pro-Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters, who enjoy strong support in many semiautonomous regions in northern Pakistan. The planned signing of a peace deal between tribal leaders and the military was canceled Monday in response to the airstrike. At Tuesday's protest in Khar, loudspeakers blared songs urging people to wage holy war, or jihad, as protesters gathered in a large field in the town, located about 6 miles from Chingai village. "We will continue our jihad. We will take revenge for the blood of our martyrs," local Islamic cleric, Maulana Roohul Amin, told the crowd. "The forces of infidelity are trying to erase us from existence." Protests were also held Monday from the northwestern city of Peshawar to the southern city of Karachi, the largest taking place in Chingai and the Bajur district's main town of Khar, where 2,000 tribesmen and shopkeepers chanted "Death to Musharraf! Death to Bush!" Amid fears of unrest, Britain's Prince Charles, who arrived in Pakistan on Sunday for a five-day stay, canceled a visit planned for Tuesday to Peshawar. The raid was the country's deadliest military operation targeting suspected terrorists. Sultan said 80 people were killed in the building, which was 100 yards from the nearest house. Local political officials and Islamic leaders corroborated the death toll. The attack took place about two miles from Damadola, where in January a U.S. Predator drone aircraft fired a missile that purportedly targeted — and missed — al-Zawahri, but killed several al-Qaeda members and civilians instead. Sultan denied reports that al-Zawahri was in the area at the time of the attack. "It is all wrong, speculative and we launched this operation on our own to target a training facility," he said. A Bajur-area intelligence official said word was spreading among residents that al-Zawahri may have been expected at the madrassa, but he said the reports were wrong. Hussain, the cleric believed to have been a deputy of al-Zawahri, was among those killed, the intelligence official and residents said. Another al-Zawahri lieutenant, Faqir Mohammed, apparently left the madrassa 30 minutes before the strike, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media. Hours later, Mohammed addressed 10,000 mourners at a funeral for some of the victims. "We were peaceful, but the government attacked and killed our innocent people on orders from America," said Mohammed, who was surrounded by dozens of militants brandishing semiautomatic weapons. "It is an open aggression." Three funerals were held one after the other in a field near the madrassa, where the remains of at least 50 people were laid on wooden beds placed side by side in rows and covered with colored blankets. Villagers walked among the beds and offered prayers. One man strode through the crowd holding aloft — trophy-style — a severed, blackened hand. Militants, their faces covered with brown and red scarves, patrolled the crowd. On Saturday, Mohammed led a nearby rally of 5,000 pro-Taliban and al-Qaeda militants where he denounced the Pakistani and U.S. governments and praised bin Laden. Fears are high that the attack will fan unrest across Pakistan, which witnessed violent protests this year after European newspapers published cartoons of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, as well as the August killing of a ethnic-Baluch tribal chief in another Pakistani military raid. In Islamabad, Pakistan's most influential Islamist political leader blamed American forces for the attack, without providing evidence to support his claim, and called for protests Tuesday. "It was an American plane behind the attack and Pakistan is taking responsibility because they know there would be a civil war if the American responsibility was known," said Qazi Hussain Ahmed, leader of a six-party religious alliance opposed to Musharraf. Ahmed claimed that 30 children were among Monday's dead. But Sultan, the army spokesman, said no children or women were killed. Most victims' bodies were so mangled that positive identification was impossible. Thousands of tribespeople traveled from nearby villages to inspect Chingai's destroyed madrassa, many wailing and others chanting "Long live Islam." The blast leveled the building, tearing mattresses and scattering Islamic books, including copies of the Quran. "We heard helicopters flying in and then heard bombs," said one villager, Haji Youssef. "We were all saddened by what we have seen." Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Enlarge AFP Pakistani tribesmen gather around the bodies of people who were killed Monday in an army operation near the Afghan border. Rubble from a house after airstrikes Monday in a Pakistani tribal area along the Afghan border. AP | A poll commissioned by the news network Al Jazeera in Pakistan has concluded that a majority of Pakistanis believe that Pakistan's largest military aid donor, the United States, is the "biggest" threat to the country today. The polling was conducted by Gallup Pakistan, an affiliate of Gallup International. Of the more than 2,600 Pakistanis polled 11% believed Taliban fighters to be the biggest threat, another 18% believed neighboring India to be the biggest threat to Pakistan. However, 59% (1,534) of the 2,600 Pakistanis polled believed that the United States is the biggest threat to Pakistan today. A probable cause of resentment of the United States in Pakistan are the drone attacks, which are opposed by 66% of those polled, according to Al Jazeera. Drone attacks killed four civilians in Southern Afghanistan near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border on Wednesday, August, 5. In October, 2006, a drone attack hit a school in South Waziristan killing 80 people causing unrest in Pakistan. Other results of the poll showed that 67% of Pakistanis polled, oppose U.S military intervention on Pakistan soil. Another 41% support negotiations with the Taliban. The poll also revealed that some are dissatisfied with the current government of Pakistan, showing only 11% support for the current president, Asif Ali Zardari. A sample size of 2662 people (52% men and 48% women) across all four Pakistani provinces was utilized for face-to-face questioning. The poll was conducted on July 26 and 27, 2009 and is considered accurate to the 95% confidence level with a margin of error of +/- 2-3%. |
The Anaheim Ducks removed the "Mighty" from their nickname this season, but winning their first Stanley Cup removed any doubt that they were the mightiest team of all. The Ducks won the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history, by virtue of a 6-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators in Game 5 of the championship final before a frenzied crowd of 17,372 at the Honda Center on Wednesday. Playoff MVP Scott Niedermayer lifts the Stanley Cup on Wednesday. (Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press) Anaheim, which entered the NHL in 1993-94, is the seventh straight league champion to clinch on home ice, the first team from California to win the Stanley Cup, and the first team west of the Rockies to win the Cup since the Victoria Cougars vanquished the Montreal Canadiens in 1925. Travis Moen scored twice for the Ducks, while Andy McDonald and Corey Perry had a goal and an assist apiece. "What an amazing atmosphere," McDonald said. "You would think you were in Canada out there. "The fans were unbelievable. We have really had a good following all through the playoffs." Rob Niedermayer and Francois Beauchemin had the other goals in support of Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who stopped 11 of 13 shots. Giguere even outguessed Antoine Vermette on a third-period penalty shot. "To allow only 13 shots in a critical game like that is a tribute to the guys," Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle said. "Players are the ones who put it on the line, night in and night out, and they deserve all the credit." Chris Pronger returned to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension for knocking out Senators forward Dean McAmmond with a forearm blow in Game 3. Pronger, who sat out last Sunday's 3-2 triumph, notched an assist on McDonald's tally. "This is a special moment," Pronger told CBC Sports. "It's always worth it when you win it." The only Anaheim player to win the Stanley Cup in the past was captain Scott Niedermayer, who hoisted it three times with New Jersey. Not Pronger. Not Teemu Selanne. Not even general manager Brian Burke or head coach Randy Carlyle. Now they are all champions. "I've been dreaming about this moment for 15 years," Selanne said. "There were times when I never thought this would happen. "I'm so happy that I finally won something. The Stanley Cup is the biggest trophy for a hockey player, and that's why this is so special." Niedermayer named MVP Scott Niedermayer further distinguished himself by winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the top playoff performer this spring. "I was a little surprised," he said. "We had a handful of candidates, I think. "I was out there trying to do my thing. To be recognized like that, I'm thankful." "He is one heck of a defenceman, a very tough defenceman to forecheck," Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson noted. "He carried their team, I think." The Niedermayers are the first siblings to win the Stanley Cup together since Brent and Duane Sutter did so with the New York Islanders in 1983. "To do it with my brother, it's unbelievable," Rob Niedermayer said. "It feels good to win today." When Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim's captain, received the Stanley Cup from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, he handed it first to his brother. "I guess he's one of the assistant captains," Scott Niedermayer said. "Maybe not quite the seniority. "But I figured I could use my rank as captain to make that decision. I thought it'd be pretty special to be able to do that." The Niedermayers, from Cranbrook, B.C., also represent two of Anaheim's 19 Canadian players, the most Canadian content of any team in the NHL. "No question, they had more depth than us in this series," Alfredsson said. Alfredsson scored both goals in a losing cause for the Senators, giving him a team-record 14 in the playoffs. "It's kind of hard to take in right now," Alfredsson said. "It feels very empty. "We worked so hard to get here. I don't think we played our best." "It's the worst feeling you could have as a hockey player," Senators forward Mike Comrie said. "They played us tough." Ray Emery made 12 saves in defeat. "We were more than capable of winning against that team," he said. "That's why it's even more disappointing. "If we play our game, we beat that team. But we didn't play our game." "Nothing was really happening and I was disappointed for him, not at him but for him," Senators head coach Bryan Murray said. "He really had a battle to support his own players' play." Quick start by Ducks Anaheim outshot Ottawa just 5-3 in the first period, but jumped out to a 2-0 advantage. Three Senators found themselves parked in the penalty box in the first six minutes, allowing the Ducks to gain early momentum and, ultimately, an early lead. McDonald was credited with opening the scoring 3:41 into the contest when his pass banked off a skate and behind Emery at the end of a lengthy two-man advantage. It was McDonald's fifth goal of the Stanley Cup final and 10th of the playoffs, both team highs. "I was trying to send it across to Teemu's backdoor and it went in off a defenceman's skate," McDonald said. Rob Niedermayer made it 2-0 with 2:19 left in the period, when he collected the puck along the side boards and bulled his way around a defenceman before fooling Emery with a backhand shot to the stick side for his fifth. Alfredsson replied 11:27 into the second period as he retrieved the puck along the side boards and fed it to Mike Fisher, who circled in the corner and passed it to Peter Schaefer. Rather than shoot, Schaefer tapped the puck to Alfredsson and he fired it past Giguere to cut it to 2-1. Schaefer nearly tied it moments later as he deflected a slapshot from Chris Phillips, only to watch it hit the left goalpost. Phillips later suffered the ultimate indignity, taking the puck from Emery behind the Senators net and inadvertently knocking it off the goaltender's skate and into the net as he began to rush up ice. "It has happened 100 times," Phillips said. "I pulled the puck out to go the other way [and] it just got caught in his feet." Phillips's own-goal was credited to Moen at 15:44. "Now I know how Steve Smith feels," Phillips said, referring to the retired Edmonton Oilers defenceman who had a similar goal in a Game 7 loss to the Calgary Flames in 1986. "It was just a terrible break," Alfredsson said. "I feel bad for him. "He had an incredible year for us. Those things happen." Alfredsson trimmed the deficit just 1:54 later on a marvelous individual effort, outracing Ryan Getzlaf to the loose puck and fending him off as he beat Giguere high to the glove side for his second goal of the period. But Beauchemin offset Alfredsson's short-handed goal with a power-play tally 50 seconds later on a slapshot that grazed Anton Volchenkov en route to the back of the net. It was Beauchemin's fourth and put Anaheim ahead 4-2 through 40 minutes. Moen upped it to 5-2 at 4:01 of the third period, deflecting Scott Niedermayer's low shot for his second goal of the game and seventh overall. After Giguere foiled Vermette on a penalty shot 7:23 in the third period, Perry's sixth capped the scoring with three minutes remaining. "Anaheim is a hell of a team," Murray said. "We thought we could have competed and the series would have been longer at any rate. "Positionally, they played better than we did. Defence, in particular." Senators dug deep hole Ottawa is the third straight Canadian team to reach the Stanley Cup final, and the third to fail to win it all, suffering the same fate as the Calgary Flames (2004) and Edmonton Oilers (2006), both of whom fell in seven games. The Senators went 0-3 in one-goal games in the final after claiming seven of 10 one-goal decisions in the first three rounds. "I don't think we played as well as we could," Senators forward Dany Heatley said. "It's frustrating and disappointing. "Especially offensively, we're better than that, we can create more than we did. I don't know what to say more than that." Ottawa finished 13-7 in the playoffs, winning five-game series from the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Devils and Buffalo Sabres to reach the Stanley Cup final for the first time since the franchise was resurrected as an expansion entry in 1992-93. Ottawa's original franchise (1893-1934) last played in the championship final 80 years ago, beating Art Ross's Boston Bruins, but the modern-day Senators dug themselves an early hole against Anaheim. The Senators lost the first two games of the best-of-seven series at Anaheim, knowing full well that only one of 30 teams had erased an 0-2 road deficit to win the Stanley Cup. That was the Canadiens in 1971, when a rookie goaltender named Ken Dryden backstopped them by the Chicago Blackhawks in seven games. "I'm disappointed for all of us that we didn't get it done," Murray said. With files from the Canadian Press ||||| View larger image Anaheim Ducks Rob Niedermayer looks back as the puck slides into the net after scoring against Ottawa Senators' goalie Ray Emery on Wednesday, June 6, 2007. (AP / Dave Sanford, Pool) View larger image Anaheim Ducks defenceman Scott Niedermayer raises the Stanley Cup after winning Game 5 of the NHL Stanley Cup final hockey game Wednesday, June 6, 2007, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP / Mark J. Terrill) View larger image An Ottawa Senators fan holds his head at the end of the first period while watching the action on large screens in Ottawa Wednesday, June 6, 2007. (CP / Jonathan Hayward) Anaheim Ducks win 2007 Stanley Cup CTV.ca News Staff The Anaheim Ducks have become the first Californian team to win the Stanley Cup, beating the Ottawa Senators 6-2 Wednesday night and hoisting the trophy after five games. Anaheim took the lead in the first period, thanks to goals from Andy McDonald -- who scored on a power play -- and Rob Niedermayer. Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson fought back in the second period, personally scoring two goals, but the Ducks managed to stay ahead. Senators player Chris Phillips scored on his own net as he tried to get the puck away from Travis Moen, who was credited with the goal. And then Anaheim's Francois Beauchemin scored -- his fourth goal of the playoffs. The Ducks dominated the third period, with Moen and Corey Perry both blasting the puck into the Senators' goal, in front of a capacity crowd of 17,372 at the Honda Center. Ottawa never managed to get the puck past Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere in the final period. The netminder managed a total of 11 saves Wednesday night. To the frustration of Ottawa fans, history was firmly set against the Senators. Since the best-of-seven format began in 1939, only the Toronto Maple Leafs have ever managed to win after trailing the finals 3-1 -- and that was back in 1942. "I think most people accepted the Senators weren't going to pull this off. There were no lineups outside the bars on 'Sens Mile' like there were earlier in the series," reported CTV's Roger Smith in Ottawa. Anaheim also had 16 Canadian players on its team, compared with 12 skating for Ottawa. Two of the Canadians playing for the Ducks were brothers: Scott and Rob Niedermayer. They're the first siblings to win the Cup together since Brent and Duane Sutter raised the trophy for the New York Islanders in 1983. Scott Niedermayer also won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. And in another piece of future trivia, Anaheim player Teemu Selanne, 36, is the oldest player in NHL history to score more than 45 goals. The Finn managed 48 in the regular season. Despite winning the Stanley Cup, however, celebrations were largely subdued in California. "They used to call this place 'The Pond,' and hockey spirit here is a bit like a pebble in a pond: the ripples don't go very far. A kilometre or so away from here and you wouldn't know there was any hockey," reported CTV's Tom Walters from outside Anaheim's Honda Center. "There was bit of a splash in the centre, though. Nearly 18,000 fans saw their team win the Stanley Cup, the first in the 13-year history of this franchise, and that was very exciting for those in the building." With files from The Canadian Press | ''Anaheim wins series 4-1. (Best of Seven)'' The Anaheim Ducks won the National Hockey League's (NHL) on Wednesday in Game 5 of the . The Ducks achieved a 6-2 score against the Ottawa Senators at their home stadium, , winning the best-of-seven series while only allowing one Ottawa victory. This marks the first such championship for a California professional ice hockey team. They are the first west coast team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1925 Victoria Cougars. Scott Niedermayer won the as the NHL's most valuable player in the 2006-2007 season. |
Ms Stewart has several new business ventures planned She was flown home in a private jet to complete the remainder of her sentence - five months under house arrest. Shares in her firm Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia rose $2.15 to $36.10 in early trading on Friday. Her movements will be monitored by an electronic bracelet but she will be free to resume her business activities. "The experience of the last five months... has been life altering and life affirming," Ms Stewart said in a statement issued on her website. "Someday, I hope to have the chance to talk more about all that has happened, the extraordinary people I have met here and all that I have learned." On the payroll Her downfall was selling nearly 4,000 shares in ImClone Systems after a long-time friend tipped her off that a negative government report about the company's cancer drug was due to be released. Ms Stewart, who made millions selling housekeeping advice and accessories, was convicted of lying about the share deal. Ms Stewart, 63, will now be able to leave her 153-acre estate in Katonah, New York, for up to 48 hours a week to carry on her work. Her plans include a role in property magnate Donald Trump's hit US business reality TV show The Apprentice and creative input to Martha Stewart Living. She will also appear in a revival of her homemaking TV show and her company will resume paying her a salary of $900,000 (£471,800) a year, according to Associated Press. However, her conviction means she will not be able to lead her business empire again - unless granted permission to do so by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the country's financial watchdog. High-profile departure Ms Stewart left prison in a sports utility vehicle, which took her to a private jet. A two-vehicle motorcade sped her out of prison in Alderson, West Virginia, in the early hours of Friday morning to a nearby airstrip, where supporters cheered her on as she boarded the plane. Her company's shares had rallied while she was in jail amid hopes that she would make a comeback after serving her sentence. Ms Stewart's incarceration is also said to have benefited the economy of Alderson, whose residents have cashed in on their celebrity inmate with the sale of novelty souvenirs. ||||| ABC News Martha Stewart Leaves Federal Prison Martha Stewart Leaves Prison After Serving a Five-Month Sentence for Lying About a Stock Sale Martha Stewart is shown in New York in this July 16, 2004, file photo. From scrubbing floors to raking leaves, Stewart spent the past five months performing the sort of tasks ordinarily done by the hired help. That could all come to an end as early as Friday, March 4, 2005, when the foremost authority on gracious living gets out of prison in time for the spring gardening season. (AP Photo/Louis Lanzano, File) By The Associated Press ALDERSON, W.Va. Mar 4, 2005 Wasting no time, Martha Stewart left prison in the middle of the night Friday and quickly set her sights on rebuilding her homemaking empire after serving a five-month sentence for lying about a stock sale. Stewart was allowed to leave prison at 12:30 a.m Friday in a two-vehicle motorcade and headed to a nearby airport where she was to board a private jet for a flight to New York. She will spend the next five months on home confinement at her 153-acre estate in Katonah, N.Y. A sport utility vehicle carrying Stewart drove through the prison gate past reporters and about 15 fans without stopping. About a 1/2 mile from the prison a cardboard sign said, "Goodbye Martha. From fans and friends in Alderson, W.Va." Keith Bennett braved the 16-degree temperature to see Stewart leave. "I don't care about any of her stuff at Kmart or her flowers, I just think she's hot for her age," said Bennett, 43, of nearby Ronceverte. Stewart, 63, had 72 hours after leaving Alderson to report to corrections officials in New York to be fitted with an electronic ankle bracelet so her movements can be monitored. Under the terms of her confinement, she will be allowed to leave her compound for up to 48 hours a week for her job, including working on her version of the hit reality TV show "The Apprentice" and continuing her role as creative talent for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She also will star in a revival of her homemaking show, and her company will resume paying her $900,000-a-year salary. In the process, Stewart hopes to turn around the fortunes of a company that produces everything from television shows and magazines to bed sheets and bakeware. In 2004, the company suffered a loss and its revenues sagged, but the stock price rose considerably during her prison stint as investors bet on a Martha comeback. During her time at the federal women's camp in Alderson, Stewart kept with her lemonade-from-lemons attitude and sought to imprint her style on the prison. She foraged for dandelions and other wild greens, concocted recipes in a microwave and even ate from a vending machine. She also participated in nightly yoga classes, spent time on crafts and writing and lost weight. ||||| Martha: There's No Place Like Home NEW YORK, March 4, 2005 On With The Ankle Bracelet Martha Stewart waves as she boards her airplane after being released from Alderson Federal Reformatory for Women in Alderson, W. Va. (Photo: AP) "This would not have happened to someone else. They slam-dunked her because of who she is." Linda Blaney, who flew to Alderson with other Martha Stewart supporters to hold up a Stewart-brand sheet outside the jail A sign on the road near the Alderson Federal Prison Camp bids farewell to one of its most famous inmates. (Photo: AP) Interactives: Martha's Mess Click here to view the charges against Martha Stewart, photos from her trial and more. ImClone Who's Who Click here to learn about key players and get the background on the ImClone scandal. Timeline: Martha's Datebook Click here to see key dates in the life and career of Martha Stewart Web: MarthaTalks.com MarthaStewart.com Her Gardening Plans Stories: Martha's New Body -- Not How's She Doing, Really? The Rewards Of Doing Bad Move Over, Trump Martha Slams Prison Grub Martha's 1st Prison Letter (CBS/AP) It's get-out-of jail day for Martha Stewart, who has completed a five-month stint at a federal prison for women in Alderson, West Virginia, for her felony conviction of lying to federal investigators looking into a stock sale. Stewart left the prison at 12:30 a.m. Friday in a two-vehicle motorcade and headed to a nearby airport where she boarded a private jet about 45 minutes later for the flight to New York, which arrived at about 2:15 a.m. Before boarding the aircraft with her daughter, Alexis, Stewart smiled and waved to reporters and fans. Gone were her prison khakis: Stewart was dressed in a gray-and-white poncho, dark jeans and ankle boots. While the lifestyle guru did not say anything to reporters as she left West Virginia, she did have a statement posted on MarthaStewart.com - within minutes - talking about her release. "The experience of the last five months in Alderson, West Virginia has been life altering and life affirming. Someday, I hope to have the chance to talk more about all that has happened, the extraordinary people I have met here and all that I have learned," said Stewart. "I can tell you now that I feel very fortunate to have had a family that nurtured me, the advantage of an excellent education, and the opportunity to pursue the American dream. You can be sure that I will never forget the friends that I met here, all that they have done to help me over these five months, their children, and the stories they have told me," she continued. "Right now, as you can imagine, I am thrilled to be returning to my more familiar life," said Stewart. "My heart is filled with joy at the prospect of the warm embraces of my family, friends and colleagues. Certainly, there is no place like home." Home for Stewart is 153 acres in the New York suburb of Katonah, where she has a large house with several smaller buildings on the property. She will spend the next five months in home confinement, wearing an electronic ankle bracelet to keep authorities informed of her movements. Under the terms of her release, she will be allowed to leave her home for her job, for as many as 48 hours a week. Besides guiding the company she founded, work for Stewart will include appearing in shows for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which will resume paying her $900,000 a year salary. She'll also be launching her own version of "The Apprentice" and will star in a revival of her homemaking show. A horde of reporters and about 15 fans were on hand just after midnight in Alderson as a SUV carrying Stewart drove through the prison gate. About a half mile away from the prison a cardboard sign said, "Goodbye Martha. From fans and friends in Alderson, W.Va." Keith Bennett braved the 16-degree temperature to see Stewart leave. "I don't care about any of her stuff at Kmart or her flowers, I just think she's hot for her age," said Bennett, 43, of nearby Ronceverte. Stewart, 63, has 72 hours after leaving Alderson to report to corrections officials in New York to be fitted with an electronic ankle bracelet so her movements can be monitored. Some Stewart supporters traveled to Alderson to be there for her exit from prison. Linda Blaney, who lives in the Seattle area, flew to West Virginia with friends to display a Stewart brand floral sheet bearing the signatures of Stewart supporters. "We want to make sure she knows we were there and let her know we support her," said Blaney. "This would not have happened to someone else. They slam-dunked her because of who she is." Alderson, which has made a fair amount of money since Stewart checked in as an inmate, won't be quite the same without her. "Every business in town profited," says Betty Alderson, whose husband is descended from the family that founded the town. Alderson's store sold over 1,300 "West Virginia Living, It's A Good Thing" T-shirts at $17 each and has printed up new T-shirts and mugs for Stewart's farewell, reading: "I Spent Time In Alderson, W. Va." Residents are also planting over a thousand bulbs in a spot to be called "Martha's Garden." Stewart meanwhile has a big transition to make settling back into more comfortable digs and the challenging job of resuming the reins in her business empire. Stewart hopes to turn around the fortunes of a company that produces everything from television shows and magazines to bed sheets and bakeware. In 2004, the company suffered a loss and its revenues sagged, but the stock price rose considerably during her prison stint as investors bet on a Martha comeback. During her time at the federal women's camp, Stewart maintained her lemons-into-lemonade attitude, making the best of her new environment. She foraged for dandelions and other wild greens, concocted recipes in a microwave and even ate from a vending machine. She also participated in nightly yoga classes, spent time on crafts and writing and lost weight. Stewart's release came one day shy of the one-year anniversary of her conviction in New York on charges stemming from her 2001 sale of nearly 4,000 shares of the biotechnology company ImClone Systems, run by her longtime friend Sam Waksal. Prosecutors claimed Stewart received a tip that Waksal was unloading his shares ahead of a negative government report about an ImClone cancer drug. The stock tumbled in the following days, and Stewart saved $51,000 on the sale. Stewart's lawyers argued the sale was based on a prearranged agreement with her stockbroker, Peter Bacanovic, to sell once the stock dropped to $60 per share. Stewart was convicted of obstructing justice and lying to the government. Bacanovic is currently serving a five-month federal sentence for his role in the stock deal. Waksal was convicted on a separate charge of insider trading. ©MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. U.S. Hostage Shooting Angers Italy GIs Fired On Rescue Car; Agent Dead, Hostage In Italian Hospital Judge's Slain Kin Laid To Rest Feds Reportedly Seize Letters Written By White Supremacist ©MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. | The American domestic diva was today released from prison after a five-month stint at the in . She will continue the rest of her sentence with an electronic tag for the next five months under house arrest. Martha Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison, a further five months under tag and fined 30,000 for charges of conspiracy and obstruction stemming from in shares after the company's wonder drug lost its licence. |
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption John Oliver has spoken about the importance of net neutrality legislation before The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website was deliberately attacked on 8 May, the regulator has said. The incident began hours after comedian John Oliver criticised FCC plans to reverse US net neutrality rules. Mr Oliver urged people to post to the site's online commenting system, protesting against the proposals. The FCC said that issues with the site were caused by orchestrated attacks, not high volumes of traffic. "These actors were not attempting to file comments themselves; rather they made it difficult for legitimate commenters to access and file with the FCC," chief information officer Dr David Bray said in an official statement. "While the comment system remained up and running the entire time, these distributed denial of service (DDoS) events tied up the servers and prevented them from responding to people attempting to submit comments." 'Trolling the trolls' In his Sunday night show Last Week Tonight, Mr Oliver called on viewers to visit a website that would direct them to the correct page on the FCC site to leave their comments. "Every internet group needs to come together… gamers, YouTube celebrities, Instagram models, Tom from MySpace if you're still alive. We need all of you," he said. His plea came after FCC chairman Ajit Pai said in April that he would review rules made in 2015 that require broadband companies to treat all online traffic equally. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption EXPLAINED: What is a DDoS attack? Last December, Mr Pai said in a speech that the net neutrality laws were "holding back investment, innovation, and job creation". "Mr Pai is essentially trolling the trolls," Chris Marsden, professor of internet law at the University of Sussex, told the BBC. "If you bait John Oliver, you reap what you sow." The FCC will vote on Mr Pai's proposals to revoke the legislation on 18 May. ||||| The net neutrality fight is unfortunately back, and just as he did three years ago, comedian John Oliver has devoted a segment of his show Last Week Tonight to call out the importance of the open internet and encourage viewers to comment on the new proposed rules. In the new segment, Oliver highlights the current issues with net neutrality, including Verizon’s recent misleading video defending the company’s viewpoint for net neutrality (ignoring the fact that Verizon is responsible for forcing internet to be classified as Title II in the first place) and Ajit Pai’s new plan to reverse Title II net neutrality (and his not-at-all reassuring plan to rely on terms of service instead). If you’ve been out of the loop on the latest when it comes to the fight for net neutrality, Oliver’s clip is a good recap of where things stand today. Related FCC announces plan to reverse Title II net neutrality Oliver’s original video (in which he infamously compared then FCC commissioner Tom Wheeler as a “dingo” and appealed to internet trolls to channel their efforts into something useful) was undeniably successful, resulting in over 45,000 comments getting posted to the FCC’s website within hours of the clip airing, and even crashing the FCC’s site. And, like last time, Oliver is once again rallying viewers to go comment on the FCC’s website — even buying a helpful redirection URL of www.gofccyourself.com to make it easier to find the comment form. ||||| Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website: We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking “I agree” below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service. | Late Sunday night and Monday morning, the website of the United States (FCC) became unresponsive, which interfered with attempts by the public to express their views on the proposals currently up for comment, including one about . Although comedian on his show '''' had asked his viewers to inundate the website with comments supporting Net Neutrality, the FCC says a DDoS () cyberattack, not angry fans, are responsible for their website's issues. John Oliver in 2013. FCC Chief Information Officer David Bray explained in a formal statement that FCC.gov's problems did not come from a large volume of complaints and comments, which is what Oliver had asked his fans to make, but from sabotage. "These actors were not attempting to file comments themselves; rather they made it difficult for legitimate commenters to access and file with the FCC," said Bray. Net Neutrality is the idea that Internet providers should not be allowed to speed up or slow down access to certain websites, which would presumably be done for payment. In 2014, the U.S. government ruled Internet providers must be held to standards similar to those of telephone companies and changed their legal classification to fall under Title II of the , which gave the FCC the legal authority to order them not to give preferential treatment to high-paying customers. In response to a previous Net Neutrality proposal in 2014, John Oliver did a segment on the fifth episode of ''Last Week Tonight'' explaining the difference between Title I and Title II status and asking his viewers to flood the FCC's websites with comments supporting regulation. Approximately 4 million did so, and the website crashed. Sunday night, Oliver asked the public to repeat the performance, recommending comments to make and providing a single link to take them to the exact part of FCC.gov required: "America needs you to rise — or more accurately, remain seated in front of your computer screen — to this occasion," said Oliver on the air. "So please, fly my pretties, fly once more!" Again, the FCC website soon suffered problems. Despite Sunday night's issues, the FCC still received tens of thousands of comments on the proposed relaxing of the 2014 regulations, which is up for a vote on May 18. == Sources == * * * * * * |
Around 400 police commandos stormed the auto plant in the town of Pyeongtaek [Reuters] Hundreds of South Korean police commandos have mounted a dramatic raid on a car plant outside Seoul in an effort to end a strike by hundreds of sacked workers that has lasted for more than two months. As the raid began on Wednesday morning some descended from a shipping container carried by helicopter onto to one of the plant's paint shop buildings, said to contain tanks of highly-flammable chemicals. Fires set by the protesters inside the plant sent clouds of thick black smoke billowing into the sky. The factory, owned by troubled carmaker Ssangyong, has been occupied by around 600 workers fighting mass layoffs at the debt-stricken company. A union representing the workers said that they "will fight to the death should police forcefully break up the occupation". According to media reports, two workers fell from a three-storey rooftop while trying to stop the commandos from landing. Yonhap news agency reported they were injured but not in critical condition. The factory is located at Pyeongtaek about 70km south of the South Korean capital, Seoul. Slingshots The workers say they will "fight to the death" if forcefully removed from the plant [EPA] Workers, armed with steel pipes and giant slingshots firing nuts and bolts, have been holed up inside the paint shop for two months. The police raid comes after talks were held last week between management and union representatives aimed at ending the standoff. Last week, an estimated 4,000 members of the South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions protested outside the main factory in Pyeongtaek. The protesters were demonstrating against a plan to enforce massive job cuts and in support of the occupying workers. The siege has paralysed production and Ssangyong says it has cost the company more than $184m in lost output. South Korea's fifth-largest carmaker has been in court-approved bankruptcy protection since February after falling sales and mounting debt raised questions about its survival. As part of its bankruptcy protection process, it has been carrying out a major restructuring, aiming to shed about a third of its work force. Compromise rejected Some 1,670 workers have left the company voluntarily while of the thousand or so who opposed the move, some were later fired, a company spokesman said. In late June union representatives rejected a compromise offer from management to rehire some laid off workers by 2012 and give others help to find other jobs or opportunities to retire with more benefits. A union spokesman has said the company should present a better proposal regarding the layoffs. Ssangyong is majority-owned by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp, one of China's largest auto manufacturers, although it lost management control in the bankruptcy protection process. ||||| The police, in their second raid on the plant of Ssangyong Motor Co. in Pyeongtaek yesterday, gained control of most of the buildings. The head-on collision resulted in dozens of injuries and two fired workers fell from a rooftop while running away from the invading police officials. The police, following their maneuver which started Tuesday to break up the sit-in protests by the fired workers, again sent in special troops into the plant early yesterday morning. After some struggle, a special police corps successfully landed on the rooftops of the assembly plant buildings by using container boxes lifted by cranes, said officials. During the process, two fired workers fell from the four-story high building. "One of the injured workers is in a critical condition, due to loss of blood," said a member of the union. However, a Ssangyong management official refuted that the casualties were not so heavy. At around a.m. 10, following the assembly plants, one of the paint shops was soon invaded by commandos who landed on the rooftops from helicopters, according to officials. The union members fought back with slingshots, metal pipes and Molotov cocktails, causing a fire in the plant that had to be put out by fire-fighting helicopters, said officials. The number of injuries is yet unknown and some reporters are also said to have been hurt at the scene. The police, however, took more caution in raiding the other plant shop, the largest building in the factory that is filled up with inflammable chemicals, according to officials. "We have not set a deadline for our operations, and will take sufficient time in penetrating into the remaining paint shop building," said National Police Agency chief Kang Hee-rak yesterday at the completion ceremony of the Daejeon District Police Agency. "Security should, at all times, be considered the most important in our operations." The second paint shop building, known to be the protesters' strategic base, remains isolated within the police-invaded plant site, cut off from all supplies of food, medicine and electricity. Some 500 resisting union members are said to occupy the building. The automaker has been involved in months-long protests since the massive job cuts on May 22, as an attempt to set its turnaround program to the bankruptcy court by next month. The fluctuating tension at the plant spiked as the final labor-management talks failed on Sunday. The Ssangyong creditors declared to file for the company's bankruptcy to the court, should the concerned parties fail to settle an agreement. (tellme@heraldm.com) By Bae Hyun-jung 2009.08.06 ||||| South Korean police commandos battled through a hail of firebombs, metal parts and burning tyres to seize a building occupied by strikers in a bid to evict them from a car plant. The operation left dozens of people injured with 23 sent to hospital for treatment, Yonhap news agency reported. Three vehicles used by the strikers for barricades were burnt. It began after thousands of riot police surrounded a paint shop and an adjacent building at the Ssangyong Motor plant in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometres south of Seoul on Tuesday. Police storm Korean car plant South Korean police storm a factory occupied by hundreds of laid-off workers. Hundreds of workers - armed with metal pipes and inflammable paint thinner - have occupied the factory since May 21 in protest at job cuts designed to save the Chinese-invested company. Witnesses said two police helicopters sprayed liquid tear gas. Police removed barricades with forklifts to help about 100 commandos climb ladders to a rooftop through a hail of nuts and bolts fired by catapults. Strikers also hurled firebombs and rocks or rolled out burning tyres, but failed to stop police reaching the rooftop of the building attached to the paint shop, where unionists have holed up. Police tried to move into the paint shop itself but retreated after fierce resistance from the strikers. More than 500 unionists were still inside the paint shop, which is stacked with inflammable materials. Hundreds of firefighters were on standby. The strikers' occupation has virtually halted production at the debt-stricken plant. Three days of talks between managers and union leaders broke down on Sunday, raising concerns the company may go bankrupt. The firm in February secured court protection from creditors after China's Shanghai Automotive Industry gave up management control. Court-appointed managers have since struggled to turn it around through job cuts and cost savings. The programme calls for the sacking of 2646 workers or 36 per cent of the workforce. About 1670 of these have taken voluntary redundancy but others began an occupation of the plant. Creditors have threatened to push for bankruptcy against the loss-making plant. But the union has refused to give up its demands for no lay-offs and no lawsuits against it for damages. The stand-off has cost Ssangyong about 316 billion won ($307 million) in lost revenue. The country's smallest auto firm specialises in sports utility vehicles and luxury sedans. AFP | Police raided the SsangYong Motor Company's plant in South Korea today, in order to evict workers who have been occupying the plant since May in protest of proposed layoffs. Most of the workers were those who were previously fired for opposing layoffs. 100–400 police officers raided the auto plant south of Seoul at around 10:00 a.m. (local time). Police intended to evict some 600 striking workers who, according to a union representing the workers, "will fight to the death should police forcefully break up the occupation." Workers at the plant are resisting police by attacking them with slingshots, metal pipes and molotov cocktails. During the raid, two unnamed workers fell from the four story building while trying to stop the police from landing onto the roof from cargo containers dropped by helicopter. Both sustained injuries, with one in critical condition from the amount of blood he lost. SsangYong Motor Company has been in court-approved bankruptcy since February and is planning on laying off a third of its workforce to stay in business. However, workers say the company should provide a better proposal regarding the layoffs as well as a more reasonable compensation package for workers being laid off. The situation has caused the company to lose more than US$184 million in output. |
Sign-up to receive the weekly top stories, contest and promotion announcements every Tuesday Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of Canada.com Newsletter will soon be in your inbox. ||||| NASA investigates possible sabotage of recorder for lab By MARK CARREAU Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle NASA is investigating the apparent sabotage of electronic equipment bound for the international space station aboard the shuttle Endeavour, officials said Thursday. The damage involves the cutting of wires in a device meant to record and transmit to Mission Control several measurements of stresses to the space station structure, according to NASA. The equipment is not considered essential to astronaut safety. William Gerstenmaier, the agency's associate administrator for space operations, said the contractor company responsible for the device reported the damage to the wires of a test version about 10 days ago. Similar damage later was found inside the version of the device that had been sent to the Florida shuttleport for loading aboard Endeavour. It had not been placed aboard the spacecraft. Gerstenmaier declined to name the company involved. The Los Angeles Times reported that the sabotage appeared to have occurred in early June, while the devices were still at Invocon Inc., an electronics firm and Boeing Co. subcontractor in Conroe. "We don't know if it's one or more people,'' said Kevin Champaigne, an executive at the company, which has about 30 employees. The damaged device should be repaired in time to fly aboard the shuttle, which is scheduled for liftoff Aug. 7. NASA officials said they do not know who damaged the equipment or what the motive for sabotage might be. The disclosure of the sabotage investigation came on an already troubling day for NASA, as it faced questions about a report that shuttle astronauts in at least two instances were launched into space despite warnings that they posed a safety risk by being intoxicated. Gerstenmaier said he wanted to dispel any suspicion that union machinists who are on strike against the NASA's shuttle prime contractors, United Space Alliance, were involved in the damage to the device. The strike by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers has been under way since mid-June. The company responsible for the recording device also supplies an external sensor system used aboard the shuttle to detect any impact on the spacecraft's wings from debris. Gerstenmaier offered assurances that other equipment had not been damaged intentionally. "This was fairly recent," he said. "We surveyed essentially all of the hardware that was provided by this particular contractor. We have reviewed the perfomance and made sure the hardware is performing exactly the way it is supposed to." Educator astronaut Over an 11- to 14-day mission, Endeavour's crew of seven astronauts will expand the international space station with new components and replace a failed steering gyroscope. Endeavour's crew includes Barbara Morgan, NASA's second educator astronaut. Morgan, 55, served as the backup to New Hampshire schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, who perished with six others in the 1986 explosion of Challenger. After returning to her classroom in McCall, Idaho, Morgan joined NASA in 1998 to train as a professional astronaut. Her duties on the flight will include robot arm operations and cargo transfers. mark.carreau@chron.com . ||||| President Donald Trump has fired the State Department's inspector general, an Obama administration appointee whose office was critical of alleged political bias in the agency's management. Trump's emergency powers worry some senators, legal experts The day he declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency, President Donald Trump made a cryptic offhand remark. Coronavirus masks a boon for crooks who hide their faces The way the FBI tells it, William Rosario Lopez put on a surgical mask and walked into the Connecticut convenience store looking to the world like a typical pandemic-era shopper as he picked up plastic wrap, fruit snacks and a few other items. Democrats push $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill through House It has no chance of becoming law as written, but will likely spark difficult negotiations with the White House and Senate Republicans. House OKs proxy votes, allowing members to work remotely Democrats argue the House can rely on technology for remote work as the pandemic drags on. But Republicans objected to what they see as a power grab during the crisis. USGS reports magnitude-6.4 earthquake in western Nevada The U.S. Geological Service is reporting that a magnitude-6.4 earthquake struck in remote western Nevada. Officials release edited coronavirus reopening guidance U.S. health officials on Thursday released some of their long-delayed guidance that schools, businesses and other organizations can use as states reopen from coronavirus shutdowns. Newsday recommends Latest news: Trump presidency Get complete coverage of U.S. politics, including the 45th president, his administration and Congress. View Trump still doesn't see the point of mass virus testing Trump is proud of "the best testing in the world." But he calls it "overrated" and offers a novel theory: Less testing would mean fewer coronavirus cases. Janison: Trump's poses on reopening are still wobbly It's easier to proclaim support for quicker reopening than it is to make tough decisions and accept responsibility. Ahead of election, Trump attacks Russia probe and Democrats President Trump and his Republican allies are pushing to reframe the Russia investigation as a "deep state" plot to sabotage his administration. ||||| CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) -- The U.S. space agency NASA on Thursday confirmed it had discovered the apparent sabotage of a noncritical component of the international space station due to be carried up by the space shuttle Endeavour. It launched an investigation after finding cut wires in a piece of computer equipment intended to transfer data from station sensors to the ground, the agency said. NASA says it discovered the apparent sabotage of a noncritical component of the international space station. NASA said it will try to launch Endeavour on August 7 for the spacecraft's first mission in nearly five years. Endeavour, fresh from a complete overhaul and the last of NASA's three remaining shuttles to return to flight following the 2003 Columbia disaster, is due to carry out a construction mission to the $100-billion space station. It will be NASA's second shuttle flight of the year. Endeavour was almost totally rebuilt during its overhaul and was like a new space shuttle, shuttle program manager Wayne Hale told reporters at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where the launch will take place. "It's like driving a new car off the showroom floor," Hale said. Endeavour's seven crew members include teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan, who trained 22 years ago as the backup to teacher-in-space Christa McAuliffe, one of the astronauts who died when Challenger blew up at liftoff in January 1986. Don't Miss Earth observation satellites in peril Endeavour will be carrying a new support beam for the half-finished space station and a replacement gyroscope needed to help the outpost maintain its position in space. Among the shuttle's upgrades is a new system that will enable the spacecraft to tap into the station's electrical system and stay longer at the outpost. If the power transfer system works properly, NASA plans to extend Endeavour's mission from 11 to 14 days. That will allow time for the crew to finish extra work preparing the orbital outpost for the arrival later this year and next year of laboratories built by Europe and Japan. It also will carry a module loaded with about 5,000 pounds of equipment and supplies for the station crew. E-mail to a friend Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All About NASA | The ISS from Atlantis on June 10, 2007. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has reported that a space program worker deliberately cut the wires on a computer that was bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The employee has yet to be identified, but works for a subcontractor for NASA. Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA Space Operations Chief, stated that the sabotage occurred outside of Florida at an unnamed subcontractor. The same worker allegedly damaged another computer that was not bound for the space station. "I don't want to speculate on motivation. The damage is very obvious. It's easy to detect. It's not a mystery to us," said Gerstenmaier. The device is reported to be a recorder for the ISS that would monitor stress the station receives while it is in orbit. NASA states that it will repair the computer so it is ready for the Space Shuttle Endeavour on August 7. Investigations are "going on and I'd rather let that get handled that way," added Gerstenmaier. |
Troopers kill Capitol gunman The body of a gunman lies on the floor at the state Capitol after troopers shot him, saying he had threatened office staff members on July 16, 2007. (Brian Brainerd | The Denver Post) Gov. Bill Ritter was interviewing a judicial candidate in his office when he heard shots ring out this afternoon. The governor spoke on the steps of the state Capitol barely two hours after a gunman who claimed he was "the emperor" who had arrived to take over state government was killed by state troopers. The man was shot just outside the governor's office around 2:25 p.m., in front of more than a dozen tourists and state workers. State troopers, who provide security inside the statehouse, ordered the man to drop his gun. He didn't, and they shot him. The man died where he fell. All the witnesses were taken to Denver police headquarters for questioning, and Ritter said he was "mindful" of the trauma they'd experienced. Death at the Capitol Watch a video report about the shooting at the Colorado state Capitol. Watch a video of Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter's press conference, held after the shooting. Browse a slide show of images from the shooting and aftermath. Discuss the killing at the state Capitol of a man who declared himself "the emperor." "I have a great security detail. They take great care of me," said Ritter, when questioned about whether he felt safe. Ritter would not provide many details about the incident, citing his experience handling investigations as Denver district attorney. The man's identity has not been released. No one besides the gunman was hurt, spokesman Evan Dreyer said. The Capitol is on lockdown while police investigate. The governor's office, near the front entrance, is closed for renovations. Ritter has been using offices on the north end of the first floor and was there when the man entered the Capitol. Dreyer said he was in his office at the south end of the first floor and did not witness the shooting. Art Mendoza, 44, and his wife Rosa Moreno, 28, both of Los Angeles, were touring the second floor of the Capitol when they heard three shots fired. Moreno looked down and saw a person falling to the ground. Moreno said that when she first heard the shots, she thought it was staged for the tour. Then she looked toward the sound. "I saw the back of the guy as he fell down," Moreno said. "I just saw him drop." A group on a tour of the Capitol saw a man in a tuxedo kneeling in the hallway praying. A few minutes Police look over a body of a man who was killed by a member of Gov. Bill Ritter's security detail on the first floor of the Capitol in Denver on Monday, July 16, 2007. (AP) later, they heard someone yell, "You're going to pay for this, you (expletive)." The group of 12 to 20 people then heard gunshots, and afterward, many of them were in tears. Some of them were crouched on the floor hugging each other. There were at least three different tour groups roaming the Capitol at the time of the shooting. After the shots were fired, the groups were told to stay where they were. One was in the Dome on the upper level, one was on the first floor and one on the second floor. About 20 minutes later, an unidentified staff member at the Capitol came to the group on the second floor. She was breathless because she had run up the stairs. "There's been a shooting at the governor's office," she said. "I don't know what's going on. We've been asked to evacuate the building." Denver police responded to the scene, as did Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey. At a news conference shortly after the shooting, State Patrol Master Trooper Ron Watkins said five troopers responded to a call from the governor's office. He said he did not know how many troopers were involved in the shooting. Four troopers are assigned to the Capitol; two are assigned to the governor and two provide transportation and additional security in the Capitol. Rep. Edward Casso, D-Thornton, said he was returning to his third floor office from lunch when he heard the commotion. Looking down from the second floor, Casso saw a man lying in pool of blood, with blood splatters behind him. Casso described the man as a white male, 30 to 40 years old, about 6-feet-2-inches tall and weighing about 225 pounds. Casso said the man was dressed in black or blue slacks and a white shirt. He said 10 to 15 state troopers had secured the area around the governor's office, and one of them "was visibly shaken," he said. Republican state Sens. Mike Kopp of Littleton and Andy McElhany of Colorado Springs said they were meeting in the Senate minority offices when they heard four loud bangs. They thought the sounds were from construction work. Then a staffer burst into the room and told them there was a shooting. "Your mind immediately races to the other tragedies that have taken place," Kopp said. Both senators were certain that Capitol security would become part of the political debate in the next legislative session. They said that after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, metal detectors were placed in the Capitol, but they were removed after about a year when members of the House and Senate decided they were not necessary. State Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial, said it is the first time she is aware of any security breach during her nine years at the Capitol. She said she would not seek security changes, such as installing metal detectors at the doors. "It would really make me sad if we had to shut down buildings," she said. She added: I still don't feel threatened. I can't be intimidated by feeling that someone is going to come into the Capitol and put my life at risk." Denverpost.com will update this story as quickly as information becomes available. Denver Post staff writers Mark Couch, Jennifer Brown, Felisa Cardona, Nick Martin and Karen Crummy contributed to this report. ||||| Gunman was in doctor's care Aaron Richard Snyder, the man killed Monday at the Capitol, had been diagnosed as delusional and was under the care of a doctor, his mother told Northglenn police. When Northglenn police got a report Monday from a Mister Neat's store about a suspicious man who rented a tuxedo, they began an investigation. They spoke with Snyder's mother, Kathie Snyder, early Monday afternoon. Kathie Snyder told officers, according to the police report, that her son had been diagnosed as delusional by a Littleton doctor and was getting treatment. Police were unable to locate Aaron Snyder, and he was killed by a law enforcement officer when he showed a gun inside the Capitol. Snyder, 32, died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to an autopsy Death at the Capitol Watch a video report about the shooting at the Colorado state Capitol. Watch a video of Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter's press conference, held after the shooting. Browse a slide show of images from the shooting and aftermath. Discuss the killing at the state Capitol of a man who declared himself "the emperor." report released today. Snyder was a student at Colorado State University and worked in research and development, said Jane Ingalls, company spokeswoman at Advanced Energies, where he began a summer internship May 14. He sent an e-mail to all employees of the company at 8:25 a.m. the day he died, according to Rita Davis, Fort Collins police spokeswoman. "Thank you very much for hiring me. I have not properly identified myself. I am the emperor, the sovereign rule of this nation. God has bestowed this honor on me. Today is the appointed day in which God has chosen for me to begin my reign. I have decided to favour (sic) Advanced Energies as a company. Please keep the Emperor's desk free for my use in R and D purposes when I have spare time. I take engineering very seriously. With love in Jesus Christ, signed Aaron Aurelius Ricardus Constantinus." Company officials called Fort Collins police about the e-mail after Northglenn police said Snyder had been working in Fort Collins. "We did a welfare check on Advanced Energies to make sure everything was OK," Davis said. Davis said the company did not mention whether Snyder had demonstrated similar behavior in the past. Today, neighbors in Thornton said Aaron A man lays on the floor at the state Capitol after troopers shot him, saying he had threatened office staff members on July 16, 2007. (Brian Brainerd | The Denver Post) Snyder lived with his parents, Rick and Kathie. Mary Annunziato, a longtime friend of the family, said Aaron Snyder was a brilliant student and a nice guy. She said he tutored college students to make money. Snyder took online courses at Front Range Community College in the fall of 1991 but did not graduate, school officials said Tuesday. He re-enrolled at the college in the summer of 2005 and was seeking an associate's degree in science, but he had not completed it, records show. Snyder attended Colorado State University at different points from the fall of 1992 through the fall of 2006, said university spokeswoman Dell Rae Moellenberg. Snyder earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in the fall of 2005. Snyder Aaron Richard Snyder lived in Thornton with his parents in a development called The Hill at Signal Creek. (Brian Brainerd | The Denver Post) was not enrolled as a student in the master's program in the spring or summer of this year. Doug Egge, another neighbor, said Snyder wanted to be a software engineer. Egge works in computers, and Snyder would ask him questions. Egge said Snyder was a quick study. He described the whole family as "great neighbors." Staff writers Felisa Cardona and Chris Osher contributed to this report. Staff writer Kirk Mitchell can be reached at 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com. | A man identified as Aaron Richard Snyder showed up on Monday around 2:25 p.m. outside the Colorado Capitol offices of Governor Bill Ritter. He was carrying a 357-caliber 7 shot Smith and Wesson revolver with 20 extra rounds of ammunition and started screaming "I am the emperor" and "I am here to take over the state". When he was confronted by a Colorado State trooper, Snyder opened his jacket showing that he was carrying a gun. The trooper ordered Snyder to drop the gun, but instead he moved "menancingly" in the direction of the trooper who then shot him once in the head and twice in the chest. Snyder died from the multiple gunshot wounds on the floor of the Capitol office building. The Capitol went on a full lockdown with employees, tour groups and visitors in the building at the time ordered to stay where they were. Governor Ritter was interviewing a judge candidate in his office at the time of the shooting. He held a press conference on the Capitol step two hours later. Mr. Snyder was under doctors care for delusional behavior. The Northglenn, Colorado police issued a BOL "Be On the Lookout" to all law enforcement agencies in Colorado for Snyder and his car, a 2004 black Kia, around 25 minutes before the shooting occurred. |
Scientists relishing confirmation of water ice near the surface beside NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander anticipate even bigger discoveries from the robotic mission in the weeks ahead. "It is with great pride and a lot of joy that I announce today that we have found proof that this hard bright material is really water ice and not some other substance," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson, during a Friday news briefing to announce the confirmation of water ice. "The truth we're looking for is not just looking at ice. It is in finding out the minerals, chemicals and hopefully the organic materials associated with these discoveries," said Smith The mission has the right instruments for analyzing soil and ice to determine whether the local environment just below the surface of far-northern Mars has ever been favorable for microbial life. Key factors are whether the water ever becomes available as a liquid and whether organic compounds are present that could provide chemical building blocks and energy for life. Phoenix landed on May 25 for a Mars surface mission planned to last for three months. "These latest developments are a major accomplishment and validation of the Mars Program's 'follow-the-water' exploration framework," said Doug McCuistion at NASA Headquarters, Washington, director of the space agency's Mars Program. "This specific discovery is the result of an outstanding team working with a robust spacecraft that has allowed them to work ahead of their original science schedule." The key new evidence is that chunks of bright material exposed by digging on June 15 and still present on June 16 had vaporized by June 19. "This tells us we've got water ice within reach of the arm, which means we can continue this investigation with the tools we brought with us," said Mark Lemmon of Texas A&M University, College Station, lead scientist for Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager camera. He said the disappearing chunks could not have been carbon-dioxide ice at the local temperatures because that material would not have been stable for even one day as a solid. The disappearing chunks were in a trench to the northwest of the lander. A hard material, possibly more ice, but darker than the bright material in the first trench, has been detected in a second trench, to the northeast of the lander. Scientists plan next to have Phoenix collect and analyze surface soil from a third trench near the second one, and later to mechanically probe and sample the hard layer. "We have in our ice-attack arsenal backhoeing, scraping and rasping, and we'll try all of these," said Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis, lead scientist for Phoenix's Robotic Arm. Phoenix Project Manager Barry Goldstein of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, reported that an issue reported earlier this week related to producing thousands of duplicate copies of some file-maintenance data files has been diagnosed, and a corrective software patch will be sent to Phoenix within a few days. Science operations continue in the meantime, though all data collected must be relayed to Earth on the same Martian day it is collected, instead of being stored to non-volatile memory when Phoenix powers down to conserve energy during the Martian night. Images sent back Friday morning from Mars showed that the doors to the Number 5 oven on the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer opened part way. The instrument team is working to understand the consequences of this action. The Phoenix mission is led by Smith of the University of Arizona with project management at JPL and development partnership at Lockheed Martin, located in Denver. International contributions come from the Canadian Space Agency; the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland; the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark; Max Planck Institute, Germany; and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. For more about Phoenix, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix and http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu. Adapted from materials provided by NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory ||||| Water has been uncovered for the first time on Mars, raising hopes that the Red Planet may be capable of sustaining life. The Phoenix Mars lander mission Nasa: Exploring the arctic plain of Mars Telegraph science homepage Nasa scientists have revealed that the Phoenix Mars Lander has sent back the first definitive proof that there is water ice hidden beneath the surface of the alien rust-coloured planet. After twenty days of scratching its way through the Martian top soil, the spacecraft uncovered a bright white layer just two inches below the surface. Four days after the white layer was first exposed to sunlight, photographs taken by the lander's on board camera showed the white surface had disappeared. This proves, the scientists say, that the white layer was not salt as had been previously thought possible because it was melting. "It is with great pride and a lot of joy that I announce that we have found proof that this hard bright material is really water ice and not some other substance," said Peter Smith, from the University of Arizona, who is the principal investigator on the Phoenix mission. "We have found the proof that we've been seeking." Chemical analysis of soil containing the white layer are still to be completed, but there is no doubt in the minds of Nasa scientists that they will further confirm the presence of water. advertisement The photographic evidence comes on top of observations made in 2002 by Nasa's Odyssey orbiter which suggested there was a strong chance that the polar regions of the planet contained significant quantities of water ice within 20 inches of the surface. Scientists will now begin asking whether the frozen water could have been liquid at some point in the planet's history, which would have created an environment in which life could have evolved. Channels and gullies seen on the Martian surface suggest the planet enjoyed a wetter past, but it is thought much of the water evaporated - while at the poles it was trapped beneath the surface in the form of ice. They will use the Phoenix's array of instruments and its 8ft robotic arm to study minerals and search for organic material in the soil. Experts believe that if life once exist on Mars, it could still survive today in isolated pockets beneath the soil. Bacteria on Earth have been found to be capable of thriving in even the most hostile of environments around volcanoes and in nuclear reactors. The presence of water ice on Mars will also make future missions to send humans to the planet easier. Nasa has plans to send astronauts to the planet after it has returned humans to the Moon in 2020, and hopes eventually to establish a permanent base on the Red Planet, but one of the major challenges is transporting the water needed for humans to survive. Water is heavy and expensive to carry into space, so officials hope astronauts will instead be able to harvest ice from beneath the planet's soil and then to purify it for drinking water. It would mean that the planet could sustain life in the future, even if it never has before. The Phoenix spacecraft landed on the Martian surface on May 25 for its three-month mission. Since touching down near the planet's north pole it has been analysing the atmosphere and the soil, taking pictures of the surface and digging a number of trenches. The chunks of bright white ice were exposed on June 15 but by June 19 they had begun to vaporise. "This tells us we've got water ice within reach of the arm, which means we can continue this investigation with the tools we brought with us," said Mark Lemmon of Texas A&M University. He added that the disappearing ice could not have been carbon-dioxide ice as at the temperatures on the surface, the material would have evaporated within hours rather than days. The fact it had evaporated at all disproved early theories that the layer was salt. Phoenix has hit a hard surface in another trench which is also believed to be an icy layer, and will also be tested. Professor John Zarnecki, director of the centre for Earth, planetary, space and astronomical research at Open University who is involved in a European mission to search for life on Mars due to launch in 2013, said the discovery was hugely exciting. He said: "All the evidence is piling up that there was at one point lots of water on Mars and there is still a lot locked up as ice. "There could very well be little niches just below the surface where the ice has melted to produce damp patches that would allow bacteria to hang on and grow in colonies. "We know from research here on Earth that life is far tougher than we previously thought – if it can thrive in hostile environment like nuclear reactors and acid rivers, then it could also be hanging on in pockets on Mars." | For the first time ever, NASA has confirmed the presence of water ice on Mars. The , which landed on Mars on May 25, has confirmed to NASA scientists that the white substance it found while digging a trench on June 15 is water ice. In the lower left corner of the left image, a group of lumps is visible. In the right image, the lumps have disappeared, similar to the process of evaporation. "It is with great pride and a lot of joy that I announce today that we have found proof that this hard bright material is really water ice and not some other substance," said Peter Smith, the primary investigator for Phoenix, at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. The chunks were left at the bottom of a trench informally called "Dodo-Goldilocks" when Phoenix's Robotic Arm enlarged that trench on June 15, during the 20th Martian day, or sol, since landing. Several were gone when Phoenix looked at the trench days later. The chunks were visible on June 16, but when Phoenix looked at the trench again on June 19, some of the material had disappeared, implying that it may have evaporated or melted. "This tells us we've got water ice within reach of the arm, which means we can continue this investigation with the tools we brought with us," said primary investigator for Phoenix's stereo imager, Mark Lemmon. Scientists are planning to examine the substance and the soil surrounding it more closely. They plan to test it for signs of organic material and minerals, and hope to find out if the ice was ever a liquid which could have supported microbial life. In December of 2006, scientists announced that the captured images of deposits in gullies on the surface of the planet Mars which have been created since the areas were photographed nine years ago. These deposits were believed to be the residue of liquid water breaking out of cliffs and crater walls, carrying sediment downhill through the gullies, and later evaporating. The gullies are located inside the Terra Sirenum crater and the Centauri Montes regions. In June 2007 the ESA's spacecraft discovered ice deposits in the South Pole of Mars that are larger than the state of Texas. Scientists say that there is enough water in the deposits to cover the entire planet with up to 36 feet of water if the ice was to melt. |
THREE GORGES DAM SITE, Hubei, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The Three Gorges Project, whose mammoth dam was completed on Saturday, will acquire the capability of combating a super big flood occurring once in 100 years as of this year and will start to take effect in flood control two years ahead of schedule. In an interview with Xinhua on Saturday, Li Yong'an, general manager of China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corporation (CYRTGPDC), heralded Saturday's completion of the gigantic dam to a landmark in the construction of the Three Gorges Project. "Even if there is a major flood this summer, the Three Gorges Project is capable of regulating flooded waters in an effective way and preventing 15 million people on the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and their property from damages," said the general manager. Built with 16.1 million cu m of concrete, the Three Gorges Dam is considered the largest reinforced concrete dam in the world. A minor cofferdam has been constructed to facilitate building of the mega dam on the southern bank of the Yangtze River. The mega dam will be put to holding water when the minor cofferdam is blast away on June 6. In accordance with a flood control plan approved by the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, the level of water stored in the Three Gorges Reservoir will be kept below 150 meters during the flood season in this summer. However, if an emergency arises, the water level in the reservoir can be raised to control the water flow in the mainstream of the Yangtze and to alleviate the pressure on the middle and lower reaches of the mighty river, said Li. As a key facility to hold back flooded water, the Three Gorges Reservoir is capable of holding 39.3 billion cu m of water, including a space of 22.15 billion cu m for extra flooded water when it attains a normal water level of 175 meters. With a length of more than 6,300 km and a natural fall of 5,400 meters from the west to the east, the flood-prone Yangtze River is the largest of the kind in China and the third largest in the world. Most of the flooded areas are located at the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze, which are economically developed regions where 15 million residents live and 1.5 million hectares of farmland exit. Four major floods occurred in the regions in the 20th century, with the most recent one occurring in 1998 killing 1,526 people. Professor Wang Jun, a flood control specialist, said the Three Gorges Project, situated at the juncture of the upper reaches of the Yangtze and its middle reaches, could play an irreplaceable role in holding back an influx of water from areas within one million sq km along the upper reaches of the Yangtze. Dr.Wang Wei, a specialist with the Headquarters for Yangtze River Flood Control, said in accordance with the water control plan for the Three Gorges Reservoir in this summer flood season, the Three Gorges Reservoir is capable of taking the initiative to store up flooded water by providing a space of containing 7.29 billion cu m of flooded water, or just one third of the Three Gorges Project's total flood control capacity, when necessary. An estimate given by the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee shows after the construction of the Three Gorges Project, an average of 23,000 hectare of farmland might be spared from inundation each year, and plus the reduced losses spared from inundation of urban residential quarters, the annual benefit could come to two billion yuan (247 million U.S. dollars) which will otherwise have been lost judging by the economic standard and constant prices of 1992, one year before the Three Gorges Project began building. The fact that the Three Gorges Project begins to take effect in flood control does not necessarily mean no worries left in the flood control of the Yangtze River, and the main embankments built along both banks of the Yangtze are direct barriers that will help hold back the swollen waters in the Yangtze, said Li Yong'an, the CYRTGPDC general manager. "China has been investing heavily in constructing a comprehensive flood control network on the Yangtze River, which has the Three Gorges Project as the backbone facility, supported by an upward of 30,000 km of embankments along the Yangtze and specially built zones for diversion and storage of 50 billion cu m of flooded waters," said Li. Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project, including the 2,309-meter-long, 185-meter-high dam with 26 power generators, is being built in three phases on the middle reaches of the Yangtze, China's longest river. In addition to flood control functions, the gigantic project is expected to generate 84.7 billion kwh of electricity annually when it is finally completed. The entire project will be completed by 2008, a year ahead of schedule. Enditem Flood control network in Yangtze River Valley necessary: experts THREE GORGES DAM SITE, Hubei, May 20 (Xinhua) --Chinese water resources specialists say it is necessary to build a comprehensive flood control network in the Yangtze River Valley instead of relying solely on the Three Gorges Project. Following Saturday's completion of the mammoth dam, the Three Gorges Project will be put to storage water fully next month, producing its initial benefit in flood control. >> Three Gorges Project key in flood control of Yangtze River: expert THREE GORGES DAM SITE, Hubei, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The Three Gorges Project, whose mammoth dam was completed on Saturday, plays a key role in the flood control system of the Yangtze River, experts said here. The project is capable of holing back major floods on the longest river in China because of its location, size and landform, said Zheng Shouren, member of the Academy of Engineering of China. >> ||||| Critics say price of China's Three Gorges dam too high Beijing - China hails the Three Gorges dam, which it completed Saturday, as the solution to a series of national problems, but critics say the price is too high. Where proponents of the world's largest hydropower project see increased electricity generation and improved flood control, opponents see damage to the environment, ruin to China's heritage and misery to local residents. "In my view, building the Three Gorges dam is a ridiculous and evil farce," high-profile dam opponent Dai Qing wrote on Three Gorges Probe, an online news service run by Canadian think tank Probe International. "Many people have known something is wrong with the project, but few have dared to speak up," she said. Friends of the Earth has been another vocal critic. "The dam is having a titanic social and environment impact," the group said in a statement Friday. Millions of tonnes of silt are carried along the Yangtze river every year, but critics argue the dam will intercept much of it, with potentially disastrous consequences. Lack of sediment further downstream could lead to soil erosion, while the accumulation of sediment in the reservoir could raise its level and submerge more land than previously thought. The reservoir could also fill with the accumulated garbage from tens of millions of households, with official estimates putting annual waste as high as 200,000 cubic metres (seven million cubic feet). The impact of the dam on wildlife has also been raised, with some arguing it could contribute to the extinction of the rare Yangtze river dolphin. The dam will lead to the relocation of a total of 1.13 million people, and riverine communities that in some cases have lived in the area for millennia will disappear. Some researchers have warned sedimentation and subsequent rising water levels in the reservoir will lead to the evacuation of tens of thousands more people. The area around the Three Gorges has been prominent in the development of Chinese civilization and is brimming with physical traces of this history that teams of conservationists have been working frantically to save. These efforts include moving the famous 1,700-year-old Zhang Fei Temple brick by brick to higher ground on the Yangtse's south bank. But as the waters rise, that which can not be saved will disappear along with some world famous natural scenery. Critics say the dam is under threat from earthquakes, with two geological fault lines nearby. Officials working on the project counter this by saying the worst that can happen is a tremor measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, while the dam is built to withstand force 7.0 Agence France Presse ||||| China has completed construction of the wall for the Three Gorges Dam project. The final part of the concrete wall was finished today with the pouring of 1,000 cubic metres of concrete. The dam, across the Yangtze River, is more than two kilometres long and stands 185 metres tall. But the world's largest hydropower project is not finished. Some generators still have to be installed and a ship lift has to be finished. There is thought to be more than two years of work to go. The project has attracted controversy since work on it began in 1993. More than 1 million people have been moved from their homes and groups have criticised its environmental impact. ||||| China Completes Three Gorges Dam China Finishes Dam For World's Largest Hydroelectric Project (AP) China finished building an enormous dam across the Yangtze River on Saturday, an important milestone for the world's largest hydroelectric project. The staccato of simple paper firecrackers marked the completion of the 607-foot-high, 1.4-mile-long Three Gorges dam. Formidable tasks remain before the hugely controversial project is completed, including the construction of power-generating facilities and a ship lift, said Pu Haqing, deputy director of the State Council Three Gorges Project Construction Committee, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. The final 12 of the dam's 26 generators are to be installed over the next two years, finishing the project in 2008, a year ahead of schedule, according to Xinhua. Begun in 1993, the project has steamed ahead with the backing of the Communist leadership despite objections to its $22 billion cost and environmental and social impact. More than 1.3 million people have been relocated to make way for the dam and its reservoir. Environmentalists and engineers have warned that the reservoir risks becoming polluted with waste from cities and towns upriver, many of which lack adequate sewage treatment plants. The China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corp. has spent $2.5 million on a vessel to collect as much as 7 million cubic feet of garbage that accumulates at the dam each year, according to Xinhua. The government maintains that when it is fully operational, the dam will alleviate flooding on the Yangtze and produce electricity for an economy whose rapid growth has created energy shortages in recent years. Saturday's simple celebration was not attended by senior Chinese leaders. Plans for a more elaborate celebration were canceled, Xinhua reported, without giving a reason. Elaborate state celebrations have been rolled back amid a growing disparity between the urban rich and rural poor. ©MMVI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ||||| CHINA'S Three Gorges dam, which will be officially completed tomorrow, is a social and environmental disaster, the green pressure group Friends of the Earth (FoE) said today. "The dam is having a titanic social and environment impact," the group said in a press release in Paris. FoE said the dam, which it costed at $US25 billion ($32.78 billion), was 50 per cent more expensive than originally estimated and the project was stained by corruption. After it becomes operational, the 660km reservoir created by the dam will drown 13 towns, 4500 villages and 162 archaeological sites, FoE said. "Sometimes people are being moved out by truncheon and bulldozer because they refuse to leave their home for fear of not being rehoused. Human rights violations are massive and brutal," it said. FoE pointed to evidence that the dam was already having a serious environment impact. It referred to a study by scientists at the East China Normal University in Shanghai, published in March in the US journal Geophysical Research letters, which said that in 2004, the Three Gorges dam had reduced the supply of sediment to the Yangtze delta to just 35 per cent of the norm. As a result, the tidal wetlands around Shanghai are eroding swiftly, damaging the coast's fragile ecological systems and curbing the city's ability to expand, the scientists warned. Supporters of the Three Gorges say the scheme will control chronic and sometimes deadly flooding of the Yangtze. They also argue it will help meet China's energy needs with a renewable source that will not add to greenhouse gases that drive global warming. Critics say the claim about flood control is unproven and contend that silting may eventually jam the dam's turbines. They also say that the final cost of the scheme, if relocation and other costs are factored in, will make its electricity prohibitively expensive compared with smaller renewable alternatives. Share this article (What is this?) NEWS.com.au is not responsible for the content for external internet sites | Three Gorges Dam, receiving, water high-level side, 26 July, 2004 Three Gorges Dam, ship locks for river traffic to bypass the dam, May 2004 The People's Republic of China has announced the completion of an enormous dam across the Yangtze River, an important milestone for the world's largest hydroelectric project. The official Xinhua News Agency reports the event as a "landmark in the construction of the project." Launched in 1993, the Three Gorges Project, including the 2,300 metre long, 185 metre high dam with 26 power generators, is being built in three phases on the middle reaches of the Yangtze River - China's longest river. Built with over 16 million m3 of concrete, the Three Gorges Dam is considered the biggest reinforced concrete dam in the world. The Three Gorges Reservoir is capable of holding nearly 40 billion m3 of water, including a space of 22.15 billion m3 for extra flooded water. With a length of more than 6,300 km and a natural fall of 5,400 metres from the west to the east, the flood-prone Yangtze River is the third largest in the world. The gigantic project is expected to generate around 15 million megawatts of electricity, 84.7 billion kWh annually when the entire project is completed in 2008. But whilst proponents of the world's largest hydropower project laud the increased electricity generation and improved flood control as benefits to China, opponents claim destruction of the environment, ruin to China's cultural heritage - disaffecting millions of local residents. "In my view, building the Three Gorges dam is a ridiculous and evil farce," says dam opponent Dai Qing. "Many people have known something is wrong with the project, but few have dared to speak up," she said. After it becomes operational, the 660km reservoir created by the dam will drown 13 towns, 4500 villages and 162 archaeological sites. Friends of the Earth (FoE) are also strident vocal critics. "The dam is having a titanic social and environment impact," the group said this week. "Sometimes people are being moved out by truncheon and bulldozer because they refuse to leave their home for fear of not being rehoused. Human rights violations are massive and brutal," it said. FoE pointed to evidence that the dam was already having a serious environment impact. FoE points to a scientific study by the East China Normal University in Shanghai, published in March in Geophysical Research, which said that in 2004, the Three Gorges dam has reduced the supply of sediment to the Yangtze delta to just 35 per cent of the norm. Three Gorges Dam from space Millions of tonnes of silt are drawn along the Yangtze river every year, and critics argue the dam will intercept much of it - with potentially disastrous consequences. They say the lack of sediment further downstream would lead to soil erosion, and the accumulation of sediment in the reservoir could raise the dam level, submerging even more land. Opponents say the reservoir could fill with the accumulated garbage from tens of millions of households. The China Yangtze River Three Gorges Project Development Corp. has spent $2.5 million on a vessel to collect as much as 7 million cubic feet of garbage that accumulates at the dam each year, according to Xinhua. Some argue that the impact of the dam project will contribute to the extinction of the rare Yangtze river dolphin. The dam project will force the relocation of a total of 1.13 million people, and communities that have lived in the area for millennia will disappear. Researchers warn sedimentation and rising water levels in the reservoir will lead to the evacuation of tens of thousands more people. But as the waters rise, that which can not be saved will disappear along with some world famous natural scenery. Critics say the dam is under threat from earthquakes, with two geological fault lines nearby. Officials working on the project counter this by saying the worst that can happen is a tremor measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, while the dam is built to withstand force 7.0. "Although the dam is now complete, we still have a long way to go and cannot become self-satisfied or relax our efforts in the least," Li Yongan, general manager of the Three Gorges Project Development Corp, said. The official China Daily in an editorial called for people to remember the more than 100 workers whom died during the dam's construction. "The best possible way to repay such a debt of gratitude is to make sure the highest safety and quality standards are observed up till the very end of the entire building process," the editorial said. |
KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's Maoists brought Kathmandu to a standstill on Monday, forcing vehicles off the road and shops to shut in response to a general strike to protest the death of a local Maoist leader, police said. Carrying bamboo sticks, activists from the Young Communist League (YCL), the Maoists' youth wing, burned tyres and torched vehicles of drivers who defied the shutdown. The strike also forced schools and factories to close. The former rebels demand the government find the killer of YCL leader Rajendra Phuyal, who died last week. The strike is the latest in a series of protests and strikes the Maoists sponsored since they quit government in May amid a row over the sacking of the country's army chief. The Maoists ended their decade-long civil war under a 2006 peace deal. Moderate communist Madhav Kumar Nepal was elected new prime minister but he is yet to name a full cabinet due to wranglings among allies for positions, leaving the country in limbo. ||||| The youth wing of the former Maoist rebels accuses a rival group of killing one of their leaders [REUTERS] The youth wing of the former Maoist rebels accuses a rival group of killing one of their leaders [REUTERS] Shops, schools and businesses closed on Monday as members of the Young Communist League (YCL) gathered in main intersections of the city to enforce the strike. A general strike called by Nepal's former Maoist rebels to protest against the alleged killing of one of their leaders has shut down Kathmandu, the capital. Protesters burned tyres and forced cars and buses off the road, with demonstrators vandalising at least three cars for defying the strike. The strike came days after Rajendra Phuyal, a local Maoist leader, was found dead in Kathmandu. Chan Tan Chou, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Kathmandu, said: "People are very frustrated but they’re also very intimidated because these people are travelling in mobs swinging batons and creating a lot of noise. "Protests like this, and of course there are smaller scale ones as well, have been going on every other day to keep up the pressure on the new government," he said. Murder accusations Police have said they do not yet know how Phuyal died or who is responsible. But the former Maoist rebels have blamed the youth members of another rival party for the death and demanded that those involved be arrested. The former Maoist rebels ended their decade-long armed struggle against Nepal's government three years ago and entered a peace process. They won general elections in 2008 and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the top rebel leader, became prime minister which forced the abdication of the king. Last month, Dahal tried to fire the head of the country's army, in part for not integrating the former guerrillas into the armed forces. When the president overruled his order, Dahal resigned as prime minister. Since then they have been pushing to finalise the peace process by having their former fighters incorporated into the national army. But the army, a bastion of Nepal's former ruling elite, accuses the Maoists of not fulfilling their commitments to return property grabbed during the civil war and disband its YCL. | Kathmandu, the capital of the Asian country of Nepal, has been shut down after former Maoist rebels called a strike to protest to the alleged killing of one of their leaders. Businesses, schools, and factories closed down on Monday, when members of the Young Communist League (YCL) entered city intersections to enforce the strike. Vehicles of drivers who have defied the strike have been torched and vandalised. The protests and strikes come several days after local Maoist leader Rajendra Phuyal was found dead in the country's capital on June 11. The rebels suspect that he had been killed, and want an investigation into the incident. |
Iceland's volcano began erupting Wednesday, sending ash several kilometres in the air [AFP] European airlines and airports have called for the reassessment of restrictions imposed on air travel due a cloud of volcanic ash hanging over the continent. Millions of passengers have been stranded by the closure of air space over northern Europe, but after a number of test flights in the ash cloud, airlines and airport officials on Sunday questioned if the measures had been an overreaction. "While Europe's airlines and airports consider safety to be an absolute priority, they are questioning the proportionality of the flight restrictions currently imposed," ACI Europe and the Association of European Airlines (AEA) said in a statement. YOUR MEDIA Send us your stories, pictures or video here: http://yourmedia.aljazeera.net/ "Airlines must be able to fly where it is safe to fly and make decisions accordingly. It is what our passengers demand of us." The European Union has said that it hopes up to 50 per cent of European airspace could be open to flights on Monday. "Forecasts are that half of the flights planned [in Europe] could take place tomorrow," Diego Lopez Garrido, the Spanish secretary of state for European affairs, said. Authorities are under pressure to allow flights to resume with the shutdown on flights costing the aviation industry an estimated $200 million a day, according to the International Air Transport Association. Siim Kallas, the EU transport commissioner, told reporters in Brussels on Sunday that "it is clear that this is not sustainable". "We cannot just wait until this ash cloud dissipates." Test flights Three major European airlines said they had carried out test flights through the ash cloud without any damage to aircraft. iN depth Flight cancellation updates Video: Flying over erupting crater Volcano travel chaos spreads How ash can damage aircraft "Verification flights undertaken by several of our airlines have revealed no irregularities at all; this confirms our requirement that other options should be deployed to determine genuine risk," Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus, the head of the Association of European Airlines, said. Dutch carrier KLM said it had returned seven airplanes to Amsterdam from Duesseldorf without passengers and would now allow three freight flights to take off for Asia. "We observed no irregularities either during the flight or during the initial inspection on the ground," Peter Hartman, the airline's chief executive who was aboard Saturday's flight, said. "We hope to receive permission as soon as possible after that to start up our operation and to transport our passengers to their destinations." Also on Saturday, Germany's Lufthansa airlines flew 10 empty long-haul planes to Frankfurt from Munich at low altitude levels between 3,000 and 8,000 metres, Wolfgang Weber, a spokesman, said. "We simply checked every single aircraft very carefully after the landing in Frankfurt to see whether there was any damage that could have been caused by volcanic ash," he said. "Not the slightest scratch was found on any of the 10 planes." Air France it had also carried out a successful test flight over France, travelling from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris to Toulouse in southern France. 'Global experiment' David Learmount, the operations and safety editor of Flight International magazine and a former Royal Air Force pilot, said putting planes back into the air was a "global experiment". "What we don't know is about what Europe is suffering at the moment, which is low intensity, widely spread ash. What KLM has found out is that the damage may be relatively insignificant," he told Al Jazeera. IN VIDEO Residents on volcano's slopes struggle to save their livelihoods "But if the efficiency of the engines is downgraded by abrasion of the fan blades, that can downgrade the efficiency of the engine, which will mean that for the rest of that engine's life it will be using more fuel than it otherwise would have done. "So to get airborne a couple of days earlier, you might pay the price of it for the rest of that aircraft's life." Eurocontrol, the regional grouping of air traffic controllers, has said the skies will not reopen again until there is absolutely no risk from the ash cloud. But Brian Flynn, the deputy head of operations, said he understands the frustration being felt by airlines. "As soon as we are able to, with confidence, and when I say we, I mean the entire community of aviation experts [and] aviation authorities, are able to declare parts of the air space and airports open that will be done." Aviation officials had warned that airplane engines could become clogged with the tiny particles of rock and glass spewed out by the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland - though almost invisible to the naked eye - if pilots attempt to fly through the dust. Francois Fillon, France's prime minister, said that restrictions would remain over the north of the country into Monday. "The weather conditions indicate that the situation will still be difficult for several days," he said. Ash cloud window However, air traffic officials said a gap in the ash cloud would allow selected flights to go ahead after Barcelona, Nice, Marseille and Bordeaux airports were reopened until at least 1300 GMT on Monday. "We are going to profit from this situation to re-route a maximum number of flights via these airports, which will allow us to bring home the greatest possible number of our fellow citizens stuck abroad," Fillon said. Authorities in Germany also reopened a number of airports for several hours, for flights heading in an easterly or northerly direction. The Eyjafjallajokull volcano began erupting on Wednesday, sending ash several kilometres into the air, and generating a plume of particles. Powerful tremors from the volcano continued to jolt parts of southern Iceland on Sunday, blanketing surrounding farmland with ash and forcing farmers and their livestock to find refugee indoors. Iceland's Meteorological Office said the tremors had grown more intense and had increased from a day ago. But it added that the steam and ash rising from the volcano had eased to 4-5 km from as high as 11 km when the volcano began erupting last week. ||||| Europe's air industry has called for an urgent review of flight bans imposed because of volcanic ash from Iceland. The bodies representing most European airlines and airports have questioned the need for the unprecedented curbs, which affect millions of travellers. Airlines that have carried out test flights say planes showed no obvious damage after flying through the ash. EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said he hoped 50% of Europe's airspace would be risk-free on Monday. He said the current situation was "not sustainable" and European authorities were working to find a solution that did not compromise safety. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. "We cannot just wait until this ash cloud dissipates," he added. Mr Kallas also said EU transport ministers would hold a video teleconference on Monday to assess the situation. About 17 European countries have closed their airspace. The flight bans came amid fears that the ash - a mixture of glass, sand and rock particles - can seriously damage aircraft engines. Airlines are estimated to be losing some £130m ($200m) a day. The European air traffic coordinating agency, Eurocontrol, reports that 63,000 flights have been cancelled since Thursday. There were only 5,000 flights in European airspace on Sunday, against 24,000 normally, it says. ACI Europe - which represents major airports - and the Association of European Airlines issued a joint statement urging officials to reconsider the restrictions. 'Dangerous levels of ash' "The eruption of the Icelandic volcano is not an unprecedented event and the procedures applied in other parts of the world for volcanic eruptions do not appear to require the kind of restrictions that are presently being imposed in Europe," the statement said. COUNTRIES AFFECTED Airspace closed: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, UK Partial closures: Italy (northern airspace closed until Monday) Norway (most airports open) Bulgaria (Sofia and Plovdiv open) Poland (several airports, including Warsaw, open) Sweden (northern airports open) France (southern airports open) Flights operating: Greece, Lithuania, Portugal, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Spain Live updates on cloud In pictures: Europe grounded Economic impact of closures Earlier, several airlines also questioned the curbs. Peter Hartman, chief executive of Dutch carrier KLM, said there had been "nothing unusual" about a test flight carried out by the airline through the plume, and he hoped to "get permission as soon as possible to partially restart our operations". Steven Verhagen, vice-president of the Dutch Airline Pilots Association, told the Associated Press news agency: "In our opinion there is absolutely no reason to worry about resuming flights." Germany's two biggest airlines, Lufthansa and Air Berlin, also said they had carried out test flights without apparent damage, as did Air France. Air Berlin spokeswoman Diana Daedelow told the BBC: "It is astonishing that these findings... have seemingly been ignored in the decision-making process of the aviation safety authorities." A British Airways Boeing 747 completed a test flight through the no-fly zone at 30,000ft (9.1km) from Heathrow to Cardiff on Sunday. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. While it encountered no problems, no loss of engine performance and no damage to windows, engineers in Cardiff were due to make a more detailed assessment of its engine overnight. Earlier on Sunday, a UK Met Office plane went through the cloud and encountered dangerous levels of ash, showing that the issue is not whether the cloud is real and dangerous but whether its extent can be accurately mapped, BBC business editor Robert Peston writes. One possible solution is to put observation planes in the sky, to give a more detailed picture of the location of ash concentrations, and the UK government is therefore trying to obtain more observation planes, from the military in particular, he adds. Our business editor understands that BA fears it may not be allowed to fly normal services until Thursday at the earliest. Worsening disruption UK Transport Secretary Lord Adonis, said "urgent discussions" were taking place between European and international agencies to ease the chaos. "We want to be able to resume flights as soon as possible, but safety remains my paramount concern," he said. I am with my husband and two young children stranded in Oslo and tearing my hair out trying to get home Christine Macandie Volcano ash: Your stories Weather experts say wind patterns mean the cloud is not likely to move far until later in the week. Brian Flynn, head of operations at Eurocontrol - which co-ordinates air traffic control in 38 nations - dismissed suggestions the authorities were being over-cautious. "With the overriding objective of protecting the travelling public, these exceptional measures have to be taken," he said. Polish funeral Since Thursday, countries across northern and central Europe have either closed airspace or shut key airports. Iceland volcano in maps How long will ash last? Peston: Airlines to ask for help Britain has extended a ban on most flights in its airspace until at least 1900 local time on Monday (1800 GMT). Ireland is keeping its airspace closed until 1200 GMT on Monday. Germany had allowed six international airports to open on a limited basis on Sunday but has since closed its airspace until at least 1200 GMT on Monday. The Netherlands has announced that Dutch airspace will remain closed until at least 1200 GMT on Monday. Travellers across northern Europe have sought other means of transport, packing out trains, buses and ferries. The restrictions prevented many world leaders, including US President Barack Obama, from attending the funeral of Polish President Lech Kaczynski in the southern city of Krakow. Southern Iceland's Eyjafjallajoekull volcano began erupting for the second time in a month on Wednesday, sending a plume of ash 8.5km (5.3 miles) high into the air. Have you been affected by the volcanic eruption in Iceland or by disruptions to air traffic caused by volcanic ash? Send us your experiences using the form below. Send your pictures or videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 if you are in the UK or+44 7725 100 100 if you are abroad. If you have a large file you can upload it here. Read the terms and conditions A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. Name Your E-mail address Town & Country Phone number (optional): Comments The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version | Some of Europe's airlines and airports have called into question whether the mass restrictions imposed on the continent's airspace, due to volcanic ash in the area, are necessary. Millions of travellers have been stranded by the cancellations; however, some airlines have made test flights to see if there were any immediate effects on jets after flying through ash. Authorities fear that the ash can cause vital aircraft parts, such as the engines, to fail in-flight. Three large airlines — KLM, Air France, and Lufthansa — have already made test flights. Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus, the head of the Association of European Airlines (AEA), commented: "Verification flights undertaken by several of our airlines have revealed no irregularities at all; this confirms our requirement that other options should be deployed to determine genuine risk." KLM, meanwhile, said that it will allow three freight planes to make flights to Asia, and had transferred seven passenger planes from Duesseldorf, Germany to Amsterdam, without any travellers. "We observed no irregularities either during the flight or during the initial inspection on the ground. We hope to receive permission as soon as possible after that to start up our operation and to transport our passengers to their destinations." said KLM chief executive Peter Hartman. ACI Europe and the AEA also commented about the issue in a statement: "While Europe's airlines and airports consider safety to be an absolute priority, they are questioning the proportionality of the flight restrictions currently imposed." "Airlines must be able to fly where it is safe to fly and make decisions accordingly. It is what our passengers demand of us." Airport closures and cancellations are estimated to be costing airlines about US$200 million daily, the International Air Transport Association reports. The operations control head for Eurocontrol, Brian Flynn, rebuffed notions that aviation officials were being too cautious, describing the issue as an "unknown phenomenon". "With the over-riding objective of protecting the travelling public, these exceptional measures have to be taken," he remarked. "... As soon as we are able to, with confidence, and when I say we, I mean the entire community of aviation experts and aviation authorities, are able to declare parts of the air space and airports open that will be done." |
Todavía no hay más datos sobre la causa del incidente. A lo largo de varios meses Egipto ha estado luchando contra los militantes islámicos en la península del Sinaí El colapso del antiguo régimen y el deterioro de las condiciones de seguridad en el país han creado un vacío de seguridad en la península. La falta de seguridad es aprovechada por los extremistas armados que buscan la posibilidad de atacar tanto a las fuerzas egipcias, como a las de Israel. ||||| An explosion in the Egyptian city of Rafah near Gaza Strip destroyed part of an intelligence building, Al Arabiya correspondent reported early on Sunday. Large numbers of security forces were deployed at the scene of the explosion and sealed off the area while search for possible explosives was underway. The cause of the blast was not immediately known, but Egypt has been fighting Islamist militants in Sinai for several months. The collapse of the former regime and the deterioration of security conditions in Egypt created a security vacuum in the desert peninsula. The security lax was exploited by armed militants seeking who have both attacked Egyptian and Israeli forces. | An explosion partially destroyed an intelligence building in the city of , Egypt late tonight (Saturday). The explosion occurred just before midnight local time in Rafah. Witnesses report a large plume of smoke rising from the location. It is not yet known what caused the explosion, but initial reports suggested it was a bomb. Authorities are searching the area for the possibility of more explosives. There are no reports of injuries or deaths. Rafah sits on the border with the Gaza Strip in Palestine. |
Suicide Bomber Kills 3 in Northwestern Pakistan Pakistani police say a suicide bomber in a rickshaw has killed three people in Peshawar, a day after another suicide bomber killed 13 people in a crowded market outside the northwestern city. Pakistani police officers examine the wreckage of a rickshaw at the site of suicide bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan, 09 Nov 2009 Police say the suicide bomber detonated his explosives Monday at a checkpoint on a frequently traveled road that runs around Peshawar. Officials say a constable was among the dead. The blast wounded five other people. The earlier bombing on Sunday killed a local mayor, Abdul Malik. He was once a Taliban supporter, but switched sides and mobilized villagers to form a tribal militia against militants. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Also Sunday, police in Islamabad killed a suicide bomber as he ran toward a checkpoint in the capital. In other violence, the Pakistani army said Sunday it killed 20 insurgents during the latest stage of its South Waziristan offensive against the Taliban. Since the army launched the anti-Taliban campaign in South Waziristan on October 17, it says military forces have killed more than 480 militants. At least 44 soldiers also are said to have died in the operation. The reports of battlefield losses cannot be independently verified because journalists and rights groups are barred from the tribal areas near the border with Afghanistan. U.N. officials say around 200,000 people have fled South Waziristan, but many others remain trapped in the conflict zone. Police say the suicide bomber detonated his explosives Monday at a checkpoint on a frequently traveled road that runs around Peshawar. Officials say a constable was among the dead. The blast wounded five other people.The earlier bombing on Sunday killed a local mayor, Abdul Malik. He was once a Taliban supporter, but switched sides and mobilized villagers to form a tribal militia against militants. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.Also Sunday, police in Islamabad killed a suicide bomber as he ran toward a checkpoint in the capital.In other violence, the Pakistani army said Sunday it killed 20 insurgents during the latest stage of its South Waziristan offensive against the Taliban.Since the army launched the anti-Taliban campaign in South Waziristan on October 17, it says military forces have killed more than 480 militants. At least 44 soldiers also are said to have died in the operation.The reports of battlefield losses cannot be independently verified because journalists and rights groups are barred from the tribal areas near the border with Afghanistan.U.N. officials say around 200,000 people have fled South Waziristan, but many others remain trapped in the conflict zone. Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters. E-mail Print Digg Yahoo Buzz Facebook del.icio.us StumbleUpon ||||| A suicide attack near Peshawar killed 13 people and injured more than 30 others on Sunday [AFP] "The bomber was in a rickshaw and detonated his explosives when the rickshaw was stopped for a check," Zafar Khan, a police official said on Monday. At least three people have been killed and five others injured after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a checkpoint on the outskirts of the Pakistani city of Peshawar, police have said. "One of our constables, a passerby and the rickshaw driver were killed," he said. Police said five other people were wounded in the blast at Pathang intersection on the well-known ring road around the city. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. A suicide attack rocked Matani district near Peshawar on Sunday, killing 13 people, including the Matani mayor, and injuring more than 30 others. The Taliban has unleashed a campaign of attacks in Pakistan in recent weeks in retaliation for a major offensive by security forces in the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan on the border with Afghanistan. | Pakistani police said today that a suicide bomber in a rickshaw has killed three people in Peshawar, a day after another suicide bomber killed thirteen people in a crowded market outside the northwestern city. Police say the suicide bomber detonated his explosives at a checkpoint on a frequently traveled road that runs around Peshawar. Officials say a constable, a passerby, and the rickshaw driver were among the dead. The blast wounded five other people. According to a senior local police officer, the attacker was probably intending to detonate the bomb in a more crowded area, but decided to set it off when security officials stopped the rickshaw in order to check it. "The bomber was in a rickshaw and detonated his explosives when the rickshaw was stopped for a check," said police official Zafar Khan. "One of our constables, a passerby and the rickshaw driver were killed." Local government official Sahibzada Anis said that "despite all the security arrangements you cannot stop one who is bent upon killing himself and others. Our police are rendering their lives to save citizens but these kinds of incidents are hard to stop." No person or group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. |
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement More than 70 people have been killed in blasts at three cities in Iraq, in one of the deadliest days there for weeks. At least 53 died and another 90 were injured when explosives packed in a bus detonated outside a restaurant near a court in Baquba, north of the capital. And 13 more were killed in a suicide bombing at a kebab restaurant where policemen were eating in Ramadi, which had seen a sharp decline in violence. Three people were also killed in Mosul in the north, and another in Baghdad. The BBC's Crispin Thorold in Baghdad says suspicion for the attacks is likely to fall on Sunni Islamist groups inspired by al-Qaeda. Medics struggle Police said they expected the death toll in Baquba to rise as there were still charred bodies inside cars at the scene. I saw cars on fire, burned bodies and damaged shops with shattered glass everywhere Abu Ali, witness In pictures: Deadly attacks The bomb there exploded just before noon in a crowded area. Most of the dead were women and children and many of the bodies are said to be too badly burned to be identified. Witness Abu Ali said: "I saw cars on fire, burned bodies and damaged shops with shattered glass everywhere." There were so many wounded that ambulances struggled to get them all to hospital. Baquba, the capital of Diyala province, has been an insurgent stronghold, where militants linked to al-Qaeda are said to have regrouped after being driven away from Baghdad. The kebab shop attack in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, was carried out by a suicide attacker, police said. There were unconfirmed reports that a second attacker was arrested before he could detonate his bomb. Spate of attacks Anbar was once the heart of Iraq's insurgency. In contrast to Diyala, the region has seen a sharp decline in violence as Sunni tribal leaders have sided with American and Iraqi government forces against al-Qaeda. Fresh fighting near Baghdad's Sadr City also left a number of casualties The attack in Baquba was one of the most deadly for months in Iraq, where the US surge strategy has succeeded in reducing the number of deaths. However, there have been several attacks already this week. At least 17 people were killed in two bomb attacks near Mosul on Monday, including one which killed 12 members of the Kurdish Peshmerga security force, now part of the Iraqi army, near the Syrian border. The attacks come as US and Iraqi forces continue their offensive against Shia militias in Baghdad and further south. The US military said it had killed six militants earlier on Tuesday in an engagement with gunmen near Baghdad's main Shia militia stronghold of Sadr City. E-mail this to a friend Printable version Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? ||||| At least 69 people died Tuesday in separate bombings in Baghdad and two major Iraqi provincial capitals, officials said. The deadliest attack was in Baquba, the Diyala provincial capital, where Iraqi and U.S. officials said a car bomb exploded outside a restaurant and government offices, killing at least 40 people and injuring 75 others, CNN reported. In Ramadi, the Anbar provincial capital, a man detonated his suicide vest inside a restaurant, killing at least 15 people and wounding 13 others, Iraqi Interior Ministry officials said. In Baghdad's Sadr City, U.S. military officials said six "enemy fighters" were killed Tuesday in skirmishes, CNN reported. In other reports of violence: -- An Interior Ministry official said six Iraqis were killed and 26 wounded in overnight airstrikes. -- A roadside bomb targeting a police patrol killed two street sweepers in central Baghdad's Watheq Square, a military official said. Two other street sweepers and two police officers were injured. -- A roadside bomb exploded in Baghdad's Bayaa neighborhood, injuring a woman and child, a ministry official said. © 2008 United Press International. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form. BAGHDAD, April 15 (UPI) -- | Scores of people have died in Iraq Tuesday due to multiple bombings in various major Iraqi cities. United Press International put the death toll at 69, although the figure given by the BBC is lower. Their reports state that the toll was over 50. One of the explosions occurred outside of a restaurant in Baquba. It resulted in over 40 fatalities and 70 injuries. There was another incident in a restaurant, this time in the city of Ramadi. It resulted in a minimum of thirteen deaths and thirteen injuries. Three also died from a car bomb in Baghdad. A person who witnessed one of the bombings commented on the situation. "I saw cars on fire, burned bodies and damaged shops with shattered glass everywhere," he said. |
IBM and Cisco will announce today at the Spring 2007 VoiceCon conference in Orlando, Florida, a joint effort to create an industrywide unified communications and collaboration platform. The expectation is that a single open platform, rather than a potpourri of platforms offered by multiple vendors, will entice a large number of developers to design communications services for the enterprise. In the first step toward that end, IBM and Cisco have pledged to base the new platform, called UC2 (Unified Communication and Collaboration), on Eclipse and OSGi (Open Services Gateway initiative) technologies. In addition, both companies unveiled a series of upcoming offerings jointly developed by the two companies using an open set of APIs from Lotus's Sametime collaboration application and communication APIs from Cisco. Among the solutions planned for later this year are click-to-call and voice mail integration to allow Sametime users to send instant messages to and from Cisco Unified IP phones. Another jointly developed offering will include federated presence information, call history conferencing, and video telephony. The federated presence solution will take information stored in Cisco's IP network, such as availability and location, and share that information with a Sametime client. "If you are looking at a Sametime client, you can see if the phone is not busy and if the person is in, say, building 21 on the third floor," said Barry O'Sullivan, vice president of IP Communications at Cisco. According to Adam Gartenberg, offering manager for the UC2 Software division of IBM Lotus Software Group, the growth of unified communications services has been impeded by a lack of a consistent programming environment. On the other hand, the ubiquity of Eclipse will encourage the large Eclipse community of developers to design communications services that extend the client capabilities of ERP and CRM applications to remote users. "The UC2 platform is extensible, allowing developers to create plug-ins or mini applications to access applications remotely," said Gartenberg. For example, a developer might extend an expense approval application in SAP by creating an applet that makes it available in an instant messaging environment. There is also no doubt that enterprise-level companies are eager to see what unified communications can do for them. Ray Repic, chief technical architect at Coca-Cola Enterprises, says he likes the idea of leveraging his existing technology to create incremental value. Repic already uses Lotus SameTime and Cisco's IP telephony. "There's nothing we need to purchase," said Repic. In addition Repic said he is eager to get it up into Coca Cola's prototyping lab. "We need to understand how we can use voice as an application," Repic said. As part of the announcement, Cisco also said that it will develop future versions of its Unified Personal Communicator on the new UC2 client platform. Also planned is a certification program to certify that the solutions developed on UC2 platform meet the specifications laid out by IBM and Cisco. However, despite the cooperation between Cisco and IBM and the stated reasons for it, analysts see Microsoft as the elephant in the room. "The unified communications battle will come down to Cisco versus Microsoft," said Yankee Group analyst Zeus Kerravala. Some users have held off on the technology because they are waiting to see what Microsoft will do with it, he said. Meanwhile, Nortel Networks, which last year announced a partnership with Microsoft in this area, hasn't ended up with much of an advantage that other telephony vendors don't have, Kerravala said. ||||| IBM and Cisco announced their common effort in creating a unified platform for communications and collaboration. The idea of this project is to provide the developers of different communication services with one single platform, rather then a series of them and from different vendors. The current platform will be based on Eclipse and OSGi (Open Services Gateway initiative), as stated by the representatives of IBM and Cisco. The new offspring of the two companies will be called UC2, which stands for Unified Communication and Collaboration. Additionally there were made other announcements on collaborative work. IBM and Cisco are planning to develop a series of application programming interfaces based on the communication APIs from Cisco and on collaboration application from Lotus - SameTime. The modification for the SameTime planned for this year are integration of such functions as click-to-call and voice mailing. These features will enable instant messaging to and from Cisco Unified IP phones. In addition to this service the companies will offer information on federated presence, a log with calls history and video telephony. Adam Gartenberg, the offering manager for this software at the IBM Lotus Software Group, said that the UC2 platform will attract many application developers to create various plug-ins for a remote access. It should be mentioned that Coca-Cola turned out to be among the interested companies and who are willing to implement new software based on this platform into their communication system. A further step in promoting the software should be a program of certification. The purpose of such program is to certify the UC2 based software, so that it meets the entire range of IBM and Cisco requirements. A separate announcement from Cisco was that the new UC2 platform will boost up the development of further versions of Cisco's Unified Personal Communicator. The competitor of IBM and Cisco in the area, and an ally of Microsoft, Nortel Networks, didn't have much success in this field and could not enjoy a great, or any advantage over the ideas suggested by IBM and Cisco. | IBM and Cisco have announced the development of a new platform, based on Eclipse and OSGi (Open Services Gateway initiative), which should unite all communication and collaboration software developers under a single platform. Before the UC2 (Unified Communication and Collaboration) the unified communication has suffered because of a lack of a platform to be used by all software developers, rather than a series of them and, moreover, provided by different vendors. According to Adam Gartenberg from IBM Lotus Software Group this was the main cause for this partial stagnation. However, the UC2 is meant to ease the work of software developers. Gartenberg stated that this platform is very flexible and will certainly draw much attention form programmers. They will be able to create different plug-ins and small applications to remotely control other, major application. The companies have also unveiled a series of their other joint projects. These project will be based on a set of application programming interface from Lotus (SameTime) and Cisco. The add-ons planned are integration of a series of additional functions and features into the SameTime software from Lotus. Thus, in a few months, the SameTime users will benefit from such functions as click-to-call and voicemail. This will enable easier instant messaging inside the Cisco's Unified IP phones' system. The fact that the platform will be based on Eclipse will make the numerous developers create many communications services, mainly for remote users to benefit from a series of new functions of ERP and CRM applications. Nortel Networks - a partner of Microsoft since last year and Cisco's rival in the area - didn't have much success in the communication services field. As for Microsoft, the experts are waiting for the reaction of the Bill Gates' company on the ideas and offers made by IBM and Cisco for enterprise communications and collaboration solutions. |
Inactivity 'killing as many as smoking' Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Continue reading the main story Related Stories A lack of exercise is now causing as many deaths as smoking across the world, a study suggests. The report, published in the Lancet to coincide with the build-up to the Olympics, estimates that about a third of adults are not doing enough physical activity, causing 5.3m deaths a year. That equates to about one in 10 deaths from diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and breast and colon cancer. Researchers said the problem was now so bad it should be treated as a pandemic. And they said tackling it required a new way of thinking, suggesting the public needed to be warned about the dangers of inactivity rather than just reminded of the benefits of it. The team of 33 researchers drawn from centres across the world also said governments needed to look at ways to make physical activity more convenient, affordable and safer. Global challenge It is recommended that adults do 150 minutes of moderate exercise , such as brisk walking, cycling or gardening, each week. The Lancet study found people in higher income countries were the least active with those in the UK among the worst as nearly two thirds of adults were judged not to be doing enough. Continue reading the main story Case study From Monday to Saturday, the streets of the Colombian capital of Bogota are packed with cars. The city - one of the largest in South America - is a teeming metropolis, home to more than seven million people. But on a Sunday vehicles are nowhere to be seen. Instead, the streets are taken over by pedestrians, thanks to Ciclovia, a traffic-free streets initiative run by the city authorities. The scheme, backed by successive mayors, has been running in one guise or another since the mid-1970s. It now covers nearly 100km of roads in the centre of the city on Sundays and public holidays. But as well as making Bogota a quieter place to roam, the ban on cars also has a health benefit. Research has shown about 1m residents regularly walk around on a Sunday, a fifth of whom say they would be inactive if it was not for the ban on vehicles. Dr Michael Pratt, who was involved in the Lancet research on physical inactivity, said the Bogota scheme was a "wonderful example" of how governments could be encouraging more exercise. Although the researchers admitted comparisons between countries were difficult because the way activity was estimated may have differed from place to place. Nonetheless, they said they remained confident that their overall conclusion was valid. Pedro Hallal, one of the lead researchers, said: "With the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games, sport and physical activity will attract tremendous worldwide attention. "Although the world will be watching elite athletes from many countries compete in sporting events... most spectators will be quite inactive. "The global challenge is clear - make physical activity a public health priority throughout the world to improve health and reduce the burden of disease." Prof Lindsey Davies, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health, agreed: "We need to do all we can to make it easy for people to look after their health and get active as part of their daily lives. "Our environment has a significant part to play. For example, people who feel unsafe in their local park will be less likely to use it." But others questioned equating smoking with inactivity. While smoking and inactivity kill a similar number of people, smoking rates are much lower than the number of inactive people, making smoking more risky to the individual. Dr Claire Knight, of Cancer Research UK, said: "When it comes to preventing cancer, stopping smoking is by far the most important thing you can do." ||||| Physical inactivity kills 5 million a year: report (AFP) – Jul 17, 2012 PARIS — A third of the world's adults are physically inactive, and the couch potato lifestyle kills about five million people every year, experts said in the medical journal The Lancet on Wednesday. "Roughly three of every 10 individuals aged 15 years or older -- about 1.5 billion people -- do not reach present physical activity recommendations," they said in a report that described the problem as a "pandemic." The picture for adolescents is even more worrying, with four out of five 13- to 15-year-olds not moving enough, it said. Physical inactivity was described for the study as failing to do 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five times a week, 20 minutes of vigorous activity three times a week, or a combination of the two. Inactivity increases with age, is higher in women than in men, and more prevalent in high-income countries, the researchers found. A second study, comparing physical activity levels with population statistics on diseases like diabetes, heart problems and cancer, said lack of exercise claimed more than 5.3 million of the 57 million deaths worldwide in 2008. It said inactivity was a risk factor comparable to smoking or obesity. Lack of exercise causes an estimated six percent of coronary heart disease cases, seven percent of type 2 diabetes (the most common form) and 10 percent of breast and colon cancers, it said. Reducing inactivity by 10 percent could eliminate more than half a million deaths every year, the report said, adding that the estimates were conservative. The human body needs exercise to help the bones, muscles, heart and other organs function optimally, but populations are walking, running and cycling less and less as they spend more time in cars and in front of computers, the investigators said. The Lancet series called for global efforts to promote physical exercise by improving pedestrian and cyclist safety on city roads, for example, more physical education at school or promoting access to free public exercise spaces. Copyright © 2013 AFP. All rights reserved. More » | Graphic of healthy, overweight and obese males.33, 45 and 60 (84, 114 and 152 respectively) A report published by '''' suggests living a is now as-fatal for individuals as smoking. Compiled by 33 research workers, the report speaks of a "pandemic" in which an estimated one-in-three adults worldwide are inactive, leading to approximately 5.3 million fatalities from this. Research for ''The Lancet'' established people in higher-income countries are more inactive than those where lower incomes prevail. The study indicated nearly two-in-three adults in the United Kingdom are not active enough. "Roughly three of every 10 individuals aged 15 years or older — about 1.5 billion people — do not reach present physical activity recommendations," states the report, publicised in the approach to the 2012 Summer Olympics. Pedro Hallal, a lead researcher for the study, explained: "With the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games, sport and physical activity will attract tremendous worldwide attention. Although the world will be watching elite athletes from many countries compete in sporting events ... most spectators will be quite inactive. The global challenge is clear - make physical activity a public health priority throughout the world to improve health and reduce the burden of disease." president Professor Lindsey Davies spoke of a similar theory: "We need to do all we can to make it easy for people to look after their health and get active as part of their daily lives ... Our environment has a significant part to play. For example, people who feel unsafe in their local park will be less likely to use it." According to ''BBC Health'', exercising can assist in strengthening one's bones, as well as assisting with issues such as insomnia and depression. However, reported the comparison of a sedentary lifestyle with smoking has been called into question, as smoking is more likely to cause death. At-issue is comparing the number of smokers with the significantly lower number of individuals living sedentary lifestyles. Dr. Claire Knight from asserts: "When it comes to preventing cancer, stopping smoking is by far the most important thing you can do." |
MORE FROM NYDN PHOTOS: Playboy model linked to Tiger Woods It's hard to keep track of all of Woods' lady friends. Perhaps this photo gallery will help. Nice stars on naughty list after these ads Victoria strips off for Armani along with husband David Beckham. See more star ads. ||||| Doomsday Budget Take II: MTA plans bus and subway service cuts By Staten Island Advance December 11, 2009, 10:42AM STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The MTA is at it again. Just months after its "doomsday" budget was avoided, the transit agency is again looking to cut service after news broke recently that its budget shortfall is projected to be $343 million in 2010. Chairman Jay Walder has said he doesn't plan any fare or toll increases next year. So now two subway lines -- the W and Z trains -- could be cut and four stations would be closed overnight under a plan expected to be presented to an MTA committee on Monday, the Daily News reported. A number of bus lines could also be eliminated, though it's not known which ones are being considered for the chopping block. New York state cut transit funding by $143 million and the amount from the new state payroll tax will come in about $200 million short of what had been forecast. "We're not going to rely on anyone else to do anything for us. We're going to rely on ourselves," MTA board member Mitchell Pally told the paper. There was no comment from the MTA. ||||| What's that coming along? It won't be a W or Z train if the MTA has its way. Goodbye W and Z lines! Riders will miss you. The cash-strapped MTA proposed to cut several bus routes and subway lines in the midst of a massive budget deficit; a plan that will be implemented if an MTA committee approves the plan Monday. Earlier this year, the transit system was faced with executing the same service cuts, which never happened after the authority successfully lobbied for a bailout from the state. But the threats are back with the state being forced to cut transit spending by $143 million. The state is facing budget problems of its own after estimated state payroll taxes came in short. The MTA still will need to find other ways to bridge the gap after service cuts are made. "We're not going to rely on anyone else to do anything for us. We're going to rely on ourselves," MTA board member Mitchell Pally told the Daily News. MTA chairman Jay Walder has made it clear he does not want to increase tolls or fares. But that means riders will have to expect longer waits, rides and more pack trains. Gene Russianoff from the Straphangers Campaign said the transit authority should move funds allocated for capital construction and maintenance to close the gap. The authority’s spokesman, Jeremy Soffin, had no comment for the News. He did say earlier this week that the system must upgrade the system with projects to refurbish stations, modernize track signals and purchasing news subway cars. TWU Local 100 President-elect John Samuelsen told the Daily News that the MTA should have been more aggressive in finding ways to be cost-efficient, saying many projects have overrun their budgets. "Before the MTA takes any action that adversely affects riders or workers, they should look to cut their own wasteful spending," Samuelsen told the paper. | Cortlandt Street is one of the stations proposed to lose night service New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority is proposing to make service cuts to close its expected US$343 million (€234m, GBP £211m) budget deficit. The plan includes the elimination of multiple bus lines in The Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, the elimination of the W (Astoria, Queens to Lower Manhattan) and the Z (Jamaica, Queens to Lower Manhattan via Brooklyn) train services. Also included in the plan are cuts of nighttime bus and train service. "We're not going to rely on anyone else to do anything for us. We're going to rely on ourselves." MTA board member Mitchell Pally said, commenting on the New York state's budget plan cutting $143 million of tax revenue from the agency. MTA Chairman Jay Walder has said in the past that he would not raise fares ahead of schedule. Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign, a commuter advocacy group, said that the agency should take money from its current construction and maintenance fund, and put it into maintaining these services. |
A third of global crude oil shipments pass through the Malacca Strait Singapore has learned that an unnamed group may be planning to attack oil tankers in the Malacca Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. "The terrorists' intent is probably to achieve widespread publicity and showcase that they remain a viable group," the country's navy warned. Other large vessels with dangerous cargoes were also at risk, it said. The navy recommended ships strengthen their onboard security measures, remain vigilant and report unusual incidents. Past cases of successful attacks on tankers were carried out using small vessels such as dinghies, speedboats and fishing boats, which are common in the Malacca Strait, the Navy advisory said. About 33% of global seaborne crude oil shipments pass through the 965km (600-mile) channel - which is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The seaway is almost six times busier than the Suez Canal. A Singapore Navy spokesman could not provide further details of the new threat when contacted by the Bloomberg news agency, but said it had started "operation co-ordination with our regional partners". Malaysia's maritime enforcement agency said it was aware of the alert and was stepping up security in the shipping lane. ||||| Ships risk attacks in Malacca Strait Singapore's navy is urging commercial ships passing through a major shipping lane that runs between Indonesia and Malaysia to increase security measures. The navy said a terrorist group is planning attacks on oil tankers travelling through the Strait of Malacca. The strait is a major trade route, and an attack that closes it could have a major impact on global trade. "The terrorists' intent is probably to achieve widespread publicity and showcase that it remains a viable group," an advisory said. "However, this information does not preclude possible attacks on other large vessels with dangerous cargo." They didn't say which terrorist group is planning the attacks. The Malacca Strait is the favorite route of oil shippers between the Persian Gulf and Asian Pacific markets. The strait, just 2.7 kilometers at its narrowest point, was the second-busiest shipping lane of crude in 2006, with 15 million barrels a day passing through, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency. Singapore lies at the southern tip of the Malay peninsula and is home to the world's busiest port. Indonesia has not received any information from Singapore about possible attacks but plans to boost air and sea patrols, Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. I Wayan Midio said. "We are committed to increase the awareness and security in the Malacca Strait to anticipate any terrorist attacks," he said. Singapore said small fishing boats or speedboats were used in past successful terrorist attacks against ships, and these kinds of vessels could be used in the Malacca Strait. They recommended ships add lookouts and lighting, avoid fishing areas and maintain a good speed. Spokesmen at the Defence Ministry were not immediately available for comment. with files from CBC News | American sailors on watch while transiting through the Strait of Malacca. The Singapore Navy on Thursday warned of a possible pirate threat to ships passing through the Strait of Malacca after receiving a correspondence from an unnamed terrorist organization. According to the Navy, the intent of the terrorists was to "achieve widespread publicity and showcase that they remain a viable group." While the threat received covered only oil tankers, other large cargo ships were also at risk of attack, naval officials went on to say. To reduce possible risks, the Navy urged ships to strengthen onboard security, including adding additional lights and lookouts. They also recommended that ships maintain a higher speed and report any unusual incidents to the proper authorities. The advisory said that past attacks in the Strait had been carried out by small vessels such as motorboats or fishing boats with armed crews. Commercial vessels were also warned to avoid known fishing areas accordingly. The Singapore Navy said that it had contacted other countries in the area to warn them of the threat. Both Indonesia and Malaysia have also announced plans to increase patrols in order to provide additional security. The Strait of Malacca is a major conduit for oil shipments. With around a third of global oil shipments passing through, it is the main route for travelling from the Middle East to Asia. Any attack on vessels within the Strait would likely have a major ripple effect on global trade. |
Ajmal Naqshbandi worked as a guide for visiting reporters The group said it had killed Ajmal Naqshbandi because the government had refused to meet its demands to release senior figures from prison. Italian reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo was released after five Taleban members were freed in exchange. The driver, Sayed Agha, was beheaded last month. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has condemned Mr Naqshbandi's killing. The two reporters and their driver were captured on 6 March in Helmand province. Shohaabuddin Atal, a spokesman for Taleban commander Mullah Dadullah, said: "We killed Ajmal today because the government did not respond to our demands." Italian deal The Afghan government's intelligence services spokesman, Saeed Ansari, confirmed Mr Naqshbandi had been killed. Mr Mastrogiacomo was freed in an exchange with Taleban prisoners Tom Koenigs, UN special envoy to Afghanistan, said: "I condemn this senseless murder unreservedly and call on the authorities to bring those responsible to justice." In Italy, Mr Prodi said he "learned with anguish" of Mr Naqshbandi's death. "We strongly condemn this absurd crime," he said. Ajmal Naqshbandi worked as a guide and translator for visiting foreign reporters. He was abducted with Mr Mastrogiacomo and their driver at a Taleban checkpoint and originally accused of spying for the British army. The reporters' driver was beheaded to put pressure on negotiations for their release. The BBC's Mark Dummett in Kabul says after intense lobbying from the Italians, a deal was done. Five Taleban were allowed to go and Mr Mastrogiacomo was set free. Our correspondent says there was outrage in Afghanistan that the government would firstly bow to its enemy's demands and secondly that it would save a foreigner but not an Afghan. The Taleban are still holding five government medics and two French aid workers along with three Afghan colleagues. Their fate will be decided next, they say. President Hamid Karzai has ruled out any more hostage deals with the Taleban. "[Mr Mastrogiacomo] was an extraordinary situation and won't be repeated again," Mr Karzai said on Friday. "No more deals with no-one and with no other country." ||||| Liquori micidiali, fatti in casa, hanno ucciso in Turchia almeno 43 persone in due settimane. Il giornale Hurriyet parla di 18 morti nella provincia di Izmir (Smirne), dove si sono contate le prime vittime e dove è scattato l'allarme per la circolazione di alcol adulterato. Dodici persone sono finite in manette. Altre sette vittime a Istanbul. E ancora, sette morti nella provincia di Kirikale, sei in quella di Mersin, due a Mugla e Aydin e un altro a Trabzon (Trebisonda). Immediatamente sono scat... | An Afghan interpreter, Ajmal Naqshbandi, kidnapped and held since March 5 by the Taliban in Afghanistan, was reported killed Sunday, according to a spokesman for the group. Location of Helmand Province within Afghanistan Naqshbandi was taken hostage in Helmand Province, along with Italian reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo and their driver, Syed Agha. Mastrogiacomo was freed March 20 in a controversial hostage exchange, while Agha was killed by the Taliban early in his captivity. The exchange of '''' reporter Mastrogiacomo for five Taliban prisoners was criticized, by security experts, as a precedent that could encourage further kidnappings. It was thought originally that Naqshbandi was also released as part of the exchange deal, but was later revealed by the Taliban that he was not released. Mastrogiacomo and his editor at La Repubblica, Ezio Mauro, had made several appeals to the Afghan government to do what it could to secure the release of Naqshbandi. "This has already cost the life of Sayed Agha...we ask President Karzai to do all he considers just and possible to save Naqshbandi's life," said Mastrogiacomo and Mauro in their latest appeal. The Taliban are holding two French aid workers and three Afghan colleagues, kidnapped last week in Nimroz Province, and are threatening to decide their fate next week. Ransom demands or deadlines have not yet been reported. Afghan president Hamid Karzai, meanwhile, has ruled out any further exchange deals with the Taliban. A BBC correspondent in Afghanistan reported that there was outrage in Afghanistan over the exchange deal that saw the safe release of Mastrogiacomo. Afghans were incensed that the government not only gave in to Taliban demands, but would do so to save a foreigner and not an Afghan. |
Jonathan Ross to quit as TV and radio host with the BBC Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Jonathan Ross has announced he is leaving the BBC, after 13 years working for the corporation. Ross, 49, who is the BBC's highest paid star, said in a statement he had decided not to renegotiate his contract when it ends in July. The presenter added his decision to leave was not "financially motivated". In 2008, the controversial host was suspended for making a series of phone calls to actor Andrew Sachs on Russell Brand's Radio 2 show. Working at the BBC has been a tremendous privilege, and I would like to thank everyone who has watched and listened so loyally over the last 13 years Jonathan Ross Jonathan Ross's statement in full Have Your Say: Ross quits the BBC Delivering a tray of tea to reporters standing in the snow outside his north London home, Ross said: "It's probably not a bad time for me to move on - and it's probably not a bad time for the BBC, either. "I've got six months left, I'm hoping to make the best shows of my career with them." One of the biggest names at the BBC, Ross currently hosts his own Friday night chat show, Radio 2 show and a film review programme. The announcement comes a day after it was revealed that Graham Norton had signed a two-year deal with the corporation prompting newspaper speculation that he would take over Ross's Friday night slot on BBC One. But BBC creative director Alan Yentob said it was "too premature" to make such decisions. He added: "You don't need to compare Graham with Jonathan Ross. No decisions have been taken with that slot." 'Wonderful time' It was reported that Ross's contract, which secured his services for the three years up to July 2010, was worth £18m. The BBC has never confirmed that amount, but it was expected that Ross would be asked to accept a pay cut, following the lead of other big stars, such as Bruce Forsyth and Chris Moyles. "Although I have had a wonderful time working for the BBC, and am very proud of the shows I have made while there, over the last two weeks I have decided not to re-negotiate when my current contract comes to an end," Ross said. INSIDER'S VIEW Torin Douglas, Media correspondent This has come out of the blue. For Ross to give up his radio as well as his television shows is what has really surprised people, because he loved radio and the Radio 2 show was a big success. Since "Sachsgate" he has reined back, and when he reins back you realise what a good broadcaster he is. He manages to attract a young audience, even though he's getting older himself, but still get a mainstream audience. That's why he's a very valuable property. A lot of people hate him and think he stands for all the things that the BBC should not stand for, but lots of others love him. Channel 4 will be very interested in trying to get him. Graham Norton could be a ready-made TV replacement - in that way the BBC is well placed. For the Film 2010 show, Mark Kermode from 5 live is a potential successor. But replacing Ross on radio will be harder. "While there, I have worked with some of the nicest and most talented people in the industry and had the opportunity to interview some of the biggest stars in the world, and am grateful to the BBC for such a marvellous experience. "Lucrative offers" "I would like to make it perfectly clear that no negotiations ever took place and that my decision is not financially motivated. He said that he had previously turned down "more lucrative offers from other channels" because the BBC was "where I wanted to be". He added: "As I have said before - I would happily have stayed there for any fee they cared to offer, but there were other considerations. "I love making my Friday night talk show, my Saturday morning radio show and the Film Programme, and will miss them all." The star said he will remain working for the BBC until the summer and will continue hosting the Bafta Film Awards, Comic Relief and other BBC specials. "Working at the BBC has been a tremendous privilege, and I would like to thank everyone who has watched and listened so loyally over the last 13 years." Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Jana Bennett, director of BBC Vision, said she could "understand" Ross's decision "following a difficult year". She called him an "extremely talented broadcaster" and said all his programmes had been a "great success". "I'm pleased that Jonathan will continue to apply his considerable abilities to the remaining six months of Friday Night, Film 2010 and his Radio 2 show," she said. "I'm delighted that he will continue to present the Bafta awards and Comic Relief for BBC Television." Ross has thanked fans posting on micro-blogging site Twitter, "Thanks for all the kind words about my decision. I feel sad that I can't keep making the shows so many of you love!" Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| Jonathan Ross to leave the BBC Jonathan Ross has announced he is quitting the BBC after 13 years at the Corporation. Ross, 49, said in a statement that he had decided not to renegotiate his contract when it ends at the end of July. He said: "Although I have had a wonderful time working for the BBC, and am very proud of the shows I have made while there, over the last two weeks I have decided not to re-negotiate when my current contract comes to an end." He went on: "I would like to make it perfectly clear that no negotiations ever took place and that my decision is not financially motivated. "I signed my current contract with the BBC having turned down more lucrative offers from other channels because it was where I wanted to be and - as I have said before - would happily have stayed there for any fee they cared to offer, but there were other considerations." Ross has been one of the biggest faces at the BBC, with his Friday night chat show, his Radio 2 show and his film review programme. His salary, a reported £18 million over three years, and the scandal over actor Andrew Sachs have recently caused controversy. Ross later gave out hot drinks to the waiting press outside his house and said: "It's been terrific. I would love to stay and make more shows with them. I've got six months left and I'm going to go back and try and make the best shows of my career with them." Jana Bennett, director of BBC Vision, said: "It's been a difficult year for him and I understand why he feels it's the right thing to do." Copyright © 2010 The Press Association. All rights reserved. | Jonathan Ross in 2005 Television presenter and BBC Radio 2 disc jockey Jonathan Ross has announced his departure from the British Broadcasting Corporation. Ross currently presents his own chat show, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, as well as presenting his own programme and The Film programme on BBC Radio 2. He has decided to leave the corporation when his contract ends in July 2010. The contract was reported to have a value of £18,000,000 over the space of three years, however this has not been confirmed by the BBC. Ross, who has been working with the BBC since 1996, spoke to news reporters outside his house. "It's probably not a bad time for me to move on — and it's probably not a bad time for the BBC, either," he stated. "I've got six months left, I'm hoping to make the best shows of my career with them." This information emerges one day after the announcement came that another BBC talk show host, Graham Norton, had signed a deal for two years with the BBC. Rumours began to mount in the newspapers that Norton would soon take over Ross' television slot. Alan Yentob, the BBC's Creative Director, said that "you don't need to compare Graham with Jonathan Ross. No decisions have been taken with that slot." In 2008, Ross was involved in the infamous incident involving Russell Brand and himself leaving obscene messages to actor Andrew Sachs via a voicemail service. Regarding his departure from the BBC, Jonathan said: "Although I have had a wonderful time working for the BBC, and am very proud of the shows I have made while there, over the last two weeks I have decided not to re-negotiate when my current contract comes to an end. While there, I have worked with some of the nicest and most talented people in the industry and had the opportunity to interview some of the biggest stars in the world, and am grateful to the BBC for such a marvellous experience. I would like to make it perfectly clear that no negotiations ever took place and that my decision is not financially motivated. "As I have said before — I would happily have stayed there for any fee they cared to offer, but there were other considerations. I love making my Friday night talk show, my Saturday morning radio show and the Film Programme, and will miss them all. Working at the BBC has been a tremendous privilege, and I would like to thank everyone who has watched and listened so loyally over the last 13 years." |
More about the Google Zeitgeist Pulling together interesting search trends and patterns requires Google’s human and computing power together. Search statistics are automatically generated based on the millions of searches conducted on Google over a given period of time - weekly, monthly, and annually. With some help from humans, and a pigeon or two when they have time, these statistics and trends make their way from the depths of Google's hard drives to become the Google Zeitgeist report. We should note that in compiling the Zeitgeist, no individual searcher's information is available or accessible to us. What you see here is a cumulative snapshot of interesting queries people are asking some over time, some within country domains, and some on Google.com that perhaps reveal a bit of the human condition. We appreciate the contribution all Google users make to these fascinating bits of information. This information is free for your use, with the appropriate attribution to Google Inc. We welcome your feedback, suggestions, and questions. Please contact +1.650.930.3555 or send email to press@google.com. ||||| Worldwide Market for Packaged Software on Linux Projected to Reach $14 Billion by 2008 BEAVERTON, Ore. - December 15, 2004 - The Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), a global consortium dedicated to accelerating the adoption of Linux® in the enterprise, today announced the completion of a global Linux market share and forecast study conducted by market research firm IDC that predicts the overall market revenue for desktops, servers, and packaged software running on Linux will exceed $35 billion by 2008. The new study presents a measurement of shipments and the installed base of servers and PCs running Linux that takes into consideration Linux shipped with new hardware deliveries, Linux running aboard redeployed systems, and instances where Linux is used as a guest operating system. When this expanded view of the marketplace is considered, the resulting server market for shipments and redeployments with Linux is increased by 36% over net new shipments in 2004. Another key finding of interest to independent software vendors and customers is predicted revenue growth for packaged applications and infrastructure software running on Linux, a market opportunity IDC forecasts will exceed $14 billion in the next four years, growing at a 2003-2008 compound annual rate of more than 44 percent. ''This is the first authoritative and comprehensive snapshot of how people truly use Linux and it’s not surprising for us to see that the adoption is far ahead of even some of the most optimistic estimates,'' said Stuart Cohen, CEO of OSDL. Other key findings from the IDC report include: The combined worldwide market for desktops, servers, and packaged software running on Linux is forecast to grow at a 2003-2008 compound annual growth rate of 25.9 percent worldwide, reaching $35.7 billion by 2008. The worldwide market for software on Linux is forecast to exceed $14 billion by 2008 with a 2003-2008 compound annual growth rate of 44.3 percent. New and redeployed PCs running Linux is a market forecast to grow to $10 billion and 17 million units by 2008 with an installed base of over 42.6 million units. Servers running Linux as either a primary or secondary operating system is a market forecast to exceed $11 billion and 3.3 million units by 2008 with an installed base of more than 9.7 million units and a compound annual growth rate of 24.5 percent worldwide. The installed base of servers running Linux is 37 percent larger than installed base for net new systems shipped with Linux as a primary operating system alone in 2004. With this expanded view of the Linux market, this study takes into account segments not previously measured. This broader perspective considers systems that are reconfigured in the field with Linux as either a secondary operating system or as a replacement of the original operating system. The study utilized existing IDC research conducted on server hardware, PC hardware, software, and other research programs in conjunction with new primary research, including a demand-side study that covered ten countries around the world on customer adoption, plans and perceptions relating to Linux. Some data inputs used in conjunction with IDC's syndicated research came from a study funded by OSDL. ''When all manifestations of Linux operating systems are counted, Linux is clearly a mainstream solution,'' said Vernon Turner, group vice president and general manager of Enterprise Computing research at IDC. ''Today, IDC sees a shift where Linux server operating environment deployments are moving to favor the use of enterprise server hardware. This transition is being driven by the increasing robustness of Linux and the increasingly critical nature of the applications deployed on Linux.'' ''Linux is forecast to be the fasted growing server operating system environment, and the overall Linux solution stack is growing at a commensurate rate,'' concluded Cohen. ''What this research shows is the significant and increasing influence of Linux on the enterprise IT marketplace.'' A summary of the IDC report is available on the OSDL Web site at IDC Report. The new report, called Worldwide Linux 2004-2008 Forecast: Moving from Niche to Mainstream (IDC #32424), is now available from IDC. To purchase this document, please call IDC's Sales hotline at 508-999-7988 or email sales@idc.com. | According to Google's ''2004 Year-End Google Zeitgeist'' report, Linux scored fifth on a list of most-searched technology terms, beating out all other operating systems. Linux was the No. 4 technology search term on Google in 2002. This ranking follows a banner year for the community-built operating system. The 2.6 kernel, deemed the first enterprise-level release of the software, became available for users in 2004 and made significant inroads into the enterprise computing industry. The IDC recently reported a prediction that the worldwide market revenue for Linux will exceed $35 billion by 2008. "SCO" was the No. 1 company query for 2004 in Google's report. High-profile lawsuits by SCO against IBM and other companies for alleged copyright or patent infringement were filed and dominated Linux news throughout the year. |
London, England (CNN) -- The relatives of five British sailors whose boat apparently drifted into Iranian territorial waters last week voiced relief Wednesday as their sons arrived at a yacht club in Dubai. David Young, father of sailor Oliver Young, said the families met briefly Wednesday morning with Britain's foreign secretary and his staff, who earlier told relatives that Iran was releasing the men. "We did say to everybody in there, and to people in Bahrain, and to people in Tehran who have been working on this how much we appreciated their efforts, how well they've handled the situation and how glad we are to see our boys home," Young said. The parents appeared at a news conference held in front of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. Young had said he was able to speak to his son briefly Monday on a cell phone belonging to one of the other men. The father said he was reassured that the men were being treated well. The British government identified the other sailors as Olly Smith, Sam Usher, Luke Porter and Dave Bloomer. The Times of London said Young and Porter are 21 years old, Usher is 26, Smith is 31, and Bloomer is believed to be in his 60s. Bloomer is from Dublin, Ireland, the paper said, and apparently has dual citizenship. Iran's navy detained the men November 25 as their racing yacht traveled from Bahrain to Dubai for a competition. Iranian authorities said they released the men after determining that they had accidentally wandered into the country's waters, the semi-official Fars news agency said. The sailors had told relatives that their boat became disabled and was hard to steer. Young said his son told him the group was tense when the Iranians first picked them up, but then everything was "cool." Another sailor said they were temporarily blindfolded. The men and their yacht were towed into international waters Wednesday, and representatives from the company that owns the boat, Sail Bahrain, met them to bring them ashore in Dubai. Early Wednesday, after receiving the call that his son, Luke, and his crewmates were going to be freed, Charles Porter spoke informally to reporters near his home. "It was all fairly nerve-racking last night," the father said. He said the Foreign Office awakened the family at 5:30 a.m. to tell them the news. Watch the Porters describe getting the call "We've spoken to Luke," Porter said. "He's very, very tired. He's been through a lot. He said that particularly the first couple of days were upsetting." "He got the feeling after a couple of days that they realized they weren't dealing with anything sinister," the father added. Luke Porter's twin sister, Jess, said she was "absolutely over the moon [and] relieved to hear his voice. We're such a close family." British authorities on Tuesday had asked for a speedy resolution in the case, after an Iranian official said the sailors could be dealt with severely if it was determined they had ill intentions. Young said it probably helped that the incident was kept low-key, without a lot of media fanfare. Andrew Pindar, Sail Bahrain chairman, said Tuesday evening that the men had had problems with the boat's propeller and that that might have caused them to drift into Iranian waters. The father of one sailor said the propeller had fallen off. Assuming that the five men might see Wednesday's news conference, one reporter asked the parents what they would say to their son. "I would say don't get lost on your way to Dubai," Young said. ||||| Iran releases 5 British sailors detained at sea TEHRAN, Iran — Iran freed five British sailors detained last week when their racing yacht drifted accidentally into Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf. Britain said it was delighted with Wednesday's release and praised Tehran's handling of the incident. The 60-foot yacht was in the Persian Gulf on its way from Bahrain to Dubai last Wednesday for the start of its first offshore race when it ran into a problem with its propeller, said Andrew Pindar, whose Team Pindar owns the yacht. It drifted into Iranian waters and was seized by the elite Revolutionary Guard's navy "After carrying out an investigation and interrogation of the five British sailors, it became clear that their illegal entry was a mistake," the Revolutionary Guard said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency. "After obtaining necessary guarantees, it was decided to release them." The British government had tried to keep the case from being politicized at a time when Tehran is under heavy pressure from the West over its nuclear program. Iran has accused Britain and other foreign governments of stoking the country's postelection street protests. The tensions with the West have also been heightened by Iran's detention of three Americans arrested this summer after they strayed across the border from northern Iraq. Washington and their families say the three unintentionally crossed into Iran while hiking, but Tehran recently accused them of espionage. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband confirmed the release of the five Britons and said they were being towed in their boat to international waters. From there, they would be towed to Dubai. "I welcome the fact this has been dealt with in a straightforward, professional way by the Iranian authorities," Miliband said. "Obviously this has been a real ordeal for the young men and their families and I'm really delighted that it's over for them and that we can call the matter closed." near the Iranian island of Sirri, which lies near the mouth of the narrow Hormuz Strait off Dubai. It was not clear where the Britons were held during their week in custody. Team Pindar is an independent British-based yachting team. It runs the yacht called Kingdom of Bahrain under the Sail Bahrain initiative in partnership with the tiny Gulf island kingdom of Bahrain. "We are all absolutely thrilled with the news," said Andrew Pindar. "It has been an extremely worrying time for all of us and particularly for the families and loved ones of those on board." He said the team has sent out a boat to meet the crew and accompany them safely to shore and thanked Iranian authorities. The yacht was expected to be out of Iranian waters Wednesday afternoon. David Young, whose son Oliver is among the five yachtsmen seized, said he was "very relieved" by the news. "We thought it would be over quickly. This is what we were hoping for," Young said. Iran warned Tuesday the sailors would be prosecuted if it was proven they had "bad intentions" when they entered Iranian waters. IRNA said Miliband and Iranian Foreign Minister Manochehr Mottaki discussed the matter late Tuesday and Miliband said there was "certainly no question of any malicious intent on the part of these five young people." "This is a human story ... It's got nothing to do with politics. It's got nothing to do with the nuclear enrichment program," Miliband said. Bahrain, which has long had a tense relationship with its larger neighbor across the Gulf, also contacted the Iranians to say the boat entered Iranian waters by mistake and to push for the crew's release. The yacht had been heading to join the 360-mile (580-kilometer) Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race, which was to begin Nov. 26. The race went ahead without the yacht. British media had identified the five Britons as Oliver Smith, of Southampton; Sam Usher, of Scarborough; Luke Porter, of Weston-super-Mare; Oliver Young, of Saltash; and David Bloomer, who is from Malahide, Ireland but holds a British passport. In an interview with Iranian TV Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made no mention of the yachtsmen. However, he singled out Britain for criticism, saying it and Israel were behind a tough resolution by the U.N. nuclear watchdog rebuking Iran over its nuclear program. In 2007, Iran seized 15 British military personnel in the Gulf, claiming they had entered Iranian waters, though Britain insisted they were in Iraqi waters. Eventually all were freed without an apology from Britain. Associated Press Writer Jennifer Quinn in London contributed to this report. Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | Five British sailors traveling in a yacht in the Persian Gulf were detained and released by Iranian authorities after they accidentally crossed into Iranian waters. The sailors were on their way to a race then they suffered propeller problems and drifted into Iranian waters. Iranian authorities interrogated the sailors and released them after they found no evidence of "bad intentions." They earlier warned that the sailors would face prosecution if they suspected any wrong doing. "There was certainly no question of any malicious intent on the part of these five young people," stated the Iranian Foreign Ministry to the . The stated, "after carrying out an investigation and interrogation of the five British sailors, it became clear that their illegal entry was a mistake." Team Pindar composed of David Bloomer, Luke Porter, Oliver Smith, Oliver Young and Sam Usher, were travelling to the -Muscat Offshore Sailing Race, a 360-mile (580-kilometer) race when they were arrested on November 25. The race took place on November 26. The sailors were met by team representatives and are being escorted in their yacht out of Iranian waters. David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary for the UK denies that the unconditional release was not a political move calling it a "human story" and that it had "nothing to do with politics. It's got nothing to do with the nuclear enrichment program." A similar incident took place in July, but on land. Three American hikers, identified as Shaun Gabriel Maxwell, Shane Bower and Sara Short, were arrested on July 31 in the country after they crossed into Iranian territory. Reports say the hikers accidentally crossed into Iran while hiking between and Ahmad Awa in the Kurdish Region of Iraq. |
Sri Lankan military says it has gained control, cut off escape for Tamil Tigers UN rights chief calls for war-crimes probe on both sides of 25-year conflict Sri Lankan army soldiers patrol the war zone in Vellamullivaikal, Sri Lanka, on Friday. (Sri Lankan Defence Ministry/Associated Press) Sri Lankan army soldiers patrol the war zone in Vellamullivaikal, Sri Lanka, on Friday. (Sri Lankan Defence Ministry/Associated Press) Tamil Tiger leaders are trapped in a tiny slice of of Sri Lankan's northeast coast with no chance of sea escape, the country's military said Saturday. The announcement comes after President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared Friday that his soldiers would end the island's bloody civil war in 48 hours, a deadline that ends Saturday. Two army divisions moved up along the island's northeast coast to link up at the coastal village of Vellamullivaikkal and deny the rebels sea access for the first time in its quarter-century civil war, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said. The rebels and tens of thousands of civilians are cornered in a tiny 3.1-square kilometre strip between a lagoon and the sea. Meanwhile, about 1,800 civilians reportedly fled Sri Lanka's shrinking war zone on Friday, but thousands more were still trapped in rebel-held territory as the military advanced on the Tigers. The Sri Lankan government has rebuffed growing international concern over the tens of thousands of civilians under threat from the heavy artillery bombardments shaking the four square-kilometre war zone along the island country's northern coastline. 'Unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe' The International Committee of the Red Cross on Friday warned of "an unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe" for the hundreds of wounded trapped without treatment. "No humanitarian organization can help them in the current circumstances," Red Cross operations director Pierre Krahenbuhl said in a statement. "People are left to their own devices." In this photo released Thursday by Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry, displaced Tamil civilians cross a lagoon to reach government-controlled areas in Vellamullivaikal, Sri Lanka. (Sri Lankan Defence Ministry/Associated Press) In this photo released Thursday by Sri Lanka's Defence Ministry, displaced Tamil civilians cross a lagoon to reach government-controlled areas in Vellamullivaikal, Sri Lanka. (Sri Lankan Defence Ministry/Associated Press) The Sri Lankan military said two of its army units were pushing ahead with a pincer movement in the conflict zone, fighting their way down the coast from the north and up from the south in an effort to link up. The move is aimed at severing the rebels' last remaining sea outlet and completely encircling them, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told The Associated Press that Sri Lankan soldiers are probably fighting their final battle against the Tamil Tigers. He said reports indicate that relatives of top rebel leaders are starting to flee the war zone. The navy stopped a suspicious boat off the northeastern coast Friday and arrested the wife, son and daughter of the rebels' sea wing leader, who were among 11 people on board. The latest group of civilians to escape the fighting joined more than 3,700 who waded across a lagoon to escape the day before, Nanayakkara said. He said the rebels fired on Thursday's group as they were in the water that serves as the front line of the conflict. Journalists barred Casualty reports emerging from the war zone are almost impossible to verify, as the government has barred all independent journalists from the area. The rebel group has accused the military of deliberately firing on civilians, while the government says the Tamil Tigers are using civilians as human shields. The military has denied firing heavy weapons in recent weeks as it pushes to finish off the rebels, though human rights groups and international officials say the government has continued artillery attacks. Navi Pillay, the UN's human rights commissioner, said Friday she supports calls for an inquiry into the Sri Lankan conflict as evidence mounts of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity on both sides. Pillay, an ethnic Tamil from South Africa, previously served as a judge for the Rwanda war-crimes tribunal and the International Criminal Court in The Hague. 'Race against time' to help refugees Those who have escaped the conflict zone must now contend with a "second emergency" at the refugee camps, where some 200,000 people have amassed, said Melanie Brooks, who just returned to Geneva from Sri Lanka with an aid team from CARE International. "We’re doing pretty well in terms of getting enough food and enough shelter for the people that are there; the main challenge is getting enough water," Brooks told CBC News on Friday. "But it’s a race against time to get enough tents up and enough food in place for the people that we expect are going to come out of the conflict zone as this conflict comes to an end." The government's recent offensive has sparked a series of demonstrations worldwide from expatriate Tamil groups, especially in Canadian cities such as Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. The protesters are demanding the Canadian government bring sanctions against the Sri Lankan government to pressure it to commit to peace negotiations. Speaking in Friday's question period in the House of Commons, Peter Kent, parliamentary secretary to the minister of Foreign Affairs, said the UN Security Council has joined Canada and other countries in calling for both parties to the conflict to immediately cease fire in the "deepening humanitarian tragedy." "Canada continues to call on the terrorist Tamil Tigers to lay down arms and to release the civilians they’re holding as human shields and, at the same time, for the Sri Lankan forces to cease indiscriminate artillery fire," Kent told the Commons. The Tamil Tigers were banned in Canada as a terrorist group in 2006 for their use of child soldiers and suicide bombers during the country's 25-year civil war, which has killed an estimated 70,000 people. The United Nations says 7,000 civilians were killed and 16,700 wounded in the fighting from Jan. 20 until May 7 alone, according to a UN document given to The Associated Press by a senior diplomat. With files from The Associated Press ||||| Agence France-Presse New York «Les forces armées sri-lankaises bombardent des hôpitaux et de prétendues zones de sécurité où elles massacrent des civils» tamouls, a affirmé James Ross, directeur politique et juridique de HRW, cité dans un communiqué. «Cette "guerre" contre des civils doit cesser», a-t-il exhorté. L'association, qui siège à New York, assure avoir mené durant quinze jours une mission clandestine de recueil d'informations dans le nord du Sri Lanka. Le rapport de HRW est une compilation de témoignages de Tamouls qui ont réussi à fuir la zone du conflit, un triangle de 100 km2 de jungle dans le nord-est où l'armée se bat contre un dernier carré d'insurgés des Tigres de libération de l'Eelam tamoul (LTTE). Ces civils, qui ont pu quitter le théâtre des opérations militaires, s'entassent dans des camps de réfugiés contrôlés par le gouvernement. Aucun journaliste n'a accès à cette région et seuls le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR) et les Nations unies peuvent s'y rendre. D'après le Sri Lanka, quelque 42.000 civils tamouls ont fui la zone de guerre, mais 70.000 seraient encore coincés et serviraient de «boucliers humains» à la rébellion. Renvoyant les deux camps dos à dos, l'ONU et le CICR estiment que plus de 200.000 habitants tamouls seraient pris entre deux feux et que «des centaines» de personnes, dont des enfants, auraient été tuées depuis le 1er janvier, en particulier dans des bombardements d'hôpitaux. En tournée au Sri Lanka, le secrétaire général adjoint de l'ONU aux Affaires humanitaires, John Holmes, a exhorté jeudi Colombo et les Tigres à «épargner» les populations civiles. | , the president of Sri Lanka, pledged to end the against the insurgents within two days. "President Mahinda Rajapaksa has vowed that within the next 48 hours, thousands of Tamil civilians will be freed from the clutches of the Tamil Tigers," a spokesman for the government said. He added the president had pledged that "all territory would be freed from the Tamil Tigers' control". The president's comments come as the Sri Lankan army has forced the Tiger rebels, known formally as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), onto a small strip of coastline about in length Thursday night. About 20,000–25,000 troops have been gathered for the final attack, and have encircled approximately 1,200–1,500 of the rebels. The Tigers have been accused of holding civilians as human shields and shooting at those trying to flee, an accusation that they have denied. There are few impartial accounts of the fighting as the government has prevented journalists and aid workers from entering the area. The country's government has rebuffed international worries over thousands of civilians that are located in and around the war zone that have been threatened by powerful artillery bombarding the area. The United Nations says that a further fifty thousand are estimated to still remain in the no-fire zone. In past months, approximately 200,000 civilians have fled from the war zones, and are currently residing in displacement camps. Sri Lankan armies are largely supported by both and , in a strategic calculus aiming to erase Tamil tiger resistances, who claim communist background. Tamils 1983's resistances had start following segregation against them. |
New! Paris Hilton Protest Panties at Mio Destino Join the great debate – should Paris be jailed or set free? With poor little rich girl Paris Hilton facing the prospect of a stint in jail, now is the time to take sides for or against possibly the naughtiest it -girl of them all…. and help the fight against ovarian cancer. Lingerie experts www.miodestino.co.uk have created a very special, limited edition collection of undies inspired by the great Paris debate. Lovingly embroidered with either “Free Paris” or, oh dear, “Jail Paris”, the range includes sexy pants for the girls, stylish briefs for the boys and a cute doggie dress in recognition of the most important pet in Paris’s life. Don’t miss out on the chance to own these fabulous pants - just like the girl herself, they are stylish, sexy and make a statement! In appropriate jailbird stripes, each piece is available for a short time only - log on quicklyto get hold of a pair and wear them on June 5th - the day poor Paris is due to be put away…. 50% of the profits from each sale will go to support the fight against ovarian cancer - donations will be made to Ovarian Cancer Action, funding essential research, raising awareness and giving a voice to those affected by this disease. ||||| 'FREE PARIS' La colección de Mio Destino inspirada en Paris Hilton. Sara Sáez Paris Hilton está a punto de entrar en la cárcel. El 5 de junio es la fecha señalada para que ocupe su celda. Un juez de Los Ángeles la condenó a 45 días de prisión por hacer caso omiso a las condiciones de su libertad condicional y conducir bajo los efectos del alcohol. Ahora Paris puede ir 'fashion' al calabozo porque el mismo día de su ingreso en prisión, la firma de lencería Mio Destino va a lanzar una colección especial de ropa interior en edición limitada. En rayas blancas y negras, al más puro estilo presidiario, el uniforme lencero está compuesto por dos prendas para él y ella en el que destacan las leyendas 'Free Paris' o 'Jail Paris' en romántica caligrafía negra y rosa. Por supuesto, Tinkerbell, el pequeño chihuahua que acompaña a la mediática diva tiene su traje preparado. Además, es una lencería solidaria porque el 50% de las ventas irán destinados a un programa de prevención del cáncer de ovarios. ||||| 20MINUTOS.ES. 29.05.2007 - 02:36h Una firma de lencería, Mio Destino, no ha perdido la ocasión de aprovechar el tirón de la joven heredera para lanzar una línea de moda íntima para él y para ella en la que se pide su liberación. La línea la han llamado "Free Paris" (Paris libre). Eso sí, hay que destacar que en la web aseguran que el 50% de las ventas irán destinadas a una asociación contra el cáncer de ovarios. Paris Hilton ingresará en prisión el próximo 5 de junio, fecha en la que saldrá a la venta la colección, ya que fue condenada el pasado 4 de mayo a 45 días de prisión en el centro penitenciario para mujeres de Lynwood, en el estado de California (EEUU). La sentencia le fue impuesta por conducir sin licencia, mientras se encontraba en libertad condicional. Los detalles La línea de lencería destaca por sus rayas en blanco y negro, tipo presidiario, muy propias por el tema que representan. Tienen braguitas, slips e incluso el vestido para el Tinkerbell, perro chihuahua de turno. Paris Hilton ya ha dicho que llevará a su inseparable perro a la celda, para pasar lo más llevadera posible su estancia entre rejas. | File photo of Paris Hilton With photographers and media gathering for an appearance by Paris Hilton, who is sentenced to serve jail time, the fashion industry has joined the 'free or jail Paris Hilton debate.' British company Mio Destino designed a line of prison-striped lingerie embroidered with the words 'Free Paris' in support of Hilton. A 'Jail Paris' embroidery was later added to the lingerie following intense demand. The 45 day jail sentence is scheduled to begin on Tuesday at the Century Regional Detention Center in suburban Lynwood, Los Angeles County after Hilton was convicted of driving recklessly for traveling at a speed of 70 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone with no headlights after dark in February this year. The offense occurred while her driver's license was suspended after a driving under the influence conviction last November. Hilton added her signature to an online petition, ''Free Paris Hilton'', hosted by iPetitions, that appealed to California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for a pardon. The petition states that Hilton "didn't hurt or kill anyone, and she has learned her lesson. She is sincere, apologetic, and full of regret for her actions as she explained tearfully to the Judge handling her case in court yesterday. She is distraught and understandably afraid." The petition has garnered over 30,000 signatures. A counter petition, again hosted by iPetitions, calling for Hilton's imprisonment received 87,715 signatures as of Sunday. With good behavior while serving time, Hilton may be able to get out of jail in 23 days. |
Obama criticizes virus response in online graduation speech "More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they're doing," he said. "A lot them aren't even pretending to be in charge." 5:09 PM Trump fires State Dept. watchdog critical of admin moves President Donald Trump has fired the State Department's inspector general, an Obama administration appointee whose office was critical of alleged political bias in the agency's management. Trump's emergency powers worry some senators, legal experts The day he declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency, President Donald Trump made a cryptic offhand remark. Coronavirus masks a boon for crooks who hide their faces The way the FBI tells it, William Rosario Lopez put on a surgical mask and walked into the Connecticut convenience store looking to the world like a typical pandemic-era shopper as he picked up plastic wrap, fruit snacks and a few other items. Democrats push $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill through House It has no chance of becoming law as written, but will likely spark difficult negotiations with the White House and Senate Republicans. House OKs proxy votes, allowing members to work remotely Democrats argue the House can rely on technology for remote work as the pandemic drags on. But Republicans objected to what they see as a power grab during the crisis. Newsday recommends Latest news: Trump presidency Get complete coverage of U.S. politics, including the 45th president, his administration and Congress. View USGS reports magnitude-6.4 earthquake in western Nevada The U.S. Geological Service is reporting that a magnitude-6.4 earthquake struck in remote western Nevada. Officials release edited coronavirus reopening guidance U.S. health officials on Thursday released some of their long-delayed guidance that schools, businesses and other organizations can use as states reopen from coronavirus shutdowns. Trump still doesn't see the point of mass virus testing Trump is proud of "the best testing in the world." But he calls it "overrated" and offers a novel theory: Less testing would mean fewer coronavirus cases. ||||| '); //--> E-Mail | Comments | E-Mail Newsletters | RSS Associated Press Daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. Dies By ERRIN HAINES Yolanda King, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s eldest child who pursued her father's dream of racial harmony through drama and motivational speaking, has died. She was 51. King died late Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif., said Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center. The family did not know the cause of death, but relatives think it might have been a heart problem, he said. "She was an actress, author, producer, advocate for peace and nonviolence, who was known and loved for her motivational and inspirational contributions to society," the King family said in a statement. Born on Nov. 17, 1955, in Montgomery, Ala., Yolanda Denise King was just an infant when her home was bombed amid the turbulent civil rights era. She became an actress, ran a production company and appeared in numerous films, including "Ghosts of Mississippi," and as Rosa Parks in the 1978 miniseries "King." "Yolanda was lovely. She wore the mantle of princess, and she wore it with dignity and charm," said the Rev. Joseph Lowery, One of her father's close aides in the civil rights movement. "She was a warm and gentle person and was thoroughly committed to the movement and found her own means of expressing that commitment through drama." The Rev. Al Sharpton said he expressed his condolences to her brother Martin Luther King III on Wednesday. Sharpton said Yolanda King was a "torch bearer for her parents and a committed activist in her own right." "Yolanda never wavered from a commitment to nonviolent social change and justice for all," he said. "She was the first daughter of the civil rights movement and never shamed her parents or her co-activists." Yolanda King founded and led Higher Ground Productions, billed as a "gateway for inner peace, unity and global transformation." On her company's Web site, she described her mission as encouraging personal growth and positive social change. She was also an author and a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference - which her father co-founded in 1957 - and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The flag at The King Center, where she was a board member, flew at half-staff on Wednesday. Yolanda King was the most visible and outspoken among the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s four children during this year's Martin Luther King Day in January, the first since the death of their mother, Coretta Scott King. At her father's Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, she performed a series of solo skits that told stories including a girl's first ride on a desegregated bus and a college student's recollection of the 1963 desegregation of Birmingham, Ala. She also urged the audience to be a force for peace and love, and to use the King holiday each year to ask tough questions about their own beliefs about prejudice. "We must keep reaching across the table and, in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, feed each other," she said. When asked by The Associated Press at that event how she was dealing with the loss of her mother, she responded: "I connected with her spirit so strongly. I am in direct contact with her spirit, and that has given me so much peace and so much strength." Survivors include her sister, the Rev. Bernice A. King, and brothers Martin Luther King III and Dexter Scott King. Funeral arrangements would be announced later, the family said in a brief statement. _ Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed More On This Topic Article Controls E-Mail | Comments | E-Mail Newsletters del.icio.us | Digg It! | My Yahoo! | RSS Related Sections Home > News & Analysis '); //--> News Headlines | More From Forbes.com | Special Reports Subscriptions > ||||| View and discuss the pictures and issues that caught our eyes ATLANTA - Yolanda King, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s eldest child who pursued her father’s dream of racial harmony through drama and motivational speaking, collapsed and died after making a speech. She was 51. King died late Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif., said Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center. The family did not know the cause of death, but relatives think it might have been a heart problem, he said. “She was an actress, author, producer, advocate for peace and nonviolence, who was known and loved for her motivational and inspirational contributions to society,” the King family said in a statement. Story continues below ↓ advertisement advertisement Former Mayor Andrew Young, a lieutenant of her father’s who has remained close to the family, said she was going to her brother Dexter’s home when she collapsed in the doorway and “they were not able to revive her.” Her death came less than a year and a half after her mother, Coretta Scott King, died in January 2006. Her struggle prompted her daughter to work with the American Heart Association to raise awareness about strokes, especially among blacks. Yolanda King, who lived in California, was an actress, ran a production company and appeared in numerous films, including “Ghosts of Mississippi.” She played Rosa Parks in the 1978 miniseries “King.” Civil rights movement ‘in her DNA’ “Yolanda was lovely. She wore the mantle of princess, and she wore it with dignity and charm,” said the Rev. Joseph Lowery, one of her father’s close aides in the civil-rights movement. He added she was “thoroughly committed to the movement and found her own means of expressing that commitment through drama.” The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who also worked with her father, said: “She lived with a lot of the trauma of our struggle. The movement was in her DNA.” The Rev. Al Sharpton called her a “torch bearer for her parents and a committed activist in her own right.” White House press secretary Tony Snow said President Bush and the first lady were sad to learn of King’s death, adding, “Our thoughts are with the King family today.” Yolanda King founded and led Higher Ground Productions, billed as a “gateway for inner peace, unity and global transformation.” On her company’s Web site, she described her mission as encouraging personal growth and positive social change. The flag at The King Center, where she was a board member, flew at half-staff on Wednesday. A life in the movement Yolanda Denise King — nicknamed Yoki by the family — was born Nov. 17, 1955, in Montgomery, Ala., where her father was then preaching. Her brother Martin III was born in 1957; brother Dexter in 1961; and sister Bernice in 1963. She was born just two weeks before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus there, leading to the Montgomery bus boycott spearheaded by her father. She was just 10 weeks old when the King family home was bombed in Jan. 30, 1956, as her father attended a boycott rally. Neither she nor her mother was injured when the device exploded on the front porch. She was 7 when her father mentioned her and her siblings in his 1963 speech at the March on Washington: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” She was 12 when her father was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., in 1968. Click for related content Discuss this on the Race & Ethnicity message board Visible role after mother's death Yolanda King was the most visible of the four children during this year’s Martin Luther King Day in January, the first since her mother’s death. When asked by The Associated Press at that event how she was dealing with the loss of her mother, she responded: “I connected with her spirit so strongly. I am in direct contact with her spirit, and that has given me so much peace and so much strength.” At her father’s Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, she performed a series of solo skits that told stories including a girl’s first ride on a desegregated bus and a college student’s recollection of the 1963 campaign to desegregate Birmingham, Ala. She also urged the audience to be a force for peace and love, and to use the King holiday each year to ask tough questions about their own beliefs about prejudice. “We must keep reaching across the table and, in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, feed each other,” she said. Funeral arrangements would be announced later, the family said in a brief statement. © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| The King Center in Atlanta set up to preserve the legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King says his oldest child, Yolanda Denise King, has died.Steve Klein, a spokesman for the center, says the 51-year-old died late Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif.A spokesman for the King Center says the family does not know the cause of death but suspects it might have been a heart problem.The death comes just over a year after the death of her mother, Coretta Scott King a civil rights leader in her own right at the age of 78, of complications from ovarian cancer, and after a battle with the effects from a stroke.The children of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King Yolanda Denise, Martin Luther III, Dexter Scott, and Bernice Albertine have each in their own way worked to carry on their parents' work fighting for racial equality and social justice.Born on Nov. 17, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, King was just an infant when her home was bombed during the turbulent civil rights era.As an actress, she appeared in numerous films and even played civil rights heroine Rosa Parks in the 1978 miniseries "King." She founded a production company called Higher Ground Productions Speaking last January in Atlanta at Ebenezer Baptist Church where her father preached for many years Yolanda exhorted those observing the national holiday that bears his name to remember that America has not yet achieved peace and racial equality."We must keep reaching across the table and, in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, feed each other," said Yolanda, urging those who honor the Kings' work to question their own beliefs on prejudice and be a personal force for peace and love.Yolanda at that same ceremony used her craft as an actress to deliver a tribute to her parents, performing a series of skits telling stories including a girl's first ride on a desegregated bus and a college student's recollection of the 1963 desegregation of Birmingham, Ala. ||||| If you’re the proud owner of a cast-iron pan , then you already know what a good investment it is. Once well-seasoned, it can cook just about anything from pancakes to fried chicken, it can go from stovetop to oven with ease, it’s nearly indestructible, it’s inexpensive and it holds its heat like a dream. But if you’re just using your pan to cook the occasional burger, then you’re missing out; you really can cook pretty much anything in it. | Yolanda King speaking at the 2006 Out & Equal Workplace Summit. Yolanda King, the oldest daughter of former Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King Jr. has died at the age of 51. The cause of her death is still unknown, but reports say that she was suffering from heart related problems and that shortly after King gave a speech, she collapsed. "She was an actress, author, producer, advocate for peace and nonviolence, who was known and loved for her motivational and inspirational contributions to society," said a statement issued by King's family. A spokesman for the King Center, Steve Klein, says that King died while at her Santa Monica, California home. King was born on November 17, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama. An actress, speaker and producer, King played Rosa Parks in the ''King'' miniseries in 1978. She was also the CEO of Higher Grounds Productions, a company that produces events related to spirituality and which advertised King for speeches and performances. "We must keep reaching across the table and, in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, feed each other," said King during a January speech at Ebenezer Baptist Church. |
Jackson fans have been paying tribute to the star all weekend Relatives of Michael Jackson will seek a second autopsy on the star because they still have unanswered questions about his death, family friends say. Veteran politician Rev Jesse Jackson, who has been counselling the family, said they were upset the official cause of death might not be known for weeks. He said the family wanted answers from the star's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, who was with him when he died. Coroners ruled out foul play after an initial autopsy on the 50-year-old. But they gave no cause of death, saying the results of toxicology tests could take weeks to come back. 'Questions of substance' A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department said investigators had briefly spoken to Dr Murray, but they wanted to speak to him again. MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009 Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song Sold:750 million albums Earned:$700 million (estimated) Obituary: Remarkable talent Life in pictures Tributes paid to Michael Jackson A lawyer for Dr Murray said the physician had agreed to answer questions from detectives. "Contrary to what has been out there, Dr Murray has been co-operating with authorities from the outset and will continue to do so," Bill Stradley told Reuters news agency. Jesse Jackson said the family had a flurry of questions of their own for the doctor. "When did the doctor come? What did he do? Did they inject him, if so with what," he said. The rights leader claimed Dr Murray had gone missing in the hours immediately following the singer's death, which raised "questions of substance that will not go away until they are answered". "He owes it to the family and to the public to say: 'These were the last hours of Michael's life and here's what happened.'" Jackson, who had a history of health problems, collapsed at his Los Angeles home at about midday on Thursday. A recording of the telephone call made to emergency services from his home was released on Friday. The caller is heard to say Jackson is unconscious and has stopped breathing, and that a doctor is trying to revive him. The singer was pronounced dead at the UCLA medical centre two hours after the call was made. Jackson's brother, Jermaine, said he believed the star had suffered a cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles County coroner returned Jackson's body to his family earlier, and they are now reportedly making funeral arrangements. Coroner's investigator Brian Elias revealed on Saturday that Jackson's family had told his office on the previous day that they wanted a second autopsy carried out. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Two days after the death of Michael Jackson, the family of the pop superstar thanked his fans for their condolences and support in "one of the darkest moments of our lives." A girl holds up signs in memory of Michael Jackson outside New York's Apollo Theater on Saturday. "Please do not despair, because Michael will continue to live on in each and every one of you," family patriarch Joseph Jackson said in a statement to People magazine obtained by CNN. "Continue to spread his message, because that is what he would want you to do. Carry on, so his legacy will live forever," the statement told fans. "Our beloved son, brother and father of three children has gone so unexpectedly, in such a tragic way and much too soon," the statement said. "It leaves us, his family, speechless and devastated to a point, where communication with the outside world seems almost impossible at times." Watch how one fan mourns pop star » Family members including Jackson's mother, Katherine, were at the estate Jackson had rented in Holmby Hills. Around midday, two moving vans pulled up. One left empty, and the other apparently contained objects from the house. Other vehicles came and went, including a silver Range Rover driven by a plain clothes police officer. Meanwhile, the doctor who may have been the last person to see Michael Jackson alive was expected to meet with police Saturday along with his lawyer, an associate of attorney Ed Chernoff said. Matthew Alford, an associate of Stradley, Chernoff and Alford law firm in Houston, Texas, said Dr. Conrad Murray, who is represented by Chernoff, was upset but willing to cooperate. Watch what Alford said about doctor's involvement » The ongoing meeting could spill into Sunday, according to the firm. "It's a human tragedy, and he's upset obviously over the loss of Mr. Jackson. But he is not a suspect in the death of Mr. Jackson," Alford said. "We intend to cooperate fully." Los Angeles police, who met briefly with Murray after Michael Jackson's death, had been trying to set up an interview, Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Charlie Beck said. "Is important to interview everybody that was in contact with Mr. Jackson immediately prior to his demise particularly anyone involved in his medical care," Beck said. "So it's extremely important to talk to his doctor." Police said the doctor has been cooperating. Jackson's family suspects that Murray can answer some questions about the singer's death, but they have been unable to contact him, the Rev. Jesse Jackson told CNN on Saturday. The parents need to know what happened in the last hours of Michael Jackson's life, Jesse Jackson said. "The routine inquiry is now an investigation," Jesse Jackson said. "They (Jacksons) didn't know the doctor. ... He should have met with the family, given them comfort on the last hours of their son." Alford said Murray has "not been hiding out. He's just being prudent." Detectives impounded Murray's car, which was parked at the singer's rented home, because it may contain evidence related to Jackson's death, possibly prescription medications. Police have released no information on what they may have found. Alford said he did not have any details. "I have no information as to what if any treatment, or course of treatment he was doing for Mr. Jackson at all," he said. Michael Jackson died Thursday, and an autopsy was performed the following day. A spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner's office told reporters Friday that more tests must be conducted before a cause of death can be determined. That could take four to six weeks. The coroner said there was no indication of external trauma or foul play. Watch the coroner's spokesman discuss the autopsy » The 50-year-old pop star was discovered unconscious Thursday by paramedics at his home, where Murray apparently had tried to revive him. He was rushed to a Los Angeles medical center, where he was pronounced dead. "They need an independent autopsy to get even more answers to questions that are now being driven by the gap between when Michael was last seen alive and was pronounced dead day before yesterday," Jesse Jackson said. Watch Jesse Jackson detail the family's concerns » There are lingering questions, such as: "How long had he stopped breathing? How long had he been unconscious?" he said. Jackson had been preparing for a comeback tour -- aimed at extending his legendary career and helping him to pay off hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. Jackson is survived by his three children, Prince Michael I, Paris and Prince Michael II. CNN's Ted Rowlands contributed to this report All About Michael Jackson • Jesse Jackson • Prescription Drugs ||||| May 6, 2009: Michael Jackson attends a rehearsal in Los Angeles for his upcoming concerts in London. A second autopsy conducted by a private pathologist on Michael Jackson's body was completed Saturday, the Los Angeles Times reported, at the family's request. Jackson's family sought the autopsy through a private expert after the Los Angeles Coroner's Office said Friday that its autopsy had yet to determine a cause of death for the pop music icon. The Coroner's Office told FOX News that such a move is quite unusual, but authorities have no problems with the family's decision. PHOTOS | FULL COVERAGE Jackson family members reportedly have been frustrated and angry over what they see as a lack of information about Jackson's final hours and the authorities' delay of up to six weeks in determining Jackson's cause of death at age 50. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a friend of the family, said after a news conference Saturday in Chicago that the family has specific questions about what role a Texas cardiologist played in the singer's final hours, the Associated Press reported. Family members also weren't happy that the cause of death was deferred while toxicology tests are completed. Jackson's Family Angry Over Lack of Info Sources at the Coroner's Office have told FOX News that they are confident that they are conducting their investigation by the book, and they are expediting the forensic tests as quickly as they can. The Coroner's Office, which released the body to the family late Friday night, had not been told who the Jackson family was hiring to conduct its independent autopsy. Investigators Surprised by Jackson's Apparent Health Jackson was pronounced dead Thursday afternoon at UCLA Medical Center after he stopped breathing at the rented Los Angeles mansion where he was staying. The family has said he likely suffered a cardiac arrest, and there has been much speculation that prescription drugs Jackson was taking may have been to blame. Dr. Conrad Murray, the cardiologist who was hired by Jackson's concert promoter to oversee the singer's daily care, is talking Saturday with police, but investigators have stressed that he is not the focus of a criminal investigation at this time. Ed Chernoff, an attorney representing Murray, told FOX News the doctor was meeting Saturday afternoon with investigators. Murray has been cooperating with the investigation, Chernoff said. Murray rode with Jackson in the ambulance to the hospital on Thursday. Since then, he has never left Los Angeles or been out of contact with police, Chernoff said. The Rev. Al Sharpton says the Jackson family is considering a series of simultaneous global celebrations and other ideas as they decide how to commemorate the life of the King of Pop. Sharpton said Saturday he has spoken with Michael Jackson's brothers Jackie and Jermaine and plans to meet with the family Sunday at their request. Sharpton says the family is frustrated that so much of the media attention has focused on Michael Jackson's problems and they want to make sure he's remembered for his spectacular contributions to music and culture. Click here for more about Dr. Murray. | Citing a lack of results from the primary autopsy by the Los Angeles (LA) Coroner's Office of Michael Jackson's body, the Jackson family has requested that an independent coroner examine the body in hopes of finding the cause of death. Michael Jackson in 1988 The LA Coroner's have ruled out foul play, but the toxicological tests could take as long as 6 weeks, and as of now have not specified the reason for Jackson's death. The Coroner's officer has stated though the decision for an independent autopsy was surprising, they didn't have any issues with allowing it. The Jackson family has been unable to contact Michael Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, who was with the star during his final hours. Police have stated that Dr. Murray is not a suspect, but they are attempting to set up an interview. Reverend Jesse Jackson, an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister, has been in contact with the family and has been providing counseling. He stated "they the Jacksons didn't know the doctor...He should have met with the family, given them comfort on the last hours of their son." An associate of Ed Chernoff, Dr. Murray's lawyer, stated that "contrary to what has been out there, Dr. Murray has been co-operating with authorities from the outset and will continue to do so." |
Thousands have queued in Warsaw to pay tribute to Lech Kaczynski and his wife A row has broken out over the decision to bury Polish President Lech Kaczynski in Wawel cathedral in Krakow - a place reserved for Poland's kings and heroes. Hundreds have taken to the streets of the southern city in protest at the plan for a second consecutive night. Thousands have joined an internet campaign against it. Mr Kaczynski died in a plane crash on Saturday along with his wife and many senior officials. A date for a presidential election will be set after the funeral on Sunday. Acclaimed Polish film director Andrzej Wajda dubbed the burial arrangements "misplaced" and "hastily made as emotions ran high", in an open letter published by the newspaper, Gazeta Wyborcza. "Lech Kaczynski was an ordinary and good man, but there is no reason for him to lie in the Wawel among the kings of Poland and Marshal Jozef Pilsudski [the founder of modern-day Poland]," he said. Officials said the site in a crypt close to Marshal Pilsudski was chosen by church leaders and the Kaczynski family, which include Mr Kaczynski's twin, Jaroslaw - the leader of Poland's opposition. But Mr Wajda said the decision "will spark protests and could cause the deepest splits in Polish society since 1989". Facebook protest Hundreds of people staged a protest in front of the residence of Krakow's Archbishop, Stanislaw Dziwisz, on Tuesday evening, carrying banners reading: "Not Krakow, not Wawel", and "Are you sure he is the equal of kings?" Late on Wednesday a second protest was held, as well as a smaller counter demonstration in favour of the plan. A Facebook group called "No to the Kaczynskis' burial in Wawel" had attracted more than 26,000 members by Wednesday. The site of the crash is still being pored over by investigators Many world leaders are to attend Sunday's funeral, including US President Barack Obama along with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany. Polish officials have said that elections for a new president will be held in June. In a parliamentary document they wrote that there were "two possible dates" - 13 or 20 June. Poland's acting President, Bronislaw Komorowski, is expected to name the exact date after consulting political parties. The bodies of the presidential couple have been lying in state together at the presidential palace in Warsaw. They were among 96 people on board the Polish government jet that crashed in heavy fog while trying to land in the Smolensk region of Russia. They had been travelling to attend a memorial service for Polish military officers and others massacred by Stalin's secret police at Katyn in 1940. Other victims of the crash, whose bodies are believed to have been badly disfigured or burnt in the crash, are being identified by forensic scientists in Moscow. A number of the dead have yet to be retrieved from the wreckage, officials said. Russian investigators believe pilot error was to blame for the crash. Air traffic controllers who handled the plane have been quoted as saying the Polish crew refused three times to heed advice to divert to another airport because of poor visibility. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| Login Enter your details below to login Email address Password Keep me logged in information Keeps you logged in for a rolling 15 days or until you logout Forgot your password? | President Lech Kaczynski died along with 95 other people in a plane crash Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Krakow objecting to plans to bury the Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, at Wawel Castle. Kaczynski and his wife are set to be buried on Sunday. Burial spaces at Wawel castle are normally reserved for Polish kings and heroes. Groups of protesters arrived in front of the Archbishop’s of Krakow’s house on Tuesday evening, many of them holding banners with slogans such as “Are you sure he is equal of the Kings?” and “Not Krakow, Not Wawel”. A further 26,000 people joined a Facebook group titled “No to the Kaczynski’s being buried in Wawel”. Polish film director Andrzej Wajda voiced his opinion on the plans of the late president’s burial site, saying that "Lech Kaczynski was an ordinary and good man, but there is no reason for him to lie in the Wawel among the kings of Poland and Marshal Józef Piłsudski the founder of modern-day Poland." He continued to comment, saying that the decision had been “misplaced”. Officials commented on the criticism, saying that the plans were made by both church leaders and the Kaczynski family. The current plans have Kaczynski’s burial place close to Marshal Pilsudski’s crypt. Several of the world’s leaders and dignitaries are to attend the president's funeral, including US president Barack Obama and Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev. |
BAGRAM AIRBASE (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney flew into Pakistan and Afghanistan on Monday to press for a united front in the war against the resurgent Taliban, with media reports saying he would tell Islamabad only results count. ||||| This week the Bush administration proposed to list the polar bear as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. It’s a futile gesture that only signals a weakening in the Bush administration’s heretofore strong stance against global warming hysteria. The proposal resulted from a lawsuit settlement the Bush administration reached in February with Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council. In return for these groups dropping their effort to force the Bush administration to grant polar bears “threatened” status under the ESA, the administration agreed to commence a rulemaking to list the bears. This doesn’t sound like much of a “deal” – and it’s not. Though the proposal doesn’t legally bind the Bush administration to list polar bears as threatened and the proposal will simmer for at least 12 months during which time the administration says it will seek more information and public comment, based on the fanfare accompanying the proposal’s roll-out, it seems the listing is all but final. Rather than issuing the proposal in a tentative and low-key manner, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne issued a media release and reigned over a press teleconference where he and the director of Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) touted the proposal. But they quickly lost control of the affair – not to mention their message. The major issue at the press conference became not whether the polar bear was truly endangered, but whether the rulemaking was a signal that the Bush administration was beginning to melt on global warming. (Story continues below) Advertise Here Advertisements Advertisements Before we get to the dominant issue of the press conference, however, let’s first answer the key questions raised by the proposal. Are polar bears endangered? What would the proposal accomplish, given that we already protect polar bears under several laws and treaties? There are no data indicating a downward trend in U.S. or global polar bear populations – that’s according to the FWS’ own fact sheet for the proposal. There apparently are some reports of lower-weight polar bears and reduced cub survival in certain areas, but there are no firm explanations for these reports and their significance is unknown. Now here’s the kicker: the U.S. government, the same one that now wants to classify the polar bears as “threatened,” also sanctions the hunting of polar bears for trophies. In the proposal’s media release, the FWS stated in an unconcerned, matter-of-fact fashion that, “[s]ome Native communities in arctic Canada also obtain significant financial benefits from allocating a portion of their overall subsistence quota to trophy hunters from the United States and other nations…” The FWS says that the projected threat to the polar bears is the future loss of their sea-ice habitat – this is the sole legal grounds for the proposed listing. Polar bears spend most of their lives on sea ice and recent data appear to indicate, according to the FWS, that sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is decreasing. The FWS even mentioned predictions of an ice-free Arctic Ocean “within the foreseeable future.” But such predictions and the potential consequences to polar bears are highly uncertain. No one knows exactly what’s happening with Arctic sea ice, much less what the future holds. The Greenland ice melt, for example, was actually larger in 1991 than in 2005 and the Greenland ice cap is thickening. Data from the Canadian Ice Service indicate there has been no precipitous drop-off in ice cap amount or thickness since 1970. Let’s keep in mind that polar bears have survived much warmer times than we are now experiencing – like 1,000 years ago when the Vikings farmed Greenland during the Medieval Climate Optimum and 5,000-9,000 years ago during the period known as the Holocene Climate Optimum. But even giving the proposal the benefit of the doubt, will it accomplish anything? When I asked Secretary Kempthorne that question – pointing out that even if the polar bear habit was shrinking because of melting ice there isn’t a credible climate scientist in the world that believes anything could be done to stop the ice from melting, and that legalized polar bear harvesting seems to contradict any seriousness concerning threatened species status – the response delivered by the FWS director was not very reassuring. In a bureaucratic tone that only government functionaries can muster, he said they were just following the law. But even that is debatable since the proposal’s origins lie in the dubious deal cut with environmental activist groups. The reporters at the ill-conceived and poorly-executed press conference were eager to interpret the proposal as a weakening of President Bush’s position against global warming regulation. While Secretary Kempthorne and FWS staff repeatedly denied that the proposal was any sort of reflection on President Bush’s policy, their denials sounded evasive rather than sincere. The proposal will, in all likelihood, make it more difficult for the president to maintain his position against global warming regulation. As the Washington Post reported this week, “Identifying polar bears as threatened with extinction could have an enormous political and practical impact. As the world's largest bear and as an object of children's affection as well as Christmastime Coca-Cola commercials, the polar bear occupies an important place in the American psyche.” It’s distressing that the Bush administration is opening the door for the all-important issue of global warming regulation to be influenced more by our embrace of a soda mascot rather than science. Steven Milloy publishes JunkScience.com and CSRWatch.com. He is a junk science expert , an advocate of free enterprise and an adjunct scholar at the Competitive Enterprise Institute . ||||| There are about 20,000-25,000 polar bears worldwide It is the first time the US has made a direct link between global warming and the threat to a species. President George W Bush has steadfastly refused to back mandatory controls of emissions of carbon dioxide - believed the main gas behind global warming. There are 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears across the globe, about 4,700 of them in the US state of Alaska. Oil and gas US Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne said polar bears were "one of nature's ultimate survivors". But he added: "We are concerned the polar bears' habitat may literally be melting." This is a victory for the polar bear, and all wildlife threatened by global warming Kassie Siegel, Centre for Biological Diversity Being listed as "threatened" is a rung down from being "endangered". A department official told the AFP news agency the US had not had a species that had been "listed with such a close correlation to climate change as this one". Mr Kempthorne sidestepped questions about US reductions of gas emissions, saying it was not a question for his department. But he stressed offshore oil and gas developments in Alaska were not part of the risk. Lobby groups welcomed the proposal. Kassie Siegel, of the Centre for Biological Diversity, said it was "a watershed decision in the way this country deals with climate change". However, listing the bears as threatened is still a year away, pending further studies. The listing would require all federal agencies not to take decisions that would threaten polar bears' survival. The Swiss-based Polar Bear Specialist Group projects a 30% decline in numbers over the next 45 years. | A family of polar bears. The United States is giving some thought to adding polar bears to the list of threatened species. The proposal to list polar bears has resulted from a lawsuit settlement the Bush administration reached in February with Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council, and a decsion was to be made 12 months after that settlement, based on the Endangered Species Act petition process. "Today the Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. We are making this proposal because a scientific review of the species by the Fish and Wildlife service found that populations may be threatened by receding sea ice, which polar bears use as a platform for many activities essential to their life cycle, including hunting for their main prey, Arctic seals," said Dirk Kempthorne, the Secretary of the Interior in the U.S. "Polar bears are one of nature's ultimate survivors, but we are concerned the polar bears' habitat may literally be melting," added Kempthorne. "We have never had a species listed with such a close correlation to climate change as this one," said an attorney with Natural Resources Defense Council, Andrew Wetzler. "Global warming is the single biggest threat to polar bears' survival, and this will require the government to address the impacts on the polar bear," added Wetzler. right The "threatened" category encompasses "vulnerable," "endangered," and "critically endangered." Currently, polar bears are listed as "vulnerable" under the World Conservation Union. Although the United States Fish & Wildlife Service makes no formal mention of increasing or decreasing polar bear population within US borders or worldwide, it is estimated that there are between 22,000 and 25,000 polar bears living, some 4,700 are living in the state of Alaska, and about 15,000 live in Canada. |
Full scorecard - Commentary - Wickets - 3D animation - Partnerships - Wagon wheels - Player v player - Over comparison - Over graphs - Career averages - Match home - Bulletin - Article index (4) - Photo index (16) Twenty20 Int. no. 21 - 2nd Match, Group C Kenya v New Zealand 2007/08 season Played at (neutral venue), on 12 September 2007 (20-over match) Result New Zealand won by 9 wickets (with 74 balls remaining) Kenya innings (20 overs maximum) R M B 4s 6s SR b Bond 0 1 2 0 0 0.00 hit wicket b Gillespie 0 5 1 0 0 0.00 c Oram b Bond 0 2 3 0 0 0.00 lbw b Gillespie 0 4 2 0 0 0.00 st McCullum b Vettori 18 41 25 2 0 72.00 c Taylor b Martin 18 27 26 3 0 69.23 c Taylor b Martin 0 7 6 0 0 0.00 b Vettori 4 10 12 0 0 33.33 b Gillespie 14 19 13 1 0 107.69 not out 11 14 9 0 1 122.22 b Gillespie 0 1 2 0 0 0.00 Extras (lb 2, w 6) 8 Total (all out; 16.5 overs; 70 mins) 73 (4.33 runs per over) Fall of wickets Bowling O M R W Econ 4 1 12 2 3.00 (1w) 2.5 0 7 4 2.47 (2w) 2 0 20 0 10.00 (1w) 4 1 14 2 3.50 (1w) 4 0 18 2 4.50 (1w) New Zealand innings (target: 74 runs from 20 overs) R M B 4s 6s SR c DO Obuya b Odoyo 27 20 20 4 1 135.00 not out 16 33 13 1 1 123.07 not out 21 12 14 1 2 150.00 Extras (lb 5, w 4, nb 1) 10 Total (1 wicket; 7.4 overs; 33 mins) 74 (9.65 runs per over) Did not bat , , , , , , Fall of wickets Bowling O M R W Econ 3 0 22 1 7.33 (1nb, 2w) 3 0 22 0 7.33 (2w) 1 0 8 0 8.00 0.4 0 17 0 25.50 Toss New Zealand, who chose to field first Points Twenty20 Int. debuts N Odhiambo and MA Ouma (Kenya); CS Martin and DL Vettori (New Zealand) Twenty20 debuts N Odhiambo and MA Ouma (Kenya) Player of the match MR Gillespie (New Zealand) Umpires (West Indies) and (Australia) TV umpire (Australia) Match referee Reserve umpire Match notes Kenya innings Kenya: 50 runs in 13.6 overs (89 balls), Extras 6 Innings Break: Kenya - 73/10 in 16.5 overs (RL Bhudia 11) New Zealand innings New Zealand: 50 runs in 6.1 overs (42 balls), Extras 10 Search for an international scorecard from the match/series archive: ||||| By Paul Grunill Maurice Ouma was dismissed by the second ball of the game New Zealand eased themselves into the ICC World Twenty20 with a nine-wicket thrashing of Kenya in Durban. The African side never recovered from being reduced to 1-4 at the start of their innings and six of their batsmen failed to score. Paceman Mark Gillespie claimed 4-7 as they were all out for 73, the lowest score in a Twenty20 international. The Kiwis then took just 7.4 overs to reach the target as Peter Fulton ended the game with two successive sixes. A greenish pitch and a gusting cross-wind meant that New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori had no hesitation in asking Kenya to bat after winning the toss. It proved a shrewd decision as the Kenyan top order simply could not cope with the pace and movement of Shane Bond, who removed Maurice Ouma and Tanmay Mishra in the opening over, and Gillespie. Things went from bad to worse when David Obuya trod on his stumps as Gillespie forced him onto the back foot and captain Steve Tikolo fell lbw when he was struck on the boot by a full length delivery. Thomas Odoyo and Collins Obuya added 36 for the fifth wicket, both making 18, before the introduction of Chris Martin and Vettori prompted another slump from 37-4 to 46-8. Brendon McCullum's stumping sent Collins Obuya on his way Rajesh Bhudiya sliced Martin over cover point for six but the end of the innings was swift as Gillespie knocked out Jimmy Kamande's middle stump with a full toss and two balls later bowled last man Peter Ongondo. New Zealand were in no mood to hang about at the start of their reply, with Lou Vincent lofting Odoyo over long-on for a boundary in the opening over. He pulled the last ball of Odoyo's next over over mid-wicket for six after being dropped off a no-ball by Nehemiah Odhiambo but the bowler had his revenge when David Obuya dived forward at mid-off to take a low catch and send Vincent on his way for 27. There was no let-up in the scoring rate, however, and Fulton wrapped things up in style as he drove Bhudiya over long-off for four and then despatched the next two deliveries into the crowd at mid-wicket to finish on 21 not out. Man of the Match Mark Gillespie: "I've been in the first-change role for a while now, so it was good to have the new ball back. Normally when you're first change, the shine has gone and you can't really swing it. "You've got to relax and take each ball as it comes [in Twenty20]. There's going to be a day, whether it's tomorrow or whenever, when the batters are going to dominate. It's a batter's game and we're just there to make up the numbers." | New Zealand defeated Kenya by nine wickets in Group C of the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship at Kingsmead, Durban, South Africa. Kenya suffered a disastrous start to their innings, when Maurice Ouma was bowled by Shane Bond and Tanmay Mishra was caught by Jacob Oram in the first over without scoring. In the second over David Obuya hit wicket and captain Steve Tikolo fell lbw to Mark Gillespie to leave Kenya on 1-4. Collins Obuya scored 18 runs before being stumped, and Thomas Odoyo also scored 18. Kenya slumped to 73 all out, which is the lowest score in a Twenty20 international. Mark Gillespie was the best performing bowler for the Black Caps, taking 4-7. New Zealand had no trouble reaching the target, and Lou Vincent was the only batsman to fall when he was caught by David Obuya for 27 runs. Brendon McCullum (16 not out) and Peter Fulton (21 not out) took New Zealand to victory in the eighth over. '''Toss:''' New Zealand won and chose to field first. '''Fall of wickets:''' 1-0 (Ouma, 0.2 ov), 2-0 (Mishra, 0.5 ov), 3-0 (DO Obuya, 1.1 ov), 4-1 (Tikolo, 1.5 ov), 5-37 (Odoyo, 8.3 ov), 6-39 (Odhiambo, 10.4 ov), 7-42 (CO Obuya, 11.4 ov), 8-46 (Obanda, 13.2 ov), 9-73 (Kamande, 16.3 ov), 10-73 (Ongondo, 16.5 ov) '''Fall of wickets:''' 1-40 (Vincent, 4.3 ov) '''Did not bat:''' R L Taylor, S B Styris, J D P Oram, C D McMillan, D L Vettori, S E Bond, M R Gillespie, C S Martin '''New Zealand:''' L Vincent, B B McCullum (wkt), P G Fulton, R L Taylor, S B Styris, J D P Oram, C D McMillan, D L Vettori (capt), S E Bond, M R Gillespie, C S Martin '''Kenya:''' M A Ouma (wkt), D O Obuya, T Mishra, S O Tikolo (capt), C O Obuya, T M Odoyo, N Odhiambo, A Obanda, J K Kamande, R L Bhudia, P J Ongondo '''Twenty20 International Debuts:''' N Odhiambo, M A Ouma (Kenya), C S Martin and D L Vettori (New Zealand) '''Man of the Match:''' M R Gillespie (New Zealand) '''Umpires:'''B R Doctrove (West Indies) and S J A Taufel (Australia) '''TV Umpire:'''S J Davis (Australia) '''Match Referee:''' M J Procter (South Africa) '''Reserve Umpire:''' B G Jerling (South Africa) |
1 of 3. A U.S. soldier takes up position on a road in Mahmoudiya, 30km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, April 7, 2007. DIWANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces launched an air strike in Diwaniya on Saturday as U.S. and Iraqi troops fought for a second day to overcome Shi'ite militias and bring the city back under government control. A local hospital source and a resident said six people, including two children and a woman, were killed in the missile strike on a home in the centre of the city, 110 miles south of Baghdad. U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Scott Bleichwehl said one person had been killed when a warplane fired on gunmen carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers. "The engagement was initiated by a tip that was called in by a local citizen. We had visual confirmation that there was a hostile target. There was no collateral damage," he said. Iraqi and U.S. forces launched Operation Black Eagle at dawn on Friday to restore the government's authority over a city where Shi'ite militias are a powerful and feared presence, particularly Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army, which the Pentagon says is the greatest threat to peace in Iraq. The government said this week it was extending the nearly two-month-old U.S.-Iraqi security crackdown in Baghdad to other cities as it seeks to halt a slide into sectarian civil war. Diwaniya has been the scene of fierce battles between U.S. and Iraqi forces and militiamen in past months. Forty people were killed in street battles in October. Thirteen Iraqi soldiers were summarily executed when they ran out of ammunition and were captured during a firefight with Shi'ite militiamen in the city last August. The incident prompted questions about the capabilities of the new Iraqi army. TWO US SOLDIERS KILLED The U.S. military said two U.S. soldiers died in separate roadside bombings in the east and west of Baghdad on Friday. One of the bombs was an explosively formed projectile, a particularly deadly type of device which Washington accuses Iran of supplying Iraqi militants. In Diwaniya, Saturday's fighting was concentrated in five central districts and gunmen were fighting back with roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades in hit-and-run attacks, an Iraqi military source there said. Colonel Michael Garrett, commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, said three U.S. soldiers had been wounded and two armored Humvees destroyed in the fighting. The Iraqi army said three of its soldiers were wounded. Three gunmen were killed in Friday's clashes, the U.S. military said. Garrett said U.S.-Iraqi security stations were to be set up in the city, particularly in areas where militias operated. Similar bases set up in Baghdad as part of the crackdown there have helped reduce the daily murder rate in the capital. North of Baghdad, gunmen staged the latest in a series of mass kidnappings, seizing 10 people traveling in a minibus near Himreen, 100 km (60 miles) south of Kirkuk, police said. A suicide car bomber also killed five people in an attack on a security force checkpoint near Samarra, north of Baghdad. The violence came as Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshiyar Zebari, announced that a ministerial meeting between Iraq, its neighbors and world powers on stabilizing the country will be held in Egypt in the first week of May. The meeting, a rare chance for Washington and its adversaries Iran and Syria to sit at the same table, is a followup to earlier talks in March. Zebari also said that an international conference on a five-year plan for reconstruction of Iraq will be held in Egypt at the same time. ||||| Story Highlights • Iraqi troops call in U.S. airstrike after call to tip line about militia fighters • Fighting against Shiite militias in Diwaniya in its second day • Ramadi official says Friday chlorine truck bomb killed 35, injured 40 • U.S. military reports two soldiers killed, seven wounded Friday in Baghdad Adjust font size: BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. warplanes struck suspected insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades in the southern Iraqi city of Diwaniya on Saturday, the U.S. military said. Residents in the predominantly Shiite city used a hotline to tip off authorities that insurgents carrying grenade launchers were in the area, the military said. Iraqi soldiers then took action. "The troops made positive identification of the militiamen and called for the airstrike," a military statement said. Iraqi police told The Associated Press that at least one civilian was killed and five seriously injured when a U.S. tank fired on a house in Diwaniya. The U.S. military had no immediate comment on any civilian casualties, AP reported. The airstrike is part of a military crackdown on insurgents in Diwaniya, which is known to be home to Shiite militias. The operation is being led by Iraqi soldiers and supported by coalition soldiers and paratroopers. U.S. troops swept into the troubled city before dawn Friday, killing three militia fighters and capturing 27 people, the U.S. military said. The attack -- named Operation Black Eagle -- is targeting gunmen loyal to anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The U.S. military also said troops found a site where powerful explosives were being assembled. A spokesman for al-Sadr said Saturday that militia fighters in Diwaniya had destroyed three American vehicles and captured a robot used to detonate roadside bombs, AP reported. More deadly suicide bombings North of Baghdad on Saturday, five Iraqi police officers were killed when a suicide car bomber slammed into a police checkpoint in Samarra, local emergency police told CNN. The chief of police in Ramadi on Saturday reported the death toll from a suicide attack in the city west of Baghdad on Friday rose to 35 people, with 40 wounded. An official also revealed the bomber had detonated a truck carrying chlorine gas. Ramadi Chief of Police Gen. Tarqi al-Thibawi told CNN many of the victims were women and children, but he could not give an exact breakdown. Many children who had just left school were crowded in the area of the explosion, he said. The suicide bomber set off a truck carrying chlorine gas cylinders, the Iraq Interior Ministry official said. Part of a three-story residential building collapsed and many nearby shops were damaged, the chief of police said. Sunni Arab insurgents began using chlorine gas in vehicle bombings this year in Anbar province, where Ramadi is located, and in Baghdad. The U.S. military reported Saturday that two U.S. soldiers were killed and seven others were wounded Friday in separate bomb explosions around Iraq's capital. All were Multi-National Division-Baghdad soldiers. Since the war began four years ago, there have been 3,270 U.S. military deaths, including seven civilian employees of the Defense Department. (Watch why more National Guard units will go to Iraq ) CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Basim Mahdi contributed to this report. Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| BAGHDAD, April 7 American fighter jets carried out an airstrike against Shiite militiamen in the southern city of Diwaniya on Saturday as battles continued there for the second day, American and Iraqi officials said. The airstrike, called in after residents of an area in Diwaniya told Iraqi soldiers that they saw militiamen with rocket-propelled grenades, killed at least one militiaman, according to the American military. American and Iraqi soldiers have been battling cells of the Mahdi Army, a formidable Shiite militia, in Diwaniya since Friday. The Iraqi government has declared a round-the-clock curfew, and armored vehicles line main arteries. Since the new Baghdad security plan began Feb. 14, some members of the Mahdi Army have drifted to Diwaniya, and violence has been on the rise there. The Mahdi Army, which follows the edicts of the cleric Moktada al-Sadr, has a tense relationship with the ruling officials of Diwaniya Province, who are members of a rival Shiite party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. In August, Mahdi members clashed fiercely with the Iraqi Army in Diwaniya. | U.S. warplanes bombed suspected Iraqi insurgents in the Iraqi city of Diwaniya on Saturday. The reports from the United States military stated that the insurgents were armed with rocket propelled grenades and were a danger to their forces in the southern city of Diwaniya, 110 miles (177 kilometres) south of Baghdad. The United States military said that residents in the predominantly Shi'ite city tipped them off to the arrival of insurgents carrying rocket propelled grenades in the area. "The troops made positive identification of the militiamen and called for the air strike," a military statement said. A U.S. military spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Scott Bleichwehl, said: In a statement the Iraqi police informed The Associated Press that one civilian was killed and five seriously injured when a U.S. tank fired upon a house in Diwaniya. The air strike was a part of a military program on insurgents located in the city of Diwaniya, which is widely known to be the home of Shi'ite insurgents. It is spearheaded by the new Iraqi army and is supported by soldiers and paratroopers within the coalition. U.S. troops and Iraqi soldiers stormed the city before dawn on Friday the 6th of April, killing three insurgents and capturing 27 people, the U.S. military said. Code named Operation Black Eagle, the operation is targeting insurgents loyal to anti-American Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Among the discoveries and captures the assault force in Diwaniya came upon a site where powerful explosives were being assembled. A spokesman for al-Sadr stated that on Saturday militia fighters in Diwaniya had destroyed three American vehicles and captured a robot used to detonate roadside bombs. |
fOOTBALL | Matt Dickinson new To Boris Johnson, it may be money and resources “spaffed up the wall”. To the survivors, the 710 pages of the Sheldon report released today are a necessary but very incomplete insight into a time and a culture that devastated the lives of hundreds of young boys, and their families. It was hard to know what to expect after more than four...To Boris Johnson, it may be money and resources “spaffed up the wall”. To the survivors, the 710 pages of the Sheldon report released today are a necessary but very incomplete insight into a time and a culture that devastated the lives of hundreds of young boys, and their families. It was hard to know what to expect after more than four...To Boris Johnson, it may be money and resources “spaffed up the wall”. To the survivors, the 710 pages of the Sheldon report... ||||| Croke Park gets rugby and soccer By Nick Alexander (Filed: 17/04/2005) Ireland’s largest sporting organisation has voted to allow soccer and rugby to be played temporarily at its 80,000-seat Croke Park stadium in Dublin. The historic decision by the annual congress of the amateur Gaelic Athletic Association comes as Dublin’s Lansdowne Road stadium, the country’s rugby HQ and home to the national soccer team, is due to close for a three-year refurbishment. Ireland has no national sports stadium. The delegates backed the motion by 227-97 for Croke Park to be used for the duration of the Lansdowne Road closure. The temporary lifting of the ban, known as Rule 42, means that Ireland’s international rugby and soccer teams will not have to play home fixtures abroad. It will mean a major cash injection for the GAA, which has 750,000 members and has spent £2.6billion on a network of grounds and facilities, including Croke Park. It has been suggested it will raise as much as £45million. The GAA, which was founded in 1884 when Britain ruled the whole of Ireland, established the ban when it saw its traditional games of Gaelic football and hurling under threat from soccer, rugby union and cricket, seen as sports of the occupying power. Ireland gained its independence in 1922. The association has been a mainstay of Catholic and nationalist culture with its basic aim of the “strengthening of national identity” in all of Ireland’s 32 counties. The GAA has had a tradition of being protectionist. In the past it prohibited British soldiers and Northern Irish police officers from membership as well as those who played or even attended rugby, soccer, hockey and cricket. These bans have since been removed. 31 March 2005: Croke Park at the crossroads Previous story: Leicester hint gives Saracens hope Next story: Wilkinson kick-starts his push for Lions place ||||| Croke Park is one of the finest stadiums in Europe Saturday's GAA Congress proposal was passed by 227 votes to 97. The decision now opens the door to the Ireland rugby team and Republic of Ireland soccer side playing at the Dublin stadium. There had been the prospect of the teams having to play in Britain because of the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road. The motion required a two-thirds majority to get through which translated to a figure of 217. Therefore, the Sligo county board motion had 10 votes to spare. The Sligo proposal called for Croke Park to be available to be "leased or hired" during the duration of the Lansdowne Road redevelopment. Under the Sligo motion, Rule 42 will return to the GAA's statute book once the Lansdowne Road development is completed. The redevelopment of Lansdowne Road, which is scheduled to begin later this year, is expected to take at least three years. Prior to Saturday's vote, a number of delegates spoke out strongly against the proposal. Nicky Brennan became president-elect of the GAA Ulster GAA president Micheal Greenan made an impassioned plea calling for the status quo to remain. Cavan and Donegal were the only Ulster counties to vote in favour of allowing football and rugby to play at HQ, while all six of the northern counties were against any change. In the other main business of the day, Kilkenny man Nicky Brennan defeated Christy Cooney in the GAA presidential election. Brennan won the vote by 171 to 154 and he will assume the presidency after next year's Congress. The Kilkenny man had favoured the opening of Croke Park to other sports while Cooney was against the historic move. As regards other motions, Congress decided on Saturday morning to dispense with the clean pick-up which has been in operation during the Allianz National Football League. It will remain in force for the rest of the National League but will then be dropped from the rules. After the conclusion of the NFL, goalkeepers will continue to have the option of using a tee for kickouts. Congress also decided to set-up a new arbitration body which, it is hoped, will reduce the likelihood of players using the courts to overturn disciplinary decisions. The new Central Appeals Committee, which will officially come into existence after next year's Congress, will have a chairman and one representative from each province. ||||| Ireland's GAA votes to open up Croke Park DUBLIN, April 16 (Reuters) - Ireland's Gaelic Athletics Association (GAA), which oversees traditional games such as hurling, camogie and Gaelic football, voted on Saturday to open its national stadium to the likes of soccer and rugby. In an historic move, the nationalist and conservative GAA agreed for the first time in its 120-year history to allow "foreign sports" to be played at Croke Park in Dublin. The GAA had repeatedly rejected moves to scrap, or even discuss, Rule 42, which stipulates that only sports governed by the GAA can be played in the stadium. But the issue has become more pressing since Lansdowne Road, headquarters of Irish rugby and home to the national soccer team, is about to close for a two-year refurbishment. Without access to the GAA's 80,000-seater stadium, fans were worried Ireland's soccer and rugby teams would have to play their home matches abroad for the next few years. The annual congress of the GAA voted to open up Croke Park by 227 to 97 votes. The GAA was founded in 1884 to revive and nurture traditional, indigenous pastimes in Ireland which was then part of the United Kingdom. Although still hugely popular in Ireland, the GAA, whose sportsmen and women are unpaid, competes for attention with cash-rich games such as soccer and rugby that dominate sports coverage on television. © Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved. | After intense campaigning during the week, yesterday at GAA Congress delegates voted to open Croke Park to Soccer and Rugby by 227 votes to 97. The stadium which can seat 82,500, is by far Ireland's largest and indeed one of the largest in Europe. Traditionally soccer and rugby internationals had been played in the much smaller Landsdowne Road stadium, but due to redevelopment it seemed that all internationals would have to be played in the UK. However this situation has now been avoided with the vote by delegates to amend Rule 42 to allow soccer and rugby to be played at Croke Park during the redevelopment of Landsdowne Road. The works are expected to take three years to complete. The international matches that can now be played in Dublin are expected to generate several million euros of revenue for the local economy. |
>TELL A FRIEND >PRINTER FRIENDLY >SUBSCRIBE TO PORTFOLIO E-MAIL Attention News Editors: iPod is making beautiful music at HMV Apple iPod products now at music retailer's shelves TORONTO, Dec. 3 /CNW/ - HMV, Canada's leading music and entertainment retailer, announces the availability of iPod products and accessories at many of their HMV Canada locations. "While the majority of purchased music continues to be in physical form, it's clear the listening experience of many Canadians is evolving to also include portable music and for the majority of those consumers the digital player of choice is the iPod," said HMV Canada President Humphrey Kadaner. "As the country's leading music retailer, it only makes sense that we provide a full music experience for our customers by selling Canada's leading digital music player. "Our loyal HMV customers love music and consumer research confirms that many of our customers purchase music in both physical and digital form. Evolving our business to include the sale of iPod digital music players in our stores not only offers the music that Canadians want but also the portable means to listen to it," said Kadaner. Modern and classic music lovers can browse through thousands of CD titles in-store at HMV to discover the music that will help fill their iPod and give them the custom listening experience they want. "Many people think the world of CDs and the world of iPod are incompatible and it just isn't true," said Kadaner. "Not only are they compatible, they are now cohabitating at many HMV stores across the country. The addition of iPod in HMV stores is another step in HMV's evolution from a music retailer to an entertainment retailer." In addition to iPod Shuffle, Nano, Classic and Touch, a wide range of iPod accessories will also be available at many HMV Canada stores. iPod and related items are now available in more than half of all HMV stores in time for the peak holiday shopping period, with plans for broader expansion across additional HMV stores in 2008. About HMV With over 80 years of music retailing history, 400 stores worldwide and 118 stores in Canada, HMV is the world's premier retailer of music, DVDs and videogames. HMV has proven itself as an innovative leader in Canada since 1986 and has been named Canadian Music Retailer of the Year for the past 18 years and was recognized as the Canadian Entertainment Network DVD Retailer of the Year for the last two years. HMV focuses on providing an authoritative range and depth of selection that is superior to that of its competitors, including hard-to-find recordings and a large number of back catalogue titles. For further information: Saundra Bianchi, Director of Marketing, HMV Canada, (416) 620-4470 ext. 713, sbianchi@hmv.ca HMV CANADA - More on this organization News Releases (12) Photo Archive >TELL A FRIEND >PRINTER FRIENDLY >SUBSCRIBE TO PORTFOLIO E-MAIL ||||| Another one bites the dust. It's a song by the rock group Queen and you can still buy the CD at Music World. But you'd better hurry. The last Canadian-owned national music chain has confirmed it will be going out of business after being sold to new owners and immediately being put into bankruptcy protection. Music World has 72 stores across the country, including a number in the Toronto area. But sales aren't what they used to be - the franchise lost more than $9 million last year. It plans to stay open until at least January to take advantage of holiday sales, which means you may be able to find a bargain as it attempts to liquidate its stock. But for its 648 employees across Canada, it will be a grim Christmas. They're facing layoffs starting in the New Year. The new owners say they may keep a few outlets in key locations open with a new focus on overall entertainment, but suspect the era of the big record store has come to an end in Canada. HMV, which is British, remains the biggest such chain in the country and has already started a movement away from pitching music to other entertainment options, like DVDs and video games. Music World is the latest casualty of war as an army of listeners and buyers head straight for the Internet to download the music they want directly. Retailers simply can't match the prices or the convenience, not to mention the ongoing illegal downloading which doesn't cost consumers a cent. And competitors like Wal-Mart have begun to sell CDs as a loss leader to attract customers. The franchise joins other broken records on the scrap heap of history, including Sam the Record Man, which closed its famous flagship store for good at the end of June. All that remains is the sign, which has been declared a historic landmark and won't be taken down. ||||| COVER FROM AGING GRAMOPHONES TO SLEEK NEW IPODS STEVEN SANDOR / steven@vueweekly.com How is the music industry coping with the changing times? Last Christmas, Apple reported that traffic on iTunes went up by a staggering 413 per cent, as users filled up the iPods they got for Christmas with digital music or redeemed their gift cards.This was a sign of the digital revolution, right? We are on a path where CDs, box sets and vinyl will be replaced by MP3s and iTunes gift cards as the gift of choice for the music fan, surely ...Well, don’t jump to that conclusion so fast. Record labels are working hard to make physical products more attractive. And, while the digital market will always be present, those who’d rather spin than download their music are being offered more and more choice.And, ironically, the world of recorded music could be saved by ... good old 33 and one-third RPM records.“Vinyl is one of the biggest growth areas that we’ve experienced,” says David Gawdunyk, manager of Megatunes Edmonton.Actually, over the past couple of years, Gawdunyk’s sales of both CDs and vinyl have regularly increased, which flies in the face of the current gospel, which suggests record shops are taking a beating at the hands of Apple and other download distributors.According to statistics from the Recording Industry Association of America, vinyl occupies only a small share of the marketplace. The RIAA states in its 2006 Consumer Trends report—the 2007 edition won’t come out until the end of the year—that record companies only realize 0.6 per cent of all their sales through vinyl. That’s about the same number as 1996.But, according to local retailers, it is trending upwards, defying industry stats. And labels, especially the indies, are doing more to entice buyers to make the return to good old-fashioned LPs. Efforts to make vinyl more attractive to buyers can’t be ignored, and it will be interesting to see if vinyl’s market share jumps in the 2007 RIAA report.“Dance vinyl had always held its share, but now more and more people want vinyl releases and, really, anything goes on vinyl,” says Gawdunyk. “For example, the last Bob Dylan album, we sold 50 to 60 units on vinyl. Old people were buying it. Kids were buying it. And these people are also buying CD copies of the album, as well. Really, it could be that, while record companies have tried various formats to replace the basic CD—from commercial DAT, which died, to SuperAudio discs, it could be the old vinyl which eventually replaces the CD. Or, it could end up saving the CD.“The quality of vinyl now is a lot better than we saw in the ‘70s or ‘80s. Now, it’s not mass-produced, so a lot of it is pressed on high-quality 180-gram or 140-gram vinyl.”The new emphasis on vinyl is echoed by one of Canada’s top indie labels, Mint Records.“In general, we are releasing more vinyl and, when we do so, we often include coupons so [customers] can also download a digital format of the album,” says Yvette Ray, publicity rep for Mint.Other major US indies, such as Matador and Sub Pop, are also dropping download codes into their vinyl packages, or placing CDs into the packages that can easily be copied onto a buyer’s computer. Example? Sub Pop is releasing a live album from grunge legends Mudhoney that is coming out on vinyl only. But each album comes with a download coupon—and the label promises that each song will be available at a bitrate of 192 kbps, which offers better sound quality than most compressed digital files. While the increase in vinyl interest is very real, there is no doubt that CDs are still by far the leader when it comes to the physical format of choice for music fans. But CDs, because discs can be burned so easily, are the most vulnerable to piracy. So, many labels and artists have chosen to be more creative in how CDs are packaged. More needs to be done in order to make a listener choose a CD over downloading the same collection via iTunes. So, what are the labels doing? More than ever, we are seeing popular albums re-released with bonus discs or DVDs filled with concert footage and b-sides. Some include tracks that aren’t made available to the download sites. Maybe the most ambitious release you’ll find this Christmas season is the “Executive Edition” of the New Pornographers’ Challengers album, from Matador Records. The Vancouver band’s release will be repackaged with three screen-printed blank recordable CDs. Those blank CDs can be used to get bonus material from a website, from concert performances to video to previously unreleased tracks. Once finished, the set will be transformed into a do-it-yourself box set. If not audio-visual extras, some labels and artists are certainly putting extra work into their packaging. Fresh off the buzz of the acclaimed Ian Curtis biopic, Control, Warner has re-released new digitally-enhanced versions of Joy Division’s old Factory Records discography, with bonus discs and plenty of additional artwork. And Hacktone Records has caused a stir with its presentation of The Salvation Blues, from former Jayhawk Mark Olson. The package looks like a “mini-novel,” says Gawdunyk. But, according to Duncan McKie, the head of Canadian Independent Record Production Association, “while there has been some advancement in terms of how CDs are packaged, it’s not true for the industry as a whole. “I wonder if we’ve become so focused on the digital world, if the development of the physical products have come to a standstill,” he continues. “I just received a CD today. It’s a nice CD with a couple of pictures, but I don’t know if that’s any different from a product that came out a couple of years ago.” While some labels are willing to spend the extra money for bonus tracks and deluxe packaging, some can’t or aren’t willing to put the added dough into a format which might not come anywhere close to making a return on investment. And, according to McKie, that’s especially true in the case of younger acts that don’t have track records of sales success. “When you are working on a FACTOR grant or some of your own band’s money, you have got to be careful,” he says. When a band or label can make as much as $20 000 out of a sync deal that places music in an advertisement or film, the CD is often being seen more as a loss leader than as an avenue for profit. By releasing a CD, an artist or agency wants to get the music out to the public in the hope that it will lead to more lucrative tours or commercial deals. So, why spend extra bucks on packaging or extras? “Some artists want to limit their liability,” says McKie. “They want to get the music out and then use that to explore other revenue streams.” So, there are really two sides to the argument. But one thing can’t be questioned; that those who are in the market for CDs aren’t spending nearly as much as they used to. In order to make CDs more competitive with albums being sold for $9.99 on iTunes, labels have slashed prices. “It makes sense,” says Kris Burwash of Edmonton’s Listen Records & CDs. “The price drop has helped. CDs are finally being priced in the realm of what people are actually willing to pay for them. Most CDs are now available for under $20. Over the last two to three years, the price for CDs has dropped 25 per cent.” But will lower prices and extras—from the labels that can afford them —keep customers coming? While consumer studies show that 30-somethings are still loyal to buying physical musical product, the jury is out on a generation of teens who are growing up with digital players. As Burwash notes, many young fans are being weaned on MP3 players and computer speakers, and have never listened to music on vinyl or CD, and not on a great stereo system. “It’ll be interesting when we get a new generation of kids who are used to the sound quality of MP3s,” he says. “And they think that the sound of a compressed file is as good as it gets.” And Radiohead’s new set is going to take packaging and choice a virtual step further. On Dec 11, EMI is releasing the entire Radiohead back catalogue in one box set. Buyers of the set have been promised access to exclusive online content. But EMI will also be releasing the entire box set on a USB stick in the shape of a bear, with all songs captured in CD-quality WAV files. And, the set will also be available to be downloaded in 320 kbps mp3 files, which offer much better sound quality than the tracks for the band’s In Rainbows album, which has been available online for months. Miles Leonard, Managing Director of the Parlophone imprint, said in a release, “We are delighted to offer new and existing fans the chance to get Radiohead’s albums in a box set. We are particularly excited about the USB stick, which gives fans an easy and portable way to carry the box set and provides another way of bridging the world between online and off-line content.” It will be interesting to see which format gets the most enthusiastic response, but personally, I’m going to hold out for EMI to release the set on vinyl. V ||||| HMV has expanded from a traditional music retailer to more of a consumer electronics retailer via adding products like video games and consoles to its assortment. Today, the company is furthering expanding its offering by adding iPods and related accessories to many of its locations across Canada. "While the majority of purchased music continues to be in physical form, it's clear the listening experience of many Canadians is evolving to also include portable music and for the majority of those consumers the digital player of choice is the iPod," said HMV Canada President Humphrey Kadaner. "As the country's leading music retailer, it only makes sense that we provide a full music experience for our customers by selling Canada's leading digital music player. "Our loyal HMV customers love music, and consumer research confirms that many of our customers purchase music in both physical and digital form,” he added. “Evolving our business to include the sale of iPod digital music players in our stores not only offers the music that Canadians want but also the portable means to listen to it. "Many people think the world of CDs and the world of iPod are incompatible and it just isn't true," continued Kadaner. "Not only are they compatible, they are now cohabitating at many HMV stores across the country. The addition of iPod in HMV stores is another step in HMV's evolution from a music retailer to an entertainment retailer." More than half of HMV stores will offer the iPod Shuffle, Nano, Classic, and Touch, along with a wide selection of accessories in time for the holiday season. The retailer plans to add the products in additional stores throughout 2008. For more information, visit www.hmv.ca. ||||| Yonge St. store will close for good on June 30, unable to compete with downloads and superstores May 30, 2007 04:30 AM Debra Black Staff Reporter It was an iconic landmark in Toronto – both culturally and musically. Everybody who was anybody in Toronto went to Sam the Record Man on Yonge St. to get the latest music, hang out and, if you were lucky, maybe catch a glimpse of a burgeoning music star. But as of the end of June, Sam the Record Man is finally closing its doors – a victim of the vagaries of the retail record business and declining CD sales thanks to the Internet. According to Canadian record industry statistics, sales of CDs have dropped 35 per cent in the first quarter of 2007 alone. "We are making a responsible decision in recognizing the status of the record industry and the increasing impact of technology," said Bobby Sniderman in a news release issued yesterday. Sniderman is one of the present owners of the store and one of the sons of Sam Sniderman, the man who built the record store dynasty that rivalled many around the world. "But there is a wonderful story to be told here, not about the current state of the industry, but about a family business that operated for 70 years in record retailing. Throughout that time our family has made significant contributions to the music industry, for Canadian artists and to the community as a whole ... "This is about more than just bricks and mortar; Sam the Record Man is the most recognizable name in the Canadian music industry, an iconic legacy that will forever endure ..." Sam Sniderman first began selling records out of his brother's radio shop in 1937. The flagship store on Yonge St. – with its garish neon signs of spinning records – was opened in 1961. Over 40 or so years, Sniderman turned it from a one-shop operation into a successful chain of 130 stores across Canada. The Yonge St. store covered 40,000 square feet. In 2002, it carried 400,000 titles. Sniderman took pride in his business as baby boomers and music lovers flocked to his Yonge St. music shrine, famous for its Boxing Day lineups and discounts. "That was the point where I knew every record in the store," he told the Star's Mitch Potter in 2001. "Sometimes I got stumped. But more often than not, you could ask me for the most obscure record on the planet and I would disappear for a few minutes and come back with it in my hands." Along the way Sniderman also helped Canadian performers, including Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray and bands like the Guess Who. His contribution to the music business earned him an Order of Canada. But the company ran into trouble in 2001, filing for bankruptcy in October and closing its doors in late December. Competition from music superstores such as HMV and discount retailers like Wal-Mart, coupled with Internet downloads, all spelled trouble for the Toronto record retailer. A&A Records two doors away also closed in the 1990s. At the Boxing Day sale that year, consumers were upset that Sam the Record Man was closing. "I used to come here as a kid to buy 33s for 66 cents," one Hamilton man told the Star. "I would buy early Beach Boys, the Beatles. It has been my life tradition." The legendary flagship store opened again in January 2002, however, as a new company owned by Sniderman's two sons, Bobby and Jason Sniderman. Bobby Sniderman wasn't available for comment yesterday. The two brothers had big plans. But the popularity of the Internet and music superstores proved too much. Despite valiant efforts, the brothers just couldn't make it work. Sam the Record Man on Yonge St. will close its doors on June 30. Two franchise operations in Belleville and Sarnia will remain open. | The iPod family of products, as of late 2007. Many of record store HMV's Canadian locations have started to stock iPod portable music players, in a move to stay relevant. HMV Canada President Humphrey Kadaner commented "While the majority of purchased music continues to be in physical form, it's clear the listening experience of many Canadians is evolving to also include portable music and for the majority of those consumers the digital player of choice is the iPod. As the country's leading music retailer, it only makes sense that we provide a full music experience for our customers by selling Canada's leading digital music player." "Many people think the world of CDs and the world of iPod are incompatible and it just isn't true. Not only are they compatible, they are now cohabitating at many HMV stores across the country. The addition of iPod in HMV stores is another step in HMV's evolution from a music retailer to an entertainment retailer." Now closed down Sam the Record Man in downtown Toronto In mid-November this year, Canadian chain Music World announced it was closing its stores as of the new year. The franchise has 72 stores across the country, and 648 employees who have been able to keep their jobs during liquidation, which is expected to continue through until Christmas. The store's website now contains nothing but its logo for months. Previously, the last remaining location of Sam the Record Man closed down, in downtown Toronto. Sam once had 130 stores nationwide, then the record. There is a store in Belleville and Sarnia, once part of the chain, but now simply known as "SAM". The last American locations of HMV closed in 2004. |
'Domain hoarder' registers pope address FORT WORTH — A self-described "domain hoarder" who used to live in Texas says he will be cautious with the pope-related Web address he registered earlier this month. ADVERTISEMENT Rogers Cadenhead, a former Fort Worth newspaper reporter who now lives in St. Augustine, Fla., registered BenedictXVI.com well before the new pope's name was announced. "I'm going to try and avoid angering 1.1 billion Catholics and my grandmother," Cadenhead said. Cadenhead, a Catholic, said he registered eight possible names last month. Having the right domain name can prove lucrative. Friday morning, bidding on eBay for a similar name, "PopeBenedictXVI.com," had surpassed $16,000. But Cadenhead apparently isn't asking for money. On his personal Web site, Cadenhead wrote that in exchange for the domain name, he would ask the Vatican for "one of those hats," a free stay at the Vatican hotel and "complete absolution, no questions asked, for the third week of March 1987." Some among the hundreds who have e-mailed him in recent days are concerned that he might sell the domain name to a company that creates adult Web sites. He said he wouldn't do that. ||||| 7 days Archive OF HUMAN INTEREST BenedictXVI.com won't get you pope Related articles New pope reappoints top Vatican officials New pope has e-mail The Washington Post By the time Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany assumed his new papal moniker on Tuesday, it already was too late for the Vatican to buy the corresponding dot-com Web address. That's because a St. Augustine, Fla., man, Rogers Cadenhead, registered the address BenedictXVI.com on April 1, hoping that would be the name of John Paul II's successor. To cover his bases, Cadenhead, 38, also registered ClementXV.com, InnocentXIV.com, LeoXIV.com, PaulVII.com and PiusXIII.com. Cadenhead, the author of 20 technology "how-to" books with titles like "Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days," said he registered the names for $12 each from Internet address seller Bulkregister.com. "I couldn't resist the chance to have some skin in the game. Someone else already has JohnPaulIII.com and JohnXXIV .com, but otherwise I put a chip down on every name of the past three centuries," Cadenhead wrote on his Web log at Cadenhead.org. Then came the crush of site visitors -- and some uncertainty about what he would do next. "I never really registered it with the intent of making money, and I think to crassly auction it would be a sin of some kind. . . . Whatever decision I make will be guided by the desire not to make 1.5 billion people mad at me, including my grandmother," Cadenhead said recently. Then Thursday, according to his blog site, he sent a message to the pope's new e-mail address asking if the church wants the domain. He's concerned that his message might not get through the Holy See's spam filters. "While I am waiting to hear from the Vatican (which has to be the strangest phrase I have ever written in my life), I am donating the pope domains and my site's ad revenue from this crazy week" to charity, wrote Cadenhead, who appeared Thursday on NBC's "Today" show. For nearly as long as Internet addresses have been sold, speculators -- sometimes called "cyber-squatters" -- have bought attractive addresses with the hopes of either selling them to the highest bidder or using them to snag visits from unsuspecting Internet users. The most famous example is whitehouse.com, which for years was home to a pornography site that many Web surfers accidentally discovered when looking for the president's online home (the official White House Web site is white house.gov). According to publicly available Internet "whois" records, BenedictXVI.de, BenedictXVI.org, BenedictXVI.net and BenedictXVI.info each appear to have been registered since the new pope was introduced. Cadenhead describes himself as a "lapsed Catholic" and "domain name geek" who bought up the domains after doing online research into papal naming conventions. Cadenhead checked pope names as far back as 1700 and bought the rights to every one he could (with the proper corresponding new Roman numeral). "I really thought that especially if Cardinal Ratzinger was chosen, that he'd be very likely to go back to the papal playbook and choose one of these traditional names," Cadenhead said. A 1999 U.S. law made it illegal to register an Internet domain name with the intention of extorting money out of a trademark owner. The Internet addressing system's main oversight body also disapproves of the practice and offers a dispute-resolution process for people who feel their names or trademarks have been improperly registered as Internet addresses in a bid to extort money out of them. Newly anointed Benedict XVI will inherit a large and robust Internet presence. The Vatican's official Web site -- Vatican .va -- has detailed information about the church, the pope and the Holy See. ||||| Cardinal Ratzinger's choice of the name Benedict XVI made one Internet site owner very happy. (Lateline) A US man who registered the Internet name BenedictXVI.com before the new Pope was chosen says he has not worked out what to do with it but is pretty sure it would be a sin to sell it to a pornographer. Florida resident Rogers Cadenhead, who describes himself as the author of several technology books, says he registered six domain names this month, based on names he thought the next pope might pick. "I think I was the second-most excited person on the planet when they announced the name," he said. Mr Cadenhead says the euphoria quickly faded as his Web server started to buckle under the weight of an estimated 1,000 hits a minute. As well as Benedict XVI - the name chosen by German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on his election - Mr Cadenhead registered ClementXV.com, InnocentXIV.com, LeoXIV.com, PaulVII.com and PiusXIII.com. An attempt to visit BenedictXVI.com redirects the reader to Mr Cadenhead's own website, on which he rejects the suggestion that he might be planning to cash in by selling the site to pornographers since they would be willing to pay most for it. "Whatever I decide, it's going to be guided by a desire not to anger 1.1 billion Catholics," Mr Cadenhead said. 'Not lapsed that far' He says he has already rejected an offer from a gambling site. "Even though I'm a lapsed Catholic, I'm not lapsed that far." He says he is considering his options for the site but if the Pope's people were to approach him to discuss taking over the site, he might make some requests. "I'd like one of those big papal hats and maybe three days/two nights at the Vatican hotel they built for the conclave," he said. Mr Cadenhead says he has already recouped his modest $US72 investment in the six papal domain names with $US77 in advertising revenue over the past 24 hours. The Vatican has its own Internet domain name country code but the address BenedictXVI.va does not exist. However, a number of other variations of the new Pope's name have been snapped up. -Reuters | Rogers Cadenhead, the American owner of BenedictXVI.com, has made a few requests in his blog. Mr. Cadenhead registered the valuable domain on April 1 along with ClementXV.com, InnocentXIV.com, LeoXIV.com, PaulVII.com and PiusXIII.com; all in anticipation of the recent Papal conclave 2005. After Cardinal Ratzinger's election as Pope Benedict XVI, international media swooped on the domain speculating that it may be owned by a pornographer or casino company. However amid the wild speculation, Mr. Cadenhead dismissed these and promised not to sell the domain to any such enterprises. However today in a humorous manner the prolific computer guide writer posted on his blog a few requests, namely: # Three days, two nights at the Vatican hotel they built for the conclave # One of those hats # Complete absolution, no questions asked, for the third week of March 1987 # A back-cover blurb from the Pope for the next edition of Movable Type 3 Bible Desktop Edition. But only if he uses the book to create his own weblog, and # World peace. However he was keen to stress that the requests are not demands and the whole thing was written in a witty humorous manner. |
100 killed in Indonesia jet crash MEDAN, Indonesia (CNN) -- More than 100 people have been killed after a plane crashed into a residential area of the Indonesian city of Medan, officials said. Nine passengers survived the crash, according to the crisis center set up in Medan. The plane was carrying 117 people. In addition, the crisis center said 10 people who live in the area where the plane crashed were injured. It was not known how many people if any on the ground were killed. Two planes from Jakarta have arrived in Medan carrying families of the crashed plane's passengers. Officials were on Monday night trying to identify the bodies. Video shot just after the crash showed crews battling a huge fire, with cars and structures in flames. "I arrived around 10 minutes after the accident. Burning bodies were everywhere," Reuters news service quoted one local reporter as saying from the scene. "Around 10 houses were burned, along with five to six minibuses. The plane was torn into pieces, we could only see the tail." Indonesia's transportation minister said the Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200 took off around 10:05 a.m. (0305 GMT) and crashed soon after in a residential area of this city, the largest on the island of Sumatra, not far from Polonia airport. The minister said the airline reported 117 people on board the plane -- 112 passengers and five crew. Officials said they feared in addition to the people on the plane, dozens of residents in the neighborhood about 500 meters from the end of the airport's runway were possibly killed. "We're having a hard time getting to the bodies because of the heat," doctor Syahrial Anas told The Associated Press, adding that dozens of ambulances and firefighters were heading to the scene in heavy traffic. The airport in Medan is near the center of town. The plane crashed close to an artery road full of vehicles in Medan's Padang Bulan, according to Indonesia's Antara news agency. The dead included the governor of North Sumatra province, who was heading to the capital for a meeting with the president, Antara quoted one official as saying. Families were gathering at the airport in the capital Jakarta as well as the one in Medan, the largest city on Sumatra island and Indonesia's third most-populous urban area. Medan is also the main gateway for aid into tsunami-hit Aceh province. Indonesia's last crash involving a jetliner occurred in February 2005, when 26 people were killed when a plane operated by Lion Air, another low-cost carrier, skidded off the runway on Java Island, killing 26 people. Many of the planes operated by Jakarta-based Mandala, which is partially owned by the military, are more than 10 years old, according to AP. CNN Correspondent Kathy Quiano in Jakarta contributed to this report. ||||| advertisement UPDATE 8-Indonesian plane crashes in city, 149 dead Printer Friendly | Email Article | Reprints | RSS (Raises death toll) By Tomi Soetjipto MEDAN, Indonesia, Sept 5 (Reuters) - A domestic airliner crashed in a busy residential area of Indonesia's third biggest city just after take-off on Monday, killing 102 people aboard and 47 local residents in an inferno on the ground. Officials said 15 passengers in the tail section of the Mandala Airlines Boeing 737-200, including a toddler under the age of 2, survived the crash in Medan, capital of North Sumatra. The plane was carrying 112 passengers and five crew on a flight to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. "The plane actually had taken off, but somehow it started to shake heavily and swerved to the left and then wham, a ball of fire came from the front of the plane toward the end," survivor Rohadi Sitepu told Metro Television from his hospital bed. "From our side of the plane there were maybe 10 people who survived and although they suffered some injuries, thank God, they managed to escape." Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa told a news conference in Medan the number of passengers and crew killed totalled 102, although he gave no breakdown. Officials earlier said 104 people on board had died. The death toll on the ground was 47, he added. Mandala director Asril Tanjung said the cause of the crash was being investigated, but added foul play was highly unlikely. The plane crashed on a road in the heart of a residential area, breaking apart, setting fire to homes, cars and motorbikes. It triggered panic as survivors on the ground frantically screamed the names of missing relatives and friends. Many of the dead were taken to Medan's Adam Malik hospital and laid out on plastic sheets under a tent in the grounds as rain poured down. Relatives walked gingerly around the bodies, trying to identify their loved ones although most were burned beyond recognition. One woman wailed uncontrollably. A neighbour said she was looking for her 5-year-old daughter who had been walking to school along the road where the plane came down. Another woman crying hysterically found her sister after recognising her bangle and ring. Among the survivors was a 17-month-old girl and her mother. Neither had life-threatening injuries, doctors said. Those killed included the North Sumatra governor and his predecessor, who were both on board. A 3-year-old Japanese child was also killed, hospital officials said. The child's parents, an Indonesian father and Japanese mother, were waiting for her in Jakarta. The child was travelling with her Indonesian grandmother. GATEWAY FOR TSUNAMI AID Earlier, fierce flames licked at the wreckage before fire crews managed to extinguish them. Plumes of thick black smoke rose into the air. Officials said some 20 homes were damaged by fire. Medan, 1,425 km (885 miles) northwest of Jakarta, is the main gateway for aid into tsunami-hit Aceh province. It also one of Indonesia's busiest airports. Mandala's Tanjung said the airliner in Monday's accident had been built in 1981 and was fit for eight more years of flying. It was not raining when the plane came down some 500 metres (1,600 feet) from the runway, witnesses said. "Temporarily, we are saying the cause is from take-off failure but we don't know yet whether it was from engine trouble, human error or weather," Tanjung told Reuters. Mandala Airlines is one of Indonesia's oldest private carriers, operating a number of Boeing 737s. It competes in a crowded market since the establishment of numerous budget airlines in the past five years. Indonesia's worst air crash occurred in September 1997, when a Garuda Airbus A-300B4 crashed in a mountainous area near Medan, killing all 222 passengers and 12 crew. (Additional reporting by Achmad Sukarsono, Telly Nathalia, Ade Rina, Harry Suhartono and Yoga Rusmana in Jakarta and Darren Whiteside in Medan) © Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved. | A Boeing 737 jetliner operated by low-cost airline Mandala crashed approximately one minute after taking off from Polonia International Airport in the Indonesian city of Medan on the island of Sumatra. The airport is surrounded by a very densely-populated residential area. Local TV showed images of dozens of homes and cars destroyed by the impact. Reports are still varying on the number of fatalities within the plane. 14-16 people sitting in the rear of the plane survived. 47 people on the ground and 101-103 of the 117 people aboard were killed. The Boeing 737 plane was nearly 25 years old, but was not due to be retired for another 11 years. It received a full service in June this year. It has been reported that the flight, bound for Jakarta, was carrying several local politicians, including Rizal Nurdin, the governor of North Sumatra, and one of his predecessors. |
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement The exact spot in Suffolk where John Constable painted one of his most famous works has been identified for the first time in almost 200 years. The location of The Stour Valley and Dedham Village had been difficult to pinpoint due to gradual changes to the landscape since it was painted in 1815. But new research by the National Trust has helped identify the viewpoint. Martin Atkinson, of the Trust, said: "It's great to see where an old master once stood." Mr Atkinson, who is the National Trust property manager for East Suffolk, used features from the painting and historic maps to identify the exact location. Compare how the scene looked 200 years ago with today Enlarge Image He said: "When I discovered that I had worked out the location where Constable painted this particular masterpiece, I couldn't believe it. All the pieces of the jigsaw finally fitted together." Painted between 1814 and 1815, The Stour Valley And Dedham Village depicts Langham church, Dedham church, Fen Bridge and the bend in the River Stour. Over time, hedge boundaries have moved and trees have become established, blocking out some of the buildings behind. By studying the buildings and river as well as the East Bergholt Enclosure Map of 1817, Mr Atkinson found boundaries in place in 1817 had changed drastically by 1830. He said: "Many had disappeared altogether and new hedges appeared at different angles. By plotting out where the field boundaries would once have been, we were able to pinpoint the exact location from which Constable painted this particular view." Mr Atkinson added: "Most of Constable's landscapes painted in the Dedham Vale are now known, but questions do remain over some. "This one in particular had confused us, but once we were able to identify the changes in the landscape, many of which had been made in Constable's lifetime, we were able to solve the 195-year mystery." The Stour Valley And Dedham Village is now housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, US. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| Elusive site that inspired masterpiece is finally tracked down By Arifa Akbar, Arts Correspondent For nearly 200 years, the location of the precise field where John Constable stood to paint his masterpiece The Stour Valley and Dedham Village had eluded art historians and experts who had located most of the other Suffolk spots at which the artist created his great works. Even those who might have chanced upon the exact spot would have missed its significance, for so much had changed that the view would not have been recognisable. So it took nearly two centuries and a bit of detective work to determine where the artist would have stood and surveyed the countryside. Martin Atkinson, a National Trust property manager, managed to identify the location when he studied a map of East Bergholt – where the painter grew up – as it appeared in 1817. But when he turned up at the rustic spot, it looked nothing like Constable's 1814-15 view. The artist was known for depicting local scenes faithfully, especially in his early works. The reason for the disparity, Mr Atkinson discovered, was that a hedgerow had been planted across the Dedham Vale location – in a field between Flatford hamlet and East Bergholt – soon after Constable finished the painting and another hedgerow from the painter's time had since disappeared. The Stour Valley And Dedham Village depicts Langham church, Dedham church, Fen Bridge and the bend in the River Stour. By studying these reference points and the East Bergholt Enclosure Map of 1817, Mr Atkinson found that the field boundaries in place in 1817, two years after the painting was completed, had changed dramatically by 1830. It was only upon spotting a young pollard, or trimmed oak tree, both in the present day and in the painting, that the various pieces of the jigsaw fell into place. Using the oak as his anchor point, Mr Atkinson, found he could see Dedham Church that was in Constable's work, and if he bent down, he could also see the spot where Langham Church stood but was obscured by trees. He also lined up the Stour river to identify the same bend. "The foreground didn't fit at all, it was quite unusual as we know Constable painted it in the open air so he would have been standing in the scene. The hedgerow in his work no longer exists and there's another hedgerow that runs across the scene today which wasn't there. When you stand on the road on which he would have stood, and use the oak tree as a reference point, you see the same view. It's great to see where an old master stood – and be inspired by the same view," he said. The Stour Valley And Dedham Village is housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, America, as part of the Warren Collection. This corner of Suffolk is known as "Constable country," because the English Romantic painter dedicated himself to "paint(ing) my own places best". | The place where Constable painted ''The Stour Valley and Dedham Church'' has been found after 195 years. The mystery of the location of a viewpoint used by English painter John Constable has been solved, after nearly 200 years. ''The Stour Valley and Dedham Church'' was painted in Suffolk, England, between 1814 and 1815, but changes to the landscape meant that the spot he chose was not known, despite the best efforts of historians and art experts. Now the puzzle has been answered. Martin Atkinson, who works for the National Trust as property manager for East Suffolk, used clues from the painting and looked at old maps to track down the viewpoint. Trees had grown, a hedgerow had been planted and boundaries had moved or disappeared, but Atkinson eventually worked out where Constable had stood. He said, "When I discovered that I had worked out the location where Constable painted this particular masterpiece, I couldn't believe it. All the pieces of the jigsaw finally fitted together." Atkinson used an 1817 map of East Bergholt, where Constable grew up, as a reference point, but found that the view would have changed not long after the painting was completed. "The foreground didn't fit at all, it was quite unusual as we know Constable painted it in the open air so he would have been standing in the scene. The hedgerow in his work no longer exists and there's another hedgerow that runs across the scene today which wasn't there. When you stand on the road on which he would have stood, and use the oak tree as a reference point, you see the same view. It's great to see where an old master stood – and be inspired by the same view," he said. Suffolk, where Constable painted many of his finest paintings, is often called "Constable country". Most, but not all, of the locations that Constable depicted are known. The picture is now housed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts. |
By James Macharia JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The death toll rose to least 61 on Tuesday from an underground fire that killed illegal miners at a disused gold mine in South Africa, Harmony Gold Mining Co. said. "Today we found 25 more bodies," said Tom Smith, head of Harmony's operations in the part of the country where the abandoned shaft is located. "The bodies are not burnt. It seems more of a case of gas or smoke inhalation. Illegal mining in South Africa's abandoned gold mines often goes unnoticed because miners can sneak past security at one mine and exit from one owned by a different company kilometres away. The illegal miners can stay underground for months unseen. Gold prices near record highs have made the risk taken by well-organised illegal mining syndicates even more worthwhile. Harmony, the world's No. 5 gold producer, is particularly exposed to plundering by illegal miners compared with its peers, because it was built on a strategy of buying old, unwanted gold shafts and mines. Smith said the bodies were retrieved by fellow illegal miners from depths of up to 1.4 km (0.9 miles). He said he didn't know how the fire had started, and reiterated that it was too dangerous for Harmony to send its staff to search for bodies. "I don't know if there are any more bodies down there, we just have to wait," he said. Continued... ||||| More than 60 illegal miners killed at SA gold mine The death toll from an underground fire that killed illegal miners at a disused gold mine rose to least 61 on Tuesday, Harmony Gold Mining said. Illegal mining in South Africa's abandoned gold mines often goes unnoticed because miners can sneak past security at one mine and exit from one owned by a different company kilometres away. The illegal miners can stay underground for months unseen. Gold prices near record highs have made the risk taken by well-organised illegal mining syndicates even more worthwhile. Harmony, the world's number five gold producer, is particularly exposed to plundering by illegal miners compared with its peers, because it was built on a strategy of buying old, unwanted gold shafts and mines. Smith said the bodies were retrieved by fellow illegal miners from depths of up to 1,4km. He said he didn't know how the fire had started, and reiterated that it was too dangerous for Harmony to send its staff to search for bodies. "I don't know if there are any more bodies down there, we just have to wait," he said. The illegal miners were killed in a fire over the weekend at Harmony's Eland shaft, located in the central Free State. A similar fire at its marginal St Helena mine in the same province killed 23 illegal miners in 2007. CONTINUES BELOW CONTINUES BELOW The Department of Mining, which is grappling with an escalating safety crisis in South Africa's mining sector, has said dealing with illegal miners was difficult because it lacked enough staff to inspect producing mines, let alone disused ones. Illegal miners are also usually armed. South Africa's Chamber of Mines, which groups gold producers in the world's third biggest source of gold, said illegal mining was a problem that individual companies were dealing with, but it had no figures on the value of gold stolen. Police have conducted sporadic sting operations to arrest the illegal miners, but mine owners say catching thieves was difficult in the labyrinth of mines. Minister of Mining Susan Shabangu expressed condolences for the deaths at the Harmony mine, and promised to visit the site of the deaths on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Tuesday said it was "shocked and dismayed" by the news of the deaths of the illegal miners. Harmony on Monday said the bodies of 36 illegal miners were brought to the surface by fellow illegal miners at the Eland shaft on the weekend. "Our affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers, is monitoring the situation, and we demand a full investigation into this shocking situation," Cosatu said. In the meantime, trade union Solidarity has called for the Department of Mining to put together a task team to investigate illegal mining in South Africa. "Not only are the illegal miners stealing gold worth millions of rands, but the ensuing accidents are always very severe," said Solidarity spokesperson Jaco Kleynhans. -- Reuters, Sapa "Today [Tuesday] we found 25 more bodies," said Tom Smith, head of Harmony's operations in the Free State where the abandoned shaft is located. "The bodies are not burnt. It seems more of a case of gas or smoke inhalation.Illegal mining in South Africa's abandoned gold mines often goes unnoticed because miners can sneak past security at one mine and exit from one owned by a different company kilometres away. The illegal miners can stay underground for months unseen.Gold prices near record highs have made the risk taken by well-organised illegal mining syndicates even more worthwhile.Harmony, the world's number five gold producer, is particularly exposed to plundering by illegal miners compared with its peers, because it was built on a strategy of buying old, unwanted gold shafts and mines.Smith said the bodies were retrieved by fellow illegal miners from depths of up to 1,4km.He said he didn't know how the fire had started, and reiterated that it was too dangerous for Harmony to send its staff to search for bodies."I don't know if there are any more bodies down there, we just have to wait," he said.The illegal miners were killed in a fire over the weekend at Harmony's Eland shaft, located in the central Free State. A similar fire at its marginal St Helena mine in the same province killed 23 illegal miners in 2007.The Department of Mining, which is grappling with an escalating safety crisis in South Africa's mining sector, has said dealing with illegal miners was difficult because it lacked enough staff to inspect producing mines, let alone disused ones. Illegal miners are also usually armed.South Africa's Chamber of Mines, which groups gold producers in the world's third biggest source of gold, said illegal mining was a problem that individual companies were dealing with, but it had no figures on the value of gold stolen.Police have conducted sporadic sting operations to arrest the illegal miners, but mine owners say catching thieves was difficult in the labyrinth of mines.Minister of Mining Susan Shabangu expressed condolences for the deaths at the Harmony mine, and promised to visit the site of the deaths on Tuesday.Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Tuesday said it was "shocked and dismayed" by the news of the deaths of the illegal miners.Harmony on Monday said the bodies of 36 illegal miners were brought to the surface by fellow illegal miners at the Eland shaft on the weekend."Our affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers, is monitoring the situation, and we demand a full investigation into this shocking situation," Cosatu said.In the meantime, trade union Solidarity has called for the Department of Mining to put together a task team to investigate illegal mining in South Africa."Not only are the illegal miners stealing gold worth millions of rands, but the ensuing accidents are always very severe," said Solidarity spokesperson Jaco Kleynhans. -- Reuters, Sapa TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE Article comments Advertising Links Selfmed Medical Aid Scheme is a registered and exceptionally stable ‘open’ medical aid provider, with excellent reserves. We live up to our motto: ‘Simplicity, Sincerity and Security with personal Service’ Life insurance made simple No medical examinations. No HIV test. No application forms. Quote me now! Private Property listings List your property with us or search for a property. No estate agent's commission ||||| South Africa: More Deaths Feared in Illegal Mining Boom Johannesburg — News reports this week that over 60 illegal miners died in a single accident in an abandoned gold mine has underlined the human cost of South Africa's deepening recession. The latest in a string of illegal mining accidents occurred in part of a mine shut down by Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited (Harmony), the world's fifth largest gold mining company, in the central province of Free State. "We suspect there was a fire on the 18th of May," Tom Smith, Chief Operating Officer for Harmony's South Region, told IRIN. "We never saw any smoke. Over the weekend [30 May] we were informed by other illegal miners that people had died," he said. Fellow illegal miners had brought the bodies to the surface. Illegal miners and gold smugglers have long exploited abandoned gold mines in South Africa and often stay underground - unnoticed - in extremely dangerous circumstances for months at a time. The 'Eland' shaft where the fire occurred had last been mined over five years ago. It was still not clear whether more miners had died. In a statement on June 1 Harmony indicated that it would not deploy its own employees on underground searches, as "the abandoned mining areas where the criminal miners have been active are extremely dangerous." Smith said abandoned mines lacked the necessary infrastructure and safety equipment found at operating mine sites. Lesiba Seshoka, spokesperson for South Africa's National Union of Mine Workers, told IRIN: "It is extremely dangerous, particularly if shafts have not been maintained for a long time. Many things can go wrong: rocks can fall on you, you can die from suffocation and carbon monoxide poisoning." According to Jabu Maphalala, spokesperson for the Chamber of Mines of South Africa, an industry organization, illegal mining was a widespread problem in the country but there were no figures on the number of people involved or the cost to the industry. But, considering the risks involved, Smith commented, "It must be lots of money." He noted that the miners were usually controlled by highly organized syndicates and were often armed. Down and out Most observers suggest that the spike in illegal mining is the result of near record gold prices combined with soaring unemployment, and an increasing number of desperate South Africans and people from neighbouring countries like Mozambique and Lesotho, willing to risk their lives. "The mining industry has seen over 50,000 retrenchments since the end of the third quarter last year [2008]," Seshoka said. The global economic downturn has weakened demand for minerals, putting resource companies under pressure and leading to widespread layoffs in mining and related sectors. Official statistics in May put South Africa's official unemployment rate at 23.5 percent as the economy entered a recession for the first time in 17 years. The number of people out of work rose to 4.18 million from 3.87 million some three months ago, but the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) predicts that almost one million more workers could lose their jobs this year. In the past two weeks, 294 "criminal miners have been brought to surface at the company's Eland shaft in the Free State. They were charged and will be criminally prosecuted," according to Harmony's statement. Smith said the mining companies were trying to work with police services and the justice department to address the problem, but targeting the illegal miners themselves would not change things. "These are ex-miners and unemployed people - we need to target the syndicates." [ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ] | Over 60 miners were killed in an abandoned gold mine shaft near Welkom, in the Free State province of South Africa, after a fire broke out inside the mine. Welkom,Free State province, South Africa 36 bodies from the Harmony Gold mining company Eland mine shaft were brought up earlier on the weekend from depths up to . On Tuesday, 25 more bodies were recovered by other illegal workers. "We suspect there was a fire on the 18th of May. We never saw any smoke. Over the weekend 30 May we were informed by other illegal miners that people had died," said Tom Smith, Chief Operating Officer for Harmony's South Region, "The bodies are not burnt. It seems more of a case of gas or smoke inhalation. I don't know if there are any more bodies down there, we just have to wait." The workers may have died from poisonous gasses, smoke inhalation, suffocation, cave-ins or carbon monoxide poisoning. Harmony gold mine will not send anyone in to the mine as the conditions are extremely dangerous and abandoned shafts are without safety equipment. Illegal workers may gain access bypassing security at one mine site, and exit via a series of interconnected underground tunnels many miles away. Harmony is internationally the fifth largest gold mining company and has bought up old, abandoned mines. Police were seeking relatives to help identify the bodies, and are instigating an investigation into the circumstances. Almost 300 "gold pirates" were arrested over the past two weeks at the Eland mine shaft alone. Thousands of illegal workers can be underground, and remain working for weeks and months continuously. "These are ex-miners and unemployed people - we need to target the syndicates," said Smith. There are over 4.18 million unemployed in South Africa due to the economic decline, and another 1 million may soon join the ranks. Susan Shabangu, the minister of mining, extended her condolences. Welkom, with a population of over 400,000 is located northeast of Bloemfontein, the provincial capital. |
Analysis: Why Biden's securities regulator faces climate crackdown challenges With Democrats at the helm, the U.S. securities regulator is pledging to crack down on companies and funds that mislead investors over climate change risks, but that may be easier said than done, more than a dozen attorneys and former agency officials say. ||||| Monday, March 21, 2005 9:00 p.m. ETBy NICK WADHAMS Associated Press Writer UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan unveiled a plan Monday to overhaul the United Nations and began the task of selling his vision to all 191 U.N. member states, urging them to make the proposals a reality when they meet again in just six months. He acknowledged that getting agreement so quickly won't be easy for the United Nations, where members historically have been loathe to sacrifice national interests, and action on issues large and small often bogs down in politicking. But Annan struck a pragmatic and urgent tone for his proposals, which would see the most significant makeover of the world body since it was founded after World War II by putting more emphasis on development, security and human rights issues. "This hall has heard enough high-sounding declarations to last us for some decades to come," Annan told the General Assembly in an address launching the reform package. "What is needed now is not more declarations or promises." Annan's plan tackles some of the United Nations' thorniest problems and backs some conclusions of two U.N.-commissioned panels released last year. It would enlarge the Security Council to include more voices from the developing world and all regions. And it would seek to bring new relevancy to the General Assembly, which has sometimes been hijacked by nations acting in concert to push their own agendas _ such as a raft of anti-Israeli resolutions. The proposals would also try to bring more efficiency and accountability to an organization burdened by allegations of mismanagement in the scandal-ridden U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq and claims of sexual misconduct by peacekeepers in Congo. Annan said the next task would be persuading all 191 member states to accept his proposals. He stressed they cannot be adopted piecemeal _ or "a la carte," as he called it. "It's going to take lots of work, lots of work here in this building with the permanent representatives, lots of work with capitals with the heads of state and government, lots of work by certain envoys that I hope to send out," he said. "I'll be on the phone also quite a lot." Several diplomats and government officials said the report was a good start but they wanted to study it more closely. The United States, however, rejected a recommendation that the Security Council adopt a resolution specifying the criteria for decisions on whether to use force. "In our view, the (U.N.) charter deals with the issue sufficiently," U.S. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said. And Russia's U.N. Ambassador Andrey Denisov was skeptical about Annan's plan to do away with the largely discredited U.N. Human Rights Commission and replace it with a Human Rights Council. He said he was worried it could become another U.N. "discussion club." The issue that has gotten the most attention so far is that of Security Council reform. Annan backed two options proposed in December _ one that would add six new permanent members and another that would create a new tier of eight semi-permanent members: two each from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. Annan said giving any new members veto power would be politically impossible because the five current permanent council members _ the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain _ would be unwilling to give up their veto power or allow any new veto-wielding members. "I believe the general sense is that additional vetos will not be acceptable to the membership," he said. Likely candidates for the council's permanent members include Japan, Germany, Brazil, India, Egypt, and Nigeria or South Africa. Later Monday, a joint statement from Brazil, Germany, India and Japan backed the first option for six new permanent members and said they expected General Assembly approval by summer. A proposal that will also face opposition is a call for a comprehensive convention against terrorism by September 2006 which would include a definition of terrorism that has already been questioned by Algeria and other Arab nations. That document has been held back for years by nations that argue that one nation's terrorists are another's freedom fighters "It's not going to go through as an entire package. That may not be realistic," said David Shorr of the Stanley Foundation, which has studied U.N. reform proposals. "But it is realistic to ask leaders and governments to join in this spirit, in this idea of truly collective security, of needing to do a much better job working together." Copyright © 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ||||| Annan Proposes Radical Reforms for the UN -- 03/21/2005 Annan Proposes Radical Reforms for the UN By Susan Jones CNSNews.com Morning Editor March 21, 2005 (CNSNews.com) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan will present the General Assembly Monday with a report calling for the most sweeping changes to the world body since its founding 60 years ago. He will urge the U.N.'s 191 member states to approve the package of proposals by next September, when world leaders hold a summit in New York. The report was released at two U.N. briefings in New York a day early because of leaks to some media outlets. Among the most far-reaching changes proposed is the expansion of the Security Council from its current 15 members to 24, in line with one of two formulas suggested earlier by a panel of experts commissioned by Annan. One proposal would add six permanent members to the current five - two from Asia, two from Africa, and one each from Europe and the Americas -- but they would not have the veto right enjoyed by the U.S., Britain, France, China and Russia. Under this proposal, the number of rotating, non-permanent members would also increase from the current 10 to 13, bringing total council membership to 24. The second suggestion would retain the current five permanent members and 10 more with two-year stints, but add a third tier of nine additional members, each with a four-year tenure that could be renewed. Nations that have made bids for permanent membership of an expanded council include Japan, India, Germany, South Africa, Nigeria and Brazil. Some of the current permanent members are likely to resist some of those bids. China opposes Japan, for example, and Italy has questioned Germany's qualifications for membership. Annan also wants the Security Council to draw up guidelines for the use of force to settle international disputes, and for the U.N. to agree on a universal definition of terrorism -one making it clear that no cause whatsoever justifies the deliberate targeting of civilians. Arab-Muslim nations have resisted this in the past, arguing that a violent Palestinian response to "foreign occupation" was legitimate. Another major focus of the proposed reform package deals with the Commission on Human Rights, the Geneva-based body whose credibility has increasingly been called into question because some of the world's most abusive regimes have become members, and used their positions to block scrutiny. Annan's chief of staff, Mark Malloch Brown, said the secretary-general is proposing replacing the commission with a new Human Rights Council. Its members would be elected by the General Assembly, and would be "held to certain standards." Annan wants human rights to be raised "to the same level as security and economic and social affairs of the organization," Malloch Brown said, and the envisaged new body would be a third "council," alongside the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council. Other proposals include: -- Streamlining of General Assembly committee structures to speed up decision-making; -- The conclusion of conventions on terrorism and nuclear terrorism; -- The creation of a "peace-building commission" to help countries emerging from conflict to achieve lasting peace; -- Measures to meet the Millennium Development Goals of poverty and hunger alleviation by 2015, including commitments by all developed countries to allocate 0.7 percent of gross domestic product to development assistance by no later than 2015, with significant increases by 2006, and a goal of 0.5 percent three years later; and -- Full funding of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the provision of resources provided for an expanded, comprehensive strategy to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. Malloch Brown said while Annan expected member states to negotiate on the proposals in the months ahead, it was not meant to be picked apart, with elements added or abandoned to address the concerns of particular nations. He characterized the overall report as having "something in it for everybody." Annan had stuck with the expert panel's recommendations on tough language in the terrorism definition "despite the fact there had been huge pressure by some [member states] against that," Malloch Brown said. On the other hand, the proposal that donor countries earmark 0.7 percent of GDP for development would no doubt infuriate a different set of nations, he added. Send a Letter to the Editor about this article. | Kofi Annan unveils UN reform plan UN Secretary General Kofi Annan will formally present a plan this morning to the UN General Assembly when it meets in New York later today. The plan, entitled , is part of the UN's attempt to revitalise itself during its sixtieth anniversary year. If implemented, this plan will be the largest change ever to the international body, calling for the addition of nine members to the Security Council, and for the creation of a new Human Rights Council to replace the 53-member . The Canadian ambassador to the UN, , was the first diplomat to officially respond by saying, "A lot of hard work lies ahead but we are optimistic." , Amnesty International, and other , have come out in support of the plan. |
Touring his Birmingham-area district today, U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus started the day in Trussville, where he treated a breakfast of municipal and county leaders to his thoughts on guns, socialists and the federal budget. As for President Barack Obama, the Vestavia Hills Republican said he has "some hope." "He's a better listener than George W. Bush," Bachus said. "He tries to get ideas from people." But he said he is worried that he is being steered too far by the Congress: "Some of the men and women I work with in Congress are socialists." Asked to clarify his comments after the breakfast speech at the Trussville Civic Center, Bachus said 17 members of the U.S. House are socialists. Bachus did not support small city officials who asked if he would oppose all gun bans. Instead, he said, it may be necessary to support some assault weapon bans in order to keep all guns from being outlawed. ||||| Only 53% of American adults believe capitalism is better than socialism. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 20% disagree and say socialism is better. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are not sure which is better. Adults under 30 are essentially evenly divided: 37% prefer capitalism, 33% socialism, and 30% are undecided. Thirty-somethings are a bit more supportive of the free-enterprise approach with 49% for capitalism and 26% for socialism. Adults over 40 strongly favor capitalism, and just 13% of those older Americans believe socialism is better. Investors by a 5-to-1 margin choose capitalism. As for those who do not invest, 40% say capitalism is better while 25% prefer socialism. There is a partisan gap as well. Republicans - by an 11-to-1 margin - favor capitalism. Democrats are much more closely divided: Just 39% say capitalism is better while 30% prefer socialism. As for those not affiliated with either major political party, 48% say capitalism is best, and 21% opt for socialism. (Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls.) Rasmussen Reports updates also available on Twitter. The question posed by Rasmussen Reports did not define either capitalism or socialism It is interesting to compare the new results to an earlier survey in which 70% of Americans prefer a free-market economy. The fact that a “free-market economy” attracts substantially more support than “capitalism” may suggest some skepticism about whether capitalism in the United States today relies on free markets. Other survey data supports that notion. Rather than seeing large corporations as committed to free markets, two-out-of-three Americans believe that big government and big business often work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors. Fifteen percent (15%) of Americans say they prefer a government-managed economy, similar to the 20% support for socialism. Just 14% believe the federal government would do a better job running auto companies, and even fewer believe government would do a better job running financial firms. Most Americans today hold views that can generally be defined as populist while only seven percent (7%) share the elitist views of the Political Class. Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free)… let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news. See survey questions and toplines. Crosstabs available for Premium Members only. ||||| As the incoming Obama administration and the Democratic congressional leadership scramble for ways to right the U.S. economy, 70% of U.S. voters say a free market is better than one managed by the government. Just 15% say a government-managed economy is best, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Fifteen percent (15%) are undecided. But indicative of the mixed feelings that beset many of the nation’s leaders, a majority of voters (52%) also believe there is a need for more government regulation of big business, although 35% disagree. Thirteen percent (13%) aren’t sure. (Last month, just 26% of adults were at least somewhat confident that U.S. policymakers knew what they were doing with regards to the economy). Overall, voters are more ambivalent about the federal government’s role in the current economic crisis. Forty-eight percent (48%) worry the government will do too much, while 41% fear it will do too little. Eleven percent (11%) are not sure which is a greater concern. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of voters agree, however, that government and big business often work together in ways that hurt consumers and investors. Only 15% of voters don’t believe that is true, and 20% are undecided. The Rasmussen Consumer and Investor Indexes, which measure economic confidence on a daily basis, both held steady in the first readings since Christmas but still remain in record low territory. (Want a free daily e-mail update? Sign up now. If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Ronald Reagan famously said in his first inaugural address in January 1981 that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Fifty-nine percent of voters still agree with that view. Ninety-one percent (91%) of Republicans favor a free market economy over a government-regulated one, as do 76% of unaffiliated voters. Only 49% of Democrats agree. For 87% of conservatives and 68% of moderates, a free market is better, but among liberals, the choice is less clear. A plurality of liberals (47%) prefer a free market, but 31% say an economy managed by the government is better. Seventy-two percent (72%) of whites say a free-market economy is better versus 54% of African-Americans. Men, married voters and those with children at home are most supportive of a free market, as are voters between the ages of 30 and 64. When asked who was a better president – Reagan, the champion of small government, or Franklin D. Roosevelt, the father of modern U.S. big government with the New Deal, voters give the edge to FDR 45% to 40%. Fifty-five percent (55%) of male voters worry that the government will do too much in reacting to the nation’s current economic problems, while women are more evenly divided. Forty-two percent (42%) of female voters say government will do too much, but 45% think it won’t do enough. Seventy-six percent (76%) of Republicans and a bare majority of unaffiliated voters (52%) fear government will do too much. But 61% of Democrats take the opposite view. Similarly, 72% of Democratic voters say there is a need for more government regulation of big business, compared to 50% of unaffiliateds and 30% of Republicans. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of GOP voters say there is no need for additional regulation, a view shared by 36% of unaffiliated voters and 14% of Democrats. Perhaps because they fear basic prices will rise with increased government involvement, married voters are 10 points less supportive of regulation that unmarried voters, and those with children at home are 18 points less enthusiastic than those without children in the house. Just 52% of Democrats think government and big business often work together in ways that are harmful to consumers and investors, compared to 70% of Republicans and 77% of unaffiliated voters. Seventy-two percent (72%) of Catholic voters, 66% of Evangelical Christians and 62% of other Protestants believe government and big business in combination often hurt investors and consumers. In mid-November, 44% of adults agreed with President Bush’s statement that "free-market capitalism is far more than an economic theory. It is the engine of social mobility - the highway to the American Dream." Twenty-two percent disagreed, and 33% were undecided. Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free)… let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news. See survey questions and toplines. Crosstabs are available to Premium Members only. | Socialist Party of America.Twenty percent of the American public believes that socialism is superior to capitalism, says a poll by Rasmussen Reports released on Thursday, April 9. Asked the question "Which is a better system - capitalism or socialism?", 53% of those polled found capitalism the better system, 20% preferred socialism, and 27% were unsure. The survey did not define either capitalism or socialism, but Rasmussen also cites a December 2008 result saying that 15% of Americans prefer a government-managed economy. Analysis of the poll's data by website FiveThirtyEight.com furthermore found that support for capitalism was closely correlated with income; respondents earning under $20,000 a year having an eight percentage point preference for capitalism, while those earning more than $100,000 a year expressed a fifty-seven percentage point preference for capitalism. Rasmussen noted that socialism had much broader support among people under 30, where 33% support socialism and 37% support capitalism, than among any other age group. Socialism has found support in several countries, with member parties of the Socialist International in government in over 50 countries around the world and with several other regimes describing themselves as socialist or communist; the 20% result Rasmussen finds is comparable to the electoral support for the New Democratic Party in Canada. Support for an independent socialist movement in the United States, however, has historically been limited. Socialist candidate Eugene V. Debs won 6.1% of the popular vote in 1912, and two members of the Socialist Party, Victor L. Berger and Meyer London, were elected to the United States Congress before the Great Depression. This brief flirtation with socialism is contrasted against the times during and following the First World War and Second World War, which were marked by "Red scares" — periods of pronounced anti-communism — in the United States. Currently, only a single member of the United States Congress describes himself as a socialist: Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. The Social Democrats USA (SD USA), one of the successors of the Socialist Party of America, has expressed solidarity with the 76-member Congressional Progressive Caucus, which Sanders founded in 1991. It supports positions such as a living wage, universal health care, and the right of workers to form trade unions and engage in collective bargaining. SD USA executive director Gabriel McClosky-Ross offered ''Wikinews'' an exclusive statement on the Rasmussen poll result: Anti-communism has been an important part of American politics for several decades.While support for socialism in the United States may be growing, Rasmussen's polling finds that absolute majorities of the American public support both capitalism and free markets. Meanwhile, anti-communist sentiment remains strong in many segments of the US population, with opposition to socialism being a defining feature of Conservatism in the United States. In an exclusive statement to ''Wikinews'', John F. McManus, President of the anti-socialist John Birch Society, offered the John Birch Society's position on the poll result: Americans currently most often cite the economy as their number one concern in polls, ahead of terrorism. In December 2008, workers at the Republic Windows and Doors factory in Chicago staged a union-backed factory occupation in a fight against company management — a return to tactics of direct action from the historically more subdued American organized labor movement. On April 10 2009, Alabama representative Spencer Bachus (R-Alabama) told the ''Birmingham News'' that seventeen members of the US House of Representatives are socialists. He did not specify which members. |
Prime Minister David Cameron called on the international community ahead of a London conference to pledge billions of dollars in aid to the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing the country’s bloody five-year civil war. The conference, taking place in Westminster on Thursday, involves representatives from 70 countries, including US Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The prime minister will pledge to double British aid to Syria until 2020. Writing in the Guardian on Thursday, he said there must be a “new approach” to the humanitarian crisis. “Sufficient funding to guarantee the basics of life that these refugees need must be the bare minimum expected of us,” he wrote. International Development Secretary Justine Greening also called for a stronger response to the crisis. “It’s not just about what the UK can do, we want to also play a role in getting the rest of the international community to really take responsibility and work to help countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, who are so generous in hosting these refugees.” Cameron has predicted that the conference will generate more than the $4.5 billion raised throughout 2015. It is the first fundraising conference to be held at state level and will attract more press attention than other gatherings. Read more The UN has said some $9 billion must be raised in order to meet the demand for schools, access to work for Syrians and other humanitarian aid. However, it is believed negotiations between states continued late into Wednesday night. So far, $7 billion has been secured – $2billion short of the total. Last year, the UN only raised half of the funds it required for Syria. Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood said it is necessary to raise more money or “another one million people will turn their back on Syria.” The meeting in London comes after the UN special envoy to Syria delayed peace talks in Geneva until later in February, saying he would not “talk for the sake of talking.” On Wednesday Staffan de Mistura explained more needed to be done by stakeholders to prepare for the talks. “I have concluded frankly that after the first week of preparatory talks there is more work to be done, not only by us but by the stakeholders,” he said after three days of talks. “I have indicated from the first day that I won’t talk for the sake of talking.” ||||| Media caption Rami Ruhayem reports from Damascus on the Syrian children displaced within their own country Donor nations meeting in London have pledged more than $10bn to help Syrians affected by the five-year conflict, UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced. He said the money (£6.8bn) would provide millions with "life-saving" food, medical care and shelter. Refugees in neighbouring countries would also get greater access to education and jobs, he said. The gathering has been overshadowed by the suspension of peace talks in Geneva and intense fighting on the ground. A Syrian government offensive, backed by Russian air strikes, is continuing north of Aleppo. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said an estimated 70,000 Syrians fleeing the bombing were moving towards Turkey. '70,000 Syrian refugees head to Turkey' In war-ravaged Damascus suburbs Who is to blame for breakdown of talks? 'Great success' Mr Cameron said at the end of the day-long conference that $6bn had been pledged for 2016 alone, and a further $5bn over the coming years until 2020. He said Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon - which have received many of the 4.6 million refugees - had pledged to ensure all refugee children will have access to education. "The international union is backing them with the resources which will allow them to ensure there is no lost generation," he said, adding that one million children currently not in school would have access to education by the end of the next school year. The neighbouring countries had also, he said, made a "courageous commitment" to open their economies to provide more jobs - helped with $40bn of loans and the opening of European markets that would create one million new jobs in the region. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hailed the gathering of 60 countries as a "great success". "Never has the international community raised so much money on a single day for a single crisis," he said. ||||| London (CNN) Donor countries pledged more than $10 billion for Syria at an international conference Thursday in London, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced, but a brutal Syrian government offensive, backed by Russian air power, overshadowed this goodwill. Cameron said the total raised -- nearly $6 billion in 2016, and a further $5 billion until 2020 -- exceeded the $9 billion being sought from the assembled donor countries. "What we are delivering today can play a crucial role in preventing refugees from feeling they need to risk their lives on the treacherous journey to Europe," he told the Supporting Syria and the Region conference in London. "It means millions of people will now receive lifesaving food, medical care and shelter in Syria and beyond." Britain's Foreign Office said it was the largest amount raised in a day for a humanitarian crisis. Aleppo offensive worsens crisis, Turkey says But Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned delegates at the conference that a Russian bombing campaign in Syria's Aleppo province was driving a new exodus of refugees toward the Turkish border. Syria's opposition cited the intensive air campaign among its reasons for calling a halt to critical peace talks Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland. And on Thursday, Davutoglu told delegates that the offensive was worsening Syria's humanitarian crisis. "Let's be clear, Syrians are fleeing because they are being bombed by the regime and their supporters," he said, as a renewed war of words escalated between Ankara and Moscow, who back opposite sides in Syria's civil war. Russia is one of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main backers, while Turkey supports Syria's opposition. Syrian government forces are near the Shiite villages of Nubul and Zahraa. A Thursday air raid on rebel-held neighborhoods in Aleppo, which Russian aircraft are believed to have carried out, killed at least 21 people, according the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group. That operation followed an announcement by Syrian state media Wednesday that government forces, supported by Russian planes, had broken a 3½-year rebel siege of a pair of pro-regime Shiite villages north of Aleppo, and severed a key rebel supply route linking Aleppo to the Turkish border. Turkey, Russia trade words As tensions between Ankara and Moscow simmer -- particularly since Turkey's downing of a Russian military aircraft in November -- a Russian military spokesman expressed suspicion Thursday that Turkey was preparing a major military incursion into Syria, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. "We have a serious basis to suspect intensive preparation by Turkey to a military invasion into the territory of the north of the Syrian Arab Republic," the agency reported Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, as saying. A source within the Turkish Prime Minister's office denied the report. "Russians are trying to hide their crimes in Syria," the source told CNN. "They are diverting attention from their attacks on civilians as a country already invading Syria. Turkey has all the rights to take any measures to protect its own security." Jordan: 'We have reached our limit' JUST WATCHED Jordan calls for global help with refugee crisis Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Jordan calls for global help with refugee crisis 02:33 Seventy countries and international organizations gathered for the London conference. It aimed to raise more than $7 billion requested by the United Nations for Syria, and about $1.3 billion requested by countries in the region -- Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey -- which are shouldering the brunt of the humanitarian burden caused by crisis, housing about 4.6 million refugees. "Today one of every five people living in our kingdom is a Syrian refugee. It is as if the UK had absorbed the entire population of Belgium," Jordanian King Abdullah told attendees. JUST WATCHED Incredible rescue of boy from Syrian rubble Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Incredible rescue of boy from Syrian rubble 03:02 "We have reached our limit. Our country will continue to do what we can do to help those in need, but it cannot be at the expense of our own people's welfare." According to the United Nations, nearly nine in 10 of the 1.2 million Syrian refugees in Jordan live below the poverty line. But as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry observed at the conference: "The challenge is not to just write checks. "To stop the flow of refugees," he said, "we have to end the war." Peace talks temporarily suspended Those efforts ground to a temporary halt Wednesday when U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura announced "a pause" in discussions in Geneva, saying they should restart February 25. JUST WATCHED Despite ongoing violence, Syrian peace talks paused Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Despite ongoing violence, Syrian peace talks paused 04:16 The talks, aimed at creating a nationwide ceasefire in Syria, broke up amid opposition anger over the brutal Russian air campaign over Aleppo province. The United States, France and Turkey have criticized the airstrikes, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov vowed Wednesday to continue the strikes "until we truly win over terrorist groups." Kerry said that he had spoken with Lavrov on Thursday, adding both parties "agreed that we need to discuss how to implement the ceasefire." Russian airstrikes have killed nearly 1,400 Syrian civilians since beginning in September, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said last week. The Russian intervention in the Syrian conflict has helped the Assad regime, which had suffered major setbacks before Moscow entered the fray. Elsewhere in Syria, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that food and relief aid had been delivered Wednesday to more than 12,000 in the besieged rebel-held town of Moadamiyeh near Damascus. The ICRC said the town of 50,000 needs more aid, and it hoped to deliver it in the coming days. | Yesterday, a donor conference of nations was held in , , to collect money for aid to . UK Prime Minister announced more than 10 billion were pledged in one day, for "food, medical care, and shelter", and other purposes including creation of schools to benefit one million Syrian children by the end of the coming school year. Cameron also said this was the biggest sum ever collected for an international crisis in one day. David Cameron, British PM, in 2014. The "Supporting Syria and the Region" conference goal was more than $7 billion asked for by the and around $1.3 billion by countries of the region. Pledges included $3.3 billion from the ; $1.7 billion from the UK until 2020; $2.6 billion from until 2018; and for 2016, $1 billion from and $935 million from the . , prime minister, said a Syrian government offensive with Russian air support is sending about another 70,000 Syrians to the Turkish border, and expressed worry this would continue. Syrian rebels suspended , peace talks with the regime of , protesting the current offensive. The recently said airstrikes have killed around 1,400 Syrian civilians. == Sources == * * * |
Families say 4 private security guards killed in Iraq lacked armor, heavy weapons WASHINGTON: The families of four private guards whose bodies were burned and dragged through the streets by a mob in Iraq told Congress on Wednesday that the security company that hired them failed to provide armored vehicles and other promised protections. The guards' families have sued the company, Blackwater USA, telling a House of Representatives hearing it was the only way they can learn all the circumstances of the deaths. Blackwater and several Republican lawmakers said the lawsuit should not be argued at a congressional hearing. The deaths of the four, all former members of the military, brought to U.S. television some of its most gruesome images of the Iraq war. A frenzied mob of insurgents ambushed a supply convoy the guards were escorting through Fallujah on March 31, 2004. The men were attacked, their bodies mutilated; two of the corpses were strung from a bridge. At the hearing, Kathryn Helvenston-Wettengel, mother of Stephen Helvenston, read a statement on behalf of the families. She stopped several times to collect herself as she recounted the emotional day. She said the security guards were denied armored vehicles, heavy weapons and maps for their convoy routes, and that the rear gunners were removed from vehicles to perform other duties. "Blackwater gets paid for the number of warm bodies it can put on the ground in certain locations throughout the world," she said. "If some are killed it replaces them at a moment's notice." Helvenston-Wettengel said her son was alive when Iraqis tied him to his vehicle and dragged him through the streets. He eventually was decapitated. In a statement prepared for House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Blackwater USA general counsel Andrew Howell said lawyers for the family members were using the hearing for their own purposes and that the case should be heard in court, not in Congress. Howell said the hearing should not delve into an "incomplete and one-sided exploration of a specific battlefield incident." Rep. Darrell Issa, a Republican, said he did not believe the testimony was germane to a House committee scrutinizing U.S. companies with Iraq contracts. He pressed the witnesses on whether their lawyers wrote their statement, but Ms. Helvenston-Wettengel said each of the four women at the hearing wrote a portion of the statement. The three men killed in addition to Helvenston — a former Navy SEAL — were Wesley Batalona, a former Army Ranger represented by his daughter Kristal; Michael Teague, formerly in an Army helicopter unit, represented by his widow Rhonda; and Jerry Zovko, a former Army Ranger represented by his mother Donna. The committee also is looking into Blackwater's contract to provide security services in Iraq. After numerous denials, the Pentagon has confirmed that Blackwater provided armed security guards in Iraq under a subcontract that was buried so deeply the government at first could not find it. The secretary of the Army on Tuesday wrote two Democratic lawmakers that the Blackwater USA contract was part of a huge military support operation by run by Halliburton Co. subsidiary KBR. Dick Cheney ran Halliburton before he became vice president. Several times last year, Pentagon officials told inquiring lawmakers they could find no evidence of the Blackwater contract. Blackwater did not respond to several requests for comment. The discovery shows the dense world of Iraq contracting, where the main contractor hires subcontractors who then hire additional subcontractors. Each company tacks on a charge for overhead, a cost that works its way up to U.S. taxpayers. "This ongoing episode demonstrates the Pentagon's complete failure to safeguard taxpayer dollars," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat and one of the lawmakers who had asked about the Blackwater contract and received denials. "They continue to look the other way in the face of overwhelming evidence that Halliburton was charging taxpayers for unauthorized security services," Van Hollen said. Blackwater employees have suffered heavy casualties in Iraq. In addition to the four killed in Fallujah in 2004, the company said three of its employees were killed in Mosul in 2005, and last month, five of its employees died when a helicopter went down in Baghdad under heavy fire. ___ On the Net: House Oversight and Government Reform Committee: http://oversight.house.gov Blackwater USA: http://www.blackwaterusa.com ||||| College students shut out of classes could earn credits online if legislation passes Darrell Steinberg's office Measure would relieve overcrowding in community college and UC, CSU systems by permitting students to take online courses in place of most overcrowded classes. Measure would relieve overcrowding in community college and UC, CSU systems by permitting students to take online courses in place of most overcrowded classes. More education news ||||| When voters put Democrats in control of Congress in November, they set the stage for a higher level of government scrutiny over Blackwater and its competitors in the mushrooming private military industry. The turnover of power placed several industry critics in key positions. One of the most dogged of them, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., ascended to the chairmanship of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which will hold four days of hearings beginning Tuesday on waste, fraud and abuse in government contracting. Wednesday, it will be Blackwater’s turn on the hot seat. Erik Prince, founder and chairman of the Moyock, N.C.-based company, is among the invited witnesses. A Blackwater spokeswoman last week confirmed the invitation but said she didn’t know if the billionaire ex-Navy SEAL – known for his aversion to the public spotlight – would appear. Also invited to testify are family members of the four Blackwater contractors killed in a convoy ambush in Fallujah, Iraq, in March 2004 that became a major flashpoint of the Iraq war. Two of the bodies were mutilated and strung up from a bridge, prompting a fierce U.S. assault on the city in retaliation. The four families are suing Blackwater, claiming the company broke its contractual obligation to the contractors by sending them into hostile territory with insufficient protection. This week’s hearings are a reflection of mounting congressional concern about the unprecedented privatization of warfighting. According to a recent Pentagon estimate, there are now some 100,000 government contractors operating in Iraq – a number that is approaching the size of the U.S. military force there. Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, whose election in November was crucial in tipping the Senate to Democratic control, raised the issue last week during confirmation hearings for Gen. George Casey, the outgoing top U.S. general in Iraq who has been nominated for Army chief of staff. “This is a rent-an-army out there,” Webb said, noting that in nearly four years of war no civilian contractor has yet been prosecuted for misconduct in Iraq. “Wouldn’t it be better for this country if those tasks, particularly the quasi-military gunfighting tasks, were being performed by active-duty military soldiers in terms of cost and accountability?” Webb, a Vietnam veteran and former Navy secretary, asked Casey. “It’s important that they are used – these contractors are used for logistics-type skills and not necessarily the combat skills,” Casey replied, referring to armed security contractors like those fielded by Blackwater. “Those are the ones that we have to watch very carefully.” Little-known before 2004, Blackwater was propelled into worldwide headlines by the Fallujah incident. It was still making news as recently as two weeks ago, when five of its helicopter crewmen died in an anti-aircraft assault in Baghdad. The 10-year-old company has won more than $500 million in federal contracts for security and training services, many of them no-bid. Waxman’s committee also is seeking testimony from chief executives of four other companies in a multi-layered chain of government contractors connected to the Fallujah mission. At the top of the chain was Houston-based KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton Inc., Vice President Dick Cheney’s previous employer. At the bottom was Blackwater. Waxman has charged that the multiple layers of contracts and subcontracts resulted in an inflated cost to taxpayers. For example, according to contracts that have become part of the public record in the families’ lawsuit, Blackwater paid its security operatives $600 a day and charged its client, Regency Hotel & Hospital Co., $945 a day per man – a 58 percent markup. So far there are no public documents to show how much the other companies tacked onto those charges. At a hearing last year, a member of Waxman’s committee, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., asked Blackwater vice president Chris Taylor about his company’s markup. Taylor replied that Blackwater’s charge to its client was a “fully burdened” figure that included the company’s costs for food, housing, equipment and other expenses. But in a sharply worded letter Dec. 7 to then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Waxman and Van Hollen disputed Taylor’s account, pointing out that the contract required the client to provide food, housing, equipment and other items at no cost to Blackwater. The company has produced no documentation to support Taylor’s testimony, they wrote. Stuart W. Bowen Jr., the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, is another scheduled witness for the Waxman committee hearings. Last week Bowen issued a scathing report concluding that millions of tax dollars were misspent on a contract held by one of Blackwater’s competitors, Northern Virginia-based DynCorp International. Bowen found that the government paid $43.8 million for a residential trailer camp that has never been used for its intended purpose: training Iraqi police officers. Included in that total was $4.2 million that went for unauthorized items like VIP trailers and an Olympic-size swimming pool. Rep. David Price, D-N.C., introduced a bill last month aimed at bringing more transparency and accountability to the contracting process. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., plans to introduce a similar measure this week. “More than ever, private contractors are engaged in roles traditionally viewed as inherently governmental functions: military operations, intelligence gathering, law enforcement, security and criminal justice functions,” Schakowsky wrote in a letter to congressional colleagues last week. “Yet, this multi-billion dollar industry is virtually unregulated and virtually unknown to the American taxpayer.” The heightened congressional attention to the private military business is welcome news to its critics. “You’re going to see all sorts of hearings and the like,” said Peter Singer, a scholar at the Brookings Institution who has argued for more regulation of the industry. “Congress has woken up. The period of denial is over.” Industry representatives are wary. “You don’t want to lose sight of the broader issue,” said Doug Brooks, president of the International Peace Operations Association, a Washington-based trade group that represents Blackwater and other government contractors. “We’re going to have contractors working in conflict and post-conflict environments into the future,” Brooks said. “They’re critical to all these missions, so we don’t want to just sit there and slam them. If there are problems, we’ve got to sort them out before the next one.” Staff writer Dale Eisman contributed to this report. Reach Bill Sizemore at (757) 446-2276 or bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com ||||| Army disavows Blackwater work The service says it didn't approve the N.C. military contractor's 2004 mission in Fallujah, Iraq, during which four men died The world watched in horror when an Iraqi mob killed four Blackwater contractors guarding a convoy and dragged their mutilated bodies through the streets of Fallujah in March 2004. On Thursday, the Army said that Blackwater was not authorized to guard convoys or carry weapons. The revelation came at a congressional hearing that offered a window into the murky world of private contracting in Iraq. Representatives fumed about billions in misspent money, shoddy construction projects and the hiring of unqualified political operatives to rebuild Iraq. One unsolved mystery at the hearing was whether Blackwater, based in Moyock in North Carolina's northeast corner, was ultimately working for U.S. taxpayers when its contractors were killed. U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen held up a copy of Blackwater's contract, which said Blackwater was ultimately working for the Army's main contractor in Iraq, Kellogg Brown & Root, with two companies in between. The Army and Kellogg Brown & Root denied in a letter that Blackwater had done any work for them. "Clearly no one is minding the store, right from the top, no one is holding [Kellogg Brown & Root] responsible or any of its subcontractors," Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, said afterward. "It's mind-boggling the degree of incompetence." Blackwater did not return phone calls or an e-mail message seeking comment. Neither did Kellogg Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton, which has been paid at least $16 billion to provide food, lodging and other support for troops, and $2.4 billion to work on Iraqi oil infrastructure. The grotesque images from the 2004 massacre were broadcast around the world and triggered a new and deadlier phase of the war. Wesley Batalona, Scott Helvenston, Michael Teague and Jerry Zovko were ambushed on a crowded street as they guarded a convoy headed to pick up kitchen equipment for ESS, a food supplier to the military. A mob dragged their charred corpses through the streets and hung the remains of two men from a bridge over the Euphrates River. The families of the dead men are suing Blackwater for wrongful death. The Pentagon ordered the Marines to invade Fallujah, then aborted the battle two weeks later with part of the city destroyed and hundreds, perhaps thousands, dead. Fallujah became safe for insurgents until the Marines seized the city in November 2004 and destroyed much of it in a battle. The hearing Thursday of the House Government Reform Committee gave a raw look at a wide range of problems with private contractors in Iraq: a $75 million police academy in Baghdad where sewage oozes from the ceiling, and a multimillion-dollar contract to build 142 health clinics that resulted in only six being completed. Committee members have tried to get answers on the Blackwater contract for almost two years, since The News & Observer detailed how multiple layers of contracts inflated war costs. At the lowest level, Blackwater security guards were paid $600 a day. Blackwater added a 36 percent markup, plus overhead costs, and sent the bill to a Kuwaiti company that ordinarily runs hotels, according to the contract. That company, Regency Hotel, tacked on its costs and a profit and sent an invoice to ESS. The food company added its costs and profit and sent its bill to Kellogg Brown & Root, which also added overhead and a profit and presented the final bill to the Pentagon. In November 2004, Rep. Henry Waxman of California, the ranking Democrat on the committee, asked the Army for an accounting of the costs and copies of all contracts and invoices. The Army has not responded or provided documents, Van Hollen said. At a hearing in June, Van Hollen pressed a Blackwater executive on whether the 36 percent markup included all of Blackwater's costs. Van Hollen specifically asked whether Blackwater billed separately for insurance, room and board, travel, weapons, ammunition, vehicles and office space, as The N&O; article reported. Chris Taylor, a Blackwater vice president, testified that the 36 percent markup included all of Blackwater's costs. Rep. Christopher Shays, a Connecticut Republican, interrupted, reminded Taylor he was under oath and ordered Blackwater to provide the documents to back up his testimony. Blackwater has provided no documents to the committee. At the hearing Thursday, Van Hollen held up a copy of Blackwater's contract that showed the trail of subcontractors -- Blackwater, Regency, ESS -- leading to Kellogg Brown & Root. Did the Army contend that Blackwater provided no services to Kellogg Brown & Root? Tina Ballard, an undersecretary of the Army, said that is correct. "Was this contract authorized?" Van Hollen asked. "Did the American taxpayer pay [Kellogg Brown & Root] for those unauthorized contracts?" Ballard promised that the Army would provide answers. | The United States Army has confirmed that private security guards of the North Carolina security services company Blackwater USA were employed in Iraq by military subcontractors, reversing earlier statements in which army officials denied knowledge of the contracts. Four security guards employed by Blackwater were killed by Iraqi militants in March 2004. Their families have sued the company, claiming the suit was the only way to disclose the events surrounding the deaths. Locating the contract awarded to Blackwater has proved difficult -- the Pentagon has denied repeatedly that such a contract exists. The contract was extremely deeply nested beneath other contracts, obscuring its existence: KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary, has subcontracted to ESS Support Services Worldwide, which provides dining services. ESS hired Blackwater, but only indirectly, through a third company. This was confirmed yesterday by Army secretary Francis Harvey, in a letter to Representatives Henry Waxman and Chris Val Hollen. This reverses earlier statements by Harvey, for example, in July he stated that KBR "has queried ESS and they are unaware of any services under the ... contract that were provided by Blackwater USA." Van Hollen said, "This ongoing episode demonstrates the Pentagon's complete failure to safeguard taxpayer dollars." The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has scheduled a hearing on the Blackwater contract, to take place next Wednesday. |
With only about a month to go, a new Newsmax/Zogby Poll of 600 likely voters in Virginia shows that gubernatorial race too close to call. In the race between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Ken Cucinelli, the Democrat outpaces the Republican by an insignificant 33% to 32%, with 11% choosing "another candidate" and a huge 24% undecided. The poll was conducted online September 27-29 and has a margin of sampling error of +/-4.1 percentage points. When "another candidate" is offered in the person Libertarian Party nominee Robert Sarvis, McAuliffe's lead increases to 5 points - 32% to Cucinelli's 27%, Sarvis's 13%, and 24% undecided. In still another horse race test, the Newsmax/Zogby Poll added the names of party runningmates for lieutenant governor. The McAuliffe/Ralph Northam ticket outpolls the Cucinelli/E.W. Jackson team 36% to 32%, with 8% choosing another candidate, and 24% still undecided. All four major party candidates have net negative personal ratings. Cucinelli is viewed favorably by 32% with 51% unfavorable. McAuliffe is 37% favorable and 47% unfavorable. Jackson is 22% to 29% and Northam is 23% to 26%. Pollster John Zogby: We learn a lot about Virginia voters in this poll. First, they are not fond of any of the candidates. An undecided of 24% at this stage of a race where fortunes have been spent strongly suggests that a lot of people don't really like any of the candidates. Second we learn that both the candidacies of Sarvis and Jackson are hurting Cucinelli among voters in the general election. Third, in a generic matchup for President in 2016, we find the state leaning toward a Democratic candidate by 8 points - 36% to 28%, with 32% undecided. Finally, we have parsed the GOP vote in Virginia among 4 separate groups: self-described "libertarians", "fiscal conservatives", "social conservatives", and "Tea Party". Among libertarians, Cucinelli leads McAuliffe 31% to 18%, but Sarvis receives 35%! Among fiscal conservatives, Cucinelli leads 57% to 7% with 21% for Sarvis. Among social conservatives, Cucinelli shuts out his opponents 79% and 13% undecided. And among Tea Partiers, Cucinelli leads 51% to 9% for McAuliffe, 13% for Sarvis, and 24% undecided. This race is not over. ||||| As Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Ken Cuccinelli are locked in a tightening race, the Libertarian nominee for governor has siphoned support of 7 percent of likely Virginia voters. Neither McAuliffe nor Cuccinelli have high favorability ratings among likely voters, potentially buoying Robert Sarvis, who, despite his support, is still unknown to most voters, according to a Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday. Voters are split on McAuliffe — 38 percent view him favorably and 38 percent unfavorably — and Cuccinelli’s rating is upside down, 51 percent unfavorable and 34 percent favorable. As for Sarvis, 85 percent of voters said they did not know enough about him to form an opinion, according to the poll. Overall, McAuliffe leads Cuccinelli 44 percent to 41 percent, including voters who are leaning to one candidate, which is within the poll’s margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. Other recent polls had showed McAuliffe leading outside the margin of error. “Sarvis’ backing is at an unusual and consistent level for a third-party candidate, and the reason is obvious: There’s widespread dissatisfaction with the two major-party nominees,” said Larry Sabato, head of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, pointing to the favorability levels for Cuccinelli and McAuliffe in the survey. As for whether Sarvis can maintain this level of support, Sabato said it would help him if he were allowed to participate in an upcoming debate. “Sarvis doesn’t have the money to sustain support on his own. He has raised a pittance compared to the other two, and he’ll be drowned out in the final weeks of the campaign unless he gets lots of free news coverage.” Sabato said “the one prominent exception to this rule for third-party candidates” was Ross Perot, who ran for president as an independent in 1992. Perot soared in the polls then faded, dropping out of the contest in July before re-entering the race that October. “When he got back in the race in October ‘92 he was at 4 percent; a month later he had zoomed to 19 percent,” Sabato said. “But he spent about $60 million to get there.” | Robert Sarvis. Attorney , the Libertarian Party's nominee for Virginia, answered five questions submitted via e-mail by accredited ''Wikinews'' reporter William Saturn. Virginia, highlighted in red. Sarvis has garnered double digits in opinion polls for the , an unusual feat for a third party candidate. The latest /Zogby poll from late September placed him at 13 percent, 14 points behind Republican Party nominee , , and 19 points behind Democratic Party nominee , the former chairman, with 24 percent undecided. Whoever wins election on November 5, 2013, would replace outgoing governor . On his campaign website, Sarvis notes he favors parental school choice through , simplification of Virginia's Tax Code, — — rights, , and reform of the state's drug laws. With ''Wikinews'', Sarvis discusses his background, views on McDonnell's tenure, keys to campaign success, plan to implement his agenda, and the former Virginia governor he most admires. |
EMBARGOED for New images of Mars reveal that flowing water, large glaciers and active volcanoes have scoured the planet in recent geologic times. Scientists say Mars has been geologically active in the past few million years -- an eyeblink in the planet's 4.5-billion-year history. Three studies appearing in the March 17 issue of the journal Nature add to a growing body of evidence that points to recent liquid water and present vast stores of underground ice near the planet’s equator. Combined, the research provides further impetus to search Mars for signs of life, scientists said. Hot spots Billions of years ago, Mars was warmer and wetter than today, according to evidence of past water seen by NASA's two Mars rovers currently exploring the planet. Scientists are eager to learn whether water has graced the planet in recent times, because liquid water is a key ingredient for life as we know it. Likewise, if the red planet remains volcanically active, local hot spots could serve as incubators for microbial life, as they do in otherwise desolate places on Earth. No firm evidence for life on Mars has been presented, but in recent months signs of methane in the Martian atmosphere have piqued the curiosity of astrobiologists. The methane could be generated by volcanic activity or mark the signature of subsurface life, but its detection remains controversial nonetheless. In the three new papers, researchers lay out the strongest case yet that volcanism may be ongoing and glacial activity recent. The observations were made by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on the European Space Agency’s Mars Express Mission . Explosive eruptions about 350 million years ago created depressions on the flanks of the volcano Hecates Tholus, according to a study led by Ernst Hauber of the German Aerospace Center. And just five million years ago, glacial deposits formed inside these depressions, the scientist concludes. The finding adds to a December study showing five volcanoes on Mars had been active as recently as two million years ago. Equatorial glaciers A group led by geologist James Head of Brown University reanalyzed landforms first thought to be glacial during the Viking missions of the 1970s. Head and his colleagues found the features are indeed evidence of geologically recent glacial activity near the equator. "Mars is very dynamic," according to Head. "We see that the climate change and geological forces that drive evolution on Earth are happening there." Glaciers appear to have moved from the Martian poles to the tropics between 350,000 years ago and 4 million years ago. "This glaciation may be a response to recent changes in the incidence of sunlight induced by variations in obliquity of the planet’s spin axis," said Victor Baker, who was not involved in the research. The new studies suggest that Mars is currently in an interglacial period. As the planet tilts closer to the sun, ice near the equator is expected to vaporize. In a third paper, additional detail is provided on a previous announcement of a frozen chunk of water - roughly the size of the North Sea - that formed in the last five million years near the Martian equator. The area is thought to have been flooded by liquid water carried along by volcanic eruptions in a region called Cerberus Fossae. "The three papers provide an overwhelming case for new thinking about recent geological activity on Mars," writes Baker in an analysis of the work. Cataclysmic flooding Baker said the findings support a 1991 hypothesis, then considered outrageous, that Mars has experienced episodes of cataclysmic flooding in modern times. Water is thought to have formed temporary seas, but researchers had long assumed it all evaporated into the thin Martian air. Many scientists now agree that much of the water remained. "The evidence from HRSC for recent aqueous activity suggests that the water is still present, as ice on the ground and water deep beneath the surface," Baker said. In early May, Mars Express will deploy a radar instrument that should be able to detect subsurface water and ice several miles down. "Evidence from the latest pictures indicates that the water will surely be there," Baker said. Where there is water, there could be life. Many investigations on Earth have turned up extremophiles -- microbes living in frigid conditions, thriving in extremely salty water, and gathering around volcanic vents. Last month scientists announced the discovery of bacteria that had survived in a state of frozen suspension for 32,000 years. ||||| advertisement Images of Mars Fuel Speculation on Planetary Life In three reports published in the science journal Nature, an international team of researchers said images from the European Space Agency's Mars Express Mission and new data show glacial movement, climate change and volcanic activity. "We're now seeing geological characteristics on Mars that could be related to life," said James Head of Brown University in Rhode Island and an author of one of the papers. "But we're a long way from knowing that life does indeed exist." The new evidence, based on images of the planet's surface from the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), shows Mars is dynamic and had a watery past. Liquid water is seen as a prerequisite for earthly life. Ernst Hauber, of the German Aerospace Center in Berlin, and his colleagues said eruptions that occurred 350 million years ago made depressions on the Hecates Tholus volcano. Five million years ago glacial deposits formed inside the depressions. Head and his team said glaciers on the planet moved from the poles toward mid-latitude regions 350,000 to four million years ago. In the final research paper, John Murray of the Open University in Britain reported evidence of a frozen body of water, about the size and depth of the North Sea. The HRSC evidence suggests the water is still there as ice on the ground or deep below the surface. Head said the glacial deposits that his team studied could be sampled in future space missions and may provide more data about life on the planet. "If we had ice to study, we would know a lot more about climate change on Mars and whether life is a possibility there," he added. | Studies of Mars point to evidence of the presence of liquid water on the planet's surface and a vast amount of underground ice near the equator within the past few million years. Liquid water is believed to be a key ingredient for life, therefore the presence of water on Mars helps support chances of extraterrestrial life, reported the journal Nature today. In the studies, strong indications of glacial and volcanic activity were presented. The combined research on this subject, including a study in December 2004 indicating that five volcanoes were active as recently as two million years ago, justifies further search for signs of life on Mars scientists say. A few million years is a mere minute on the geological timescale of Mars which has been around for 4.5 billion years. The scarred surface of Mars cannot be attributed solely to asteroids. New images of the landscape taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on the European Space Agency's Mars Express Mission show that flowing water, large glaciers and active volcanoes have also taken their toll on the face of Mars. Some evidence collected by two Mars rovers that NASA sent to explore the planet shows that Mars was hotter and more humid millions of years ago than it is today. Also important were active volcanoes that can stimulate the forming of microbial life as they do here on Earth. Scientists recently discovered bacteria near the mouths of undersea volcanic vents on Earth where bacteria live off sulfur instead of oxygen and discharge methane as a by-product of their life cycle. Though controversial, the discovery of signs of methane gas in Mars' atmosphere also interests researchers who believe it indicates the possibility of subsurface life. Geologist James Head of Brown University led a group of researchers who examined landforms thought to be glacial during the Viking program in the 1970s. They found evidence that glaciers moved from the poles to the equator between 3.5 and 4 million years ago, suggesting that Mars is currently in an interglacial period. A third study looked at an area of frozen water roughly the size of the North Sea that formed near the equator around five million years ago. It is now thought that the ice was once liquid water carried along by volcanic eruptions in a region known as Cerberus Fossae. Researchers have long assumed water on Mars had all evaporated into the Martian atmosphere. A 1991 hypothesis, then considered outrageous by suggesting Mars was no stranger to floods, is now supported by recent findings. The HRSC data suggests water is still present both in liquid form and ice. Mars Express will deploy a special radar instrument in early May which should be able to detect water and ice even several miles beneath the surface. Should water be found on Mars, the chances of finding life are great. Many extremophiles, bacteria living under extreme conditions such as extreme salinity or heat, have already been discovered on Earth. In February 2005, scientists announced the discovery of bacteria that survived in a state of frozen suspension for 32,000 years. Likewise on Mars, a sample of ice could offer great insight into the evolution of the Martian environment and atmosphere. These discoveries may offer a great chance to get objective evidence for Mars research. |
IDF forces in north Photo: Reuters Udi Adam Photo: Channel 2 8 soldiers killed in north (VIDEO) Hizbullah terrorists infiltrate Israel territory, kidnap two IDF soldiers; three reserve soldiers killed during raid, four others killed as their tank drives over bomb during search for abducted troops; eighth soldier killed trying to retrieve comrades’ bodies. Northern Command chief: We assume two abducted soldiers are alive; there are blood stains at the scene. Hizbullah says soldiers in ‘safe place’ Hanan Greenberg Latest Update: 07.12.06, 22:43 VIDEO - Eight IDF soldiers were killed in fighting with Hizbullah Wednesday along the northern border and inside Lebanese territory. Three were killed when Hizbullah operatives attacked their patrol, and four more were killed when their tank drove up on a roadside bomb as they pursued the Hizbullah operatives, who also kidnapped two soldiers. Three of the soldiers killed in the Hizbullah attack were identified as 22-year-old Staff Sergeant Eyal Banin from Beer Sheva, 24-year-old Sergeant First Class Shani Turgeman of Beit Shean and 27-year-old Wassam Nazal from the town of Jat-Yanuch. Nineteen-year old Nimrod Cohen of Mitzpeh Shalem was killed during efforts to retrieve the bodies of the tank crew members. The cabinet has convened for a special session due to the escalations in the north, following Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's consultations with security officials. Fighting in Lebanon (Video: Reuters) IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz advised the government to authorize a harsh operation that would "change the rules of the game." IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz advised the government to authorize a harsh operation that would "change the rules of the game." Prior to the special cabinet session, Defense Minister Amir Peretz authorized a series of operations against Hizbullah strongholds in southern Lebanon. Prior to the special cabinet session, Defense Minister Amir Peretz authorized a series of operations against Hizbullah strongholds in southern Lebanon. Head of the IDF Northern Command Major-General Udi Adam explained during a press conference the events on the northern border: "This morning an IDF patrol was attacked in the area between Shtulah and Zarit. The patrol consisted of two armored Hummer vehicles, and three soldiers were killed. Four other soldiers were killed in the chase." Head of the IDF Northern Command Major-General Udi Adam explained during a press conference the events on the northern border: "This morning an IDF patrol was attacked in the area between Shtulah and Zarit. The patrol consisted of two armored Hummer vehicles, and three soldiers were killed. Four other soldiers were killed in the chase." "Since the beginning of the attack the IDF has been retaliating intensively and is preparing to protect Israeli civilians and prevent the terror from Lebanon,” added Adam. "We assume that the two abducted soldiers are alive. There are blood stains at the scene, and this is indicative of their condition." Adam continued: “We are in close contact with the residents if northern Israel; we have instructed residents in some areas to enter bomb shelters. We hold the Lebanese government responsible for everything that goes on in its territory and is directed toward Israel." Adam continued: “We are in close contact with the residents if northern Israel; we have instructed residents in some areas to enter bomb shelters. We hold the Lebanese government responsible for everything that goes on in its territory and is directed toward Israel." Shortly after 9 a.m. Hizbullah began its heavy bombardment of northern Israel communities, causing residents to enter bomb shelters. However, the initial attack was a mere diversion from the simultaneous kidnapping operation. Shortly after 9 a.m. Hizbullah began its heavy bombardment of northern Israel communities, causing residents to enter bomb shelters. However, the initial attack was a mere diversion from the simultaneous kidnapping operation. The terrorists fired RPG shells at an IDF Hummer jeep traveling in the Zarit area near the security fence, considered to be a weak spot due to its location. The terrorists fired RPG shells at an IDF Hummer jeep traveling in the Zarit area near the security fence, considered to be a weak spot due to its location. Following the attack on the Hummer, Hizbullah terrorists crossed the border into Israel. During the raid three IDF reserve soldiers were killed and two others were wounded – one sustained light injuries while the other was seriously wounded; the Hizbullah members also managed to kidnap two more IDF soldiers (one of the soldiers abducted was the Hummer’s driver) into Lebanese territory. Following the attack on the Hummer, Hizbullah terrorists crossed the border into Israel. During the raid three IDF reserve soldiers were killed and two others were wounded – one sustained light injuries while the other was seriously wounded; the Hizbullah members also managed to kidnap two more IDF soldiers (one of the soldiers abducted was the Hummer’s driver) into Lebanese territory. The body of one IDF soldier was found near the terrorists’ escape route inside Lebanese territory, causing IDF officials to believe that the terrorists attempted to abduct him as well. The body of one IDF soldier was found near the terrorists’ escape route inside Lebanese territory, causing IDF officials to believe that the terrorists attempted to abduct him as well. According to Hizbullah TV, the abducted soldiers were taken to “a secure location, far away.” According to Hizbullah TV, the abducted soldiers were taken to “a secure location, far away.” The IDF responded by sending forces deep into Lebanon – six years after the withdrawal from the security strip – in an effort to retrieve the kidnapped soldiers. Heavy exchanges of fire took place, and Hizbullah said it had destroyed a tank that tried to cross the border into Lebanon; the IDF confirmed that the tank drove over a large bomb, resulting in the death of all four crew members. The IDF responded by sending forces deep into Lebanon – six years after the withdrawal from the security strip – in an effort to retrieve the kidnapped soldiers. Heavy exchanges of fire took place, and Hizbullah said it had destroyed a tank that tried to cross the border into Lebanon; the IDF confirmed that the tank drove over a large bomb, resulting in the death of all four crew members. The Merkava 2 tank was not equipped with an armor shield against bombs, but army sources said that the deaths could not have been prevented even the tank had been better protected. The Merkava 2 tank was not equipped with an armor shield against bombs, but army sources said that the deaths could not have been prevented even the tank had been better protected. The operation aimed at locating the abducted troops and the bodies of the fallen soldiers is being carried out under heavy enemy fire; the army has not been able to retrieve the soldiers’ bodies as of yet. The operation aimed at locating the abducted troops and the bodies of the fallen soldiers is being carried out under heavy enemy fire; the army has not been able to retrieve the soldiers’ bodies as of yet. IDF sources said the Hizbullah terrorists began to evacuate their outposts only a short time before the attack, adding that there was no sign they were planning a large-scale operation inside Israeli territory. IDF sources said the Hizbullah terrorists began to evacuate their outposts only a short time before the attack, adding that there was no sign they were planning a large-scale operation inside Israeli territory. First Published: 07.12.06, 20:03 talkback Print Send to friend Bookmark to del.icio.us See More Factory owner: Palestinians tried to kidnap me Tel Avivians, northerners rally against leadership 86 Talkbacks for this article. See all talkbacks Talkbacks Please wait for the talkbacks to load ||||| VIDEO - While all eyes were turned toward the Gaza Strip Wednesday morning following the IDF strike which killed six Palestinians and injured top Hamas leader Muhammad Deif, it appeared that Hizbullah was once again attempting to divert the attention to the northern border, claiming that it abducted two IDF soldiers. Full coverage: "In accordance with the obligations the Hizbullah movement has taken on itself to release the prisoners and detainees, the movement managed to capture two soldiers on the border with occupied Palestine. The two were taken to a safe place," the Lebanese organization declared in a statement aired on its television station al-Manar. Day of battle in north (Video: Reuters) Hizbullah even had a concrete offer, which binds the two kidnapping affairs – in the north and in the south: A release of the three kidnapped soldiers, including Corporal Gilad Shalit, in exchange for the release of thousands of prisoners, including Lebanese prisoners who are still held by Israel. IDF officials confirmed that two soldiers – a reservist and a soldier on compulsory service – were missing. The abduction occurred Wednesday morning. Under loud explosions, which "rocked" the entire region, RPG shells were fired at an IDF Hummer jeep. Blood stains and a breach in the fence were discovered in the area. Photo: Roee Segali Western Galilee residents woke up to loud sounds of exchanges of fire on both sides of the border. Explosions were heard on the central and eastern zones. Six people were injured on the western area of the border, one of them sustaining moderate wounds. They were evacuated to the Nahariya hospital. In the villages of Natua and Zar'it, which are close to the fence, residents reported hearing sounds of light and heavy weapons. At least two mortar shells landed in the area and five soldiers were wounded. The alert level was raised in Israel Defense Forces posts and IAF aircrafts flew over Lebanon. A ground chase was being conducted in the field, along with aircrafts, in a bid to locate the missing soldier. "We received instruction that all residents should enter reinforced rooms and shelters," said Gabi Neeman, head of the Shlomi Regional Council. "Our first concern is of course for the children in kindergartens and summer camps. Ground chase (Photo: Ahiya Raved) Avi Karampa, head of the Maale Yosef Regional Council, heard from the residents about "clouds of smoke near Hizbulllah posts on the Lebanese side of the border." Some of the children at a summer camp in Shlomi were at the swimming poll during the first explosion. Older children attended a memorial service for Yehudit Cohen, a resident of town who was killed in a Hizbullah terror attack four years ago. "The moment the ceremony ended, the first fall occurred," said Avi Biton, manager of the summer camp. "We gathered all the children, those who were at the poll and those who were taking part in other activities. Everyone went to watch a movie in a fortified area in the community center. There is nothing to do, we are accustomed to this. Only several parents came to pick up the children because they know we can be trusted and that the children are protected." Israel warns Beirut The situation on the northern border escalated about a month and a half ago following a massive fire of Katyusha rockets aimed at Israel. Northern residents were forced to enter shelters once again, and in response the IDF blasted Hizbullah posts along the border. Recently, according to reports, Israel conveyed a harsh message to the Lebanese government through the Americans and other elements, following warnings on plans to "inflame" the northern border while Gaza is on fire. Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah had even tried to get involved in the Palestinian turmoil, when he "recommended" to Gilad Shalit's abductors to only release him in return for a comprehensive prisoner and hostage exchange deal. From the IDF's perspective, the entire "northern front," as it is called in Israel, is involved up to its neck in the kidnapped soldier affair. Once and again Jerusalem has blamed senior Hamas members in Damascus for planning the abduction and have pointed a finger at Syrian President Bashar Assad, including launching aerial flights by IAF warplanes over his palace. Hagai Einav, Hanan Greenberg, Roee Nahmias and Efrat Weiss contributed to the report ||||| VIDEO - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday that "the events this morning are not terror attacks but actions of a sovereign state that attacked Israel for no reason. The Lebanese government, of which Hizbullah is a member, is trying to destabilize regional stability. Lebanon is responsible and it will bear responsibility." He added: "At this moment security forces are operating in Lebanese territory and this evening the government will meet to approve the continuation of the operation in Lebanon." Olmert responds to events (Video: Danny Dagan) "These are difficult days for the State of Israel and its citizens. There are elements in the north and south that threaten our stability and challenge our stamina and determination," the PM sated. "They will fail and pay a dear price for their actions," he said. Northern Attack 11 wounded; 2 soldiers kidnapped / Ahiya Raved (VIDEO) Under massive fire in a coordinated attack, Hizbullah kidnaps two IDF soldiers, demands prisoner release in exchange for troops. Israel confirms two soldiers missing. IDF strikes targets in south Lebanon, conducts ground search in bid to locate troops Full story Olmert has ordered the government to convene on 7 p.m. Wednesday for an emergency meeting in wake of events on Israel's northern border. Foreign Miinister Tzipi Livni will convene a meeting at noon to discuss the abduction. The meeting will concentrate on Israel's alternatives for a response in the international arena, including the possibility of turning to the United Nations for assistance and to the Security Council with a motion to condemn the recent attack. He said Israel's response will be "restrained" but "very painful." "Syria proved it is a terror government by nature. It is a government that supports terror and encourages murderous acts by terror groups within and outside its territory. Necessary measures will be taken against the Syrian government," Olmert said. Defense Minister Amir Peretz said that "the State of Israel considers the Lebanese government responsible for the attack in the north. The government is also directly responsible for the fate of the abducted soldiers and must operate immediately and firmly in order to locate them, prevent any harm from being done to them, and return them to Israel." "The Lebanese government, which allows Hizbullah to operate freely against Israel from within its sovereign territory, will bear full responsibility for the consequences. The State of Israel considers itself free to act in any way it sees fit, and the IDF has been instructed accordingly," Peretz added. Israel Defense Forces Chief of General Staff Lit.-Gen. Dan Halutz said the kidnapping of two soldiers by Hizbullah marks a turning point in Israel's policy towards the Lebanese government. Security officials said if the soldiers are not returned safe Lebanon will pay a heavy price as Israel will turn the country's clock back 50 years. The IDF has taken measures to call up reserve soldiers in preparation for a wide-scale operation in southern Lebanon. "The prime minister and the defense minister understand the situation and that's what they plan to do," Halutz said. 'IDF must act in full force' The tension of recent hours was evident at the Prime Minister's Office. The PM received constant updates from his military secretary, Major-General Gad Shamni, regarding developments on the northern border. However, due to his meeting with the Japanese prime minister, Olmert has been unable to convene his staff for consultations. In Kadima, Olmert's party, most officials chose not to comment on the serious incidents, which pose a substantial challenge to the PM and the defense minister. The coalition chairman, Knesset Member Avigdor Yitzhaki, said that Israel's deterrence power does not depend solely on its civil leadership: "We are all aware of the IDF's capabilities. Israel has withstood tougher situations in the past. We must activate our military power in full force in order to annihilate and uproot these phenomena – not only in Lebanon, but in pro-terror countries such as Syria as well." "The prime minister and the defense minister understand the situation, and this is what they plan to do," he added. ||||| VIDEO - Secretary General of Hizbullah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, termed the Wednesday kidnapping of two IDF soldiers along the northern border by members of his terrorist organization, “The promise that was kept.” Nasrallah appeared before the cameras Wednesday afternoon and delivered a public speech promising that the abducted Israeli soldiers were still alive. Video: Al-Jazeera “First, thank God for the victory, the Jihad, and the results," he said. "I want to turn to the brave fighters who today fulfilled the promise and therefore this operation is called 'The promise that was kept.' I thank them and kiss their hands. Today is a day of loyalty to Samir Quntar and the rest of the Lebanese prisoners in Israel.” 'Two soldiers kidnapped' Nasrallah continued, “We announced that two soldiers were taken hostage. We will make details known as the time is right. It is not true that IDF forces entered the south of Lebanon after the encounter. The Israeli report is not true. No forces entered. Whoever heard this could have assumed that they reached Beirut, but this didn’t happen.” Regarding the reports of the Israeli tank that was destroyed, Nasrallah said, “The tank was destroyed when it infiltrated Lebanese territory. Other than that there was no infiltration. The hostages are in a secure place, very far away.” “The operation was carried out at 9:05 a.m., and at 10:30 the Israelis still didn’t know what happened. The infiltration of the tank was at one point only, and it was destroyed. What we did today was our natural right and the only way to bring about the release of prisoners and detainees held by Israel.” Nasrallah demands prisoner exchange Regarding the kidnapped Israeli soldiers, he said: “The soldiers will be returned on one condition – indirect negotiations for the exchange of prisoners. If the aim of the Israelis is to bring their soldiers home, they can’t do it with a military operation. The Lebanese government is under very heavy pressure from the United States, the UN and the rest of the international elements. We are getting very severe threats.” “Up until now the Israelis carried out a series of response operations and we exercised great restraint,” he continued. “Any infiltration into Lebanese territory will meet a very harsh response. Our restraint is not out of weakness. We are exercising level-headed restraint.” IDF pursues kidnappers Wednesday afternoon, the IDF continued its ground pursuit of the kidnappers on Lebanese territory. Simultaneous to the ground battle, Lebanese land was being shelled by IDF tank artillery, cannons, planes and navy battleships. The Air Force attacked over 30 targets in Lebanon. During the IDF operations, the IAF targeted bridges, power stations and a number of Lebanese infrastructure sites. Lebanese media reported that due to the shelling, the Lebanese army was preventing residents from entering Tyre. In one of the shellings, it was reported, at least two Lebanese civilians were killed. Simultaneously, fighter jets flew over Beirut. The kidnapping itself occurred in the morning hours. Under heavy shelling, that “lit up” the whole region, RPG missiles were fired towards IDF stations. Tracks, blood stains and a breach in the fence were found on the scene. Shortly thereafter, Hizbullah announced that it was holding two Israeli soldiers hostage, who had been transported to a secure location and who would only be released – together with Gilad Shalit – in a large-scale prisoner exchange. ||||| Talkback quota is full; click here to respond In a meticulously-planned attack by the Hizbullah, terrorists infiltrated into Israel early Wednesday morning and fired anti-tank rockets at an IDF patrol along the western border near Zarit, killing three soldiers and abducting another two. Later a tank, sent in to search for the abducted troops, drove over a large explosive device. Four soldiers were killed. Under heavy fire, IDF troops entered Lebanon to retrieve the bodies of the four soldiers who died in the tank attack. An eighth soldier, part of the search-and-rescue team, was killed in ensuing clashes with the Hizbullah. The names of two of the eight soldiers killed were released for publication Wednesday evening: Sgt.-Major Eyal Benin, 22, of Beersheba and Sgt.-Major Shani Turgeman, 24, of Beit Shean. One of the kidnapped soldiers was a reservist from the Druze village of Kfar Yanuh. The other kidnapped soldier was from Kiryat Motzkin, near Haifa. The three soldiers killed in the attack on the patrol were also reservists. Wednesday morning's attacks, which occurred 17 days after Cpl. Gilad Shalit was abducted in Gaza, opened a second front on Israel's northern border, including barrages of Katyusha rockets and mortar shells. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared the attack as an "act of war." During a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Wednesday afternoon, he called the Hizbullah attack an unprovoked assault by a sovereign nation and held Lebanon, where Hizbullah has a minister in the government, fully responsible. "Israel's response will be restrained but very, very, very painful," Olmert added. The ground troops that were sent into Lebanon to search for the two were aided by IAF jets, helicopters and UAVs, which were also flying above Lebanon searching for the soldiers. Several jets were flying patterns above Beirut. Simultaneously, Navy missile ships and artillery cannons along the border were pounded Hizbullah targets in Lebanon The IDF said it destroyed 30 Hizbullah targets in Lebanon, as well as three bridges, since the beginning of the operation. The morning attack began at 8 AM, when Hizbullah launched a heavy barrage of Katyusha rockets and mortar shells at IDF positions and communities along the northern frontier. One rocket scored a direct hit on a house in Shtula. Magen David Adom said they had treated six people. Both soldiers and civilians were wounded; they were evacuated to Nahariya hospital. The ground troops that were sent into Lebanon to search for the two were aided by IAF jets, helicopters and UAVs, which were also flying above Lebanon searching for the soldiers. Several jets were flying patterns above Beirut, Channel 10 reported. Simultaneously, Navy gunboats and artillery along the border were shelling Hizbullah targets in Lebanon. The army has destroyed 30 targets and Hizbullah outposts in Lebanon, as well as three bridges, since the beginning of the operation. While Hizbullah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah announced at Wednesday afternoon press conference that the two kidnapped soldiers were "in a safe and very distant place," a senior Hizbullah official claimed that at least one of the two was still alive. ||||| Israel authorizes 'severe' response to abductions JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli Cabinet authorized "severe and harsh" retaliation on Lebanon after Hezbollah guerillas kidnapped two soldiers and killed three others in a cross-border raid Wednesday. Israel quickly blamed the Lebanese government for the raid -- and charged it with the soldiers' safe release -- and the Israel Defense Forces began hammering Lebanon with artillery and airstrikes hours before the Cabinet met to discuss a response. It is the second time in three weeks that an Israeli soldier has been abducted. Concerns abound that the situation on Israel's northern border will escalate to the level it has reached in Gaza, where the IDF launched an ongoing offensive June 28 after the abduction of Army Cpl. Gilad Shalit three days prior. (Watch as people in Lebanon flee the violence -- 2:42) At least 19 Palestinians were reported dead in Gaza in Wednesday's fighting, according to Palestinian sources. (Full story) 'Act of war' Israel called Wednesday's abductions an act of war, and Maj. Gen. Udi Adam, head of Israel's Northern Command, said he has "comprehensive plans" to battle Hezbollah throughout Lebanon, not just in its southern stronghold. "This affair is between Israel and the state of Lebanon," Adam said. "Where to attack? Once it is inside Lebanon, everything is legitimate -- not just southern Lebanon, not just the line of Hezbollah posts." (Watch as Israeli forces enter Lebanon -- 2:29) Earlier, Israel's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, told Israel's Channel 10, "If the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years." Five more Israeli soldiers died in fighting following the raid. Four died in an attack on their tank, and another died as soldiers tried to help them, the IDF reported. Four Israel civilians and six soldiers have been wounded so far in the fighting, which has included more than 100 airstrikes on what Israel says are Hezbollah bases, and road and bridges that could be used in transporting the kidnapped soldiers. Talks or bust Shortly after Hezbollah fighters attacked an IDF military vehicle between Zar'it and Shtula and kidnapped the soldiers, the Islamic militia's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, called the abductions as "our natural, only and logical right." He further said that the soldiers had been taken "far, far away" and that no Israeli military campaign would secure their release. Hezbollah has demanded "direct negotiations" regarding a prisoner exchange with Israel. "We want our prisoners released," Nasrallah said. But Israel has rebuffed that demand, saying -- as it has to the Palestinians -- that a prisoner exchange would encourage more kidnappings. Government spokesman Gideon Meir said Israel wanted the soldiers returned "immediately without any precondition -- no negotiation." Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, like his general, pointed the finger at Lebanon, not just Hezbollah. The raid was "not a terror attack, but an operation of a sovereign state without any reason or provocation," he said. "The Lebanese government, which Hezbollah is part of, is trying to undermine the stability of the region, and the Lebanese government will be responsible for the consequences." Hezbollah, which enjoys substantial backing from Syria and Iran, is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel. The group holds posts in Lebanon's government. Ambassador pulled Lebanon has tried to distance itself from the raid that sparked the most recent hostilities, recalling its ambassador to the United States, Farid Abboud, for making "irresponsible" public comments, said Lebanese Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh. Hamadeh would not divulge the comments. But Abboud appeared to endorse Hezbollah's call for a prisoner swap during an interview Wednesday with CNN International. "We have our prisoners. They have prisoners. An exchange would be appropriate, and I think it will resolve the problem," Abboud said. Israel, which pulled its troops out of southern Lebanon in 2000 after 22 years of occupation, has exchanged prisoners with Hezbollah before, most recently in 2004 when Israel exchanged more than 400 Palestinian, Lebanese and Arab prisoners for an Israeli businessman and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers. An international plea The United States and the United Nations urged Hezbollah to release the soldiers, and the White House called the raid "an affront to the sovereignty of the Lebanese government." Washington also called on Syria and Iran to cut off their support to the group. "Hezbollah's actions are not in the interest of the Lebanese people, whose welfare should not be held hostage to the interests of the Syrian and Iranian regimes," the White House said in a statement. Syria and Iran are the scapegoats because of their support for Hezbollah and because the Lebanese government does not have the capacity to expand its authority into the south, where Hezbollah maintains control, U.S. State Department officials said. As U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on regional leaders to exercise restraint to prevent the conflict from spreading, a former U.S. ambassador warned that the fighting "could easily widen further." "We may see reoccupation of southern Lebanon, which would be unfortunate," said Edward Walker, who oversaw U.S. missions in Israel, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke three times Wednesday with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Sinora, who came to power in the 2005 Cedar Revolution that ousted a pro-Syrian government. Sinora is seen as friendly to the United States. The Bush administration has urged him to disarm Hezbollah through a process of national reconciliation. Rice asked Sinora to exercise what influence his government has to secure the freedom of the soldiers captured on Wednesday. She also spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni twice, and with Olmert and Annan. Meanwhile, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit was in the Syrian capital, where he was urging Damascus to exercise its influence over Hezbollah. CNN's Elise Labott contributed to this report. ||||| Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York Jets 'far apart' in contract talks Ryan Fitzpatrick wants to return to the New York Jets and the team apparently feels the same. The bridge separating the journeyman quarterback from the franchise is compensation. ||||| Israel says it is planning to retaliate against Lebanon Planes struck outposts of the Hezbollah militant group in south Lebanon, as well as roads, killing two civilians. Israel has called up reserve troops, signalling a large-scale campaign, as operations continue to free a soldier seized by Palestinians in Gaza in June. Israel's PM Ehud Olmert said the attack was an "act of war" by Lebanon. Mr Olmert has said he holds Lebanon responsible for the fate of the two soldiers and that it would pay a "heavy price". The prime minister has called an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss further action, although he has already ruled out negotiations. "The Lebanese government, of which Hezbollah is a part, is trying to shake regional stability," he said at a press conference in Jerusalem. "We are already responding with great strength," he said, threatening "very painful and far-reaching" action. Soldiers' search Israeli ground troops have entered southern Lebanon to search for the two soldiers, for the first time since Israel ended its occupation of south Lebanon six years ago. HAVE YOUR SAY Hezbollah and the Lebanese Government have brought this assault upon themselves Daniel Schay, Edenvale, South Africa Send us your comments In pictures: Border clashes The news of the clashes comes as a major Israeli offensive is under way in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli soldier was kidnapped by Palestinian militants in Israel over two weeks ago. Overnight, Israel carried out an air strike on a Gaza City house, killing at least six people and injuring 15. On Wednesday morning, Hezbollah launched dozens of Katyusha rockets and mortar bombs at the Israeli town of Shlomi and at Israeli outposts in the Shebaa Farms area. Later on Wednesday, Hezbollah said its fighters had destroyed an Israeli tank attempting to cross the border. An Israeli military spokeswoman said there had been a number of casualties. Two civilians were killed when Israeli planes bombed a road bridge on major route though southern Lebanon. Civilians in northern Israel have been told to stay in their shelters. The UN representative in Lebanon, Geir Pedrson, has condemned the escalation and called on Hezbollah to release the soldiers. Call for swap Hezbollah said it captured the two Israeli soldiers at 0904 (0704 GMT). A statement from the group said the two were taken to a "safe place". It did not mention whether they were alive or dead or injured. "Fulfilling its pledge to liberate the prisoners and detainees, the Islamic Resistance... captured two Israeli soldiers at the border with occupied Palestine," the Hezbollah statement said. Hezbollah captured three Israeli soldiers in 2000. They died during the operation, but four years later, the group was able to exchange their bodies for 430 Palestinians and Lebanese held in Israeli jails. BBC Middle East analyst Roger Hardy says the capture of two Israeli soldiers is a dramatic gesture of solidarity with the Palestinians - and at the same time adds to the pressures on the Israeli government. Complicating the picture is the fact that the Lebanese group has the backing of both Syria and Iran. Israel and American officials are already saying Syria must bear some of the blame for the capture of a young Israeli soldier in Gaza last month - because it plays host to part of the Hamas leadership. Pressure on Syria - as well as on the Lebanese government - will now intensify, our analyst adds. ||||| Israel threatened "very painful and far-reaching" action Hassan Nasrallah said if Israel wanted to escalate the crisis his forces were ready for confrontation. Israel launched an assault in southern Lebanon using planes, tanks and gunboats following the capture. Three Israeli troops were killed in Hezbollah's cross-border raid and four more died in the subsequent offensive. The second incident occurred when a tank involved in the ground operation hit a mine. If the Israeli enemy wants escalation, we are ready for the confrontation Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah leader News conference Roads and Hezbollah outposts were hit and two civilians killed as Israeli forces entered Lebanon, in their first incursion since 2000. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described Lebanon's actions as an "act of war". He said he held Beirut responsible for the fate of the two soldiers and that it would pay a "heavy price". Emergency meeting However, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said he had not known about the Hezbollah operation and refused to take responsibility for the soldiers' capture. "The government was not aware of and does not take responsibility for, nor endorses what happened on the international border," Reuters news agency quoted him as saying. Mr Olmert was due to hold an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss further action, although he has already ruled out negotiations. Israel has filed a complaint with the United Nations, urging the Security Council to enforce resolutions calling on the Lebanese government to disarm militias and extend its authority throughout its territory. In Washington, the White House has called for the immediate release of the captured Israeli soldiers, saying it held Iran and Syria responsible for the attack. The news of the clashes comes amid a major Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israel has been trying to secure the release of a 19-year-old soldier, Cpl Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Palestinian militants on 25 June. 'Dreaming' Hezbollah is seeking the return of Palestinian, Lebanese and other Arab prisoners held in Israeli jails. Mr Nasrallah said any invasion of Lebanese territory would be met by force. "The prisoners in our hands will not return to Israel except through indirect negotiations and exchange of prisoners and peace," he said. "If the Israelis are thinking about carrying out a military operation to recover them they are dreaming." "We are not seeking escalation, we don't want to lead the region into war. However, if the Israeli enemy wants escalation, we are ready for the confrontation." He said what Hezbollah had done was the "only feasible path" to freeing detainees in Israeli jails, and "our natural right". The operation had been planned for several months, he added, long before the capture of Cpl Shalit in Gaza. Major campaign UN Secretary General Kofi Annan both condemned Israel's Lebanon offensive and called for the soldiers' release. HAVE YOUR SAY Hezbollah and the Lebanese Government have brought this assault upon themselves Daniel Schay, Edenvale, South Africa Send us your comments In pictures: Border clashes Army Chief of Staff Lt-Gen Dan Halutz said the Israeli military would "turn back the clock in Lebanon by 20 years" if the soldiers were not returned. Several thousand reservists will be deployed along the border, officials say. In other developments: ||||| Now released for publication: in the Hezbollah attack this morning two IDF soldiers were kidnapped and three IDF soldiers were killed. A message was sent to the families. The Hezbollah terror organization launched rockets at Israel this morning (Wednesday, 12/07/06). Following security events, there is a concern of kidnappings from Israeli territory into Lebanon. The IDF is now attacking Hezbollah organization targets in the western section of southern Lebanon. The IDF is conducting artillery and tank attacks on Hezbollah targets. So far the IDF has attacked 17 targets in southern Lebanon, among them Hezbollah terror organization posts, three bridges in southern Lebanon and additional terrorist targets. It has been confirmed that as a result of Hezbollah's attack, two IDF soldiers have been kidnapped and three have been killed. Their families have been notified. . IDF airstrikes in Lebanon Click Here to Download the Movie Clip Israel Defense Forces holds the Lebanese government fully responsible for these attacks and demands it act immediately to ensure the safe return of the IDF soldiers being held in its territory. | Israel has launched an incursion into southern Lebanon in what they claim is a search for two Israeli soldiers. The soldiers were taken Wednesday following an attack by Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia, that had made an incursion into Israel. Three Israeli soldiers died and eleven were wounded when army transports patrolling at the Israeli-Lebanese border were attacked on Wednesday morning, near the Israeli village of Zar'it. Hezbollah also fired mortars and long-range rockets at the Israeli town of Shlomi and nearby communities. Six Israeli civilians were injured by the artillery fire. After the attack two soldiers were found to be missing. Israeli troops and tanks then entered southern Lebanon, having claimed the soldiers were kidnapped. Following the incursion, five more soldiers were killed, four of them when an Israeli tank hit a mine. Hezbollah said one of its members died. The Israeli air-force targeted several roads, bridges and Hezbollah outposts in an attempt to stop militants from moving the soldiers, Israel said. Two civilians were killed in an air raid on one of the bridges, while 23 others have been injured. Israeli artillery and gunboats also attacked other targets on Lebanese soil. Later, Hezbollah said they had destroyed an Israeli tank which had crossed the border into Lebanon. Ehud Olmert, Israel's Prime Minister, blamed the attack on the Lebanese government calling it "an act of war" and vowed to deliver a "very painful and far-reaching" response. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz told Israel's Channel 10 that if the soldiers are not returned "we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years". Hezbollah Secretary-General, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, hailed what he called the capture of the two soldiers calling them "our natural, only and logical right". He also said that the soldiers were taken to "a far away place" and that the only way to get them back was through an exchange with Lebanese and other Arab prisoners in Israeli jails. The Israeli cabinet is in an emergency meeting and has yet to make an official statement about the situation. PM Ehud Olmert said previously that swapping of prisoners is not an option. Hezbollah's announcement of their captures led to celebration scenes in a Hezbollah-strong suburb in Beirut with firing of guns in the air and handing out candy to children. The Lebanese government issued a statement after an emergency meeting of the cabinet saying that it was not informed of the intentions of Hezbollah and that it does not endorse the group's actions. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora was quoted as saying that "the government was not aware of and does not take responsibility for, nor endorses what happened on the international border". Hezbollah currently has two sitting members on the Lebanese government's ruling coalition. The view recognized by the United States is one that condemned the attacks, but acknowledged that Lebanon had little say over Hezbollah in the south. The White House said the militant group's violent actions were supported by Iran and Syria. Israel has filed a complaint with the United Nations which called for the Security Council to enforce resolutions urging Lebanon to extend its authority throughout its territory and to disarm its militias. |
19/01/2005 - 04h51 Irmão do presidente Lula morre de ataque cardíaco em São Bernardo Publicidade dadaUm dos irmãos do presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Odair de Inácio Góis, 52, morreu após dar entrada no Pronto-socorro do Hospital Central de São Bernardo (ABC Paulista), por volta das 22h30 desta terça-feira.Odair, um dos 17 irmãos do presidente Lula, foi levado por familiares às pressas ao pronto-socorro com fortes dores no peito, mas não resistiu e morreu. O hospital informou que a causa da morte foi infarto.Góis era irmão por parte de pai do presidente Lula. O corpo foi velado no Cemitério da Paulicéia, também em São Bernardo.Outro irmão do presidente, João Inácio da Silva Neto, morreu no último dia 16 de dezembro de câncer no ouvido. João Inácio, que também morava em São Bernardo, ficou internado por 58 dias e morreu após falência múltipla dos órgãos. ||||| Sentindo fortes dores no peito, Odair foi levado às pressas ao hospital por familiares. Mesmo socorrido por uma equipe médica, não resistiu. Um enfarte seguido de parada cárdio-respiratória foi a causa da morte. Ele estava internado havia 3 anos em uma clínica de repouso, pois perdeu o movimento das pernas e braços em decorrência de alcoolismo. Odair era irmão de Lula apenas por parte de pai. Alguns parentes informaram à imprensa que o Planalto foi avisado sobre sua morte. Segundo um dos irmãos de Odair, o presidente Lula não deve comparecer nem ao velório nem ao enterro. A relação entre o presidente e essa parte da família sempre foi muito distante. O corpo de Odair está sendo velado no Cemitério da Paulicéia, localizado na rua Júlio de Mesquita, nº 1.055, no bairro da Paulicéia, na mesma cidade. O enterro ocorrerá no mesmo local às 15h desta quarta-feira. Na tarde do dia 16 de dezembro do ano passado, outro irmão do presidente Lula já havia morrido. Aos 41 anos, João Inácio da Silva Neto, morreu vítima de câncer. Ele ficou internado no hospital do Câncer de São Paulo durante 58 dias e teve falência múltipla dos órgãos. ||||| The Star Online > News > Latest Wednesday, January 19, 2005 Half brother of Brazilian president dies SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) - Odair Inacio de Gois, half brother of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, died of a heart attack late Tuesday, the president's office said. He was 52. Gois, who was one of the president's 17 siblings, had spent the last three years in a rest home after losing the much of the movement in his arms and legs because of health problems related to alcoholism, the Estado news agency reported. Silva's office said the president would not attend the funeral which was scheduled for 15:00 local time (1700GMT) at the Pauliceia cemetery in Sao Bernardo, a city in the greater Sao Paulo area According to local media Silva and Gois were not close. Gois and Silva shared the same father. Silva was scheduled to travel to Tabatinga in Amazonas state and Leticia, a city in Colombia that sits just across the border from Brazil. In December Silva lost and another brother, Joao Inacio da Silva Neto, 41, who died of multiple organ failure after a battle with cancer.The president did not attend that funeral either.-AP Printer Friendly | Email This | Mr Odair de Inácio Góis, aged 52, died Tuesday night at 8:30 at the Central Hospital of São Bernardo do Campo, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. According to the doctors, he had a heart attack. Inácio was the paternal half-brother of the Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The funeral will be held at Paulicéia Cemitery in São Bernado do Campo. President Lula had between 17 and 25 siblings (including half-brothers and half-sisters). |
Ontario man found guilty in HIV murder trial An HIV-positive Ontario man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the deaths of two of his sex partners in what was considered a precedent-setting trial in Canada. The jury also convicted Johnson Aziga, 52, on 10 counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of attempted aggravated sexual assault. Aziga, of Hamilton, had been accused of endangering the lives of 11 women by recklessly exposing them to the virus that causes AIDS. Seven women became infected with HIV, two have since died of AIDS-related cancer, and four tested negative. The first-degree murder charges made this case the first of its kind in Canada. In his instruction to jurors, Justice Thomas Lofchik said they need not find that Aziga planned and deliberately killed the two Toronto women for him to be found guilty of first-degree murder. The deaths of S.B., 51, and H.C., 49, would automatically be first-degree murders if the jury found they were committed as the result of an aggravated sexual assault, Lofchik said. During the six-month trial, the Crown described Aziga, a former employee of the Ministry of the Attorney General, as a callous and arrogant person who lied about his HIV status. Prosecutors alleged that Aziga failed to tell his partners of his HIV-positive status, even though he had been aware of it since 1996 and was under public-health orders to do so. The defence argued Aziga was depressed and ill and did not have the state of mind to deliberately endanger the lives of his sexual partners. With files from the Canadian Press ||||| TheStar.com | Crime | Guilty verdict in Hamilton HIV murder case Guilty verdict in Hamilton HIV murder case MARIANNE BOUCHER FOR THE TORONTO STAR Johnson Aziga, 52, right, appears in a Hamilton court last year on the first day of his landmark first-degree murder trial. Apr 04, 2009 07:31 PM Barbara Brown Hamilton Spectator HAMILTON–A Hamilton jury rendered a historic legal verdict Saturday, making Johnson Aziga the first HIV-positive man in Canada to be convicted of murder for recklessly spreading the virus that causes AIDS. Aziga, 52, of Hamilton, was found guilty as charged of two counts of first-degree murder and 10 counts of aggravated sexual assault, as well as being convicted on one count of attempted aggravated sexual assault. The trial, which began in October, is the first in Canada involving someone being charged with lethally infecting partners with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The nine men and three women on the Superior Court jury started deliberations Thursday and sat for about 25 hours before arriving at their verdict around 5 p.m. The one count of aggravated sexual assault about which the jury had a reasonable doubt concerned a victim who had difficulty in the witness box remembering the dates when she first met Aziga and had unprotected sex with him. The woman also had unprotected sex with another Ontario man who was subsequently found to be HIV positive and who carried the same rare African strain of HIV as Aziga. Previous cases in Canada have established that an HIV-positive person cannot be convicted of aggravated sexual assault if an alleged victim is already infected prior to having unprotected sex with the accused person. In that situation, the person can only be convicted of attempted aggravated sexual assault. Aziga is to be sentenced on May 7. Assistant Crown attorney Karen Shea told the judge she expects to have victim impact statements from many of the surviving complainants and their families. Aziga is guilty of endangering the lives of 11 women by having unprotected sex and failing to warn them that he was HIV positive, even though he had been aware of it since 1996 and was under public-health orders to do so. Seven of the women became infected, two died of AIDS-related cancers and four were exposed but tested negative. One women, identified only as S.B., died of AIDS-related cancers three weeks after police videotaped an interview with her about her relationship with Aziga. In the police interview played at trial, S.B. said Aziga had never told her about his HIV infection during their summer of romance in 2000. "No, he never did. Not at any time," the bed-ridden woman said in a barely audible voice. "Did you ever bring that up?" the officer asks. "Unfortunately not," S.B. replied. In common with other victims, S.B. said she would not have had sex with him had she known he was infected. At trial, the defence had argued Aziga was depressed and ill and did not have the state of mind to deliberately endanger the lives of his sexual partners. Aziga, a native of Uganda and a former employee of Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General, has been in custody since his arrest in August 2003. ||||| Sign-up to receive the weekly top stories, contest and promotion announcements every Tuesday Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of Canada.com Newsletter will soon be in your inbox. | 150pxIn what is described as a Canadian first, a jury on Saturday convicted an Ontario man of first-degree murder in the AIDS-related deaths of two women. Johnson Aziga, 52, was accused of knowingly infecting his sex partners with the HIV virus which can cause AIDS. The trial dealt with the cases where two women had died from AIDS-related complications, while 11 others were either infected or exposed to HIV. Aziga was informed he carried the HIV virus in 1996 and was instructed by public health authorities to inform his sex partners of his condition. However, the trial prosecutors alleged that Aziga disregarded these orders and continued to practice unprotected sex without warning his partners he carried HIV. The defence counsel for Aziga argued that he suffered from various problems including depression and an organic brain disorder, which rendered him incapable of causing intentional harm. During the trial in Hamilton, Aziga also faced 11 counts of aggravated sexual assault and was convicted in all but one of these charges. The 11th charge was replaced by conviction on a lesser charge of attempted aggravated sexual assault. The murder convictions mean that Aziga faces sentence for which he could not be paroled for 25 years. |
Most of the arrests were made in raids in London Six were held in London and one in Greater Manchester. Sources said all the detainees were Algerians and the majority were among the eight men cleared in April of involvement in a ricin poison plot. The home secretary said he ordered the raids following "detailed submissions" from the police and security services. New offences The operation came as Charles Clarke outlined his long-awaited anti-terror proposals. Measures include extending the time that police can hold terrorist suspects for questioning without charge - from two weeks to three months. There are also proposals to make it illegal to prepare for terrorist acts, train for them or indirectly incite them. Two new criminal offences of glorifying terrorism and disseminating terrorist material would also be created. The home secretary is seeking cross-party consensus in an effort to get new laws through Parliament quickly in the wake of the London bombings in July. But opposition parties have already expressed reservations with parts of the plans. 'Potential attacks' Mr Clarke told BBC News: "As, unfortunately, we saw in July, there are individuals who are going about the course of trying to threaten the civil liberties of this country by terrorist or potential terrorist attacks. "To the extent we know about those... it's our job to defend ourselves against that, as vigorously as we possibly can." He refused to comment on the individual cases of those detained on Thursday. The Home Office said the seven detained were being held in "secure prison service accommodation" under the 1971 Immigration Act. They have the right to appeal. The same powers were used in August to detain another 10 foreign nationals said to pose a threat to national security, including radical Jordanian cleric Abu Qatada. We already have pretty broad powers to deal with people thought non-conducive to the public good or a threat to security Shami Chakrabati Liberty director Clarke backs detention calls Do we need new terror laws? Of the eight men cleared of involvement in the alleged ricin plot in April, four were tried and found not guilty and a further four were acquitted after the prosecution offered no evidence against them. Another man, Kamel Bourgass, 31, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of plotting to spread the substance and other poisons on UK streets, and jailed for 17 years. A spokesman for civil rights group Liberty said: "At this stage it's not clear why these men have been detained today, but we are very concerned that as the majority appear to be Algerian, they are likely to be deported there. "International observers and the United Nations have repeatedly pointed out violations of human rights by Algeria. "We think it is likely these men will appeal against their deportation on that basis." The group said that if those detained are men previously acquitted of involvement in the ricin plot, it would send out the "wrong message" about the justice system. Do you have any pictures of the raids? If so, you can send them to yourpics@bbc.co.uk Name Your E-mail address Town & Country Phone number (optional): Comments ||||| Foreigners held over security threat By Matthew Jones LONDON (Reuters) - British authorities will deport seven Algerian men detained in dawn raids on Thursday because they are a threat to national security, officials said. A Home Office source said the seven had been accused of being involved in a 2002 plot to manufacture the deadly poison ricin. They will be deported because their presence in Britain is "not conducive to the public good for reasons of national security," an interior ministry official said. Britain is trying to persuade several north African countries, one of which is understood to be Algeria, to guarantee they will not mistreat any of their citizens Britain deports to their homeland. The authorities did not reveal the identities of those held in the raids in the capital and in Manchester. In April, Kamel Bourgass, also known as Nadir Habra, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit public nuisance by the use of poisons and/or explosions, but eight alleged conspirators were either cleared or the charges against them were dropped. The civil rights group Liberty said it would be very concerned if the men were deported to their home country because evidence suggests torture there is endemic. "Our view is that if people have committed an offence it is much better for them to face trial rather than deportation," the Liberty spokesman said. The seven were detained by immigration officials backed by police under powers available to the Home Secretary under the Immigration Act, and are being held in prison. Thursday's detentions, and others carried out in August, follow four suicide bombings in London on July 7 which killed 52 and wounded 700. The 10 people detained last month under the same legislation include the alleged spiritual leader of al Qaeda in Europe, Jordanian national Abu Qatada. Abu Qatada is accused by Spanish prosecutors of being an inspiration for those who launched the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Home Secretary Charles Clarke is due to announce details of new anti-terrorism laws later on Thursday. The most controversial measure is likely to be a proposal to extend the time police can hold terror suspects without charge from two weeks to three months. In August the government spelled out plans to deport hardline Islamists it believes are inciting or glorifying militant attacks, and it has signed agreements with some countries, including Jordan, which have said they will not mistreat citizens deported on those grounds. (Additional reporting by Michael Holden) © Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved. ||||| By ROBERT BARR Associated Press Writer LONDON (AP) - Britain served deportation orders Thursday on seven men who were detained as threats to national security, including some accused of a terrorist plot to spread the poison ricin. The Home Office confirmed that the men were detained in London and Manchester. They were being held under the government's powers to deport people ``whose presence in the U.K. is not conducive to the public good for reasons of national security,'' the Home Office said in a statement. Officials declined to disclose the names or nationalities of the seven. A senior government official, however, confirmed to The Associated Press that some of those detained had been previously charged with participating in a terrorist plot involving the poison ricin. Four Algerians were acquitted in that case in April, and prosecutors dropped charges against three other Algerians and a Libyan. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, declined to discuss how many of Thursday's detainees had been acquitted in the ricin case or their nationalities. The Home Office declined to say what had prompted Thursday's sweep. However, in recent months the government has been trying to reach agreements with several countries, including Libya and Algeria, guaranteeing that detainees would not be tortured or mistreated if deported there. The only man convicted in the ricin case, Algerian Kamel Bourgass, is in prison serving a life sentence for murdering a police officer. He was also sentenced to 17 years for conspiracy. Gareth Peirce, an attorney who represented some of the ricin defendants, was unavailable for comment, her office said. The senior official stressed the men had been detained under the 1971 Immigration Act, not under the new powers introduced last month to deport radical Islamic preachers and others who incite or glorify terrorism. The official said the men were not Islamic clerics. Police said they found recipes for ricin, cyanide and botulinum, and the blueprint for a bomb, when they raided an apartment in London two years ago. Ricin is derived from the castor bean plant and is one of the world's deadliest toxins. It has been linked in the past to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terror network and Iraq. It has no known vaccine or antidote and kills cells by preventing them from making proteins. The individuals will be held in prison pending deportation proceedings, the Home Office said. Earlier in August, Britain detained 10 foreign residents, who included Omar Mahmoud Othman Abu Omar, also know as Abu Qatada - a radical Muslim preacher previously described by Spanish officials as bin Laden's ``spiritual ambassador in Europe.'' Britain also barred another radical Muslim cleric, Omar Bakri Mohammed, from returning to the country. The crackdown followed the July 7 bombings that killed 52 bus and subway passengers and four suicide bombers in London, and the failed attacks two weeks later. The Home Office said the detainees had five working days to appeal against deportation - a process that could drag on for months. As a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, Britain is not allowed to deport people to countries where they may face torture or mistreatment. Britain has been trying to sign agreements guaranteeing humane treatment of deportees with 10 countries, including Algeria, Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia. The first such memorandum was signed with Jordan last month. ^--- Associated Press reporter Ed Johnson in London contributed to this report. | In dawn raids ordered by the UK Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, seven people have been detained in London and Greater Manchester. The seven, who are believed to all be Algerian, are thought to include some of those allegedly involved in an earlier ricin poisoning plot. The Home Secretary ordered the raids based on information provided by police and other security forces. Those seized may appeal against deportation, but are deemed a "threat to national security" by the Home Office. According to officials, those detained were done so using powers granted under the Immigration Act of 1971, not under the recently passed legislation aimed at removing radical muslim clerics from the country. |
Hundreds of rescuers are searching for five missing hikers Fourteen Chinese hikers have been killed after heavy rain and flash flooding hit a scenic gorge near the south-western city of Chongqing. The holidaymakers had entered a forbidden area with a local guide, state news agency Xinhua said. Sixteen of their companions were rescued, but five are still missing. Around 400 emergency workers have been called in for the rescue effort. The flooding also affected parts of the city of Chongqing. Streets and houses in the city were flooded and locals tried to stop the waters by building temporary flood barriers, footage from the area showed. A sudden rainstorm on Saturday afternoon triggered a wall of water several metres high, which swept the group down several kilometres of the Tanzhangxia Gorge. "I heard a roaring sound while walking at the bottom of the gorge," Deng Ke, one of the survivors, told Xinhua. "Suddenly the flood, up to several metres high, crushed upon us and swept us several kilometres away." Deng Ke said he survived by grabbing onto a bamboo shoot and scrambling up the mountain to safety. ||||| (Raises death toll, adds details) BEIJING, July 12 (Reuters) - Fourteen hikers were killed and five are missing after being swept away by a flash flood in a scenic gorge near the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing, Xinhua news agency said on Sunday. About 400 rescuers worked overnight at the Tanzhangxia Gorge to rescue 16 other members of the group of 35 men and women, who had organised the hike through a travel website. A sudden afternoon rainstorm triggered a wall of water several metres high, which swept the group several kilometres through the gorge. One of the hikers, Deng Ke, survived by grabbing a strand of bamboo, Xinhua said. Urban Chinese are increasingly using the Internet to organise hikes, auto rallies and other excursions, activities that would have been very rare before the rise in incomes and China's car culture boom over the last decade. (Reporting by Lucy Hornby; Editing by Louise Ireland) | 14 people have died after heavy rain and flash flooding hit a gorge near the south western city of Chongqing, China. It is reported that a group of hikers entered a forbidden area of the Tanzhangxia Gorge along with a guide. 16 members of the group of 35 were rescued but 14 died and 5 are still missing. The flooding was caused by a heavy rainstorm on Saturday which caused a wall of water to trigger down the gorge. One survivor said the water was “several meters high”. Deng Ke survived by grapping a bamboo shoot. Around 400 rescue workers are helping the rescue effort and looking for any possible survivors. Several homes and streets were flooded during the rainstorm despite the effort of the villagers who built temporary flood guards. Rescue efforts are ongoing. |
Gates: Don't Limit U.S. Mission in Iraq Associated Press | April 05, 2007 Limiting war funding to only certain training or counterterrorism missions could pull troops from Baghdad neighborhoods, which have been the focus of the latest military buildup in Iraq. "One real possibility is, if we abandon some of these areas and withdraw into the countryside or whatever to do these targeted missions, that you could have a fairly significant ethnic cleansing inside Baghdad or in Iraq more broadly," Gates said in a radio interview Wednesday with conservative talk show host Laura Ingraham. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last week said he will propose legislation to cut off funds for combat operations, and provide money for only three missions: targeted counterterrorism operations, training and equipping the Iraqi security forces, and to provide security for U.S. personnel and infrastructure. Gates and other military leaders have argued that quelling the violence in Baghdad is necessary to give the fractured Iraqi government time to come together and ease widespread sectarian violence. Recent Pentagon and U.S. intelligence reports have characterized some of the suicide bombings and other attacks by Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents as a "civil war," a description that members of the Bush administration had been loath to use. Some members of Congress have argued that U.S. lives should not be lost trying to quash an Iraqi civil war. Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion. Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| Palestinians celebrate Ramadan 2020 Smoked mackerels are seen before being sold during Ramadan. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI Palestinians receive a portion of soup passed out to families in need on May 5 during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI A man hands out meals for Palestinians to break their fast during Ramadan. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI Palestinian boys line up to receive a portion of soup. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI Palestinians children receive soup during Ramadan. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI Palestinians children receive soup during Ramadan. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI Palestinians in need received soup during Ramadan. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI A Palestinian boy showcases Chinese-made "fanous" lanterns for sale in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. The lanterns are used as decoration to celebrate the start of Ramadan. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI Palestinians shop for the holiday, which is marked by fasting during the day. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI Social distancing rules and shelter-in-place orders globally will force Muslims to celebrate Ramadan differently this year. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI The monthlong observance is among the most sacred practices. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI A Palestinian baker prepares "Qatayef," traditional pancakes that are popular during holiday. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI A vendor sells dried fruit. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI A craftsman fashions a traditional "fanous." Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI The bright colors of a "fanous" give view to a lantern workshop. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI An overview of the empty plaza of the locked Al Aqsa Mosque compound, including the Dome of the Rock. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI More than 1.8 billion Muslims around the world are preparing for the holiest month of the year. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI Ramadan is the holy month-long period when the faithful fast in a time of spiritual discipline and reflection. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI Many Ramadan traditions will be altered for the pandemic, such as iftar, when the daily fast is broken, evening prayers at mosques, and Eid al-Fitr festivities at the end of the month. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI While some countries are locking down, Turkey plans to allow expatriates to return for the holy month. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI A woman walks through the Old City of Jerusalem wearing a mask. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI Muslim clerics have announced the Al Aqsa Mosque will remain closed for the holy month, beginning the evening of April 23. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI A vendor wears a mask as shoppers visit his stand in preparation for Ramadan. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI ||||| The World Troop `surge' duration unclear, Gates says Evaluation of buildup in Iraq won't take place till midsummer, he asserts. "The truth is, I think people don't know right now how long this will last," Gates said. "The thinking of those involved in the process was that it would be a period of months, not a period of years, or a year and a half or something like that." At a Pentagon news conference, Gates did not directly address a suggestion by Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the operations commander, to maintain the higher troop levels. He said any decisions on troop numbers would depend on progress on the ground. Gates has said he hopes to end the deployment of 21,500 additional combat troops and thousands of support personnel by December. But in recent weeks, some senior officers, including the Army general in charge of day-to-day operations in Iraq, have suggested that the so-called surge may have to be extended into early next year. The recommendation is being debated by senior commanders. WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday that it was unclear how long the current buildup of U.S. forces in Baghdad would last and that commanders would have to wait until midsummer to evaluate whether it was working. The duration of the troop buildup has become an issue of increasing political rancor as congressional Democrats have attempted to force the Bush administration to begin a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. The White House and Congress are on a collision course over war funding and troop levels, with President Bush pledging to veto legislation requiring him to start bringing troops home. The boost in troops ordered by Bush in January has increased burdens on an already stretched Army. Three major units are being deployed as part of the new plan without the standard yearlong stays at their home bases. In January, Gates adjusted Pentagon deployment policies to allow for more frequent call-ups of the National Guard, a step intended to relieve some of the stress on active-duty Army units. But he acknowledged Thursday that even with the new policy, more combat brigades might be forced to serve extended deployments and others might find their "dwell time" at home shortened. "I think we always anticipated ... that there would be a transition time when there would be both extensions and violation of dwell policy, just because of the magnitude of the commitments that we have," Gates said, adding that it was "very possible" such hardships could last for another year or two. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said shortened home stays cut into training time, meaning that some units would be given only urgently needed training rather than the "full spectrum" of tactics normally provided. "You end up with your troops who are well trained for the mission they're going to, but you do forfeit some of the kind of training you would like to do just to have a little bit more readiness in case something happens that you're not expecting," Pace said at the same news conference. Other members of the Joint Chiefs have raised such concerns, including Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps. Conway said he was concerned that Marines were increasingly unprepared for rapid landings and attacks common in the early days of a crisis, which has been their primary mission in the past. Even shortened, the training schedules have hampered the Pentagon's ability to send troops to Iraq for the buildup as quickly as it would like, Gates said. Under the current schedule, all five Army brigades that are part of the new plan are to arrive no earlier than June. Gates said war planners had attempted to accelerate the deployments. But the military's inability to move equipment to the region more quickly and the need to keep units on a regular training routine forced a slower schedule, he said. "One of the principal reasons that it was not possible to accelerate it was that we want to make sure that every single one of those brigades is adequately trained before they actually enter Iraq," he said. * peter.spiegel@latimes.com ||||| President George W. Bush waves to the news media boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC Wednesday 04 April 2007. President Bush is traveling to California and then on to his Texas ranch for Easter. EPA/SHAWN THEW WASHINGTON, DC, United States (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush is framing the standoff with Congress over funding the Iraq war as a matter of supporting the troops. 'Democrat leaders in Congress seem more interested in fighting political battles in Washington than in providing our troops what they need to fight the battles in Iraq,' he said Tuesday in a Rose garden press conference. Four years of budget machinations on the war, however, show the White House`s record is not as clean as it suggests. The White House submits the annual Pentagon budget request in February -- 2008 is the latest -- six months prior to the start of the new fiscal year. That gives Congress six months to hold hearings, debate, and approve final legislation. Since 2002, however, the White House has submitted the annual war funding request six months after the fiscal year has already started. This automatically puts the bill and Congress into crisis mode and ratchets up political pressure to approve the $100 billion requests quickly to demonstrate their support of the troops. But with half the year elapsed already with no war funding, the military every year dips into its procurement accounts, delays training exercises and defers scheduled weapons and vehicle repair until the war money comes through. By the time Congress finishes hearings and passes a war spending bill -- which is separate from the annual budget, and lags behind it by a year -- there are only a few months left to use the money and the artificial cycle of delay, crisis, and military budget machinations begins again. To offset the delay in the White House supplemental request, Congress has annually appropriated a bridge war supplemental fund of more than $50 billion. But at a 'burn rate' of more than $10 billion a month for Iraq and Afghanistan, that money runs out quickly. Pentagon officials since 2001 have told reporters they did not want to submit imprecise war funding requests and so waited until the annual war costs were clear to ask Congress for them. They blamed Congress itself for this, pointing to Congress`s refusal in 2001 to approve a vague $10 billion fund for the Pentagon to draw on as it saw fit. Last fall, however, U.S. Army officials called the accounting bluff. Lt. Gen. David Melcher, the deputy chief of staff for Army programming, materiel integration and management, told reporters on Oct. 10 the Army could easily submit the 2008 supplemental request in February 2007, rather than waiting until February 2008 to ask for the money. 'If there was a desire to submit that in February that could easily be done,' Melcher told reporters at the Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington. 'From the Army`s perspective, I think it would make good sense to submit the president`s budget and the entire `08 supplemental at the same time ... I think it would be good to have openness about that, and articulate the need up front,' he said. The Army got its way this year, certainly helped by a change in defense secretaries. Both the 2007 and the 2008 supplemental request went to Capitol Hill in February with the 2008 annual budget request for the Defense Department. Congress has also been agitating for a change in defense budget practices, asking that the war costs be included in the annual budget since they are now quite predictable, albeit rising. Emergency appropriations bills, now topping $120 billion annually, are not counted into the national deficit although they add to the national debt. President Bush Tuesday scolded the Democratic-controlled Congress for slowing funding for the troops but he left out his central role in the delay. 'If Democrat leaders in Congress are bent on making a political statement, then they need to send me this unacceptable bill as quickly as possible when they come back,' he said. 'I`ll veto it, and then Congress can get down to the business of funding our troops without strings and without delay.' ||||| Gates, Pace Discuss Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan By John J. Kruzel American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, April 5, 2007 People in Baghdad are being tortured and killed by "death squads" and a precipitous withdrawal from Baghdad at this point would result in "a significant increase in violence," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. "These are targeted killings by relatively small numbers of people in an attempt to stoke the sectarian violence and, frankly, to try and make the Baghdad Security Plan fail by hampering the reconciliation process," Gates said. In a joint briefing at the Pentagon, the defense secretary and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described current U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Operation Fardh al-Qanoon, an Iraqi phrase that means “Enforcing the Law,” is under way in Iraq. It includes an initiative to put five additional U.S. brigades into and around the Iraqi capital. When asked if military leaders were satisfied with the rate of brigade deployment into Baghdad, Pace said, “This is very much on track. The Marines are now all in al Anbar." ” The third of five Army brigades is moving into Baghdad. “It'll be fully operational within the next week to 10 days,” Pace said. Around April 15, the fourth Army brigade is scheduled to deploy to Kuwait, followed by the fifth brigade around May 15, the general said. “So this has been on plan to be fully up in all categories in early June,” he said. “The plan from the very beginning has been to move approximately a brigade a month into Baghdad,” Gates said. “One of the principal reasons that it was not possible to accelerate it was that we want to make sure that every single one of those brigades is adequately trained before they actually enter Iraq.” Despite an increase in large-scale terrorist attacks, the security plan is showing encouraging signs, Gates said. “The early signs are positive,” he said, but he cautioned that it’s too early in the operation to predict how successful it ultimately will be. “I think that there is a great reluctance to engage in ‘happy talk’ about this,” Gates said. “It's a tough environment.” Echoing comments by Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, Gates said a more accurate assessment of the plan’s efficiency will emerge once the operation has had a chance to “take hold” this summer. “General Petraeus, I think, has been very realistic in his assessments in terms of what's working and what he's happy with and what concerns him,” the secretary said. “And I think we'll just have to wait several more months before we're in a position to make any real evaluation.” Speaking about the impending “spring offensive” in Afghanistan, Gates and Pace expressed some concern that violence levels would increase there as they have the past two years. “I wanted to make sure that with our focus on Iraq, that we did not take our eye off the ball in Afghanistan,” he said. “It was the reason why I extended a brigade in Afghanistan to ensure additional force would be available.” Gates added that he has been meeting with U.S. and NATO officials to discuss and coordinate efforts in Afghanistan. "Secretary Rice and I met late yesterday afternoon and then yesterday evening with the NATO secretary-general to discuss principally Afghanistan and the need for other NATO countries that have made commitments to fulfill those commitments, opportunities for better coordination and cooperation," Gates said. Without divulging details, Pace said NATO’s commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Dan K. McNeill, has begun operations that “will unfold very clearly here in the next couple days.” Biographies: Robert M. Gates Gen. Peter Pace, USMC Gen. Dan K. McNeill, USA Related Sites: NATO International Security Assistance Force News Archive | Robert Gates official photo. U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates warned that limiting funding for the United States efforts in Iraq could lead to more bloodshed in the Middle Eastern country. In an interview with radio talk show host Laura Ingraham, he said it might even lead to ethnic cleansing in Bahgdad and elsewhere in Iraq. Gates' comment followed a proposal from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to end most spending on the Iraq war in 2008, limiting it to targeted operations against al Qaeda, training for Iraqi troops and U.S. force protection. Sec. Gates also said that the duration of the troop increase is not clear and that evaluating whether the Administration's new strategy was working will have to wait till mid-summer. The Army general charged with day-to-day operations has suggested that the increased deployment may extend to early next year. |
NEWFANE, Vt. (AP) - A tanker truck carrying 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel veered off a highway and rolled into a river Thursday, killing the driver, officials said. The identity of the driver wasn't immediately known, according to Sgt. John Flannigan, a spokesman for the Vermont State Police The truck, owned by Barrows & Fisher Oil Co. of Brattleboro, was northbound on Route 30 when the accident occurred near the Newfane-Townshend line. The cause was unknown. The truck came to rest on its right side, partially submerged in the West River. Route 30 was closed in both directions afterward and a hazardous materials team used booms in a bid to contain the oil leaking into the river, which flows into the Connecticut River. Brattleboro Fire Department divers were also on the scene. "Something is obviously leaking, so we dispatched hazmat," said Mark Bosma, spokesman for Vermont Emergency Management. A man who answered the telephone at Barrows & Fisher had no comment and would not identify the driver. ||||| POSTED: 11:50 am EDT May 31, 2007 A tanker truck carrying 2,500 gallons of heating oil veered off a highway and rolled into a river Thursday, killing the driver, officials said. The truck, owned by Barrows & Fisher Oil Co. of Brattleboro, Vt., was northbound on Route 30 when it hit a guardrail near the Newfane-Townshend line and plunged into the West River, coming to rest on its side, partially submerged. The driver, Eduard Lashway, 30, of Guilford, Vt., was ejected. The cause of the accident was unknown, according to Sgt. John Flannigan, a spokesman for the Vermont State Police. Route 30 was closed in both directions for hours afterward and a hazardous materials team used booms in a bid to contain the 100 gallons of oil that leaked into the river, which flows into the Connecticut River. Brattleboro Fire Department divers were also on the scene. Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. A man who answered the telephone at Barrows & Fisher had no comment on the accident. | Newfane, Vermont. A tanker truck travelling Northbound on Route 30 with 2,500 gallons of diesel fuel hit a guardrail, veered off the road and overturned into the West River near Newfane, Vermont. The West River is a tributary of the Connecticut River. The driver was ejected and killed, while the truck's tank ruptured. The truck came to rest partially submerged in the river on its right side and immediately began leaking its payload. The driver has been identified as 30-year-old Eduard Lashway of Guilford. The vehicle was owned by local company Barrows & Fisher Oil Co. of Brattleboro. HazMat crews and Brattleboro Fire Department divers worked with booms to try to contain the oil leaking into the river. Route 30 was also closed in both directions, and the river closed to water traffic. A total of 100 gallons of fuel leaked into the river but was ultimately contained by HazMat teams. WMUR reached an unidentified person at Barrows & Fisher, who refused to identify the then-unknown driver and said he had no comment on the accident. The accident is under investigation. |
AFP/File / Janek SKARZYNSKI Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski is regarded as the country's de facto powerbroker The leader of Poland's governing right-wing party vowed Sunday to crack down on child sex abuse as an in-depth documentary on paedophilia among Polish priests went viral in the Catholic country. "Those to whom children have been entrusted will be especially severely punished (for sex abuse), and this applies to priests, of course, but also to all including... well-known celebrities," Law and Justice (PiS) party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski was quoted by Polish media as saying. Those currently found guilty of abusing children under 15 years of age face up to 12 years behind bars. Kaczynski, regarded as Poland's de facto powerbroker, suggested that prison sentences could run to up to 30 years, but did not indicate which celebrities he might be referring to. He spoke at a rally for May 26 elections to the European Parliament amid a campaign in which the PiS has railed against gay rights and accused opponents of unjustly attacking the Catholic church. Meanwhile, "Just don't tell anyone", a documentary on priestly sex abuse in Poland by independent Polish journalist Tomasz Sekielski has been viewed more than four million times in the 24 hours since it was posted Saturday on YouTube. The two-hour-long film includes compelling hidden camera footage of victims who are now adults confronting elderly priests about the abuse they suffered decades ago at their hands. Several of the priests admit to the abuse and apologise for it, sometimes hinting at monetary compensation. The film also documents how priests who were accused or even convicted of child sex abuse were transferred to other parishes where they were able to continue their duties and work with children. "I apologise for every wound inflicted by the Church's people," Polish Primate Wojciech Polak said in a statement, while vowing to do everything he could to help victims. Liberal opposition leader Grzegorz Schetyna welcomed Polak's pledge but said it was "clear" the church had failed to confront child sex abuse and that now "only the state will be able to be effective". Recent opinion polls show that the PiS and Schetyna's European Coalition are running neck-and-neck ahead of the European ballot. The ground-breaking Polish documentary concludes that Polish-born pope and Catholic Saint John Paul II turned a blind eye to sex abuse by priests when the Warsaw's communist regime was working to undermine the church, then Poland's only independent institution. Pope Francis on Thursday passed a landmark new measure to oblige those who know about sex abuse in the Catholic Church to report it to superiors, which could bring many new cases to light. ||||| WARSAW (Reuters) - The leader of Poland’s conservative ruling party promised harsher sentences for child abuse on Sunday, as the release of a documentary about pedophile priests created a fresh battleground in an election campaign marked by debate on religion and sexuality. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), delivers a speech during the party's convention in Szczecin, Poland May 12, 2019. Agencja Gazeta/Krzysztof Hadrian via REUTERS The film “Just don’t tell anyone”, which features victims confronting their abusers, has reignited criticism of the Catholic Church’s handling of such cases and had over 3 million views within 22 hours of being posted on YouTube. “We prepared changes to the penal code meaning this crime (child abuse) will be punished very severely ... there will be no suspended sentences, there will be severe penalties, maybe even up to 30 years in prison,” said the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party’s head Jaroslaw Kaczynski at a rally. Currently, sexual abuse of a child under 15 is punishable by up to 12 years in prison. Kaczynski’s words came amid tensions between liberals who feel the church wields too much power in Poland and conservatives who see the Catholic faith as a key element of national identity whose influence must be protected. On Monday, a woman was detained by police for posting images near a church of the Virgin Mary with her halo painted to resemble the rainbow flag of the LGBT community. CHURCH “SORRY FOR EVERY WOUND” PiS, which leads most opinion polls, has made protecting traditional values a key plank of its bid to win European elections on May 26 and parliamentary elections in the autumn. “Does this (stance against child abuse) mean that the crimes ... of a small number of priests give the right to attack the church, to offend Catholics? No, that is no justification,” added Kaczynski in the northern city of Szczecin. The film, by brothers Tomasz and Marek Sekielski, shows elderly priests, including Franciszek Cybula who was the chaplain of former president Lech Walesa, being confronted by people they abused as children. It presents allegations that known pedophiles were shifted between parishes. “I am deeply disturbed by what I saw in Tomasz Sekielski’s film. The enormous suffering of those who have been hurt gives rise to pain and shame,” Poland’s most senior archbishop Wojciech Polak said in a recorded statement. “I am sorry for every wound inflicted by people of the church.” Anna Frankowska of the charity “Have no fear”, which supports abuse victims, said the Catholic Church in Poland had not taken concrete steps to bring pedophile priests to justice. “This is just another apology, it almost appears as if the statement was prepared before the church officials saw the movie,” she told Reuters. | On Sunday, Polish leader Jarosław Kaczyński of the conservative publicly declared intent to impose stricter punishment for child sexual abuse. Kaczyński said the party was ready with amendments to the penal code for sentencing up to 30-year prison terms for child sexual abuse. Presently, sexually abusing minors below the age of fifteen can carry a sentence up to twelve years in Polish jurisdiction. Kaczyński said, "We prepared changes to the penal code meaning this crime will be punished very severely ... there will be no suspended sentences, there will be severe penalties, maybe even up to 30 years in prison". This announcement comes after the documentary was released on YouTube on Saturday. ''Just don't tell anyone'' is a documentary by Tomasz and Marek Sekielski, which is about pædophilia among Polish Roman Catholic priests, and the sex abusers being confronted by their victims. It gathered over eight million views in two days. There have been numerous complaints about Catholic churches not handling the cases of sexual abuse properly, and even covering up the acts in Poland and around the world. Speaking about the movie, the topmost senior Polish archbishop said, "I am deeply disturbed by what I saw in Tomasz Sekielski's film. The enormous suffering of those who have been hurt gives rise to pain and shame ... I am sorry for every wound inflicted by people of the church." Calling it as "just another apology", Anna Franowska of "Have no fear", an abuse victim support charity, told Reuters "it almost appears as if the statement was prepared before the church officials saw the movie". On Thursday, the leader of Roman Catholic Christianity, Pope Francis, imposed a law mandating Catholic priests and nuns to report cases of sexual abuse in the religious congregation to the higher church authorities. |
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