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The police chief officer was shot in his car in Michoacan Gunmen stormed into a drug treatment clinic in northern Mexico, lined patients up against a wall and killed at least 17 of them, officials say. Several others were injured in the attack in Ciudad Juarez on the Mexico-US border, where more than 1,000 people have died in drug violence this year. Drug clinics in Juarez have been hit before with traffickers accusing them of protecting dealers from rival gangs. In other violence, a senior police officer was killed in western Mexico. Jose Manuel Revuelta, deputy police chief in the state of Michoacan, was killed by heavily armed men in two cars who intercepted the vehicle he was driving. His two bodyguards and a bystander were also killed. Mr Revuelta, 38, was killed blocks away from police headquarters in the state capital, Morelia. He was appointed to the post just two weeks ago. Michoacan, the home state of President Felipe Calderon, is the base of one of the country's most violent drug gangs, known as the Family or La Familia. See the Mexican cartels' main areas of influence Wednesday's killings in Ciudad Juarez are the latest evidence of the vicious inter-gang drug war that has seen some 1,400 drug-related deaths in the city so far this year. According to security officials, hooded gunmen burst into the drug clinic, forced patients into a corridor, lined them up and shot them. At least 17 died and several were hurt in the attack, which was one of the deadliest in Ciudad Juarez since Mr Calderon launched his crackdown on the drug gangs in late 2006. Some 40,000 troops have been deployed nationally Thousands of extra police and troops have been deployed in Ciudad Juarez to try to stem the violence. Rehabilitation clinics in Juarez have been targeted before. Last year, eight people were killed when gunmen forced their way in. Cartel members who know they are on a hit list are understood to use such facilities as a safe hiding place, says the BBC's Stephen Gibbs in Mexico City. Earlier this week, the state security minister, Victor Valencia de los Santos, said that rehab centres had become the breeding ground for criminal gangs. "In this type of places, the drug cartels are recruiting youngsters from 17 to 23 years of age," he was quoted as saying by Mexico's El Universal newspaper. The killings came as President Calderon used his annual state of the union address to defend his government's battle against the drug gangs. "As never before, we have weakened the logistical and financial structure of crime," Mr Calderon said. His government was dealing a "hard blow" to organised crime, Mr Calderon said, detailing that under his administration, some 80,000 people with presumed links to drug gangs had been detained, including 70 top traffickers. Return to top Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version \|\|\|\|\| CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) - About a dozen hooded gunmen burst into a Mexican rehabilitation clinic near the U.S. border on Wednesday, lining up patients before killing 17 of them. Drug gangs have targeted rehab clinics in the manufacturing city of Ciudad Juarez across from El Paso, Texas, accusing them of protecting dealers from rival gangs. The attack was one of the deadliest in President Felipe Calderon's three-year war against drug cartels, despite the presence of 10,000 troops and federal police in Ciudad Juarez who constantly patrol the city's streets. The suspected hitmen stormed their way into the drug and alcohol rehab clinic in Ciudad Juarez and forced patients into a line in a corridor before shooting them, the army and the El Diario newspaper said. "Armed men shot at about 20 people, killing 17 of them and injuring three," said army spokesman Enrique Torres. In a separate attack on Wednesday, gunmen killed the deputy police chief in Calderon's home state of Michoacan in western Mexico. Jose Manuel Revueltas, appointed just two weeks ago, was intercepted by heavily armed men in two vehicles as he drove down a busy avenue in the state capital, Morelia, a few blocks from police headquarters, police said. Revueltas, 38, and his two bodyguards died in the intense gunfire that also killed a man traveling on a bus. Revueltas was a close aide of Michoacan's leftist governor, Leonel Godoy. Calderon has placed a heavy military presence in the state. Calderon has staked his presidency on crushing the cartels whose brazen fight for control of smuggling routes into the United States worries Washington and has killed more than 13,000 people since late 2006. U.S. President Barack Obama has pledged full support for Calderon's drug war but the $1.4 billion promised to Mexico in 2007 to help fight the powerful cartels is only trickling in, with $214 million so far released for equipment and training.	Seventeen people have been killed after gunmen stormed a drug rehab centre in the city of Ciudad Juarez on the United States-Mexico border. Around a dozen gunmen entered the clinic and lined up patients against a wall before killing seventeen of them. Three others were injured in the attack. Around 1,400 people have been killed in drug related violence in the city this year alone. This is not the first time drug rehab centres have been targeted before in Ciudad Juarez. In the past, dealers have been accused of using the centres to protect their members from rival cartels. Mexican President has fought to bring an end to the cartels. He said during his annual state of the union address "As never before, we have weakened the logistical and financial structure of crime". In a separate attack deputy police chief Jose Manuel Revuelta was murdered by several heavily armed men as he was driving in . Two cars intercepted his vehicle just blocks from the police headquarters. Revuelta had only been appointed to the position two weeks ago.
6 killed, 1,000 injured in Bahrain Share \| Email \| Print An anti-government protester carries a sign in Arabic and English during a march with thousands of people to the Saudi Embassay in Manama, Bahrain on March 15, 2011. At least six Bahrainis have been killed and more than 1,000 others injured by government security forces and Saudi troops, and thousands of Bahrainis have marched to the Saudi Embassy. At least five villages came under attack by soldiers and helicopters using live ammunition against the protesters.A medical source told AFP on Tuesday that the victims were shot with buckshot.On the streets of the capital Manama, people have put up makeshift barricades to block the path of foreign forces. The Bahraini people say they do not want any foreign intervention in their country's affairs.Also on Tuesday, thousands of anti-government demonstrators marched to the Saudi Embassy to protest against the military intervention, a day after military convoys crossed the border from Saudi Arabia into Bahrain to help the government suppress the protesters.“Down, down with Hamad!” the crowds chanted at the Saudi Embassy, expressing their view that Bahrain's ruler, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, had gone too far in the crackdown on the opposition.HSH/JM/HGL \|\|\|\|\| Soldiers and riot police in Bahrain overran a protesters' camp, imposed a 12-hour curfew and choked off movement nationwide Wednesday. Witnesses described helicopters firing on homes in a hunt for Shiites and attacking doctors treating the wounded, while the government called the demonstrators “outlaws” for demanding an end to the monarchy. More related to this story The nation that once led the Middle East in entrepreneurial openness went into lockdown, its government propped up by troops from Sunni Gulf neighbors fearful for their own rule and the spread of Shiite Iran's influence. The unrest that began last month increasingly looks like a sectarian showdown. The country's Sunni leaders are desperate to hold power, and majority Shiites want more rights and an end to the monarchy. Wednesday's assault began in Pearl Square, the center of the uprising inspired by Arab revolts in Egypt and Tunisia. But the violence that left at least five people dead on Wednesday did not stop in the capital. Doctors at the country's main hospital said their facility was taken over by security forces, blocking physicians from either leaving or treating the wounded on site. “There are many people injured, but we can't bring them to the hospital because of the travel restrictions, and doctors can't come to us,” said Ali Marsouk, a resident of the Shiite village of Sitra, who said helicopters fired on homes in a three-hour attack. Rania Ali, another resident, said police were charging after Shiites as they sought shelter. “I saw them chasing Shiites like they were hunting,” said Ms. Ali, a Sunni whose husband is Shiite. The Salmaniya hospital complex has become a political hotspot. The mostly Shiite personnel are seen by authorities as possible protest sympathizers. The staff claim they must treat all who need care. There have been moments of open anger. As overwhelmed teams treated the injured from Tuesday's clashes, many broke out in calls to topple the monarchy. “We are under siege,” said Nihad el-Shirawi, an intensive care doctor who said she had been working for 48 hours. “We cannot leave, and those on-call cannot come in.” Officials in the hospital said they took in 107 injured from Wednesday's violence. Nine were in critical condition, officials in the hospital said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters. The Salmaniya hospital also treated 322 people injured in clashes across the kingdom on Tuesday, the official said. The king's announcement of a three-month emergency rule and the crackdown on Pearl Square sent a message that authorities will strike back in the strategic island nation, which hosts the US Navy's 5th Fleet. President Barack Obama called King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain to express deep concern over the violence. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Mr. Obama stressed the need for “maximum restraint.” Security forces barred journalists and others from moving freely. A 4 p.m to 4 a.m. curfew was imposed in most of the country. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the introduction of Gulf forces was “the wrong track.” “There is no security answer to this, and the sooner they get back to the negotiating table and start trying to answer the legitimate needs of the people, the sooner there can be a resolution that will be in the best interests of everyone,” she said. Witnesses said at least two protesters were killed when the square was stormed. Officials at Ibn Nafees Hospital said a third protester died later. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals. A government statement said the only deaths during the raid were two policemen who were “repeatedly run over by three vehicles containing protesters.” The government did not say whether the offensive included soldiers from other Gulf nations — a Saudi-led force that has grown to nearly 1,000.	Government security forces and Saudi Arabian troops have killed at least six protesters and injured around a thousand others in Bahrain. Protesters have expressed their objection to any foreign intervention within Bahrain. One protester said that security forces "fired tear gas and then opened fire. ... We lifted our arms and started saying ‘Peaceful, peaceful.’ Then we had to run away." Live ammunition was fired by soldiers both on the ground and in helicopters, who attacked people in at least five villages. According to a medical source speaking to , buckshot was used against some of the victims. People have put up barricades in the capital of in order to obstruct the path of troops. In addition to protests elsewhere, several thousand demonstrators marched to the Saudi embassy, following the military intervention of Saudi Arabia. Chants of "down, down with !" were made in response to Bahrain's ruler's actions against protesters.
Luis Suarez completes his hat-trick against Celta after Lionel Messi's audacious assist from the penalty spot Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has rejected suggestions that Barcelona's 'Cruyff' penalty was intended to embarrass Celta Vigo, claiming he had seen Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi produce moments of magic in training. Messi passed up the chance to net his 300th La Liga goal and instead put a hat-trick on a plate for team-mate Suarez with an outrageous penalty routine that evoked memories of Barcelona great Johan Cruyff. With Barca leading Celta Vigo 3-1 at the Camp Nou, Messi stunned the crowd by tapping an 81st-minute penalty to the side for Suarez, who raced into the box and fired past bewildered goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez. The goal took Suarez onto 23 in the league this season - two ahead of Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo - as Barca eased to 6-1 win. "There will be those who like it and those who don't," Enrique told reporters. "As well as winning titles, here we try to entertain people and win in a spectacular and sporting manner. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez replicated the incredible penalty by Johan Cruyff and Jesper Olsen in 1982 during their emphatic win over Celta Vigo "You can take a penalty like that, it's legal and there's a Cruyff penalty we all know." Dutch great Cruyff, who played and managed Barca during his illustrious career, pulled off a similar trick while playing for Ajax against Helmond Sport in 1982, squaring the ball for team mate Jesper Olsen, who then passed it back to him to score. Frenchmen Robert Pires and Thierry Henry tried a similar trick for Arsenal against Manchester City in 2005 but got into a muddle and failed to score. Robert Pires and Thierry Henry attempted a similar penalty in 2005 but got their wires crossed And Enrique revealed it was not something he would try, adding: "I wouldn't dare take it like that because I'd fall over when I put my foot on the ball." The Barca coach added there was nothing arrogant about Messi's penalty and said there was a tendency in Spain to look down on moments of skill. "In this country, a kick [at an opponent] is more readily accepted than anything fancy," he said. "We don't care about that. Sporting G vs Barcelona Live on "What we have to do is enjoy our football, respect our opponents, try to show we're better through football. "I'm sorry but I don't think anything special happened. I'm used to seeing them train and there they are even better." \|\|\|\|\| Suarez is La Liga's top scorer with 23 goals in 22 matches this season Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez combined to score an audacious penalty as La Liga leaders Barcelona thrashed Celta Vigo to move three points clear. With Barca leading 3-1, Messi nudged the spot-kick forward and to his right for Suarez to run into the area and side-foot in to complete his hat-trick. Messi opened the scoring with a sublime free-kick before Celta striker John Guidetti drilled in a penalty to level. After Suarez's second-half treble, Ivan Rakitic and Neymar sealed the rout. The defending champions still have a game in hand on nearest rivals Atletico Madrid, with Real Madrid four points adrift of Barca in third. Relive Barca's entertaining win against Celta How the penalty unfolded Penalty-taker Lionel Messi gives Celta keeper Sergio Alvarez 'the eyes', looking goalwards but passing the ball to the right... ...but Luis Suarez knows what Messi is up to, beginning his run behind his team-mate... Sure enough, Suarez arrives quickly on the scene to calmly side-foot into the Celta net.... And, to the shock of almost everybody in the Nou Camp (including team-mate Ivan Rakitic), Suarez completes his hat-trick in the most unusual of styles Stylish Barca extend unbeaten run Barcelona had not been beaten in 29 previous matches in all competitions before the visit of a Celta team which had won two of the past three meetings between the sides. Celta, who Luis Enrique left to manage Barca in May 2014, earned a surprise 1-0 win at the Nou Camp last season and thrashed their former boss's side in a 4-1 home success in September. And they will have been quietly confident of causing another upset as they held their hosts 1-1 at the break. Barca failed to find their rhythm in the first half, giving no indication to the virtually silent home supporters of what excitement would unfold in the second half. Suarez clipped in Messi's pass to put Barca back in front just before the hour and bundled in Neymar's cross on the goal-line for his second. The Uruguay striker completed a 22-minute hat-trick by converting Messi's audacious penalty, before substitute Rakitic's lob and Neymar's cool finish extended their unbeaten run to 30 matches. Selfless Messi delays landmark goal If Messi had converted the penalty, it would have been his 300th La Liga goal for Barcelona. But did his selfless act in teeing up Suarez mean that he would gain an unwanted statistic - another 'missed' penalty? It was a tongue-in-cheek question posed by former Spanish referee Eduardo Iturralde on Twitter, where it was spread to a wider audience by Guardian football writer Sid Lowe. "Messi goes down as having a penalty not scored and an assist," confirmed football statisticians Opta. Was it meant for Neymar and not Suarez? That's what Brazil forward Neymar claimed afterwards. "We practised the penalty - it was for me, but Luis was closer and scored," he said. "It doesn't matter, he scored so it worked well. "We love each other a lot and that friendship is the most important thing, no matter who scores the goals." Neymar (right) appeared to chase after Messi's pass - but Suarez reached it first I would have trodden on the ball - Luis Enrique The penalty evoked memories of when Barca legend Johan Cruyff played a one-two with Ajax team-mate Jesper Olsen to score from the spot in 1982, plus a less successful attempt by Arsenal pair Robert Pires and Thierry Henry in 2005. "We all remember Cruyff's goal," said Barca boss Luis Enrique. "I wouldn't dare to do it because I would tread on the ball. "Some will like it, some won't, but as Barca players and members of the club, on top of winning titles we try to enjoy our football in a spectacular way." Atletico stay in touch Second-placed Atletico Madrid briefly moved level with Barcelona following a 1-0 win at Getafe earlier on Sunday. Spain striker Fernando Torres tapped in Yannick Carrasco's low cross from the left after 61 seconds - and that proved enough for the visitors. Diego Simeone's team moved back into second at the expense of Real, who host their neighbours at the Bernabeu on 27 February. Torres has scored two goals in his past two matches, taking his tally to four in 18 Liga matches this season	Yesterday, Barcelona football star Lionel Messi made a risky pass from the penalty spot to , setting up the completion of a Suárez hat-trick against , and Barça defeated them 6–1 in a La Liga match at . Suárez climbed to the top spot for La Liga this season, scoring 23 goals, and FC Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 30 games in all competitions. By passing to Suárez, Messi missed an opportunity to attempt his 300th goal in the Liga. thumb The match saw four , all for the Celta Vigo players. Barça had eleven shots on target as compared to Vigo's four. was the first booked in the game in the eleventh minute. Messi opened the scoring for the Catalans in the 28th minute. was booked for a bad foul, and Messi won a free-kick, which he successfully converted into the goal, scoring his 299th goal in La Liga games. About ten minutes later, brought down Swedish striker in the penalty area, and the visitors got a chance to equalise from penalty. Guidetti scored from the penalty spot making the score 1–1 before the half time. was booked in the 42nd minute. The first half ended 1–1 with three bookings in 45 minutes. Messi in the 59th mminute assisted Suárez via a , as the Uruguayan scored the team's second goal and Barcelona were leading again. Two substitutions were made in the 61st minute for the home side. came for and was replaced by . Celta made a change in the 65th minute as was subbed-in for . 's shot in the 75th minute was blocked, assist from Messi, but Suárez netted his second of the night and Barcelona were 3–1 up. The 78th minute saw two substitutions. replaced Guidetti, and came for . Messi was fouled around the 81st minute in the penalty area, and won a penalty kick. The Argentine passed from the spot, and Suárez completed his hat-trick. A similar type of goal was scored by the Dutch legend playing for in 1982. Rakitić scored the fifth goal in the 84th minute from a through ball assist from Suárez, just a minute later after was subbed off . In the , Neymar netted a goal, assist from Suárez. The match ended 6–1. After the match, Barcelona manager said "There will be those who like it and those who don't ... You can take a penalty like that, it's legal and there's a Cruyff penalty we all know." A similar penalty attempt by for Arsenal F.C. in 2005 did not work out. ---- == Sources == * * * *
Mar 7, 2007 4:21 pm US/Eastern (AP) BALTIMORE There are just two winning tickets in the record $370 million Mega Millions jackpot — one sold in New Jersey and the other in Georgia, lottery officials announced Wednesday. One lucky player bought a Mega Millions ticket in Maryland that missed the big jackpot by just one number, making it worth $250,000. The ticket was purchased at Burtonsville Crown Beer & Wine in Montgomery County. No one had come forward to claim their share of the prize at midday, but lottery officials in both states were expecting to hear from the winners soon. The winning numbers: 16-22-29-39-42, with the Mega Ball 20. The odds of hitting it: about 1 in 176 million. Georgia officials said a winning ticket was sold at Favorite Market in Dalton. "We don't know if someone local, if it's someone traveling through, if it may be someone from Tennessee who's come across the border," Margaret DeFrancisco. president and CEO of the Georgia lottery, told CBS Radio News. New Jersey's winning ticket was sold at Campark Liquors in Woodbine. Janice, at a 7-11 in Wildwood, N.J., said the news that someone in the area won is causing a lot of excitement at her store. "I'm hoping (it's) someone that we know," she said. "Every customer who has come to the front door has wanted a printout of the numbers." California's results were delayed until mid-day, but the Lottery finally announced that the count was complete and that the state had no tickets matching all winning numbers. The other nine states also struck out, said Mardele Cohen of the Ohio Lottery, which compiles all the states' information. In Georgia, Favorite Markets president Sam Turner told the Dalton Daily Citizen he believes someone living in his area could be the winner. "That's a store that's in a heavy industrial area, so odds are it's somebody that lives and works around there," Turner said. "Very few people get lost on Abutment Road, so my guess is it's a local, which from my standpoint, if that bears out, that's wonderful." Tuesday night's drawing was held in New York's Times Square in ABC's television studio rather than Atlanta after brisk sales pushed what had been an estimated $355 million jackpot estimate to a record $370 million. Even though the temperature was just 16 degrees, a handful of hopefuls showed up in Times Square to watch the drawing. Millions of others had lined up at lottery agents in the 12 states to buy tickets Tuesday. New Yorkers bought more than 1 million tickets an hour, said Robert McLaughlin, the state's lottery director. Virginia retailers sold about 8,550 tickets per minute. New York construction worker Andelko Kalinic had an idea of what he would do if his Mega Millions ticket paid off. "Go to the moon," he said. "Why not?" Vendors in Chicago reported long lines at lottery-ticket machines Tuesday, especially around lunchtime and during rush hour. The Tower News and Video normally sells about 500 Mega Millions tickets a day but has recently been selling around 1,500 daily, said Arin Patel, an attendant at the Chicago convenience store. "It's crazy," Patel said Tuesday. "We sold 500 within the three hours that we opened today." There were three second-prize winners in Illinois from Tuesday night's drawing, matching five numbers to win $250,000 apiece. Those tickets were purchased at stores in Mt. Carmel, Plainfield and Greenville. Another 20 players from Illinois matched four of the five numbers, plus the Mega Ball number. Those tickets are each worth $10,000. Some lottery hopefuls in Ohio never had a chance. Ohio's lottery ticket system went down statewide at about 10:20 p.m., 25 minutes before the deadline, Cohen said. The cause hadn't yet been determined. "For those people who wanted to make a wager and didn't get a chance, we're very, very sorry," she said. The largest previous multistate lottery jackpot was $365 million in 2006, when eight workers at a Nebraska meat processing plant hit the Powerball lotto. The Big Game lotto, the forerunner of Mega Millions, paid out a $363 million jackpot in 2000. Mega Millions tickets are sold in California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington state. \|\|\|\|\| Why did this happen? Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.	The Mega Millions logo. There are at least two big winners in Tuesday night's US$370 million ''Mega Millions'' lottery drawing which is held in 12 U.S. states. The two winning tickets were sold in Georgia and New Jersey, but lottery officials say that no one has come forward to claim their millions. One ticket was sold at a store called Campark Liquors, which is located in Woodbine, New Jersey. The other ticket was sold at what is called the Favorite Market, located in Dalton, Georgia. The drawing, the biggest in ''Mega Millions'' history, was moved from its usual location in Atlanta, Georgia to Times Square, New York because at one point, according to New York's lottery commissioner, Robert McLaughlin, at least 1,000,000 tickets an hour were being sold in the state of New York. Some people in Ohio were not so lucky. In fact, the state's lottery system, for reasons still not known, went off-line at 10:25 p.m., just over a half hour before the drawing was to be held. At least one person was one number away from winning the jackpot, matching five of the six numbers. That ticket is worth $250,000 and was bought at Burtonsville Crown Beer & Wine in Montgomery County, Maryland. The previous record for the highest multi-state lottery was set back in 2006 when the ''Power Ball'' jackpot paid out at least $365 million dollars to eight people in Nebraska. Another multi-state lottery, ''The Big Game'' (which was later named ''Mega Millions'') has the third highest jackpot of $363 million dollars which was paid out in 2000. The lottery numbers were, 16-22-29-39-42 and the Mega Ball was, 20. The odds of actually winning the jackpot, by yourself, was at least one in 176 million. Each group of numbers costs only one dollar.
30 feared killed, 100 hurt in explosions in MP 5 Jul 2009, 2147 hrs IST, PTI Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text: SINGRAULI: At least 30 persons were feared killed and another 100 injured in explosions in two factories of the Bairhan Industrial Area. Police said the first explosion occurred in the Ideal Explosives Industries. This triggered an explosion in the neighbouring Rajasthan Explosives Private Limited as well. "The explosions were so severe that both the factories were reduced to rubble under which 30 people were feared dead," they said. Relief and rescue operations are on in the Industrial Area and officials say the death toll may mount. Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text: \|\|\|\|\| At least eight persons were killed and 40 injured in blasts in two private factories manufacturing explosives used for coal mining in the Bairhan Industrial Area in Singrauli on Sunday evening. Police said the first explosion occurred in the Ideal Explosives Industries around 6.30 pm. The explosion had its impact in the neighbouring Rajasthan Explosives Private Limited as well. Superintendent of Police (SP) Singrauli Anurag said that eight persons were killed and about 40 others were injured. Earlier reports said that 100 persons were injured. It was not immediately known what caused the explosion. Officials feared that at least 20 to 25 persons may still be trapped in the debris nearly five hours after the explosions. The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals, they said. The explosion was so severe that both the factories were reduced to rubble, eyewitnesses said. Relief and rescue operations have commenced in the Industrial Area. Singrauli District Magistrate T Narihari said explosives manufactured from chemicals brought to the factories are used for mining activities in the nearby coalfields. The factories are legal and operate in the industrial area in a cluster, he said. According to reports, ammonium nitrate gas was leaking from the site of the accident. Electricity also went off at the Bairhan industrial area. \|\|\|\|\| New Delhi: Explosions in two private factories manufacturing explosives for mining activities have killed at least eight people and injured another 40 in central India, according to media reports on Sunday. Te two adjacent factories in Singrauli, a town in Madhya Pradesh state, have almost been reduced to rubble by the impact of the blasts. Anurag, a police officer, said all the injured have been hospitalised in Singrauli. The cause of the explosions was not immediately known. The first explosion occurred in the Ideal Explosives Industries and it engulfed the adjacent factory.	Two explosives factories in the town of , Madhya Pradesh, India exploded reducing the buildings to fragments on Sunday evening. Madhya Pradesh, India "The explosions were so severe that both the factories were reduced to rubble under which 30 people were feared dead," police said. Another 100 have been injured as a result of the blasts. The Ideal Explosives industries sustained an explosion at about 6:30 p.m. local time. The Rajasthan Explosives Private Limited next door soon followed. The exact cause of the first blast is unknown. It is reported that had been leaking from the accident site. There are several factories situated in the Bairhan Industrial Area. The factories manufactured explosives for use in the local coal fields.
Bomb hits Pakistan minibus, 5 dead MIRAN SHAH, Pakistan (AP) -- A roadside bomb blew up a minibus in a Pakistani tribal region near the Afghan border on Monday, killing five passengers, including a 5-year old boy, and wounding three others, security officials said. Meanwhile, security forces shot dead two suspected militants after a grenade attack wounded five soldiers in a town bazaar, also in North Waziristan. The bomb that hit the minibus went off as it traveled on a dirt road in Tata Khel, a village about 25 kilometers (15 miles) west of Miran Shah, the main town in the region, a security official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of his job. He said three people died at the scene while two died at a hospital, all of them civilians. Three others were injured. The dead included a mother and her 5-year old son, he said. Another powerful roadside bomb exploded Monday near a truck on a road in the border village of Ghulam Khan in North Waziristan, damaging the vehicle causing no casualties, he said. Monday's grenade attack happened as troops were on a patrol in the bazaar in the town of Mir Ali, a local government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make media comments. Troops opened fire on the two attackers, killing them, he said. Islamic militants are active in North Waziristan. In recent years, Pakistan has deployed thousands of troops here and in other tribal areas bordering Afghanistan to track them down. Violence, however, only appears to be escalating. Military officials have said Arab, Central Asian and Afghan militants are present in the area, but local pro-Taliban tribesmen have also stepped up resistance to military operations in the lawless region. Last month, the military backed by helicopter gunships attacked several militant hide outs in Miran Shah and Mir Ali, triggering several days of fighting during which scores of militants were reportedly killed. The army also lost eight soldiers in that fighting. Pakistan is a key ally of the United States in its war on terror. \|\|\|\|\| Security forces shot dead two suspected militants Monday in a northwestern Pakistan tribal region after a grenade attack wounded five soldiers, an official said. Pakistani troops The troops were patrolling a bazaar in the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan when one of the two assailants hurled at grenade at them, a local government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make media comments. Troops opened fire on the two attackers, killing them, he said. Earlier, a roadside bomb explosion near a bus in North Waziristan killed five people and injured three others, reports the AP. I.L.	thumb thumb Five people are dead and three are injured after a roadside bomb blew up a minibus in rural Pakistan. According to a security officer, who has chosen to remain anonymous, a mother and her 5-year-old child are among the dead. They were travelling in a minibus, which was on a dirt track in the village of Tata Khel, approximately 25km west of the town of Miran Shah. Of the eight individuals thought to be in the vehicle at the time, three died in the explosion, two died later in hospital and the remaining three are injured. This attack comes at the same time as another similar incident, this time in the village of Ghulam Khan. In this bombing, the vehicle was damaged but there were no casualties. Another recent attack involved two militants who attacked troops with a grenade in the town of Mir Ali. Five soldiers were killed, and the two assailants were subsequently shot. All three incidents occurred in the troubled northern region of North Waziristan. The Pakistani authorities have deployed thousands of troops to the affected area over the past few years, but as of yet any positive effects are hard to see.
B.C. students buy sensitive U.S. defence data for $40 in Africa 'Donated' computers become toxic e-waste, documentary shows UBC graduate journalism students Heba Elasaad (far left), Krysia Collyer (second from left), Blake Sifton (centre) and Prof. Dan McKinney (far right) spent 10 days in February in Ghana shooting a documentary on e-waste. (Courtesy of Blake Sifton) UBC graduate journalism students Heba Elasaad (far left), Krysia Collyer (second from left), Blake Sifton (centre) and Prof. Dan McKinney (far right) spent 10 days in February in Ghana shooting a documentary on e-waste. (Courtesy of Blake Sifton) A hard drive containing information about multimillion-dollar U.S. defence contracts was obtained in Ghana by a group of Vancouver journalism students as they probed what happens to developed nations' discarded and donated electronics. "It's pretty shocking," said Blake Sifton, one of three UBC graduate journalism students who purchased the device containing information related to contracts between the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security and military contractor Northrop Grumman. The hard drive cost the students just $40. "You'd think a security contractor that constantly deals with very secret proprietary information would probably want to wipe their drives," Sifton said Tuesday. He visited Ghana for 10 days in February with classmates Heba Elasaad and Krysia Collyer and Prof. Dan McKinney while making the documentary Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground for an international reporting course. The finished documentary looks at problems arising as discarded computers, televisions and other "e-waste" make their way from North America and Europe to the markets and slums of West Africa. It was broadcast Tuesday on the season finale of the PBS program Frontline/World. 'We plugged them in and started reading files … they were just sitting there.' — Peter Klein, UBC The team bought seven hard drives at a bustling market in Tema, a major port near the capital city of Accra where a lot of electronic waste from Europe and North America enters Africa. One of the unformatted drives contained personal information and photos from a family in the U.K. Another was from New Zealand, and another contained the U.S. security data. Special skills or software weren't required to access the data, said Peter Klein, who teaches the international reporting course and supervised the documentary project. "We plugged them in and started reading files …. They were just sitting there." Northrop Grumman declined to be interviewed by the students, but said it was looking into how the hard drive got to the Ghanaian market, and asked the students to return it, which they did not. In a statement emailed to CBC News Tuesday evening, the company said it has a detailed procedure for disposing of equipment such as hard drives. "Based on the documents we were shown, we believe this hard drive may have been stolen after one of our asset-disposal vendors took possession of the unit," the company said, adding that "no company can inoculate itself completely against crime." Though the export of e-waste is technically banned by international treaties, it often winds up on long journeys to the developing world, the students found. Some students in the class followed the e-waste to China and India — countries where e-waste is known to be dumped. Many people aren't aware of the other path e-waste can take — to Africa, via donations of used electronics, Klein said. Sifton, who graduated in May, said many exporters know that most computers they bring into Ghana aren't working. Parts that work may be sold at the market, while the rest ends up in a nearby dump known as Agbogbloshie. Charred toxic wasteland 'It's incredibly difficult to breathe' at the dump, said Blake Sifton, as up to seven fires are typically spewing 'black, sticky, acrid smoke' at any one time. (UBC Graduate School of Journalism)"It's essentially this charred toxic wasteland," Sifton recalled Tuesday. "The ground is just scorched absolutely everywhere. Everywhere you walk, there's shards of plastic and metal and glass protruding from the ground." Boys scramble about in flip-flops, helping young men smash piles of old computer monitors, televisions, and radios, rip out the wires, and burn them in fires fed by insulation from old refrigerators. In that way, they extract lumps of copper that they sell for less than 50 cents a kilogram, Sifton said. "It's incredibly difficult to breathe because there's usually between five and six and seven fires going at any time …. and there's tons and tons of this black, sticky, acrid smoke coming out of them." After visiting the dump, Sifton would spend 20 minutes trying to clean the dark, smoky residue off his skin. Separated from the dump by a toxic, lifeless river was a shantytown of metal and wood shacks. Despite the horrific living conditions, however, the residents were very generous and welcoming, Sifton recalled. People who donate their computers typically don't picture them ending up in either Agbogbloshie or the market in Tema, but put to good use. Sifton said he did visit universities in Ghana equipped with computers that would have been unaffordable if they hadn't been donated. He fears that people will increasingly start donating computers without the hard drives, rendering them useless and compounding the problem. Hard drives can be safely donated: experts One of the hard drives contained personal information and photos of a family in the U.K. Another contained sensitive data about U.S. defence contracts. (UBC Graduate School of Journalism)Fiaaz Walji, senior director of sales for Websense Inc., a computer, internet and data security firm, said the case involving the Northrop Grumman data is scary, and when people don't erase their hard drives before disposal, "the risks are huge." "If you look at some of the bad guys … this is part of what they do," he said. "They go and scour hard drives and look for information," such as personal information that can be used in identity theft and fraud. Nevertheless, Walji doesn't think it's necessary to destroy the hard drive. "That doesn't help from a recycling perspective." He said high-level data wiping methods that write over the old data should be sufficient. Cliff Missen, director of a project that has donated hundreds of computers to African universities, said he has never heard of anyone in Africa recovering data from a hard drive that has been wiped three or four times, even though it's theoretically possible. Missen's Widernet project at the University of Iowa has donated hundreds of computers, mainly from corporate donors, to universities in Ethiopia, Liberia and Nigeria. Most arrive with "just about everything" on the hard drive, but Widernet erases them, refurbishes the computers with extra memory, and packages up spare parts, before shipping them off. Even though the computers are only delivered as part of computer training programs, the cost of security means some are stolen and may not end up where they were intended, he said. Consumers should be vigilant: Sifton Meanwhile, Sifton hopes people won't get too caught up in the cybersecurity element of the story his team has been trying to tell. "The big picture here is that there's thousands of tonnes of toxic waste — because we want the newer computer, newer TV, or the newer cellphone — being sent and poisoning children in Ghana," he said. He wants people to think about whether they really need a new, bigger, flat-screen TV before throwing their old one out. But he acknowledged that when electronics do get too old, it isn't easy for consumers to know what to do with them. "You don't really know where your computer's going to end up, even if you have the best intentions. It's hard …. I just hope people will think twice and maybe be a little more vigilant when they're donating their computer." \|\|\|\|\| VANCOUVER -- Journalism students from the University of British Columbia uncovered some secret U.S. military information amid electronic waste shipped abroad, and their findings will air on PBS Tuesday night. The graduate students and their professor, Peter Klein, visited a slum in Ghana and the world's largest electronic waste dump, in Guiyi, China, to find out what happens to America's electronic trash. Their research will air on the PBS investigative program Frontline in an episode titled "Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground" on Tuesday night. Klein is a PBS producer and correspondent. One item the team purchased has caught the interest of the FBI and a U.S. military contractor. Klein and his team bought a hard drive in Ghana that was originally from U.S. defence contractor Northrop Grumman, according to promotional material from PBS. "Analysis revealed sensitive information about multimillion-dollar contracts with the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security," according to the show's description on www.pbs.org. "The FBI expressed concern about this security breach, and Northrop Grumman has acknowledged it is looking into how its hardware and data ended up in Ghana." Criminals also scour the hard drives for credit card information, social security numbers and other personal information, according to pbs.org. The show also will reveal that the recycling of electronic waste pollutes the environment and poisons people who scavenge the e-waste for metal, producing high levels of lead in children and mother's breast milk. The United States can dump potentially dangerous electronics abroad because the country hasn't ratified an international treaty banning the export of hazardous waste. © Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun	According to a documentary about journalism students at the University of British Columbia tracking electronic waste (e-waste), details of United States defense contracts and confidential military data were left on a donated hard drive which was purchased for US$35 in Ghana. The purchased hard drive was a donation by Northrop Grumman Corporation, an American aerospace and defense technology company. The PBS investigative documentary, ''Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground'', tracked what happened to donated or discarded electronics. The journalism students randomly purchased seven hard drives in Tema, Africa. "We plugged them and in and started reading files … They were just sitting there," said Klein. As part of the international reporting course the students then submitted the hard drives to Enoch Kwesi Messiah, a computer scientist at Regent University to see if any of the previous owners had erased the data on their hard drives before disposal. Messiah stated, “I can get your bank numbers and I retrieve all your money from your accounts. If ever somebody gets your hard drive, he can get every information about you from the drive, no matter where it is hidden.” The graduate journalism students under Professor Peter Klein travelled to the Korle Lagoon in Accra the capital of Ghana. Beside the polluted waters is Agbogbloshie, the largest collection of e-waste, useless electronic donations. “Life is really difficult; they eat here, surrounded by e-waste,” said Mike Anane, a local journalist, “They basically are here to earn a living. But you can imagine the health implications.” The e-waste is burned and rendered down for copper, iron, or gold from the components. "It's essentially this charred toxic wasteland," said Blake Sifton, one of the students. "It's incredibly difficult to breathe because there's usually between five and six and seven fires going at any time .… and there's tons and tons of this black, sticky, acrid smoke coming out of them."
By Sahal Abdulle Mogadishu - Gunmen fired rockets near Mogadishu's airport on Wednesday, witnesses said, apparently heeding an Islamist call to fight African Union peacekeepers arriving to help the interim government restore order. Rival Islamist leaders, defeated in a brief offensive by government troops and their Ethiopian allies late last year, have vowed to wage guerrilla war against any foreign forces. Hospital sources said one civilian was killed and at least four others wounded when insurgents launched rockets and grenades at a white AU armoured car and two trucks carrying Ethiopian soldiers, loyal to the government. A senior AU official said no peacekeepers were hurt. "When the attack happened, they had already passed and were not involved," he told Reuters. A witness said the AU troops returned fire after two rocket-propelled grenades were launched at them, hitting a nearby restaurant. The explosions lit up the dusk sky and tracer bullets fired by the Ethiopians flashed overhead. Government troops based nearby also opened fire, witnesses said. "We saw this huge explosion and dived to the ground. We lay there for three or four minutes, and when the shooting calmed a bit we got our cars and fled the area," said one taxi driver, who gave his name as Yusuf. The attacks took place in a busy part of the city where dozens of minibuses were loading passengers. "When the explosions happened the streets were full and no one was expecting this and we started running," said resident Hawo Halene. Insurgents fired mortar bombs at Mogadishu's airport on Tuesday shortly after several hundred Ugandan troops landed as the vanguard of the proposed 8 000-strong AU force. "The action we started carrying out yesterday will continue," an Islamist source told Reuters. The Ugandans were the first peacekeepers to arrive in Mogadishu since a United States and United Nations operation ended in failure in 1995 after relentless street battles with local militias forced them to finally withdraw. \|\|\|\|\| 10 civilians killed in Somalia MOGADISHU, Somalia: A rocket-propelled grenade attack and gunfight targeting African Union peacekeepers killed at least 10 civilians and wounded two peacekeepers, witnesses said Thursday, as a leading member of an Islamic militia that used to rule this city called on residents to fight all "nonbelievers." The peacekeepers, who started arriving Tuesday and are the first in Mogadishu in more than a decade, were attacked Wednesday night at a main intersection in one of the most dangerous and gun-infested cities in the world. Mustaf Farah, a restaurant owner who witnessed Wednesday's attack, said he heard an explosion as three armored vehicles carrying peacekeepers went by, followed by gunfire. "We saw our customers sitting in front of the restaurant bleeding and crying out with pain and shock," he said. The approximately 800 peacekeepers from Uganda are the vanguard of a larger force authorized by the United Nations to help the government assert its authority. The government, backed by troops from neighboring Ethiopia, toppled a radical Islamic militia here in late December, but is struggling to keep control. Insurgents believed to be the remnants of Somalia's Council of Islamic Courts have staged almost daily attacks against the government, its armed forces or the Ethiopian military. The Islamic Courts' military commander, Aden Hashi Ayro, allegedly trained by al-Qaida, urged Somalis to attack peacekeepers, according to a Web posting late Wednesday. "It is time for the Somali youth to fight the occupation by Ethiopia and others," he said. "The Muslims shall not surrender to nonbelievers." Ayro, who is in his mid-30s, is said to have received al-Qaida training in Afghanistan. He has been linked by U.N. officials to the murders of 16 people, including BBC journalist Kate Peyton. Counterterrorism officials also believe he was involved in a plot — never carried out — to bring down an Ethiopian airliner. Paddy Ankunda, the Ugandan forces' spokesman, told a local radio station that two peacekeepers were wounded. He would not elaborate when contacted by The Associated Press. Deputy Defense Minister Salad Ali Jelle said the attack would not deter the peacekeepers. "The police are investigating the incident and the culprits will be treated with iron hands, soon," he told The Associated Press. The surge of violence shows the volatility peacekeepers face in a country that has seen little more than anarchy for more than a decade. Several other African countries also have promised troops, but no date has been set for their arrival. The first batch of Ugandan troops arrived Tuesday at Mogadishu International Airport, and insurgents fired mortars at them during the welcoming ceremony. One civilian was wounded. Botan Hirey Kheyre, a local elder, said Wednesday's ambush was the latest example of civilians suffering. "Both the assailants and the AU troops disappeared immediately," he said. "It was the civilians who suffered before our eyes," he said. ___ Associated Press Writer Mohamed Sheikh Nor contributed to this report. \|\|\|\|\| African Union troops have still not deployed onto the streets A BBC correspondent says insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade at an AU convoy but it missed the target. A third contingent of 400 Ugandan troops has arrived, bringing the total to 1,200. The first group came under fire at their airport base on Tuesday. The troops have been sent to back up Somalia's transitional government. The mood is tense in the capital, with many shops and businesses shut and roadblocks preventing civilians moving about, especially in the south of Mogadishu. The AU force is taking over from Ethiopian troops who intervened to help the government oust the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which had held power for six months and restored some order to the anarchic country. But violence has escalated in the past two months, with dozens of people being killed by insurgents, and now the AU is being targeted. "Convoys of Ugandan troops were ambushed as they were passing the main junction in Mogadishu, and they exchanged heavy gunfire with the insurgents," said Shino Abdukadir, an eyewitness. The BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu says at least three civilians were wounded during the gunfight and the casualty toll at local hospitals may increase. Unconfirmed reports say two Ugandan soldiers were injured when their car hit a land mine. Call to attack The AU said the deployment would continue, despite the threat. AU FORCE IN SOMALIA Uganda: 1,700 Nigeria: 850 Burundi: 1,700 Ghana: unconfirmed Q&A;: Somali conflict Have Your Say "The AU has promised to deploy in Somalia and in Mogadishu. The attacks and threats do not set back the deployment," said the AU's Assane Ba. However a Mogadishu radio station broadcast a call by a UIC commander, Aden Hashi Ayro, for attacks on the peacekeepers. "It is time for the Somali youth to fight the occupation by Ethiopia and others," he said. "The Muslims shall not surrender to non-believers," he added. The BBC's Karen Allen in Uganda says the fear is that, just as happened in Sudan's Darfur region, the AU force might not have the numbers or resources to cope with the threat. So far, the AU has managed to raise only about half of the 8,000 troops required. Burundi, Nigeria and Ghana are also expected to contribute. The targeting of Ugandan troops by insurgents in Somalia could give other troop-contributing nations cold feet, derailing the mission, our correspondent adds.	Somalia. Ugandan troops arriving in Somalia as part of an African Union (AU) peacekeeping force, came under attack even before they went on patrol. The Ugandan troops, 400 of whom arrived on Tuesday and another 400 the day after, were deployed to the capital Mogadishu as replacements for Ethiopian troops to support the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP). Ethiopia intervened to help the TFP oust the Islamic Courts Union (IUC), which had held power for six months. "Convoys of Ugandan troops were ambushed as they were passing the main junction in Mogadishu, and they exchanged heavy gunfire with the insurgents," said Shino Abdukadir, an eyewitness. Somalia's Deputy Defense Minister Salad Ali Jelle said the Ugandan troops suffered no casualties. There were 10 civilians killed in the attack. Assane Ba of the African Union said: "The AU has promised to deploy in Somalia and in Mogadishu. The attacks and threats do not set back the deployment." A Mogadishu radio station broadcast a message from IUC member and Hizbul Shabaab leader, Aden Hashi Ayro, calling for attacks on the peacekeepers. "It is time for the Somali youth to fight the occupation by Ethiopia and others. The Muslims shall not surrender to non-believers."
Unions at the BBC are to ballot their members on strike action over plans to cut up to 4,000 jobs after talks with management broke down. Bectu, the National Union of Journalists and Amicus said the BBC director general, Mark Thompson, had failed to meet their demand that there should be no compulsory redundancies. Formal notice of a strike ballot will be sent to the BBC today and voting papers will be sent out to members seven days later - the earliest date possible under labour laws. "These are the most damaging cuts in the BBC's history, with nearly one fifth of all staff being made redundant, and thousands more due to be handed to new employers," said Luke Crawley, Bectu's chief BBC official. "Our members want a BBC that works well, but Thompson's plans could stop some parts working at all." The decision followed a three-hour meeting last night between union leaders and Mr Thompson to discuss the corporation's controversial cost-cutting plans, aimed at saving £355m a year. Union leaders are demanding a three-month consultation period as well as a bar on compulsory redundancies. But the BBC described the demands as "unrealistic", saying that while it hoped the job losses would be achieved through staff turnover and voluntary redundancies, it could not rule out compulsory redundancies. "The BBC stressed that it has every intention of working with the unions to address staff concerns whilst needing to make changes to meet its audience's changing needs and demands and achieve greater value for money for licence fee payers," it said in a statement last night. The statement added that the BBC recognised that this was a "difficult and anxious" time for staff and that it was mindful of the human consequences of the changes it proposed. "The BBC made it clear that it would do everything it could to mitigate the effects on staff of the job losses, but this could only be achieved by continuing dialogue and consultation with the unions." According to Bectu, BBC management offered a limited moratorium on redundancies until June 2005, during which no staff whose jobs were threatened would be given notice of dismissal. But this was rejected as insufficient. Under the plans more than 2,000 jobs are to go in programme-making departments, such as news, drama and factual and learning, and another 1,700 would be cut in support areas over the next three years. · To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediatheguardian.com or phone 020 7239 9857 · If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication". \|\|\|\|\| Mark Thompson has fleshed out plans for job cuts The decision came after a three-hour meeting between unions and the BBC's director general, Mark Thompson. Bectu, Amicus and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said the BBC had refused to meet their demand that there should be no compulsory redundancies. The BBC said it regretted the decision by the unions, who also warned that strikes could hit live programmes. Three years The BBC said any action which affected services would penalise licence payers. Luke Crawley, of Bectu, said the job losses represented the "most damaging cuts" in the BBC's history. He said under the plans up to 20% of staff jobs were being sold, outsourced or made redundant. Mr Crawley added: "Our members want a BBC that works well, but Thompson's plans could stop some parts working at all." Mr Thompson has announced proposals to axe the posts over the next three years. 'Substantial' cuts The corporation said the director general had explained the three-year plan would put over £350 million back into programmes and most of the job losses would be achieved through staff turnover and voluntary redundancies, but it could not rule out compulsory redundancies. The unions are not convinced there is a need for such large cuts and had demanded a three-month consultation period and a bar on compulsory redundancies. The BBC first announced plans for substantial job cuts in December, and expanded on them last month. Under the plans, more than 2,000 jobs are to go in programme making departments, such as news, drama and factual and learning, and another 1,700 would be cut in support areas.	Trades unions are to ballot members on strike action following the announcement of 4,000 job cuts at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Formal notice of the strike ballot was sent to the public service broadcaster today by BECTU, the technicians' union, the manual workers' union Amicus and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), after the Director General, Mark Thompson failed to rule out compulsory redundancies. The job cuts announced last month, amounting to approximately 20% of the BBC's staff, are part of £355 million of savings that the BBC are making before the review of the broadcaster's royal charter by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which fund the BBC through the license fee. Further production jobs are being moved into the private sector. Luke Crawly of BECTU said that it was unrealistic to expect 100% programme quality from 80% of staff. Ballot papers will be sent in seven days, with the aim of shutting down live broadcasting of sports events including the Wimbledon Tennis tournament and the Football Association Cup final. The BBC's rival ITV is experiencing strike action over wages at production companies London Weekend Television (LWT), Yorkshire TV, Granada and 3sixtymedia, that has led to prerecording of shows and has forced ITV to borrow studios at the BBC's Television Centre.
Mr Kabila enjoys most of his support in the east of the country The country's electoral commission announced Mr Kabila won 58.05% of the vote, ahead of ex-rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba who got 41.9%. A member of Mr Bemba's camp has vowed to challenge the vote by legal means. But peacekeepers have deployed extra troops in the capital, Kinshasa - a Bemba stronghold, in case of trouble. Peace must reign in every corner of the country President Joseph Kabila Mr Kabila told the BBC the country should remain quiet because a new page of its history had just been turned. The BBC's Mark Doyle says Mr Kabila, who obtained relatively few votes in the capital and in the north of the country, will face major difficulties ruling DR Congo. Fraud accusations Kinshasa is quiet and the streets empty, says the BBC correspondent there, Arnaud Zajtman. But in Lubumbashi, DR Congo's second town and a stronghold of Mr Kabila, people are celebrating. "Peace must reign in every corner of the country. Long live democracy. Long live the new DR Congo," Mr Kabila said in a televised address after the results were announced on Wednesday night. "I ask you tonight to remain united and to live in fraternity and tolerance." Final results were not expected until Sunday, but the electoral commission announced the official verdict earlier, despite objections already lodged by Mr Bemba's team. The result must now be upheld by the supreme court. Electoral commission head Apollinaire Malu Malu called for candidates to respect election rules after the Bemba coalition said their candidate had received more than 50% of the vote and that victory "was being stolen from the Congolese people". HAVE YOUR SAY We understand that Kabila himself will not bring peace - he needs the help of the people Lwango Tchomba, South Africa Send us your comments Mr Bemba has not yet commented on the results, but correspondents say some in Bemba's camp are playing down the threat of violence. "People were expecting a war plan from us, some troubles. But we're not into that," AFP news agency quotes Fidele Babala, a Bemba aide, as saying. "At the level of the national assembly we have our deputies and we're going to play our role as the opposition." Armed clashes An analyst who wished to remain anonymous told the BBC that there were serious questions about the validity of some ballot papers, especially a large number of votes cast by voters outside their home areas. At least four people were killed in Saturday's clashes Our correspondent adds that there were big question marks over Mr Kabila's tactics ahead of polling, when soldiers intimidated voters and he used the national TV station as a propaganda tool. The Carter Center mission said they were confident the results announced by the CEI were consistent with those obtained in the polling stations, but they said it was premature to draw firm conclusions about the overall integrity of these election results. The vote has been the first following DR Congo's five-year conflict. Forces loyal to the two candidates clashed during the war as well as during the tense election period. Following violence on Saturday in which four people died, the police arrested 337 homeless people, including 87 children, the government says, blaming them for starting the trouble. Eyewitnesses say that security forces loyal to the two candidates exchanged gun and mortar-fire. United Nations observers say the election is the most significant in Africa since Nelson Mandela was elected as South Africa's president in 1994. The world's largest UN peacekeeping force - 17,000-strong - is in DR Congo, tasked with ensuring security. \|\|\|\|\| KINSHASA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Congo presidential contender Jean-Pierre Bemba said on Thursday he did not accept a provisional election result giving victory to incumbent President Joseph Kabila. "I regret to have to say to our people and to the international community that I cannot accept these results which are far from reflecting the truth of the ballot box," he said in a statement. \|\|\|\|\| "I would say to the population of our country, to the Congolese people ... that they should remain calm and wait for the publication of official results by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI)," Kabila said on Wednesday. Result rejected Kabila said the police and army were loyal to him as president, suggesting security forces would not tolerate clashes with Bemba's supporters. Thousands voted in DR Congo's first election for more than 40 years The October 29 vote was the culmination of a peace process to end Congo 's 1998-2003 war, in which Bemba led a rebel faction before joining a power-sharing government. It is DR Congo's first full election in more than 40 years. But the vice-president's Union for the Nation coalition has already rejected the results. It alleges "systematic cheating" in the vote count and has questioned the credibility of the electoral commission. It said on Tuesday that data collected by its own observers at polling stations showed Bemba led the election with 52.5 per cent of the vote. The coalition said in a statement on Tuesday: "The Union for the Nation will not accept an electoral holdup that aims to steal the victory from the Congolese people." Violence feared Kabila dismissed Bemba's complaints, saying: "This is nothing but agitation by politicians who either know they have lost the elections or don't even know what is going on because they have not been following the process." Bemba's rejection of the results has stoked fears of further violence, but the city's streets were calm on Wednesday. Soldiers loyal to the two candidates fought bloody street battles in August which killed at least 30 people after the first-round results were announced. Four more were killed last Saturday when the two sides clashed once again. A 17,500-strong UN force and a special European Union contingent have stepped up patrols in the country to head off any unrest.	President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, when meeting with United States Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz at the Pentagon in 2003. Incumbent President Joseph Kabila has been declared the winner of the 2006 Presidential elections by the Independent Electoral Commission of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Chairperson of the electoral commission, Apollinaire Malu Malu, announced that Kabila polled 58 percent of the vote to his rival Jean-Pierre Bemba's 42 percent, in the run-off vote held on October 29. Kabila has called for calm following the announcement by the election commission. Bemba has released a statement saying he does not accept the declared election result. Bemba and his supporters have previously disputed the provisional results announced by the commission. Kabila is the world's youngest head of state, getting the title as leader of Congo in 2001, after his father, Laurent-Desiré Kabila was assassinated in 2001. Election officials have rejected claims of fraud. International observers monitoring the polls have said that despite some problems, the polling was largely free and fair. Kinshasa is tense amidst fears that violence between the two leaders' armed supporters may break out. The U.N. peacekeeping force has stepped up security, deploying tanks on the streets of the capital.
A Bill seeking to empower the Senate to extradite foreigners granted asylum by Nigeria is now being considered by the upper chamber. When the Bill becomes law, the Senate will have powers to extradite persons on asylum to any requesting country to be tried for war crimes. Exiled former Liberian president, Charles Taylor, may face extradition under the new bill, as America among others, has been advocating his extradition to the International War Crimes Tribunal. If passed into law, the legislation will confer powers on the upper chamber to ratify or reject granting of asylum to a foreigner and order the extradition of a person already on asylum upon request by the United Nations, African Union or a third country. Section 5 of the Bill says: “When a person has been granted asylum, he shall be released immediately to either the United Nations or the African Union or any of their agencies upon application in order to answer allegations of war crimes or related crimes or for such other purposes as may be stated or revealed in the application. “Where it is a country that has applied for the release or extradition of an asylee, it must be considered wholly in conformity with the individual standing on international laws or treaty of extradition with Nigeria. “In the event that there is no standing law or treaty of extradition with the individual country, the asylee shall be released to such country discretionally on a resolution of the Senate. “An application by an individual country for the extradition of an asylee shall contain in details, amongst others, as may be required by the Senate, the following: (i) Details of the nature of offences and times of commission of offence (ii) Reasons for not trying the asylee for the offence before the application (iii) Satisfactory evidence of a possible fair trial or hearing in accordance with international standards.” Also under the new legislation, no foreigner would be granted asylum for an indefinite period, as the initial maximum period to be granted is pegged at one year but subject to periodic review of six months with the approval of the upper chamber. Section 2 of the Bill says: “No person shall be granted asylum without the consent of the Senate.” However, section 3 says a foreigner seeking asylum may be kept in protective custody pending a Senate resolution on the request. “Where the Senate refuses to ratify the granting of asylum, the person granted asylum shall be extradited within 24 hours upon such refusal.” The Bill also slated conditions upon which the president could grant asylum to a foreigner, including “urgency of the occasion that warranted the grant of the application without consent” and “possible envisaged consequential damage to the nation or a friendly country.” On the review of the initial period of the asylum, the Bill says “Where it is necessary to review and extend a current period of asylum, an application for such consent must be made and considered before the expiration of seven days to the previous tenure. Failure to apply for a review within the stipulated time frame, the asylee shall be extradited on the last day of the current tenure.” \|\|\|\|\| DAKAR The United Nations has said it will begin the repatriation of the 13,000 remaining Sierra Leonean refugees in Liberia on Tuesday when a convoy of trucks carries first group to the frontier. The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) said in a statement that the UN refugee agency UNHCR would phase out all assistance to Sierra Leonean refugees in the country by June. The decision to resume repatriation by road for the first time in two years follows the recent deployment of UN peacekeeping troops along the highway from the capital Monrovia to the border at Bo Waterside. Last year, UNHCR used a ship to carry returning refugees back to the Sierra Leone capital Freetown because fighters of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) blocked the overland route. “We are confident in the peace obtaining inside Sierra Leone and we feel that every Sierra Leonean citizen should be availed the opportunity to contribute to the rebuilding of the country,” Moses Okello, UNHCR representative in Liberia, said in the statement. The first batch of 67 refugees will be taken from camps in and around Monrovia, where all the 13,000 have been staying, some for ten years or more. During their stay in Liberia, UNHCR has supplied them with food, safe drinking water and education. “The refugees have been provided with everything you can think of to make their lives comfortable,” Sarah Fyneah Brownell of the UNHCR Public Information Unit told IRIN on Monday. Those returning to Sierra Leone will be met by UNHCR representatives who will provide them with food packages and shelter to help them rebuild their lives there. “They will be provided with general things to help them reintegrate,” Brownell said. Hundreds of thousands of Sierra Leoneans fled their homes for the relative safety of camps in neighbouring Guinea and Liberia when civil war broke out in 1991, but most have gone home since the conflict ended three years ago. Those who ended up in Liberia found themselves trapped by the country’s own civil war, which only ended in August last year. UNHCR suspended the overland transportation of refugees to Sierra Leone in April last year as rebel forces cut the road to the frontier. While UNHCR is encouraging Sierra Leonean refugees to leave Liberia, thousands of Liberian refugees are flooding back spontaneously from Sierra Leone without waiting for the refugee agency to organise their repatriation.. The UNHCR has said it will not organise an official repatriation programme for them until it is sure that UN peacekeepers have made all parts of Liberia safe for their return. UNMIL has said the peacekeeping force should reach its full strength of 15,000 men by the end of March, but the full deployment of all these troops throughout Liberia may take longer.	The Nigerian legislature is considering a Bill that would permit the Senate to extradite persons granted asylum by Nigeria to other nations and organizations, such as the United Nations and the African Union, to face trial for war crimes. Under the law, the Senate would have the power to accept or decline applications for asylum as well as remit persons already with asylum to requesting organizations or countries. If the Bill passes, it would provide the mechanism needed by Nigeria to lawfully extradite indicted war criminal Charles Taylor to stand trial at the Special Court in Sierra Leone. To date, Nigeria has resisted repeated claims by Sierra Leone, the United States, and the United Nations to extradite Mr. Taylor saying that they will only do so if called upon by a freely elected Liberian government. Liberia has its first national elections since Taylor's regime scheduled for October. The Bill has significant implications in Liberia, where Taylor was President until ousted by the international community in August 2003, under an asylum deal with Nigeria. The United Nations has maintained a peacekeeping mission in the country ever since. In October, Liberia faces its first national elections since Taylor, and his influence, although against the terms of his asylum, is seen as potentially destabilizing. The front runners in Liberia's presidential race recently spoke on the Taylor issue at a series of presidential debates held on local radio. Although most candidates agree that the rule of law must be followed none would commit to handing Taylor over to the Special Court if elected.
By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer Fri Jan 12, 6:56 PM ET BAGHDAD, Iraq - Five Iranians detained by U.S.-led forces were working in a decade-old government liaison office that was in the process of being upgraded to a consulate, the Iraqi foreign minister said Friday. Tehran condemned the raid in the Kurdish-controlled northern city of Irbil and urged Iraq to push for the Iranians' release. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the building where the Iranians were detained Thursday had operated with Iraqi government approval for 10 years. "We are now in the process of changing these offices to consulates," he said. "It is not a new office. This liaison office has been there for a long time." He also echoed concerns the U.S. and Iran were dragging Iraq into their fight. "We don't want Iraq to be a battleground for settling scores with other countries," Zebari, a Kurd, told CNN. The diplomatic tussle came at an unwelcome time for the United States as President Bush faces criticism over his new strategy for ending the violence in Iraq. Bush also vowed to isolate Iran and Syria, which the U.S. has accused of fueling attacks in Iraq. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani plans a trip to Syria on Sunday, the highest-level Iraqi visit to the country in more than 24 years. The neighbors restored diplomatic relations in December that were cut in 1982 amid ideological disputes between Damascus and the regime of Saddam Hussein. Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's office, meanwhile, rejected Bush's plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq as part of an effort to curb sectarian attacks. "We reject Bush's new strategy and we think it will fail," said Abdul-Razzaq al-Nidawi, a senior official in al-Sadr's office. He said Iraq's problems were due to the presence of U.S. troops and called for their withdrawal. Local leaders of al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia, which has been blamed for much of the sectarian violence, said they were bracing for an attack and avoiding appearing in public with their weapons. Zebari's Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, called on the Iraqi government to secure the release of the five Iranians, Iranian state television reported. "Such illegal and adventurous acts by the U.S. should be stopped," the broadcast quoted Mottaki as saying. Mottaki condemned the raid, saying it contravened the Vienna Convention. "This behavior by the United States contradicts its claims of providing security in Iraq," he was quoted as saying. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin also harshly criticized the detentions, calling them a "flagrant violation" of international conventions. "It's absolutely unacceptable when the military storms a foreign consular office on the territory of another state," Kamynin said. "The unlawful actions by the U.S. servicemen mark an open abuse of a mandate issued to the multinational forces in Iraq." The 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations says consular premises are "inviolable," but it was not clear how that would apply as the building was not a consulate. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the detained Iranians were not carrying diplomatic passports and the building "was not a consulate. This was not an officially accredited diplomatic facility." Pressed to describe the office, McCormack said it was a "building that the Iranians were using, occupying, that was Iraqi territory." Zebari also said U.S. forces tried to seize more people at the airport in Irbil, 220 miles north of Baghdad, prompting a confrontation with Kurdish troops. A Pentagon official in Washington said that after troops detained the Iranians, they learned another person might have escaped and fled to the airport. An American team went to the airport, where they "surprised" Kurdish forces, who apparently had not been informed they were coming, said the Defense Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the incident. Meanwhile, sectarian violence persisted. Suspected Shiite militiamen attacked a Sunni mosque in a religiously mixed neighborhood of Baghdad, prompting clashes that wounded two guards, police said. Attackers later blew up a Shiite mosque that was under construction in the northern city of Kirkuk, police Col. Anwar Hassan said. No casualties were reported. At least 19 people were reported killed or dead nationwide, including 10 bullet-riddled bodies found in Baghdad and an Iraqi journalist who was killed in a drive-by shooting in the northern city of Mosul. Khudr Younis al-Obaidi was the second journalist killed this year. Associated Press staffer Ahmed Hadi Naji was found shot in the back last week. ___ Associated Press writers Pauline Jelinek in Washington and Nasser Karimi in Tehran contributed to this report. \|\|\|\|\| refid:5759536 ilişkili resim dosyası Just as US President George W. Bush was explaining his new strategies on Iraq to the American nation yesterday evening, a raid was being carried out on the official Iranian Consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil at 3 in the morning local time. During the raid, 5 Iranians were arrested, and their computers and documents were consficated. US authorities have not yet commented on the early morning raid on the Erbil Iranian Consulate, though it was noted that in his speech, President Bush had underlined that "Military precautions will be taken in Iraq against enemy activities by Iranian and Syrian forces based in Iraq against the coalition troops." Some sources speculated that the raid on the Iranian Consulate in Erbil signalled a start to the implementation of this new tactic. The first news of the Erbil raid came this morning on Iraqi state and Kurdish television channels. During the last week of December 2006, US troops arrested 4 Iranians who had come to Iraq as the guests of Talabani. Two of the 4 were military authorities, while the other 2 were diplomats. Following negative reaction from both Iran and Talabani himself, the US troops let the group of 4 Iranians go free. False \|\|\|\|\| Sen. Joseph Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Bush did not have the authority to send US troops on cross-border raids. "I believe the present authorization granted the president to use force in Iraq does not cover that, and he does need congressional authority to do that," Biden, D-Delaware, said during a Thursday hearing on Iraq. "I just want to set that marker." Rice did not directly reply to Biden's remark, but she said the country expects Bush "to do what is necessary to protect our forces." Biden sent a follow-up letter to the White House after Thursday's hearing, calling on Bush to explain his position. In his Wednesday night speech announcing the deployment of more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq, Bush blamed Iraq's neighbors for stoking the violence there and accused Iran in particular of "providing material support for attacks on American troops." "We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We'll interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq," he said. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, said Rice's responses had echoes of the debate over the Vietnam War, when the Nixon administration denied US troops were conducting raids into neighboring Cambodia to stop the flow of weapons to South Vietnam's communist insurgency. Hagel, a veteran of that war, called Bush's plan "the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam." "When our government lied to the American people and said we didn't cross the border going into Cambodia, in fact we did. I happen to know something about that, as do some on this committee," he said. "Madame Secretary, when you set in motion the kind of policy that the president is talking about here, it's very, very dangerous." Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the House Armed Services Committee that US troops are trying to crack down on the spread of Iranian-supplied explosives into Iraq, and the administration is "making it clear that those who are involved in activities that cost the lives of American soldiers are going to be subject to actions on the part of the United States inside Iraq." Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that "we can take care of the security for our troops by doing the business we need to do inside of Iraq." Thursday, US troops in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil detained six Iranian employees in the Islamic Republic consulate general. Iran and the Kurdish regional government called for their release. Recent decisions by the president could suggest that the administration is giving Syria and Iran more attention. The president announced that he had ordered a second aircraft carrier battle group to the Persian Gulf and would share Patriot air-defense missile systems with US allies in the region. Furthermore, the choice of a Navy officer, Adm. William Fallon, was Bush's pick to lead US forces in the Middle East has raised speculation that operations in the Persian Gulf will take on greater importance. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told CNN that Bush's condemnation of what she called "Iran's meddlesomeness" was an important signal to the region. Throughout the process, the Bush administration has stuck to its refusal to consider direct talks with Iran and Syria in an effort to resolve the war, as the bipartisan Iraq Study Group recommended in December. Rice said talks with Tehran and Damascus over Iraq "put us in the role of supplicant" while Washington is trying to pressure Iran to halt uranium enrichment and get Syria to stop leaning on Lebanon's pro-Western government. "Do we really believe that the Iranians are going to treat Iraq over here and not demand that we do something to alleviate the pressure that we are now bringing on their nuclear program and their nuclear ambitions? I don't think it's going to happen," she said. \|\|\|\|\| During the meeting, the Foreign Ministry's Director for the Persian Gulf Affairs voiced Iran's strong protest at the invasion of the Iranian consulate general by the US troops and arrest of five mission staffers in Erbil in northern Iraq on Thursday, a statement released by the Foreign Ministry's Information and Press Bureau reported. "We expect the Iraqi government to take immediate measures to set the aforesaid individuals free and to condemn the US troopers for the measure," the official stressed. He further called on the Iraqi government not to allow Americans to intervene and disrupt Iran-Iraq relations through adoption of such self-centered and illegal measures. "Following up on the case and releasing the arrestees is a responsibility of primarily the Iraqi government and then the local government and officials of the Iraqi Kurdistan," the Iranian foreign ministry official reiterated, expressing the hope that the detained staffers would soon be set free as a result of intense efforts by the Iraqi officials. For his part, Iraqi ambassador to Tehran expressed regret over the incident and pledged to pursue the case through the officials of his country. \|\|\|\|\| An informed source told FNA that after breaking open the consulate's gate, the US troops disarmed and arrested the consulate's guards and entered the consulate building. Iran's consulate general in Erbil was established upon the Iraqi government's request and for the purpose of facilitating visit to Iran by the Iraqi people. After confiscating some documents and certain items in the consulate, the US forces left for an undisclosed place taking the arrested staff members with them. In another case of the violation of the international law, the US troops last month also arrested two Iranian diplomats who were on an official visit to Iraq at the invitation of President Jalal Talabani. \|\|\|\|\| Americans raid Iranian liaison office in Erbil Ilnur Cevik - The New Anatolian - Erbil 12 January 2007 Font Size: default medium large American troops descended on Erbil in two or three helicopters and raided an Iranian liaison office early Thursday, arresting a number of officials, Kurdish eyewitnesses reported. The eyewitnesses said at least two helicopters landed troops in the central 30 Meter Road in Erbil in the capital of the Kurdish north. The troops then assaulted the side street where the Iranian liaison office is located. People living in the neighborhood reported a firefight and then saw American troops escorting people from the liaison office. They said they heard gunfire and claimed hand grenades were used. It was not certain whether there were any casualties. Eyewitnesses said the people living in the neighborhood could not leave their homes. However, some did and at least three were arrested, including a Turkmen man whose wife told The New Anatolian her husband had been taken away by American soldiers. She did not want to be identified. According to the eyewitnesses, American soldiers also took away arms and documents from the office. The American helicopters stayed in Erbil until 5 a.m. and then departed, according to eyewitnesses. Kurdish officials were not available for comment. Many of them, including Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, are out of Iraq. The New Anatolian tried to contact the government spokesman but he was away on a vacation in Sweden. Attempts to call the presidential office of Massoud Barzani also failed. The New Anatolian visited the site of the incident Thursday afternoon. The area was swarming with Special Forces of the Kurdish military. One soldier waved The New Anatolian reporters away, saying no incident had occurred in the neighborhood. The incident happened a few hours after Kurdish region President and Kurdistan Democracy Party (KDP) leader Massoud Barzani received a senior Iranian government official. Senior KDP officials, including Interior Minister Karim Sincari, were at the meeting. This suggested the Kurdish leadership was not informed of an imminent American raid against an Iranian target in Erbil. This was the first such raid by America troops in Erbil in nearly one-and-a-half years. The last time the U.S. forces carried out such a mission was against a student dormitory in Erbil. The raid came at 2 a.m. Thursday, around the time U.S. President George W. Bush unveiled a new plan to end the violence in Iraq. The president will increase the number of ground forces by 20,000, brushing aside the Baker-Hamilton report that advised him to diplomatically enlist the help of Iran and Syria to end the Iraqi violence. The Kurds enjoy close relations with Iran, and it was not certain how this incident would affect relations between them and Tehran. Meanwhile, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani met with American Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah and discussed the Bush plan. Talabani is scheduled to pay a state visit to Syria this weekend. TNA SUPPLEMENTS \|\|\|\|\| TEHRAN, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. forces raided the Iranian consulate in Iraq's northern city of Arbil and arrested five of its staff members, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported on Thursday. After disarming the consulate's guards and breaking into the gate, U.S. troops ent ered the office building early Thursday morning, IRNA said, confirming Iraqi state television's earlier reports. The Iraqi state television reported earlier that Multi-National Forces in Arbil detained staff members of the Iranian consulate there and confiscated computers and some documents. The U.S. troops arrested five staff members and confiscated computers and documents, IRNA quoted "reliable sources" as saying. The Iranian Embassy in Baghdad sent a letter to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry Thursday morning to protest against "the U.S. illegal move" and call on the Iraqi government to help secure immediate release of the five people, IRNA said. According to Iran's state television, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said that U.S. forces in Iraq "bear full responsibility for the fate of the abducted diplomats." Top envoys of the Iraqi Embassy as well as the Swiss Embassy, which takes care of the U.S. interests in Iran, were summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry for explanations, the television said. Quoting its reporter in Arbil, the television said that forces under the control of Iraq's Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani had tried to prevent U.S. troops from taking away the diplomats, deeming the U.S. move as an affront to the authority of the self-rule regional government. Arbil is in the Kurdish-controlled north of Iraq, 350 km north of Baghdad. Under an agreement between Baghdad and Tehran, Iran set up its consulate in the city in 2006 to facilitate cross-border visits of their citizens. TV: Coalition forces detain Iranian diplomatic personnel in N Iraq BAGHDAD, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Multi-National Forces in Arbil province detained staff of the Iranian consulate there, Iraq's state-run television reported on Thursday. The troops also confiscated computers and some documents, the report said. < \|\|\|\|\| Story Highlights • Biden warns secretary of state against cross-border raids • Hagel makes comparison to bombing of Cambodia during Vietnam War • Rice says president will do what's necessary to protect troops Adjust font size: WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush's warnings to Iran and Syria to not interfere in Iraq and the arrest of six Iranians in Iraq by U.S. troops raised eyebrows Thursday on Capitol Hill, where senators warned Bush against widening the nearly four-year-old war. Sen. Joseph Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Bush did not have the authority to send U.S. troops on cross-border raids. "I believe the present authorization granted the president to use force in Iraq does not cover that, and he does need congressional authority to do that," Biden, D-Delaware, said during a Thursday hearing on Iraq. "I just want to set that marker." (Watch heated exchanges between Rice and several senators ) Rice did not directly reply to Biden's remark, but she said the country expects Bush "to do what is necessary to protect our forces." Biden sent a follow-up letter to the White House after Thursday's hearing, calling on Bush to explain his position. In his Wednesday night speech announcing the deployment of more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq, Bush blamed Iraq's neighbors for stoking the violence there and accused Iran in particular of "providing material support for attacks on American troops." (Watch how the plan will work ) "We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We'll interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq," he said. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, said Rice's responses had echoes of the debate over the Vietnam War, when the Nixon administration denied U.S. troops were conducting raids into neighboring Cambodia to stop the flow of weapons to South Vietnam's communist insurgency. Hagel, a veteran of that war, called Bush's plan "the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam." (Full story) "When our government lied to the American people and said we didn't cross the border going into Cambodia, in fact we did. I happen to know something about that, as do some on this committee," he said. "Madame Secretary, when you set in motion the kind of policy that the president is talking about here, it's very, very dangerous." Defense Secretary Robert Gates told the House Armed Services Committee that U.S. troops are trying to crack down on the spread of Iranian-supplied explosives into Iraq, and the administration is "making it clear that those who are involved in activities that cost the lives of American soldiers are going to be subject to actions on the part of the United States inside Iraq." Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that "we can take care of the security for our troops by doing the business we need to do inside of Iraq." Thursday, U.S. troops in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil detained six Iranians "suspected of being closely tied to activities targeting Iraqi and coalition forces," a military statement said. Iran and the Kurdish regional government called for their release. (Full story) Recent decisions by the president could suggest that the administration is giving Syria and Iran more attention. The president announced that he had ordered a second aircraft carrier battle group to the Persian Gulf and would share Patriot air-defense missile systems with U.S. allies in the region. Furthermore, the choice of a Navy officer, Adm. William Fallon, was Bush's pick to lead U.S. forces in the Middle East has raised speculation that operations in the Persian Gulf will take on greater importance. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told CNN that Bush's condemnation of what she called "Iran's meddlesomeness" was an important signal to the region. "Surely the United States is not the one being threatening," she said. "We are not the ones being meddlesome and troublesome in Iraq." Throughout the process, the Bush administration has stuck to its refusal to consider direct talks with Iran and Syria in an effort to resolve the war, as the bipartisan Iraq Study Group recommended in December. Rice said talks with Tehran and Damascus over Iraq "put us in the role of supplicant" while Washington is trying to pressure Iran to halt uranium enrichment and get Syria to stop leaning on Lebanon's pro-Western government. "Do we really believe that the Iranians are going to treat Iraq over here and not demand that we do something to alleviate the pressure that we are now bringing on their nuclear program and their nuclear ambitions? I don't think it's going to happen," she said. \|\|\|\|\| Iranian and Iraqi officials said the building was an Iranian consulate and the detainees its employees. The US military said it was still investigating, but that the building did not have diplomatic status. The troops raided the building at about 0300 (0001GMT), taking away computers and papers, according to local media. AFP news agency quoted Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman as saying he did not know the nationality of the six but said they were "suspected of being closely tied to activities targeting Iraq and coalition forces". "I can confirm for you through our forces there that this is not a consulate or a government building," he said. However, Tehran said the attack violated all international conventions. It has summoned ambassadors from Switzerland, representing US interests, and Iraq. A spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry described the raid as an attempt to sabotage Tehran's relations with Iraq. One Iranian MP said it showed America's cruelty and meanness. The raid comes amid high Iran-US tension. In a major speech on Wednesday, President George W Bush said the US would take a tough stance towards Iran and Syria, whom he accused of destabilising Iraq. The US also accuses Iran of seeking nuclear arms. Iran denies both charges. Tehran counters that US military involvement in the Middle East endangers the whole region. Pressure A local TV station said Kurdish security forces had taken over the building after the Americans had left. Irbil lies in Iraq's Kurdish-controlled north, about 350km (220 miles) from the capital Baghdad. Reports say the Iranian consulate there was set up last year under an agreement with the Kurdish regional government to facilitate cross-border visits. Dozens of casualties resulted from a truck bombing in Samarra One Iranian news agency with a correspondent in Irbil says five US helicopters were used to land troops on the roof of the Iranian consulate. It reports that a number of vehicles cordoned off the streets around the building, while US soldiers warned the occupants in three different languages that they should surrender or be killed. In December, US troops detained a number of Iranians in Iraq, including two with diplomatic immunity who were later released. Thursday's raid came as US President George W Bush unveiled his new strategy in Iraq, which included increasing troop numbers and a commitment to stop Iranian support for "our enemies in Iraq". BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says the raid could signal a ratcheting-up of pressure on the Iranians, in line with the rhetorical thrust of his speech. Meanwhile in the Iraqi capital, the five off-duty policemen were killed in an ambush in the western al-Khadra neighbourhood, hospital officials said Security sources said another man was killed wounded in an attack on a money changer in downtown Baghdad. In the restive Anbar province, the US military said that one of its troops was killed on Tuesday by a roadside bombing. Other violence was reported in Mosul, where gunmen killed a professor driving home from work, and Samarra where a suicide truck bomber attacked the mayor's house, killing three people and wounding 33, including the mayor.	Erbil province in northern Iraq The U.S. armed forces detained five Iranians working at a "liaison office" located in Erbil, Iraq before dawn on Friday. Sources said that the U.S. forces first landed their helicopters around the building, then broke through the office's gate, disarmed the guards, confiscated some documents and certain objects, arrested five suspected terrorists, and then left for an undisclosed location. However, there was no raid on the Iranian Consulate General as earlier reported. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told Agence France-Presse that the building raided was "not a consulate or a government building", which appears to be confirmed by the Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, who said the Iranians were working at an office that had government approval and was in the process of being approved as a consulate, but was not a Consulate nor the Iranian Consulate General. The US is strategically insisting that they raided a "liaison office" instead of a Consulate to avoid being found in violation of Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Kamynin said that the raid was absolutely unacceptable and was a violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. The Kurdistan Regional Government also expressed their shock and disapproval of the raid. On Thursday's hearing on Iraq, Senator Joseph Biden (D-Delware), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the Bush Administration did not have the authority to send U.S. troops on cross-border raids. Biden said, "I believe the present authorization granted the president to use force in Iraq does not cover that, and he does need congressional authority to do that. I just want to set that marker." After the meeting, Biden sent a follow-up letter to the White House asking for an explanation from the Bush Administration on the matter. On Thursday morning, Iran's foreign ministry official sent a letter to Iraq's foreign ministry asking Iraq to stop the Bush Administration from interfering with Iraq-Iran relations, and has protested the raid on its liaison office. The official said, "We expect the Iraqi government to take immediate measures to set the aforesaid individuals free and to condemn the U.S. troopers for the measure. Following up on the case and releasing the arrestees is a responsibility of primarily the Iraqi government and then the local government and officials of the Iraqi Kurdistan."
SANTIAGO Masked youths threw stones at police who responded by firing tear gas and water cannon in the Chilean capital on Friday at the start of annual protests against the government and the country's free-market system. Dozens of youths, some in school uniforms, threw objects into the Santiago's main street, the Alameda. Some wearing hoods or bandannas over their faces scattered pink pamphlets that read "Popular Union of Students." Police in armored vehicles sped through the street spraying clouds of tear gas as officers riot gear rounded up youths and bundled them into police buses as sirens blared. Barriers were erected cordoning off the presidential palace nearby. Police said they had detained 185 people. The protests were aimed at Chile's capitalist-style economic model and the government, which the groups say manipulates the education system to favor the wealthy and exclude the poor. President Michelle Bachelet condemned the violence. "Democracy in Chile is solid and there is no justification for violence," she told reporters as riot police in flak jackets and helmets manned intersections and street corners. Two small bomb blasts have rocked banks in the two weeks running up to Saturday's anniversary of "Day of the Young Combatant." The day marks the deaths of two brothers, Eduardo and Rafael Vergara, during Augusto Pinochet's 1973-90 dictatorship. Bachelet was herself briefly detained and tortured along with her mother during Pinochet's harsh dictatorship, in which nearly 3,200 people were killed. "If one wants to pay homage to the tremendous tragedy of the Vergara brothers, during a period when Chile was not democratic, the right thing to do is guarantee that democracy means being able to express yourself but without violence," Bachelet said. Chile is one of the most stable countries in the region, but Bachelet's popularity has taken a bashing because of the way her government has handled past student protests as well as a botched transport system for the capital. There have also been corruption allegations against members of her administration. "We think this neo-liberal education system that the government has introduced should be stopped," said Saray Acevedo, of the National Popular Coordinator of Students. She handed out the flyers to passers-by that read "Against a neo-liberal education. Struggle by the people and students." Some ordinary Chileans say the protesters have a point. "The government speaks but does not act. I think the people should protest more, they are too passive," said Rodrigo Nunez, a 39-year-old engineer, as he walked past armored police trucks. "There are so many problems. It is true education is expensive and marginalizes the poor. The cost of living is high. Electricity and gas prices are up. Look at how they protest in Argentina! I voted for this government and feel conned," he said. Last year, students wearing balaclavas clashed with police in Santiago and other cities, throwing stones and gasoline bombs. Police retaliated with tear gas and water cannon. At least officers were wounded in those clashes and police arrested more than 850 people across the country. Many businesses shut down. Several explosive devices detonated but no one was injured. Chile has vowed to clamp down on groups who set off bombs and extra police will patrol the streets of Santiago on Saturday. (With reporting by Simon Gardner and Reuters TV; Editing by Chris Wilson) \|\|\|\|\| Chilean police scatter protesters; 240 detained before 'Day of the Young Combatant' SANTIAGO, Chile: Police on Friday used tear gas and water cannons to scatter 300 demonstrators who marched toward the government palace Friday to remember the killing of two brothers under the Pinochet dictatorship. Authorities detained 240 protesters but expected to release most after confirming their identities, Police Col. Jorge Constanzo said. The protest was organized on the eve of the "Day of the Young Combatant," an annual commemoration of the police killings of young leftist brothers Rafael and Eduardo Vergara on March 29, 1985. The late Gen. Augusto Pinochet ruled the country from 1973-1990. The "Day of the Young Combatant" usually triggers violent nighttime protests both in the center of the capital and in outlying slums. Additional protests were planned for Saturday. The clashes erupted Friday as the demonstrators marched to the heavily guarded presidential palace. Police promptly disbanded the protesters, who quickly regrouped and skirmished with the authorities for two hours while chanting anti-government slogans. President Michelle Bachelet made an appeal to avoid violence during Saturday's scheduled protests. "There is no reason whatsoever for violence," she said. "The best tribute to the two slain brothers is to respect the rules of democracy." \|\|\|\|\| Santiago - Some 240 leftist protestors were arrested Friday in Chile when they tried to demonstrate before the presidential palace in Santiago, the seat of the government of socialist President Michelle Bachelet. The march marked the occasion of the Day of the Young Combatant, which remembers leftist activists killed by the 1973-90 military regime in Chile and which traditionally leads to clashes. The day was set to be formally commemorated Saturday. Most of those arrested were reportedly minors who went to the demonstration from their schools. The protest had been organized by the Patriotic Front Manuel Rodriguez, a leftist paramilitary organization that is now demobilized but which was active during the dictatorship. Police said skirmishes started on Friday morning, when some 300 students blocked traffic on the Alameda, the main avenue in Santiago. The government said it would not tolerate the isolation of broad areas of the city that is usual around the Day of the Young Combatant. \|\|\|\|\| SANTIAGO, March 26 (Reuters) - A bomb exploded at a bank in the Chilean capital on Wednesday, the second attack in 10 days, and authorities blamed anarchists, who hold protests at this time every year.A fire extinguisher containing a homemade explosive charge detonated at the door of a branch of state-run BancoEstado in west Santiago. No one was injured, but a door and windows were damaged."We believe (those responsible) are anarchists," a source at the state prosecutor's office said, asking not to be named. "(The bombs) are part of the propaganda of these groups."On Saturday, anarchists are expected to mark the anniversary of the deaths of two militant brothers during Augusto Pinochet's iron-fisted 1973-1990 rule.There have been numerous bomb threats leading up to Saturday's anniversary, known as the "Day of the Young Combatant," which has become a lightning rod for protests by anti-establishment groups and radicals.Shortly after Wednesday's blast, police evacuated students from a school in the capital after a bomb threat.Last year, groups of students wearing balaclavas clashed with police in the capital and other cities, some throwing stones and molotov cocktails at police, who retaliated with tear gas and water cannon.At least 12 police were wounded in the clashes, and many shops and businesses closed down for the day. Several explosive devices detonated, but no one was injured.Chile's government has vowed to clamp down on radical groups who set off bombs, and extra police will patrol the streets of Santiago on Saturday."We are always on guard, but we won't get caught up in their game," government spokesman Francisco Vidal told reporters. (Reporting by Simon Gardner and Antonio de la Jara)	The protesters tried to march in front of the presidential palace, but it was cordoned off. Around 240 demonstrators in the Chilean capital of Santiago were detained Friday after anti-government protests held against the country's education system and increasingly free market policies. The annual protests, organized by the Revolutionary Left Movement, were held on the eve of the Day of the Youth Combatant. The day commemorates the deaths of Eduardo and Rafael Vergara, brothers who were assassinated on March 29, 1985 under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. The protesters, many of whom were students, reportedly threw rocks into Santiago's main street, prompting squads of riot police to spray tear gas into the crowds. Other protesters marched towards the presidential palace, but it was cordoned off and heavily guarded. Most of the 240 who were detained are expected to be released after their identities are confirmed. In between skirmishes with police, some protesters handed out flyers explaining their views. They say the government has manipulated the education system to favor the rich. "We think this neo-liberal education system that the government has introduced should be stopped," said Saray Acevedo of the National Popular Coordinator of Students. President Michelle Bachelet condemned the protests. "If one wants to pay homage to the tremendous tragedy of the Vergara brothers, during a period when Chile was not democratic, the right thing to do is guarantee that democracy means being able to express yourself but without violence," she said. "Democracy in Chile is solid and there is no justification for violence," Bachelet added. Other Chileans who didn't take part in the demonstrations agree with some of the protesters' views. "There are so many problems," said Rodrigo Núñez, 39. "It is true education is expensive and marginalizes the poor. The cost of living is high. Electricity and gas prices are up. Look at how they protest in Argentina! I voted for this government and feel conned." 2 days before Friday's protests, a bomb exploded in a Santiago bank. Police blamed the attack on "anarchists", and they believe it was connected to the annual protests. Additional protests are planned for Saturday, when the Day of the Youth Combatant will be formally recognized.
You can support quality journalism by turning off ad blocker or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to The Hindu. \|\|\|\|\| INDIAN-BORN doctor Mohamed Haneef was in a secret safe house in Brisbane last night after the case against him dissolved into fiasco, with Australia's chief prosecutor admitting it had been bungled and there was no reasonable prospect of a conviction. Dr Haneef was spirited out of prison hours after the charge against him was dropped and a clearly embarrassed Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said he was seeking legal advice about whether the latest development meant he should reverse his decision to cancel the doctor's visa. As yesterday's extraordinary events unravelled: ■The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, Damien Bugg, could not explain how a prosecutor falsely told a court that Dr Haneef's SIM card was found in a burnt Jeep Cherokee at Glasgow Airport. ■Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said police had done their job professionally and vowed that the investigation into any Australian connection with the British terror attacks would continue. He would not rule out further charges against Dr Haneef. ■Mr Andrews said Dr Haneef could leave prison and live in "residential detention" at his apartment on the Gold Coast or another place of his choosing. ■Mr Andrews said he would seek advice from the Commonwealth Solicitor-General on whether the decision to drop the charge against Dr Haneef had any bearing on his earlier decision to revoke his 457 work visa and deport him. Dr Haneef's wife, Firdous Arshiya, said last night she had thanked God when she learned the charge against her husband had been dropped. "Now I want him to come home as quickly as possible," she said. As immigration lawyers expressed fury about the way Dr Haneef's case had been handled and minor-party politicians demanded that Mr Andrews resign, the Labor Opposition, which until yesterday had supported the Commonwealth's stance, called for an independent inquiry into the affair. Prime Minister John Howard last night sought to distance his Government from the debacle. "The detention of the man was undertaken by the police and not at the request or direction or encouragement of the Government," he said. The latest twists in the saga came after Mr Bugg ordered that a charge of recklessly supplying a mobile SIM card to a terrorist organisation be withdrawn, and that no evidence be offered. Mr Bugg admitted that his office had made a mistake in advising police to charge Dr Haneef and that one of his prosecutors had given a Brisbane court incorrect evidence, possibly because he had been pressed for time. "On my view of the matter, a mistake has been made," Mr Bugg said. "I will now take further steps to inquire as to how that mistake occurred." \|\|\|\|\| AUSTRALIAN Federal Police head Mick Keelty has not ruled out more charges being laid against terror suspect Mahomed Haneef. Speaking at a news conference after the terror charge against Dr Haneef was dropped, Mr Keelty defended his agency's handling of the case, and did not rule out further charges against Haneef. Asked by a journalist whether the case had been a fiasco, Mr Keelty said: ''They are your words, not mine. ''The police investigation has been thorough, I make no apology for that, nor should I in a terrorism investigation in this country. ''We have done our job well in this instance, we have done our job professionally.'' Mr Keelty listed challenges in the investigation, such as the enormity of information that had to be considered and the time difference between the United Kingdom and Australia. "The organisation and the investigation team in particular has worked to a deadline to achieve those ends, and at the same time meeting some of the obligations that we have at an international level to provide some answers back to the UK,'' he said. "So the team has at all time acted professionally.'' Asked if he would rule out further charges, Mr Keelty said: ``The investigation is continuing. "We don't intend to scale down the investigation,'' he said. "Our obligation is to protect the Australian community against any threat of a terrorist event and that is our job. Our job at the moment is to investigate with the UK authorities an attempted terrorist attack within the UK. "Whatever avenues of inquiry that opens up in Australia, we will investigate.'' Mr Keelty would not say whether he wanted Haneef to remain in the country while the AFP investigation continued. "It's a matter for the immigration minister and it's a matter for the attorney-general as to what steps are taken as to whether Dr Haneef remains in the country or whether he leaves,'' he said. "It is also the question of what Dr Haneef wants to do.'' But he said Haneef's arrest and charge could have been avoided had the doctor not tried to return to India. "The steps that we've taken right from day one in terms of detention were initiated as a result of Dr Haneef attempting to leave the country,'' Mr Keelty said. "Had that not occurred, other steps might have followed that would have been quite different.'' Mr Keelty refused to say whether Mr Andrews had more information from the DPP about Dr Haneef. "It's a different standard of test, what the immigration minister applies and what the DPP would apply in terms of a prosecution beyond reasonable doubt before a court,'' he said. AAP \|\|\|\|\| Haneef to reach Bangalore today Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef, who has been cleared of terror-related charge by an Australian court, has left Brisbane and will reach India later today.Haneef, who spent nearly four weeks in custody, is expected to reach Bangalore at 9.30 p.m. today. New Delhi/Bangalore, July 29 : Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef, who has been cleared of terror-related charge by an Australian court, has left Brisbane and will reach India later today.Haneef, who spent nearly four weeks in custody, is expected to reach Bangalore at 9.30 p.m. today. Haneef was accompanied by his lawyer Peter Russo and his cousin Imran Siddiqui when he flew out of Brisbane Airport on Thai Airways flight TG 992. Haneef was released from a Brisbane jail into residential detention on Friday, hours after a charge against him of providing support to a terrorist organisation was dropped. Andrews, who had cancelled Haneef's work visa on July 16 when a Brisbane magistrate granted the doctor bail, said the visa remained cancelled. "After taking advice, including from the Australian Federal Police, I have indicated that the Commonwealth has no objection to Dr Haneef leaving Australia. Indeed, the effect of the visa cancellation is that he should remove himself, he should depart Australia in any event," he said. He said he had acted originally on the information given to him at the time by investigators and was waiting for advice as to whether he could release the protected information on which he had based his original decision to cancel Haneef's visa. Russo has called for immediately reinstating Haneef's visa. He has charged Andrews with being the only person in Australia who still thought Haneef was guilty of something. Russo said Haneef's legal team was disappointed that he was prevented from publicly thanking Australians who supported him during his detention. Dr Haneef had been incarcerated since his arrest at Brisbane airport on July 2 over the foiled bomb attacks in the United Kingdom in late June. Despite the charge being dropped, Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Mick Keelty has said that the investigation was still continuing. ANI November 21, 2008 November 20, 2008 November 19, 2008 November 18, 2008 November 17, 2008 November 16, 2008	Australian prosecutors have dropped charges against Dr Mohamed Haneef, the Indian doctor held in Australia in connection with last month's attack on Glasgow airport. The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Bugg, said on Friday that a review he carried out found that there was insufficient evidence to support the charges of providing material support to terrorism laid against Dr. Haneef and that "embarrassing" mistakes were made. Dr Haneef was released from gaol and into "residential detention" until Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews reviews his earlier decision to cancel Haneef's visa. Mr Bugg said that a prosecutor had told a Brisbane court incorrect information. He said that one of his prosecutors told the court that the SIM card at the centre of the affair was found in a Jeep which was laden with explosives and driven into Glasgow International Airport on June 30. "The first related to the SIM card and was based on a misunderstanding of the facts," Bugg said. "The second related to the residence of Dr. Haneef in the U.K. and was based on incorrect material provided by the AFP." Australian Federal Police chief Mick Kelty denied that the AFP had made any mistakes and said investigations would continue. He refused to rule out laying further charges against Dr Haneef. Australian Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews who previously suspended Dr Haneef's work visa after he was granted bail has said he will review his decision to cancel the visa on character grounds. Mr Andrews said that Haneef had to reside in a place of his choosing and was free to move about the community but had to report to Immigration officials daily by telephone and in person every few days. Speaking last night, Prime Minister John Howard attempted to distance his government from the affair claiming that his government had no control over how the police operate. Australian civil rights groups and political parties have strongly criticised the handling of the investigations. Haneef accompanied by his lawyer Peter Russo and his cousin Imran Siddiqui when he flew out of Brisbane Airport on Thai Airways flight TG 992 to Bangalore, India.
An RAF jet has crash-landed at an airfield in North Wales, police have said. The Hawk plane came down at around 12.25pm at Mona airfield, in Valley, Anglesey. A spokeswoman for North Wales Police said initial reports suggested the pilot had ejected safely from the plane before it crashed. A spokesman for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said four fire engines and two emergency tenders were called to the scene. According to the Mona Flying Club website, RAF Mona acts as the relief landing ground for RAF Valley, and is used by student and instructor pilots to practise flying airfield circuits. RAF Valley is a Royal Air Force station on the island of Anglesey which provides advanced pilot training using the BAE Hawks. Squadron Leader Mark Byrne, a spokesman for RAF Valley, said details of the pilot's injuries were not yet known. He said: "I can confirm that a Hawk aircraft has crashed at RAF Mona, which is a small satellite airfield connected to RAF Valley. "One person was on board but we do not know the extent of the pilot's injuries at this time. "We will not speculate about the cause of the accident as an investigation will be carried out to establish what has happened." © Copyright Press Association Ltd 2007, All Rights Reserved. \|\|\|\|\| The jet broke off into two pieces when it crashed at the airfield. Enlarge Image The pilot ejected during the incident at the Mona airfield involving an RAF Hawk aircraft at 1225 BST. He was the only person on board the two-seater jet and was flown to hospital in Bangor but later discharged. An eye witness said he saw the pilot land in trees and his seat end up in a nearby field. The RAF said it was investigating the cause of the crash. The Hawk was on a routine flight to report on weather conditions in the area when the incident happened. I looked out the bedroom window and saw the pilot was lying in a nearby field Witness Dennis Morris Dennis Morris, 68, who lives near the crash site, told the BBC News website he heard a noise "like a horrendous car crash with the screeching of metal". Mr Morris said he saw the crashed jet broken in two. He added: "I looked out the bedroom window and saw the pilot was lying in a nearby field. "He wasn't moving at all - he appeared to be quite badly injured." Four fire engines and three other vehicles have been deployed to Mona airfield, which is eight miles away from the RAF Valley base, by North Wales Fire and Rescue service. The pilot was discharged after treatment at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor A spokeswoman for North Wales Police said initial reports suggested the pilot had ejected safely from the plane and landed in a field before it crashed. Squadron Leader Mark Byrne, a spokesman for RAF Valley, said details of the pilot's injuries were not yet known. He said: "I can confirm that a Hawk aircraft has crashed at RAF Mona, which is a small satellite airfield connected to RAF Valley. "We will not speculate about the cause of the accident as an investigation will be carried out to establish what has happened."	BAE Hawk, similar to the one that crashed. An RAF Hawk training jet has crashed at Mona Airfield on Anglesey Island in the United Kingdom. The crash occurred at 12:25 p.m. local time. The pilot is reported to have ejected prior to the crash. No injuries are reported at this time. "I can confirm that a Hawk aircraft has crashed at RAF Mona, which is a small satellite airfield connected to RAF Valley. One person was on board but we do not know the extent of the pilot's injuries at this time," said spokesman for RAF Valley, Squadron Leader Mark Byrne. According to the U.K.'s Defense Ministry, the aircraft carries up to two pilots, but only one was on board the plane at the time of the crash. The plane was put into service in 1976 for flying and weapons training. The T1 version of the Hawk is for training pilots in fast flying at an advanced level and the T1A Hawk is designed to train pilots to use weapons at an advanced level. It is also the aircraft used by the Red Arrows RAF display team. Search and rescue personnel are on their way to the scene and an investigation is being launched. The wreckage of the plane is said to be in two pieces. It is not known what caused the crash. "We will not speculate about the cause of the accident as an investigation will be carried out to establish what has happened," added Byrne.
His last novel, unfinished when he died in 2001 at 49, was assembled from his computer hard-drive and published as The Salmon of Doubt in 2002. It is this fish that swam into my stream of thought while watching the movie based on his most famous book. I realise that the original was a BBC radio series broadcast in 1978 and that the book came later, but the movie says "based on the book by", so let's not argue. The Earth might end in 10 minutes, as it does at the start of the series. Adams died of a heart attack while working out in the gym. He had moved from England to Santa Barbara, California, in 1999 and had just completed a second draft of the screenplay, in a development deal with Disney. He had been trying to turn the story into a movie for almost 20 years, which is probably less to do with his legendary difficulty at meeting deadlines than the problems of movie deal-making. He once described this process as like "trying to grill a steak by having a succession of people come into the room and breathe on it". Losing the one person who could really breathe usefully on it may be why the movie is no more than a likeable failure, but I'm not sure even he could have made it work. It's a problem of space and time to some extent, which is at least fitting. What I mean is this: how do you take a thing that was loved for its twisting, meandering rhythms, its failure to really submit to the harsh laws of storytelling, and make it sit up straight and behave for a motion picture? The radio series ran for several hours, without needing much of a story. It was like sitting in a punt on the river at Cambridge - where Adams was born and educated - listening to a very funny, very silly, very bright undergraduate making jokes about the nature of the universe. The point was not to get anywhere, but to imagine an alternative universe where you could power a spacecraft with an Infinite Improbability Drive to take you to a restaurant at the end of the universe. These were comforting, friendly thoughts, invented to assist contemplation of the void. Adams created a utopian comic universe where you could get a drink called a pangalactic gargleblaster and meet interesting creatures with odd names like Zaphod Beeblebrox and Slartibartfast. True, there were some unpleasant species like the Vogons, but nothing as terrifying as the Daleks from Doctor Who. Most of the originals turn up in the movie and they're fashioned with respect, but we're no longer floating down the river. The script, rewritten after Adams's demise by Karey Kirkpatrick (Chicken Run), now has a destination and purpose, because a movie must. Arthur Dent, played well by Martin Freeman (Tim in The Office), wants to get home again to Earth (even though it no longer exists) and to rescue Trillian (Zooey Deschanel), the girl he loves, from the Vogons. Arthur now has more of a hero's journey, as every character written by the Hollywood manual must, even one as timid and English as "Dent Arthur Dent". His friend Ford Prefect, who saves him from destruction, is now a black American, played by Brooklyn rapper Mos Def. Zaphod, president of the galaxy, who has two heads, neither of them functioning, is played by Sam Rockwell, another American. Deschanel is American. This means that Arthur is somewhat surrounded by American accents, which would not matter except that Mos Def can't really act and Rockwell thinks his character is the lead. This is typical of Zaphod, of course, who's a monomaniac, but it's more than that. Rockwell's screen time is greater than his performance warrants, which may mean that it is the result of an executive decision, possibly by Disney, to build up the representation from their side of the pond. The director, Garth Jennings, is a British music video whiz kid, but it's his first feature and he may not be used to swimming with the Disney sharks. I suspect he did not have final control of the casting, because his choice of English actors is much more sensible. Stephen Fry is perfect as the narrator, as is Bill Nighy as Slartibartfast, one of the chaps who builds planets. Alan Rickman voices Marvin the paranoid android, while Helen Mirren voices Deep Thought, the supercomputer who works out the answer to the big question. In each of these performances, there is an inherent understanding that less is more, that parodic satire requires a deadpan delivery. That is an English tradition for an English style of comedy. The American tradition is more zany, more knowing - equally valid in the right context, such as a Mel Brooks movie, but different. Trying to marry the two is a dangerous path. Even John Malkovich, as Humma Kavula, a new character created by Adams for the movie, mugs his way through his brief appearance. \|\|\|\|\| Movie Details The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Cult novel's scattered parts don't always add up onscreen By Ty Burr Boston Globe Published: 04/29/2005 ADVERTISEMENT Don't panic: The long-awaited film adaptation of Douglas Adams's beloved science-fiction cult novel is not the disaster it might have been. There are inspired performances and belly laughs. Adams's tricky tone -- imagine the Pythons rewriting ''Star Wars" -- has made it onto the screen. The answer to life, the universe, and everything is still 42. Yet ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is not the interstellar home run it might have been. Some of the film's most inspired scenes involve an Infinite Improbability Drive, which pops travelers from one side of the universe to the other and briefly transforms their spaceship into a giant apple, or a rubber duck, or a chrysanthemum, before letting it resume its normal state. The movie's like that, too: visually playful and often good fun, it never settles on a convincing narrative shape. Still, it's impossible to dislike a film where the hero, a mild-mannered Englishman named Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman, from the BBC's ''The Office"), traverses the universe in his bathrobe because Earth was destroyed before breakfast. It turns out that while Arthur was fretting about a planned highway bypass running through his house, a Vogon Constructor Fleet is about to put a galactic bypass through the planet as a whole. Earth perishes not with a whimper or a bang, but a soft, silvery whoof. By good chance, Arthur's best friend, Ford Prefect (Mos Def), is an alien researching Earth for the famous Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and so pulls the hapless human into space and onto a Vogon ship. The Vogons look like slimy potato sacks designed by the Henson Creature Shop -- which is pretty much what they are -- and they write poetry bad enough to liquefy a listener's brain. How Arthur and Ford come to travel on the Heart of Gold, a spacecraft commandeered by galactic president and preening idiot Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), will be overly familiar to anyone who has read Adams's 1979 novel and its four sequels in the ''increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Guide Trilogy" or listened to the late-'70s radio series or watched the 1981 BBC miniseries or played the 1984 videogame or read the early-'90s DC comics. Those without a clue may be better off. Adams had the gall to die in 2000 after completing a first draft of the script; Karey Kirkpatrick (''Chicken Run") finished the job and music-video director Garth Jennings shepherded the results to the screen. Which means that while ''Guide" is infused with the profound playfulness of its creator, there's frustratingly little follow-through. The film opens with the transcendent dolphin musical number ''So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish" and shortly thereafter presents us with an all-yarn action sequence. These scenes put a manic grin on your face that slowly and surely fades. But what's good about the film is good indeed. The animated Guide sequences, designed by the London-based design outfit Shynola, are fast, clean, and clever -- just the sort of crisp anarchy Adams relished. The oddball casting by veteran Susie Figgis pays off: I'd never thought of rapper-turned-actor Mos Def as a slapstick comedian, but he gets Prefect's hapless aplomb just about right, and he does a mean double take. Alan Rickman provides the clinically glum voice of Marvin the Depressed Robot, even if that's Warwick Davis running around in the suit, and John Malkovich shows up briefly as a religious leader named Humma Kavula. Jason Schwartzman literally channel-surfs by in one scene. ''Guide" fanatics may be outraged, however, that Zaphod doesn't have two heads, side-by-side, as in the book; instead, they're stacked one atop the other, with the bottom one popping out like a yammering id every so often. (The effect is like having Owen and Luke Wilson in the same body.) The upside is that Rockwell pulls out all the stops as a fatuous galactic leader with half a brain, a down-home accent, and the knowledge that elected presidents are mere political diversions. Any similarity to current world leaders is a matter of your own convictions, but the sting's there if you choose to feel it. Elsewhere, the sting is sadly missing. ''Guide" loses momentum as it boinks from planet to planet, and the romance between Arthur and his fellow earthling Trillian (Zooey Deschanel) is actually allowed to become serious. Perhaps this represents kowtowing toward box-office inevitability, but it also represents kowtowing away from Douglas Adams, who never in his life allowed sentiment to gum up the works. But Deschanel is a sweetie, as always, and there are rich scenes amid the clutter, one involving a ''point-of-view" gun that does just what it says (threatened with it, Deschanel gets off one of the best slow-burning one-liners I've heard in a while). And, startlingly, ''Guide" trips into a moment of honest grandeur when Slartibartfast (a rather hesitant Bill Nighy) gives Arthur a tour of the factory floor where planets are built, and, for an instant, the movie becomes something more than the sum of its amusing, distracted parts. ''Hang the sense of it and keep busy," says Slartibartfast, diffidently offering Arthur his guiding philosophy of life. ''I'd rather be happy than right." Off beyond the edge of the universe, you just may hear Douglas Adams laughing. Ty Burr can be reached at tburr@globe.com. \|\|\|\|\| You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the button on the left will take you through a new improved step-by-step process.	''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' movie based upon the popular book by Douglas Adams has been released. The movie was written by Douglas Adams and Karey Kirkpatrick, and stars Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent, Zooey Deschanel as Trillian, Mos Def as Ford Prefect and Sam Rockwell as Zaphod Beeblebrox.
BALTIMORE – I'll Have Another captured a thrilling Preakness Stakes on Saturday to give him victories in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, with a chance to become the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to win the coveted title when he runs in the Belmont Stakes on June 9. As he did in the Kentucky Derby, I'll Have Another stayed off the pace set by speedy Bodemeister, then roared past him near the finish line to win the 137th running of the Preakness by a neck before a record crowd of 121,309 at sun-splashed Pimlico Race Course. "I can't even put it into words, it's just incredible," said I'll Have Another's affable trainer Doug O'Neill. "I'm numb. I could see him and felt like he was coming, but you never want to expect that he's going to be in front. It seems like the stretch never ends. Thank God. Usually you want it to end. "(Jockey) Mario (Gutierrez) was so patient. We're thinking Triple Crown, baby. Come on, why not." I'll Have Another has not lost in four races under Gutierrez. "More than anything, I'm glad I didn't disappoint people," said the humble but confident 25-year-old jockey from Veracruz, Mexico. "Like I say, it's not about me. It's about the horse. From Day 1, I've believed in him. I'm so happy for him because he's just a great horse. "We wanted to be a little closer to Bodemeister this time because normally that horse runs a huge race. My horse has a tremendous kick in the end." Mike Smith, the jockey aboard the tenacious Bodemeister, the 3-2 favorite coming into the race, had only praise for the winner, whose odds were 3-1 at post time. "I thought I put (I'll Have Another) away but he reached up and got us with three strides," Smith said. "Two great horses and I give them all the credit for what they did." The son of Flower Alley, who was purchased for just $35,000, became the first horse since Big Brown in 2008 to win the first two legs of horse racing's biggest prize. The winner of the 13/16-mile race earned $600,000 of the $1 million purse. His time was 1:55.90, and he returned $4.80 to win. "Today, with a reasonable pace, he didn't have trouble, but he was wide in the first turn," owner J. Paul Reddam said of his suddenly celebrated horse. "He showed he's the real deal. He's a real race horse. He gutted it out. The other horse (Bodemeister) was not stopping. He ran a bang-up race, and to come and catch him, how can you criticize him, really. "The horse has done everything that we have asked of him this year, and he hasn't had the most respect. He's never been favored." Bob Baffert, winner of five Preakness Stakes and trainer of Bodemeister, said I'll Have Another's win is good for the sport and good for the Belmont. "The winner's a good horse," Baffert said. "He'll get the respect now that he deserves. I'm proud that as a trainer my horse showed up and he ran his race. He just got beat." Baffert said he will not send Bodemeister to the Belmont Stakes. "I wasn't going to go, win lose or draw," he said. "I've run him pretty hard." Dennis O'Neill, Doug's brother and assistant trainer, said they will take their Preakness winner to Belmont in the next few days. "We'll get him up there and get him across the track, and then Doug and I will probably go home for four or five days and let this sink in," he said. "Then we'll go back to New York the end of next week," he said. "That's the tentative plan." I'll Have Another became just the fourth horse to win the Preakness from the No. 9 post, and first since Funny Cide in 2003. Bodemeister, running for the sixth time this year, was second and Creative Cause, who had beaten both the winner and runnerup in previous races, was third. The betting handle of $80,463,005, was the sixth highest of all time for the Preakness. Tom Chuckas, president of the Maryland Jockey Club, which puts on the event, said he was happy with the race-day turnout, especially in the packed infield, and considering the weather was about as optimal as it gets, with sunny skies, low humidity and temperatures around 80 degrees. "The numbers say it all, we had a tremendous event," Chuckas said. "We knew in 2009 when we changed the landscape of the infield it would take three or four years to get where we needed to get, and we are back." \|\|\|\|\| BALTIMORE — Love the horse. Love I’ll Have Another the way jockey Mario Gutierrez loves him. Sure, the colt has changed the young rider’s life, brought him out of the morning shadows of Santa Anita Park, where he worked horses for trainers who did not care to know his name, and into America’s living rooms for the first two legs of the Triple Crown . I’ll Have Another has given Gutierrez the ride of his young life, but sitting in the saddle, still out of breath, after he and his colt ran down Bodemeister in the final strides of the 137th Preakness Stakes on Saturday, he wanted everyone to know he had little to do with the improbable last two weeks. He wanted them to know what Gutierrez knew the first time he climbed on I’ll Have Another’s back. What he knew before he won the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago at Churchill Downs. He wanted them to know what every good rider knows no matter if he is a bush track jockey like him from the backwoods of Canada’s Hastings Racecourse or a Hall of Famer like Mike Smith, who was aboard Bodemeister: you know a transcendent horse when you get on him. “He’s just a great horse,” Gutierrez, 25, said. “I believe in him because I’m on him.” Now there are a great many people who believe in I’ll Have Another, starting with the 121,309 here Saturday who watched as he made up nearly four lengths in the stretch to collar Bodemeister at the wire and win by a neck. It was how the colt did it that was remarkable — legs reaching and clawing with every stride, Gutierrez in rhythm atop him like a beating heart. The colt is scheduled to head up Interstate 95 in the morning to Belmont Park, where he will try to become the 12th horse to sweep the Triple Crown, horse racing’s holy grail, and the first one since Affirmed did so in 1978. Eleven horses in the last 34 years have pulled into Belmont Park with a shot to win the crown — the last was Big Brown in 2008. They all failed, but Gutierrez wants all to believe that I’ll Have Another is different. The colt is 4 for 4 this year — all in stakes races and in none was he the favorite. I’ll Have Another was not the betting public’s choice here Saturday, either. Smith and Bodemeister were sent off at odds of nearly 2-1 on the strength of a courageous run in the Derby, where Bodemeister led the field through wicked fractions but was caught in deep stretch by I’ll Have Another. Gutierrez and his colt were granted generous 3-1 odds on the notion that the kid rider had gotten a perfect trip in a crowded field at Churchill Downs. Not here, not now, was history going to repeat itself. Bodemeister was the lone speed horse. He wouldn’t have to go so fast. Gutierrez would have to use his smarts rather than his soft hands to earn his trip to New York. As Smith and Bodemeister bounded out to an easy lead under leisurely fractions of 1 minute 11.72 seconds for six furlongs, Gutierrez didn’t look too smart. He was spotting Bodemeister too many lengths — or at least that was what Smith thought. “I had slowed down the pace and had plenty of horse,” Smith said. Even I’ll Have Another’s trainer, Doug O’Neill, was worried. “I was concerned, but Mario was keeping him in the clear,” he said. As Bodemeister led the field of 11 into the far turn, Gutierrez and his colt cut inside and got behind Creative Cause, who had been tracking in second place. Still, Bodemeister’s trainer, Bob Baffert, was not worried. He thought Smith was sitting on a monster. “I felt really good where he was,” Baffert said of Bodemeister. “It looked like he was traveling nicely.” In an instant, Gutierrez dropped his reins and put his head down to urge on his colt. I’ll Have Another rounded the turn as if fired from a slingshot. When horse and rider hit the quarter pole, I’ll Have Another squared his shoulders and took aim at Bodemeister, who was gliding down the stretch as if on a conveyor belt. Atop I’ll Have Another, Gutierrez knew something extraordinary was about to happen. He was flush with the feeling that he was merely a passenger on a winged horse. “No one put him in this race,” he said with a mix of appreciation and disbelief. “He put himself into the race.” In the stretch, I’ll Have Another was unleashing one ground-gobbling stride after another. The distance between him and Bodemeister was narrowing in a hurry. “I knew we were going to be in a dogfight,” the colt’s owner, Paul Reddam, said. Gutierrez was not worried at all. “He has a tremendous kick,” he said. “He’s more smarter than I am, so he just wait for me until I ask him.” The no-name jockey asked. The great horse answered. I’ll Have Another reached Bodemeister’s throat latch two strides before the wire. He was by him on the next one. The numbers are impressive, but soulless. I’ll Have Another covered the mile and three-sixteenths in 1:55.94 and earned Reddam a $600,000 first-place check, pushing the colt’s career earnings past $2.6 million. A bettor who loved I’ll Have Another as much as Gutierrez was rewarded $8.40 for a $2 bet. But the jockey understood who really earned their trip to New York and a shot at the elusive crown. “This is not about me,” Gutierrez said. For two minutes at least, it was not about O’Neill, the trainer with a long list of drug violations who had run afoul of regulators in four states and earned stern words from the Humane Society over the weekend. No, Gutierrez wanted people to appreciate the gift that had been given to him as much as he does. He loves his horse. He wants everyone else to love him as well. “He’s an amazing horse,” he said again. Believe him.	On the 138th running of The Kentucky Derby,I'll Have Another (Horse #19), did just that. He rounded the final turn and into the straight stretch to come from behind and cross the finish line, to win. The placement for first and second place at the 2012 Preakness Stakes could have been a replay of the earlier this month as '''''' came in first with '''''' behind in second. In this race, Creative Cause finished third. By winning the Kentucky Derby and the 137th Preakness Stakes, '''I'll Have Another''' has a chance at winning the US of thoroughbred horse racing. The final race '''I'll Have Another''' would have to win is the , which will be held on June 9. '''I'll Have Another''' was not favored to win the Preakness Stakes and his odds were set at 3-1. '''Bodemeister''', who was the favorite at 2-1 odds, was the speed horse again as he led the field for most of the race just as he did at the Kentucky Derby. This time, '''Creative Cause''' was following close behind in second by the time the field of horses reached the far turn. Just as in the Kentucky Derby, '''I'll Have Another''' pushed faster in the final leg of the race. However, the Preakness Stakes finish was closer with '''I'll Have Another''' squeezing by the pacesetter at the very end to win the race in 1:56.9. Mexican jockey has won his last four races with '''I'll Have Another'''. He gave '''I'll Have Another''' the credit for the finish, "No one put him in this race. He put himself into the race," he said. Gutierrez said all he had to do was signal to the horse that it was time to challenge '''Bodemeister''' and the horse did the rest. The winning horse is owned by financier and trained by . The in , Maryland was filled with a crowd of 121,309 to watch the Triple Crown hopeful. The last horse to win the Triple Crown was in 1978. '''THE HORSES''' According to the official Pimlico website, the horses that competed this year in the Preakness Stakes by starting position include: 1. '''Tiger Walk''' is owned by , trained by Ignacio Correas IV, and was ridden by . 2. '''Teeth of the Dog''' is owned by J.W. Singer. The thoroughbred is trained by and the jockey was . 3. '''Pretension''' was the winner of the 2012 . The horse is owned by Kidwells Petite Stable, trained by Christopher W. Grove, and was raced by Javier Santiago. 4. '''Zetterholm''' is owned by Winter Park Partners, trained by , and ridden by Junior Alvarado. 5. '''Went The Day Well''' is owned by and is trained by . His jockey was . This team won last year's Kentucky Derby race with , and they took Went The Day Well to the 2012 Kentucky Derby. 6. '''Creative Cause''' is owned by Heinz Steinmann and trained by Mike Harrington. His jockey was be . Creative Cause was part of the field at the Kentucky Derby, too. 7. '''Bodemeister''', winner of the at Oaklawn Park, is trained by . He is owned by and his jockey was . 8. '''Daddy Nose Best''' was the winner of the at Sunland Park and the at Golden Gate and raced in the 2012 Kentucky Derby. He is owned by Cathy and Bob Zollars, trained by . His jockey was . 9. '''I'll Have Another''' was the winner of the Kentucky Derby at . He is owned by financier J. Paul Reddam, trained by Doug O'Neill and ridden by jockey Mario Gutierrez. 10. '''Optimizer''' is trained by , owned by tobacconist of Bluegrass Hall LLC and ridden by . This horse raced also raced in the Kentucky Derby. 11. '''Cozzetti''' is trained by and was raced by The horse is owned by Albaugh Family Stables.
Bangkok, 01 November, (Asiantribune.com): Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Phone in speech today is expected to create a furore in Thailand. In the meantime newspaper reports reveal that Thakshin has changed his plan of phone in speech to a pre-recorded message to tens of thousands of his supporters expected to show up today at Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium. Previously, Thaksin planned to phone in from overseas for a live speech to his audience. However, this was reportedly cancelled out of fear of worsening the political situation. Despite reports to the contrary, People Power Party MP and event organizer Jatuporn Prompan said Thaksin's phone-in plans remained unchanged and he would address his supporters at 8pm today. "Thaksin is free to speak out and will not be restricted by topics and time constraints," Jatuporn said. Veera Musikapong, one of the major organisers of today’s gathering and staunch supporter of Thaksin, said he expected about 100,000 people would attend the gathering which is aimed at "demanding democracy by peaceful means." Thailand’s Army chief General Anupong Paochinda has ordered close monitoring of the situation with the aim of preventing the opposing factions from clashing, said Army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnoed. On concerns by military chiefs that Thaksin's telephone call could rapidly deteriorate Thailand's political crisis Saturday, Veera said he personally believed Thailand could become more democratic. The Supreme Court earlier this month sentenced Thaksin to two years imprisonment for violating the anti-corruption law over his wife Pojaman's purchase of land in Bangkok from the Bank of Thailand's Financial Institutions Development Fund. Mrs. Pojaman was earlier sentenced to three years in jail in another tax evasion case. Supreme Court president Virat Limvichai expressed concern at the planned phone-in by Thaksin, saying that the convicted prime minister would face a maximum imprisonment of seven years or a fine of Bt14,000 or both in absentia if Thaksin made the speech considered as contempt of the Thai judicial system. Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the opposition Democrat Party, said that the current political problems in Thailand could ease if Thaksin accepted his guilt and the court's verdict. - Asian Tribune - \|\|\|\|\| Posted Wed, 02 Mar 2016 13:10:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe lists for leading nations in annual growth dont often include Central Asia. The slow but steady investment in private enterprise and international partnerships with aid have brought some environmental improvements and greater water security in the dry, extreme climates found in the region. Posted Tue, 01 Mar 2016 12:37:01 GMT by Dave ArmstrongSolar or biofuel? Well, we know which plane will get you there quicker at the moment. Posted Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:59:00 GMT by Paul RobinsonPlants such as Rafflesia spp. are closest to the Euphorbias, but literally stand out as amazing examples of evolution to attract insects for pollination and mammals for dispersal. We take off our hats, and place it round our noses to a plant that parasitizes and almost paralyses us, and perpetually pleases flies!!! Posted Wed, 24 Feb 2016 09:25:34 GMT by Dave ArmstrongWe have a record for being obsessed with camouflage in the sea or on land. The incredible lengths that species will go to (evolve) in order to resemble an object that is either dangerous or inedible. The name is mimicry (Batesian or otherwise) and the game here is masquerade. Posted Mon, 22 Feb 2016 11:20:00 GMT by JW DoweyWhy do we allow the rainforest to die? How can we possibly encourage the regeneration of large stretches of the habitat needed for organisms large and small? Posted Sat, 20 Feb 2016 10:50:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongAn important step for many countries now is relieving the strain on health services from the heavy but invisible pollution, not only from our cars but actually drawn into our vehicles. Posted Thu, 18 Feb 2016 11:42:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe revealing of the oceans wealth probably postdates the almost-total human exploitation of perhaps our most valuable resource. Here is an important indication that wealth remains deep below our puny explorations. The hope must be that it can be preserved or conserved and not canned. Posted Tue, 16 Feb 2016 10:00:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe genome is already possibly the most useful tool in fighting disease, enabling conservation, and improving our scientific efficiency all round. Here the most ancient organisms are investigated and found absolutely amazing, if just a little small and hard-to-get! Posted Mon, 15 Feb 2016 09:20:26 GMT by Paul RobinsonIt is impossible to judge exactly how global warming will affect all of us. This includes remote populations of plants and animals, many of which could be important in predicting how climate is changing. We now know just how complex the rainfall, the temperatures, the sea ice and the desertification can become. Posted Tue, 09 Feb 2016 10:47:50 GMT by JW DoweyHow do we evaluate modern humans in their approach to high fidelity learning. We are barely adequate in evaluating teaching, so maybe it is about time we looked more closely at how children really learn. The so-called professionals, from areas that are barely concerned, have failed to agree for generations, even on defining true teaching, instruction, coaching or mentoring properly. That leaves the field wide open for novel or ingenuous suggestions about early (or even late) learning and the teaching that successfully provides it. Posted Fri, 05 Feb 2016 10:50:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe joy of mutualism is in forever finding new connections although in this case, we should have listened to the seers at least as long ago as 1653. Many crows and their relatives hoard food n activity known as scatter-hoarding. Even the giant of the family, the raven, has been recorded as encouraging the limited tree growth in isolated patches of almost-Arctic Shetland. No wonder the Norse regarded the species as among the gods. Posted Wed, 03 Feb 2016 10:50:01 GMT by Dave ArmstrongMore important than food, if you are not starving; more important than children, if you are currently without; the sustainability of civilisation from the ancients to the International Space Station, is connected to waste and recycling, whether it is water or solid obstructions. Here is a compendium of current problems caused by yours truly in his or her own home. Posted Mon, 01 Feb 2016 09:08:19 GMT by JW DoweyThe world's water problems do not simply include the Aral Sea and this Bolivian lake. Whole states and nations are suffering from droughts that go unnoticed internationally. If we can alleviate the suffering of people and renovate some of the environmental conditions, then these neglected regions could achieve some of their former glory. In this case, ancient civilisations thrived in these high, inhospitable mountains, while we fail to maintain even a potable supply of water. Posted Wed, 27 Jan 2016 21:09:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe distribution of animals and plants can be absolutely fascinating. While fossils may not interest everybody, the mammals that occupy our earth currently give us a wealth of information. This concerns climate and geological change, as their ancestors, and those who didnt make it, show us the details of the climate changes that concern us very deeply at this moment in time. Posted Mon, 25 Jan 2016 18:00:00 GMT by JW DoweyAs Parisand April promises yet further promises, how are the pollution and carbon footprints decreasing over some of the major players in world climate change? Posted Fri, 22 Jan 2016 12:11:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongWhether we eat vegetables or meat, tofu or McDonalds, the basis of human and animal ingestion is the producers. These are the plants that are eaten by us all, in all their incredible varieties, providing food and drink to every living thing on the planet. Wouldnt it be a good idea to safeguard all the variety for our future needs. You bet your fat bottom! Now Norway and Germany are leading the way, along with 137 other nations to conserve what we have, in case we havent much left in 2017. Posted Wed, 20 Jan 2016 01:00:00 GMT by JW DoweyMost recent among a mass of work appearing on dolphin and whale society alongside the equivalent in birds and primates, among many others, the language of sperm whales could well be translated soon as a fascinating set of clan chats. Posted Sun, 17 Jan 2016 15:57:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongWhatever you think of deadbeat species or lost causes, the kakapo certainly isnt one of them. This year may see an upturn in their fortunes finally after years of dedicated effort on New Zealands islands in the cold, unfruitful and uninspiring situations we have placed this bird in. Posted Tue, 12 Jan 2016 12:36:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongYou wouldnt want to meet up with the common puff adder. This African species is not only visually camouflaged but your dog (or even a mongoose) would find it more or lesstoo. Posted Mon, 11 Jan 2016 10:50:00 GMT by Paul RobinsonWe rarely see political releases of information about pollution in most countries. Here is Australia becoming more transparent about chemicals and in particular herbicides. Now we need such honesty from dam builders, light polluters and, of course, the major climate changers. 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. \|\|\|\|\| PHOTO GALLERY Pro-Thaksin rally Tens of thousands of supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra gather at the Rajamangala Stadium to show support for the ousted leader Saturday, leading to concern of violence. Following are some of their pictures. The supporters wait outside the main Rajamangala stadium. Police check vehciles, which enter the Hua Mak stadium compound, where the Rajamangala Stadium is located. Thaksin's supporters ares seated inside the Rajamangala Stadium. The supporters wait outside the Rajamangala Stadium. Well-wishers of the ousted prime minister write messages for him. A fan posts for photo with picture of the former prime minister. Inside the stadium. Supporters wait in Hua Mak compound outside the Rajamangala Stadium. \|\|\|\|\| Protesters want Thaksin to be sent back to face justice in Thailand Thousands of anti-government protesters in Thailand have been rallying outside the British embassy to press for the extradition of Thaksin Shinawatra. The former prime minister was convicted in absentia last week of violating conflict of interest rules. Tension between pro and anti-government groups has been heightened by a grenade attack on Thursday morning, targeting guards for the anti-government camp. Correspondents say the violence highlights the stark political divide. Protesters' anger Early on Thursday, two attacks took place on anti-government targets. An explosive was lobbed into the garden of a senior judge, and a grenade was thrown at a group of men guarding the encampment of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). Police say about 10 people were injured in the blast. The PAD has been occupying the main government offices for more than two months, with the aim of toppling the administration led by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. Protesters say Thaksin is the real power behind the government They claim Mr Somchai is a proxy for Thaksin, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and now lives in the UK. Pro-government groups are promising to bring thousands of their own supporters in from the countryside this weekend in a show of strength. But according to the BBC's correspondent in Bangkok, Jonathan Head, on Thursday the streets belonged to the PAD, who gathered outside the British embassy. They are demanding that the UK government extradite Thaksin, who was sentenced to two years in prison for violating conflict of interest rules last week, and still faces several other charges. However his conviction may not be covered by extradition agreements between the two countries, and Thaksin argues that he cannot get a fair trial in Thailand because, he says, the judiciary is sympathetic to the opposition. Correspondents say there still seems to be little appetite for compromise in a conflict which is now taking on dangerous regional characteristics. The government has just announced it will move the site of next month's South East Asian summit from Bangkok, which it is no longer confident of securing, to Chiang Mai in the north, where support for Thaksin is still strong. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version	Rajamangala National Stadium Around 1,500 police have been deployed to monitor and manage a mass pro-government rally in Thailand's Rajamangala Stadium. Another 2,000 officers are on standby in case of trouble following the rally. The event's highlight is expected to be a telephone address by ousted and now-fugitive ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Dressed in red shirts, busloads of supporters of the former premier have been arriving in Bangkok all day. The rally has started several hours ahead of schedule and so far the "Truth Today" event has been peaceful and good-natured. It is expected that the rally will be broadcast as a political talk show during prime time, the event is billed as being pro-democracy and a counter to the ongoing protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) who seek to have the current government removed due to claims of influence by Thaksin. The country's current Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat is Thaksin's brother-in-law and stands accused of being a proxy for the now-outlawed Thai Rak Thai party. According to the event's organiser, Jatuporn Prompan, an MP with the People Power Party, Thaksin will speak at 8pm local time and, "is free to speak out and will not be restricted by topics and time constraints". Concern that the speech may exacerbate the country's current political crisis has led to army chief, General Anupong Paochinda, ordering that the event be closely monitored. Thailand's military have previously given assurances that there will not be a repeat of the bloodless 2006 coup which deposed Thaksin and his populist government. Thai authorities are currently drawing up extradition paperwork for Thaksin following him being found guilty by a division of the Supreme Court of abuse of his powers over a land deal where his wife bought prime real estate in Bangkok. The court is expected to review Thaksin's broadcast message; should the content of his message to supporters be found as contempt of court an additional seven year jail term could be added to the two year sentence already handed down. Earlier in the week anti-government protesters picketed the British embassy in Bangkok calling for Thaksin's extradition. It is expected he would fight this and has already claimed he cannot get a fair trial in Thailand. He alleges the country's judiciary is sympathetic to the opposition. Tensions continue to increase in the months-long dispute. Thursday saw two attacks on anti-government parties take place. Security staff for the PAD protest outside Government House were attacked with a grenade and another explosive device was thrown into the garden of a senior member of the judiciary. According to Thai police the attack on PAD supporters injured ten. Armed forces reinforcements are on standby for the end of today's "Truth Today" rally. With the national stadium able to hold 100,000 there is concern over what will happen when the event ends at 10pm. Bangkok police commander, Suchart Muankaew expressed concern saying, "anything could happen".
Accounts differ on how the Russian raid led to the rebel leader's death But spokesmen for the leader, killed in a raid on Tuesday, said the struggle against Russian rule would continue. It is unclear if the killing will boost Russia's grip in Chechnya, experts say. Moscow had blamed Maskhadov for being involved in a string of deadly attacks, including the Beslan school siege. Maskhadov had denied the claims. Maskhadov, who was elected president of Chechnya in 1997, was seen as the most moderate of Chechnya's rebel leaders, analysts say. QUICK GUIDE The Chechen conflict On Wednesday, radical Chechen leader Shamil Basayev - who claimed responsibility for the Beslan attack and also the theatre siege in Moscow in 2002 - vowed that the fight against Russia would go on. "Mujahideen [fighters] come and go. Those who fought for Maskhadov can rest," a statement attributed to Mr Basayev and posted on the Chechen rebel Kavkaz Center website said. "For those who fight for Allah, the jihad [holy war] continues," the statement said. Mr Basayev - alongside with another field commander Doku Umarov - are seen as possible candidates to succeed Maskhadov. A Russian military commander in Chechnya formally identified Maskhadov's body on Wednesday, the Itar-Tass news agency reported. According to officials quoted by another Russian news agency, Interfax, the body would be buried in an unmarked grave rather than returned to relatives. 'Strategy beheaded' Maskhadov was killed in a special operation by Russia's security services in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt near the regional capital, Grozny. Accounts differ on how he died: the Russian military claims he was killed by a grenade flung into his underground bunker after he refused to surrender but a Chechen politician said he had been shot dead accidentally by one of his own bodyguards. Vladimir Vasilyev, chairman of the security committee of the Russian parliament, or Duma, said the killing would put Chechen militants on the back foot. "It creates a situation whereby it is not terrorist acts they are thinking about, but survival," he said. Nataliya Narochnitskaya, from the Duma's committee of international affairs, told BBC News that the "terrorist strategy" in Chechnya had been "beheaded". She dismissed suggestions that Maskhadov was a moderate who could have partnered Russia in negotiations. "I don't know any case in the world history of terrorism that any political demands were ever the topic of negotiations with terrorists," she said. The EU has urged Russia to work towards a peaceful solution to the Chechen conflict while respecting human rights. Urging caution An envoy for Maskhadov in London, Akhmed Zakayev, said earlier a successor would be chosen within days. Unlike Maskhadov, both Shamil Basayev and Doku Umarov have been opposed to talks with the Kremlin. The BBC's Sarah Rainsford says Moscow is celebrating a major coup but some others are urging caution. Maskhadov, she says, was widely seen as someone Moscow could negotiate peace with if it chose. \|\|\|\|\| Page Unavailable The page you've requested either does not exist or is currently unavailable. You may use the "Back" button on your browser to return to the previous page, visit the ABCNews.com Home Page, or view the Site Map. You can also search our site by using the search form below. If you require further assistance, please contact us. \|\|\|\|\| advertisement Maskhadov's Son Vows to Continue Dad's Chechen Work BAKU, Azerbaijan (Reuters) - The son of slain Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov promised Wednesday to carry on his father's fight for the region's independence from Russia. "I will continue my father's work. I have been in touch with his associates who are living abroad," Anzor Maskhadov, 29, told Reuters at his home in the Azeri capital, Baku. Maskhadov was killed by Russian forces Tuesday in a village north of the Chechen capital Grozny. Russian security officials suggested he was killed by a grenade thrown into a reinforced underground bunker where he was holed up. Anzor branded his father's killing a "terrorist act" planned by federal authorities. "They wanted to take Maskhadov alive. In order to avoid casualties, he let his bodyguards go and took them on single-handedly," he said. "He of course, like any self-respecting Chechen, had no intention of giving himself up." A green, red and white Chechen flag hung on the wall behind Anzor as he spoke in his home in Azerbaijan's capital Baku where he, his sister Fatima and mother Kusama were holding a three-day memorial service. Anzor brushed off suggestions that with Maskhadov gone, the Chechen separatist movement was as good as dead, instead he reinforced analysts' fears the violence could get worse. He said the rebels would show the same resolve they had done after the killing of Chechnya's first rebel leader Dzhokhar Dudayev in 1996. "When Dzhokhar Dudayev was killed, the Chechen people united, their hatred of the Russians and determination to fight only increased. I think the same thing will happen in this case. Our fight will continue." Maskhadov's London-based envoy Akhmed Zakayev has said a new leader could be named within days. Feared warlord Shamil Basayev, responsible for some of the worst acts of violence in Russia, topped some analysts' lists of possible successors. Basayev claimed responsibility for last year's Beslan school siege that killed at least 330 people. Russian authorities accused Maskhadov of masterminding the attack, but he repeatedly denied the charge.	After the recent killing of Chechen rebel leader , it was not clear who would take his place. His son Anzor Maskhadov, aged 29, has quickly emerged as the most likely candidate to carry on his father's work. Speaking at his home in , Azerbaijan, Mr. Maskhadov told the Reuters news agency ''"I will continue my father's work. I have been in touch with his associates who are living abroad."'' He went on to describe the killing of his father as a ''"terrorist act"'' planned by the Russian authorities. The Chechnya area of Russia has effectively been at war with Russia for much of the past decade: pro-independence guerrilla groups are faced by Russian regular army and special police forces. Numerous crimes against civilians and human rights infringement incidents reported in the area, involving both Russian army and rebel groups. Late President Maskhadov was considered a moderate pro-independence Chechen leader, in contrast with . He made numerous negotiations offers, all of them left unanswered by the . With Russian forces nominally controlling most of the Chechnya, his ability to control Chechen warlords was being questioned, though he reportedly managed to maintain lateral cease-fire in most parts of Chechnya shortly before his death. Maskhadov was the last publicly elected leader of the self-proclaimed Republic of Ichkeria. It's first elected president, was killed in the sophisticated special forces operation of Russia's FSB in the 1990s. Russian state run-media and MPs hailed the killing of Mr. Maskhadov — many believing his rebels were responsible for the and the in 2004. Russian government took the hard-line position against Chechen rebels, denying any negotiations with the rebels after hostage takings and bomb explosions in Moscow (), downed airliners, hostage taking in and other terrorist acts attributed to Chechen rebel groups. In many cases, Chechen groups claimed responsibility for these acts. Maskhadov denied any involvement in terrorist acts. According to Russian government's point of view, the war in Chechnya is merely a 'counter-terrorist operation' with an objective to 'restore the constitutional order'.
advertisement UPDATE 3-Canada's Jetsgo grounds jets, strands thousands (Adds court filing, Ottawa, WestJet reaction, updates stock prices) By Robert Melnbardis MONTREAL, March 11 (Reuters) - Discount airline Jetsgo grounded its fleet and obtained court protection from creditors on Friday, stranding 17,000 passengers during the March break school holidays, one of the busiest travel periods of the year in Canada. In a court affidavit, Montreal-based Jetsgo, which has 1,200 employees and is the country's third-largest airline, said it lost about C$55 million ($49 million) over the past 8 months, on top of a C$9.6 million loss in the year to June 27, 2004. Jetsgo said it had a negative net worth of about C$19 million and its business was no longer viable because air fares were well below cost. The privately held company was already under scrutiny from Canadian regulators because of safety and operational concerns -- Transport Canada this week gave the airline 30 days to rectify problems. In February it had restricted the airline to flying no higher than 28,000 feet, which adds to fuel costs. "They'd grown too fast and it was putting strains on senior management," said a spokeswoman for the transport department. Jetsgo, which began flying in mid 2002 and immediately launched a domestic fare war, said it decided to ground its fleet of 29 jets because it could not ensure reliable operations, even to repatriate stranded passengers. Jetsgo's woes, which it blamed in large part on a "coordinated attack" on its business by no-frills carrier WestJet Airlines Ltd. (WJA.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) , electrified the shares of its Canadian airline rivals. WestJet shares surged 50 percent before settling on Friday afternoon at C$15.45, up C$4.28 or 38 percent. Shares of ACE Aviation Holdings Inc. (ACErv.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) , the parent of Air Canada, the country's dominant airline, were up C$3.62 or 11 percent at C$35.87. Analysts said the grounding of Jetsgo, which accounted for about 10 percent of the Canadian domestic airline market, would mainly benefit Calgary-based WestJet. Jetsgo had recently made incursions into WestJet's western Canada stronghold. "We view the demise of Jetsgo as a positive for WestJet and think the shares will respond accordingly," said Merrill Lynch analyst Michael Linenberg in a research report that raised his rating on WestJet stock to "buy" from "neutral." WESTJET CEO EXPECTED JETSGO DEMISE Clive Beddoe, chief executive of WestJet, said he had been expecting the demise of Jetsgo, which is owned and operated by Montreal businessman Michel Leblanc. "Mr. Leblanc told me to my face that what he was going to do was undercut every fare we had until he filled his airplanes," Beddoe told reporters in Calgary. "Well, I hate to say that that's not a very good business model that works." At Jetsgo's two key hubs in Toronto and Montreal, its kiosks and counters were abandoned. "Where are the executives? They should be here to explain. They should be accountable," said Toronto traveler Craig Baumgartner, who was on his way to New Brunswick. Jetsgo's Web site, through which it booked most of its ticket sales, took reservations as late as Thursday night. It was not working on Friday. In a statement, Leblanc, who has founded or operated three other now defunct airlines in Canada, advised passengers to contact their travel agent or an alternative airline. The Consumers' Association of Canada said the government had failed to protect those who bought tickets on the airline. "Jetsgo couldn't have picked a better time for themselves to pull the plug -- at the start of one of the busiest travel periods when they have received funds from all of those people who will receive nothing in return except disappointment, frayed nerves and more expense," said association vice-president Mel Fruitman. Mastercard and VISA promised to reimburse cardholders who purchased Jetsgo tickets but were unable to fly. Air Canada said it was deploying larger aircraft on a number of domestic flights. WestJet offered stranded Jetsgo passengers special lower-priced fares and said it would delay plans to retire 18 older aircraft. (Additional reporting by Randall Palmer in Ottawa, Jeff Jones in Calgary, Blaise Robinson and Stefanie Kranjec in Toronto) ($1=$1.20 Canadian) Printer Friendly \| Email Article \| Purchase for Reprint \|\|\|\|\| Why did this happen? Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.	Jetsgo, Canada's third largest airline, has ceased all operations because of spiralling oil prices and a federal safety investigation. The low-cost carrier had been expanding rapidly in recent months, having added four new routes in December alone. However, the sharp increase in oil prices has forced the airline to ground all flights. The airline, which has 1,200 employees and 29 planes, lost C$55 million (US$49 million) in the past 8 months alone. The move has stranded over 17,000 passengers across its routes. A spokesperson from Canada's transport department commented, "They'd grown too fast and it was putting strains on senior management." No arrangements were made with Air Canada or other airlines to take care of their customers. The Air Canada web site stated that "no arrangements were made by Jetsgo that would enable Air Canada to accept Jetsgo tickets."
RAAM champion Robic killed in traffic accident JESENICE, Slovenia -- Jure Robic, five-time champion of the Race Across America, died of injuries suffered in a traffic accident in his native country Friday afternoon. Robic, 45, won the solo men's of RAAM a record five times between 2004 and this past summer. He was in second place in the 2009 race when he dropped out to protest time penalties he felt he received unfairly. That decision cost him a chance to win the event an unprecedented four consecutive years. RAAM passes through the area each year with an official time station in Fort Scott that is manned by local biking enthusiasts. The course passes through Nevada on its way to the next time station in Collins, Mo. According to a report posted on cyclingnews.com, Robic was descending a narrow mountain road on his bicycle when he collided head on with a car driven by a local 55-year-old man while rounding a curve. Robic was on a training ride in preparation for a race in Australia. In addition to his RAAM victories, Robic also set the 24-hour road world record, won Le Tour Direct two consecutive times and won the DOS, the race across Slovenia, three consecutive times. Robic achieved over 100 victories and 150 podium appearances throughout his cycling career. According to VeloNews' website, the cause of the accident is still under investigation. \|\|\|\|\| Jure Robic at the 2009 Crocodile Trophy mountain bike race in Australia. 5-time RAAM winner collides with car Jure Robic, five-time winner of the Race Across America, was killed on Friday following a collision with a car near his home in Jesenice, Slovenia. Initial police reports state Robic, while descending a narrow mountain road in Plavski Rovt, collided head on in a curve with a car driven by a local 55-year-old man. The 45-year-old Robic, on a training ride in preparation for Australia's Crocodile Trophy mountain bike race, died at the scene. The accident is under investigation. Jure Robic was born in Jesenice, Slovenia in 1965 and began his cycling career with the Lip Bled cycling club. Between 1988 and 1994 he was a part of the Slovenian national road cycling team, after which he took up ultra-marathon cycling. Robic is perhaps best known for his five victories in the Race Across America, including the 2010 edition. Robic also set the 24 hour road world record, won Le Tour Direct two consecutive times and won the DOS, the race across Slovenia, three consecutive times. Robic achieved over 100 victories and 150 podium appearances throughout his cycling career. Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed Back to top	Robič, five-time winner of the , the cyclist who won the five times, has died in a traffic collision at the age of 45. Robič died after colliding with a 55-year-old driver whilst riding down hill in . He was on a training ride in preparation for the . An investigation into the accident is underway. Robič was a five-time winner of the men's solo, with his first victory in 2004. He dropped out of the 2009 race whilst in second place due to a time penalty he felt he unfairly received. His last victory in the race was earlier this year. Robič's five wins is a record in men's solo races. Before competing in ultra-marathons, Robič was a member of the from 1988 to 1994. He twice set the world record for the 24-hour road race and won the three times. During his career he had over 100 victories and 150 podium finishes.
Schneider "Parks and Recreation" regular Paul Schneider will be leaving the NBC sitcom after this season, though he might recur on the series in 2010-11. Schneider's blossoming film career, in pics such as "Lars and the Real Girl," "The Assassination of Jesse James," "Away We Go" and "Bright Star," made his longterm future in series television tenuous from the start. On top of that, his character of Mark Brendanawicz was conceived with the potential of being a short-timer, according to "Parks" exec producer Michael Schur. Recently, Adam Scott ("Party Down") was announced as a new regular on "Parks" (Daily Variety, March 5), and Rob Lowe will also be appearing on future episodes. \|\|\|\|\| It's true, "Parks and Recreation" fans -- Mark Brendanawicz is not long for Pawnee. A report earlier today hinted that Paul Schneider, who plays Pawnee city planner Mark, would be leaving the NBC comedy, recently renewed for a third season. "Parks" co-creator and executive producer Mike Schur confirmed the news exclusively for Show Tracker, explained what will happen to Mark's character (on the positive side: Schneider may not be gone for good), and revealed more details about the incoming stories for Adam Scott and Rob Lowe. We're upset. What happened? Mike Schur: Well, the fact that you are upset is in part at least why this is happening. Let me start from the beginning. The God's honest absolute truth is this character, Mark, is at least partially based on a real guy that [co-creator and executive producer Greg Daniels] and I met while we were doing research. His career had a very interesting trajectory, which is he worked for the government for a long time as a city planner and he got so fed up with the lifestyle and the red tape and the bureaucracy, that he ... moved into the private sector. Then he got so fed up and tired of how gross corporations are that he moved back to the government. He oscillated back and forth multiple times. When we first cast Paul, we told him that the idea would be Mark would leave and then ideally he would come back in a different capacity working for a different company. And then he would leave again and come back, and so on... It's not something you usually do on TV shows but we thought it was a good way to illustrate both the positive and negative aspects of working for a government. It was one of the first things we talked about with him. What happened was in the wake of "Bright Star" [a film in which Schneider co-starred] and winning a lot of awards, Paul now has this film career that is just taking off in a big way. [Show Tracker notes Schneider's major credits include "Lars and the Real Girl" and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford."] And the movie opportunities he's getting are incredibly cool interesting movies, not the summer blockbuster movies that can be scheduled around TV actors when they need to be. So, in the end, it was a combination of us always knowing that the character would always leave some day, the timing of this movie, and then sort of feeling like, well, the way the character's gone...we were all on the same page here and we decided to write the character out. But the goal and the aim is to have him come back as soon as his schedule permits and as soon as the arcs we're writing call for it. We very much want him back and he has told us he very much wants to come back in the future. It really is one of those mutually beneficial situations. And we're hoping we can have him back in Season 3. What will happen to Mark between now and the end of the season? He's going to remain in the world of the show in a way that not only allows but hopefully demands that he'll reenter it. He's not going to be killed in some weird accident. Maybe an obvious question, but where does that leave Ann and Mark's relationship? Post-Valentine's Day, things seem to be up in the air between them... Mark's relationship with Ann comes to a crossroads toward the end of the year. It's something we're building toward. Most of the beats in that story haven't aired yet, ironically, because we let Rashida Jones (Ann) out of two episodes because she was shooting a David Fincher movie. Two episodes from now begins that arc. When the Adam Scott news broke, some begun speculating that he might be a replacement for Paul -- true? He's really not. The story that Adam Scott and Rob Lowe are coming in for ... they're not new city planners sitting across the hall. It's not like the government is firing Mark and replacing him with Adam's character. Adam is from a different world. It's not the same thing. Variety said Adam would be a love interest for Leslie... It's not wrong. But it's funny to say he's a love interest for Amy's character when he hasn't shot a scene yet. It's kind of silly. It's not right or wrong, if that makes any sense? Adam's character is entering the world, he's about Amy's age, he's a man and he's single? I think that's where that came from? Look, no one ever conceived April and Andy would be romantically involved until we shot this one episode and said, "Hey, they have chemistry!" So we taste it, that's more the way we do things here. We like to get actors we think are good and just throw them into a big stew and mix it up and see what happens. Can you tease anything else about Rob Lowe? We heard he's in for two episodes this season, and six more -- at least -- next season. He's been tweeting his excitement all day. That's correct. He was super funny in the table read. He and Adam both were fantastic. It was very exciting. He and Adam come in as part of a team sent in from a distant land to try to help the town of Pawnee through a rough patch. There are all these stories in the news now like Kansas City is closing half of their public schools now, and, I don't know if this actually happened, but the entire state of Idaho was threatening to shut down the Parks department...and Idaho is essentially just one large park. Most cities and towns in the country right now are going through these rough patches involving plummeting tax revenue and layoffs. So we're doing a torn-from-the-headlines thing about Pawnee and Adam and Rob's characters come in to help them fix their budget problems. OK, sounds good. We're still kind of bummed about Paul leaving though... We really like him as an actor and as a human being, so we're hoping that it all works out and he can come back. We hope that he won't just do award-winning movie after award-winning movie... -- Denise Martin Photo: Paul Schneider (Christina House / For The Times); Amy Poehler and Paul Schneider (Gina Ferazzi / For the Times) RELATED: Making bureaucracy work: How 'Parks and Recreation' overcame bad buzz The Sunday Conversation: Aziz Ansari sure can pick a fight \|\|\|\|\| Courtesy: Michael Buckner/Getty Images The unthinkable has happened: Pawnee, Ind., just got sexier! While NBC isn't commenting yet, Parks & Recreation boss Mike Schur (Mose!) just confirmed to our pal Matt Mitovitch from sister site Fancast that Rob Lowe is coming on the NBC show, saying, "It's a perfect fit." So what are the deets? No word yet on Rob's role—I'm told that's still being finalized—but Lowe will come on board in the second-to-last episode of the season and is slated for "a number of episodes stretching into season three." Lowe is exiting ABC's Brothers & Sisters after the current season, amid reports that Rob had asked out of his contract in order to land more of a leading role elsewhere. (Though my sources also cite budget issues and say the parting was a bit more mutual.) So it is a bit surprising Rob is taking another ensemble gig. According to Schur, Rob will mesh well in a comedy like P-Rex because he was "very funny" in movies like Wayne's World, Thank You for Smoking and Austin Powers. The current second season of Parks and Recreation is enjoying a creative upswing, so we can only assume Schur's team will come up with some awesome material for Lowe. Are you excited to see Rob Lowe on Parks & Recreation? Which character would you pair him up with? Comment below... _______ Have a burning question about your favorite TV series? Email tvdiva@eonline.com for answers! \|\|\|\|\| “My sense is that if we had built ‘Parks and Recreation’ around a 90-year-old Maasai warrior people would still have said, ‘He reminds me of [“The Office’s”] Michael Scott,’ ” Schur said. “There was just no way to escape it. “ First, there were production delays to accommodate Poehler’s pregnancy. Then there were the early test screenings and poor scores that landed on the desk of influential Hollywood blogger Nikki Finke, who practically declared the show DOA before its premiere. Many critics said the show was needlessly similar to “The Office” -- both in its mock documentary format and naive lead. With all the bad vibes, it was no wonder that ratings slid throughout its six-episode first season. Leslie’s cheerful, tireless ambition in the face of cynics is echoed by series creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, who previously gave us "The Office." And who can blame them? Few industry observers thought “Parks,” which launched as a midseason replacement last spring, would survive even this long. In the NBC comedy “Parks and Recreation,” Amy Poehler plays Leslie Knope, an upbeat, low-level bureaucrat determined to make the fictional town of Pawnee, Ind., a better place. And they thought it wouldn't last: In the face of bad buzz and with a little perseverance, "Parks and Recreation" executive producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur have changed minds about their Amy Poehler comedy, once seen as a knock-off of "The Office." Now, critics are raving. Below is a longer version of the feature running in Thursday's Calendar section . “Parks,” in its second season, has emerged as a critical darling that can stand on its own. Time magazine’s James Poniewozik, a fan of Pawnee's finest from the get-go, called it a “very very good, very very funny” series that “has found its rhythm” and The Star Ledger’s Alan Sepinwall declared it quite possibly “the best comedy on TV right now." He could also add "that you’re not watching." “Parks” averages a lowly 5 million viewers, and its most recent episode posted a decent-for-NBC-but-not-great 2.1 rating/6 share in adults 18-49. The show, as they say in the industry, is gaining traction with the right crowds and has already landed a full second-season order. And in some ways, the creative victory of an original series in “Parks and Recreation” is an even bigger coup than Daniels’ successful adaptation of Ricky Gervais’ droll, uncomfortable British workplace comedy “The Office” -- a series he originally deemed “brilliant -- and not achievable in America." He gave it a shot anyway, hopeful that “maybe it will steer the great ship of network TV comedy slightly, like 5 degrees, in a different direction. That’s what I kept thinking in my head.” The U.S. "Office” is now NBC’s signature comedy. So what happened between Season 1 and 2 that flipped "Parks" from flop to hot? “We needed to tell a certain number of stories before people got it,” Schur said. NBC President of Primetime Entertainment Angela Bromstad recalled the early days of “The Office” and said, “I knew Greg was great at self-assessing and evolving a show, and comedies take longer to catch on. ... Also, I have to say, the cupboards were bare. We really needed to stick with it, and I think it’s paying off.” It helped that Daniels and Schur (the latter was a writer on “The Office” before moving to “Parks” full time) had solid track records. Daniels spent several seasons on “The Simpsons” and co-created “King of the Hill” before adapting “The Office,” and both he and Schur credit stints on “Saturday Night Live” with shaping their comic sensibilities. (Viewers might recognize Schur as Dwight’s neck beard-wearing, fellow beet farming cousin Mose from “The Office.” Sports fans might know him under his former pen name -- and current Twitter handle -- Ken Tremendous, which he used to write for the now-defunct sports media criticism blog Fire Joe Morgan.) Rather than do a straight spinoff of “The Office,” as many expected, the pair instead were inspired by the local politics of “The Wire” and the theme of optimism from the 2008 presidential election. They decided that their next show would revolve around the interactions of small-town government, specifically focusing on Poehler’s Leslie, an eager but often misguided parks and recreation official whose first big project is tending to an unsightly large pit in the middle of Pawnee. “This could be my Hoover Dam,” a chipper Leslie says in the pilot. This season Leslie is a little less wacky, but she remains ever-positive about making government work for the people. “She is a hard worker, very well read, very intelligent -- these are not Michael Scott traits,” Daniels said. “She’s not delusional. She’s not crazy thinking there’s a boys club in politics,” Schur added. “She has a strong point of view, and her intentions are always good and noble. She’s just not always great at executing them.” And that’s another thing that differentiates Daniels’ shows: “Parks” is, well, less of a boys club. Despite such successes as "30 Rock" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine," it's unusual to see smart women drive the action in a network comedy. (And even then, Liz Lemon is nothing if not surrounded by a boys club of crazy guys.) Daniels and Schur have also let the rest of Pawnee’s finest come out to play. “Park’s” motley ensemble includes Rashida Jones as her friend Ann, Aziz Ansari as Leslie’s undermining lieutenant Tom, Chris Pratt as Ann’s bungling but well-meaning ex-boyfriend Andy, Paul Schneider as Leslie's cynical colleague Mark, Nick Offerman as her disinterested boss Ron, and Aubrey Plaza as her equally disinterested intern April. To come up with the world and people of “Parks,” Daniels and Schur spent time in different local governments to make sure their ideas were at least grounded in reality. In Burbank, they found the basis for Ron. “We were talking to one official about wanting to make Leslie’s boss opposed to government,” Daniels said. “Like, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if she’s trying so hard to get stuff accomplished but her boss was like one of those Bush appointees who doesn’t believe in the mission of the branch of government he’s supposed to be overseeing?’ And she looks as us and goes, ‘Well, I’m a libertarian, so I don’t really believe in the mission of my job.’ “That was an amazing response,” Schur recalled. “We went, ‘Really?’ and she goes, ‘Yes, I’m aware of the irony.’ ” “I think we were feeling that the first six episodes were like one big pilot, we shot it so fast,” Daniels said. “But we had plenty of ideas about what we wanted to do, and part of what takes time is learning how to write for and collaborate with the actors.” Discovering that Offerman played the saxophone turned into an episode where Tom spied Ron’s sax-playing alter ego Duke Silver holding court with Pawnee’s frisky older ladies. (“Nick’s also a master carpenter and canoe builder, and that’ll come up at some point,” Daniels said. Offerman’s real-life wife, actress Megan Mullally, guest starred in a recent episode as Ron’s ex-wife and library employee Tammy.) Then there’s Pratt, who “loves taking his clothes off,” at least according to Schur. So far, Andy has chased a thieving neighbor and showed up to Ann’s house in the buff. Poehler said talks with Daniels and Schur about Leslie’s long-term journey are ongoing too. “Her struggle throughout the series is trying not to become jaded. Can she fight feeling like she’ll never be able to change anything? Will she get caught up in political gain in a way that will make her lose track of why she started in the first place?’ “Ultimately, we do want her to succeed – and I love that! -- but in really small ways and with very little power. I love that too. I’m a sucker for pathos.” "Parks and Recreation" airs Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. on NBC. -- Denise Martin (Follow me on Twitter @denisemartin) Related: Photos: Exclusive behind-the-scenes shots from the set of "Parks and Recreation" Photo credits: (Top to bottom) "Parks and Recreation" executive producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur / Spencer Weiner, For The Times; writer Dan Goor, Daniels and actress Rashida Jones / Christina House, For The Times; Schur and Daniels / Weiner; Jones and actress Amy Poehler / House	The NBC comedy series ''Parks and Recreation'' will experience a shake-up in its cast as Paul Schneider, a regular cast member with the critically acclaimed series, will depart at the end of this season. Officials with the show have also announced this month that Rob Lowe will make an extended guest appearance on the series, and Adam Scott will join as a regular cast member. Michael Schur, who co-created ''Parks and Recreation'' along with ''The Office'' creator Greg Daniels, said Schneider is expected to make guest appearances in the third season. Schneider plays Mark Brendanawicz, a jaded city planner who started in the first season as a love interest for the show's protagonist Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), the deputy director of a small town Indiana town. Currently, Schneider's character is dating Rashida Jones's character, Ann Perkins. Schneider is leaving the show to focus on his movie career, following the success of such independent films as ''Bright Star''. Schur added when the character was originally conceived, it was anticipated he would appear infrequently in ''Parks and Recreation'', switching between his city planner job and work in the private sector. "It's not something you usually do on TV shows but we thought it was a good way to illustrate both the positive and negative aspects of working for a government," Schur told the ''Los Angeles Times''. "It was one of the first things we talked about with him." Schur added, "He's going to remain in the world of the show in a way that not only allows but hopefully demands that he'll reenter it. He's not going to be killed in some weird accident." Rob Lowe is to make a string of guest appearances in ''Parks and Recreation'', starting in May with the final two episodes of the current season. Lowe and Scott are expected to join the show in May, during the final two episodes of the season. Schur has indicated they will both play characters coming in from outside Pawnee to help the town deal with budget problems. Lowe, fresh off his departure from the ABC drama series ''Brothers & Sisters'', will continue a string of guest appearances into the third season. Adam Scott would leave his regular role on the Starz comedy series ''Party Down'' to join the permanent cast of ''Parks and Recreation''. "Adam is one of the funniest and most versatile performers around," Schur told ''Variety'' magazine. "When we designed the character he is going to play, we used him as the dream scenario of who we could get." ''Parks and Recreation'' received mixed to negative reviews during its first season, with detractors claiming it was too similar to ''The Office'', and that Leslie Knope too closely resembled that show's protagonist Michael Scott), played by Steve Carell. But The second season, despite lagging in the Nielsen ratings, has been a critical success, with several commentators declaring it a major improvement over the first season and one of the best comedies currently on television.
Ugandan soldiers and police have clashed with rioters in the capital after fire gutted the site of the burial grounds of the former kings of the country's largest historic kingdom. Security forces used tear gas on Wednesday to disperse members of the Baganda ethnic group angry at the destruction of the tombs at Kasubi on the outskirts of Kampala. "Last night the tombs of their kings - 200 years basically of their cultural heritage - was burnt to the ground," Malcolm Webb, a Kampala-based journalist, told Al Jazeera. "They suspect it was arson. "I've seen four people who were injured - some of them may be dead. But the crowd has been largely chased away. "A lot of them were marched out of the tombs compound with their hands up and sent down the road, chased off with tear gas." 'Attack on Buganda' Buganda is one of Uganda's four historic kingdoms and the Baganda are the biggest ethnic group in the country. Kasubi, designated as a world heritage site by Unesco, the UN cultural agency, is an important tourist site housing the burial grounds of four former kings of Buganda. The last king was buried there in 1971. Baganda have previously complained that the government has tried to expropriate the kingdom's land and have been involved in disputes over the influence of Buganda's traditional leaders. A spokesman for the Buganda kingdom on Wednesday described the fire as "an attack on Buganda", whose people are concentrated in the south of Uganda and Kampala. "This fire is very strange given what we [the Baganda] have been going through," Peter Mayiga said without giving further details. There was no immediate confirmation that the blaze was started deliberately and Kale Kayihura, the chief of the Uganda police, said his officers were still investigating the cause of the fire. He also said that firefighters had been prevented from reaching the site in time to put out the blaze before it gutted the burial site late on Tuesday. "When the fire broke out, police were called in and got there in time but the fire brigade was obstructed by a hostile crowd, three trucks were damaged and a fireman injured," Kayihura told the AFP news agency. "Faced with this hostility and in an effort to stop the fire from destroying the tombs, the officer fired some shots in the air to disperse the crowd but no one was hurt," he said. Considerable influence The violence triggered fears of renewed tension between the government and ethnic Baganda, who accuse the government of undermining their kingdom. Last September, riots in Kampala left at least 17 people dead after the government prevented Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, the current Buganda king, from visiting a district near the capital. The government said the district had its own traditional ruler and it did not owe allegiance to the king. The king holds a largely ceremonial position in Uganda, but wields considerable influence among his people. Monarchies were restored in Uganda in 1993 after they were banned in the 1960s, but they are not allowed to participate in elective politics by campaigning or fielding candidates. The kingdom's radio station - the Central Broadcasting Service (CBS) - remains banned after it was taken off air in the aftermath of the riots, its staff accused of inciting violence. \|\|\|\|\| Protesters fled as military police moved in At least two protesters have been shot dead by Ugandan police after they tried to stop the president from visiting the site of a fire at a royal mausoleum. The protesters booed President Yoweri Museveni and set up a barricade to stop him from reaching the tombs at Kasubi. The fire destroyed the tombs - a Unesco heritage site built in the 19th Century for kings of the Buganda region. Supporters of Mr Museveni and Buganda's King Ronald Mutebi have been at loggerheads since riots last year. They fell out after the king - whose role is largely ceremonial - accused the government of blocking him from visiting a part of his kingdom. It is something that we have built and kept and maintained for our children and grandchildren and many generations unborn Medard Ssegona Lubega Buganda official In pictures: Kasubi tombs fire At least 20 people died in riots linked with that incident. And angry protesters and royal advisers have said they believe the tomb fire might have been arson. Mr Museveni, who eventually gained access to the fire scene, promised to investigate the claims. But he said protesters had interfered with the "scene of the crime", making it difficult to find out how the fire was caused. King Ronald also visited the scene and called for a week's mourning. Buganda official Medard Ssegona Lubega described the fire as the "second biggest tragedy" in the kingdom's history. "There are many men of our fallen kings lie in this house, which is now down to ashes," he told the BBC's Network Africa. "It is something that we have built and kept and maintained for our children and grandchildren and many generations unborn." Buganda is the largest of Uganda's four ancient kingdoms. They were abolished in 1966 but reinstated by Mr Museveni's government in 1993. However, he restored them only as cultural institutions with no political power. Supporters of King Ronald believe he should have more power and influence than Mr Museveni allows. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version \|\|\|\|\| Troops open fire, two dead in Uganda tomb riots KAMPALA — Two people died Wednesday as Ugandan security forces opened fire to quell unrest amid allegations that arsonists set fire to UN-listed royal tombs near Kampala. The fire on Tuesday night destroyed much of the 128-year-old tombs which are revered by the Baganda people, Uganda's largest tribe centred in Kampala and in the south of the country. It triggered skirmishes throughout the night between angry young supporters of Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, their traditional ruler, and anti-riot police. Trouble came to a head when protestors tried to prevent Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni from visiting the fire-ravaged site just south of Kampala on Wednesday. The demonstrators booed Museveni, brandished placards denouncing his regime and set up barricades as his motorcade was approaching the tombs. Fearing more violence, security forces opened fire, but said they only shot into the air and not at the crowds, before the president's motorcade arrived. "There was a group that confronted security at the scene before the arrival of the president. They were violent, when they confronted us we shot in the air to disperse them," Ugandan Police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba told AFP. Lieutenant Colonel Felix Kulayigye said two of the protestors were shot dead and five others injured but did not say who was responsible for the deaths. Despite the protests Museveni continued to the site, his security beefed up by four light armoured vehicles and hundreds of soldiers riding on pick ups. "I am suspicious. This could be arson," Museveni told the tomb caretakers as he toured the charred site. "The problem is the place has been tampered with. ... but we are going to investigate and get to the cause." An official in his entourage was roughed up by demonstrators who accused the government of being behind the fire. After the president left the scene, thousands of Bagandan supporters marched into the tombs accusing the government of torching the site. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation said was dismayed by this "tragic event that devastated the site and its related symbolic values". "UNESCO is ready to mobilize international experts to help the Ugandan authorities in assessing the damage and envisaging remedial actions," the agency said. Businesses in the city centre remained open, but shops closed in the suburbs as hordes of youths converged on major roads, watched over by the security forces. Peter Mayiga, a spokesman for the Buganda kingdom, described the fire as "an attack on Buganda". In September an attempt by the authorities to stop the Baganda king from visiting an area near Kampala sparked running battles in the streets of the capital, which saw police fire tear gas and live ammunition. The kabaka, or the Baganda ruler, had been expected at a Baganda youth day celebration in an area where a minority ethnic group, the Banyala, is seeking to break away from his rule. The Uganda government had sought to prevent the kabaka from attending, saying it feared bloodshed if he did so. "This fire is very strange given what we (the Baganda) have been going through," Mayiga said. Uganda's police chief, Major General Kale Kayihura, described as "absolute falsehood" reports that the government was behind the arson. The tombs were declared a World Heritage Site in 2001. The tombs are a spiritual symbol for the Baganda people, and many go there for ritual ceremonies. Uganda has two other listed sites, the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Ruwenzori Mountains National Park. Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More »	At least two people in Uganda were killed on Wednesday, after clashes between police and protestors at a royal mausoleum. The incident occurred at Kasubi, near the Ugandan capital of Kampala, when protestors attempted to stop the country's president, Yoweri Museveni from visiting the tomb site, which was on fire. They set up a barricade and booed him, blocking his motorcade. The fire had destroyed a large portion of the tombs, which are as much as 128 years old. They are revered by the Buganda tribe, the largest in Uganda. There are accusations that the blaze was started intentionally. Kampala-based journalist Malcolm Webb commented about the incident to Al Jazeera. "The tombs of their kings ... was burnt to the ground. They suspect it was arson. I've seen four people who were injured ... But the crowd has been largely chased away." The president pledged that he would look into the accusations of arson, although he commented that the demonstrators at the "scene of the crime" might have interfered, making an investigation more difficult. "I am suspicious. This could be arson. The problem is the place has been tampered with. ... But we are going to investigate and get to the cause," Musveni told the mausoleum caretakers. Judith Nabakooba, a spokesman for Ugandan security forces, told Agence France-Presse that "there was a group that confronted security at the scene before the arrival of the president. They were violent, when they confronted us we shot in the air to disperse them." A Buganda official, Medard Ssegona Lubega, remarked about the blaze to the BBC Network Africa, saying: "There are many men of our fallen kings lie in this house, which is now down to ashes," he told the BBC's Network Africa It is something that we have built and kept and maintained for our children and grandchildren and many generations unborn." Buganda is one of the country's four ancient kingdoms; the United Nations' cultural organisation, UNESCO, designated it as a world heritage site. It has been a popular tourist site, and its mausoleum contains the remains of four of Buganda's former kings, the last of which was buried in 1971.
BEIJING, December 29, SinoCast -- China is likely to surpass Japan to become the second largest economy in the world, predicted by Li Daokui, director of the Center for China in the World Economy of Tsinghua University. The director added that although the Japanese yen appreciated, but the Chinese economy grew rapidly, so there would be no doubt that China was to become the second largest economy in the world. China's gross domestic product (GDP) for 2008 was lifted to be close to that of Japan, compared with the preliminary figure of USD 3.86 trillion, and the figure in 2009 was likely to be raised, showed data issued by the National Bureau of Statistics. After the second economic census, the 2008 GDP for China added CNY 1.34 trillion to hit CNY 31.4 trillion, with a growth up 0.6 percentage points to 9.6%, which was mainly attributed to that added value in the tertiary industry grew to CNY 13.134 trillion, growing CNY 1.0853 trillion over earlier statistics. CITIC Securities Chief Economist Zhu Jianfang told journalists that the GDP growth for 2009 used to be predicted to be 8.6%, which was expected to grow to about 9% after the economic census. \|\|\|\|\| BEIJING/SHANGHAI, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Chinese newspapers available in Beijing and Shanghai carried the following stories on Tuesday. Reuters has not checked the stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. CHINA SECURITIES JOURNAL -- China’s new housing sales are expected to reach a record high of 4.5 trillion yuan ($660 billion) in 2009, accounting for 13 percent of the country’s forecast gross domestic product (GDP) for the year. -- Experts expect the pace of China's new share issues to slow down early next year after huge supplies dampened sentiment towards the stock market .SSEC over the past several weeks. SHANGHAI SECURITIES NEWS -- State-owned and institutional shares worth 5.84 trillion yuan will be floated freely next year after lock-up periods, making China’s stock market nearly all freely traded after key reforms over the past few years. -- An official clampdown on speculation in the property market has kept many home buyers in Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou on the sidelines. CHINA BUSINESS NEWS -- Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered STAN.L has become the first foreign bank in China to open yuan CNY=CFXS settlement services for overseas companies. -- China’s banking industry is expected to see earnings rising 14 percent in 2009 from 2008. SECURITIES TIMES -- Xuzhou Construction Machinery Science & Technology Co 000425.SZ, the listed unit of China's biggest construction equipment maker, said it would raise 5 billion yuan in a private placement of shares for expansion and technical upgrading. -- A commentary criticises the decision by the China Insurance Regulatory Commission to ban insurance companies from trading shares listed on China’s Nasdaq-style ChiNext market. FINANCIAL NEWS -- China will step up reforms of rural financial institutions and launch new financial products for rural markets as part of efforts to boost the rural eocnomy. -- Li Dongrong, assistant governor of the People’s Bank of China, urged banks to increase loans to companies involved in agricultural production and improve financial services during a visit to Hainan province. CHINA DAILY (www.chinadaily.com.cn) -- China plans to launch Chang’e-2, the country’s second lunar probe, at the end of 2010. The design and production of Chang’e-2 is complete and the lunar orbiter is undergoing ground tests, the State Administration of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense said in a news release. -- Auditors found 234.7 billion yuan ($34.4 billion) worth of misused funds from January to November, with 67 government officials and 164 related people handed over to disciplinary or judicial authorities, according to the National Audit Office. -- China is accelerating the relocation of 330,000 people as the colossal South-to-North Water Diversion (SNWD) project goes into high gear next year. A record 48 billion yuan ($7 billion) will also be invested in more than 70 new subsidiary projects, more than the sum of China’s total investments in the project during the past seven years. PEOPLE’S DAILY -- The government will continue to step up efforts to ensure agricultural production, create more jobs for rural labourers and speed up construction of rural infrastructure, according to the Central Conference on Rural Work. - Construction of the first phase of a nuclear project in the coastal area of Shandong province has started. The first phase includes two units each with an installed capacity of 1.25 gigawatts and will generate 17.5 billion kwh of electricity a year after completion in 2014 and 2015. \|\|\|\|\| China became the world’s second largest economy in 2009, passing Japan, which has held this distinction for decades. The People’s Republic raised its growth forecast for 2008 to 9.6% from 9% which took the total to over $4.6 trillion. The Chinese government says it will have economic growth of 8%. The financial ministry has suggest that the 2009 number will almost certainly be revised up early next year. Japan’s GDP did not grow at all this year and could actually drop by 6% or more depending on the direction of its economic revisions. The CIA Factbook, a source of data that many experts use to compare national economies, reported that China’s 2008 GDP was $4.6 trillion and Japan’s was $4.9 trillion. The 2009 numbers are likely to be $4.75 trillion for China and $4.6 trillion for Japan. China has had a natural advantage over Japan for years. Japan no longer has the world’s largest pool of inexpensive labor. Its cost to build exports has risen from the 1970s when it had a huge advantage over the US and Europe for the cost of building cars and consumer electronics. Japan inadvertently created a well-paid middle class that expected high wages. China, however, is still bringing people from its impoverished rural regions into large cities to work in factories. These people are paid very modestly, but the cost of living in China is low compared with Japan and the West. China also has an abundance of natural resources, particularly energy and raw materials like metal. Japan is too small geographically and consequently never had those resources. It has always had to import most of the components of the products that it made and has been periodically plagued because it has been captive to the price increases of oil and natural gas. It will be several decades before China’s GDP can match that of the US. America’s gross domestic product will be over $14 trillion this year. China will gain on that number quickly if US economic output stays below 2% or 3% and China continues to expand at 10% or better. China may never have to build a military to pass the US as the world’s leading power. The possession of the world’s most powerful armies was important in the 20th Century, but national influence in the 21st Century is built more on currency value, export strength, and access to natural resources. China’s government is willing to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to expand its manufacturing capacity and to buy natural resources, particularly oil, from every continent in the world. There is, of course, always the chance that China’s economy will encounter economic crises of it own. Economists believed in the 1980s that Japan might pass the US in GDP eventually because of its labor and public policy advantages. Japan then hit a period when equity and property values dropped by over half and its chance to challenge the US disappeared. Inflation could still undermine China’s growth along with the rising cost of its own labor. China is considered likely to pass the US in GDP, but three decades ago, so was Japan. Douglas A. McIntyre \|\|\|\|\| Photo: Getty Images The fast-growing emerging economy had been expected to surpass Japan next year, but the transition looks to have happened in 2009, based on China's new growth estimates. Its statistics bureau said that China grew by 9.6pc – rather than 9pc – in 2008, meaning its economic output was 31.405 trillion yuan, or $4.6 trillion (£2.9 trillion), last year. According to the World Bank, Japan's annual output was the equivalent of $4.9 trillion last year, but it is expected to shrink by 6.6pc this year. Meanwhile, Chinese officials project that its economy will grow by more than 8pc this year. It means it is likely that China became a larger economy than Japan some time in the second half of this year. Statisticians said the bigger-than-expected expansion last year was fuelled largely by strong growth from the services sector, something which was only uncovered after a detailed census into economic activity during the year. The revisions continue a recent trend of officials upgrading their estimates for previous years' economic growth. In 2005, its statisticians dramatically upgraded their estimates of the size of the economy, catapulting it over Britain to become, at the time, the world's fifth biggest economy. Peng Zhilong, the head of the bureau's national economy calculation department, said that the main difference was in the overall size of the economy, rather than its growth rate, adding that China would expand by more than 8pc this year. David Cohen, of Action Economics in Singapore, said: "The big underlying factor propelling China's growth is the migration of people from the agricultural sector to the more modern economy – industry and services. There's no stopping China." But although China's breakneck expansion looks likely to continue for some time yet, there are concerns over the country's path. Some economists compare China's position – with the authorities combining low interest rates with high government investment and rising asset prices – to Japan in the late-1980s, warning that it, too, could fall victim to a crash. Some worry about the country's demography. The one-child policy means that in the coming years its population is likely to age extremely quickly, increasing the pressure on its public finances and dampening its long-term growth prospects. Nevertheless, the news about the country's strong growth will add to hopes that it will help support the wider world economy out of recession next year. Whereas 2009 was the year that brought the first worldwide economic contraction since the Second World War, the opening quarter of 2010 is expected to see the major economies back in growth again. Although Britain contracted by 0.2pc in the third quarter of 2009, according to the latest official statistics, it is expected to move back towards growth in the final quarter of the year. However, economists said the first quarter of 2010 would be marked by increasing tension over the fiscal position of various countries. Having had to borrow unprecedented amounts in order to prevent a deeper recession, a number of countries have generated large deficits, which may scare off international investors.	Harvard University The Chinese economy is likely to overtop the Japanese economy and become the second largest in the world. Li Daokui, Director of the Center for China in the World Economy (CCWE) at the Tsinghua University, states that there is no doubt about what the numbers or the statistics show. China's GDP growth was 9.6% in 2008. Despite predictions about China's GDP being at around 8.6% to 9%, it rose to 9.6%, as stated by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected previously that China will overtake Japan soon since the latter's GDP dropped this year. “The big underlying factor propelling China’s growth is the continued migration of people from the agricultural sector to the more modern economy—industry and services,” said economist David Cohen. In 2007 China became the third largest economy in the world when it overtook Germany. In 2009, the economic stimulus program assisted China in attaining 8% growth.
Examining Israel's `right to defend itself' IDF dances within accepted rules of engagement, says Michael Byers wo years ago, over lunch, I debated self-defence with the lawyer who advises the Israeli Defence Force. The lawyer in question is a colonel with a Harvard doctorate; the invitation came while I was a visiting professor at the University of Tel Aviv. After just a few minutes, my host cut to the chase: "There have been a number of missile attacks along our northern border," she said. "We're going to respond with air strikes against some Hezbollah installations in southern Lebanon next week. What do you think?" I was taken aback. Governments don't usually consult foreign academics about their military plans. I struggled for a moment. "Well, for starters, any act of self-defence has to be necessary and proportionate." The Israeli officer nodded. "So," I continued, "in order to stay clearly within international law, you should target only those Hezbollah installations that have been used in the missile attacks." My host: "That won't prevent future attacks. We're also acting pre-emptively." "Well, in that case you're still subject to the criteria from the Caroline Case," I said, alluding to a dispute over the destruction, by British forces, of an American steamboat on the Niagara River during the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion. "The necessity of self-defence must be, quote `instant, overwhelming, leaving no choice of means, and no moment of deliberation.'" I look the colonel in the eye, "I'm not sure that your air strikes fit these criteria, since you're not planning on launching them until next week. Where's the imminent threat?" "It's an ongoing threat. We have to ensure that Hezbollah's capabilities remain at a manageable level." "Isn't that the job of the Lebanese government?" I asked. "What you're proposing is, after all, an armed intervention within the territory of a sovereign nation-state." "The Lebanese government can't control Hezbollah," she scoffed, "If it could, we wouldn't be having this conversation." Although the law of self-defence sometimes permits military action against state sponsors of terrorism, this was a different argument. "You seem to be suggesting that Lebanon, within its southern territories, amounts to a failed state." "Precisely," she smiled. "We're not violating international law by targeting Hezbollah installations in southern Lebanon because the writ of the Lebanese government doesn't run that far." The argument was familiar. During my years of teaching in the United States, students had sometimes argued that the UN charter's prohibition on the use of force against a country's "territorial integrity or political independence" shouldn't extend to those — such as Somalia — without effective governments. "If that's the case," I said, "your strikes must be limited to Hezbollah targets." "Why?" She arched an eyebrow. "If you strike other targets, such as roads or airports, you make it more difficult for the Lebanese government to do its job. At which point your argument becomes self-fulfilling, in that you're helping to create a failed state." The Israeli nodded, "You're right. Don't worry. We're focused on Hezbollah." I continued: "Also, you must never target civilians, or facilities such as water-filtration or electrical plants relied upon by civilians." "Ah, here we disagree!" the colonel exclaimed. "Collateral damage is allowed in situations of military necessity. And dual-use facilities are legitimate targets." "What constitutes military necessity depends on the relative capabilities of the opposing forces," I countered, "And the dual-use argument is a slippery slope." "Perhaps," she smiled again. "There's a second reason you should do everything possible to protect civilians," I continued. "Israel has to work particularly hard to maintain the moral high ground. Your reputation has suffered because of your treatment of the Palestinians." "We're completely justified in our treatment of the Palestinians," the colonel shot back. "We can disagree on that," I said, "for today. "But do me a favour, as someone who wants to sympathize with Israel. If you do launch air strikes, please limit yourself to Hezbollah facilities. Leave civilians — and the Lebanese government — alone." \|\|\|\|\| Hizbullah Injures Four In North - Israel Faces Four Front War Hizbullah Katusha rocket launcher on the Israel Lebanon border ready to attack civilians. By Joel Leyden Israel News Agency Update 15:30: Israel Prime Minister Olmert calls Lebanon cross-border terror attack "act of war." IDF calling up reserve units for Northern border activity. "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 Hezbollah is a member, is trying to destabilize regional stability. Lebanon is responsible and it will bear responsibility. "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. They will fail and pay a dear price for their actions." - Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Update 13:30: Israel confirmed that two IDF soldiers were captured by Hezbollah guerrillas during clashes across the Lebanese border on Wednesday, and said it held Lebanon "directly responsible" for their fate and safe return. "The Lebanese government is responsible for the fate of the Israeli soldiers, and must take immediate action to locate them without harming them and return them to Israel," the Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement. Jerusalem----July 12.....Israel awoke this morning to the news that residents of the northern Israel - Lebanon border town of Shtula had been wounded by a heavy barrage of Hizbullah terror Katyusha and mortar rockets. The rocket which fell on a house in Shtula, sent Magen David Adom ambulances rushing to Nahariya hospital with residents of the north scurrying to air raid shelters. The Israel Defense Forces said that the attack was a Hizbullah response to Israel's early Wednesday attempted strike on top Hamas terrorist Mohammad Deif in Gaza. In addition to the terror rocket attack Hezbollah is claiming that they kidnapped two IDF soldiers on the Northern Israel border. A CNN correspondent in Beirut has confirmed that he has heard celebratory gunfire in the streets of the Lebanon capital. Hezbollah announced the claim on Al-Manar, its television station in Lebanon, after Israel aircraft struck terrorist positions in southern Lebanon in response to rocket attacks on northern Israel communities. The northern border has been on high alert since IDF Operation Summer Rains began. Two weeks ago, IAF planes made low flyovers at Syrian President Bashar Assad's summer palace reportedly while he was in residence. A month and a half ago, Israel launched a massive retaliatory strike after Hizbullah fired a series of Katyushas at Israel. On the Southern front, in a joint IDF and ISA action early this morning, the IDF targeted a structure in the northern Gaza Strip, used as a hideout by several Hamas terrorists. The men, senior members of the Hamas terror organization, are responsible for terror attacks, including the launching of Qassam rockets. Following intelligence information regarding imminent terror attacks planned by these senior terrorists, it was decided to target them and to prevent future attacks. An IDF spokesperson told the Israel News Agency that they will continue to act with determination against terrorist organizations and terror infrastructure in order to create the conditions for the return of IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit and to stop terror attacks and the launching of rockets from Gaza towards Israel. As Israel tracks down the terrorists in Gaza responsible for firing rockets into civilian towns in Southern Israel, the IDF is carrying out humanitarian operations. Over the past three days, more than 2,000,000 liters of fuel and 496 tons of natural gas were transferred into the Gaza Strip through the Nahal Oz crossing. Israel now faces a four front war. Hezbollah and Lebanon in the North. Syria and Iran. Islamic terror cells in the West Bank and continuing action in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces remain on high alert throughout the country. IDF reservists expect to be called up within the coming weeks. A war with Hezbollah in Lebanon and fighting in the West Bank would create a high demand for reserve manpower for the IDF, while Iran and Syria would be taken out with surgical Israel Air Force and missile's strike. Operation Summer Rains in Gaza would continue on the same course as IDF tanks continue to pour into the Palestine city. If an all out war does occur on several fronts, the IDF is more than ready to destroy the entire terrorist infrastructure of Lebanon, Syria and Iran. Electricity and water supplies would be cut off, but only in areas where Islam terrorists are operating from. Israel does differentiate between Palestinians and Arabs who desire peace and those who are determined to "wipe Israel off the map." Several analysts in Israel point out that Israel would not be acting alone against Iran, Lebanon and Syria with US military action expected to be coordinated with the IDF. Just days ago Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashal held a press conference in Damascus broadcast live on al-Jazeera, al-Arabiya, and Syrian state television. The press conference was significant, not only for its content, but because it was held in a Damascus hotel: typically in the past, when Syria-based terrorist organizations took responsibility for operations, they did so from Beirut. The high profile Mashal statement from Damascus suggests that the Asad Syria regime has changed its rules of engagement from tacit to explicit support for Hamas. ISRAEL NEWS AGENCY Sponsored by IsraelPr.com	Michael Byers, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia, revealed in Sunday's ''Toronto Star'' that while he was in Tel Aviv in 2004, he met with a lawyer who advises the Israel Defence Force about rules of engagement. Scenarios which were unfolding were discussed. The ''Toronto Star'' reported a conversation between Byers and an IDF colonel / lawyer during a luncheon. According to Byers, the colonel felt that attacks on southern Lebanon and civilian targets as well as Lebanese infrastructure would be justified under specific interpretations and in certain circumstances. She asked Byers for his opinion on these matters. The lawyer Byers met with is a colonel with a Harvard doctorate. He met with her by an invitation that came while he was a visiting professor at the University of Tel Aviv. After just a few minutes, the Harvard graduated colonel got to the point of their meeting: "There have been a number of missile attacks along our northern border," she said. "We're going to respond with air strikes against some Hezbollah installations in southern Lebanon next week. What do you think?" Byers said he was taken aback as governments rarely consult foreign academics about their military plans. Though it was not clear whether the colonel was engaged in private conversation or asking for the professor's services on behalf of the military. Byers responded; "Well, for starters, any act of self-defence has to be necessary and proportionate." Byers advised the colonel, "Also, you must never target civilians or facilities such as water-filtration or electrical plants relied upon by civilians." "Ah, here we disagree!" the colonel exclaimed. "Collateral damage is allowed in situations of military necessity. And dual-use facilities are legitimate targets." "What constitutes military necessity depends on the relative capabilities of the opposing forces," Byers responded, "And the dual-use argument is a slippery slope." "Perhaps." the Israeli colonel said. "There's a second reason you should do everything possible to protect civilians," Byers advised. "Israel has to work particularly hard to maintain the moral high ground. Your reputation has suffered because of your treatment of the Palestinians." "We're completely justified in our treatment of the Palestinians," the colonel said. "We can disagree on that," Byers said, "but do me a favour, as someone who wants to sympathize with Israel. If you do launch air strikes, please limit yourself to Hezbollah facilities. Leave civilians — and the Lebanese government — alone." Two years ago, Byers' IDF advisor suggested considering southern Lebanon a failed state was justification for incursions and air strikes. In contrast, speaking about the current crisis, Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the recent cross-border attack by Hezbollah was an "act of war" committed by the government of Lebanon and 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 Hezbollah is a member, is trying to destabilize regional stability. Lebanon is responsible and it will bear responsibility." Israel's defense ministry confirmed it held Lebanon "directly responsible" for their fate and safe return of the two soldiers captured by Hezbollah. The Israeli Defense Ministry issued a statement which said; "The Lebanese government is responsible for the fate of the Israeli soldiers, and must take immediate action to locate them without harming them and return them to Israel."
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. US singer Al Martino, who scored the UK's first number one record, has died at the age of 82. His song, Here In My Heart, took top spot when the New Musical Express introduced its chart in November 1952 and stayed there for nine weeks. Martino, who also played Johnny Fontane in 1972 film The Godfather, died at his childhood home in Philadelphia. The former bricklayer's other hits included Spanish Eyes, Can't Help Falling in Love and Volare. Palladium comeback He also recorded the title tune to The Godfather and reprised his role as the singer godson of Don Vito Corleone - played by Marlon Brando - in the 1990 sequel The Godfather Part III. Martino - who was born Alfred Cini - also performed the track featured in the first film's wedding scene. His character was said to be based on Frank Sinatra. Martino is credited as one of the great Italian-American crooners In 1952, the singer performed at the London Palladium and was planning a return for the 50th anniversary of his landmark hit, according to publicist Sandy Friedman. The nine-week run of his UK hit has since been beaten by only four singles, including Everything I Do (I Do It For You) by Bryan Adams, which topped the chart for 16 weeks in 1991. Here In My Heart remained his only UK number one, and his last brush with the chart came in 1973 with a re-release of Spanish Eyes. The crooner's chart career in the US was stalled by the growth of rock'n'roll in the late 1950s, but he returned during the 1960s with a run of Billboard hits. In the 1980s he left his record company and continued to perform on the club circuit. His most recent album, Style, was made nine years ago. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version \|\|\|\|\| The American singer and actor Al Martino, who had the UK's first No 1 record, has died at the age of 82. His song Here in My Heart took the top spot when the New Musical Express introduced its chart in November 1952, and stayed there for nine weeks. Though 50 years have passed, only six singles have stayed at No 1 for longer, most notably Everything I Do (I Do It for You) by Bryan Adams, which topped the charts for 16 weeks. Martino died at his childhood home in Philadelphia. A former bricklayer, he played Johnny Fontane, a role inspired by Frank Sinatra, in the 1972 film The Godfather and sang the title score, The Love Theme from the Godfather. His character in the 1972 Francis Ford Coppola classic, which starred Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, is a singer and occasional actor and the godson of Brando's mafia boss character, Don Vito Corleone. Despite his brush with the acting profession, Martino was best known as a jazz crooner. His other hits included Spanish Eyes, Can't Help Falling in Love and Volare, but Here in My Heart remained his only UK No 1. His last rendezvous with the charts came in 1973, with a re-release of Spanish Eyes. Martino's chart career in the US was stalled by the growth of rock'n'roll in the late 1950s, but he returned during the 1960s with a run of Billboard hits. In the 1980s he left his record company and continued to perform on the club circuit. His most recent album, Style, was made nine years ago. The Italian-American crooner, born Alfred Cini, was one of a number of south Philadelphia-born singers, including Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon and Fabian.	Al Martino from 2005 American singer and actor Al Martino died yesterday, aged 82. Martino was born as Alfred Cini in Philadelphia, US state of Pennsylvania on October 7, 1927. One of the ways in which he was best known was for his first single, "''Here in My Heart''", which became the first ever number 1 single in the UK Singles Chart on November 14, 1952. It stayed at the top spot for nine weeks before being succeeded by "''You Belong To Me"'' by Jo Stafford. More recently, Martino was known was for his character Johnny Fontane in the 1972 film The Godfather. He reprised the role in the sequel films The Godfather II and The Godfather III. Martino died at his childhood hometown of Philadelphia, following an active 58 years in the music business.
Gaza Strip (Redirected from Gaza strip) The Gaza Strip (Arabic غزة, Hebrew עזה) is a narrow strip of land in the south-west of Palestine. At the end of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, it was occupied by the Egyptians, under which it remained until it was claimed under international law by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967. Together with parts of the West Bank, it is mostly run by the Palestinian Authority. Substantial portions of the Gaza Strip, (mainly the sites of Israeli settlements), are controlled by Israel. The Palestinian Authority is not permitted conventional military forces; there are, however, a Public Security Force and a civil Police Force. Around 1.2 million Palestinians live in the Gaza strip, mostly refugees who fled Israel in the 1948 war; as a result it has one of the highest population densities in the world. Since 1967, around 25 Israeli settlements have been constructed in the Gaza Strip. These setters occupy several orders of magnitude more land per capita than the Palestinian population. The population is growing by around 4% a year. Most people in the strip are Muslim, with small Christian (0.7%) and Jewish (0.6%) minorities. Birth rate: 41.85 births/1,000 population Death rate: 4.12 deaths/1,000 population net migration: 1.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population infant mortality: 24.76 deaths/1,000 live births fertility: 6.29 children born/woman The Gaza Strip is located in the Middle East (at 31 25 N, 34 20 E). It has an 11km border with Egypt, near the city of Rafah, and a 51km border with Israel. It also has a 40 km coastline onto the Mediterranean Sea, but has no maritime claims due to Israeli occupation. The Gaza Strip has a temperate climate, with mild winters, and dry and hot summers, subject to drought. The terrain is flat or rolling, with dunes near the coast. The highest point is Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda), at 105 metres above sea level. Natural resources include arable land (about a third of the strip is irrigated), and recently discovered natural gas. Environmental issues include desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; and depletion and contamination of underground water resources. Economic output in the Gaza Strip - under the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority since the Cairo Agreement of May 1994 - declined by about one-third between 1992 and 1996 . This downturn has been variously attributed to corruption and mismanagement by Yasser Arafat and to Israeli closure policies - the imposition of generalized border closures in response to terror attacks in Israel - which disrupted previously established labor and commodity market relationships between Israel and the Strip. The most serious negative social effect of this downturn was the emergence of high unemployment. Israel's use of comprehensive closures decreased during the next few years and, in 1998, Israel implemented new policies to reduce the impact of closures and other security procedures on the movement of Palestinian goods and labor. These changes fueled an almost three-year-long economic recovery in the Gaza Strip. Recovery was ended in the last quarter of 2000 with the outbreak of the al-Aqsa Intifada, triggering tight Israeli closures of Palestinian self-rule areas and a severe disruption of trade and labor movements. In 2001, and even more severely in early 2002, internal turmoil and Israeli military measures in Palestinian Authority areas resulted in the destruction of capital plant and administrative structure, widespread business closures, and a sharp drop in GDP. Another major loss has been the decline in income earned by Palestinian workers in Israel. According to the CIA World Factbook, GDP in 2001 declined 35% to a per capita income of $625 a year, and 60% of the population is now below the poverty line. Gaza strip industries are generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center. Electricity is supplied by Israel. The main agricultural products are olives, citrus, vegetables, beef, and dairy products. Primary exports are citrus and cut flowers, while primary imports are food, consumer goods, and construction materials. The main trade partners of the Gaza Strip are Israel, Egypt, and the West Bank. A study carried out by John Hopkins University and Al Quds University for CARE International late in 2002 revealed very high levels of dietary deficiency among the Palestinian population. The study found that 17.5% of children aged 6-59 months suffered from chronic malnutrition. 53% of women of reproductive age and 44% of children were found to be anemic. The Gaza strip has a single railway line, abandoned and in disrepair, little trackage remains. It has a small, poorly developed road network. Its one port is Gaza City . It has two airports, one paved, one unpaved, including Gaza International Airport , which opened on 24 November 1998 as part of agreements stipulated in the September 1995 Oslo II Accord and the 23 October Wye River Memorandum . GIA was largely closed since October 2000 by Israeli orders and its runway was destroyed by the Israel Defense Force in December 2001 The Gaza strip has a rudimentary telephone services provided by an open wire system, two TV stations run by the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority), and no radio stations. It has four ISPs. Most Palestinian households have a radio and a TV, but there are no figures available. See also: History of the West Bank and Gaza Strip Terror \|\|\|\|\| Settlers formed human chains to try to block the troops at Neve Dekalim At Neve Dekalim, the largest outpost, settlers, joined by Jewish hardliners from elsewhere, blocked the main gates, trying to keep the troops out. About 9,000 people now have two days to leave all Gaza settlements and some in the West Bank or be forcibly removed. More than 40,000 Israeli soldiers and police are part of the operation. Compensation cut This is the first time that Israel has agreed to dismantle settlements built on Palestinian land seized in the Six-Day War in 1967. We don't know where to go. We don't know where our kids are going to school and it is two weeks before the 1 September and there's nothing prepared for us Debbie Rosen, Neve Dekalim resident Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas hailed the move as "historic" but said Israel should also pull out of the West Bank. Hundreds of Palestinians marched through Gaza City to mark the start of the withdrawal and others headed for mosques to give thanks in a mass prayer meeting called by the militant group, Hamas. Those living in Gaza's 21 Jewish settlements, and those in four of the West Bank's 120 settlements, have until midnight on Tuesday to leave. Settlers who ignore the final deadline are to be forcibly removed and could lose up to a third of their compensation. Tears from both sides About half of Gaza's 8,500 settlers have already left. But those remaining have been joined by about 5,000 hardliners from Israel and the West Bank. Click below to see a detailed map of the Israeli disengagement plan Enlarge Map At Neve Dekalim the unarmed soldiers delivering the notices were confronted by protesters calling on them to disobey their orders. The BBC's Richard Miron at Neve Dekalim says this is a highly emotional moment for both sides. Many protesters were in tears, along with a few soldiers. Settlers spoke of feeling betrayed by the Israeli government's decision to evict them. "I think that all this process is immoral, all this plan is just a disaster for us and when my government said it would find a solution for every settler, we find it a lie, because we are more than 600 families with no solution," Debbie Rosen, one of the residents at Neve Dekalim, told the BBC. "We don't know where to go. We don't know where our kids are going to school and it is two weeks before the 1 September and there's nothing prepared for us," she added. In an apparent attempt to avoid violence, the army has said it will not deliver notices to settlements where residents have threatened resistance. Instead the notices are being sent by post. Area sealed The settlements have been sealed off to prevent any more protesters joining those resisting eviction. There were scuffles with soldiers at several sites early on Monday. Some settlers burnt their belongings. "I don't want to leave anything for the Palestinians, anything I own they could enjoy," Yaakov Mazal-Tari, a farmer at Rafiah Yam, told Reuters news agency. Although the pullout as a whole has already been approved by the cabinet and parliament, ministers agreed last year to hold a final vote on the evacuation of each settlement or group of settlements. Last week they gave approval for the three isolated Gaza settlements of Kfar Darom, Morag and Netzarim. Palestinian security In an interview with the BBC Mahmoud Abbas said that he believed the pullout would help to promote security and stability in the region. "We see this as a historical moment, as Israel is leaving the settlements for the first time since the beginning of the Arab-Israeli conflict." Some 7,500 Palestinian security forces have been deployed on the outskirts of the settlements themselves. Their role is to forestall militant attacks on settlers, and prevent attempts by Palestinians to rush into the settlements.	Israeli troops have begun implementing the historic pullout plan from the Gaza Strip by delivering eviction notices to the remaining settlers. They now have 48 hours, beginning this morning at 00:00 (UTC+3) to withdraw from their settlements before the army removes them by force. The Gaza Strip Many settlers have vowed to resist their evacuation and promised fierce but nonviolent resistance. They have blocked the gate of Neve Dekalim, one of the largest settlements in the Strip, and called upon the soldiers to refuse their orders. "You're a partner to a crime," they screamed to army members. Maj. Gen. Dan Harel, Israel's commander over the Gaza Strip, said the army will not waver in managing the pullout: "We will reach every settler, just as we have planned." The IDF has sent about 55,000 troops to evacuate some 8,500 settlers. The Israeli government believes that the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is vital for the security of the country, although the decision to withdraw was very controversial, causing splits in Sharon's governing Likud party. Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz called it a "painful and difficult, but historic day". In a televised prime time address, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon outlined his reasons for the withdrawal: "This act is essential for Israel. Believe me, the pain I feel with this act is the full realisation that we must do it. ... We cannot hold onto Gaza forever, more than a milion Palestinians live there ... crowded in refugee camps, poverty and hotbeds of hatred with no hope on the horizon." Sharon also said that if any terrorist attacks by Palestinians were to occur after the pull-out his government would deliever the "harshest response ever". But he also stated that if the Palestians would stretch out their hand in peace "we will respond with an olive branch." The Palestinian Authority fully agrees with the Israeli actions. "We tell the Israeli people, `You have chosen the right path,'. Don't listen to the voices of the extremists who want a continuation of the occupation. I don't want — and I will not accept — any clashes with the army or the settlers," Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Channel 10 TV. Abbas also insisted that Israel must hand over control over the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well in the not so far future. The PA itself has deployed some 7,500 security to prevent attacks by Palestinian extremists. The Gaza Strip has been partially occupied by Jewish settlers for 38 years. The average per capita Palestinian annual income there in 2001 was $625 U.S. dollars and there are extreme dietary deficiencies among the Palestinian people. Israel has given no assurances that there will be a lessening of trade restrictions on goods coming out of the Gaza strip.
Accident Please join with us in praying for the families of the car that hit our bus last night. Our hearts break for their families. mm \|\|\|\|\| Christian Band Cancels Missouri Concert After Fatal Crash By KSPR News A popular Christian band has put a weekend concert in St. Louis on hold after a fatal bus crash. A car collided with band MercyMe’s tour bus in Fort Wayne, Indiana, just after 1 a.m. Saturday. None of the band members were hurt, but two passengers in the car died and the 18-year-old pregnant driver's unborn baby was also killed. Police say the bus was going through a green light when the car, traveling in the opposite direction, made a left turn in front of it. MercyMe was scheduled to perform before a sold-out crowd at Six Flags in St. Louis Saturday, but the concert has now been postponed until September 5th. More Good Stuff \|\|\|\|\| 2 killed in crash with Christian band's tour bus FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Christian rock band MercyMe canceled its Saturday show in St. Louis after its tour bus hit a car in northeastern Indiana, killing two passengers in the car and the pregnant car driver's unborn baby. A photo of the damaged bus and the cancellation was posted on the band's Web site. Six Flags St. Louis issued a statement saying the show was rescheduled because the band was "involved in a vehicle accident in Indiana." Fort Wayne police Officer Liza Thomas says witnesses told police the bus was going through a green light about 1:15 a.m. Saturday when the car made a left turn in front of it. Thomas says there were no injuries reported on the bus. She says two passengers in the car died and the driver was in critical condition after losing her baby. Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.	A collision between Christian band MercyMe's tour bus and a car has killed two passengers in the car and the 18-year-old driver's unborn baby. The woman is in critical condition following the crash, which occurred in Fort Wayne, northeastern Indiana. The bus was headed to Six Flags St. Louis in Missouri for the band to play to a sold-out crowd. At 1:15 a.m. Saturday, according to witnesses, the bus was going through a green light when the car made a turn in front of it. No-one on the bus was injured, and the band rescheduled the show for September as a result of the incident. A photograph of the damaged bus was posted on the band's website, depicting moderate crumpling to the front area of the vehicle.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (CNN) -- Former NFL star O.J. Simpson remained quiet and expressionless as he and his girlfriend brushed through a crush of reporters to an SUV early Thursday after flying in from Las Vegas, Nevada. O.J. Simpson arrives just after midnight Thursday at the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, airport. Video from outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport showed Simpson -- dressed in a gray suit, white shirt and white visor -- getting into a Ford Excursion parked curbside, just after midnight. His girlfriend, Christine Prody, was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap. Simpson sat in an aisle seat in economy class and smiled and nodded as other passengers took photos of him with cell phones and digital cameras, The Associated Press reported. New York Post reporter Steve Dunleavy, who was on the same U.S. Air flight as Simpson, told reporters that "between dozing and watching the movie 'Oceans 13,' " Simpson "didn't look the least stressed. In fact, he was rather relaxed." Simpson, 60, was free to return to his home in Miami after posting a $125,000 bond after a court hearing in a Las Vegas sports memorabilia robbery case. Following a judge's orders, Simpson also turned over his passport to his attorneys before being released from the Clark County Detention Center. Judge Joe Bonaventure ordered him not to have contact with any of the victims, witnesses or co-defendants connected to the alleged armed robbery in a Las Vegas hotel room last week. Simpson faces 11 charges, including 10 felonies. The two counts of first-degree kidnapping using a deadly weapon could bring a sentence of life in prison if he's convicted. At a news conference after the hearing, attorney Yale Galanter said Simpson will plead not guilty to all the charges at an arraignment scheduled for the week of October 22. He and four co-defendants are accused of entering a Las Vegas hotel room and pointing guns at two men -- Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong -- as they took sports memorabilia, along with Fromong's cell phone and Beardsley's cap and sunglasses. The items in the room where the alleged robbery took place included various baseballs, plaques, a historical photo featuring J. Edgar Hoover and a mobile phone, a police report said. Prosecutors contend Simpson and his co-defendants -- Walter Alexander, Clarence Stewart, Michael McClinton and Charles Cashmore -- committed kidnapping because they intended to use a weapon to hold or detain the men. See who's whom in the Simpson case » Cashmore, 40, turned himself in Wednesday, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. He was one of the two men seen in a surveillance video released Tuesday by authorities. Police are requesting the public's assistance in finding the other man in the video. Beardsley, 46, considered a key witness, was also arrested Wednesday. He was booked into the Clark County jail on a fugitive warrant, booking records show. Beardsley was convicted of stalking in 2003 in California and was sentenced to two years, according to the California Department of Corrections. It's unclear how much of that sentence he served, but he was still on parole at the time of the alleged Las Vegas robbery. Before his arrest, Simpson said he was merely retrieving sports memorabilia that belonged to him and said no guns were used. Police, however, said Simpson orchestrated the incident and that the suspects had at least two guns, which authorities recovered during searches. E-mail to a friend Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. All About O.J. Simpson \|\|\|\|\| After his arraignment and release from jail, O.J. Simpson flew back to Miami. (ABC News) After his arraignment Wednesday in a Las Vegas courtroom on multiple felony charges including kidnapping, O.J. Simpson has returned to his home in Miami. Simpson was released from jail after posting bail and surrendering his passport. Simpson, who is free to travel in the continental United States, boarded a commercial airline flight and sat in coach, where he signed autographs for passengers. Video obtained exclusively by ABC News shows the former football star fiddling with his headphones to watch the movie "Ocean's 13" and at one point placing his puppy on his lap. His longtime girlfriend, Christie Prody, sat beside him and read the book "You've Been Warned." "He was like an average passenger on this flight," said ABC producer Tarana Harris, who was on board the plane. "He had a sandwich and chatted with his girlfriend and attorney. He showed no visible signs of strain from the three days spent in jail." Courtroom Drama Just a few hours earlier, a humble-looking Simpson, dressed in a blue inmate jumpsuit, listened as the judge explained the charges against him. As the judge explained to Simpson he was to have no contact with any of the other co-defendants, even through third parties, familiar faces watched. His oldest daughter, Arnelle, sat behind him and Prody did, too. Even the Marcia Clark, the prosecutor in his 1995 murder case, in which he was acquitted, appeared, watching his every gesture. Meanwhile, Simpson's defense attorney Yale Galanter said he was outraged that such serious charges had been brought against his client for a minor incident involving sports memorabilia. But he said he believed the hearing went well. "Everybody was extremely worried and, you know, it went well today," Galanter said. "We're relieved." The arraignment and Simpson's subsequent release fueled all-cable news channels, as they documented his release and followed his chauffeured car along the highway. Excessive Charges? Simpson will head back to Las Vegas in October and his lawyers said he will plead not guilty. They believe he has a better chance of acquittal in Las Vegas than he did in Los Angeles.	Mugshot of Simpson on Sept. 16. Former National Football League star O.J. Simpson returned to his home in Florida this morning after being released on a $125,000 bond. While Simpson is not talking to the media, his girlfriend, Christine Prody, said that he is "fine." Simpson left the Fort Lauderdale airport in a SUV without talking to any reporters. Simpson is being accused of armed robbery of sports memorabilia and faces 11 charges, 10 of which are felonies. While aboard his US Airways flight from Las Vegas, Simpson nodded and smiled at the other passengers in the economy class section of the plane. He also signed a few autographs. New York Post reporter Steve Dunleavy, who was aboard the same airplane as Simpson said, "between dozing and watching the movie 'Oceans 13,' Simpson didn't look the least stressed. In fact, he was rather relaxed."
PRESIDENT Jose Ramos Horta spoke of his concern for the people of East Timor after waking up from a drug-induced coma in Royal Darwin Hospital's intensive care unit. The country's Deputy Prime Minister Jose Luis Guterres said after visiting the hospital yesterday that Mr Ramos Horta mentioned to his family to take care of the people of East Timor after slowly waking up 10 days after he was shot and seriously wounded outside his house on Dili's outskirts. Mr Guterres said East Timorese people were immensely proud of Mr Ramos Horta and expected him to resume his position as head of the country when he recovers. Paul Goldrick, acting director of the intensive care unit, said that Mr Ramos Horta spoke only a few words and would remain in the unit for some time. But he expected him to make a full recovery. "It may take a few months," Dr Goldrick said. Mr Ramos Horta, who suffered a serious chest wound, has undergone five operations at the hospital since he was flown from Dili hours after being shot soon after dawn on February 11. Dozens of world leaders have flooded the hospital with get-well messages for the Nobel laureate. Three FBI agents have arrived in Dili to help investigate the attacks on Mr Ramos Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, which plunged the country into renewed crisis. Seventy Australian Federal Police also arrived in Dili two days after the attacks, which investigators believe were botched kidnap attempts. Australian SAS elite commandos are leading the hunt for a group of about 20 heavily armed men who have vowed never to surrender. \|\|\|\|\| (CNN) -- East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta has regained consciousness and spoken to family members after emerging from an induced coma following an assassination attempt, the country's deputy prime minister told CNN Thursday. East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta "One of his first words was to mention to his close relatives to look after the people of East Timor," Deputy Prime Minister Jose Luis Guterres told CNN. "Even in his critical condition, his mind is still with the people of East Timor, and we're very proud to have a president like this." Ramos-Horta slowly woke up on Wednesday at the Australian hospital where he is recuperating. But it may be another month before he is discharged and several more months for him to fully recover, Guterres said. The president was "aware" of the circumstances that led to his hospitalization, but doctors and family members have not brought up the assassination attempt, Guterres said. "Since there is no interest in stimulating him very much under the circumstances he is in now, people are not asking questions," Guterres said. "They are just there showing solidarity and friendship." On February 11, gunmen in the capital Dili shot Ramos-Horta in the back twice, with one of the bullets tearing through his abdomen. The attackers also ambushed Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao on the same day, but he escaped unhurt. The 58-year-old Ramos-Horta was flown to the Royal Darwin Hospital in Darwin, Australia, where doctors performed reconstructive surgery to repair the bullet wounds. He faces the possibility of additional surgeries. An investigation continues into the assassination attempt, Guterres said. "I think we have to wait until the end of the investigation in order to give full account of what happened and to bring to justice those who were behind it," he said. "The people of East Timor need to know." Ramos-Horta shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Carlos Belo, bishop of East Timor, in 1996 for work on behalf of East Timorese during the country's quarter-century occupation by Indonesia. Since the attacks, Australia has sent more than 200 troops and police to help stabilize East Timor. They reinforce an international stabilization force of about 1,000 soldiers from Australia, Malaysia, Portugal and New Zealand that have been in East Timor since it gained independence from Indonesia in 2002. The attack has been blamed on rebel soldiers led by Maj. Alfredo Reinado, who was killed in the assault, along with another attacker and a presidential bodyguard. The Australian-trained former head of East Timor's police, Reinado became the leader of disaffected soldiers and was wanted as a fugitive at the time of the presidential attack. E-mail to a friend All About Jose Ramos Horta • East Timor \|\|\|\|\| Conscious Ramos-Horta 'asked about East Timorese' Posted Updated The Deputy Prime Minister of East Timor says as President Jose Ramos-Horta regained consciousness after an induced coma, one of his first questions to his family was to ask about the people of East Timor. Mr Ramos-Horta has undergone five operations since being shot twice in a failed assassination attempt 10 days ago. The President is aware the rebel leader Alfredo Reinado died in the assassination attempt. East Timor's deputy Prime Minister, Jose Luis Guterres, has flown to Darwin to see the President's condition first hand. "In that condition he still remembers the main task and the main purpose for all his entire life - that was fight for the freedom, the democracy and the independence of East Timor," he said. Mr Ramos-Horta's niece, Melissa Ramos-Horta, spoke to the President this morning. "I think today he is doing much better - everything is sinking in today," she said. "But he is happy and just asking for his family and the people of Timor and for us - he just wants the reassurance that everyone is well. "He is the one lying in bed and he's asking to make sure everyone is well." Mr Guterres says his country is thankful for the help given by the Australian Government and says he is pleased with the protection offered to Mr Ramos-Horta. "We are happy that all the measures have been taken by the authorities in Australia - the federal authorities as well as the Northern Territory, so we are very, very happy," he said. Recovery Doctors at the Royal Darwin Hospital say Mr Ramos-Horta is recovering well. Dr Paul Goldrick says the President is in pain but making progress. "Doctors - myself and surgeons here at the hospital - are very pleased with his steady progress," Dr Goldrick said. "We expect him to make a full recovery but we think this may take up to several months. "He is going to remain in an intensive care unit for a period longer - we don't know how long; this may be several weeks." Meanwhile, the President's guard who was also shot, Lieutenant Sellistino Gomez, has been taken out of intensive care and is now in a general ward.	José Ramos-Horta in 2006. The President of East Timor, Jose Ramos-Horta, has woken from the induced coma he was put in following an assassination attempt. The President, who was shot by rebels on February 11, is still in a serious condition requiring more surgery, but is recovering, according to the doctors treating him at the Royal Darwin Hospital in Darwin, Australia. Jose Luis Guterres, the East Timorese Deputy Prime Minister, has flown to Darwin, and says that one of the President's first concerns upon regaining consciousness was for his country. "One of his first words was to mention to his close relatives to look after the people of East Timor," he said.
At least 500 activists, opposition figures, journalists and students have been arrested in Iran in recent days in a growing crackdown aimed at "decapitating" the movement against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election. The round-up has included individuals once closely associated with the 1979 Islamic revolution but who have been critical of Ahmadinejad's government. Saeed Leylaz, a prominent journalist and commentator, today became the latest leading figure to be arrested, possibly because of his frequent interviews with foreign media. Leylaz, a known reformist and supporter of the defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, warned last week that Iran faced a possible Tiananmen Square-type bloodbath if the election was stolen. Also in custody was Oxford university PhD student Mohammadreza Jalaipour, the son of a Tehran University sociology lecturer and prominent reformist. He was arrested trying to board a flight to London this morning. The detentions came as human rights groups voiced concern for the health of another activist, Saeed Hajarian, who was arrested yesterday. Hajarian – a one-time adviser to the reformist former president, Mohammad Khatami – needs constant medical attention for brain and spinal injuries sustained in a failed assassination attempt nine years ago. He is said to be in constant pain and undergoes regular consultations with neurologists. Two other prominent reformists, Mohammad Ali Abtahi and Behzad Nabavi, and a well-known human rights lawyer, Abdolfattah Soltani – who has defended many student activists – were also rounded up on Tuesday. Their detentions followed those of an estimated 120 activists and journalists who were arrested in Tehran last weekend, including Mohammad Reza Khatami – brother of the former president – who was later released. The wave of detentions has spread beyond the capital to include provincial cities. At least 100 civic figures are understood to have been arrested in Tabriz, a city historically renowned for political protest and where Mousavi has strong support. Those targeted included at least seven leading members of the Iran Freedom Movement, one of the country's oldest political parties. The movement's leader, Ebrahim Yazdi, a former foreign minister and adviser to the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, was arrested today at Pars Hospital in Tehran, according to his party's website. Eight members of the Tabriz branch of the Islamic participation front – a reformist organisation linked to Khatami – were also arrested. Another four activists in Qazvin province, north of Tehran, were said by human rights campaigners to have "disappeared" while members of the Tahkim-e Vahdat, an influential students organisation supporting the other reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi, have been "systematically targeted". "Iranian intelligence and security forces are using the public protests to engage in what appears to be a major purge of reform-oriented individuals whose situations in detention could be life-threatening," said Aaron Rhodes, a spokesman for the international campaign for human rights in Iran. The detention of prominent people has added to multiple arrests of students at Iran's universities. An estimated 200 were arrested after clashes at Tehran University at the weekend, although many were later released. More than 100 were taken into custody on Monday after security forces fired teargas at protesters at Shiraz University. \|\|\|\|\| Iran arrests 500 activists in wake of election protestsProminent campaigners, journalists and students among those detained as part of crackdown on opposition 6/17/2009 Robert Tait guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 17 June 2009 15.30 BST Article history At least 500 activists, opposition figures, journalists and students have been arrested in Iran in recent days in a growing crackdown aimed at "decapitating" the movement against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election. The round-up has included individuals once closely associated with the 1979 Islamic revolution but who have been critical of Ahmadinejad's government. Saeed Leylaz, a prominent journalist and commentator, today became the latest leading figure to be arrested, possibly because of his frequent interviews with foreign media. Leylaz, a known reformist and supporter of the defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, warned last week that Iran faced a possible Tiananmen Square-type bloodbath if the election was stolen. Also in custody was Oxford university PhD student Mohammadreza Jalaipour, the son of a Tehran University sociology lecturer and prominent reformist. He was arrested trying to board a flight to London this morning. The detentions came as human rights groups voiced concern for the health of another activist, Saeed Hajarian, who was arrested yesterday. Hajarian – a one-time adviser to the reformist former president, Mohammad Khatami – needs constant medical attention for brain and spinal injuries sustained in a failed assassination attempt nine years ago. He is said to be in constant pain and undergoes regular consultations with neurologists. Two other prominent reformists, Mohammad Ali Abtahi and Behzad Nabavi, and a well-known human rights lawyer, Abdolfattah Soltani – who has defended many student activists – were also rounded up on Tuesday. Their detentions followed those of an estimated 120 activists and journalists who were arrested in Tehran last weekend, including Mohammad Reza Khatami – brother of the former president – who was later released. The wave of detentions has spread beyond the capital to include provincial cities. At least 100 civic figures are understood to have been arrested in Tabriz, a city historically renowned for political protest and where Mousavi has strong support. Those targeted included at least seven leading members of the Iran Freedom Movement, one of the country's oldest political parties. The movement's leader, Ebrahim Yazdi, a former foreign minister and adviser to the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, was arrested today at Pars Hospital in Tehran, according to his party's website. Eight members of the Tabriz branch of the Islamic participation front – a reformist organisation linked to Khatami – were also arrested. Another four activists in Qazvin province, north of Tehran, were said by human rights campaigners to have "disappeared" while members of the Tahkim-e Vahdat, an influential students organisation supporting the other reformist candidate Mehdi Karroubi, have been "systematically targeted". "Iranian intelligence and security forces are using the public protests to engage in what appears to be a major purge of reform-oriented individuals whose situations in detention could be life-threatening," said Aaron Rhodes, a spokesman for the international campaign for human rights in Iran. The detention of prominent people has added to multiple arrests of students at Iran's universities. An estimated 200 were arrested after clashes at Tehran University at the weekend, although many were later released. More than 100 were taken into custody on Monday after security forces fired teargas at protesters at Shiraz University. Readers' Comments \|\|\|\|\| According to the Cyrus News Agency, Tuesday morning 16 senior members of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were arrested. "These commanders have been in contact with members of the Iranian army to join the people's movement," CNA reports. "Three of the commanders are veterans of Iran-Iraq war. They have been moved to an undisclosed location in East Tehran." This report has not been confirmed by other sources. If true, it shows that the regime is losing the loyalty of some members of its control appartus, which is necessary if the opposition has any chance of achieving fundamental change. Mass rallies can easily be broken up and revolutions crushed, as we saw at Tiananmen Square in 1989. But if members of the armed forces, police and especially Revolutionary Guards decided to switch sides, then one can begin speaking of revolution.	According to ''Cyrus News Agency'' (CNA) in Iran, at least 16 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly attempting to join the "people's movement." Protests, riots and violence broke out in several cities in Iran on Saturday night following an election which many in Iran and the world say was fraudulent. "These commanders have been in contact with members of the Iranian army to join the people's movement. Three of the commanders are veterans of Iran-Iraq war. They have been moved to an undisclosed location in East Tehran," said the ''Washington Times'' which quotes the CNA in Iran. The protesters on Saturday were supporters of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, a candidate in the recent election. Mousavi accuses the Iranian government of "appalling" fraud after it reported that the nation's current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who had been expected to receive less than 50% of the vote and have to face Mousavi in a runoff election, received 62%. Cyrus also reports that on Wednesday, the Iranian military arrested at least 500 other protesters, activists, students and journalists among one well-known Middle Eastern reporter Saeed Leylaz. They are accused of "decapitating" the Iranian government and the recent elections in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected. According to ''guardian.co.uk'', many of those arrested were affiliated with the revolution in Iran in 1979. On Tuesday, the Guardian Council of Iran has announced it is willing to recount contentious votes from Friday's presidential elections. The top legislative body said votes would be recounted in regions where other losing candidates contest the results, but the Council says they have no plans to annul the election.
AN AUSTRALIAN has paid $10,420 for a rare video game that was auctioned online by a Canadian after deciding that his dope-smoking son did not deserve it as a Christmas present. The sale of Guitar Hero III took place after the father had spent two weeks searching for the video game for the Nintendo Wii gameboard. "I came home from work early and what do I find? My innocent little boy smoking pot in the backyard," said the seller, a school teacher who kept his identity private. He sold it as a punishment. \|\|\|\|\| Dad sells son's 90-dollar video game online for more than 9000 \| \| Boys look at video games in a department store. After catching his 15-year-old smoking pot, a father sold the hard-to-get "Guitar Hero III" video game he bought his son for 90 dollars for Christmas at an online auction, fetching 9,000 dollars After catching his 15-year-old smoking pot, a father sold the hard-to-get "Guitar Hero III" video game he bought his son for 90 dollars for Christmas at an online auction, fetching 9,000 dollars. The sale took place after the father spent two weeks searching for the video game for the Nintendo Wii gameboard. "So I was so relieved in that I had finally got the Holy Grail of Christmas presents pretty much just in the nick of time. I couldn't wait to spread the jubilance to my son," the father wrote on the eBay website. "Then, yesterday, I came home from work early and what do I find? My innocent little boy smoking pot in the back yard with two of his delinquent friends." The man, a school teacher, who kept his identity private, said he sold the coveted video game to punish his son and discourage him from smoking dope. The sale was a boon for the family's bank account, since the game the father purchased for 90 dollars (US) was finally sold to an Australian who plunked down 9,100 dollars for it. The naughty son, however, will not go without a present on Christmas. "I am still considering getting him a game for his Nintendo. Maybe something like Barbie as the Island Princess or Dancing with the Stars ... I know he will just love them," the father said, tongue-in-cheek.	Newspapers and online sources today reported that a Canadian father sold a hard-to-find video game, which he bought for $90, for $9000 (Canadian), after finding his son smoking pot. The father had bought ''Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock'' for Nintendo Wii, which cost him $90, after scouring every store, to find it as a Christmas present for his son. "I was so relieved in that I had finally got the Holy Grail of Christmas presents pretty much just in the nick of time," the father wrote on eBay when selling the item. However, when the man came home on Saturday, a bit early, he found his son smoking pot with two friends. The man, a school teacher, said he sold the game to punish his son, and stop him from smoking. The game was sold on eBay for $9000, over one-hundred times the original selling price of the game. The boy, however, will not go without a present, as the man considered purchasing a Nintendo Wii game such as ''Barbie as the Island Princess'' or ''Dancing with the Stars''. According to the ''The Daily Telegraph'', the purchaser was an Australian father. The veracity of the winning bid has yet to be authenticated, so suspicions that the exchange may not be finalised remain.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, a couple who stuck together throughout his long career in politics, announced on Tuesday they had decided to separate after 40 years of marriage. The Gores, in an e-mail message to friends confirmed by spokeswoman Kalee Kreider, said the decision was made “after a great deal of thought and discussion.” “This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration,” they said. “We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend to comment further.” Al Gore, 62, a Democrat, who was Bill Clinton’s vice president for eight years, narrowly lost the presidency to Republican George W. Bush in 2000 and won a Nobel Peace Prize and an Academy Award in 2007 for his work against global climate change. He has maintained a heavy travel schedule in pushing the theme of climate protection. Tipper Gore, 61, is an avid photographer whose photos are linked on www.algore.com. She was active in the 1980s in trying to get record companies to put warning labels on their records about profane lyrics. They have four children, all adults. Slideshow ( 2 images ) The Gores left the impression of a couple deeply in love during the Democratic National Convention in 2000, when they exchanged a long, passionate kiss on stage that became famous. They were reported in May they had purchased an $8.8 million ocean-view villa in Montecito, California. “Total shock” was how some in the broad Clinton-Gore community were describing the reaction to the news. Married in 1970, Al and Tipper were together during Al Gore’s complete career in politics, which spanned terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, representing Tennessee, and on to the vice presidency. Compared to the seemingly rocky marriage between Bill and Hillary Clinton, the Gores by all accounts had seemed to have a rock-solid relationship. \|\|\|\|\| Al and Tipper Gore are separating Another sad sign today of the toll that public life can take on families: Former vice president Al Gore and wife Tipper have announced they are separating. "This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration," the couple said in an e-mail to family and friends. We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend to comment further." Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider confirmed the contents of the e-mail. Click here to see a photo gallery of the couples most affectionate moments over the years. The news is being greeted with shock in Washington, D.C. Few political couples seemed as close as the Gores back during his vice presidential years, 1993 to 2001. And remember the ardent kiss Gore planted on his wife at the 2000 Democratic National Convention? See a video clip of that moment below. The Gores have been married for 40 years. (Posted by David Jackson) \|\|\|\|\| (Credit: AP) Updated 6:48 p.m. Eastern Time Al Gore and his wife Tipper Gore are planning to separate after 40 years of marriage. In an e-mail sent to friends obtained by CBS News, the couple said they had made "a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration." "We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend to comment further," they said. The "separation really is mutual and cordial," a close friend of the couple told CBS News. "There isn't anyone else. They just want to go their separate ways." (Credit: AP) Gore spokesperson Kalee Kreider confirmed to CBS News that the couple was planning to separate and declined further comment. Al Gore was the Democratic Presidential nominee in 2000, ultimately losing a controversial election for former President George W. Bush. He later shared a Nobel Peace Prize and Oscar for his work to raise awareness of climate change and his related documentary on the issue, "An Inconvenient Truth." Family friend Sally Quinn toldthat Gore winning the popular vote for president but losing the electoral vote may have done the marriage irreparable harm. "He's obviously suffered a lot," Quinn said. "He'll never get over that and neither will she." Photos: Al Gore, Green Media Star Tipper Gore, a professional photographer, has advocated for mental health issues; she is also known for co-founding the Parents Music Resource Center in the 1980s, an organization that successfully pushed for "Parental Advisory" labels on music with explicit content. (Credit: AP) Politico reports that the couple grew up in the Washington area and met at a high-school graduation dance; they celebrated their 40th anniversary just two weeks ago.The pair famously engaged in a passionate kiss at the 2000 Democratic convention (see left.) "In Vice President Al Gore's campaign to change his robotic image, nothing may have helped more than the big smooch," the New York Times wrote at the time. "Mr. Gore stepped on stage at the Democratic Convention on Thursday and greeted his wife, Tipper, with a quick embrace and a kiss on the lips. But instead of letting go, as nice politicians are supposed to, he wrapped her tighter in his arms, closed his eyes and gave her a full-mouthed kiss that lasted a exceptionally long time." \|\|\|\|\| Gores Announce Separation After 40 Years of Marriage (Update3) (Adds Tipper Gore’s concerns about music lyrics, work on mental illness issues in ninth paragraph, couple’s purchase of California home in 10th.) By Edwin Chen June 1 (Bloomberg) -- Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, announced today they are separating after 40 years of marriage. The couple, who have four children, disclosed the news to a small circle of friends in an e-mail sent under both their names, according to Kalee Kreider, a Gore spokeswoman. “We are announcing today that after a great deal of thought we have decided to separate,” the Gores wrote. “This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together, following a process of long and careful consideration. We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend to comment further.” Al Gore, 62, was vice president in Bill Clinton’s administration and sought the presidency in 2000. He lost to Republican George W. Bush in a disputed election in which Gore won the popular vote and Bush won the Electoral College. After the election Gore focused his energies on raising public awareness of threats posed by climate change, and he was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. Convention Kiss The couple met while each was in high school in the Washington area and married on May 19, 1970. They exchanged a much-publicized kiss on stage at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles where Gore was nominated for the presidency. Tipper Gore, 61, was urged by some Democrats to run for the U.S. Senate in 2002 from the couple’s home state of Tennessee. She decided to forego the race. Al Gore had represented Tennessee in the U.S. House, first winning his seat in 1976, and then was elected senator in 1984. He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988; Clinton selected him as his running mate four years later. Tipper Gore gained national attention in the mid-1980s for the concerns she expressed about violent or sexually explicit music lyrics. She was a co-founder of the Parents Music Resource Center, which advocated warning labels on music. In recent years, much of her work has involved mental illness prevention and treatment. The Los Angeles Times reported in April that the couple had purchased a five-bedroom home near Santa Barbara, California, for more than $8.8 million --Editors: Don Frederick, Robin Meszoly To contact the reporter on this story: Edwin Chen in Washington at EChen32@bloomberg.net; To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Silva at msilva34@bloomberg.net \|\|\|\|\| Al Gore and wife Tipper kiss during his unsuccessful campaign to defeat George W Bush and become US president in 2000. Photograph: Doug Mills/AP Former US vice-president Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, are to separate after 40 years of marriage. The Gores, both 61, sent out the news to their friends yesterday via email, a copy of which was obtained by the Associated Press news agency. Their joint email said: "We are announcing today that after a great deal of thought and discussion, we have decided to separate. This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration. "We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend to comment further." Spokeswoman Kalee Kreider confirmed the statement was correct. The apparent warmth and stability of the Gore marriage when he was vice-president in the 1990s contrasted at the time with the turmoil of the Clintons' union during the fallout from the Monica Lewinsky affair. The view of the Gores as a happily married couple seemed to be confirmed when he ran for president in 2000 and they exchanged a long kiss at the Democratic convention that year. Al Gore said then his wife was "someone I've loved with my whole heart since the night of my high school senior prom". She attended the prom with another classmate but Gore phoned next day to ask her out. They both studied in Boston, where he proposed on the banks of the Charles river. They married in 1970. Gore won the Nobel peace prize in 2007 for his championing of environmental issues. Tipper (a nickname from a song), who subordinated her own career to his political ambitions, is a photographer and writer who became prominent as a campaigner for putting warnings on music she considered unsuitable for children. She was a co-founder in 1985 of the Parents Music Resource Centre. The couple, who live in Nashville, Tennessee, have four children: Karenna, Kristin, Sarah and Albert III. Gore was criticised by the left for not campaigning hard enough during the 2000 election campaign and in the subsequent Florida recounts. But he won praise for his climate change work, especially through his documentary An Inconvenient Truth. He was listed among the potential contenders for another presidential run in 2008 but announced early that he would not be standing. \|\|\|\|\| Al and Tipper Gore, whose playful romance enlivened Washington and the campaign trail for a quarter century, have decided to separate after 40 years of marriage, the couple told friends Tuesday. In an “Email from Al and Tipper Gore,” the couple said: “We are announcing today that after a great deal of thought and discussion, we have decided to separate. “This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together following a process of long and careful consideration. We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend to comment further.” The e-mail was obtained by POLITICO and confirmed by Kalee Kreider of the office of Al and Tipper Gore. Kreider said there would be no further comment. Tipper Gore is a professional photographer who in 1996 published “Picture This: A Visual Diary,” which she called “a personal photographic representation of life as wife of the vice president.” She often took pictures at campaign events and behind the scenes when her husband ran for president in 2000. In recent years, she often accompanied him on speaking and book-signing engagements as he continued his quest for action on "the climate crisis." During Bill Clinton's presidency, the then-vice president and his wife donned costumes for an annual Halloween party that became a Washington tradition. The Gores, who have four children and live in Tennessee, marked their 40th wedding anniversary two weeks ago. The Gores both grew up in the Washington area. They met at a high school graduation dance and were married at the National Cathedral on May 19, 1970, according to Tipper Gore’s White House biography.	left Former Al Gore announced earlier today that he would separate from , his wife of 40 years. The Gores called the decision "mutual." In an to close friends, Al and Tipper Gore said that they would not make additional comments. The message was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Gore family. A family friend said, "There isn't anyone else. They just want to go their separate ways." In the e-mail, Al and Tipper Gore said: “We are announcing today that after a great deal of thought we have decided to separate. This is very much a mutual and mutually supportive decision that we have made together, following a process of long and careful consideration. We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend to comment further.” The announcement was met with surprise in Washington, D.C. Both were raised around the city, and met at a high school dance. 62-year-old Al Gore was the Vice President of the United States during the and lost the to George W. Bush. He also received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts concerning climate change. 61-year-old Tipper Gore is a professional photographer and co-founded the . On May 19, the couple observed their 40th wedding anniversary. The Gores have four children.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement A suicide car bomber has killed 18 people - including five US soldiers - and injured 52 more in the deadliest attack this year on foreign troops in the Afghan capital. Most of the victims were Afghan civilians caught in the blast when the bomber targeted a Nato-led convoy. The bomber struck during rush hour close to the parliament. Taliban militants said they had carried out the attack, using a van packed with 750kg (1,650lb) of explosives. ANALYSIS Nick Childs, BBC defence and security correspondent Nato is making no bones about the fact that it's trying to wrest the military initiative in Afghanistan back from the insurgents. So, in the battle for perceptions and hearts and minds, this will be a serious blow, with the high loss of life both of Nato troops and local civilians. It also highlights the fact that, despite increased efforts, it is impossible completely to eliminate such attacks. And such so-called "spectaculars", especially in the capital, remain a potent weapon for the insurgents, even as the Nato-led forces prepare to continue their own new strategy centred around retaking control in the south. Despite tight security, the suicide bomber managed to drive into the city in a car laden with explosives. The convoy was attacked on the Darulaman road, one of the main roads in the city. A spokesman for the Nato-led international peacekeeping force Isaf confirmed that six of its soldiers had been killed. Apart from the five US soldiers, one Canadian is believed to have been killed. Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen "strongly" condemned the attack, but said the alliance remained "committed to its mission to protect the Afghan people and to strengthen Afghanistan's ability to resist terrorism". Five military vehicles were damaged and more than a dozen civilian vehicles, including a bus, were also caught in the blast. The BBC's Mark Dummett in Kabul says that, as is often the case in such attacks, Afghan civilians seem to have borne the brunt of the explosion. Eyewitness Obiadullah Saddiqyar was on his way into work when the bomb detonated. He described the scene as "totally chaotic". RECENT KABUL ATTACKS 26 Feb 2010: Explosions and gunfire in an area popular with foreigners leave 17 dead 18 Jan 2010: Taliban attack government targets and shopping centres, killing 12 15 Dec 2009: Six killed in suicide attack near hotel in Wazir Akbar Khan district 24 Oct 2009: Six UN staff and three Afghans killed in attack on UN guesthouse 8 Oct 2009: Suicide bomber attacks Indian embassy, killing at least 17 17 Sept 2009: Six Italian soldiers and 10 Afghans die in military convoy blast 18 Aug 2009: Suicide blast kills 10 in attack on Western military convoy In pictures: Aftermath in Kabul He told the BBC: "I witnessed the bomb this morning at around 0815 [0345 GMT]. I saw many people dead and many injured who were taken to hospital. "Among the dead there were lots of women and girls - I heard later that they were students going to university. I also saw one of my colleagues full of blood in the back of a police car, also being taken to hospital. "This situation really made me cry for the bloodshed and the innocent people who were killed and injured." Afghan police have set up extra checkpoints throughout the city this year following a series of attacks by gunmen and bombers on government offices and hotels, our correspondent says. They say they have arrested several men planning suicide attacks but it is impossible to stop and search every car, so these attacks seem certain to continue, he says. Major offensive Afghan President Hamid Karzai described the attack as "heartbreaking". "We are condemning the attack in the strongest terms. I hope Afghanistan will soon get out of this suffering, God willing," he said at a news conference broadcast on national television. President Karzai has recently returned from a trip to Washington where he hoped to gather support for his policy of reconciliation with certain elements of the Taliban. Afghan officials are also preparing for a jirga (English: grand council) of tribal leaders, during which ways to promote peace in Afghanistan will be discussed. Meanwhile a military offensive in the southern province of Kandahar, a key Taliban stronghold, is being planned. Earlier this year Nato and Afghan forces launched a major offensive against militants entrenched in neighbouring Helmand province and security forces are still engaged in operations around Helmand. Nato and the US have deployed thousands of extra troops in Afghanistan, where numbers are expected to peak at 150,000 in August under a strategy designed to bring a swift end to the long-running insurgency. Are you in the area? Did you witness the attack? Send your comments using the post form below. 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 \|\|\|\|\| KABUL, Afghanistan—At least 18 people, including six coalition-force members, were killed and almost 50 were wounded when a suicide car bomber targeted a U.S. military convoy outside an Afghan military-recruitment center in Kabul Tuesday morning, police officials said. A spokesman from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said six "international service members were killed and several wounded" in the attack. Twelve Afghan civilians were killed. ... \|\|\|\|\| The attack in Kabul on Tuesday left at least 47 people wounded in addition to the 18 fatalities The attack in Kabul on Tuesday left at least 47 people wounded in addition to the 18 fatalities The attack in Kabul on Tuesday left at least 47 people wounded in addition to the 18 fatalities [AFP] The attack in Kabul on Tuesday left at least 47 people wounded in addition to the 18 fatalities [AFP] At least 18 people have been killed, including eight Afghan civilians and six Nato troops, in a suicide car-bomb attack in the Afghan capital, Kabul, police say. Tuesday's attack targeted a Nato convoy close to an army-recruitment centre, the parliament and other government buildings in Kabul. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast, one of the deadliest attacks in Kabul in months. The Nato alliance did not give details on the nationalities of the dead. The suicide bomber is reported to have been driving a car laden with explosives. Suicide attack Zemarai Bashary, the interior ministry spokesman, confirmed it was a suicide attack and that the target was the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf). "There are a number of casualties, civilians killed and wounded," he said. Lieutenant-Commander Iain Baxter, an Isaf spokesman, said: "An Isaf convoy was hit. At the moment we're trying to confirm the number of Isaf casualties. "We're still confirming how many Isaf casualties have been caused." Bashary said at least 12 civilians were killed and 47 others wounded, most of whom had been travelling in a bus that passed when the suicide bomber blew up a car packed with explosives. Children and women were among the dead and wounded, he said. Police cordoned off the road near Darulaman palace, a derelict building that once housed Afghanistan's royal family. Afghan television broadcast footage of the bomb site, where US soldiers and Afghan police were seen inspecting a minivan. Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from Kabul, said: "Kabul has been largely spared this continuous low-level violence that plagues the rest of the country. The last time there was a large explosion here in the capitalwas about two months ago." Tuesday's bombing was the first major attack in Kabul since February 26 when Taliban suicide bombers targeted guesthouses, killing 16 people including Westerners and Indians in one the deadliest attacks on foreigners. An increasingly resurgent Taliban has announced a spring offensive in May against government officials and foreign diplomats and troops. So far this year, 202 Nato soldiers have died, marking the deadliest January to mid-May period in the Afghan war. From January to end-May 2009, 119 Nato soldiers died in Afghanistan. Overall, 520 Nato troops died in 2009, the deadliest year so far for US-led foreign troops since the 2001 US-led invasion brought down the Taliban regime. Since summer 2009, one or two Nato soldiers have died on average each day. \|\|\|\|\| Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Six international service members were among those killed in the suicide car bomb that exploded near a registration center for Afghan Army recruits Tuesday, the International Security Assistance Force said. A total of 12 people were killed and 48 injured when the bomb exploded, the Afghan interior ministry said. The Taliban earlier claimed responsibility for the attack. The deadly blast occurred in an area usually fortified with security, an area that is near the parliament and other government buildings in Afghanistan's capital city. Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said the attack occurred at 8:15 a.m., and that the attacker was able to "destroy five foreign vehicles and damage one more." Along with the U.S. military vehicles, 13 civilian vehicles were destroyed, a NATO spokesman said. The spokesman confirmed that five U.S. military vehicles were destroyed along with 13 civilian vehicles. One of the civilian vehicles was a bus filled with people. Hours after the blast a nearby field was littered with charred body parts, some thrown hundreds of meters from the blast site. CNN's Atia Abawi contributed to this report. \|\|\|\|\| KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban struck here at the heart of the Afghan capital Tuesday, with a suicide bomber steering his explosives-laden Toyota minibus into an American convoy as it moved through the thick of rush-hour traffic. The attack killed 18 people, including 5 American soldiers and an officer from Canada, and wounded at least 47 civilians. The assault, which brought mayhem and carnage to one of the capital’s main thoroughfares, comes as Afghan leaders and NATO commanders are preparing to launch a major offensive in the southern city of Kandahar, the Taliban’s spiritual home. If nothing else, the attack seemed intended to remind American and Afghan leaders of what the next several months might hold in store as the offensive unfolds. Less than 24 hours later, Taliban insurgents attacked the American base at Bagram, 50 miles north of Kabul, setting off a gun battle early Wednesday morning that wounded at least five American soldiers. The American command confirmed that an attack was unfolding, saying American troops had killed seven of the attackers. The attack in the center of Kabul on Tuesday pushed the number of Americans killed in Afghanistan-related operations to more than 1,000 since the American and NATO-led campaign began here in the autumn of 2001. The blast sent a fireball billowing into the air, set cars aflame and blew bodies apart. Limbs and entrails flew hundreds of feet, littering yards and walls and streets. The survivors, many of them women and children, some of them missing limbs, lay in the road moaning and calling for help. In a passenger bus, an Afghan woman lay dead in her seat, cut in half, with her baby still squirming in her arms. Fifty yards away, a man’s head lay on the hood of a truck. “I just dove on the ground to try to save myself,” said Mahfouz Mahmoodi, an Afghan police officer. “And then I got up, and I saw the terrible scene.” The Taliban took responsibility for the attack in a posting on its Web site, saying the group had dispatched a young man named Nizamuddin, a resident of Kabul. The Taliban said that Nizamuddin’s bomb weighed more than 1,600 pounds. Bombers who have struck in the past have sometimes cruised the capital looking for targets, holding off on the detonator before they have found their marks. Intelligence officers often receive reports that car and suicide bombers have entered Kabul, some of them with no particular targets in mind. That may have been the case Tuesday morning, when Nizamuddin, if that was his name, steered his minibus into the line of American cars. But even so, the attack came at what turned out to be a highly symbolic moment: just as President Hamid Karzai was preparing to meet the Afghan and foreign news media only hours after his return from Washington, where he had met with President Obama and other senior American officials. Among the topics discussed in Washington was the Kandahar offensive, aimed at breaking the Taliban’s hold on southern Afghanistan. Afghan and American officials have said that they expect the Taliban to try to counter the operation in any way that they can. It was the worst attack in Kabul in weeks. The insurgency is a largely rural phenomenon in a largely rural country, and on most days the capital is calm. The peace in the city, such as there is, is kept almost entirely by the Afghan police and army, with the Americans and NATO standing back. While the Taliban were quick to congratulate themselves for killing the American and NATO soldiers, their statement made no mention of the dead and wounded Afghan civilians. The attack was condemned by the United Nations, NATO and the American Embassy, which accused the Taliban of “callous disregard” for the lives of ordinary Afghans. The bomber struck at 8 a.m., when the streets were filled with traffic. The American convoy, which contained a number of armored S.U.V.’s, was moving down Dar-ul-Aman Road on the southern edge of the city. The road leads up a hill to the Afghan Counterinsurgency Academy, one of the principal centers for teaching tactics to Afghan officers and enlisted men. The explosion sent a plume of fire into the air and ignited the cars and buses all around. As the chaos unfolded, ambulances converged on the scene, and a pair of Black Hawk helicopters swooped in to take away the dead and wounded NATO soldiers. “People were calling, ‘Help me, help me,’ ” said Yusuf Tahiri, an ambulance driver who carried off six dead and two wounded Afghans. “There were body parts everywhere.” As Mr. Tahiri spoke, an Afghan soldier appeared, carrying a large red trash bag. It was, he said, filled with human brains. “What do you want me to do with this?” he asked. “Do you want me to bury it, or do you want to take it?” The driver nodded, and the soldier walked around to the back of the ambulance and tossed the bag in the back. “I have seen so many of these — so many,” said Mr. Tahiri, the driver, shaking his head. The blast also flung people and wreckage over into the courtyard of a veterinary clinic of Kabul University. With the mayhem still unfolding, two Afghans, both of them guards at the clinic, sat on the curb and talked. “I saw something just like this 10 years ago,” Mohammed Hussein said to his friend. “A rocket landed next to my house. Just like this.” His friend, Abdul Hafiz, gave a weary nod. “It was very dangerous, very horrible,” he said.	A car bomb attack this morning, which targeted a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) convoy in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, has killed or wounded dozens of people. The death toll was not confirmed, and estimates range from ten to twenty deaths. 47 people were injured in the attack. The incident occurred at the Darulaman crossroads, near a US-Afghan military base and the parliament. Six NATO troops died in the attack alongside several civilians. The NATO said they had sealed off the region. The bomber had been driving a car filled with explosives, which they detonated at around 0815 local time 0415 GMT. Iain Baxter, a spokesman for Isaf (), stated: "An Isaf convoy was hit. At the moment we're trying to confirm the number of Isaf casualties." He could not confirm the number of Isaf personnel killed in the attack. Zemarai Bashary, an Interior Ministry spokesperson, confirmed the attack, noting that "there are a number of casualties, civilians killed and wounded." The death toll is unclear, and we're checking all the hospitals," he added. Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan, said it was a "heartbreaking" attack. "We are condemning the attack in the strongest terms. I hope Afghanistan will soon get out of this suffering, God willing," he commented on national television. General Ahmad Zia Yaftali, the chief military doctor of the Afghan army, claimed twenty people had been killed. "We have five bodies brought to our hospital so far ... the number of the dead is more than 20," Yaftali told Agence France-Presse news agency. Later, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying a resident of Kabul, Nizamuddin, had been sent to "destroy five foreign vehicles and damage one more." "Today's attack was part of the Al Fatah operation and we will continue attacking foreigners and government security forces and their associates," Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesperson said. The latter had 1,500 pounds of explosives in his Toyota van. NATO officials said five US military convoys were destroyed along with a further thirteen public vehicles. One of the vehicles to be destroyed was a bus filled with people.
Cleanup efforts are under way in Schweitzer Hall on the University of Missouri campus, where a hydrogen explosion injured four people and shattered nearly 20 windows yesterday. That’s about all MU officials are saying at this point, as the investigation into the blast is ongoing, MU spokesman Christian Basi said. The Columbia Fire Department responded at 2:20 p.m. to a report of a structure fire at 503 S. College Ave. When crews arrived, they discovered the explosion and extinguished a small fire, much of which had already been put out by an automatic sprinkler system. “It looks like a bomb went off in the lab,” Columbia fire Capt. Eric Hartman said, quoting a firefighter exiting the building. Those injured included a research scientist, two postdoctoral fellows and a graduate student. Three of them were released from University Hospital after being treated for minor to moderate injuries. The fourth person was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries but was listed in good condition in the hospital’s burn unit as of last night. Early this morning, the MU News Bureau said it planned to release names of the victims, but Basi later said privacy laws prohibited the university from providing that information. Details about the explosion are scarce and have changed since the initial reports. Hartman first told reporters that a 2,000-pound hydrogen tank had exploded, but investigation crews later found the tank intact. Last night, the fire department issued a statement blaming the explosion on human error. During an experiment with bacteria in hydrogen-rich environments, lab personnel turned on the hydrogen supply to an anaerobic hood and, because they weren’t familiar with the warning systems, left the gas on, the fire department’s statement said. Once the gas reached an ignition source, it exploded, according to the news release. This morning, though, the fire department said the information was not complete and that fire investigators have not concluded that human error was to blame. “We’re trying to figure out what caused it,” Basi said. The investigation should reveal the monetary amount of damage to the building, he said. Results also should highlight whether the university should make procedural or policy changes to prevent similar incidents in the future, he said. The third-floor lab was assigned to Professor Judy Wall, who was across the hall in her office when the explosion occurred. This morning, Wall referred questions to the news bureau. Schweitzer Hall is home to the Department of Biochemistry, which is part of the School of Medicine and the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. The building has one classroom, located in the basement, which is not being used this summer. Basi said lab space elsewhere in the building is OK. Crews found the rest of the building to be structurally safe, and researchers and staff were allowed to access the building to resume work. Reach Janese Silvey at 573-815-1705 or e-mail jsilvey@columbiatribune.com. \|\|\|\|\| UPDATE: The Columbia Fire Department has withdrawn a claim made on Monday night that the explosion was caused by human error. The department says the claim was "premature," and that the investigation is still ongoing as of Tuesday morning. COLUMBIA — Four people were injured when a lab device on the third floor of MU's Schweitzer Hall at 503 S. College Ave. exploded Monday afternoon. "Certainly this was an accidental explosion, but the lab looks like a bomb went off," said Columbia Fire Department Capt. Eric Hartman, who was on the scene. In a news release, Hartman said the explosion was caused by an anaerobic hood — an oxygen-free chamber used for working with bacteria that can't survive in oxygen. An explosion resulted when a flammable combination of gases used for the device came into contact with an ignition source, the release said. The source of the ignition remains unknown. A 2,000 pounds per square inch hydrogen tank did not explode, as first reported. Investigators said it remained intact. The department also withdrew a statement issued Monday night that attributed the explosion to human error. In the Monday night release, the department said lab personnel ignored a "warning system" designed to tell researchers when too much hydrogen enters the chamber and becomes flammable. On Tuesday morning, Columbia Battalion Chief Steven Sapp said the department's claim was "premature" and that the investigation was still ongoing. Sapp said investigators were still investigating the possibility of technical failure, and that the department might need to send the lab equipment to be evaluated by independent investigators. The lab technician working with the anaerobic hood suffered a life-threatening impact injury to the chest in addition to burns, Hartman said. That person was transferred to University Hospital by ambulance after the explosion, as were two others with moderate injuries; the fourth person with minor injures was transferred to the hospital via a "private vehicle," Hartman said. One person suffered difficulty breathing related to asthma, Hartman said. The four suffered various impact and shrapnel injuries in addition to burns. As of 5:45 p.m., according to an MU News Bureau release, three of those injured had been treated and released. The fourth person remained in the hospital and was listed as being in good condition. The bureau did not specify which of four injured people remained in the hospital. Hartman said one graduate student and two postdoctoral students were among the people injured in the explosion. Both the fire department and the University of Missouri Police Department declined the release their names, referring reporters to the university. On Tuesday morning, MU spokeswoman Mary Banken said the university would not be releasing the names until the university had gotten permission from the victims. Hartman said the number of injuries was "certainly reduced" because of MU being on summer break, which meant fewer people working in the facility. The lab belongs to MU biochemistry professor Judy Wall, Basi said. Wall declined to comment on the incident or on the specific details of the experiment being conducted at the time of the explosion. Wall's lab was used for experiments with bacteria. Hartman said he was unsure whether the 2,000 psi hydrogen tank was being used at the time of the explosion. He said the department is taking precautions against any potentially hazardous chemicals. He said the ceiling in the lab collapsed but that the building remained structurally sound. After the explosion, the building was evacuated, and Hartman said the fire was contained in about 10 minutes. Fire crews then began working to ventilate chemicals. The fire alarm was triggered and the building's fire sprinklers activated, extinguishing most of the fire, Hartman said in a release. The building's central staff were allowed to re-enter the building, Hartman said at around 4:15 p.m. Seventeen windows were blown out in the third-floor explosion. The room's number was not yet available. Phil Leibu was working in the basement of Schweitzer Hall when he heard an explosion and saw debris falling on the ground through his window. Jeanie Phipps, an administrative assistant in Mumford Hall, said she heard a loud boom. "I didn't really look. I thought it was something with a truck," she said, citing the heavy roadwork on campus. She received an e-mail alert about the explosion and went outside to see what was going on. Several small groups of people were watching the scene while the fire department was investigating, she said. There was significant damage to the building with glass and debris falling to the ground, Hartman said. All the windows on one corner of the building were broken. Basi said no one other than the fire department would be allowed to access the lab until further notice, and cleanup in the lab would start later Monday night. Explosions in anaerobic chambers are not unprecedented, according to a research paper written by Mike Cox of Anaerobe Systems in San Jose, Calif. Cox — who previously experienced two small anaerobic chamber explosions — wrote that when a chamber is transitioning to an oxygen-free state, specific combinations of oxygen and hydrogen can become flammable, making an explosion possible if something ignites the gas. MU is expected to investigate the explosion and take steps to avoid a future incident, the fire department said in its release. Nicholas Jain, Erica Hunt, Krista Schmidt and Emily Smoucha contributed to this report.	A pile of debris sits outside Schweitzer Hall as cleanup crews went through the building. Workers began replacing the building's windows on Tuesday. An explosion at the (Mizzou) on Monday afternoon left four people injured, authorities say. The explosion occurred in a science laboratory in Schweitzer Hall around 2:20 p.m. (1920 UTC) Monday. The source of the explosion was first thought to have been a 2,000-pound (907.2-kilogramme) tank, but fire officials later said that this was not the case. The cause of the incident is currently under investigation by the Fire Department. The Columbia Fire Department arrived at Schweitzer Hall after a report of a structure fire, but found that most of the fire had already been extinguished by the building's . The remaining flames were put out by firefighters, one of whom said it looked as if "a bomb went off in the lab". Of the four hurt in the blast, one was a research scientist, one a graduate student, and the other two postdoctoral fellows. Three were treated for mild injuries and released from , while the fourth was in good condition after being taken to the hospital's for life-threatening injuries. A school spokesperson said that the university was not allowed to release the names of the victims. Authorities initially believed that a large container of hydrogen gas had exploded, but investigators later said that the tank was intact. Fire officials also retracted an earlier statement that said the incident had been a result of human error. In a Monday night news release, the fire department said that lab workers had turned on the hydrogen but did not recognize warning signs indicating a dangerously high level of hydrogen gas in the lab, so they left the gas supply running. The report said the explosion occurred after the gas reached a source of ignition. However, the department said Tuesday that the investigation into the explosion is still ongoing and that they were not certain human error was the cause. The investigation should determine the cost of repairs for the building, as well as whether the school should implement new procedures to avoid similar incidents in the future. The lab where the explosion took place will be totally rebuilt. Schweitzer Hall houses Mizzou's department, which is part of the medical and agricultural programs. The building's single classroom is located in the basement and was not in use at the time. The explosion happened on a third-story lab assigned to Judy Wall, a university professor, who was in her office across from the lab during the incident and referred inquiries to the news bureau. Other labs in the building were not disturbed, and Schweitzer Hall was established to be structurally sound, although nearly twenty windows had been shattered from the blast. The building reopened Tuesday for researchers to continue working.
Internet News \| Home The Zotob worm trail leads to arrests in Turkey and Morocco Posted on : Sat, 27 Aug 2005 13:02:00 GMT \| Author : Roland Waite News Category : Internet The Zotob virus that wormed its way through America’s corporate and government networks, resulted in the FBI chasing an electronic trail that has lead to two youngsters faraway in the Middle East and North Africa. It is believed that 18-year old Moroccan Farid Essebar wrote the Zotob viral program in return for a payment offered by the 21-year old Turk Atilla Ekici, after meeting him over the Internet. Yesterday both were arrested and now await prosecution in their respective countries. FBI's assistant director, Louis M. Riegel, said that like in any classic cyber crime Essebar and Ekici may have never met "but they certainly knew each other via the Internet". However, Riegel is unable to say how much Essebar was paid for the damaging Zotob worm and variants that targeted computers using the Windows operating systems, especially the Windows 2000 version in mid-August this year. The affected networks included that of big news and media firms such as the Associated Press, ABC, and The New York Times, besides manufacturers like Caterpillar Inc and numerous government agencies across the US. While neither Microsoft nor the FBI are making public any estimate of the damage unleashed by the worm, experts surmise it could not be substantial as most of the affected firms managed to quickly make software fixes. The Zotob worm and its variants, that uniquely attacked computers without opening any program to give users an inkling of its presence, skulked around shortly after Microsoft’s release of a “critical” patch for a security flaw. The FBI also suspects the duo for unleashing the earlier worms named Rbot and Mytob. While Zotob affected over a 100 U.S. companies, targeting the Windows 2000 operating system’s plug and play feature, it did not cause as much damage as SQL Slammer and MyDoom worms. In several cases of cyber crime investigated by FBI so far, the speed at which investigations proceeded to nab the culprits in the Zytob worm case was uncanny. Louis Reigel said of the advantage of working closely with Microsoft Corp., besides Moroccan and Turkish authorities, "Had we not had those entities involved in this investigation, I suspect it would still be ongoing today". While Microsoft investigators started analyzing the Mytob worm’s trail in March, the release of Zytob helped speed up and serve as evidence to get to the perpetrators quickly. Had the duo gone without detection there was all likelihood that the backdoor Trojans they had planted in the computers affected by the worms could have been used to provide remote access to the computers at a later date. Meanwhile the FBI is also trying to ascertain the duo's involvement in cyber frauds and identity thefts. From the looks of it, the relatively less damaging Zytob worm may only be the tip of the ice-berg, as new angles emerge about the cyber-crimes committed by the duo. Your Comments Subject : MY opinion By: vijay \| on : Wed, 31 Aug 2005 17:48:37 GMT Comment : If a thief enters house and gets caught in act of stealing then owner of the house is not charged for not having a secured house. I think Microsoft is doing well by improving the security based on such instances as well helping in tracing back the culprits however the culprits should be punished for their act as well damages. Subject : The Zotob Worm Get Railed, leads to arrests in Middle East by the FBI. By: St. Earnest \| on : Mon, 29 Aug 2005 02:44:45 GMT Comment : This 18-year old Moroccan Farid Essebar wrote Zotob Worm Viral program in return for a payment offered by the 21-year old Turk Atilla Ekici that wormed its way through networks, resulted in the FBI chasing an electronic trail that has lead to these two males in the Middle East and North Africa getting U.S.-Fed-Punked. Like in the classic, puberty brain damaged cyber-criminals, cyber criminals Essebar and Ekici have never met face2face, but in the cyber these two keyboard touchers have". So the soga now continues with only one resolve, two idiots wanting more attention from momy and or daddy with an end result M-T.V.has taken their place, or something just as stupid --regards child rearing and now the roaches are running to hide. Yes, two Wana Be Exploiters, (Slang Term: Hackers), weezled their way into recognition by drawling attention to themselves, not at all intelligent. The "Exploitation --i.e. [Improper Slang: Hackers] Exploiter'(s)" is NEVER TO DRAW ATTENTION TO YOURELF -i.e. SELF-INCRIMINATION. Motivating Refference is: "You will be noticed by the Exploiter Hierarchy if you are mature enough to keep a low/zer0 profile", Corperations will higher you. If you are good enough, federal afiliated security groups also will higher. FBI and affiliated agencies turn over high end eploiter profiles to these groups per political funding support and or favors. Most idiots belong to groups always get caught by 101%, don't do this nor speak to anyone regards illegal activities, ever unless you give information you know will never incriminate you, but the targeted friend believe is real hot stuff. The relity of privacy = No Such Reality, and Never Was. Therefore, walk through accordingly. You are never a threat if you have never comprimised Corperate, or Federal interestests that civilian government may raise question and money is sacred, and practice making a ghost of legal funds, and follow the loop-holes that support these efforts. Always l8 for 848. St. Earnest Subject : Dear Dr. R. Peter Johnson (posted above) By: cjs \| on : Sun, 28 Aug 2005 16:52:01 GMT Comment : "psychobabble communication theory..." Yeah, talk about psychobabble. Subject : Kids: The Most Knowledgeable techies? By: anuragxp \| on : Sun, 28 Aug 2005 08:27:38 GMT Comment : One interesting observation here is that the creators of Zotob are two youngsters, it is amazing to see how much knowledge can an 18 year old have. I think kids are not getting proper opportunities to showcase their talent, had a platform been there - this kid would have channelized his energy in positive directions. Food for thought for the IT giants like Microsoft. Subject : where are the pc monitor with the intergradged astsc tuner By: wx1dog \| on : Sat, 27 Aug 2005 18:17:09 GMT Comment : it about time we see on the market pc monitors with hdtv tuners build in. Subject : Virus By: Justin Shafer \| on : Sat, 27 Aug 2005 16:56:59 GMT Comment : Microsoft should do a better job.... Leave the kids alone. Subject : Re: Cybercrime report garbled history: As the worms turn... By: Dr. R. Peter Johnson \| on : Sat, 27 Aug 2005 14:58:00 GMT Comment : Reprinting what terrorist gangs send to media is resulting again in garbled reporting of this heinous set of crimes involving direct attacks on the businesses and their employees as well as innocent groups lured into international fronting for these trolling stalkers seeking to further their identity thieving consumptions of our people and our societies. If either of these disguised old men in kidskin looks was apprehended, then it was the opposite or other than in this contrived, updated, stolen version of a news report to the CIA or the FBI years ago. Better late than never, but hurry. Thos computer systems went down with actual interventions by thugs destroying the properties and, of course, entrapping whatever few humans might have remained there either in their own persons or in their latest cosmetic surgeries. Announcing these destructions of our commercial sectors hides the tragedies to intelligent human lives which were lost in these terrorist acts. Morroco usually codes to Indiana or to the midwest and Turkey codes to California or to the west in former psychobabble communication theory. But, who knows what these inhumane goonies or their drugs infusium crews meant by this latest flashing. Are they seeking fame and fortune in cybercrime or are they attempting to crawl into warmer digs? Subject : RE: The Zotob worm trail leads to arrests in Turkey and Morocco By: Amelie Blanchard \| on : Sat, 27 Aug 2005 14:37:37 GMT Comment : I believe the use of worms and such may be on the rise; I also believe, if one wants to cause maximum damage to the United States, Great Britian and the other highly computerized countries, bombs may be passé. Cyber attacks hurt us worse, I think. They certainly are more expensive... Have your Say Name : Email : Subject : Your Comment : More Internet News click here \|\|\|\|\| Officials in Turkey and Morocco have arrested two men thought to be responsible for creating computer worms that infected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide this year, including the Zotob worm that crippled several high-profile companies this month, the FBI said yesterday. Police in Morocco arrested Farid Essebar, 18, a Moroccan national born in Russia who used the online moniker "Diabl0." Authorities in Turkey arrested 21-year-old Atilla Ekici, known by the online alias "Coder." Essebar and Ekici are suspected of releasing the Zotob and Mytob computer worms that were designed to take advantage of flaws in Microsoft's widely used Windows operating system. The suspects' nicknames can be found in the original computer programming code for Zotob, according to the FBI and Microsoft Corp., both of which worked with overseas officials on the case. Authorities said the pair were using the worms in a money-making scheme and did not appear to have any terrorist connections. Worms and viruses are malicious software that often are introduced when someone opens an infected computer file, such as an e-mail attachment. They can take over a computer hard drive, often making the contents available to hackers. Worms like Zotob are even more dangerous because they can seek out and infect computers on a network without any action on the part of users, exploiting weaknesses in the software that Windows uses to communicate online. Mytob is an e-mail worm that emerged in late February and has since spawned dozens of variants. Hackers have used Mytob to steal personal information from infected computers and to make the computers automatically send out spam e-mail to others. Authorities also believe the two suspects authored a Mytob predecessor known as "Rbot," a prolific family of Trojan horse programs that allow attackers to maintain access to infected computers. The Zotob worm first emerged on Aug. 14, just four days after Microsoft released a patch to fix a security flaw in Windows that the worm was designed to exploit. Two days later, several companies -- including CNN, the New York Times and ABC News -- reported that a variant of Zotob had infiltrated their computer networks. The worm also temporarily disabled the systems that the Department of Homeland Security uses to screen airline passengers entering the United States. A spokesperson for Homeland Security praised the FBI and Microsoft yesterday for the swiftness of the investigation but declined to comment further. Zotob and subsequent variants of the worm infected at least 255 companies around the world, said Oliver Friedrichs, a senior manager at Cupertino, Calif.-based Symantec Corp., a computer security company. The spread of the Zotob worm was tempered both by the fact that it infected only computers running Windows 2000, an operating system primarily used by businesses, and because Internet service providers typically filter the type of Web traffic generated by the worm. As a result, most of the Zotob infections were limited to corporate networks. Louis M. Reigel III, assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division, said evidence indicates Ekici paid Essebar to develop the worms and that the two used them for financial gain. Reigel declined to say whether the men were connected to a larger criminal enterprise. But according to information released by the Moroccan government, the two men are alleged to have forwarded financial information stolen from victims' computers to a credit-card fraud ring. Police who raided Essebar's home found a computer that contained the original programming instructions for the first version of the Zotob worm, according to a law enforcement source who was involved in the investigation but spoke on condition of anonymity because the information could affect legal proceedings in Turkey. The United States has an extradition agreement with Turkey, but Reigel said the government would not seek to extradite either man. Rather, he said, both countries have specific laws against computer crimes that should allow local authorities to prosecute. Krebs is a staff writer for washingtonpost.com.	Turkish and Moroccan authorities arrested two suspects who are believed to be the creators of the worm that took down '''' computer network and crippled other computers in the U.S. and worldwide earlier this month. The FBI traced an electronic trail that led to two men from the Middle East and North Africa. An 18-year old Moroccan, , is believed to have written the worm in return for a payment from a 21-year old Turk Atilla Ekici. Both were arrested Friday and await prosecution in their respective countries. It appears that Essebar and Ekici never met personally, and conducted the entire cyber crime through contact with each other over the internet. The online monikers for the two is believed to be "Diabl0" for Essebar and “Coder” for Ekici. The speedy pace at which investigators made arrests is credited from working closely with the Microsoft Corp., and Moroccan and Turkish authorities, said the FBI assistant director Louis Reigel. "Had we not had those entities involved in this investigation, I suspect it would still be ongoing today." Microsoft investigators began in March to analyze an e-mail variant called Mytob, which emerged in late February. The two suspects are believed to have authored the predecessor to Mytob, known then as 'Rbot'. These worms could plant in infected computers a backdoor that could be used to gain remote access to the computer and their networks at a later date. The release of the Zytob worm yielded more evidence of the perpetrators’ identities. The motive for the attacks appears to be financial gain and not terrorist related. The two men allegedly forwarded stolen financial information to a credit-card fraud ring, according to the Moroccan government. The 5-year-old operating system is most vulnerable to attack. The worm uses a flaw in the Windows Plug and Play service; a flaw for which Microsoft has issued a patch. But an August 23 Microsoft advisory notes that some non-default configurations of Windows XP Service Pack 1 systems could also be at risk. XP SP2 users are not at risk.
The police officers guarding the G8 summit in Gleneagles have been trained to expect anything from aggressive demonstrators to devious terrorists. What they probably have not been briefed on, though, is how to react when the most powerful man on earth comes hurtling towards you on a push bike. Such was the fate of one Scottish police officer who suffered a bruised ankle yesterday evening after being involved in a collision that also left George Bush nursing a few grazes. It seems the US president had decided to celebrate his 59th birthday with a two-wheeled spin around the grounds of the Gleneagles hotel when a light drizzle - and a minor disaster - struck. A White House spokesman said Mr Bush had been pedalling along for about an hour at what he termed a "pretty good speed" when he hit the officer, who was on foot. Scott McClellan said the president had scraped his hands and arms and they were bandaged by Richard Tubb, the president's doctor. "He was wearing a helmet," Mr McClellan said. "The accident occurred on asphalt. His scrapes were mild to moderate. "The president was mostly concerned at the officer's condition and spent time talking to him and asked his physician to monitor him in hospital," Mr McClellan said. Mr Bush's mountain bike was damaged, forcing him to return to the hotel in a van. The police officer, from the Strathclyde force, was taken to Perth royal infirmary and treated for a slight ankle injury. The officer was released last night and returned to his duties. Mr McClellan said the president, who was sufficiently recovered to dine with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh last night, had spoken to the officer and was intending to phone him later to check on his progress. Mr Bush became a devotee of cycling a couple of years ago after a knee injury forced him to give up running. But his leisure pursuits are not without their periIs. In May last year he fell off his mountain bike, grazing his chin, top lip, nose, knees and his right hand while riding on his ranch. He also came to grief on a motorised scooter in June 2003. On that occasion, however, neither vehicle nor rider was damaged. In January 2002, he survived a potentially fatal encounter with a pretzel. \|\|\|\|\| GLASGOW, Scotland — President Bush had a rough 59th birthday yesterday after taking a spill on his bike that also took out a Scottish policeman. Shortly after arriving in Gleneagles, Scotland, for the G-8 summit, Mr. Bush took advantage of the little free time he would have by embarking on an invigorating bike ride, his favorite exercise. He was about an hour into his excursion when he crashed while going at “a pretty good speed” on the damp pavement, according to White House spokesman Scott McClellan. Mr. Bush suffered “mild-to-moderate” scrapes on his hands and arms that required bandaging by the president’s doctor. His Scottish escort, who was standing by the road at the time, didn’t get off so lightly, injuring his ankle severely enough to require a trip to the hospital. The president visited with the hurt policeman for a while at the scene before dispatching his personal doctor, Richard Tubb, to accompany him to the emergency room, where the unidentified officer was treated and released with no broken bones. According to Mr. McClellan, the president had a “very pleasant” post-dinner conversation with the officer, who was reached on his cell phone on the way home. The president told the policeman in a conversation that lasted “a few minutes” that “he was glad to hear he was doing OK,” Mr. McClellan said. Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission. \|\|\|\|\| The president at least managed to keep his balance The machine went down when he stepped onto it at his family estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, but he managed to leap to safety, landing on his feet. The US president managed to master his lawnmower-like steed, developed by BAE Systems in Plymouth, Devon, at the second attempt and cruised around the driveway with his father George Bush Senior following closely on a second Segway. A safety manual warns the Segway user to wear a helmet and "get a friend to act as your spotter" but Mr Bush was wearing only his tennis clothes and clutching his racket, while the nearest he had to a "spotter" appeared to be the family dog, Spot. The elder Bush's example may have done the trick The president was not available to comment on the incident, which was caught on film, or confirm whether he had tried out the Segway before. His foray on the new scooter follows Vice President Dick Cheney's use of a Segway to ride around his Washington office when his Achilles tendon was playing up. The machine's creator, Dean Kamen, wants to see US Special Forces troops eventually ride Segways into battle. But machines in use around the world at present have been mostly confined to gentle tasks such as traversing car parks or airport check-in halls. BBC News Online journalists are currently seeing if they can triumph where President Bush failed, by taking a pair of the two-wheeled transporters out for a test ride. See how they fared (or perhaps fell) in a report next week. \|\|\|\|\| Jul 7 2005 President crashes his bike into Scots cop By Mark Mcgivern And Amy Devine GEORGE Bush crashed his mountain bike into a policeman as he rode around Gleneagles last night. The US president suffered scrapes on his hands and arms after his cycle whacked the officer. The injured cop needed hospital treatment on his leg. Bush had been riding in the grounds of the hotel while attending the G8 summit. Last night, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: 'It was raining lightly at the time and President Bush slid on the road. He suffered scrapes that later required bandages by the White House doctor.' The fall did not affect the president's schedule. Bush, with his hands bandaged, joined the other G8 leaders last night at a dinner hosted by the Queen. The injured Strathclyde Police officer, who had been on security duty, was treated at a local hospital. The bizarre incident was not the first time that Bush, who turned 59 yesterday, has crashed his bike. Last year, he took a tumble near the end of a 17-mile ride on his Texas ranch. He was left with minor cuts and scratches. The accident came at the worst possible time - with Bush left to make a major global TV address that night with grazing on his chinA year before that, he had gone flying over the handlebars of his scooter. That embarrassing fall happened under the full glare of newspaper cameras and hundreds of reporters. Most famously,in January 2002, the president almost choked on a pretzel. He passed out after choking on the snack and appeared the next day with a big red mark on his cheek. Earlier yesterday, the aircraft carrying the world's most powerful men into Scotland were told to slow down their engines to save the red carpet fromdamage Air traffic controllers at Prestwick Airport asked the pilots from the US, Japan, France, Germany, Russia, Canada and Italy to try not to damage the luxury rug. An airport spokesman said: 'Thankfully, it's all in one piece and will be laid again for them leaving	U.S. President George W. Bush crashed his mountain bike into an unfortunate police officer in Scotland. Mr. Bush, who celebrated his 59th birthday last night was cycling on a bike around the Gleneagles Hotel, where he is staying for the 31st G8 summit, when he, perhaps partially due to the bad weather, crashed into one of the police officers responsible for his and the other leaders' safety. The officer had to be taken to the hospital having suffered a twisted ankle whilst Mr. Bush, who was wearing a helmet, only suffered minor bruises despite landing on asphalt. The president had to return to the hotel by van because the bike was too badly damaged. Bush has been involved in two similar accidents during his presidency. In 2003, he fell off a Segway personal transporter, and in 2004, he fell off a mountain bike.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution The Leader of the Islamic Revolution has said the bombing of the holy Shia shrines in Samarra is aimed at provoking sectarian violence. In a message on the recent bombing of the shrines of the two revered Shia Imams in the Iraqi town of Samarra, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei blamed the intelligence services of the Zionist regime and the occupation forces in Iraq for the bombing, saying such terrorist acts are meant to intensify sectarian violence in the Muslim world. The Leader urged the Muslims particularly the Iraqi people to remain vigilant in the face of the plots hatched to create sectarian strife between Shias and Sunnis. He noted the holy shrines of the two revered Shia Imams in the Sunni town of Samarra, had been respected throughout history, whereas the recent event marks the second desecration of these holy sites since the invasion of Iraq by foreign troops. He emphasized that the occupying forces are instigating insecurity in Iraq and leaving enough space for terrorist movements in order to justify the ongoing illegitimate occupation of the country and to debilitate the government of Iraq. Calling for Sunni scholars to condemn the sacrilege of the holy sites and Shias to remain calm, Ayatollah Khamenei said our Shia and Sunni brothers in Iraq should beware of the conspiracy against the Muslim unity. MRD/RE/GMA/HAR \|\|\|\|\| Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Thursday strongly condemned the bombing of a most revered Shiite shrine in the northern Iraqi city of Samarra on the previous day, the state-run Alalam satellite TV channel reported. The Iranian supreme leader blamed the secret services of the U. S.-led occupation and Israel for masterminding the "criminal act," Alalam reported on its website. "The perpetrators of this huge crime, whether they be the remnants of the Saddamist Baath regime or the reactionary elements of Salafist and Wahhabist groups...there is no doubt that the spy agencies of the occupiers and the Zionists were the brains behind the evil plot," Khamenei said. Insurgents blew up two minarets of the Shiite shrine in Samarra, some 120 km north of Baghdad, on Wednesday morning, raising fears over escalation of sectarian violence between Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq. Khamenei urged Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq to "remain vigilant in the face of the enemies' plots to sow discord among Muslims." The leader said it was the second such attack against the holy shrine under the rule of the occupation in Iraq, stressing that the occupiers cannot shun their responsibility for the criminal act. Source: Xinhua \|\|\|\|\| Following are excerpts from an interview with Shiite Mufti of Tyre Sheik Ali Al-Amin, which aired on Future TV on April 26, 2007: Sheik Ali Al-Amin: I am not against the cultural or political agenda of Hizbullah, but we do not support its military agenda. It has the right to propose its political and cultural perspectives, but it does not have the right to impose them on others. [...] In any event, the cultural agenda it raises – "the Rule of the Jurisprudent" – will not gain widespread popularity, because it does not have such popularity in its country of origin. Interviewer: In Iran? Sheik Ali Al-Amin: Even in Iran, it is not [popular]. Interviewer: That's new to me. Sheik Ali Al-Amin: Even in Iran. I've lived in Iran. Over there, a vast majority of the religious scholars do not support "the Rule of the Jurisprudent." This is true on the popular level. I recall that in elections held in the past, when Nateq Nouri was a presidential candidate, he was the candidate supported by "the Rule of the Jurisprudent," while Khatami was the candidate who opposed "the Rule of the Jurisprudent." Interviewer: [Khatami] defeated him. Sheik Ali Al-Amin: Khatami won 15 million votes, while Nouri got many less. Even on the popular level, there is no support for the principle of "the Rule of the Jurisprudent." Even in its land of origin, this principle does not transcend borders. Some people claim that the "Rule of the Jurisprudent" is an authority that transcends borders, continents, and societies. It is not. Some people have turned this principle into something it is not. [...] It is an authority in the hands of a jurisprudent who has come to power, and this authority is subject to agreements, laws, and norms. This jurisprudent cannot ignore borders and corrupt relations between societies. It's not like that. "The Rule of the Jurisprudent" means the authority of a jurisprudent who has come to power. [...] The concept of "the Rule of the Jurisprudent" has been blown up out of proportion, in order to give an aura of holiness to the ruler. In other words, to give an aura of holiness to political decision-making. Ultimately, the ruler, whether jurisprudent or not, must be obeyed. The obligation to obey the ruler is the same as in all the other regimes in the world. Every citizen must obey the law. In Iran, people obey him not because he is a jurisprudent, but because he is the ruler. Interviewer: In other words, what matters is the institutions... Sheik Ali Al-Amin: Obeying the institutions and following the law. He does not have a divine authority or right to determine the fate of other peoples and countries. [...] Let's assume he says people in Lebanon should not obey the Lebanese regime. He doesn't say so, but let's assume this. This is something one cannot comply with. "The Rule of the Jurisprudent" is a religious source of authority. This is a religious guiding authority similar to that of the Vatican, for example, or that of Al-Azhar, and so on. This source of authority is not political but cultural-religious, the purpose of which is to clarify concepts and issue rulings. It is not a political authority. \|\|\|\|\| Allamah Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah warns against US plots over Samarra shrine explosion Lebanon's senior cleric has said the explosions in Iraq's revered Shia shrine in Samarra are part of US conspiracies against Iraq. According to Iran's Al-Alam news channel, Allameh Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah said Thursday that it is essential for all Muslim leaders, whether Sunni or Shia, to denounce the savage crime and bring dishonor on Salafi Takfiri groups as well as the occupation forces. Referring to more than four years of US-led occupation of Iraq, he stressed, "Without doubt, the occupiers are providing the grounds for Salafi Takfiri groups and intelligence agencies to pillage the country." Allameh Fadlallah then called upon all Muslims to remain vigilant more than ever before vis-à-vis the US-Zionist plots aimed at fomenting discord among the Islamic nation. Samarra witnessed further destruction of the shrine of two of the most revered Shia Imams on Wednesday. On February 22, 2006, the holy site came under attack by alleged al-Qaeda militants. Since then the shrine has been heavily guarded by Iraqi forces. MF/BGH	Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's highest-ranking religious and political leader, blamed the intelligence services of the United States and Israel for the bombing of the Askari Mosque in Samarra, Iraq. According to him, On 13th of June 2007, Iraqi insurgents blew up the two minerets of the Askari Mosque. The shrine is important because it contains the remains of the Imam Hadi and Imam Askari. The son of Imam Askari is Imam Mahdi. This is especially important in the context of Iran's politics; according to Article 5 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Khamenei as an Islamic jurist is supposed to lead the "Ummah". Some Muslims object to this. For instance, one Islamic cleric has said that Khamenei "does not have a divine authority or right to determine the fate of other peoples and countries," referring to Muslims outside Iran. Khamenei urged Sunni scholars to speak out against the sacrilege and Shia Muslims to remain calm. He believes that this bombing of part of a conspiracy to fuel sectarian tensions. Earlier, Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in Lebanon also made the same charge and said, "Without doubt, the occupiers are providing the grounds for Salafi Takfiri groups and intelligence agencies to pillage the country."
Konsternierte Behördenvertreter informierten am Donnerstag über den Vorfall im Oerliker Schulhaus Buhnrain. (Bild: Keystone/Eddy Risch) Kontext Steffisburg: Weiteres Opfer, weiterer Täter Info-Box Die Fälle in der jüngsten Zeit In immer kürzeren Abständen werden Fälle pulik, bei denen Kinder von Kindern sexuell missbraucht worden sind. Steffisburg und Zürich sind vermutlich immer noch nur die Spitze des Eisbergs. In jüngster Zeit wurden noch drei grössere Fälle bekannt: Im Sommer 2006 wurde eine Fünfjährige in Rhäzüns GR von zwei 10- und 13-jährigen Buben vergewaltigt. Rund ein Jahr zuvor wird eine Fünfjährige von einem Nachbarsjungen in Freiburg missbraucht und im Februar 2005 vergewaltigten drei Buben im Alter von 12 respektive 13 Jahren in Felsberg GR eine 12-jährige Kameradin. Story-Tools Story verschicken \| drucken Top-Storys 13-Jährige vergewaltigt und die Tat gefilmt In Zürich wurden 13 männliche Jugendliche im Alter von 15 bis 18 Jahren verhaftet. Sie sollen am vergangenen Wochenende eine 13-Jährige mehrfach vergewaltigt haben. Sie filmten die Vergewaltigung mit mehreren Handys. Ein 13-jähriges Mädchen ist am vergangenen Wochenende von 13 Jugendlichen in Zürich Oerlikon mehrfach vergewaltigt worden. Das Mädchen und vier der Jugendlichen gehen ins Zürcher Schulhaus Buhnrain - aber nicht in die gleiche Klasse. Freund spielte zentrale Rolle Bei den Tätern handelt es sich um 12 Jugendliche zwischen 15 und 17 Jahren und einen 18-jährigen jungen Erwachsenen. Sie alle wurden am Donnerstag verhaftet. Sechs der Täter stammen aus der Schweiz, zwei aus Serbien und Montenegro, zwei sind Mazedonier und je ein Jugendlicher kommen aus Italien, der Dominikanischen Republik und Bosnien-Herzegowina. Die 13-jährige Schweizerin hatte sich zur Tatzeit mit ihrem 15-jährigen Freund, einem Mazedonier, in der Wohnung seines 18-jährigen Kollegen aufgehalten. Sowohl der Freund wie auch der Kollege gehören zur Gruppe der Tatverdächtigen; der Freund soll eine zentrale Rolle gespielt haben. Die Verdächtigen wohnen alle in Zürich und kennen sich aus der Nachbarschaft. Mehrmals pro Tag vergewaltigt «Während der Befragungen der mutmasslichen Täter stellte sich heraus, dass das Opfer während mehrerer Wochen missbraucht worden ist», sagte Peter Rügger von der Stadtpolizei Zürich. Das Mädchen soll zum Teil mehrmals am Tag vergewaltigt worden sein. Ausser in der Wohnung in Zürich Oerlikon wurde das Mädchen auch im Freien vergewaltigt. «Dabei waren jeweils drei bis acht Personen anwesend», sagte die Polizei. Am Montag gab es wegen der jüngsten Vergewaltigung Gerüchte im Schulhaus Buhnrain. Die Verantwortlichen des Schul- und Sportdepartements der Stadt Zürich nahmen darauf Kontakt mit der Kinderschutztruppe der Stadtpolizei auf. Tat gefilmt Zu allem Übel sollen die Jugendlichen den Übergriff auf die Minderjährige mit ihren Handys gefilmt haben. Die Polizei beschlagnahmte nach Informationen von 20 Minuten 3 Mobiltelefone. Das löst bei der Polizei Besorgnis aus, weil entsprechende Filme im Internet auftauchen und einen Nachahmereffekt auslösen könnten. Noch wisse man aber nicht, ob diese Filme ins Internet gelangt seien. Ins Rollen kam der Fall, als das 13-jährige Opfer einer Kollegin von den Missbräuchen erzählt habe. Die Schulbehörden und die Polizei zeigten sich entsetzt über den rücksichtslosen und brutalen Überfall auf die 13-Jährige. Man setze alles daran, den Vorfall rasch aufzuklären. Die Vertreterin der Kreisschulpfelge Glattal, Verena Lang Temperli, sagte vor den Medien jedoch, dass der Fall ein gesellschaftliches und nicht ein schulisches Problem sei. Fall Steffisburg weitet sich aus Das Opfer wird derzeit von Fachleuten an einem geschützten Ort betreut. Die Eltern der betroffenen Jugendlichen wurden am Donnerstag nach der Verhaftung ihrer Sprösslinge von der Schulpflege über den Vorfall informiert. (SDA/AP/20 Minuten) TalkBack (313 Kommentare) Nicht angemeldeter Besucher? Bitte geben Sie einfach Vorname und Name ein. Ihr Beitrag wird nach Prüfung veröffentlicht. Wenn Sie sich anmelden oder einloggen wird Ihr Text ohne Prüfung veröffentlicht. Vorname/Name: Titel: Ihr Beitrag: Pub: 16.11.06; 17:21 / ast Akt: 18.11.06; 00:58 Geklauter Schmuck Bei der Kantonspolizei Zürich stapelt sich das Diebesgut einer Bande im Wert von 450 000 Franken. Bildstrecke Story UMFRAGE Spendensammler erwarten nicht viel. Sind die Zürcher geizig? Ja Nein Guerilla Soccer Statt 0815-Ausgang: Illegales Street-Soccer-Turnier auf dem Bürkliplatz. Bildstrecke Story Abstimmungen Resultate und Reaktionen zu den zwei eidgenössischen sowie mehreren kantonalen und kommunalen Vorlagen. Dossier Walkman HighScore erzielen, ultimative Wochenpreise gewinnen… Option auf Hauptgewinn sichern… W'bewerb Tracks erkennen und Reisegutschein im Wert von Fr. 2'000.- gewinnen! W'bewerb Ab nach London an die Premiere von "The Holiday". W'bewerb An Ostern 2007 mit der ganzen Familie nach Orlando! Flutsch und weg... W'bewerb Wir verlosen 25x 2 Tickets für Red Hot Chili Peppers. W'bewerb The Departed 20 Minuten verlost 25x 2 Tickets für die Vorpremiere am 5.12.06 in ZH, BE, SG und LU. W'bewerb Link Bitte nehmen Sie Platz. Der Oasis-Tourfilm... W'bewerb Route bestimmen und Weltreise gewinnen Es gibt unzählige von Möglichkeiten, die Kontinente zu bereisen. Die Reiseroute bestimmen die Teilnehmer. W'bewerb \|\|\|\|\| Ein 13-jähriges Mädchen ist in Zürich Oerlikon mehrfach von einer Gruppe Jugendlicher vergewaltigt worden, zum letzten Mal am vergangenen Wochenende. Am Donnerstag hat die Stadtpolizei dreizehn Jugendliche zwischen 15 und 18 Jahren als mutmassliche Täter festgenommen. Die Misshandlungen sind auf Handys aufgezeichnet worden. Ermittler Peter Rueegger (Mitte) informiert über den Fall, dabei Vertretreter des Kinderschutzes und der Schulpflege (Bild key) fri./tom. «Mir sind die Haare zu Berg gestanden», sagte Peter Rüegger, Chef des Kommissariats Ermittlungen der Stadtpolizei Zürich, am Donnerstagabend vor Medienvertretern. Die Missbräuche, wie sie ein 13-jähriges Mädchen geschildert hat und in groben Zügen auch die festgenommenen mutmasslichen Täter bestätigt haben, bezeichnete er als «massiv». Dreizehn Jugendliche zwischen 15 und 18 Jahren haben bei mindestens drei Treffen in Zürich Oerlikon das Mädchen mehrfach vergewaltigt. Der letzte Vorfall ereignete sich dieses Wochenende im Beisein des 15-jährigen Freundes des Mädchens in der Wohnung eines 18-jährigen Kollegen, der bei seinen Eltern wohnt. Zur Tatzeit waren die Eltern nicht anwesend. Die übrigen Übergriffe haben laut Polizei in den vergangenen Wochen zum Teil mehrmals am Tag jeweils an verschiedenen Orten stattgefunden, wobei es zu mindestens einer Vergewaltigung auch im Freien kam. Aus Schulhaus abgeführt Am Montag kursierten laut Rüegger im Schulhaus Buhnrain in Seebach Gerüchte über die Vergewaltigung vom Wochenende. Eine Freundin, der das Mädchen von den Vergewaltigungen erzählt hatte, wandte sich schliesslich an die Sozialarbeiterin des Schulhauses. Diese meldete den Fall dem Schul- und Sportdepartement, das seinerseits die Stadtpolizei Zürich in Kenntnis setzte. Am Mittwoch haben die Spezialisten der Fachgruppe Kinderschutz der Stadtpolizei das Mädchen befragt und dabei das Gespräch auf Video aufgezeichnet. Das Mädchen nannte die Namen von fünf Tätern. Davon waren laut Rüegger vier bereits wegen anderer Delikte, unter anderem wegen Raubs, der Jugendanwaltschaft bekannt. Während der Ermittlungen und Einvernahmen stiess die Polizei auf die anderen beteiligten Verdächtigen und nahm sie am Donnerstagmorgen fest. Einige davon wurden aus der Schule abgeführt. Vier gehen im Schulhaus Buhnrain zur Schule, aber in eine andere Klasse. Da das Mädchen nur die Vornamen nannte, ist ein Jugendlicher fälschlicherweise festgenommen worden. Er sollte am Donnerstagabend wieder entlassen werden. Nach dem dreizehnten Täter wurde gefahndet. Alle dreizehn Täter wohnen in der Stadt Zürich. Sechs sind Schweizer, zwei stammen aus dem früheren Serbien-Montenegro, zwei aus Mazedonien, einer aus Italien, einer aus der Dominikanischen Republik und einer aus Bosnien-Herzegowina. Das Mädchen ist Schweizerin, ihr 15-jähriger Freund, der laut Polizei bei den Übergriffen eine zentrale Rolle gespielt hat, stammt aus Mazedonien. Vier Täter sind 15 Jahre alt, fünf sind 16, drei sind 17 und einer ist 18 Jahre alt. Übergriffe mit Handys gefilmt Die Täter haben einige der Übergriffe teilweise mit ihren Handys gefilmt. Drei Handys hat die Stadtpolizei sichergestellt. Darauf sind Videos gefunden worden. Ob weitere Aufnahmen auf diesen oder anderen Handys bereits gelöscht wurden oder ob solche ins Internet gestellt wurden, war am Abend unklar. Die Stadtpolizei will dies in Befragungen in Erfahrung bringen. Die Jugendlichen kannten sich laut Rüegger aus der Nachbarschaft. Die meisten sind oder waren Schüler des Schulhauses Buhnrain. Wie Rolf Nägeli, Chef der Fachgruppe Kinderschutz der Stadtpolizei, sagte, wechselten sich die Täter bei den Vergewaltigungen ab. Es seien jeweils drei bis acht Täter - zum Teil als Zuschauer - gleichzeitig am Geschehen beteiligt gewesen. Sie hätten das Mädchen aber nicht gleichzeitig missbraucht. Über das Motiv der Täter wollte Rüegger zum Schutz des Opfers keine Auskunft geben. «Die Begründung der Täter ist für mich aber nicht nachvollziehbar», sagte er. Wie sie sich organisiert hatten, ist unklar. Erkenntnisse, dass zwischen den Tätern Geld geflossen wäre, gibt es bis jetzt nicht. Die Übergriffe haben laut Vera Lang Temperlin, Präsidentin der Kreisschulpflege Glatttal, nicht in der Schule stattgefunden. Es sei daher kein Problem dieses Schulhauses, sondern ein gesellschaftliches Problem. Die Lehrer wurden am Donnerstag informiert, den Eltern wurde ein Brief geschrieben. Das Opfer wird an einem geschützten Ort betreut. Zur Bewältigung der Ereignisse stellt die Kreisschulpflege Glatttal Spezialisten der Fachstelle für Gewaltprävention zur Verfügung. Wo die Beteiligten weiter zur Schule gehen werden, wird unter spezieller Berücksichtigung der Situation des Opfers intensiv geprüft. Als «sehr happig» bezeichnete Regula Schwager von Castagna, der Beratungsstelle für sexuell ausgebeutete Kinder, den Fall. Seit mehreren Jahren stellt sie fest, dass vermehrt Gruppen von Tätern ein oder mehrere Opfer sexuell misshandeln. Dabei gehe es nur sekundär um sexuelle Lust. Primärer Antrieb sei Machtausübung. «Jemanden zu demütigen, löst bei diesen Jugendlichen ein Gefühl der Stärke aus», sagt die Psychologin. Warum sich ein Mensch auf diese Art bestätigen müsse, habe vielerlei Ursachen. Familiäre, schulische oder psychische Probleme spielten ebenso mit wie gesellschaftliche Faktoren.	Oerlikon is a neighborhood of the banking city of Zürich A group of 13 teenage boys raped a 13-year old school girl in last weekend, reports the website of the German language newspaper ''''. The report says that the girl was raped repeatedly and the act was filmed on . Six of the suspects are Swiss nationals, two come from , one comes from , two from the , one from the and one from . All live in Zurich. All the suspects were arrested on Thursday. Police secured 3 mobile phones. Police say that securing the phones ensures the movies don't get published on the Internet and cannot spark potential copycat acts. The alleged act took place in the flat of an 18-year-old colleague of a 15-year-old friend of the victim. The victim and four of the arrested suspects attend the same school Schulhaus Buhnrain in Zurich Seebach. According to 20 Minuten, the families of the perpetrators have now massively threatened the victim. Verena Lang Temperli, a school official, told 20 Minuten that this case is a problem of society itself, not a problem of the school.
Received August 23, 2007 Reduction of a diazadiene chromium halide complex, [( H L iPr )Cr( -Cl)] 2 ( 1 , H L iPr = bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)diazadiene), with KC 8 gave a diamagnetic, bimetallic complex, ( H L iPr ) 2 Cr 2 ( 2 ). Complex 2 has been structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography and consists of a Cr 2 unit spanned by two diazadiene ligands. The very short Cr-Cr distance (1.8028(9) Å) and low formal oxidation state of the Cr atoms suggest that the Cr-Cr bond order may be greater than 4. Spin-restricted and spin-unrestricted DFT calculations on a model complex both converge on a singlet spin state and accurately reproduce the metric parameters of 2 . The calculations show high-order metal-metal bonding along with extensive delocalization over the diazadiene ligands. Natural resonance theory analysis shows population of resonance structures that contain quintuple bonds, and natural bond order analysis gives a bond order of 4.28 for the Cr-Cr bond. Dinuclear chromium complexes have played a special role in the history of multiple metal-metal bonding,1 featuring "supershort" quadruple bonds (d M - M < 1.9 Å) of questionable strength.2 Recent synthetic work by Power et al. and computational investigations by others have even broached the notion of metal-metal bond orders exceeding 4, resulting from extremely sparing coordination of low-valent metals (i.e., those with d5 and d6 configurations).3 For various reasons, we have been exploring the chemistry of chromium coordinated by diazadienes (or -diimines). In the course of these investigations, we have discovered a dinuclear compound that exhibits a very short chromium-chromium distance. Indeed, in terms of Cotton's "formal shortness ratio" (FSR), this compound features the shortest chemical bond presently known (FSR(2) = 0.760, compare with FSR(N 2 ) = 0.786).2a The chemistry of this system began with the synthesis of dark green [(HLiPr)Cr( -Cl)] 2 (1, HLiPr = N,N'-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-1,4-diazadiene) by slow addition of a THF solution of Na 2 [HLiPr] to CrCl 3 (THF) 3 according to Scheme 1 (see Supporting Information for full characterization). 1 is an antiferromagnetically coupled dimer ( eff (300 K) = 3.4(1) B per Cr, J = -17 cm-1) with a Cr-Cr distance of 3.431(1) Å. Reduction of 1 with 2 equiv of KC 8 in Et 2 O gave a green solution after stirring overnight. A 1H NMR spectrum in toluene-d 8 of the product after workup revealed a diamagnetic spectrum with sharp resonances between 0 and 8 ppm, which showed negligible temperature dependence of the chemical shifts from 0 to 70 C. Crystallization from a dilute Et 2 O solution at -30 C gave dichroic, red/green plates of ( - 2-HLiPr) 2 Cr 2 (2) that were characterized by X-ray diffraction (see Figure 1). The geometry around each chromium atom in 2 can best be described as trigonal planar with each metal being coordinated by two N atoms from two different diazadiene ligands as well as by the neighboring Cr atom. The Cr-N distances are unexceptional at 1.913(2) and 1.914(2) Å with a N(1)-Cr(1)-N(2) angle of 150.58(9) . The most striking feature of 2 is the extremely short Cr-Cr distance of 1.8028(9) Å, making it the shortest metal-metal distance reported to date.4 Figure 1 The molecular structure of 2 (30% probability level). Selected interatomic distances (Å) and angles (deg): Cr(1)-Cr(1A), 1.8028(9); Cr(1)-N(1), 1.914(2); Cr(1)-N(2), 1.913(2); N(1)-C(13), 1.373(3); N(2)-C(26), 1.362(3); C(13)-C(13A), 1.345(5); C(26)-C(26A), 1.354(5); N(1)-Cr(1)-N(2), 150.58(9); N(1)-Cr(1)-Cr(1A), 104.78(6); N(2)-Cr(1)-Cr(1A), 104.63(6); N(1)-Cr(1)-Cr(1A)-N(1A), 17.74(6); N(2)-Cr(1)-Cr(1A)-N(2A), 15.82(6). Scheme 1. Preparation of [(HLiPr)Cr( -Cl)] 2 (1) Due to the nonplanar structure of the N 4 Cr 2 core, chiral 2 is expected to exhibit resonances of four unique methyl groups and two unique methine protons associated with the isopropyl groups in its 1H NMR spectrum. However, at room temperature, only two iPr-CH 3 and one CH iPr-CH resonances were observed. This is presumably due to a low barrier, fluxional process whereby a twist about the metal-metal bond interconverts the two enantiomers on the 1H NMR time scale. Accordingly, low-temperature 1H NMR spectra in the -70 to 25 C temperature range showed a decoalescence phenomenon resulting in three methyl resonances (in a 1:1:2 ratio) and two methine signals. Presumably, two of the iPr-CH 3 resonances are accidentally degenerate and show no significant temperature dependence. Because of the redox ambiguity of diimine and other imine containing ligands,5 the Cr atoms in 2 could formally be assigned as Cr(II) coordinated by dianionic enediamide ligands, Cr(I) with monoanionic ligand-centered radical ligands, or Cr(0) with neutral diimine ligands. The long C-N distances (1.373(3) and 1.362(3) Å) and short C-C distances (1.345(5) and 1.354(5) Å) are consistent with a reduced diimine ligand.6 For a more complete description of the electronic structure of 2, DFT calculations were performed at the BLYP/6-311g level using a model complex where the 2,6-diisopropylphenyl substituents were replaced by hydrogen atoms (i.e., 2').7 Geometry optimizations on the model complex give bond distances that are in good agreement with the X-ray structure in Figure 1 (see structure A in Figure 2). Furthermore, spin-restricted and spin-unrestricted calculations suggest a closed shell singlet ground state, consistent with the observed diamagnetic nature of 2 (vide supra). One shortcoming of the computational model is that it is completely planar, whereas the N 4 Cr 2 core in 2 is not. This deviation is presumably due to the sterically demanding 2,6-diisopropylphenyl groups that are absent in 2'. Accordingly, an ONIOM optimization of the entire molecule resulted in an N-Cr-Cr-N angle of 12.2 , reasonably close to the average of the two measured angles in 2 (16.8 ) and a Cr-Cr distance of 1.790 Å. Figure 2 Bond lengths (Å) for 2 (bold) and 2' (italics) (A) and effective bond orders from NRT analysis of 2' (B). The calculations showed that the HOMO of 2' is mostly ligand based and corresponds to an orbital of the diimine ligand that is both C-C -bonding and C-N -antibonding (see Figure 3). HOMO-1 through HOMO-5 show considerable metal-metal bonding, whereas the LUMO, LUMO+1, and LUMO+2 appear to be metal-metal antibonding orbitals (see Supporting Information). Cr-Cr -bonding character is displayed by HOMO-3, whereas HOMO-4 and HOMO-5 exhibit d -bond character. The fourth Cr-Cr bonding interaction (HOMO-1) comprises a combination of sd hybrids oriented such that the main hybrid orbital axes are parallel to one another (such a bonding mode has previously been termed a side-on sd- bond).8 The fifth Cr-Cr bonding interaction (HOMO-2) is highly delocalized but otherwise takes the form of a d metal-metal bond. Natural bond orbital (NBO) and natural localized molecular orbital (NLMO) analyses of the electron density mirror the major features of the Cr-Cr interactions determined from the canonical MO's.9 Figure 3 A representation of the frontier molecular orbitals of 2'. The presence of five occupied molecular orbitals with Cr-Cr bonding character raises the question of metal-metal quintuple bonding. Complexity arises from the highly delocalized nature of the HOMO-2 -like orbital. To gain a more nuanced perspective on the issue of effective bond order, natural resonance theory (NRT) analysis was performed.9,10 As expected for a system that bears strong delocalization (to the extent of resembling a dimetallanaphthalene), multiple resonance configurations are occupied, some having Cr-Cr quintuple bonds. The effective bond orders are illustrated in Figure 2 (B). This analysis gives slightly higher than 4-fold bonding, 4.28, which is less than the value of 4.64 previously computed for trans-bent HCrCrH.8 In conclusion, we have prepared a bimetallic chromium complex that features the shortest metal-metal distance measured to date. DFT analysis of its electronic structure indicates high-order metal-metal bonding. Although the highly delocalized nature of the bonding precludes description using a single Lewis structure only, NRT and NBO analyses indicate some degree of quintuple bonding. Further exploration (both experimental and computational) of molecules with metal-metal bonds of high bond order is currently underway in these laboratories. Acknowledgment This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (Grant No. CHE-0616375 to K.H.T.). \|\|\|\|\| November 7, 2007 Chemical Bonding The Shortest Metal-Metal Bond Yet Dichromium complex sporting a quintuple Cr–Cr bond sets a new record at 1.8028 Å Multiple bonding between two transition-metal atoms is a constant source of fascination for inorganic chemists interested in the nitty-gritty of chemical bonding. The current upper limit in an isolable compound is the quintuple bond, which was first observed two years ago in the form of a dichromium complex. In the latest multiple-bonding advance, graduate student Kevin A. Kreisel and chemistry professor Klaus H. Theopold of the University of Delaware and coworkers have synthesized a new type of quintuple-bonded dichromium complex, one that surpasses all known compounds for having the shortest measured metal-metal bond length (J. Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja076356t). Glenn Yap SHORT ORDER Dichromium complex with two bridging diazadiene ligands containing diisopropyphenyl groups sets the record for the shortest known metal-metal bond (Cr is red, N is blue, and C is gray). Until the mid-1960s, chemists largely assumed that the triple bond was the highest possible multiple bond. But in 1964, F. Albert Cotton and coworkers at Texas A&M University surprised the chemistry community with evidence that the [Re 2 Cl 8 ]2– ion contained a quadruple bond between two metal atoms. Since then, chemists have observed many quadruple-bonded transition-metal compounds. It took another 40 years to observe a higher level of bonding; in 2005, Philip P. Power of the University of California, Davis, and coworkers extended the multiple-bond boundaries by reporting a quintuple bond in the dichromium complex RCrCrR, where R designates a terphenyl ligand with diisopropyl substituents (C&EN, Sept. 26, 2005, page 9). This bulky ligand helps to stabilize the complex and minimize the number of metal-ligand bonds, which promotes a higher degree of metal-metal bonding, Power tells C&EN. Power notes that the two chromium(I) atoms, which have a 3d5 electron configuration, share five electron pairs in five bonding molecular orbitals. Despite this fivefold bonding interaction, the actual degree of bonding—the calculated bond order—is only 3.52 because of mixing in of antibonding character from molecular orbitals, he explains. The Cr–Cr bond length in Power's complex is 1.8351 Å. The record at the time, however, still belonged to Cotton, who set the standard of 1.828 Å in 1978 with a quadruple-bonded dichromium complex (Inorg. Chem. 1978, 17, 2084). Cotton's complex utilizes four bridging methoxyphenyl ligands that form a cage to restrain the chromium atoms. Kreisel and Theopold took a page from both Cotton's and Power's notebooks for their dichromium complex: They used restrictive ligands similar to those in Cotton's complex and were able to still achieve high-order bonding similar to that of Power's complex. Kreisel actually discovered the complex by accident and later proceeded to optimize it, Theopold says, "as the team originally was not out to make Cr–Cr compounds." In the complex, each chromium atom is coordinated to two nitrogen atoms, one each from two bridging diazadiene ligands containing diisopropylphenyl groups. The result is a tight Cr 2 N 4 core structure. The most noticeable feature is the very short 1.8028-Å Cr–Cr bond, which is the shortest metal-metal distance reported to date for an isolable compound. Dimetal compounds with shorter bonds have been observed in gas-phase experiments. In collaboration with Clark R. Landis of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, the researchers supported their experimental observations with calculations to confirm the bonding and electronic structure of the complex, including a bond order of 4.28. Kreisel, now a postdoc in Landis' lab, serendipitously established the fruitful collaboration during an interview visit to Wisconsin. "It's really a very nice paper," Power says of the work by Kreisel, Theopold, and Landis. The Cr–Cr distance in the new complex "is quite interesting," he adds. "But the unique aspect, perhaps the most important observation, is clear evidence for five bonding interactions." Power notes that his group has just completed additional studies of substituent effects in his dichromium complex. With modified ligands, the researchers have reeled in their bond length to 1.8077 Å, just shy of the new record. The calculated bond orders are above 4, Power says. Power and Theopold recently discussed the dichromium bonding. Power says he and Theopold agree that "there's no reason to suppose that the lower limit in metal-metal bond distances has been reached. Eventually, someone will get a shorter one."	Chemists from the University of Delaware, Newark, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, recently reported their preparation of a complex containing two chromium atoms connected by the shortest ever metal-metal bond, 1.8028 Å (0.2 nm) long. 1 Å is 1×10−10 meters or 1/10,000,000,000 meters. The scientists, including Prof. Klaus H. Theopold and graduate student Kevin A. Kreisel, believe the compound contains a quintuple bond, i.e., five bonds between the two chromium atoms. In general, shorter bonds containing more electrons will be stronger. Although single, double and triple bonds occur in nature, quadruple and quintuple bonds have so far only been found in the laboratory. The first compound with a quintuple bond was reported in 2005. To make the complex, the scientists first reacted chromium chloride with a bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)diazadiene ligand, which has the structure Ar-N=C-C=N-Ar (Ar is a bulky aryl group). This intermediate dark-green compound was then reduced using KC8 (potassium metal in graphite) to give the unusual product. The compound crystallises from ether as red/green plates. The quintuple bond between the metals is weakened by some mixing in from antibonding orbitals, reducing the overall bond order to around 4.28. The bond length is 0.026 Å shorter than the previous record, a dichromium complex reported in 1978 by F. Albert Cotton and coworkers, which featured a quadruple bond 1.828 Å long.
David Cameron wants to broaden the Tory party's appeal Mr Cameron will say teenagers who hide under hooded tops are trying to "blend in" rather than appear threatening. In a speech on Monday he will describe them as "a response to a problem, not a problem itself". And he will argue that while teenage criminals must be punished, they should also be shown "a lot more love". Hooded tops have come to be viewed by some as a symbol of social disorder. In a dangerous environment the best thing to do is keep your head down, blend in David Cameron Last year the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent banned people wearing hooded tops, and said youths were using the hoods to shield their faces from CCTV cameras while committing crimes. "We - the people in suits - often see hoodies as aggressive, the uniform of a rebel army of young gangsters," the Tory leader is expected to say. "But hoodies are more defensive than offensive. They're a way to stay invisible in the street. In a dangerous environment the best thing to do is keep your head down, blend in." Mr Cameron will say that, for some people, "the hoodie represents all that's wrong about youth culture in Britain today". However, he will go on: "For me, adult society's response to the hoodie shows how far we are from finding the long-term answers to put things right." 'Softer tone' Mr Cameron's speech on Monday is also expected to draw on the film Kidulthood to illustrate the dilemmas that many young people face on a regular basis. The British film attracted controversy for its violent portrayal of teenage life in west London. BBC political correspondent Jo Coburn said: "David Cameron's new softer tone on crime and yobbish behaviour is the latest in a series of speeches designed to broaden the party's appeal. HAVE YOUR SAY Just because you wear a hooded top doesn't mean that you are automatically a criminal Ben Olive-Jones, Chichester, UK Send us your comments "He's already talked about the importance of the family and called for fathers to be present at the birth of their children; now he says it's time to look to be more sympathetic to so-called bad kids." The party leader's comments echo sentiments expressed by the Archbishop of York earlier this year. Dr John Sentamu wore a hooded top during a conference on youth work in the Church as he urged people not to judge teenagers by their choice of fashion. Mr Cameron's immigration spokesman, Damian Green, said his party was addressing the twin problems of youth crime and alienated young people - issues which the prime minister had failed to deliver on despite his stance of being "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime". 'Watch his back' Referring to that stance, Mr Green said: "That's indeed what we should aspire to as a policy, that's what he's failed to do in government. Archbishop of York John Sentamu backed hoodies in May Mr Cameron's approach is being seen as part of an attempt to broaden his party's appeal and reach out to younger voters. However, former Tory MP and newspaper columnist Michael Brown said traditional Tory voters may not agree with Mr Cameron's stance. "David Cameron is pushing at the envelope with regard to his backbench support and the support in the grassroots constituencies," he told BBC Breakfast. "I suspect this isn't going to go down too well in the Bromleys and the Chislehursts. "I suspect he's going to have to watch his back and as he seeks new friends, as he seeks the new liberal constituency he's got to make sure he doesn't lose his conservative constituency." \|\|\|\|\| Now Cameron says: We must love hoodies By JONATHAN OLIVER, Mail on Sunday Last updated at 22:00 08 July 2006 David Cameron is to deliver an extraordinary defence of hoodie-wearing yob teenagers, insisting they needed to be loved - not locked up. The Conservative leader attacked the decision by Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent to exclude youngsters wearing hooded tops. And in a speech tomorrow, he will say: 'The hoodie is a response to a problem, not a problem in itself.' Mr Cameron will also praise the controversial film Kidulthood, set in his own Notting Hill neighbourhood, which depicts schoolchildren taking drugs, having casual sex and 'happy slapping' - attacking random passers by in the street. He says: 'Kidulthood is not about bad kids. Even the villain is clearly suffering from neglect and the absence of love.' The comments mark the latest breath-taking Tory U-turn on law and order. Traditionally Conservatives have defined themselves by their tough, uncompromising stance on justice. But there is no mention of punishing the criminal yobs in Mr Cameron's speech. Instead, he stresses the role of 'compassion and kindness'. And Mr Cameron attacks Tony Blair for supporting the Bluewater hoodie ban. He says: 'The fact is that the hoodie is a response to a problem, not a problem in itself. 'We - the people in suits - often see hoodies as aggressive, the uniform of a rebel army of young gangsters. But hoodies are more "defensive" than "offensive" - they're a way to stay invisible in the street. 'In a dangerous environment the best thing to do is keep your head down; blend in. 'For some, the hoodie represents all that's wrong about youth culture in Britain today. 'For me, adult society's response to the hoodie shows how far we are from finding the long-term answers to put things right.' Kidulthood, released earlier this year, was criticised for its gritty portrayal of West London teenagers as criminals with no sense of morality. But Mr Cameron says: 'The film gives a disturbing insight into the pressures that teenagers round there are under. 'It's frightening for a man in a suit to walk down certain streets at night. 'But think how much more frightening it must be for a child.' In his speech to the Tory think tank the Centre for Social Justice, he claims that in deprived estates children can easily turn to crime because they have no money and nothing to do. And he praises charities working with inner-city teenagers, saying the voluntary sector can succeed where the New Labour state has failed. \|\|\|\|\| Best Server Providers 2015-2016 Filling time, Internet with Ananova is best. Ananova is an everlasting fog of information. In form of news, articles, reports, books, pictures, videos, audios & information exists on website, Editor “Manish K.” says, “connecting with internet cannot make everybody Solomon; True Information in the right hands leads wisdom and prosperity”. Sometime pieces of information spark new ideas and might be it turns your life, wasting time in useless information’s loses intelligence. Join Internet News – Ananova Technology Media. Ananova Technology Media blend technology expertise and implant innovative information, articles, interviews, reviews, regular columns, also covers most aspects of computer science – current research, developments, hosting products & issues. Our Mission – Our curiosity to bring you all the latest news from most of the topics from techno-world, to learn latest technologies, help in career and new awesome features to lead your business. Our Vision – Accurate and Candor News from maze technology world. Ananova has team of professional’s researchers and analysts, examining data in new ways, for managing simplicity and quality we have split news in few sections- Web Hosting News – The latest and most relevant all about web hosting news, hosting related information and services including ‘cloud hosting’, ‘adult hosting’, ‘dedicated hosting’, ‘shared hosting’ and ‘reseller hosting’. Software’s News –Software development, development industry, software buying guides, software prices and many more news from the experts. Hardware News – It addresses itself to readers who work professionally with Hardware. Reports –From scholars and research analysts, provides information which enables readers to keep update with the ever-changing regulatory environment. Article – Delivers integrated information, solutions and expert guidance from professionals about technology industries. Editorial –Produces content supporting decision tools, performance and help meet regulatory requirements, which help the Professionals. Cover stories from technology, in print and video format. Interviews Conducted –Interviews from giants and experts of Industry provides launching new technology, present trade scenario, future scopes, products and companies information’s. Tutorials – Ananova do provide the hosting tutorials. cPanel SupportFantastico Support Q&A – Helps the customers to resolve their issues, Our presence is on almost social media where hosting customers can interconnect with us and can discuss the various issues and latest development in the hosting technology. More than one billion Internet pages exist. Thousands of additional pages are created daily. With all of those websites comes great power from every possible corner of the Internet. Sites promise to offer the best news all the time, but it’s hard to pick the real news from news that has been fabricated. News is more important and instant than it has ever been before. With sites like Twitter and Reddit, news happens at the pace of life, and people are more interested in news now than has ever been the case. That says something. It says that people want real news, the right news, and accurate news all the time. What kind of news do people want? News Spans the Globe and More The only thing that a person needs to get fast news now is the Internet. With applications like RSS feeds and sites like Reuters, news is where you want it when you want it. So, what are the subjects that people enjoy the most? It really does vary quite widely. However, recent research suggests that most Internet readers don’t search for political news. Instead, most people prefer crime news. Coming in a close second is business news. Things like fiscal policies, how the NASDAQ ended on a daily basis, and the price of a dollar are all at the top of the news list. Entertainment Still Rules Coming in a close second to business is entertainment. Glamour, fashion, style, and what’s happening in Hollywood and Bollywood are all very important news topics to the average reader. The names of actors is, by far, one of the most Googl queries! What’s next? Sports, of course! From race tracks to Formula One to football and cricket, people want to know what’s happening with beloved teams. Thankfully, all of that information is just a click or two away. After sports comes…technology! That’s right, people want to know what’s new in the tech world. Why? Why Technology News is Important Technology is such a huge part of our lives today! Just think about it: how many devices do you own? Or, how often are you plugged into your laptop, tablet, or smartphone? The world wants to know what’s new in tech, so that everyone can get the latest device when it arrives. Interestingly, though, the news topic that’s the most important after technology is health. Why is that interesting? We spend so much time plugged into the world through technology that we can’t wait to find ways to unplug and be healthy! That’s kind of a funny thought, right? Internet viewers spend countless hours looking at healthy sites, recipes, programs, and all kinds of other health-related details. One of the most popular health searches is: “how to unplug!” All of this while looking for information on health from a computer! Is it Really That Different? When we look at the news topics that are the most popular today, are we really all that different than we were decades ago? Maybe not. If you look back at the first newspapers (and even current newspapers), we see that all of the same topics are still relevant. Newspapers have sports, business, lifestyle, and health sections. Most papers also have technology sections. So, you see, our medium has changed from print to digital, but we are still the same. What kinds of news topics do you look for the most when you search the web? Let us know below! Web hosting news providers offer a more flexible and enriched environment! \|\|\|\|\| Dr Sentamu addresses the youth conference in Bradford Dr John Sentamu told a conference on youth work in the Church: "Ninety-nine per cent of those who wear hoodies are law-abiding citizens." About 150 teenagers were among the 650 delegates at Monday's event at Bradford Grammar School in West Yorkshire. "In a rapidly changing culture, many are bewildered about how to communicate with young people," Dr Sentamu said. "There are a lot of young people here today and to me that is very telling - they play a major part in the life of the Church. "I'm delighted that the Diocese of Bradford is facing this issue head on. "It can be risky allowing young people to participate but I'm glad that the Diocese of Bradford is prepared to take that risk." We have a lot to learn from young people as well as much responsibility for them Dr John Sentamu Dr Sentamu, wearing the hoodie given to him by teenagers when he was Bishop of Birmingham, led the delegates in a conga-like procession as he played his African drums. During the event, Dr Sentamu met many youngsters from the diocese, which stretches from the city of Bradford into the rural areas of the Yorkshire Dales. 'Inspiring' address He said: "Jesus said, 'Unless you become like a little child you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven'. "We have a lot to learn from young people as well as much responsibility for them." The Rev Steve Allen, one of the conference organisers, said: "The Archbishop's address was inspiring and we were all thrilled with his drumming. "People went away enthused, encouraged and challenged to say yes to young people - so that many more of them will be drawn to Christ and find a home amongst us." The Bishop of Bradford, the Rt Rev David James, said: "We are making young people our priority in 2006 and I'm delighted that we have this particular day to really focus on our work with them. "There are some brilliant examples of imaginative youth and children's work within the diocese."	In a speech regarding social justice tomorrow, Conservative leader David Cameron is expected to call for better understanding of teenagers who wear "hoodies". Mr Cameron will say that teenagers who wear hooded tops are trying to "blend in" rather than appear intimidating. "The hoodie is a response to a problem, not a problem itself. We - the people in suits - often see hoodies as aggressive, the uniform of a rebel army of young gangsters," the 40 year-old is expected to state. "But hoodies are more defensive than offensive. They're a way to stay invisible in the street. In a dangerous environment, the best thing to do is keep your head down; blend in. "For some people, the hoodie represents all that's wrong about youth culture in Britain today. For me, adult society's response to the hoodie shows how far we are from finding the long-term answers to put things right," Mr Cameron will also say. His comments resemble those shared by the Archbishop of York earlier this year. "Ninety-nine per cent of those who wear hoodies are law-abiding citizens," Dr John Sentamu said while wearing a hooded top during a discussion on youth work in the Church. Hooded tops are viewed by some as characterising anarchy and social disorder. In 2005, the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent banned hoodies after claiming youngsters were using them to hide their faces from CCTV cameras while committing offences. Mr Cameron is also expected to use the controversial film Kidulthood to illustrate the problems which young people face on a daily basis. The film, set in Notting Hill, was condemned for its harrowing representation of West London teenagers as criminals with no principles. He will also praise charities that work with teenagers who live in inner cities, saying that the voluntary sector can succeed where New Labour's state has failed. ===Change in direction=== As well as attracting the attention of younger voters, Mr Cameron's speech highlights the compassionate direction in which he wants to steer the Conservative Party. But according to Michael Brown, a former Conservative MP and newspaper columnist, traditional Tory voters may not share Mr Cameron's empathetic beliefs. "David Cameron is pushing at the envelope with regard to his backbench support and the support in the grassroots constituencies," he told BBC Breakfast. "I suspect this isn't going to go down well in the Bromleys and the Chislehursts" "I suspect he's going to have to watch his back, and as he seeks new friends, as he seeks the new liberal constituency, he's got to make sure he doesn't lose his conservative constituency." Mr Cameron's immigration spokesman, Damian Green, said the Conservatives are addressing the problems of both youth crime and alienated young people - issues which Prime Minister Tony Blair has failed to deliver on despite saying his party would be "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" in 1997. Referring to that stance, Mr Green said: "That's indeed what we should aspire to as a policy; that's what he's failed to do in government. "We've seen that youth crime is growing, and that violent crime is growing, so while Tony Blair's soundbites were good, Tony Blair's actions in government have been less good."
By Geesche Jacobsen December 24, 2005 AN ATTEMPT by the accused terrorist Faheem Khalid Lodhi to have some of the charges against him dropped has failed, but the reasons cannot be made public. A NSW Supreme Court justice, Anthony Whealy, ruled against the application by Lodhi's lawyer, Phillip Boulten, SC. Mr Boulten had argued the charges against his client were "duplicitous". Justice Whealy said on Friday he had considered the 2003 anti-terrorism legislation, but not this year's legislation, which is not yet in effect, in ruling on the matter. He had also examined the prosecution evidence against Lodhi, he said. But the media were not given access to the reasons for the decision. He said there should be no publication of pre-trial matters or any of the evidence against Lodhi, who is accused of preparing attacks against the national electricity grid and military sites. Lodhi also faces charges, in a separate trial, of lying to ASIO. But Justice Whealy said the media could publish the prosecution's opening at Lodhi's trial, which is to begin in February. \|\|\|\|\| By Michael Pelly Legal Reporter December 19, 2005 AUSTRALIA'S only trial for an alleged terrorist bomb plot faces a long delay because of the first constitutional challenge to the Federal Government's anti-terrorism laws. Six media organisations are arguing that the National Information Security Act interferes with the conduct of trials in state courts and gives no guidance on weighing national security against the right to a fair hearing. They fear it only allows the judiciary to rubber-stamp any non-disclosure order by the federal attorney-general for the trial of Faheem Khalid Lodhi, which is scheduled for February 20 in the NSW Supreme Court. Justice Anthony Whealey will hear the constitutional challenge on January 31, but said last week he was concerned about the timetable for the trial of Lodhi, who will have been in custody for two years in April. Lodhi, 36, a Punchbowl architect, is accused of working with the French terrorism suspect Willy Brigitte to bomb the national electricity supply and Sydney military sites. After Tom Blackburn, SC, acting for clients that include Fairfax, publisher of the Herald, said he had "another quiver to their store of arrows", Justice Whealey asked whether any thought had been given to the possibility of "considerable disruption" to the trial. "I mean it is a wondrous thing to come to court with another quiver … but the arrow is really going to end up in Mr Lodhi's back, as I see it," the judge said. Mr Blackburn said it "need not in any way derail the trial", but the judge - mindful of the likelihood of appeals - "doubted whether that's a reality". Mr Lodhi's counsel, Phillip Boulten SC, said if the proceedings were postponed for a considerable period he would consider applying for bail. The challenge focuses on the division of power in the constitution between the executive and the judiciary, with Mr Blackburn describing the act as a "rather naked and impermissible intrusion into judicial power". He said that when the attorney-general issues certificates of non-disclosure - for evidence or the identity of witnesses - the court is hamstrung by the demand that the greatest weight be given to national security. The media groups say there are no guidelines, such as when a decision could affect relations with foreign governments. There could be evidence that may exonerate Lodhi and no one would know about it, not even Lodhi himself. They also say the Commonwealth is intruding into the workings of a state court by setting down a different mode of criminal trial, as well as interfering with the implied freedom of political communication in the constitution. Lodhi's is the second terrorism trial in NSW. Zeky Mallah was acquitted in April of planning a terrorist act - shooting ASIO officers - but was jailed for threatening to kill the officers. The director-general of ASIO, Paul O'Sullivan, has already asked that transcripts be done on government-supplied laptops by "security-cleared" staff. The Crown has also foreshadowed that the Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, will issue a certificate for the trial to be held in a closed court, meaning the evidence would not be made public. \|\|\|\|\| Several media organisations have launched a constitutional challenge to the laws being used to keep some parts of a Sydney terrorism trial secret. The Supreme Court is currently hearing pre-trial arguments for Faheem Khalid Lodhi, who is due to stand trial next year on charges of preparing for a terrorist act. Certain evidence is expected to be held in a closed court under the National Security Information legislation. But a barrister for several media groups has told the court that a challenge is being prepared on the grounds the Act contravenes the separation of executive and judicial powers. Justice Anthony Whealy will hear argument on the challenge in January. \|\|\|\|\| Witness describes terror training camp A former US prisoner has given evidence about a terrorist camp in Pakistan where a contact of Sydney suspect Faheem Khalid Lodhi allegedly received combat training. Lodhi, 36, has pleaded not guilty in the NSW Supreme Court to four charges of preparing for a terrorist act in October 2003. Prosecutors allege the Pakistani-born architect was planning to bomb the national electricity supply or Sydney defence sites, motivated by "violent jihad". His trial convened to hear evidence via videolink from Yong Ki Kwon, a former US prisoner who trained with the terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in Pakistan. It is not alleged that Kwon knew Lodhi, or that Lodhi associated with the organisation. But Kwon says he met a Frenchman when he trained with LeT in late 2001. Prosecutors have alleged this man was Willie Brigitte, who was deported from Australia in 2003. Brigitte and Lodhi had contact using mobile phones registered in false names, the trial has previously heard. Kwon, a Korean American, swore an oath on the Koran before the testimony, part of which was heard in closed court. He said he travelled to LeT camps in the mountains of Pakistan in late 2001, where he met a man who called himself Salahudin, after an historical Muslim leader. "It's Islamic tradition when you go into battle, you don't use your real name, you use (a) nickname," Kwon said. Kwon said Salahudin told his fellow trainees he came from France and had been a teacher. "After 9/11 (the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US) he decided to leave France and come to Pakistan to receive training," he said. At the LeT camp, Kwon learned to use machine guns, assault rifles, rocket propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns. But Salahudin only joined the group later, part-way through the combat training, he said. Kwon told the court he and Salahudin mostly talked about religion and jihad, "the physical struggle for the Muslims, for the sake of the religion". At the end of the course, Salahudin wanted "to go back to training, or wanted LeT to send him to wherever so he could fight", he said. Cross-examined by defence counsel Phillip Boulten, SC, Kwon said he originally faced serious terror-related charges and, if convicted, would have been jailed for at least 157 years. Instead, he struck a deal with authorities, turning informant and testifying at trials in the US and Britain. Jailed for more than 11 years for conspiracy and firearms offences, he was released on probation in February after serving less than three. Kwon admitted repeatedly lying to FBI agents and under oath before a grand jury about his activities in Pakistan. "At the time I felt that I couldn't tell them everything because I was trying to protect myself and other people," he said. But he insisted he told the truth once he struck the plea bargain and denied telling investigators what he thought they wanted to hear. "I told them what I knew about (Salahudin) from my encounters with him, from my experience," he said. "I had no idea why they would be interested in Salahudin." The trial continues on Friday before Justice Anthony Whealy. \|\|\|\|\| The Punchbowl man is accused of working with French terror suspect Willie Brigitte to bomb the national electricity supply and Sydney military sites. Federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock will issue a certificate under the National Security Information (Criminal and Civil Proceedings) Act 2004, outlining the measures needed to protect security-sensitive evidence at Lodhi's trial. The act requires the court to give greatest weight to national security concerns when deciding whether to close the court or make suppression orders, with the defendant's right to a fair trial and principles of open justice taking a back seat. National security is defined as "Australia's defence, security, international relations or law enforcement interests". At a pre-trial hearing on Thursday before Justice Anthony Whealy, the constitutional validity of the act was challenged by Tom Blackburn, SC, representing seven major media groups. Mr Blackburn said it impinged on the separation of executive and judicial powers, as enshrined in the Australian constitution. "This act represents the naked and impermissible intrusion into the judicial power of the commonwealth," Mr Blackburn said. Sections of the act imposed limitations on the conduct of the trial, interfering in ways that were "incompatible with the exercise of commonwealth judicial power", he said. The act was also inconsistent with the freedom to discuss political matters implied in the constitution, he told the court. Lodhi's lawyers raised their own legal challenge on Thursday, applying to quash the indictment because it was worded too generally. Defence counsel Phillip Boulten, SC, said Lodhi was charged under laws referring to "the" terrorist act, and argued that the crown had not specified which terrorist act was allegedly being planned. "There needs to be some specificity about what acts constitute these offences," Mr Boulten told the court. He said it was "a fundamental flaw in the indictment going to the root of the proceedings", and the judge would be unable to give the jury appropriate directions. But prosecutor Richard Maidment, SC, told the court it would be "absurd" if the legislation was interpreted so narrowly. Someone apprehended in the early stages of a planned terrorist attack, buying chemicals for example, "may never have any inkling of what ... (their) superior may have in mind for the use of the explosive", he said. "You could never show for sure if they had finally selected a target," Mr Maidment said. The crown simply alleged Lodhi was preparing to strike "one target from a selection of targets", he said. Amendments to anti-terror legislation rushed through parliament last month now refer to "a" terrorist act, meaning prosecutors do not have to identify the specific act being contemplated. Justice Whealy will hear further submissions on the constitutional challenge, and rule on the defence application, when the case returns to court next year.	The Supreme Court Building of New South Wales Six media organisations, including Fairfax, are mounting a constitutional challenge to secret hearings in an upcoming terrorism trial in Australia. The trial involves Sydney man Faheem Khalid Lodhi, who is charged with committing acts in preparation for a terrorist attack. Lodhi is accused of conspiring with French terror suspect Willie Brigitte to attack Sydney's military bases and electricity supply network. Federal Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock will issue a certificate to prevent information judged to be sensitive from reaching the public at Lodhi's trial. The Federal Attorney-General has the powers to do this under the National Security Information (Criminal and Civil Proceedings) Act. The grounds for the challenge are that National Security Information legislation violates the separation of executive and judical powers, required by the Australian constitution. Tom Blackburn, SC, counsel for the media groups mounting the challenge claims that the act allows for the federal executive to intrude into judicial matters by ordering parts of the trial are kept secret. The challenge will be heard on 31st January 2006 by Justice Anthony Whealy of the Supreme Court of NSW. In the course of Lodhi's trial, towards the end of December Justice Anthony Whealy ruled that evidence and pre-trial maters are to remain secret. This ruling is separate to the constitutional challenge.
Medical staff treat one of the 10 victims wounded in the mine attack on Nation Building Minister D.M. Dassanayake in an ambulance in Ragama January 8, 2008. Medical staff treat one of the 10 victims wounded in the mine attack on Nation Building Minister D.M. Dassanayake at a hospital in Ragama January 8, 2008. A policeman stands guard near the damaged car of Nation Building Minister D.M. Dassanayake after a bomb explosion in the town of Ja-Ela, north of Colombo, January 8, 2008. Troops arrive at the site of the bomb explosion targeted at Nation Building Minister D.M. Dassanayake, in the town of Ja-Ela, 19 km (12 miles) north of Colombo, January 8, 2008. Nation Building Minister D.M.Dassanayake is seen at his office in Colombo in this undated file photo. Dassanayake was killed by a roadside bomb planted by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels north of the capital on January 8, 2008, a senior hospital official said, the second MP... Soldiers and police officers inspect the damaged car of Nation Building Minister D.M. Dassanayake after a bomb explosion in the town of Ja-Ela, north of Colombo, January 8, 2008. COLOMBO Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels killed a Sri Lankan minister with a roadside bomb north of the capital on Tuesday, officials said, the second MP killed in a week as a protracted civil war escalates. Nation Building Minister D.M. Dassanayake, whose vehicle was hit by the blast in the town of Ja-Ela, 12 miles north of Colombo on the road to the island's only international airport, died on the operating table. One of his security detail, among 10 others wounded, also later died, hospital and government officials said. Local television broadcast footage of the minister's Toyota Land Cruiser, its windows shattered, sides peppered with shrapnel sprayed by the Claymore fragmentation mine and blood smeared on a rear passenger door and in a pool on the ground. A doctor was pictured sitting astride the minister on a trolley, pumping his chest as he was rushed to the operating theatre. The bombing is the latest in a series of attacks on government officials and the military in recent months. It comes just days after the government said it was formally scrapping a tattered ceasefire which had degenerated into renewed civil war in early 2006. The Colombo stock market deepened losses following news of the blast, closing down 2.26 percent. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who want to carve out an independent state in north and east Sri Lanka, were not immediately available for comment, but routinely deny involvement in such attacks. "The assassination of Minister D.M. Dassanayake deserves the most vehement and unequivocal condemnation by all those who respect democracy, desire peace and value human life," President Mahinda Rajapaksa said in a statement. "His assassination should be a further call for unity by all who stand for freedom and democracy to come together, shedding petty political or other differences, to decidedly defeat terrorism in our country," he added. "May he attain the bliss of Nirvana!" PHONE BOOTH BLAST A second explosion shook the capital on Tuesday evening, when a bomb planted in a phonebooth of an apartment block on a roundabout near the Hilton hotel in the city's business district detonated, but there were no reports of any casualties. A military spokesman said the commander of the air force HAD driven past the area just minutes before the blast. "Definitely it is the work of the Tamil Tigers," said Lakshman Hulugalle, director general of the Media Centre for National Security. Fighting continued elsewhere on Tuesday. Fighter jets raided a suspected rebel command post in the northwestern district of Mannar, and the military said troops had killed 13 rebels in a series of clashes in the north and northeast. The blast that killed the minister came minutes before Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake announced that parliament had again extended emergency rule first imposed in late 2005 after the assassination of the island's foreign minister. Last week, a prominent minority-Tamil parliamentarian was shot dead in a Hindu temple in the capital. The military says it has killed nearly 100 Tiger rebels since advising mediator Norway last week it was pulling out of the ceasefire pact. The move shocked the international community and was seen ruining any hope of resurrecting peace talks to end the 25-year conflict any time soon. Just minutes before the blast, which took place midway between the capital and the airport, Deputy Tourism Minister Faizal Mustapha impressed on reporters that Sri Lanka was a safe tourist destination. The government has vowed to wipe out the Tigers militarily, setting the stage for what many fear will be a bloody battle for the north as a death toll of around 70,000 people since the war erupted in 1983 climbs daily. (Writing by Simon Gardner, Editing by Matthew Jones) \|\|\|\|\| Advertisement Search CBS News The Web • » » Bomb Kills Sri Lanka Government Minister Military: Bomb Blamed On Rebels Kills Sri Lanka Government Minister, Wounds 10 (AP) (AP) A roadside bombing blamed on the Tamil Tigers killed a Sri Lankan government minister Tuesday in an attack likely to intensify the civil war already raging across this Indian Ocean island nation. President Mahinda Rajapaksa condemned the assassination as proof of the rebel group's "continued commitment to terror and violence," and hinted the government would strike back after the insurgents' first successful assassination in 19 months. "This sad event is a further reminder of the need to redouble our efforts to rid our country of terrorism and the use of violence to achieve political ends," he said in a statement. Both sides in the fight routinely target the other's leaders. A government airstrike in November killed the rebels' political leader, S.P. Tamilselvan, and an attack Sunday killed a top rebel intelligence officer, Shanmuganathan Ravishankar, also known as Col. Charles. Tuesday's bomb tore through the car carrying Nation Building Minister D.M. Dassanayake as he traveled through the Ja-Ela area, about 12 miles north of the capital, Colombo, said military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara. Dassanayake, who was not a member of the Cabinet, suffered head wounds and other injuries and was rushed into surgery before he died, said Dr. Dharmawardena Guruge of Ragama Teaching Hospital. The blast, which came days after the government officially pulled out of a tattered cease-fire with the separatist rebels, killed a second man and wounded 10 others, officials said. "We are quite sure that it was done by the terrorists," Media Minister Anura Yapa said, referring to the Tamil Tigers. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan did not answer calls seeking comment. Dassanayake was coordinating efforts to rebuild Sri Lanka's Eastern Province after government forces drove the rebels from the area in July. Rajapaksa suggested Dassanayake was killed because his work in the east angered the rebels. The rebels have been blamed for a spate of assassination attempts. In November, a suicide bomber killed an aide to Social Services Minister Douglas Devananda in a failed attack on the minister. Bombing attacks in 2006 also failed to kill Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, the army commander, and Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the president's brother. The last successful assassination took place in June 2006, when the rebels killed Maj. Gen. Parami Kulatunga, the country's third-ranking military officer. The rebels have also been blamed for a series of attacks in Colombo, including a bombing last week on a bus transporting wounded troops through the heart of the capital that killed a soldier and three bystanders. Soon after that attack, the Cabinet decided to officially withdraw from a 2002 truce that had all but collapsed over the past two years as escalating violence killed about 5,000 people. Senior government officials have vowed to dismantle the rebels' de facto state in parts of the north and to crush the Tamil Tigers. Later Tuesday, another blast in a telephone booth shook Colombo, but Nanayakkara said no one was wounded. Fighting continued along the front lines in the north Tuesday, with troops killing 10 rebels in two separate clashes in the Vavuniya district, said a Defense Ministry statement. There was no immediate comment from the rebels. Each side routinely exaggerates the other's casualties and plays down its own. Fighting in the north has killed 98 people _ 94 rebels and four soldiers _ in the five days since the government pulled out of the truce, according to the military. More than 70,000 people have been killed since the rebels began fighting in 1983 for an independent state for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority, claiming discrimination by the Sinhalese majority. A roadside bombing blamed on the Tamil Tigers killed a Sri Lankan government minister Tuesday in an attack likely to intensify the civil war already raging across this Indian Ocean island nation.President Mahinda Rajapaksa condemned the assassination as proof of the rebel group's "continued commitment to terror and violence," and hinted the government would strike back after the insurgents' first successful assassination in 19 months."This sad event is a further reminder of the need to redouble our efforts to rid our country of terrorism and the use of violence to achieve political ends," he said in a statement.Both sides in the fight routinely target the other's leaders. A government airstrike in November killed the rebels' political leader, S.P. Tamilselvan, and an attack Sunday killed a top rebel intelligence officer, Shanmuganathan Ravishankar, also known as Col. Charles.Tuesday's bomb tore through the car carrying Nation Building Minister D.M. Dassanayake as he traveled through the Ja-Ela area, about 12 miles north of the capital, Colombo, said military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara.Dassanayake, who was not a member of the Cabinet, suffered head wounds and other injuries and was rushed into surgery before he died, said Dr. Dharmawardena Guruge of Ragama Teaching Hospital.The blast, which came days after the government officially pulled out of a tattered cease-fire with the separatist rebels, killed a second man and wounded 10 others, officials said."We are quite sure that it was done by the terrorists," Media Minister Anura Yapa said, referring to the Tamil Tigers. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan did not answer calls seeking comment.Dassanayake was coordinating efforts to rebuild Sri Lanka's Eastern Province after government forces drove the rebels from the area in July. Rajapaksa suggested Dassanayake was killed because his work in the east angered the rebels.The rebels have been blamed for a spate of assassination attempts.In November, a suicide bomber killed an aide to Social Services Minister Douglas Devananda in a failed attack on the minister. Bombing attacks in 2006 also failed to kill Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, the army commander, and Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the president's brother.The last successful assassination took place in June 2006, when the rebels killed Maj. Gen. Parami Kulatunga, the country's third-ranking military officer.The rebels have also been blamed for a series of attacks in Colombo, including a bombing last week on a bus transporting wounded troops through the heart of the capital that killed a soldier and three bystanders.Soon after that attack, the Cabinet decided to officially withdraw from a 2002 truce that had all but collapsed over the past two years as escalating violence killed about 5,000 people. Senior government officials have vowed to dismantle the rebels' de facto state in parts of the north and to crush the Tamil Tigers.Later Tuesday, another blast in a telephone booth shook Colombo, but Nanayakkara said no one was wounded.Fighting continued along the front lines in the north Tuesday, with troops killing 10 rebels in two separate clashes in the Vavuniya district, said a Defense Ministry statement. There was no immediate comment from the rebels. Each side routinely exaggerates the other's casualties and plays down its own.Fighting in the north has killed 98 people _ 94 rebels and four soldiers _ in the five days since the government pulled out of the truce, according to the military.More than 70,000 people have been killed since the rebels began fighting in 1983 for an independent state for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority, claiming discrimination by the Sinhalese majority. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.	The Colombo Fort area of the capital. A bomb exploded Tuesday night in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. The bomb may have targeted a high-profile individual, traveling through the high-security zone in the Colombo Fort area. Earlier in the day, a government minister was killed by a roadside bomb. This blast has been blamed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by government officials. The deputy director of the government teaching hospital in the town of Ragama, Lalini Gurusinghe, announced the death of the minister. The explosion took place in Ja-Ela, a town some 12 miles north of Colombo.
April 10: Five the Elephant has painted nearly 50 works of art in two years since she picked up the hobby. ST. LOUIS - Voters in the small northeastern Missouri town of Winfield re-elected their mayor for a fourth term on Tuesday, about a month after his death. Ballots had already been printed and absentee voting had already begun when Harry Stonebraker died of a heart attack at age 69 on March 11. He won easily in Tuesday's general election with 206 votes, or 90 percent. Alderman Bernie Panther got the other 23 votes. The election recalled Missouri's 2000 U.S. Senate race, when Democrat Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash just weeks before the November election, but still defeated incumbent Republican John Ashcroft. Carnahan's wife, Jean, was eventually appointed to the Senate seat until a special election in 2002, when she was defeated by Republican Jim Talent. Lincoln County Clerk Elaine Luck said she wasn't surprised by Stonebraker's win, noting was a popular mayor who helped lead the community of 1,500 through the devastating 2008 flood, when a levee breach caused by a burrowing muskrat damaged about 100 homes. "I figured he'd win because he seemed to get even more popular after he died, just like Carnahan," Luck said. Luck said aldermen would appoint a mayor to serve until a special election in April 2010 to pick a mayor for the remainder of the two-year term. Stonebraker was a lifelong resident of the Winfield area and a retired construction superintendent. He had nearly completed his third two-year term as mayor. Winfield is about 50 miles northwest of St. Louis. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. \|\|\|\|\| ST. LOUIS (April 8, 2009)--Winfield, Mo. Mayor Harry Stonebraker has scored a landslide victory, from his grave in the ultimate political comeback. Voters in the small town re-elected Winfield to a fourth term Tuesday, about a month after his death. Ballots had already been printed and absentee voting was already underway when Stonebraker died of a heart attack. He won easily in Tuesday's general election with 206 votes, or 90 percent. Alderman Bernie Panther got the other 23 votes. The election recalled Missouri's 2000 U.S. Senate race. Democrat Mel Carnahan died in a plane crash just weeks before the November election, but still defeated incumbent Republican John Ashcroft. Aldermen will appoint a mayor to serve until a special election.	The town of Winfield, Missouri in the United States has re-elected its incumbent mayor for a third term nearly a month after his death. Mayor Harry Stonebraker died of a heart attack on March 11, yet came out on top over opponent Alderman Bernie Panther, with 90% of the vote. The ballots had been printed and absentee voting was already underway by the time of Stonebraker's death. County Clerk Elaine Luck commented that Stonebraker was quite popular, especially after his efforts to help the town evacuate during last year's flooding. Just nine years ago, the state of Missouri posthumously elected one of its US Senators, when Democratic challenger Mel Carnahan defeated incumbent John Ashcroft, a Republican, after dying several weeks before the election in a plane crash. "I figured he'd win because he seemed to get even more popular after he died, just like Carnahan," Luck said. Luck said an interim mayor would be appointed to serve until a special election in April 2010 can be held and whose winner would fill out the remainder of the two-year term.
In a message to the UCLA campus community, Chancellor Gene Block mourned the loss of engineering professor William “Bill” S. Klug. To the Campus Community: I am saddened to share with you that the Los Angeles County coroner’s office has confirmed that the victim in Wednesday’s tragic shooting was Professor William “Bill” S. Klug. Our entire UCLA family is mourning the loss of Professor Klug, a respected, dedicated and caring faculty member in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with Professor Klug’s wife, Mary Elise, his two children, and his extended family, friends and colleagues. UCLA will be there for them in the difficult days and months ahead. Professor Klug led the Klug Research Group, which focuses on theoretical and computational biomechanics. He received his master’s degree from UCLA in 1999 and his doctorate from Caltech in 2003. He joined the UCLA faculty in July 2003. Though the path to healing is long, we will make the journey together, supporting one another along the way. Let us remember and be grateful for the wonderful gifts and talents Professor Klug shared with us at UCLA. An obituary will be published on UCLA Newsroom shortly. \|\|\|\|\| William S. Klug, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, died June 1 in a shooting in his office in UCLA’s Engineering IV building. He was 39. Klug, a beloved and committed scholar, conducted life-saving research that also involved colleagues from UCLA’s engineering, science and medical faculty. He specialized in computational biomechanics and the mechanics of biological systems, such as cancer cells. Klug had been a member of the UCLA community since his days as a graduate student, from 1998 through 1999, when he earned a master’s degree in civil engineering. He went on to earn a doctorate from Caltech in 2003, and then returned to UCLA that year as a faculty member of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Klug held appointments in mechanical and aerospace engineering and in bioengineering, and he was promoted to full professor in 2015. “Our entire UCLA family is mourning the loss of Professor Klug, a respected, dedicated and caring faculty member,” UCLA Chancellor Gene Block wrote in a statement to the campus community. “At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with Professor Klug’s wife, Mary Elise, his two children, and his extended family, friends and colleagues. … Let us remember and be grateful for the wonderful gifts and talents Professor Klug shared with us at UCLA.” Among his recent research projects, Klug was collaborating with colleagues at the David Geffen School of Medicine in running the UCLA Cardiac Modeling Group. Funded by a $4.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, the researchers were applying biomechanics to cardiology research with the goal of better understanding the electromechanics of the heart. His previous research provided a clearer picture of the physics of cells and their organelles, which had applications for understanding the life cycles of viruses like HIV. He was also director of the Klug Research Group, which studied computational biomechanics, including how biological structures’ shape and mechanics affects their function. “This is a terrible moment,” said Tsu-Chin Tsao, chair of the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering. “We lost a professor who cared a lot about his students and who was on a very positive trajectory. My heart goes out to his family right now.” Klug received a number of prestigious awards, including a 2008 National Science Foundation Career Award of $475,000 over five years and his department’s Samueli Teaching Award in 2007. In his career, he used that and other grants to support research by a number of doctoral and post-doctoral scholars whom he worked with or mentored. In 2012, he was honored by Westmont College, his undergraduate alma mater, as a distinguished alumnus. While on sabbatical in 2012, he served as a visiting scholar at both Caltech and USC. He was engaged in the UCLA community, serving as a member of numerous campus committees, as a reviewer on a dozen academic journals and as an organizer for a half-dozen conferences. “Bill was one of the most talented, intelligent and caring people I have ever known, and he made enormous contributions in the field of computational biomechanics,” said UCLA professor Jeff Eldredge, who met him in 1999 while they were both doctoral students at Caltech. The pair joined the mechanical and aerospace engineering department at UCLA on the same day. “While sharing a lab with him these past 13 years, I have watched him mentor a series of great research students,” Eldredge said. “I had looked forward to us growing into old grouchy professors together, and I’m very sad to lose a dear friend and colleague and the many years of future collaboration and camaraderie that have vanished for no sensible reason. We have lost someone truly special. My thoughts are with his wife and children.” In reviews of his classes, even students who bemoaned the large amount of homework he assigned described him as kind, helpful and patient. Some also mentioned his sense of humor, noting that he made his lectures available online, but to encourage class attendance turned off his microphone when describing what kinds of questions would be on his tests. Klug was born on June 19, 1976, and lived in El Segundo, California. He is survived by his wife, Mary Elise, a fellow graduate of both Westmont and UCLA, and their children, Timothy, 9, and Rosemary, 7. A vigil is planned by the engineering school at 4 p.m. Friday at the UCLA Court of Sciences. A student vigil is scheduled tonight at 8:30 p.m. at Bruin Plaza on campus. \|\|\|\|\| Shooter reportedly had “personal differences” with professor William Klug before killing him UPDATED on 6/2/2016 at 11:41 a.m. PT: Sarkar’s victim in Minnesota is believed to be Ashley Hasti, with whom Sarkar had a longstanding relationship PREVIOUSLY: The gunman in Wednesday’s UCLA shooting has been identified as a former doctoral student who was angry with his professor over stolen computer code, TheWrap has learned. Mainak Sarkar was the second person found dead yesterday in one of the school’s engineering buildings, according to the LAPD. The 38-year-old killed Professor William S. Klug and then himself. The exact motive for the shooting has not been confirmed, but a blog post reportedly written by Sarkar in March — which has since been deleted — claims that Klug had stolen computer code from him and given it to another student. Also Read: Woman on UCLA Shooter's 'Kill List' Found Dead in Minnesota Could Be Ex-Girlfriend “We had personal differences,” Sarkar allegedly said in the post, now cached as a screenshot on Google. “He cleverly stole all my code and gave it another student … Stay away from this sick guy.” In addition, Sarkar is suspected in the murder of a woman in Minnesota that was committed just prior to when he came to LA. A note found at the UCLA scene led investigators to Sarkar’s residence in Minnesota, where they found a “kill list” that included Klug’s name as well as the female victim, believed to be Sarkar’s ex-girlfriend Ashley Hasti. The UCLA campus was placed on lockdown Wednesday around 10 a.m. local time after reports of an active shooter emerged. Officers in tactical gear were seen entering Boelter Hall, which is part of the school of engineering. LAPD bomb squad members were also on the scene. Police were advising students to avoid the area. The LAPD pronounced the incident over around 12 p.m. With finals underway, the school planned to reopen as normal, except for some engineering classes, as of today. “We want to resume normal operations as quickly as possible, so we will resume scheduled classes tomorrow morning,” UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh said in a statement. “Faculty, staff and students should show up tomorrow and go through their regular routines and complete the quarter as planned.” \|\|\|\|\| UCLA engineering Professor William S. Klug was killed in an apparent murder-suicide. Sorry, your browser doesn't support Flash , needs a Flash update , or has Flash disabled. You need Flash to watch this video. Sorry, your browser doesn't support Flash , needs a Flash update , or has Flash disabled. You need Flash to watch this video. This map outlines the location at which a shooting was reported on the UCLA campus. June 1, 2016 The victim in the apparent murder-suicide on UCLA's campus was William S. Klug , a professor of engineering.Klug was one of two men who died in a suspected murder-suicide inside an engineering building at UCLA Wednesday morning, triggering a campus-wide lockdown as hundreds of officers scoured the campus for a possible shooter.Klug was a married father of two, with a son in fourth grade and a younger daughter. He also coached Little League baseball and soccer, friends tell Eyewitness News.After the initial report came in around 10 a.m. of two men dead inside an engineering building, investigators weren't immediately certain if a shooter was on the loose on campus.Hundreds of officers from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and ATF, flooded the campus in search of a possible gunman or gunmen and ordered students to remain sheltered in place.Students who did move around on campus were told to walk with their hands up and were searched by officers. Classes were canceled and nearby middle and elementary schools were also placed on lockdown.The report of a shooting happened shortly before 10 a.m. at Boelter Hall.By noon, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said the shooting appeared to be a murder-suicide and a note was found, but would not elaborate if it was a suicide note."The campus is entirely contained," he said. "We believe there are no suspects outstanding and no continuing threat to UCLA's campus."UCLA officials say classes will resume Thursday, while final exams and commencement will continue as scheduled."We want to resume normal operations as quickly as possible, so we will resume scheduled classes tomorrow morning," UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh said. "Faculty, staff and students should show up tomorrow and go through their regular routines and complete the quarter as planned."A large police presence remained at UCLA continuing to investigate after the lockdown was lifted and some areas of campus remained closed to students.UCLA Police Chief James Herren said the campus police force is well-trained to deal with such incidents. The school immediately triggered BruinAlert, the campus alert notification system, to warn students and faculty of an incident that could be dangerous."We have a lot of resources here that we're dedicating to ensure the safety of the campus community," Herren said. "It is something that we have trained to do. So when our officers arrived on scene they immediately began putting teams together ... to help those who have been injured and also search teams to look for suspects who may (have been) in the area."Mayor Eric Garcetti offered his sympathy to all affected by the incident."My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by what appears to have been a murder-suicide on the campus of UCLA," Garcetti said. "This horrific event, at an institution dedicated to learning and mutual understanding, reminds us once again of the fragility of a peaceful society."President Barack Obama was also briefed about the incident while aboard Air Force One, according to a White House spokesman. \|\|\|\|\| Mehwish Khan, a 21-year-old psychobiology student, took cover in the library along with several other students. "The whole campus just started running, and I started running too," she told a reporter over her cellphone. "Everyone was very confused. We got in a building, and no one knew what was going on," she said. As she spoke by phone, she started hearing helicopters hovering overhead. "A lot of people thought it was a joke or a drill," she said.	220px Two people were killed in an alleged murder-suicide at the , Los Angeles (UCLA) campus on Wednesday. The shooting occurred on the fourth floor of the Engineering IV building. The university's campus was in for about two hours after the shooting from 10:00AM to noon local time. The (LAPD) have identified 39-year-old William S. Klug as the victim in the murder-suicide. He was an associate professor of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The shooting occurred in his office. According to the Police, the shooter was identified as Mainak Sarkar, a former student of the professor. According to the Police, Mainak Sarkar had accused William S. Klug of stealing Sarkar's computer code and turning it over to someone else. According to , in March Mainak Sarkar had written in a blog post about William S. Klug, "We had personal differences. He cleverly stole all my code and gave it another student. He made me really sick. Your enemy is your enemy. But your friend can do a lot more harm. Be careful about whom you trust. Stay away from this sick guy", and included a photo of the professor. According to the LAPD, a note was found near scene and helped find the home address of the shooter and establish the fact of suicide. During the lockdown students were asked to stay in a sheltered location, and those who moved around the campus were told to walk with their hands up and were searched by police officers. Classes were cancelled for the rest of the day. Final exams and were to run as scheduled, and most classes were to resume as normal Thursday morning. William S. Klug had been leading the Klug Research Group which specialised in theoretical and computational . He was a father of two, a nine year old son in fourth grade and a seven year old daughter. == Sources == * * * * * category:Crime and law category:Health category:United States category:North America
MUMBAI: A year and half after it bought out its Indian JV partner and set up a fully-owned subsidiary in the country, open source software leader Red Hat Inc is making India the hub for its new services strategy. The firm, which is under threat from giants such as Oracle and Microsoft to keep its market share in the expanding Linux pie, is also looking at new revenue streams like consulting and services, Red Hat global CFO Charlie Peters said in an interview with ET. Red Hat’s strategy is to not just build up capacity in its captive in Pune but also roll out solutions with home grown IT majors like Satyam, in what could a win-win deal for Red Hat and many of the country’s top exporters. Until now, Red Hat was best known for the distribution and support of open source operating system Linux. About 80% of its revenues are built on subscriptions for Red Hat Linux, and about 20% on services. Its majority market share is now under threat with a new rival in the form enterprise software major Oracle that has ventured into Linux support and is actively publicising it. Novell, which also has its own version of Linux, has entered into a settlement with Microsoft on patent infringements that also involves more subscriptions for its Suse Linux. But Mr Peters, who is on a visit to India, is unfazed by these developments. On the contrary, he says the company has seen 98 of its 100 top customers renew their subscriptions, and powered by its acquisition of Jboss, an open source enterprise middleware firm last it is set out unveil its new strategy early next month. Its services push will pay a big role in this strategy. The company will double the strength of its captive in Pune from 100 to 200, and provide architecture solutions to clients who are running Red Hat and also training on its platform to partners. Its clients include the likes of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan and Lehman Brothers in financial services and back home, banks such as IDBI, UTI Bank, Canara Bank and in the enterprise segment players such as Bharti Airtel. But its biggest push will come from the tie-ups it plans with Indian software services players. In December 2006, the company announced a tie-up with Satyam Computer Services, the country’s fourth largest exporter, to develop open source solutions for customers. The two firms also plan to set up a centre of excellence and open source lab in Bangalore for developing horizontal competencies and business solutions on the Red Hat and JBoss platforms. It has also announced a partnership with Patni Computer Systems, also among the top 20 exporters from the country. Other top software exporters are also believed to have entered into similar partnerships engagements with Red Hat. While such partnerships with product and platform vendors are not new, what will be new is that Red Hat will also sub-contract some of the development work that its gets from its clients abroad. “This is a global initiative to provide this service but the service will be provided from India,” Mr Peters said. In addition to these initiatives, Red Hat will also shop for suitable acquisition targets in countries such as India and Eastern Europe. With $ 1.2 billion of cash on its books and another $ 250 million-$ 260 million expected in full year cash flows in fiscal 2008, the company has a big war chest. Last year, it did five acquisitions in all — its acquisition of Jboss and smaller acquisitions in Argentina, Brazil, and Czech Republic. \|\|\|\|\| Media mogul Sumner Redstone is planning to name National Amusements Inc general counsel Tad Jankowski to the seven-person trust that will determine the fate of both Viacom and CBS in the event of Redstone's incapacitation or death, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters on Sunday. \|\|\|\|\| Why did this happen? Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy. \|\|\|\|\| Pepsi market value overtakes Coke for first time in over 100 years 13th December 2005 By Pepsi overtook Coke in terms of market capitalization for the first time in 112 years on Monday, with investor preference reflecting Pepsi's successful diversification into the non-carbonated healthful beverage and snack sectors. PepsiCo closed at $59.31 to give it a market capitalization of $98.4 billion, compared to Coca-Cola which closed at $41.15, valuing its share at $97.9 billion. The shift is a strong indication of investor confidence in PepsiCo, which has diversified into snacks and non-carbonated drinks during the last few years. Coca-Cola still relies heavily on its carbonated soft drinks, a category that is losing favor with many consumers as public awareness of health matters increases. Both companies are set to see a decline in soft drink sales for the first time this year in North America, but while Coke derives 82% of its revenue from carbonated beverages, Pepsi only generates 20% of its revenue from soda. PepsiCo also produces Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana juices and Frito-Lay snacks. Coca-Cola is attempting to revive its flagship brand with a new marketing campaign with the slogan "Welcome to the Coke side of life" and the launch of new varieties including a new coffee flavored cola. Market analysts Datamonitor predict that that the carbonated drinks market will experience slower growth than that of the juice sector over the next five years. \|\|\|\|\| Chris Sinclair, founder & chairman of Scandent Group, which operates in the IT services & BPO space, and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Pepsi-Cola Co has strong India connections. For starters, he spent the better part of his childhood in India. He schooled in Mumbai and later at the International School at Kodaikanal between the ages of 2-11 courtsey Sinclair Sr who was in India those days as head of Esso. (Will his prior knowledge of the country help Sinclair to operate in India?) Decades later, it was under Sinclair’s watch that Pepsi famously entered India. And it was he who recruited Indra Nooyi, who is currently president & CFO at Pepsi. Does he think Indians make good global managers? “Yes,” he says. “Put aside their creativity, intelligence and all of those things of which there is a reservoir here. I think their drive, creativity and adaptability sets them apart. They are much less rigid, much more accepting of diversity. It is the passion to achieve that separates them.” He goes on to elaborate, “IT has been an obvious growth area for India but when you think about the potential for management talent coming out of here, that’s enormous. I don’t see where else you could find a bigger reservoir of talent.” \|\|\|\|\| With the North American soft drink market saturated, both Coke and Pepsi are focusing now on other areas to grow their businesses. Coke is targeting international growth; Pepsi is growing its snack business. And both are going head-to-head in the rapidly expanding bottled-water business. advertisement But when it comes to the soft drink wars, it is still very much a country divided between two familiar colors: Red and blue. "In the U.S., it's a closer race between Coke and Pepsi,” said Bonnie Herzog, an industry analyst with Smith Barney. “When you look outside the U.S., I think Coke has the lead." Indeed, 75 percent of Coke's profits now come from the foreign markets it dominates. While back home, the slugfest has gone on for decades. Gerald Herbert / AP file Manufacturers sold more than $7.7 billion worth of bottled water last year, up 12.3 percent from 2001, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp. Pepsi's Aquafina brand is beating Coke's Dasani in the bottled water category. With public opinion split, there's another problem for both Coke and Pepsi. Volumes of carbonated soft drinks in North America are growing at less than 1 percent a year. Meanwhile, sports drinks like Gatoraid are growing at 15 percent a year. And bottled water is expanding by 26 permanent annually. In a saturated soft drink market, water is where the growth and money are, according to Herzog. For now, Pepsi's Aquafina is beating Coke's Dasani in the water wars. It's just the latest front in a battle between hundreds of Coke and Pepsi brands: Diet Coke vs. Diet Pepsi; Sprite vs, Mountain Dew; Nestea vs. Lipton, Tropicana vs. Minutemaid. And the list goes on. But for Pepsi - it's not all about drinks. Some 60 percent of its profits come from its snack business. From Fritos to Lays to Cracker Jacks and Tostitos, Pepsi has a virtual monopoly, with no competition from Coke. "They're going after the younger consumer who purchases a single-serve product, at a convenience store like 7-11,” said Todd Stender, who follows the companies at Crowell Weedon & Co. ”And that's really where the profits are." Coke, meanwhile, just scored a big coup by winning the soft-drink business at Subway, a fast-food chain now bigger than McDonald's, that had previously served only Pepsi. In the home office, analysts like both management teams. Both companies expense stock options, and both project revenue growth in the mid-to-high single digits. © 2004 MSNBC Interactive	PepsiCo Inc. is in line to get its first female chief executive before the end of the year. Steven S. Reinemund, chairman and CEO of the U.S. soft drink and snack food giant, announced his retirement via press release effective in May, 2007. Reinemund, 58, said he was leaving to spend more time with his family. The same PepsiCo release confirmed that Indra Nooyi, currently president and CFO, will take over for Reinemund. Nooyi's current position will be split in two. The first is scheduled to be filled by Richard Goodman, 57, currently CFO of PepsiCo International, who will become CFO. Hugh Johnston, 44, currently senior vice president of transformation, was promoted to the newly created post of executive vice president of operations, procurement and information technology. Nooyi, 50, is a Yale-educated daughter of a middle class Indian family, according to her official biography. She is scheduled to succeed Reinemund, in October, the company said. Reinemund reportedly will stay with PepsiCo until May, 2007. Together, Nooyi and Reinemund have guided PepsiCo through several large take-overs and has seen the company overtake The Coca-Cola Company both in terms of sales and market value. Coca-Cola is still the No. 1 soft drink maker based on U.S. and global market share. A significant portion of PepsiCo's sales revenue comes from non-drink brands in its Frito-Lay and Quaker Oats product lines. Some on Wall Street were surprised by Reinemund's retirement announcement, according to news reports. Monday, the stock (ticker:PEP) closed up $0.62 at $63.95 per share on the NYSE.
Winchester and Rushmoor councils have invested £3m in the banks Two Hampshire councils have investments totalling £3m in troubled Icelandic banks, they have revealed. Rushmoor Borough Council said the cash was in the form of a £2m investment with Glitnir, which was 5% of its total investments of £40m. Winchester City Council said it had £1m invested with Heritable, a subsidiary of the troubled Landsbanki. A spokesperson said the money was about 3% of the city council's total investments of £32m. Councillor George Beckett, leader of Winchester City Council, said the council used external treasury management advisors and had taken "account of the good credit rating of the bank at the time the investment was made". Winchester City Council said it was backing the Local Government Association's (LGA) call for the chancellor to protect council deposits. More than 100 local authorities have more than £840m at risk after investing in Icelandic banks. Gordon Brown said he was considering "further action", but the government is not offering to guarantee the deposits. The LGA insisted that all the councils involved had enough money to ensure that frontline services should not be affected. \|\|\|\|\| Anti-terrorism powers were used yesterday to recoup money owed to UK depositors in a failed Icelandic bank in a move that risked sending relations with Reykjavik to their lowest since the 1970s "cod wars". UK taxpayers are likely to pay out at least £2.4bn as part of a £4.6bn scheme to compensate hundreds of thousands of account holders at Landsbanki, the Icelandic lender, according to Whitehall sources. Alistair Darling, chancellor, offered a blanket guarantee to UK retail depositors with money placed in Icesave, a failed internet bank owned by Landsbanki. But wholesale depositors in failed Icelandic banks - including dozens of local authorities and some universities - were offered no immediate support. Some councils have lost sums of up to £40m, prompting the Local Government Association, which represents about 400 councils, to urge Mr Darling to extend protection to town halls. The Conservatives said the black hole was a threat to services and could increase council tax bills. "Government needs to stop dithering and clear up this uncertainty," said Eric Pickles, shadow local government secretary. Gordon Brown unveiled "legal action against the Icelandic authorities" to recover depositors' money, as the tone deteriorated to its lowest level since fishing and coastguard vessels clashed over cod stocks in the north Atlantic in 1976. The chill came as Geir Haarde, Iceland's prime minister, expressed disappointment at the refusal of western allies to help prop up the krona and said he had to find "new friends" in the form of Russia, which is considering a €4bn (£3bn) loan. However, officials from both the UK and Iceland later said that relations were not as bad as the political rhetoric implied. The Treasury expected Iceland's depositor compensation scheme to cover about £2.2bn of the £4.6bn owed to about 300,000 Landsbanki depositors, with £1.4bn coming from the UK industry financial services compensation scheme and the remainder from the government. Public cash would be needed to cover the industry share, the Treasury added, as the compensation scheme lacked sufficient money. It would try to recoup the taxpayers' contribution later from the proceeds of the sale of Landsbanki's estimated £7bn UK assets. Treasury officials wanted to ensure wholesale creditors were treated "fairly". But Mr Darling told MPs that local authorities - unlike individual depositors - were "informed investors". Lawyers said the Treasury's unprecedented use of anti-terror powers to freeze Landsbanki's estimated £4bn UK financial assets could create knock-on problems for other institutions with which the failed lender was doing business. The freezing order was issued under the 2001 Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act that was passed after the September 11 attacks the same year. Reporting by Tom Braithwaite in Reykjavik and Alex Barker, Michael Peel and Jimmy Burns in London	Two local authorities in the English county of Hampshire have a total of £3 million invested with troubled Icelandic banks it was revealed today. Rushmoor Borough Council has a £2 million investment with Glitnir, while revealed it has £1m invested with Landsbanki subsidiary Heritable. Both district councils said the money accounts for only a small proportion of their total investments: 5% in the case of Rushmoor and 3% for Winchester. This is part of a nationwide problem, as over £550 million has been invested in Icelandic banks by British local authorities, with over 70 councils affected. The news came after Icelandic Internet bank Icesave suspended all 300,000 of its UK customer accounts earlier this week as a result of the worsening global financial crisis. Personal customers of Icesave and other failed banks from Iceland have had the security of their savings guaranteed, but the same protection does not apply to the local government accounts. The Local Government Association (LGA) is campaigning for the protection to extend to them as well, and this call was backed by Winchester City Council.
Two Qatari Mirage interceptor fighters took part on Friday in the UN mission to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, the French Defence Ministry said. Along with Qatar - the first Arab country to take part in the operation - the United Arab Emirates will send 12 warplanes to support the international coalition in Libya, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said earlier in the day. French military command said that about 30 French aircraft had taken part in the operation in the past 24 hours. The UN Security Council imposed a no-fly zone over Libya on March 17, and permitted "all necessary measures" to protect civilians from Libyan leader's Muammar Gaddafi's attacks on rebel-held towns. The military operation in Libya, codenamed Odyssey Dawn, has been conducted so far jointly by 13 states, including the United States, Britain and France. PARIS, March 25 (RIA Novosti) \|\|\|\|\| In an air-conditioned room down an alley in the old market of Qatar's capital Doha, enthusiasts of "damah" gather most evenings. The ancient board game, rarely played in recent years, is now being revived by local enthusiasts. It is, afficionados say, a contest of strategy and finesse – and thus an apt metaphor for the high-stakes manoeuvring by the tiny Gulf state and its hereditary leader, 59-year-old Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, in recent weeks. For a country the size of Belgium with a population of 1.7 million, Qatar has been playing an extraordinarily high-profile role. This weekend four Qatari fighter jets are set to join the allied forces already off the Libyan coastline. The combat deployment is the first by an Arab or Muslim-majority country and thus of critical diplomatic significance. Then there is the key role played in the "Arab spring" by al-Jazeera, the satellite TV channel set up by the emir in 1996. Broadcasting from Doha, al-Jazeera is now the dominant Arabic-language news outlet in the region and increasingly recognised around the world. Al-Jazeera English is gaining fans. "Al-Jazeera were the first on to the events in Tunisia. Its reports from there were watched by the Egyptians. Then its reports from Egypt were watched by everyone else. It has been a very important catalyst," said Hugh Miles, author of Al-Jazeera: How Arab TV News Challenged the World. Others have gone further and described the successive uprisings as "fundamentally driven" by the TV channel. Al-Jazeera's role and Qatar's decision to send planes are both rooted in Qatar's size, its location on a spur of the Arabian peninsula and the emir's efforts to ensure his country's independence from much bigger neighbouring states such as Iran and Saudi Arabia. As in a game of damah, the emir, who seized power from his father in 1995, has eschewed confrontation in favour of a more subtle strategy. "Any wise person would do the same", said Faraj Almohammed, a 45-year-old economic advisor and keen damah player, in Doha's old market last night. For despite wealth from its vast oil and gas reserves which means its inhabitants do not pay income tax or utilities bills and enjoy average incomes of £50,000, Qatar is vulnerable. "The [Sandhurst-trained] emir is a military man and knows that Qatar is basically indefensible," said Blake Hounshell, the Doha-based managing editor of Foreign Policy magazine. "He has thought laterally about ways of making Qatar more secure." The emir's main two strategic assets are al-Jazeera and diplomacy, said Mustafa Alani, analyst at the Gulf Research Centre in Dubai. "The aim is to give Qatar an importance out of proportion to its size. Al-Jazeera gives it a loud voice and the emir has made a huge effort to make Qatar the local mediator of choice too." Al-Jazeera broke with the stultifying broadcasting style of government-run channels in the region and rapidly became an integral part of the Arab world's cultural landscape and immensely popular. "Al-Jazeera pitches itself at its viewership. It is Arab-owned, Arab-financed, based in an Arab city and ... gives people what they want to hear in a language they understand," said Miles, the author. For protesters across the region, the presence of al-Jazeera cameras means more than news. Exposure brings a measure of security. In Syria this week, demonstrators chanted: "We want al-Jazeera." In Sana'a in Yemen, a handwritten sign read: "Al-Jazeera is part of our revolution." Such influence has inevitably caused problems for Qatar. Last year al-Jazeera, which means "the peninsula" in Arabic, was banned in Morocco, suspended in Bahrain and caused a diplomatic incident with Jordan. A camera crew was arrested by Nato-led troops in Afghanistan for "making propaganda". The channel has been restricted or targeted by almost every Arab state and many others, including the US. But it has also given the emir huge credibility and prestige among ordinary people. Al Anstey, managing director of al-Jazeera's English-language channel, said any challenge to governments was not deliberate but simply came from reporters covering "the facts on the ground". For analyst Alani, "like Qatar's role as a mediator, al-Jazeera makes enemies but is a net gain in terms of influence." Qatari diplomacy is wide-ranging. Successfully bidding for the 2022 World Cup attracted global attention, as it was meant to. Qatar has good relations with the US, hosting its vast airbase at al-Udeid, and, relative to the rest of the region, with Israel too. It also maintains contacts with Hamas and Hezbollah, shares an oilfield with Iran and is careful to be friendly to Riyadh. Angering the latter is "not an option", said one western diplomat based in the region, a factor in what some claim is al-Jazeera's "systematic downplaying" of news of its neighbour. Anstey denied any bias. "We are financed by the state of Qatar but editorially entirely independent. We cover every story on its merits," he said. Qatar is seen as moderate, at least compared to its neighbours. Alcohol is not illegal, though it is an offence to drink or be drunk in public. Homosexuality is illegal, even if the laws are applied pragmatically. Political parties are banned and, according to Amnesty International, the founder of a human rights organisation was detained this month. To the surprise of some, al-Jazeera reported the arrest. The effects of the channel on the region may be greater than the autocratic, if relatively moderate, emir of Qatar bargained for. "Over the last decade, al-Jazeera has done more to educate Arabs about human rights, civil rights, democracy and the world than anyone else," said Miles, the author. "Now anywhere in the Arab world you can have an informed discussion about what's happening in the world ... That is a huge change." The "Arab spring" appears likely to remain foreign news for al-Jazeera, however. "Qatar is unique in that there are really very few local tensions and no major threat to stability," said Dr Jennifer Heeg, a Doha-based human rights specialist. "The biggest split is between locals and the migrant labourers. A day of rage was called recently and absolutely no one turned up." This means that, unlike other local rulers, the emir does not have to watch the sentiment of a restive "street". There is certainly little discontent among students in Education City, a vast complex of colleges set up by the emir on the outskirts of Doha. Students gathered for a snack after classes in the open-air cafeteria of the private Carnegie Mellon University said that, though relations between Qatar and Libya had been poor for a long time, it was the killing of an al-Jazeera cameraman near Benghazi two weeks ago, probably by Gaddafi's henchmen, that justified Qatar's military commitment to operation Odyssey Dawn. "I think [Qataris] ... have the right to go and [avenge] their loss. I think all Arab countries should do the same. We are all Arab and we all should help each other," said Muhammad Hadi, a 20-year-old business administration student. "I think Qatar wants to have more influence on the world [and] I am proud to live in this country." With additional reporting from Omar Chatriwalla and Shabina Khatri in Doha.	Mirage 2000 Qatar participated in a combat mission to enforce a over Libya on Friday, one day after NATO agreed to take command. Qatar is the first Arab country to take part in the operation against Moammar Gadhafi's regime. The said two Qatai flew Qatar's first sortie over Libya accompanied by a French jet. Besides Qatar, the United Arab Emirates has agreed to send 12 warplanes to support the international no-fly alliance. No other countries from the have agreed to join so far. Qatar's combat deployment as the first by an Arab or Muslim-majority country thus is of critical impact. Qatar's participation has great diplomatic importance. Major General Margaret Woodward, Commander of , stated: "Having our first Arab nation join and start flying with us emphasizes that the world wants the innocent Libyan people protected from the atrocities perpetrated by pro-regime forces". The emir of Qatar has typically preferred subtle diplomacy rather than confrontation, as Qatar is vulnerable because of its tiny size and its position on the tip of the Arabian peninsula. Qatar's decision to send planes is related to its need to maintain its independence from its bigger neighbors like Iran and Saudi Arabia, according to . France, the United Kingdom and the United States are among thirteen states which have so far joined the no-fly mission over Libya. The was established by the UN Security Council on March 17. == Sources == * * *
Duckworth, part of a Trail Blazers goodwill tour, was scheduled to hold a basketball clinic on the Oregon coast when he died Monday night. The Depoe Bay Fire Department said it responded about 10 p.m. to a report of a man who was down and not breathing at Salishan Lodge at Gleneden Beach, north of Newport on the central coast. The cause of death was to be determined by a medical examiner, but the Lincoln County sheriff's office said there was no indication of foul play. -- Jabir Herbert Muhammad, a longtime manager of Muhammad Ali and son of the late Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad, died following heart surgery in Chicago. He was 79. BASKETBALL Reneses resigns as Spain's coach Aito Garcia Reneses has quit as Spain's basketball coach after leading the national team to a silver medal at the Beijing Olympic Games. Garcia Reneses made use of a clause in his contract that allows him to vacate the position after the Games, the Spanish basketball federation announced Tuesday. He is expected to take over Spanish club Unicaja. -- The Boston Celtics signed first-round draft pick J.R. Giddens. The 6-foot-5 point guard, the 30th pick in the draft, averaged 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds for New Mexico during his senior season. Giddens, 23, brings a reputation as a strong defender to the defending NBA champions. -- Indiana senior forward Kyle Taber will undergo surgery on his knee today and is expected to be out for 10 weeks. Coach Tom Crean said that Taber injured the knee last week. Neither the nature of Taber's injury nor which knee was injured was disclosed. -- Former NBA forward Wayman Tisdale had part of his right leg amputated because of bone cancer. Tisdale, 44, now an award-winning jazz musician, revealed on his Web site that the surgery was scheduled for Monday. His wife, Regina, told the AP on Tuesday night the surgery had taken place as planned. "Everything went well," she said. ELSEWHERE Sorenson jumps to Gillett Evernham Driver Reed Sorenson signed a multiyear contract to join Gillett Evernham Motorsports next season, where he'll join Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler. Sorenson, 22, said his decision to leave Ganassi, where he began his NASCAR career as an 18-year-old, was difficult but necessary. "I'm going over here to try to make myself a better racecar driver," Sorenson said. "I wanted to be more competitive and I wanted to have some more opportunities to win races and things like that." -- The Budweiser Shootout at Daytona will be around at least three more years with a new format that places the emphasis on the four manufacturers in NASCAR's Sprint Cup series. Anheuser-Busch official Tony Ponturo made the announcement of the contract extension and the format changes. He was joined by Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig and NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter. Soccer: Panama's Tauro defeated Major League Soccer's Chivas USA 2-0 in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions League preliminary-round series in Panama City. ... In another CONCACAF Champions League match, Gregory Richardson and Jamal Gay scored as Trinidad's Joe Public upset the New England Revolution 2-1 in Macoya, Trinidad. -- Barcelona, Juventus and Panathinaikos advanced to the 32-team group stage of the European Champions League. -- Three Premier League teams - Bolton, West Bromwich and Hull - were eliminated from England's League Cup by lower-division opposition. -- U.S. midfielder Maurice Edu, 22, is set to make his Glasgow Rangers debut in Sunday's Old Firm derby against Celtic in the Scottish Premier League. Edu completed his $5 million transfer from Major League Soccer's Toronto FC last week after being granted a British work permit. Horse racing: Peppers Pride trainer Joel Marr will use Lincoln Handicap at Ruidoso Downs, N.M., on Sunday to try for a North American-record 17th victory in 17 starts. The thoroughbred mare is seeking to break the mark of 16 straight victories she shares with Triple Crown winner Citation, two-time horse of the year Cigar, Mister Frisky and Hallowed Dreams. This article appeared on page D - 8 of the San Francisco Chronicle \|\|\|\|\| Kevin Duckworth 1964 ~ 2008 On the marquee is Duckworth's basketball life, which began at Thornridge, continued at Eastern Illinois and culminated in an 11-year NBA career that included two appearances in the NBA Finals with the Portland Trail Blazers. But ultimately, everything peripheral to basketball provided the truest definition of the 7-footer labeled a "gentle giant" by former Eastern Illinois coach Rick Samuels. The diligence with which Duckworth attacked his weight, to make a basketball career even possible. The courage to transform his size from insecurity to a source of pride. The loyalty, which he used to decline interest from John Thompson and Georgetown because Eastern Illinois discovered him first. And Duckworth died, actually, acting on his unflagging selflessness. The player who bought houses for his parents after signing a $16 million contract with Portland in 1988, who spoke to Thornridge students about his life's journey every time he returned to the school, died while on a trip to the Oregon coast to hold a free basketball clinic. The cause of death has yet to be determined by the medical examiner in Lincoln County, Ore. "Kevin will be remembered by fans as one of the most popular and recognizable players to ever wear the Blazers uniform, but to people who knew him, he'll be remembered as one of the warmest and biggest-hearted," Trail Blazers President Larry Miller said. Indeed, Duckworth's nickname as a boy was Boo-Boo, a bit absurd for someone who checked in at 6 feet 11 inches and 350 pounds as a high school senior, but aptly tender for the person inhabiting that outsized frame. "Kevin was always a little different," said Francine Duckworth, Kevin's sister and lone living sibling after brothers Ray and Eddie died in 1999 and 2003, respectively. "He was quiet, laid-back, not like the rest of us. He could never hurt anybody." Indeed, even when Thornridge coach Bob Sullivan nearly tortured him with daily conditioning drills that began at 6 a.m., a glum obeisance was all Duckworth could muster. "One day, Boo-Boo pulled me aside and said, 'You really enjoy this, don't you?' " Sullivan recalled. "I told him I loved it. He said, 'I stand in my doorway every morning and pray to the Lord that you won't show up.' " The size battle — both physically and mentally — didn't end there. But how Duckworth attacked it shaped who he would become. Samuels disclosed Tuesday that he had to talk Duckworth out of going home "two to three times a week" in his early days at Eastern Illinois. The reason? He felt fellow students' stares because he couldn't fit into classroom desks. To ease Duckworth's self-consciousness on the court, Samuels would take the stopwatch from his assistants during timed conditioning drills and give Duckworth an extra second or two if the player was exerting maximum effort. He usually was. "I remember the line drills where we'd have to run and touch nine lines in 30 seconds," said Kevin Jones, the former Chicago State coach and a Duckworth teammate at Eastern Illinois. "He would never make it, but he never stopped trying." That diligence led Duckworth to 1,589 career points and 867 career rebounds at Eastern Illinois, and he was San Antonio's second-round pick in the 1986 NBA draft. He was traded later that year to Portland, where he began in earnest a career that resulted in averages of 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds a game over 11 seasons. He credited an ethic instilled by his parents, especially his father, Edward, a long-haul truck driver. "You think back to how your parents struggled just so you could have certain things," he told the Oregonian newspaper in a 1991 profile. "He never forgot his roots," Bonfiglio said. "We used him as a good example of what can happen if you just stay with it and work hard." Tribune reporter Bob Sakamoto and the Associated Press contributed to this report. bchamilton@tribune.com	Former American National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball star Kevin Duckworth has died at age 44. The former Portland Trail Blazers center died on Monday of an apparent heart attack in his hotel room at Gleneden Beach, Oregon. He was in town for part of a free childrens basketball clinic being run by the Trail Blazers. His death was confirmed by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office. Duckworth commenced his career with the San Antonio Spurs when he was selected in the second round of the 1986 NBA Draft. He was traded after one season for fellow draft pick Walter Berry. It was during his time with the Trail Blazers that he had his most successful season. During 1988 he shot 77.0% from the free throw line and played well all-round. This performance earned him the NBA Most Improved Player Award. The following year he was selected as an All-Star. The following seasons were also classed as a success for both Duckworth and the Trail Blazers. They made it to the 1990 NBA Finals and in 1991 he was selected as an All-Star for a second time. He was traded to the Washington Bullets for two seasons and then later for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers for one seasons each. After the 1996-97 season with the Clippers he retired.
Darlene Etienne was rescued 15 days after the earthquake hit the capital [Al Jazeera/Adam Raney] Darlene Etienne was rescued 15 days after the earthquake hit the capital [Al Jazeera/Adam Raney] Darlene Etienne had just started studying at the school when the disaster struck. French rescuers have pulled a teenage girl out of the rubble of a school in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, 15 days after an earthquake devastated the city. She was said to be severely dehydrated with a weak pulse and rescuers rushed her to a French-run field hospital, before later transferring her to a hospital ship moored off Haiti for treatment. It is unusual for anyone to survive more than three days without water, but Etienne may have had access to some water from a bathroom in the collapsed building and rescuers said she mumbled something about having a small amount of Coca-Cola with her in the rubble. Neighbours had earlier alerted rescuers after they heard a weak voice calling from under the rubble. special report On Tuesday, US troops pulled a man alive from under a collapsed building in the capital. The 31-year-old man had a broken leg and was severely dehydrated, US authorities said. The last previous rescue of someone trapped by the quake occurred Saturday, when a man was extricated from the ruins of a hotel grocery store. 'Delicate recovery' Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull, reporting from Port-au-Prince, said that rescuers had faced "a delicate process" to pull Etienne from the rubble. "It all happened very quickly, but rescue teams managed to get her out and she was covered in layers of dust and concrete." The situation is getting increasingly desperate for thousands of hungry survivors [AFP] Meanwhile, scenes of fighting have broken out in the Haitian capital as survivors continue to face severe food and water shortages two weeks after the earthquake devastated the Caribbean island. On Tuesday outside the wrecked presidential palace, Brazilian UN peacekeeping troops fired tear gas at a crowd of thousands around a food-handout station. "They're not violent, just desperate. They just want to eat," Brazilian army Colonel Fernando Soares said. "The problem is there is not enough food for everyone." Facing persistent complaints by survivors that the huge amounts of aid flown in to Haiti is not reaching them on the ground, US and UN troops, as well as aid workers, have widened and intensified the distribution of food and water. Al Jazeera's Sebstian Walker, reporting from the Haitian capital, said that there was still a bottleneck on the delivery of aid. "Two weeks on, it is getting to be a desperate situation and people are nearing breaking point, as more fights are breaking out at food distribution points," he said. However, despite some of the food handouts turning unruly, the UN said the overall security situation in the city remained stable. "The vast majority of distributions in Haiti are being carried out in an orderly manner. There are isolated, regrettable incidents but these are the exceptions and not the rule," the World Food Programme said. Trauma The UN food agency said it has delivered nearly 10 million meals to almost 450,000 people since the quake. On Tuesday, a 4.4-magnitude aftershock shook the country, according to the US Geological Survey. Haiti has been hit by more than 50 aftershocks since a 7.0-magnitude quake hit the country on January 12, each one bringing fresh trauma to survivors. The aftershocks, lack of basic supplies and government offers of free transportation out of the battered capital have led to about 236,000 people leaving for the countryside since the quake, but the UN said the exodus has slowed to a trickle, with fewer than 1,000 leaving over the past day. Alex Larsen, the health minister, said one million Haitians had been displaced from their homes in the wrecked capital and the authorities are trying to relocate at least 400,000 survivors from makeshift camps to temporary tent villages outside the city. The government says it has tents for 400,000 to be used in the temporary settlements, but Rene Preval, Haiti's president, has asked the world to send 200,000 more before the rainy season starts in May. \|\|\|\|\| Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement A teenage girl has been pulled out of the rubble in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, a full 15 days after the earthquake struck, rescuers say. They said she was happy and shocked despite being severely dehydrated and having a leg injury. A rescue worker described the discovery of the girl, two weeks after the quake destroyed the city, as a "miracle". Her rescue comes five days after the Haitian government officially ended the search and rescue operation. At least 130 people have been pulled alive from the rubble in the days that followed the 12 January earthquake. On Wednesday, Haitian President Rene Preval said that "nearly 170,000" dead bodies had now been counted following the quake. The girl, who has not been named, was found in the rubble of a school which one of her relatives said she had just started attending. The girl was 16 years old, according to Agence France-Presse. "She just said 'Thank you', she's very weak, which suggests that she's been there for 15 days," said Samuel Bernes, the head of the rescue team that discovered her. He described her location within the rubble as "in a pocket, surrounded by concrete".	A sixteen-year-old girl, Darlene Etienne, was pulled out from underneath the rubble of a collapsed school in Haiti yesterday, fifteen days after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the country, devastating most buildings in the capital, Port-au-Prince. Etienne had been studying at school in the capital when the tremors stared, collapsing the building. She had apparently survived by drinking water from a bathroom, and the ''Al Jazeera'' news agency reports rescuers had heard her mumbling something about having some Coca-Cola. When pulled from the rubble, she was reportedly dehydrated, but happy. Etienne was taken to a French-run field hospital, and later to a hospital ship moored off the Haitian coast for further treatment. "She just said 'Thank you', she's very weak, which suggests that she's been there for 15 days," said the head of the rescue team that recovered the girl, Samuel Bernes, noting that she was located "in a pocket, surrounded by concrete". "She couldn't really talk to us or say how long she'd been there but I think she'd been there since the earthquake. I don't think she could have survived even a few more hours," rescuer Claude Fuilla told the Associated Press. "I don't know how she happened to resist that long," said another rescue worker, JP Malaganne, as quoted by the BBC. "It all happened very quickly, but rescue teams managed to get her out and she was covered in layers of dust and concrete," said Jonah Hull, a correspondent for ''Al Jazeera'', describing the rescue effort as being "a delicate process". Five days ago, the Haitian government officially ended its search for living people under the rubble; upwards of 130 people have been rescued from underneath the remains of collapsed buildings.
U.S. Congressional Democrats are asking the Justice Department to investigate whether the CIA's destruction of videotapes documenting the interrogation of terrorism suspects amounts to obstruction of justice. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill. CIA director Michael Hayden (file photo) The acknowledgment by Central Intelligence Agency Director Michael Hayden that his agency destroyed the interrogation videotapes in 2005 sparked a firestorm of criticism among Congressional Democrats. They suggested the tapes could have provided key evidence in ongoing trials brought by terrorism suspects who are alleging they were tortured. Senator Ted Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, said, "What would cause the CIA to take this action? The answer is obvious - cover up. The agency was desperate to cover up damning evidence of their practices." The Democratic chairmen of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees are vowing to investigate, and other Democrats are calling on the Justice Department to do the same. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill, 7 Dec 2007 "You cannot destroy material if there is an ongoing investigation. There is a law against it," said Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. At the White House, spokeswoman Dana Perino said President Bush only learned of the matter Thursday after he was briefed by CIA Director Hayden. "He has no recollection of being made aware of the tapes or their destruction before yesterday," said Perino. Perino defended the CIA interrogation program as legal and critical to national security. She said President Bush supports General Hayden's explanation that the tapes were destroyed to protect the identities of the interrogators. But the Senate's number two Democrat, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, rejected that argument: "The defense of the CIA is that they wanted to protect the identity of those CIA employees who were engaged in the interrogation," said Durbin. "Mr. [Senate] President, that is not a credible defense. We know that it is possible, in fact, easy, to cover the identity and faces of those who were involved in any videotape. Something more was involved here." The tapes, which documented the use of tough interrogation techniques against key terror suspects in 2002, were destroyed three years later, at a time when there was increasing pressure from defense lawyers to obtain videotapes of detainee interrogations and as Congress had been probing allegations of torture. The Bush administration has maintained it does not use torture, but refuses to say what techniques are used by intelligence agencies in interrogations of terror suspects. \|\|\|\|\| Senator Kennedy expressed anger about the destruction of the tapes The CIA says it wiped the tapes to protect the identities of its agents. But human rights groups accuse it of destroying evidence of practices that may be tantamount to torture. US President George W Bush has said he has "no recollection" of the existence of the tapes and he was not aware of the plan to destroy them. Obstructing justice Senator Dick Durbin, the second most powerful Democrat in the Senate, called on US Attorney General Michael Mukasey to investigate "whether CIA officials who destroyed these videotapes and withheld information about their existence from official proceedings violated the law". Other Democrats expressed anger about the destruction of the tapes. 'CIA ENHANCED INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES' Water boarding: prisoner bound to a board with feet raised, and cellophane wrapped round his head. Water is poured onto his face and is said to produce a fear of drowning Cold cell: prisoner made to stand naked in a cold, though not freezing, cell and doused with water Standing: Prisoners stand for 40 hours and more, shackled to the floor Belly slap: a hard slap to the stomach with an open hand. This is designed to be painful but not to cause injury Source: Described to ABC News by un-named CIA agents in 2005 CIA boss faces credibility test "The past six years, the Bush administration has run roughshod over our ideals and the rule of law," said veteran Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy. "Now, when the new Democratic Congress is demanding answers, the administration is feverishly covering up its tracks," he said. Carl Levin, Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, cast doubt on the CIA's statement that the tapes were destroyed to protect the identity of its agents. "You'd have to burn every document at the CIA that has the identity of an agent on it under that theory," he said. The Senate Intelligence Committee has promised a thorough investigation into the history of the making and wiping of the tapes. No memory President Bush continued to have confidence in CIA Director Michael Hayden, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. The president "did not remember" being told of the tapes prior to Thursday, she said. The CIA revelation has drawn criticism from civil liberties and human rights groups. This appears to be a part of a long-term pattern of misusing executive authority to insulate individuals from criminal prosecution for torture ACLU Send us your comments Jennifer Daskal, senior counsel with Human Rights Watch, said the wiping of the tapes was "destruction of evidence", and described the reasons given by the CIA as "disingenuous". The American Civil Liberties Union accused the agency of showing an utter disregard for the law. "The destruction of these tapes appears to be a part of an extensive, long-term pattern of misusing executive authority to insulate individuals from criminal prosecution for torture and abuse," an ACLU statement said. Gen Hayden explained why the footage was destroyed in an internal memo sent to CIA employees and obtained by the Associated Press. He said the CIA had begun taping interrogations as an internal check in 2002 and decided to delete the videos because they no longer had "intelligence value" and posed a security risk. "Were they ever to leak, they would permit identification of your CIA colleagues who had served in the programme, exposing them and their families to retaliation from al-Qaeda and its sympathisers," he said. 'Torture' questions The BBC's Jonathan Beale in Washington says the news is likely to trigger more questions about the interrogation techniques used by the CIA and whether they amounted to torture. Michael Hayden wrote to all CIA employees about the tapes According to our correspondent, those techniques are alleged to have included water-boarding, a method in which a suspect is made to feel he is drowning. Human rights groups say that water-boarding - and other techniques allegedly used by the CIA - can be defined as torture under various international treaties to which the US is a signatory. The Bush administration has always maintained that it does not allow the use of torture. The tapes are thought to have shown the interrogation in 2002 of a number of terror suspects, including Abu Zubaydah, who had been a chief recruiter for the al-Qaeda network.	CIA Director U.S. Congressional Democrats are asking the to investigate whether the CIA's destruction of videotapes documenting the interrogation of terrorism suspects amounts to obstruction of justice. The acknowledgement by Central Intelligence Agency Director that his agency destroyed the interrogation videotapes in 2005 sparked a firestorm of criticism among Congressional Democrats. They suggested the tapes could have provided key evidence in ongoing trials brought by terrorism suspects who are alleging they were tortured. Senator , a Massachusetts Democrat, said, "What would cause the CIA to take this action? The answer is obvious - cover up. The agency was desperate to cover up damning evidence of their practices." Human Rights Watch's Senior Counterterrorism Counsel commented to Google news saying, "The CIA was well aware that its interrogations crossed a line considered by many to be torture. Now some in the CIA may also be guilty of obstruction of justice as well - a serious felony that carries a possible 20 year sentence. There needs to be a serious criminal investigation, and those who have committed crimes should be prosecuted and convicted." The Democratic chairmen of the are vowing to investigate, and other Democrats are calling on the Justice Department to do the same. "You cannot destroy material if there is an ongoing investigation. There is a law against it," said Senator of Michigan, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. At the White House, spokeswoman said President Bush only learned of the matter two days ago, after he was briefed by CIA Director Hayden. The United States Capitol building, where Congress meets "He has no recollection of being made aware of the tapes or their destruction before yesterday," said Perino. Perino defended the CIA program as legal and critical to national security. She said President Bush supports General Hayden's explanation that the tapes were destroyed to protect the identities of the interrogators. But the Senate's number two Democrat, Senator of Illinois, rejected that argument: "The defence of the CIA is that they wanted to protect the identity of those CIA employees who were engaged in the interrogation," said Durbin. "Mr. Senate President, that is not a credible defence. We know that it is possible, in fact, easy, to cover the identity and faces of those who were involved in any videotape. Something more was involved here." The tapes, which documented the use of tough interrogation techniques against key terror suspects in 2002, were destroyed three years later, at a time when there was increasing pressure from defence lawyers to obtain videotapes of detainee interrogations and as Congress had been probing allegations of torture. The Bush administration has maintained it does not use torture, but refuses to say what techniques are used by intelligence agencies in interrogations of terror suspects.
Troops are blocking all entrances and roads to the mosque Ejaz-ul-Haq said the militants were "hardened terrorists" holding women and children hostage inside the Red Mosque. The Pakistani army has kept a tight grip on the mosque, also known as Lal Masjid, since fighting began last week. The mosque's leader, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, said he and his followers would commit suicide rather than surrender. An army commander was shot dead by students inside the mosque on Sunday. At least 21 people have been killed since the stand-off began last Tuesday. Abdul Rashid Ghazi said as many as 1,800 followers remained in the mosque, although this cannot be verified. 'Al-Qaeda links' Mr ul-Haq told the BBC that between two and five of the militants were wanted in connection with "high-profile cases". Mr ul-Haq said the government became aware of the militants' presence after a man killed on the first day of the siege was identified as Maqsood Ahmed, a member of Jaish-e-Mohammad, an outlawed radical Muslim organisation which has been linked to al-Qaeda. Ahmed was wanted in connection with an assassination attempt against Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in the northern Pakistani town of Attock in 2004. Abdul Rashid Ghazi has denied the presence of any banned extremist groups. He says those inside are students of his religious school and he is in charge. Earlier, Mr ul-Haq said up to 250 militants - including foreign radicals - were leading the fighting. 'Surrender or die' Lt Col Haroon Islam, who died on Sunday, was in charge of an operation to blow holes in the mosque compound walls to enable civilians to escape. Water and power to the mosque have been cut off and food is said to be getting scarce. Our correspondent says he has heard intermittent gunfire in the area and the boom of heavy weapons. Col Islam was shot dead by students inside the mosque An increased military presence on the streets, combined with the refusal to let a delegation of Islamic figures through to the mosque, suggests that the government is now closing the door to negotiation, our correspondent adds. On Saturday, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf told the students they had no option but to surrender. "We have been patient. I want to say to the ones who have been left inside: they should come out and surrender, and if they don't, I am saying this here and now: they will be killed," he said. More than 1,000 supporters left last week under mounting pressure from security forces, although only about 20 have left since Friday. \|\|\|\|\| 'Hardcore militants' Mohammad Ejaz-ul-Haq, Pakistan's religious affairs ministers, said on Sunday that "terrorists, militants, who are wanted within, and outside, the country" were inside the mosque.He added that the government believed that Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the mosque's deputy leader, had effectively been deposed."Ghazi is no longer in control. The hardcore militants are in control of the mosque," he said. "Our fear is that they may start killing the women and children to press for their demand for safe passage." Your Views Send us your views Ghazi told Pakistani television channels that more than 300 of his followers, mostly female students, had been killed in overnight gun battles. The government dismissed the claim. Ghazi has refused to surrender, saying he would prefer "martyrdom". In a statement carried by Pakistani newspapers on Sunday he said that he and his followers hoped their deaths would spark an Islamic revolution. "We have firm belief in God that our blood will lead to a revolution," the cleric wrote. "God willing, Islamic revolution will be the destiny of this nation." Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, attended the funeral of Colonel Haroon Islam, the elite commando killed in the clashes overnight, on Saturday before holding meeting with officials to discuss the government's options. Hundreds of troops have been surrounding the Lal Masjid, or Red mosque, in Islamabad since Tuesday when clashes between the armed students and security forces began after months of tension. Full-scale assault Security forces have not mounted a full-scale assault on the compound because of fears for the safety of hundreds of women and children who the government says are being held as human shields. More than 150 religious students who had surrendered to authorities were returned to their families on Sunday. More than 150 students who fled the mosque have been returned to their families [AFP] The students, aged between 15 and 18, had been detained in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi since they fled the Red mosque. Kamal Hyder, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Islamabad, said that the authorities had said that wounded students would be allowed out of the mosque compound to receive treatment. "The movement that we are being told is taking place is possibly the preparation for the final assault ... we are also being told there are suicide bombers inside," he said. Attack on Chinese Meanwhile, three Chinese men were shot dead and a fourth was critically wounded in an attack on their home on the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province. "All the attackers were bearded and they fled without looting anything," Abdul Majeed Marwat, Peshawar police chief, said. He did not say what could be the motive for the attack on the Chinese, who had lived in the area for three years. A senior security official in Islamabad said the attack appeared to be in revenge for the siege of the Red Mosque. \|\|\|\|\| A Pakistani army officer was killed on Sunday while leading an operation to demolish the outside walls of an Islamabad mosque, where Islamist students have been holed up in a days-long standoff. Militants inside the seminary adjoining the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, responded with gunfire after army forces tried to blast through the walls for a second day, an army official said. A broken window is seen after heavy gunfire at the Red Mosque in Islamabad on Sunday. (Anjum Naveed/Associated Press) The man killed was a lieutenant-colonel and one of two commandos hit by gunfire, Maj.-Gen Waheed Arshad said. One of the soldiers remains in hospital. Both men belonged to the army's Special Services Group, an elite force that President Gen. Pervez Musharraf once commanded. The students are led by clerics seeking to impose Islamic law, or Shariah, in the capital. They have been running an anti-vice campaign for months, abducting alleged prostitutes and attacking police. On July 3, after tensions between government security forces and Islamic students erupted into deadly street clashes, armoured vehicles and hundreds of troops — many sheltered behind sandbags — surrounded the mosque and seminary. More than 1,200 people, mainly students from the mosque's two Islamic schools, have since fled the complex. Officials say up to 100 armed militants and an unknown number of students remain inside. Troops have been trying to blast holes in the walls in the hopes that women and children inside will escape, but have held back from an all-out assault. At least 20 people have been in killed in the siege, government officials say. Gunfire and heavy explosions could be heard just after midnight Sunday and then sporadically throughout the dawn hours, punctuating the thunder of a fierce monsoon downpour. By midmorning Sunday, both the gunfire and rain had stopped. Arshad said security forces have used explosives to blast six or seven holes in the perimeter walls of the embattled school and several people have escaped through them. Three paramilitary troops were wounded on Saturday, he said. Musharraf warns holdouts Musharraf, in his first public statement on the siege, warned Saturday that the holdouts risk being killed if they don't surrender. The president said his government had exercised restraint to ensure the safety of women and children, who government officials say are being held hostage by one of the most senior clerics, Abdul Rashid Ghazi. Ghazi, a former civil servant turned rigid Islamist, said he and his followers prefer martyrdom to the unconditional surrender demanded by the government. He denies holding anyone against their will. While the government says 20 people have died since the siege began, Ghazi was quoted on Saturday as saying the number is closer to 70. The conflicting claims were difficult to assess independently. Journalists, first allowed within about 200 metres of the mosque, were on Saturday pushed back another 300 metres or more from the embattled area. The government says the militants are armed with assault rifles, grenades, petrol bombs and other weaponry. With files from the Associated Press \|\|\|\|\| In comparison with the battles in neighbouring Afghanistan, or the daily carnage in Iraq, this is relative tranquillity. But it is troubling none the less, and it underlines a paradox: General Musharraf's regime is one of the foundations on which western policy in Afghanistan and in the battle against al-Qaida-linked terrorism rest - and yet Musharraf's success against extremists on his home patch has been limited, to put it mildly. There are parts of Pakistan that the regime does not control, and probably could never subjugate. But alarm grew when "Talibanisation" from the frontier province surfaced in the heart of the capital, courtesy of the Red Mosque, early this year. Clerics from the mosque, two of whom claim links with Osama bin Laden, unleashed morality squads to threaten music shops and kidnap suspected prostitutes. For weeks, General Musharraf seemed reluctant to crack down on the mosque's activities, apparently fearing bloodshed - which in turn emboldened the militants. Under political pressure in recent days, he belatedly grasped the nettle, and surrounded the complex with troops. But it remains to be seen whether the siege will end quietly or in a Waco-style tragedy. Critics of the general have often accused him of being soft on Islamist militants, and there is no doubt his regime has sometimes had murky dealings with them - in the struggle with India over Kashmir, for instance. Amid signs of western frustration over his performance, there are suggestions that Washington may be eyeing Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, as a possible replacement (though General Musharraf says he intends to secure another presidential term later this year). Since coming to power, General Musharraf has had to juggle the demands of the west and the need to avoid unduly provoking the Islamist forces that threaten to overwhelm his government. Any successor would face the same dilemmas. Viewed from a comfortable distance, in Whitehall or Washington, the struggle against the militants can look more black-and-white than it is in reality - a point that the new foreign secretary, David Miliband, would be well-advised to keep in mind.	Since last Tuesday, following violent confrontations with Pakistan's army, up to 1800 clerics and students are still holed up in Islamabad's Red Mosque. Clashes began last week following mounting antagonism between the mosques hard-line leaders and the government lead by President Pervez Musharraf. The mosque has been accused of enforcing its own Islamic law in the capital, notably the illegal detention of Chinese foreign nationals working in massage parlors. 20 people have been reported killed over the past six days, which have seen multiple gun battles and demolition of the mosques exterior walls. Currently, there seems little chance of a negotiated resolution. A delegation of Islamic leaders were refused access, and the mosques leader Abdul Rashid Ghazi has declared suicide a favourable option to surrender. The mosques leaders follow the Hanafi school of thought, believing that the Koran is the authority by which justice should be metered. Historically the mosque has had close links with the Pakistan leadership, and members of the current administration have resisted calls for a crackdown on the mosques provocative behaviour. The stand-off represents a decisive ideological challenge to the president who is walking a fine-line between Islamic extremists at home and foreign pressure to crack-down on militancy in the lawless tribal regions.
Related Stories Last Updated 19/05/2005, 05:18:56 The Government of the Marshall Islands will go before a United States Congress hearing next week, demanding more than three billion US dollars compensation for the effects of nuclear testing. The nuclear test compensation petition was filed almost five years ago, and seeks extra compensation and health care to deal with effects of 67 nuclear tests conducted by the US between 1946 and 1958. The US Government provided 270 million dollars in compensation under an agreement that expired in 2001, but the Marshall Islands says the money was inadequate. Marshall Islands President Kessai Note says his country will work tirelessly together to ensure the nuclear issue is settled in a fair and just manner. < back The Government of the Marshall Islands will go before a United States Congress hearing next week, demanding more than three billion US dollars compensation for the effects of nuclear testing.The nuclear test compensation petition was filed almost five years ago, and seeks extra compensation and health care to deal with effects of 67 nuclear tests conducted by the US between 1946 and 1958.The US Government provided 270 million dollars in compensation under an agreement that expired in 2001, but the Marshall Islands says the money was inadequate.Marshall Islands President Kessai Note says his country will work tirelessly together to ensure the nuclear issue is settled in a fair and just manner. \|\|\|\|\| Unfortunately we are unable to process your request at this time. This error is usually temporary. Please try again later. If you continue to experience this error, it may be caused by one of the following: You may want to scan your system for spyware and viruses, as they may interfere with your ability to connect to Yahoo!. For detailed information on spyware and virus protection, please visit the Yahoo! Security Center. This problem may be due to unusual network activity coming from your Internet Service Provider. We recommend that you report this problem to them. While this error is usually temporary, if it continues and the above solutions don't resolve your problem, please let us know. Return to Yahoo!	The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is petitioning for $3 billion in additional compensation from the U.S. government, after receiving $270 million in an agreement which expired in 2001. The U.S. government performed a series of 67 tests of nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958. Fallout from the testing is claimed to have affected some of the island's near 60,000 inhabitants. "We're finding people on remote islands with high percentages of cancers," said RMI Foreign Minister Gerald Zackios. A report last year from the U.S. National Cancer Institute estimated that about 530 total cancers could appear, almost double the amount currently known. The U.S. government disagrees over which islands were affected by the testing. Also, U.S. agencies have concluded that there is no further legal requirement for compensation above what has already been provided, unless the situation changes substantially. The government of the Marshall Islands plans to "work tirelessly together to make certain that the nuclear issue is settled in a fair and just manner", said RMI President Kessai Note. Both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate plan to hold hearings on the claim as soon as May 25.
BEIJING, March 30 (Xinhuanet) -- The current visit of Kuomintang (KMT) Vice President Chiang Pin-kung is the first sign of a dialogue between the KMT and the Communist Party of China (CPC), said Chen Yunlin, director of the CPC Central Committee's Taiwan Affairs Office, Wednesday. Chen threw a welcome banquet in honor of the visiting KMT delegation, which was held at the prestigious Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, in central Beijing. Chiang's visit, entrusted by KMT President Lien Chan, "has inaugurated the first sign of a dialogue between your Party and our Party," said Chen, who welcomed the KMT delegation in his office . Chen spoke highly of Chiang's visit for remembering heroes and martyrs at a time when "compatriots across the Straits are longing for common development and prosperity." Chiang also spoke at the dinner party, saying that the delegation has completed its journey smoothly, thanks to the high-level reception during its tours in Guangzhou and Nanjing. After the banquet, Chen and officials in charge of the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Agriculture, the General Administration for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine, and the General Administration of Customs held talks with the KMT delegation on cross-Straits economic and trade issues. In a related development, Zhu Peikang, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, said, Wednesday, that his Party welcomed the visit of the KMT delegation. Chiang's visit is an important one which is "focused on the common interests of the people on both sides and the promotion of the cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation," Zhu said. Enditem \|\|\|\|\| BEIJING, March 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and the visiting delegation of the Kuomintang (KMT) led by KMT Vice President Chiang Pin-kung had a meeting on cross-Straits economic exchanges and cooperation Wednesday evening. Present at the meeting were Li Bingcai, deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, and representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs, the State Administration for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine, and the General Administration of Civil Aviation. Chen told the KMT delegation that it is the consistent stance for the mainland to go all out for promoting cross-Straits economic exchanges and cooperation. It is compatible to the common interest of the compatriots on both sides and helpful for the economic development of Taiwan to strengthen cross-Straits economic cooperation and develop a close economic relationship across the Straits, he said. Chen called the sustained development of the cross-Straits economic and trade relations "an important factor of peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits area." He urged the "flesh and bone" compatriots of the two sides to join hands in creating a bright future for the improvement and development of the cross-Straits relations. In his speech, Chiang agreed that the cross-Straits economic and trade ties could be helpful for easing the tension across the Straits, resolving the contradiction between the two sides, be up to the aspiration of the people of the two sides, and be helpful for enhancing the competitiveness of Taiwan's economy. The two sides should take a pragmatic attitude in strengthening their economic and trade exchanges and people-to-people exchanges. At the meeting, the two sides discussed a wide range of issues including the regularization of air flights between the two sides, which has been encouraged by the Spring Festival flights this year; cross-Straits cooperation on agricultural sector, the sale of Taiwan's farm produce in the mainland, the mainland's labor exports to Taiwan's fishing industry; cooperation between tertiary sectors of the two sides, including banks, insurance companies, shipping firms and medical service; and protection of the interests of Taiwan investors. They also discussed ways to encourage exchanges between counties and cities across the Straits, send permanent correspondents by news media from the two sides through people-to-people discussions, allow students from two sides to pay the same school charges, and open up Taiwan as a destination for mainland tourists. The CPC Taiwan Affairs Office urged the Taiwan Authorities to lift restrictions on cross-Straits economic, trade and cultural exchanges and the exchange of personnel, so as to promote cross-Straits relations. Enditem \|\|\|\|\| ABC News Taiwan Nationalists Leader Visits China Leader of Taiwan Nationalists Visits Tomb of Party Founder During History-Making Trip to China Chiang Pin-kung, center, vice chairman of Taiwan's Nationalist Party, and the party delegation members greet bystanders in front of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Wednesday, March 30, 2005 in Nanjing, China. Chiang on Wednesday visited the mausoleum during a history-making visit to China that underscored a warming in relations with their former communist enemies. The Nationalists, now Taiwan's main opposition party, are billing the visit by vice chairman as the first by a party leader to China since 1949, when the Nationalists lost a civil war to the communists and fled to Taiwan. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) By ALEXA OLESEN Associated Press Writer The Associated Press BEIJING Mar 30, 2005 A leader of Taiwan's Nationalists visited the tomb of party founder Sun Yat-sen on Wednesday during a history-making visit to China that underscored a warming in relations with their former Communist enemies. The Nationalists, now Taiwan's main opposition party, are billing the visit by Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kung as the first by a party leader to China since 1949, when the Nationalists lost a civil war to the Communists and fled to Taiwan. Chiang laid a wreath at Sun's mausoleum outside Nanjing, the Nationalists' former capital. Both sides revere Sun as leader of the 1911 revolution that ended imperial rule and created a republic. "My heart was filled with limitless excitement and deep emotion," Chiang said. "It was very moving to visit." Chiang also visited the former Nationalist presidential office, where he signed a guest book with the phrase, "Icebreaking journey." Chiang's visit comes amid a surge in tensions over a new Chinese law authorizing an attack on self-ruled Taiwan if it tries to make its de facto independence permanent. "We hope the current crisis can be minimized," Chiang said after arriving in Beijing later Wednesday for the last leg of his mainland visit. The trip comes just days after hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese marched to protest China's anti-secession law, passed earlier this month. "After the anti-secession law was enacted we saw reactions and protests (in Taiwan)," Chiang said. "The Beijing authorities have likely heard it for themselves but we have also brought the voice of the Taiwanese people with us." In Beijing, Chiang attended a dinner at the Diaoyutai state guest house hosted by Chen Yunlin, the chief of the Chinese Cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office. Chen said the delegation's visit served to open "party to party dialogue." Both the Nationalists and the Communists see his five-day trip as sealing a reconciliation. They have found common cause in their desire to unite Taiwan with the mainland and their dislike for independence-minded Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian. \|\|\|\|\| By Chris Buckley and Keith Bradsher International Herald Tribune, The New York Times International Herald Tribune, The New York Times	KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kung is meeting with CPC officials in Beijing. A delegation of from the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT, or Nationalist Party), is meeting with Communist Party of China (CPC) officials in Beijing today, led by KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kung. "We hope the current crisis can be minimized," Chiang said in Beijing. "After the anti-secession law was enacted we saw reactions and protests," he continued, "The Beijing authorities have likely heard it for themselves but we have also brought the voice of the Taiwanese people with us." ===Banquet and meeting=== Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the People's Republic of China, hosted Chiang at a banquet in Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. Chen characterized the delegation's visit as opening "party to party dialogue" and that the visit "has inaugurated the first sign of a dialogue between your Party and our Party." Wednesday evening, Chen met with the delegation to discuss cross-Straits economic ties. Representatives from numerous other Chinese agencies were also present at the meeting, including the Ministries of Agriculture and Commerce, and the General Administration of Civil Aviation. The meeting discussed the possibility of opening up Taiwan to tourists from the mainland. Zhu Peikang, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the mainland's Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang, also welcomed the Nationalist delegation. Zhu said Chiang's visit was important, and "focused on the common interests of the people on both sides and the promotion of the cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation." ===Visit to Nanjing=== The Nationalists are the main opposition party in Taiwan. Earlier in the day, Chiang was in Nanjing, to lay a wreath at the tomb of his party's founder, Sun Yat-sen. He also signed a guest book at the former Nationalists presidential office with the line, "Icebreaking journey." "My heart was filled with limitless excitement and deep emotion," Chiang told the ''Associated Press''. "It was very moving to visit." Nanjing was the former capital used by the Nationalists before they lost the civil war with the Communists and evacuated to Taiwan in 1949. ===Reaction=== In Taiwan, Joseph Wu, chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, condemned the visit by the Nationalist delegation to the mainland. "The Chinese strategy is always divide and conquer, and the KMT is playing into China's hands," he told ''The New York Times'' and ''International Herald Tribune'' reporters. "It's very odd that they would cooperate with the Communist Party instead of the ruling party here on Taiwan," Wu said. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Ying-mao Kau disclosed that the United States is concerned about the Nationalist visit, and that American officials have privately said that Taiwan's political parties should first unify and build a consensus to strengthen their negotiating position with mainland China.
Hillary Clinton says she is intrigued, but unconcerned, by Britain's coalition By James Robbins Diplomatic correspondent, BBC News, in Washington The extraordinary pace of political events in Britain over the past few days forced William Hague to take an unconventional route to Washington for his first overseas trip as foreign secretary. The swearing in of new government ministers at Buckingham Palace early on Thursday evening, and the kissing of hands with the Queen meant Mr Hague needed to fly first to New York, and then catch the train to the nation's capital to see Hillary Clinton on Friday. He attached enormous importance to the talks, as he told me while the train glided down the north-east corridor through Philadelphia and Baltimore. President Obama, he pointed out, had been the first world leader to telephone David Cameron and congratulate him on becoming prime minister. Hillary Clinton had been the first to welcome him as foreign secretary. Coalition 'chemistry' What was this first meeting as direct counterparts like? As William Hague and Hillary Clinton chatted for the cameras before their talks, it was clear she had been following developments in British politics very closely on television. The US secretary of state said she was enthusiastic about the "chemistry" between Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg as coalition partners - a chemistry the new foreign secretary hopes to develop with her. Their discussions ranged widely across the really tough challenges they both face, above all in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and the Middle East. Afterwards, both stressed their unity of approach on the war in Afghanistan and the need for further UN sanctions against Iran. As for Britain's coalition, Hillary Clinton talked about being intrigued by this new incarnation of democracy in Britain. I see nothing at all unusual about this new government and, from our perspective, it is off to a very strong start Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State Hague holds talks in DC She rejected any suggestion possible future splits at Westminster could threaten strong partnership with Washington. I asked her if she worried at all that possible fractures in a coalition government could threaten the relationship with Britain, and America's ability to rely on Britain as a partner? "The answer is no. I have absolutely no concerns whatsoever," she said. "We don't formally have a coalition government in the way that you have formed one in the UK now, but we have enough of our own internal differences that we have to sort through. "So I see nothing at all unusual about this new government and, from our perspective, it is off to a very strong start. "And certainly on the foreign policy front, which I follow very closely, obviously, we are extremely pleased. "And this meeting and discussion just confirmed our close partnership and our commitment to working together." 'No differences' William Hague beamed. He talked about continuity and of following similar lines to the last Labour government when tackling the gravest threats. "Everything I've said today about our approach to relations with the United States is an approach shared by the whole cabinet and I'm speaking on behalf of a united government," he said. So the first signs are of the two foreign ministers in early harmony. William Hague insists he would be more relaxed than the previous Labour governments ever were about possible differences with Washington but he is equally eager to point out that no such differences currently exist. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version \|\|\|\|\| Their clothes were a perfectly matched set. He wore a dark suit and baby-blue tie; she wore a baby-pink pantsuit. Their rhetoric matched as well. The "special relationship" endures. William Hague, the new British foreign secretary, called on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday just days after his country's new Conservative-led coalition government took power. The British are an essential ally in virtually every American project overseas -- such as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the drive for sanctions against Iran -- and so both sides were eager to take stock of each other. And while ousted prime minister Gordon Brown never seemed to find his footing with President Obama, Hague's predecessor, David Miliband, got along famously with Clinton, making a good first impression at the State Department even more important for the new government. Hague, once the Conservative Party's leader before being replaced by the younger David Cameron, was unstinting in his praise for a woman who turned to foreign policy after losing her party's nomination to a younger man. "I'm aware, coming into this job, that the challenges of foreign policy are uniquely tricky, and that is why I've always had such huge admiration for Secretary Clinton," he told reporters, calling her "an inspiring example to other foreign ministers and would-be foreign ministers around the world, and I pay tribute to her for that." Clinton flashed a wry smile. Within British political circles, a constant topic of discussion is the relevance of the singular transatlantic tie that has endured since World War II. Brown's predecessor, Tony Blair, was ridiculed as a "poodle" for his fervent support of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. But Obama seemed to elevate the concept this week, declaring after Cameron became prime minister that the United States and Britain have an "extraordinary special relationship." Hague was eager to embrace Obama's language. "We're very happy to accept that description and to agree with that description," he told reporters. "The United States is without doubt the most important ally of the United Kingdom. . . . It's not a backward-looking or nostalgic relationship. It is one looking to the future." Hague stressed that, notwithstanding the new -- and for Britain, unusual -- coalition government, his country's main policies remain unchanged. Speaking of the push to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions, Hague was emphatic. "I'm not looking for differences with previous British administrations," he said. "We supported the efforts of the outgoing Labor government, working with the United States on this subject." Clinton took a tough line on Iran at the news conference. "We are making progress every day" on a new U.N. sanctions resolution, she said. She came close to ridiculing Brazilian President Luiz InĂ¡cio Lula da Silva's plan to try to strike a deal in Tehran this weekend, saying an exchange between Lula and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday "illustrated the hill that the Brazilians are attempting to climb." Medvedev, saying he was being an optimist, gave Lula only a 30 percent chance of success. Lula replied that he "would give 9.9" on a scale of 1 to 10. Clinton didn't give odds, but she clearly thought they were nonexistent. "I have told my counterparts in many capitals around the world that I believe that we will not get any serious response out of the Iranians until after the Security Council acts," she said. Hague nodded repeatedly as Clinton spoke. He was also given a quick lesson in diplomacy with the United States, which is that nearly every question is directed to the secretary of state. "Thank you very much," Clinton said, ending the session with reporters. "Thank you very much, indeed," Hague echoed.	William Hague and Hillary Clinton meet for the first time since the UK election last week British Foreign Secretary William Hague travelled to Washington, D.C. on Friday to meet his opposite number, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the first time since the election ten days ago and the formation of a coalition government six days later. Hague, who was leader of the UK's between 1997 and 2001, travelled to the United States in his first overseas visit in his capacity as foreign secretary almost as soon as his appointment to the post was confirmed and was keen to point out that US President Barack Obama had been the first foregin leader to telephone David Cameron and congratulate him upon becoming UK Prime Minister and that the promptness of his visit was intended "to show we reciprocate that warmth" shown by the US to the new coalition government. Clinton told Hague that she was "enthusiastic" about the new coalition government on the UK and the "chemistry" between Cameron and his deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg. The talks focused on the major foreign policy concerns shared by both countries, such as Afghanistan, Iran and the Middle-East and the pair ended the subsequent press conference by expressing their unity on those issues, particularly on further UN sanctions against Iran and on the ongoing campaign in . Clinton, who ran against Obama in the Democratic Party's primaries during the 2008 presidential election, was at pains to emphasise that any future disharmony in the coalition government would not affect US–UK relations, nor the ability of the US to rely on the UK as partner in the future. Comparing the two political systems, Clinton said "We don't formally have a coalition government in the way that you have formed one in the UK now, but we have enough of our own internal differences that we have to sort through." Hague insisted that he intended to take a more relaxed approach to relations with the US than those of his predecessors, adding that "everything I've said today about our approach to relations with the United States is an approach shared by the whole cabinet and I'm speaking on behalf of a united government". Cameron and Obama are scheduled to meet in person at next month's G20 meeting in Canada.
Bligh, Springborg sniping over oil spill response Posted Updated Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg has continued his attack on the State Government's response to an oil spill that has wreaked havoc on beaches in south-east Queensland. Mr Springborg says the Queensland Government took too long to find out the full extent of the damage after the Pacific Adventurer was damaged on Wednesday. A container pierced the Pacific Adventurer's hull in rough seas on Wednesday, causing the leak which has spread to 60 kilometres of Queensland's coastline. Moreton and Bribie Island and southern parts of the Sunshine Coast have been declared disaster zones. Mr Springborg took to the hustings on the Sunshine Coast this morning, stopping at an oil-affected Kawana beach to continue his attack on the Government's response to the spill. "They didn't go out and have a look for themselves," he said. "The reason they didn't go and have a look for themselves was they thought it would be all washed out to sea. "There was no television cameras around, there was no publicity opportunities, it wasn't until it turned up on the beaches - which it shouldn't have got to that - they started to even recognise they had a problem." Ms Bligh says it is up to others to judge if the oil disaster will cost her votes in next weekend's state election, but she has rejected the accusations that the Government was too slow to react. "Mr Springborg's constant criticisms of the people who are working overtime to clear this spill do him no credit," she said. "We've understood for some days now that the original estimates from this ship were not accurate, and we've planned for that by ensuring that we don't have people on the beaches clearing the oil until we knew that all of the oil was on the beach." 'Tragedy for tourism' Queensland's Tourism Minister Desley Boyle says an oil spill along pristine beaches in the state's south-east is a tragedy for the tourism industry. The spill has delivered a double whammy for tourism as tropical cyclone Hamish was already keeping visitors away. Now operators as far north as the Fraser Coast are reporting cancellations. Ms Boyle has promised to develop a recovery plan quickly and says the Government is putting together a new marketing campaign to promote the region in the lead-up to Easter. Ms Bligh is hoping the beaches will be ready before Easter. "This spill is something that will be cleaned up as quickly as possible and I expect to see people out on our beaches as we enjoy a beautiful Easter," she said. Mr Springborg said that as soon as the oil slick is cleaned up, a marketing package is needed to tell Queensland and interstate tourists it was business as usual as operators went into the traditionally busy Easter holiday period. "We already know that there are jobs which are at risk as a consequence of this, particularly when there has been cancellations and there are people who are now looking at booking their holidays who may actually decide to go somewhere else," he said. "There needs to be a job-saving package to ensure that the tourism industry in this area is not adversely and long-term affected because of the incompetence of this government's handling of this oil spill disaster." Clean-up continues A small army of council and State Government workers are continuing the mammoth task of cleaning the oil-tainted beaches. More than 300 workers are toiling in very hot conditions to scrape the noxious oil off the beach into bags. Heavy machinery has been brought in to help, but for now the workers are using buckets, rakes and spades. Incident controller Patrick Quirk from Queensland Transport says the workers have been issued with protective clothing. "They've been issued with supplied overalls, with breathing apparatus and goggles, gloves and heavy shoes," he said. One of the island's traditional owners, Robert Anderson, says the island has been violated and desecrated. "Very sad about it, very sickened that the spectacle that'll be before me." Fishing hurt The spill is also expected to hit commercial fishing in the area. Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin does not believe fish stocks will be contaminated, but testing will de done as a precaution. "We're not taking that for granted, that's why we've set up this industry technical working group," he said. Mr Mulherin says trawlers will resume operating in the spill effected area on Sunday night. He says catches will be tested to ensure it is safe for human consumption. "We just want to ensure that there is consumer confidence," he said. "The industry has been asked to hold stocks until the analytical results are available. "This is a similar process that we used and implemented in the oil spill in Gladstone in 2006." - ABC/AAP \|\|\|\|\| Campers are being evacuated from parts of Moreton Island and police are manning cordons as a massive environmental clean up of South-East Queensland beaches begins following Wednesday's oil spill. But fresh fears have emerged about the potential for the oil slick to contaminate the drinking supply on Moreton Island, which relies on an underground water table close to the site of the devastating diesel spill. Premier Anna Bligh has declared Moreton Island, parts of the Sunshine Coast and Bribie Island a disaster zone following Wednesday's shipping accident, which saw diesel fuel spew from the damaged hull of Hong Kong cargo ship the Pacific Adventure when it lost its load of ammonium nitrate in high winds off Stradbroke Island. ------------------------ VIDEO: Oil slick hits coast near Brisbane PHOTOS: Black sand beaches YOUR SAY: Rate the clean-up ------------------------ Authorities initially claimed 20 tonnes of oil had been lost, however, the Premier admitted the true amount was probably much higher. Forty kilometres of coastline have been coated in greasy, black grime, some of it "inches" thick on Moreton Island. Trevor Hassard, from the Tangalooma Dolphin Education Centre, said the Environmental Protection Agency, National Parks, Maritime Safety Queensland, Brisbane City Council, police and ambulance officers were on Moreton Island at 5.30am today to begin the clean up. But he said the island's isolation was making it an "impossible task". "Normally, this stuff (oil) would be scraped off the beach and taken to a secure location and left to break down, but we can't do that here," Mr Hassard said. "Every bucketload of contaminated sand has to be removed from the island by barge, and each bucketload from a front-end loader weighs about one tonne. It's just an impossible task. "The other problem we have is that Moreton Island is sand, and below us is a water table that everyone on the island relies on for drinking water. "We have to be careful with the sort of white ant treatment we use in case it leaches into the water table, so you can imagine what would happen if the oil got in there." \|\|\|\|\| LATEST: THE cargo ship at the centre of one of southeast Queensland's biggest environmental disasters has now leaked oil in the Brisbane River. Australian Greens leader Bob Brown, who flew over the ship berthed at Hamilton at 1pm today, said there was a 500m-long oil slick down the Brisbane River from the vessel, the Pacific Adventurer. He said the oil had escaped a boom around the stern of the ship. "There is a very serious oil spill now in the heart of Brisbane," Senator Brown said. "How did that happen? There's a failure down the line here which started in the Port of Newcastle and has now ended in the Port of Brisbane." The vessel's owner, Swire Shipping, said in a statement the oil leak occurred when the ship, which had been listing, was brought upright after docking at Hamilton on Friday morning. "As full soundings of the vessel's tanks were being taken at the port to determine how much oil had leaked from the vessel, a small quantity of fuel oil escaped from the Pacific Adventurer," the company said. "The small oil leak was immediately contained between the ship and the wharf." Swire Shipping said a recovery vessel had sucked the oil from the water's surface and booms around the ship had contained the leak. Extra booms were set around the vessel as a precaution. The company and insurers were now in talks with the authorities over the cost of the clean-up. Around 100,000 litres of oil from the cyclone-stricken Pacific Adventurer have washed up on the shores of Moreton and Bribie island and parts of the Sunshine Coast. The areas have been declared disaster zones and state and federal authorities are responding, while the maritime watchdog is investigating the spill. Charges may be laid over what Premier Anna Bligh says could be "the worst environmental disaster Queensland has ever seen". "We know that the ship was capable of carrying 100 tonnes so it could be anywhere between 30 and 100, but it is certainly significantly more than the 30." A 20-strong national response team, manned by experts, had been activated to help deal with the massive oil spill from a cargo ship caught in cyclonic seas on Wednesday, she said. Beaches are blanketed with oil from the Hong Kong flagged ship Pacific Adventurer as a massive clean-up is under way. Authorities said conditions on Wednesday were too rough to use booms to try to contain the massive spill, which is likely to result in hefty fines for the ships owner Swire Shipping. Overnight, high tides have broken up some of the oil along Bribie Island but pollution response teams including wildlife rescue officers, have been out since first light trying to deal with the mess. Public access to the oil-affected beaches will be limited while the clean-up occurs. The restricted zone covers Moreton Island, and the southern tip of Bribie Island, to Point Arkwright, south of Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast. The reason why the ship was out in cyclonic seas would be the subject of a full investigation, Ms Bligh said. "If there is any grounds for prosecution of this ship and its owners we will not hesitate to take that action. "We will also be pursuing them for compensation as this is going to be a very big clean-up cost and I want those ship owners to be paying for it." The owners of the ship could face huge fines, but questions are being asked about why the freighter was at sea in the middle of a cyclone, and the competency of the crew in securing its cargo of fertiliser. The clean up is a delicate operation as beaches had already been eroded from the high tides after ex-tropical cyclone Hamish battered the coast over the past week. Moreton Bay councillor Allan Sutherland, who has inspected the northern end of Bribie Island, told ABC Radio the oil had dispersed overnight thanks to high tides. "A lot of the sand that has been pulled from the dunes with the high tides is helping disperse the oil so mother nature is on our side at the moment," he said. The cargo ship also lost about 620 tonnes of ammonium nitrate overboard. The full extent of wildlife affected by the spill was yet to be realised, Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Clive Cook told ABC Radio. "The flow-on effects of oil spills can be substantive," he said. "The longer-term impacts are yet to be realised." So far seven pelicans, one turtle and a few other birds had been found covered with oil, but there would be more to come, he said. Authorities vastly underestimated the impact of the biggest oil spill on Queensland beaches and vowed to double efforts today to tackle the disaster. After a crisis meeting at Mineral House in Brisbane last night, Premier Anna Bligh declared a large section of the southeast Queensland coastline a disaster zone. The meeting was attended by representatives from all relevant departments and agencies in a bid to develop a total government response to the oil spill that has polluted more than 30km of beaches on Moreton Island and the Sunshine Coast. The disaster declaration will restrict public access to beaches affected by the oil slick and allow clean-up teams unobstructed access. The declaration covers: • All of Moreton Island. • Coastal waters and beaches in the Sunshine Coast, Redcliffe and Brisbane disaster districts. • The southern tip of Bribie Island to Point Arkwright. Fifty people were deployed to clean up yesterday and that number will be increased to at least 100 today. The disaster unfolded on Wednesday morning when the Hong Kong-registered ship MV Pacific Adventurer steered straight into unruly seas whipped up by Cyclone Hamish. Pounded by waves up to 9m, 31 containers of ammonium nitrate fell overboard. One of them ruptured the ship's hull, causing at least 30 tonnes of fuel oil to spew into the ocean The oil spill has contaminated some of the most pristine parts of the southeast coastline, killing and crippling wildlife and tainting some of Queensland's most popular beaches. A thick oil slick, 50m wide, has spread over 30km of Moreton Island, with patches of oil also found on Bribie Island and Sunshine Coast beaches from Dickies Beach, Caloundra to Point Cartwright, Mooloolaba and from the Maroochy River to Point Arkwright. On Moreton, the slick stretches from Eagers Creek on the ocean beach, north around Cape Moreton and on to Comboyuro Point, facing Brisbane. The strip takes in the most popular tourist swimming spot at North Point and prime shorebird habitat at Heath Island and Tailor Bight. Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Captain John Watkinson said most of the heavy fuel oil was ashore, meaning the slick would probably not contaminate any further. "It's pretty nasty stuff," Capt Watkinson said. Fears have been raised that 620 tonnes of ammonium nitrate will cause deaths to fish and seagrass and prompt a toxic algal bloom in Moreton Bay. - with AAP \|\|\|\|\| CHARGES may be laid over a massive oil spill of up to 100 tonnes that is blanketing the once pristine southeast Queensland coastline. Premier Anna Bligh has declared Moreton Island, Bribie Island and parts of the Sunshine Coast as disaster zones. Ms Bligh said the amount of oil that had leaked was a lot more than the original 30-tonne estimate. Pictures: Oil slick misery on the coast "It may well be the worst environmental disaster Queensland has ever seen," Premier Bligh said. "We know that the ship was capable of carrying 100 tonnes so it could be anywhere between 30 and 100, but it is certainly significantly more than the 30." A 20-strong national response team, manned by experts, had been activated to help deal with the massive oil spill from a cargo ship caught in cyclonic seas on Wednesday, she said. Rudd promises federal help Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has vowed to provide maximum federal help to clean up the massive oil spill, describing it as a potential environmental tragedy. Beaches on Moreton Island, Bribie Island and southern parts of the Sunshine Coast have been declared disaster zones after oil spilled from a cargo ship caught in cyclonic winds on Wednesday. ``We will work very closely with the Queensland government and authorities on a maximum pitch-in by the commonwealth to assist the state authorities in dealing with this potential environmental tragedy,'' Mr Rudd told Fairfax Radio Network on Friday. Beaches are blanketed with oil from the Hong Kong flagged ship Pacific Adventurer as a massive clean-up is underway. Authorities said conditions on Wednesday were too rough to use booms to try to contain the massive spill, which is likely to result in hefty fines for the ships owner Swire Shipping. Overnight, high tides have broken up some of the oil along Bribie Island but pollution response teams including wildlife rescue officers, have been out since first light trying to deal with the mess. Public access to the oil-affected beaches will be limited while the clean-up occurs. The restricted zone covers Moreton Island, and the southern tip of Bribie Island, to Point Arkwright, south of Coolum Beach on the Sunshine Coast. The reason why the ship was out in cyclonic seas would be the subject of a full investigation, Ms Bligh said. "If there is any grounds for prosecution of this ship and its owners we will not hesitate to take that action. "We will also be pursuing them for compensation as this is going to be a very big clean-up cost and I want those ship owners to be paying for it." The owners of the ship could face huge fines, but questions are being asked about why the freighter was at sea in the middle of a cyclone, and the competency of the crew in securing its cargo of fertiliser. The clean up is a delicate operation as beaches had already been eroded from the high tides after ex-tropical cyclone Hamish battered the coast over the past week. Moreton Bay councillor Allan Sutherland, who has inspected the northern end of Bribie Island, told ABC Radio the oil had dispersed overnight thanks to high tides. "A lot of the sand that has been pulled from the dunes with the high tides is helping disperse the oil so mother nature is on our side at the moment," he said. The cargo ship also lost about 620 tonnes of ammonium nitrate overboard. The full extent of wildlife affected by the spill was yet to be realised, Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Clive Cook told ABC Radio. "The flow-on effects of oil spills can be substantive," he said. "The longer-term impacts are yet to be realised." So far seven pelicans, one turtle and a few other birds had been found covered with oil, but there would be more to come, he said. Authorities vastly underestimated the impact of the biggest oil spill on Queensland beaches and vowed to double efforts today to tackle the disaster. After a crisis meeting at Mineral House in Brisbane last night, Premier Anna Bligh declared a large section of the southeast Queensland coastline a disaster zone. The meeting was attended by representatives from all relevant departments and agencies in a bid to develop a total government response to the oil spill that has polluted more than 30km of beaches on Moreton Island and the Sunshine Coast. The disaster declaration will restrict public access to beaches affected by the oil slick and allow clean-up teams unobstructed access. The declaration covers: • All of Moreton Island. • Coastal waters and beaches in the Sunshine Coast, Redcliffe and Brisbane disaster districts. • The southern tip of Bribie Island to Point Arkwright. Fifty people were deployed to clean up yesterday and that number will be increased to at least 100 today. The disaster unfolded on Wednesday morning when the Hong Kong-registered ship MV Pacific Adventurer steered straight into unruly seas whipped up by Cyclone Hamish. Pounded by waves up to 9m, 31 containers of ammonium nitrate fell overboard. One of them ruptured the ship's hull, causing at least 30 tonnes of fuel oil to spew into the ocean The oil spill has contaminated some of the most pristine parts of the southeast coastline, killing and crippling wildlife and tainting some of Queensland's most popular beaches. A thick oil slick, 50m wide, has spread over 30km of Moreton Island, with patches of oil also found on Bribie Island and Sunshine Coast beaches from Dickies Beach, Caloundra to Point Cartwright, Mooloolaba and from the Maroochy River to Point Arkwright. On Moreton, the slick stretches from Eagers Creek on the ocean beach, north around Cape Moreton and on to Comboyuro Point, facing Brisbane. The strip takes in the most popular tourist swimming spot at North Point and prime shorebird habitat at Heath Island and Tailor Bight. Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Captain John Watkinson said most of the heavy fuel oil was ashore, meaning the slick would probably not contaminate any further. "It's pretty nasty stuff," Capt Watkinson said. Fears have been raised that 620 tonnes of ammonium nitrate will cause deaths to fish and seagrass and prompt a toxic algal bloom in Moreton Bay. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter \|\|\|\|\| The coastline south of Point Cartwright. Photo:Courtesy Graeme Gillies of Blue Tongue Helicopters /181436 Photo Gallery: Oil slick hits Sunshine Coast Enlarge photos \| View thumbnails The Pacific Adventurer has leaked for a second time creating a 100m sheen on the water in Brisbane River as Sunshine Coast crews continue the clean-up effort on the region's southern beaches. The vessel leaked into the Brisbane River as it was being moved to Hamilton wharf for repairs. Booms have been placed around the spill and a "skimmer" is being used to clean up the spill. Meanwhile, several stretches of beach on the Sunshine Coast remain closed where the spill is at its worst. Entrances to beaches between access points 40 and 41 at Warana, 47 and 48 at Bokarina and at access point 53 are guarded by SES volunteers. While there was speculation the Noosa Festival of Surfing could be cancelled, it will go ahead as planned. The Sunshine Coast regional Council is urging people to stay away beaches which have been closed. The clean-up effort on the Coast in continuing. Several animals have been taken to Australia Zoo for treatment after being smothered in oil. Don't miss tomorrow's Daily for eight pages of in-depth coverage and latest pictures from the clean-up \|\|\|\|\| Questions are being asked about how the cargo ship Pacific Adventurer, carrying the mining explosive and fertiliser ingredient ammonium nitrate for the chemical company Orica, was not prevented from sailing into waters whipped up by the category four cyclone Hamish. Greens Senator Bob Brown said Commonwealth authorities need to explain how the ship was allowed to travel into areas that were badly affected by a tropical cyclone. "We need to know that there are huge resources being mobilised to offset the potential environmental and human consequences of this spill, and to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said. "It should not have happened on this occasion." The Swire ship Pacific Adventurer reportedly lost 31 twenty-foot containers of the chemical overboard, none of which have been found to date. One of the containers is thought to have pierced the ship’s hull and fuel tank, releasing more than 20 tonnes of heavy fuel oil into the ocean. A small quantity of the ammonium nitrate has also spilled, which if mixed with fuel can ignite in an explosion. It is feared that the containers of ammonium nitrate have sunk and will lead to an algal bloom in environmentally sensitive areas. The oil slick along the south-east Queensland coast has covered two Sunshine Coast beaches and has also enveloped Moreton Island. Maritime Safety Queensland says it will take more than a week to clean up the spill, which leaked from the ship off Stradbroke Island yesterday. The clean-up operation is expected to cost about $100,000 a day. Oil has spread to Wurtulla Beach near Caloundra and Mudjimba Beach next to Marcoola Beach, which is one of the worst-affected areas. The oil has affected marine life from birds to turtles. Photos showing oil-covered turtle eggs and day-old hatchlings are appearing on the internet. Trevor Hassard from Tanglalooma Resort on Moreton Island told the ABC the oil is threatening a turtle rookery on the island's east coast. "The potential for this to become an absolute disaster is really right there," he said. Captain John Watkinson from Maritime Safety Queensland told the ABC the 31 containers of ammonium nitrate are still missing. "Some of them can float but I think in the sea conditions in all likelihood they've found their way to the bottom," he said. The shipping company could face fines up to $1.5 million.	2009 Queensland oil spill. 200,000 litres of oil leaked into waters off the coast of Brisbane from the ''Pacific Adventurer'' when their fuel tanks were damaged in rough seas on Wednesday. The figure is about ten times higher than the original estimate of twenty thousand litres of oil. The devastating diesel oil spill has spread along of the Queensland coast. In addition, 31 containers with 620 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser flew overboard during the violent storm. Questions are being asked why the Hong Kong cargo ship was out in seas with nine meter waves caused by Cyclone Hamish, a Category 5 tropical cyclone, as well as why the fertiliser containers were not properly secured. One of the overboard containers ruptured the hull of the Pacific Adventurer, causing between 30 to 100 tonnes of oil to spew from the severely damaged ship. If the ammonium nitrate mixes with the heavy oil, an explosion could occur. None of the containers have been recovered. Some of these may float, but it is believed that they may have sunk which then may cause algal blooms. Disaster zones have been declared at Bribie and Moreton Islands, and along the Sunshine coast. The vessel's owner, Swire Shipping, reported that a second leak began on Friday, when the ship began listing after docking at Hamilton for repairs. "As full soundings of the vessel's tanks were being taken at the port to determine how much oil had leaked from the vessel, a small quantity of fuel oil escaped from the Pacific Adventurer," it stated. The ship was brought upright, and a recovery vessel was used to suck up the oil from the water. The leak produced a 500m-long oil slick down the Brisbane River. Booms were placed around this oil spill so that a skimmer could clean up the second spill. MODIS Aqua satellite image of Severe Tropical Cyclone Hamish over the Coral Sea just off the Queensland coast.Swire Shipping could face clean up costs of AU$100,000 a day as well as fines up to AU$1.5million (US$977,000; £703,000) if found guilty of environmental breaches or negligence. Sunshine Coast beaches are slowly starting to be reopened. The beach of Mooloolaba was still closed following reports of burning sensations from swimmers. 12 beaches remain closed; however, 13 have been reopened. Over 300 state government and council workers are using buckets, rakes and spades in the clean up effort. Sunshine Coast Mayor Bob Abbott says the majority will be gone by Sunday afternoon. The full environmental impact on wildlife is not yet known. One turtle and seven pelicans have been found covered in oil. There are concerns that the drinking water of Moreton Island is at risk, as the island uses water from the underground water table near the oil spill site. "Every bucketload of contaminated sand has to be removed from the island by barge, and each bucketload from a front-end loader weighs about one tonne. It's just an impossible task,” said Mr Trevor Hassard of the Tangalooma Dolphin Education Centre. The commercial fishing industry has suffered from the incident. Trawlers won't resume operations until Sunday evening, and any catches will be tested for human consumption.
Sweden has a head start on many countries in its use of renewables The attempt is being planned by a committee of industrialists, academics, car manufacturers, farmers and others. The country aims to replace all fossil fuels with renewables before climate change damages economies and growing oil scarcity leads to price rises. According to the Guardian newspaper, a Swedish minister said oil dependency could be broken by 2020. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is worried that oil supplies are peaking, shortly to dwindle, and that high oil prices could cause global economic recession. "Our dependency on oil should be broken by 2020," said Mona Sahlin, Sweden's minister of sustainable development. "There shall always be better alternatives to oil, which means no house should need oil for heating, and no driver should need to turn solely to gasoline." The Scandinavian country, which was hard hit by oil price rises in the 1970s, now gets the majority of its electricity from nuclear and hydroelectric power. In 2003, 26% of all energy consumed came from renewables, compared with an EU average of 6%. The oil committee is to report to parliament in several months. Swedish energy ministry officials said they expected the panel to recommend further development of biofuels derived from its substantial forests. It was also expected to expand other renewable energies such as wind and wave power. \|\|\|\|\| 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. \|\|\|\|\| Foto: Hedda Eriksson/Regeringskansliet UD:s reseinformation Här hittar du råd och information som du har nytta av inför och under din utlandsresa: Vad du bör tänka på, problem som kan uppstå och vilken hjälp du kan få av Utrikesdepartementet i olika situationer. Här finns också Utrikesdepartementets avrådan från resor, information om visering och länkar till våra ambassader och konsulat. \|\|\|\|\| Article Dagens Nyheter, 01 October 2005 Mona Sahlin, Minister for Sustainable Development Sweden first to break dependence on oil! New programme presented In recent weeks we have read about and anguished over the devastation in the United States. These natural disasters have also reminded us how vulnerable we are to the forces of the weather. A hurricane that puts a number of oil rigs out of action affects the availability of oil, the economies and the price of petrol around the world. We have seen the consequences in every country. In light of the oil supply disruptions, the Swedish Government recently decided to allow withdrawals from the country's emergency stocks of petroleum products. The whole world is now dreading the problems brought about by dependence on oil. In a situation where President Bush speaks to the nation about using cars less - and where Ford and Toyota demand that the President takes steps to reduce dependence on oil - each and every one of us can see how the devastation created by the hurricanes rapidly changes the attitude towards fuel. It is as though the idea that oil is a finite resource is only now seriously having an impact on the debate. But there is reason to believe that this awareness will also remain on the agenda in the slightly longer term. Climate change is the greatest and most important environmental challenge of our time. Most of the world's climate researchers agree that the Earth's climate system is changing - and in order to slow down these changes, emissions of greenhouse gases must be reduced. The Government is therefore setting a new policy target: the creation of the conditions necessary to break Sweden's dependence on fossil fuels by 2020. A Sweden free of fossil fuels would give us enormous advantages, not least by reducing the impact from fluctuations in oil prices. The price of oil has tripled since 1996! Old oil price records are now being beaten at a rapid rate. It is already a major competitive advantage for Sweden's industry and the economy that, by international standards, the country has such a small dependence on oil. Swedish policy instruments such as investment grants, norms for energy use, loans with interest subsidies and information drives have formed the basis of a conscious policy to gradually reduce oil use. Since 1994 the use of oil in the housing and services sector has decreased by 15.2 TWh. The use of oil in industry has remained largely unchanged - although industrial production has increased by 70 per cent! Measures to increase energy efficiency and to promote the development of district heating continue to be politically important tools. An increasing number of households are taking advantage of the benefits of district heating and heating pellets; car industry order books are being filled with hybrid and ethanol cars. This trend must be speeded up. The Government is therefore presenting a national programme against dependence on oil with the following main features. . Tax relief for conversion from oil. It is unacceptable that many owners of single-family homes are dependent on oil for their heating and are thus hard hit by high oil prices. In the next few weeks I will be presenting a Government Bill on financial support for the owners of single-family homes and multi-dwelling buildings in order to encourage conversion from oil heating to renewable energy heating, beginning next year. The public sector must take the lead and set a good example. For some time now, therefore, special support has been available to libraries, public swimming baths and hospitals, for example, that become more fuel efficient by converting to renewable energy. . More renewable energy. Oil and coal are finite fuels. The target must be that we base our entire energy supply on renewable fuels. The EU trading system represents an important step towards improved competitiveness in renewable energy at European level. In our country, renewable electricity has increased by approximately 4.5 TWh since 2002, not least by means of the green certificate system. We will give a longer term perspective on electricity certificates in a Government Bill to be presented next spring. The level of ambition has been set very high - by 2016, renewable electricity production will have increased by 15 TWh from the 2002 level. A directive to state-owned Vattenfall means the company will be responsible for major investments in renewable energy for the future. A new inquiry will submit proposals to the Government on how also agricultural production of renewable energy can be increased. . Measures for renewable fuels. Breaking dependence on oil in the transport sector will be a great challenge and the Government therefore has an ambitious policy to increase the percentage of renewable fuels. For the individual, it will pay to choose an environmentally friendly car. Carbon dioxide neutral fuels will be cheap - they are exempt from both carbon dioxide tax and energy tax for a five-year period. Environmental cars will be exempted from the Stockholm Trial with environmental charges and will have access to free parking in some municipalities. Cars that are classified as a taxable benefit and run on environmentally friendly fuel will continue to enjoy tax relief. The Government will give priority to purchasing environmentally friendly cars. Sweden is also working actively in the EU for us to permit a higher blend of ethanol in petrol, a measure which would quickly have a great positive effect. The readjustment of the transport sector requires both international and national efforts with broad contributions by researchers, industry, users and the state. . Research and new knowledge for a renewable society. Resources for energy research will now be increased substantially - the level advised in the budget amounts to some SEK 815 million per year. Next year the Government will therefore present a new Bill in this area. The purpose of these measures is to achieve more renewable energy production and more efficient energy use. Special research projects in areas such as energy use in built environments, biofuels, gasification of biomass, and commercialisation and risk capital provision may also be called for. . Continued investment in district heating. District heating has increased radically in Sweden in recent years and the Government wants this trend to continue. The Government will thus offer clear financial incentives where biofuels and environmentally friendly heating will be economically advantageous. New money for climate investment programmes in all the municipalities in the country will also be significant in reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Along with high oil prices and climate change, an increasing number of countries are recognising the problem with fossil fuels. Sweden has the chance to be an international model and a successful actor in export markets for alternative solutions. But this requires conscious investments - not a reactionary policy that obstructs the transition to alternative energy sources and investments in the environment of the future. Breaking dependence on oil brings many opportunities for strengthened competitiveness, technological development and progress. The aim is to break dependence on fossil fuels by 2020. By then no home will need oil for heating. By then no motorist will be obliged to use petrol as the sole option available. By then there will always be better alternatives to oil. Mona Sahlin Minister for Sustainable Development \|\|\|\|\| Ministry or Cabinet Ministers All Ministry and Cabinet Ministers -------------------------- Prime Minister's Office Ministry of Finance Ministry of Defence Office for Administrative Affairs Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Ministry of Justice Ministry of Culture Ministry of the Environment Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communication Ministry of Health and Social Affairs Ministry of Education and Science Ministry for Foreign Affairs Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU -------------------------- Prime Minister Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy Minister for Children and Families Minister for Finance Minister for International Development Cooperation Minister for International Economic Affairs and Financial Markets Minister for Employment Minister for Foreign Affairs Minister for Health and Social Affairs Minister for Local Government and Housing Minister for Industry and Trade Minister for Pre-School Education, Youth Affairs and Adult Learning Minister for the Environment Minister of Defence Minister for Culture Minister for Democracy and Integration Issues Minister for Public Health and Social Services Minister for Policy Coordination Minister for Justice Minister for Education and Science Minister for Communications and Regional Policy	In the past year, Mona Sahlin, the Swedish Minister for Sustainable Development, announced plans to break the nation's dependency on oil by 2020, without building new nuclear plants. She stated that, “There shall always be better alternatives to oil, which means no house should need oil for heating, and no driver should need to turn solely to petrol.” As part of the program, Sweden has recently organized the roles of various agencies in the expansion of its wind power program. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is concerned the oil supply is peaking and that future high oil prices could cause global economic recession. Sweden currently gets the majority of its electricity from nuclear and hydroelectric power, and 26% of all its energy comes from renewables (6% is the EU average). Sweden's long term aims for energy independence are partially rooted in the 1970s oil shocks. In related news, Exxon Mobil Senior Vice President Stuart McGill claimed on Tuesday that energy independence for the United States "is simply not feasible in any time period relevant to our discussion today." He stated "No combination of conservation measures, alternative energy sources and technological advances could realistically and economically provide a way to completely replace those imports in the short or medium term." McGill proposed "energy interdependence" as the solution best suited to importing nations.
On a recent Saturday morning, the NDP candidate for Vancouver Kingsway, Don Davies, sparred with Liberal candidate Wendy Yuan on a Vietnamese radio talk show. In the evening that same day, Davies went to a dinner and dance event at the St. Patrick Recreational Hall on Main Street, upon the invitation of one of his Filipino-Canadian supporters. At one point, the Teamsters lawyer danced with Leony Cajigas, a nurse from the Philippines. The next day, Davies was scheduled to attend a dim sum party, this time to court Chinese-Canadian voters. “There are over 60 languages spoken in Vancouver Kingsway,” Davies told the Straight. Of the riding’s 119,815 residents, 42,130 have English as a mother tongue only, according to the 2006 census. Moreover, the riding has a visible-minority population of 81,385, of whom people of Chinese descent number 47,605, and those of Filipino origin 11,930. “I really respect and appreciate and like the multicultural fabric of our riding,” Davies said. “That’s why I live in Kingsway. I’m the only candidate who lives here with roots here.” Yuan, who came to Canada in 1984, has her own story to tell. “I came to this country just like most immigrants with $50 in their pockets and a dream,” Yuan told the Straight. “I came with limited means but through hard work, I got recognized and became a successful businesswoman. I understand what immigrants have to go through to reach what they want.” Once an NDP bailiwick, Vancouver Kingsway has gone Liberal in recent elections. Its current MP, David Emerson, was elected a Liberal but crossed the floor to the Conservative side days after the 2006 vote. Doug Warkentin, who is running for the Green Party of Canada in Vancouver Kingsway, acknowledged that the ethnic vote has been traditionally one of the areas that his party has a hard time cracking into. A resident for the past three years in the riding, Warkentin, an engineer, hopes that his personal connections to small business owners that are mostly of immigrant extraction could win him a number of votes. “Beyond that, just being the Green party candidate, I think anyone who’s interested in the future of Canada, it’s in their interest to support the kind of things that were supporting as well,” Warkentin told the Straight. The Straight wasn’t able to get a comment from Conservative candidate Salomon Rayek. In a phone conversation on September 19, one of his staff members said the Mexican-born politician “isn’t available for media interviews at this point”. On October 16, 2007, the Globe and Mail reported on the details of a Conservative operation to target select ethnic and religious groups across Canada to get their votes. “With their struggles to win seats in Canada’s three biggest cities in 2004 and 2006, Conservatives are convinced that the support of new Canadians is crucial in taking over a number of urban ridings that are currently in Liberal hands,” the paper reported. The report also cited a document that stated that there is “growing anecdotal evidence that New Canadian values are more aligned with the values of the Conservative Party of Canada”. But this last point, according to UBC political scientist Fred Cutler, is overemphasized. “Immigrants aren’t any further conservative on social issues nor are they more spread out in their opinions,” Cutler told the Straight in a phone interview. “There’s variation among immigrants, and there’s variation among nonimmigrants all the way from left to right or Liberal to Conservative or whatever you want to call it.” Cutler added, “There are just as many Conservative Canadians who are conservative because they are older or they were brought up in a time where values were different or both. And so, it’s a dangerous simplification to think that new Canadians are social conservative in general.” \|\|\|\|\| Emerson says he could have won in Vancouver-Kingsway Controversial minister officially calls it quits Catherine Rolfsen and Doug Ward, Vancouver Sun Published: Friday, September 05, 2008 David Emerson said Thursday evening that he could have won Vancouver-Kingsway but ultimately decided not to seek re-election in order to spend more time with his Vancouver family. "The reality is, Kingsway was an eminently winnable seat," said the Conservative MP at Vancouver International Airport as he retuned to the city from Ottawa. "Not because I'm a hugely popular fellow in Kingsway, but because of vote splits and the way the first-past-the-post system works." However, Emerson cited his age -- 63 next week -- and young family as reasons for his announcement Thursday. "I've got a young family, I've got kids still in school, I've essentially abandoned my family for the last four years and a bit and felt it was time to operate our life on a little bit of a different schedule." He said that he would be "involved with the Conservative Party" during the coming election, saying specifics would likely come Friday. "I've committed to the Prime Minister to continue to support him and continue to serve in any way he may think is valuable," Emerson said. Asked about speculation this week that Prime Minister Harper could opt to keep Emerson in cabinet by appointing him to the senate, Emerson said: "I haven't even given any thought to that. It's premature to speculate on anything of that nature." The Foreign Affairs minister also gave an explanation for his infamous defection to the Conservative Party only 14 days after winning election as a Liberal in the 2006 election. He said he was "dragged into" politics by Paul Martin and became a "Paul Martin Liberal." "When Paul decided he wasn't going to stay on as leader, I felt that my obligation to the Liberals had essentially expired and Mr. Harper called me," he said. Emerson was the most powerful B.C. voice in the Conservative cabinet, a heavyweight praised for bringing competence to the crucial ministries of international trade and foreign affairs. But back in Vancouver, he was regarded by many of his constituents as an anti-democratic turncoat. Angry protesters dogged his public appearances, taped "De-Elect Emerson" posters on sign posts, and even dumped manure and scrawled graffiti at his constituency office. The two sides of Emerson's political life -- the one on Parliament Hill and the one in his riding of Vancouver-Kingsway -- didn't square. And on Thursday, the Conservative party surprised no one by announcing that Emerson had decided not to seek re-election. The aggressive behaviour of his critics was something new to Emerson, an economist and expert on international trade who was B.C.'s deputy finance minister in the early 1980s, the top provincial bureaucrat in the '90s and later president of the Vancouver International Airport and CEO of Canfor Corp. He agreed to run for the Liberals in 2004 after being handed a nomination as a star candidate and promised a seat in then-prime minister Paul Martin's cabinet. His switch from the Liberals to the Conservatives just 14 days after winning election as a Liberal in the 2006 election gave him prominence in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government. But it also, many observers believe, sparked the public anger that led to his decision not to defend his seat. \|\|\|\|\| 2005 Candidates (as received from Elections B.C.): Mark Allen Conrad Gueffroy, British Columbia Marijuana Party Carole Taylor, BC Liberal Party Anita Romaniuk, New Democratic Party of B.C. Doug Warkentin, Green Party of BC Maps from Elections B.C. will open in a new window. Districts Profile: This south-central Vancouver riding borders the Fraser River on the south, Fraser and Main streets on the east, 33rd and 29th avenues in the north, and Angus Drive and Granville Street in the west. Originally a working-class community, this area has developed into a more up-market suburb. It includes the communities of Oakridge, Marpole and South Granville, as well as Vancouver Community College, Van Dusen Garden and Queen Elizabeth Park. Retail trade and health and social services are the main employers. The average family income – $62,882 – is below the B.C. average, but unemployment, at 8.3 per cent, is standard. At 28.8 per cent the riding has the province's ninth-highest proportion of university-educated residents. Ethnically, Vancouver-Langara is remarkably diverse, with B.C.'s fourth-highest proportion of immigrants (57.7 per cent), fourth-highest proportion of visible minorities (66 per cent), third-highest proportion of ethnic Chinese residents (50.2 per cent), and 10th-highest proportion of South Asians (12.3 per cent). Political History: The incumbent in Vancouver-Langara is Liberal Val Anderson. In 2001 he received nearly four times more votes than runner-up Peter Prontzos of the NDP. Anderson had served here since 1991, in which year he defeated New Democrat Peter Kendall. His win that year was by 467 votes; by 1996 the margin of victory grew tenfold as he repelled NDP challenger Ragini Rankin. Before 1991 this area was part of Vancouver South, a two-member district. MLAs included New Democrats Jack Radford and Daisy Webster (1972-75), Socred Stephen Rogers (1975-91), and Rogers' Socred seatmates William Strongman (1975-79), Peter Hyndman (1979-83), and Russ Fraser (who served from 1983 to 1991, finishing third that year to Anderson and Kendall). Voter turnout in 2001 was was 67.4 per cent, below the provincial average of 70.95 per cent.	In Vancouver-Kingsway, David Emerson's old riding, the Conservatives aren't considered to really be in the running; the real competition is between the Liberal's Wendy Yuan and the NDP's Don Davies with Green's darkhorse candidate presumed to be not in the front. The history of the riding can, in some measure, be read in the parties fielding candidates; in addition to the four national parties there are contestants from Libertarian, Communist, and Marxist-Leninist parties. The rich diversity of the riding has less than half of all households reporting English as the first language at home. Emerson cited this diversity after announcing he would not be running for a third term. "The reality is, Kingsway was an eminently winnable seat," said the Conservative Minister. "Not because I'm a hugely popular fellow in Kingsway, but because of vote splits and the way the first-past-the-post system works." Key in those vote splits are issues dividing the Liberal and NDP candidates. Naturalized Canadian Yuan points to her immigrant history, giving her an empathy with the immigrant and ethnic neighborhoods of the riding. “I came with limited means but through hard work, I got recognized and became a successful businesswoman. I understand what immigrants have to go through to reach what they want.” “I really respect and appreciate and like the multicultural fabric of our riding,” says her NDP opponent Davies. “That’s why I live in Kingsway. I’m the only candidate who lives here with roots here.” The Teamster's lawyer is originally from Edmonton, but has been living in Vancouver environs since 1991. The Conservative party candidate Salomon Rayek is not responding to press inquiries from several sources, and is cited as an example of a long-shot candidate - a candidate with little likelihood of being elected yet represents the party anyway. Doug Warkentin, the Green Party candidate, ran for Member of Legislative Assembly in BC's 2005 elections in the Vancouver-Langara provincial electoral district, coming in third to the Liberal's Carol Taylor. He's lived for the past three years in the riding, an engineer and small business owner who has a history of community involvement across south Vancouver. "I see the neighbourhoods in and around Kingsway as a great place to build on the natural vibrancy of the small business sector as a backbone for ethnically and economically diverse communities." Matt Kadioglu of the Libertarians is a relative newcomer with one previous campaign, while Donna Petersen (Marxist-Leninist) and Kimball Cariou (Communist) each have four previous contests according to Pundits Guide. The stage for this fight was set in 2006, when newly-elected Liberal Dave Emerson crossed the floor and directly into the Conservative Cabinet, first as Minister of International Trade then as Minister of Foreign Affairs following the resignation of Maxime Bernier. His defection stirred a firestorm of controversy locally in the staunchly left-leaning riding, which had elected a Progressive Conservative candidate exactly once since it's creation in 1953 - during the 1958 Diefenbaker landslide. In 2004 then-Prime Minister Paul Martin parachuted Emerson in, displacing the brewing contest between incumbent Liberal Sophia Leung and Ms Yuan. Emerson won the riding against Ian Waddell, the NDP candidate who had represented the riding from 1979-1988, and again by a wider margin in 2006 when other Liberals fell as victims of the Sponsorship Scandal.
In a sign the recession is spreading, private sector employers cut 742,000 jobs in March, according to ADP’s national employment report released Wednesday. The decline was nearly 80,000 more than the average analyst forecast of 663,000 job losses and the largest monthly payroll decline since ADP began tracking such activity in January 2001. ADP also revised upward its February job loss figure to 706,000 from a previously reported 697,000. The report heightens concern about the Labor Department’s March employment report which is due out Friday. Analysts forecast that the government will say the economy lost 660,000 jobs in March and the unemployment rate rose to 8.5 percent, but the worse-than-expected news from ADP has stirred worry of expectations being overly optimistic. Large employer layoffs usually get the biggest headlines but they accounted for the smallest number of job losses in March. ADP said firms with 500 or more employees reduced payrolls by 128,000 while medium-sized businesses with payrolls between 50 and 499 employees eliminated 330,000 jobs and small businesses with less than 50 employees cut 284,000 jobs. Where the cuts are coming is a concern to Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisors LLC which conducts the survey for ADP. “The sharp employment declines among medium- and small-size businesses indicate that the recession continues to spread aggressively beyond manufacturing and housing-related activities to almost every area of the economy," Prakken said. “Despite some recent indications that stock prices, consumer spending, and housing activity may be bottoming out, employment, which usually trails overall economic activity, is likely to remain very weak for at least several more months," Prakken said. The ADP report is compiled from actual payroll data and measures the change in total nonfarm private employment each month. \|\|\|\|\| Private employers slashed a record number of jobs last month, a sign that while the economy appears to be pulling out of its tailspin, a recovery is still far off. U.S. companies shed 742,000 jobs in March, payroll services company ADP said yesterday, far more than forecasters had been expecting and a bad omen for tomorrow's report on the nation's unemployment rate. That figure will almost certainly rise above its current level of 8.1 percent. The rate of job losses remains brisk because employers are ratcheting down production and shrinking their workforces to match the sharp fall in consumer demand in recent months. The economy has shed more than 600,000 jobs in each month since December. Analysts expect tomorrow's data to show that March was no different. "I fully anticipate the jobs report for March will be quite dismal and that will persist for several months to come," said Anirban Basu, chief executive of the Sage Policy Group, a Baltimore consulting firm. "We're in the worst of it from a labor market perspective." The grim job loss figures from ADP coincided with other, slightly more positive data that bolstered the notion that the economy is deteriorating at a slower pace than in the past three months of 2008, and that the recession is closer to bottoming out. A closely watched business barometer compiled by the Institute for Supply Management showed that manufacturing activity continued to fall last month, as it has for more than a year now, but at a slower pace. It was the third uptick in the ISM index in as many months. The ISM report showed that manufacturers have made progress in reducing inventory, but their customers' levels are still too high. As long as retailers and manufacturers are weighed down by unsold goods, they have little incentive to hire or buy new equipment. Inventory levels could come down more quickly if demand picks up. The ISM report showed that last month the index for orders, while still weak, jumped to its highest level in seven months. The industries reporting more new orders included plastics, furniture, food and computers. Also yesterday, the Commerce Department reported that spending on new construction in February fell less than expected. However, spending on office buildings, shopping centers and other private nonresidential construction fell for the second month in a row year over year, suggesting that a long-anticipated slump in commercial real estate construction has officially begun and will likely accelerate. Kenneth Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, referred to the development as "a somber milestone." The decline in non-residential construction is one of many reasons analysts fear that prospects for a rapid recovery are weak. Rising foreclosure rates and mounting job losses could mean trouble for banks already saddled with bad debt. Manufacturers are likely to keep struggling as consumers, contending with falling home prices, rising unemployment and mounds of debt, remain tightfisted. Markets for U.S. exports aren't faring much better. Unemployment in Europe rose more than expected in February to 8.5 percent, its highest level in three years, the European Union said yesterday. A closely watched survey by the Bank of Japan, also out yesterday, showed business confidence at an all-time low with companies saying they still have too many workers. In the past, sharp downturns in the United States were often followed by sharp recoveries, but Wachovia chief economist John Silvia said all these factors make it unlikely that will happen this time. He described the recession's likely trajectory as "more like a Nike swoosh," referring to the sneaker maker's logo, with a big dip followed by a long and slow slog of a recovery. "There is not just a business cycle going on here but structural challenges," he said. "I just don't want people to get all happy days are here again."	According to the payroll services company ADP, United States private sector employers cut 742,000 jobs in in March. The figures were almost 80,000 more than the average analyst prediction of 663,000 losses. This is the largest monthly payroll decline since January 2001, when the ADP began tracking job activity. ADP also updated its job loss statistics for February, from 697,000 to 706,000. "The sharp employment declines among medium- and small-size businesses indicate that the recession continues to spread aggressively beyond manufacturing and housing-related activities to almost every area of the economy," said Joel Prakken, the chairman of the company that conducts the ADP survey, Macroeconomic Advisors LLC. "Despite some recent indications that stock prices, consumer spending, and housing activity may be bottoming out, employment, which usually trails overall economic activity, is likely to remain very weak for at least several more months," he added. The US Labor Department's report for employment statistics for March is due to be out on Friday. Analysts predicted that the department will announce the unemployment rate increased to 8.5% with 660,000 jobs eliminated in March. However, the bad news from ADP has prompted some to think that the current forecasts are too optimistic.
Sylvie Eymard's Provence farmhouse kitchen should be the picture of French rural calm. But the stockpiles of bottled water, disinfectant rinse and disposable paper plates hint at something strange. For the past two weeks, Eymard, 41, and her children, 13 and seven, have had a phobia of taps. To wash up, they go out to the yard and fill a bowl from a specially delivered plastic tank of purified water on a fork-lift tractor. They carry the water up to the bathroom to wash. Even the dog drinks bottled water, and it is left out for the birds. "I feel as if everything's constantly dirty," Eymard said, her hands deep in soapy lather scrubbing plates. The view from the house over the fields is dominated by the nearby cooling towers of the Tricastin site, a nuclear power plant run by EDF, the company which is poised to buy British Energy and take control of most UK nuclear stations. Next to the plant is a nuclear treatment centre run by a subsidiary of Areva, the nuclear group which hopes to design many of the new British reactors. Last month an accident at the treatment centre during a draining operation saw liquid containing untreated uranium overflow out of a faulty tank. About 75kg of uranium seeped into the ground and into the Gaffiere and Lauzon rivers which flow into the Rhône. Eymard's house is 100 metres from one of these streams. Like a handful of rural homes near the nuclear site, hers is plumbed into the local groundwater from wells. For 20 years she has drunk from the tap. But after the incident there was a ban on drinking the groundwater, using it to water fields - as all local farmers do - or swimming or fishing in local lakes and streams. Since then, Eymard feels like she is in an episode of The Simpsons, in a Springfield where people's trust has been abused by haphazard mistakes. "It feels like a science fiction film where experts constantly come to examine and film the people who've been exposed." At the centre for adults with learning disabilities where she works, some have seen her on the TV news and innocently asked for her autograph. At 10.30am on the dot, two men in green overalls from the nuclear site appear at her door to collect the daily sample of water from her tap to analyse it for uranium. Levels have fluctuated daily. Even after the official ban was lifted this week and the families' urine samples tested normal, Eymard won't drink from the tap. "I always trusted that nuclear was totally secure. But now I wonder, have there been other accidents in the past we haven't been told about?" The nuclear site at Bollène sits in a picturesque corner of Provence between the lavender fields and cypress trees that stretch north to the nougat capital of Montélimar and to the historic town of Avignon 30 miles to the south, which was hosting its famous theatre festival when the spillage occurred. Until now most locals have accepted the plant as a risk-free part of everyday life in nuclear-dependent France. More than 80% of France's electricity is generated by the country's 58 nuclear reactors - the world's highest ratio. But the leak has shaken French trust in nuclear safety and embarrassed Nicolas Sarkozy as he crusades for a French-led world renaissance in atomic power. The president wants to export French nuclear know-how around the world, including to Britain where nuclear power supplies 19% of electricity, and London and Paris are to cooperate on a new generation of nuclear power plants. Areva, 90% state-owned, is at the heart of foreign cooperation agreements not just with Europe but countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Libya. Last year it clinched the biggest commercial nuclear power contract on record, worth €8bn (£6.3bn), to supply China with two reactors and provide nuclear fuel for nearly two decades. Areva has been criticised by France's nuclear safety watchdog over the Tricastin leak for not adequately informing local authorities and for unsatisfactory measures and operational procedures. The leak rated at level one of the seven-stage scale of nuclear incidents. It was detected on the night of July 7 but the town hall and locals who continued to drink water contaminated with uranium were not informed until the following afternoon. Areva's chief executive, Anne Lauvergeon, called the leak an "anomaly" which posed no danger to humans or the environment. The treatment plant has been shut and the subsidiary's director removed. But in recent days there have been other, lesser incidents at nuclear sites. In Romans-sur-Isère, north of Tricastin, at another site run by an Areva subsidiary, officials discovered a burst underground pipe which had been broken for years and did not meet safety standards. A tiny amount of lightly enriched uranium leaked but not beyond the plant. This week, about 100 staff at Tricastin's nuclear reactor number four were contaminated by radioactive particles that escaped from a pipe. EDF described the contamination as "slight". The French government has now ordered tests on the groundwater around all nuclear sites in France. The environment minister, Jean-Louis Borloo, said there were 86 level-one nuclear incidents in France last year and 114 in 2006. People living near the Tricastin plant remain concerned. In basil and coriander fields farmed by the extended Eymard family not far from the nuclear site, part of the crop was ruined after wilting during the ban on using contaminated water. The herbs, which are sold to make frozen seasoning, have been tested for radioactivity and cleared. Roger Eymard, 69, a retired farmer, now washes by pouring purified water into the shower fitting of his camper van parked in a stable. "Nuclear was progress and we wanted that. We thought people were competent. Now we ask, were there previous incidents we weren't told about?" France's IRSN nuclear safety institute has pinpointed high levels of uranium in the groundwater that it said could not have been caused by the recent leak alone. A separate commission raised the possibility that this contamination could be linked to military nuclear waste at the Tricastin plant from 1964 to 1976. The area's image has been so dented that the nearby Rhône Valley wine makers whose label is Coteaux du Tricastin want to change their name. In nearby Bollène, sales of bottled water have soared despite assurances that the tap water is unaffected. Some people have even asked chemists for iodine tablets, recommended for a nuclear emergency. Not far from the nuclear site, Emilie Dubois, 61, sat by her luxury swimming pool framed by fig trees, poolside bar, shower and designer outdoor kitchen. But for two weeks the cover has been on as the family ordered tests on radioactivity levels in the pool water. The day the emergency water ban was announced, more than 50 people swimming in a local lake were ordered out and fled. "It was as if there was a shark attack," one said. Dubois was in her pool with her grandchildren when a town hall official arrived to tell her of a ban on watering with groundwater. He said he had orders not to give an explanation. She assumed it was a drought warning and got back in the pool. Only from television that night did the family learn of the leak. The pool, filled with local groundwater, was a potential contamination zone. It has now tested safe to swim in. Her husband is a retired engineer from the plant and her sons work in the industry. "I've never questioned the safety of nuclear," she said. She has resumed watering her vegetable patch and ate freshly picked salad for lunch. "It's organic but it's been watered with the groundwater after the leak. Why would I eat anyone else's tomatoes that weren't organic? Although there are thoughts at the back of my mind as I'm eating." Sarkozy recently announced that France will build a second new-generation nuclear reactor, a European pressurised water reactor or EPR. He said nuclear power was France's best answer to soaring energy prices and global warming. The Green party attacked the EPR as "useless, dangerous and expensive", saying: "France is becoming a nuclear showroom for Sarkozy the sales rep and Areva." Not far from the stream that was contaminated from the Tricastin leak, Joel Bernard sat in his farmhouse tallying the loss to his carrots, radishes, turnips and cherries which couldn't be watered during the ban. "Until last week, it was paradise here," he said. "I don't want to return to the rural past. But something like this creates a kind of suspicion." \|\|\|\|\| Home French News News French nuclear plant staff suffer radiation exposure French nuclear plant staff suffer radiation exposure Home French News World News Search Contact Us France News French nuclear plant staff suffer radiation exposure French nuclear plant staff suffer radiation exposure It has been reported that approximately 100 workers at a nuclear plant in southern France have sustained exposure to a low dose of radiation. French power firm Electricite de France (EDF) broke the news of the incident. An EDF spokeswoman explained that the staff of the power plant were "slightly contaminated" by radiation that leaked from a pipe at a reactor complex in Tricastin. Only two weeks ago another leak had caused a reactor at the Tricastin facility to be temporarily closed down for safety reasons. Unenriched uranium had contaminated the water supply, however, French authorities removed a ban on fishing and other activities in two local rivers on Tuesday. EDF say that the two incidents are not connected in any way. Sensors had discovered a rise in radiation levels whilst maintenance work was underway at a reactor that had been closed since 12 July and because of this 97 EDF and maintenance subcontractors were evacuated and sent for tests. EDF, however, claim that the incident would not affect the health of the staff or the local environment. An EDF spokeswoman explained that the staff of the power plant were "slightly contaminated" by radiation that leaked from a pipe at a reactor complex in Tricastin.Only two weeks ago another leak had caused a reactor at the Tricastin facility to be temporarily closed down for safety reasons.Unenriched uranium had contaminated the water supply, however, French authorities removed a ban on fishing and other activities in two local rivers on Tuesday.EDF say that the two incidents are not connected in any way.Sensors had discovered a rise in radiation levels whilst maintenance work was underway at a reactor that had been closed since 12 July and because of this 97 EDF and maintenance subcontractors were evacuated and sent for tests.EDF, however, claim that the incident would not affect the health of the staff or the local environment. Comment on this article Leave your comments (Show/Hide Form) Your Name: Your Email Address: Rate this article: Poor Great Comment: BOLD "QUOTE" UNDERLINE Other Visitors Comments There are no comments currently.... < Prev Next > [ Back ] Hotel Search Cheap Hotels in France Sponsored Search Featured Property Featured Businesses Fashion News \|\|\|\|\| The following article has been retrieved from the archive and no longer contains the original video. Tests are being carried out to pinpoint the cause of the latest leak at a nuclear power plant in southern France. French energy company EDF says almost 100 staff were contaminated with a low dose of radiation during maintenance work on a closed-down reactor at the Tricastin plant near Avignon. It is the second incident there in as many weeks, but officials are playing down the risk. “We have an alarm system which is meant to protect the staff from contamination via the atmosphere,” said Alain Peckre, the director of the Tricastin nuclear plant. “If a problem is detected, the alarms go off, our security procedures swing into place and everyone is evacuated from the building.” On July 7, thirty cubic metres of effluent containing non-enriched uranium overflowed while a tank was being emptied. Tests showed that the ground water was contaminated even before the leak. Then on July 18 came a report of a second case at a plant 100 kilometres to the north. It was announced uranium may have seeped out of a broken pipe there for years. The incidents have shaken confidence in France’s nuclear industry, the biggest in Europe. The government has ordered tests on all plants in the country to ensure similar leaks had not occurred elsewhere. \|\|\|\|\| Photo: EPA The country's independent radiation watchdog sounded the alarm today after the incident – the fourth such scare in a fortnight. Electricité de France workers were exposed to radioactive particles on Wednesday that escaped from a pipe at a nuclear reactor at the Tricastin complex. Experts said that the latest incident involved the highest number of workers to be collectively contaminated in French nuclear history. Tricastin, which houses four reactors, suffered another leak earlier this month at a separate treatment facility when 74kg of liquid containing unenriched uranium was spilled. Authorities have just lifted a fishing and water sports ban in two nearby rivers. Areva, the nuclear group whose subsidiary was allegedly responsible for the first leak, admitted that security needed revamping in France. Wednesday's incident occurred in Tricastin's reactor number four, which had been shut down for refuelling. The EDF employees, who were exposed to dust containing radioactive Cobalt 58, were sent to the sick bay and then home awaiting tests, while a probe has been launched into what went wrong. EDF said that the contamination was slight - a dose smaller than one 40th of the annual regulation limit. However, the independent radioactivity research and information commission, Criirad, warned EDF and other nuclear power operators against any playing down of such incidents. The annual radiation limit was, it said, "not the level from which risk begins but the maximum acceptable level". If all of France's 274,000 nuclear workers received the maximum dose, some 219 would die from radiation-linked cancer, it warned. However, other experts pointed out that those who take a head-to-toe x-ray receive just as much radiation and that natural uranium emissions, such as in the mountains of Iran, can be much higher. One CGT union representative at Tricastin alleged that reduced maintenance time as part of EDF's profitability drive and the increasing use of sub-contracted workers threatened to compromise security. A spokesman for EDF said: “We spend 1.5 billion euros a year on ensuring our plants are in optimum condition. “Safety is our top priority over and above providing electricity to the network. Since our power stations were set up, 80 per cent of maintenance operations on reactors that have been temporarily turned off are carried out by external contractors. “They are the most competent to maintain and repair specific parts of the reactor, some of which they have taken part in building.” Two other "minor" leaks occurred last Friday. One was at a nuclear fuel plant in Romans-sur-Isere, south-east France, and another at the Saint-Alban plant - also in the Alpine Isere region – in which 15 EDF workers were exposed to "non-harmful" traces of radioactive elements. The negative publicity around the Tricastin site has led local winegrowers to launch proceedings to change the name of their local appellation, currently Tricastin AOC. "It's only a question of image as nuclear and food don't mix very well in consumers' minds", said the appellation's president, Henri Bour. He said he tried to get the nuclear operators to change the name of the site a few years ago, but they "didn't understand our move, doubtless not wanting to admit that the nuclear industry's image is perhaps not perfect". Last week, the French ecology minister Jean-Louis Borloo said he wanted to carry out tests on the ground water near all reactors and assess the state of waste storage sites. With 58 reactors, France has the second largest nuclear power network after the United States and the facilities generate more than 80 percent of its electricity. President Nicolas Sarkozy has been touring the world in recent months promoting France's nuclear prowess and its new generation of EPR reactors. \|\|\|\|\| PARIS Around 100 staff at a nuclear power plant in southern France were contaminated with a low dose of radiation on Wednesday, power firm EDF said, the latest incident there after a case of uranium spillage two weeks ago. EDF said in a statement that sensors detected a rise in the level of radiation while maintenance work was being carried out at the Tricastin site's reactor number four, which had been shut since July 12. The rise in radiation prompted 97 staff to be evacuated at around 9:30 a.m. local time and sent for medical tests. "Seventy of them show low traces of radioelements, below one fortieth of the authorized limit," EDF said, adding that the incident would not affect the people's health or the environment. A spokeswoman for the company later said the number of people who were lightly contaminated had risen to 100. The incident follows another which has shaken confidence in the safety of France's nuclear industry, the biggest in Europe and one which President Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged to expand. Plant operator Areva said on July 8 that 30 cubic meters of liquid containing non-enriched uranium was accidentally poured on to the ground and into a river at the Tricastin site. That prompted Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo to order tests at all of France's nuclear power plants to ensure such leaks had not occurred elsewhere. In the wake of the Tricastin incident, authorities banned fishing and swimming in the affected areas as well as the use of contaminated water. Nuclear safety authority ASN criticized Areva for its handling of that incident, notably in the way in which it communicated with authorities. It also pointed to unsatisfactory security measures and operational procedures. EDF said tests were being carried out to determine the cause of the latest incident, adding that the ASN had been informed immediately. Maintenance work at the reactor was also suspended. (Reporting by Gerard Bon; Writing by Francois Murphy; Editing by Giles Elgood) \|\|\|\|\| French nuclear safety authorities and the nuclear giant Areva said that a leak had occurred at one of Areva’s nuclear fuel plants, the second leak at an Areva nuclear power plant in two weeks. Jean-Louis Borloo, the minister of ecology, said he wanted to review all security measures, test the groundwater near all reactors and assess waste storage sites. Authorities said the latest uranium spill, at a plant in Romans-sur-Isère in the southeastern Drôme region, took place when a broken pipe caused a radioactive leak but no environmental damage. The first spill took place on July 7 at the Tricastin nuclear plant in the Vaucluse region in southeastern France.	On July 7 and again on July 23, there were accidental leaks at the Tricastin Nuclear Power Center in France, which is a collection of sites in four different communes: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and Pierrelatte in Drôme, and Bollène and Lapalud in Vaucluse. Along with two other minor incidents on July 18, it has prompted the Commission for Independent Research and Information on Radioactivity (Criirad) to order a review of security and safety. Already last week, Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said the ground water near all reactors should be tested and the state of waste storage sites assessed. Cooling towers at Tricastin Nuclear Power Center In the latest incident, a hundred workers were exposed to radiation. They all work for Électricité de France (EDF), which runs the Tricastin facilities with Areva. This marks the largest number of workers to be collectively contaminated in French nuclear history. The leak was at reactor number four, which was shut for refuelling. Workers were exposed to Cobalt 58 dust which escaped while maintenance work was being carried out. Sensors noticed a rise in the level of radiation and the workers were then evacuated. "Seventy of them show low traces of radioelements, below one fortieth of the authorized limit," EDF said. A spokesperson later raised the number to 97 people. Criirad warned, however, that the limit was "not the level from which risk begins but the maximum acceptable level." "We have an alarm system which is meant to protect the staff from contamination via the atmosphere,” said Tricastin director Alain Peckre. "If a problem is detected, the alarms go off, our security procedures swing into place and everyone is evacuated from the building." A union representative from Confédération générale du travail (CGT) alleged that EDF was reducing maintenance and increasingly using sub-contractors, putting workers at risk in exchange for profitability. "We spend 1.5 billion euros a year on ensuring our plants are in optimum condition," countered an EDF spokesperson. "Safety is our top priority over and above providing electricity to the network. Since our power stations were set up, 80 per cent of maintenance operations on reactors that have been temporarily turned off are carried out by external contractors. They are the most competent to maintain and repair specific parts of the reactor, some of which they have taken part in building." The previous incident, on July 8, involved a 74kg spill of liquid containing unenriched uranium. Thirty cubic metres of water overflowed while a tank was being emptied. Subsequent test showed that contamination may have occurred for years. Local wine growers Coteaux du Tricastin AOC have already become concerned about the negative association with "Tricastin" and have begun considering changing the name of their Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC). "It's only a question of image as nuclear and food don't mix very well in consumers' minds," said the AOC's president, Henri Bour, to ''The Daily Telegraph''. Nuclear authorities "didn't understand our move, doubtless not wanting to admit that the nuclear industry's image is perhaps not perfect," he added. "Nuclear was progress and we wanted that. We thought people were competent. Now we ask, were there previous incidents we weren't told about?" said local resident Roger Eymard to ''The Guardian''. Autorité de sûreté nucléaire (ASN), a nuclear safety authority, has already criticised Areva for its handling of the first incident. ASN complained of poor communication with authorities and unsatisfactory security measures and operational procedures. The leaks have occurred just as President Nicolas Sarkozy has been promoting the European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) as a solution to rising energy costs and global warming. France has the second largest nuclear power network in the world and generates over 80% of its electricity through nuclear power.
California has been warned it could run out of cash by the end of February Cash-strapped California is to start notifying 20,000 state workers that they may lose their jobs. A spokesman for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made the announcement after California lawmakers failed to approve a $40bn (£28.2bn) budget. California, the world's eighth biggest economy, has been hit by the housing crisis, unemployment and falling consumer spending. The jobs on the government payroll would be cut in June. It would be done in preparation for the next fiscal year, which starts in July. "In the absence of a budget, the governor has a responsibility to realise state savings any way he can," said Aaron McLear, a spokesman for Republican governor Schwarzenegger. "This is unfortunately a necessary decision." The budget would include spending cuts and tax increases to close the state's budget deficit. California has already laid off state workers for two days a month, put 2,000 public projects on hold and delayed tax refunds. The state controller predicts California will run out of cash by the end of February if lawmakers do not solve the budget crisis. \|\|\|\|\| (CNN) -- California lawmakers were told to bring their toothbrushes and prepare for a long day Tuesday, with the goal of passing a budget as the state faces a $42 billion deficit and 20,000 layoff notices were set to go out to state workers Tuesday. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warned lawmakers about potential job cuts last week. "Bring a toothbrush, bring any necessities you want to bring, because I will not allow anyone to go home to resume their lives ... as long as we know ... that 20,000 people will be laid off," Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, told lawmakers late Monday. Lawmakers had missed a Monday night deadline to reach a budget deal, prompting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's move on the layoff notices, Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear told CNN late Monday. The Republican governor, who declared a fiscal emergency in December, has butted heads for months with the Democratic majority over alleviating the state's $11.2 billion revenue shortfall this fiscal year alone. The cuts would save California $750 million for the year. The state's $42 billion deficit is for the current and next fiscal years. Schwarzenegger warned lawmakers about the cuts last week, urging them to approve the latest budget proposal. However, voting was stalled over a 30-hour weekend session as the legislature mulled over 26 pieces of legislation that make up the budget package. The State Assembly in Sacramento postponed action until Tuesday. A single Republican vote was holding the budget from passing with a two-thirds majority, McLear said. Some Republican lawmakers, including state Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, say they don't agree with the $14.4 billion in tax increases tied into the budget package. "People don't realize where California is at -- people are losing homes, people are losing jobs," Maldonado told CNN affiliate KOVR. "We are in a fiscal emergency and we need to come together to (resolve) it." Watch a report on the budget crisis » The cuts wouldn't begin until the start of the fiscal year on July 1, starting with employees of least seniority, McLear said. McLear added that state workers are under contract, meaning layoffs would be a slow process. Schwarzenegger and lawmakers have tried discussing alternatives to avoid the scenario. Running short of cash, California last month started delaying $3.5 billion in payments to taxpayers, contractors, counties and social service agencies so the state could continue funding schools and making debt payments. All About California • Arnold Schwarzenegger • Sacramento	On Tuesday, the US state of California announced it is ready to notify approximately twenty thousand state workers that they are being laid off. The announcement was made by a spokesman for California's governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The cuts would begin at the start of the fiscal year on July 1. This comes after California lawmakers voted down a budget worth US$40 billion last weekend. "In the absence of a budget, the governor has a responsibility to realise state savings any way he can," said Aaron McLear, Schwarzenegger's spokesman. "This is unfortunately a necessary decision." The state is also planning to put all remaining public work projects on hold, which could cost thousands of construction workers their jobs. California has the world's eighth largest economy. It has suffered from unemployment and the housing crisis, with Schwarzenegger declaring a fiscal emergency last December. "We are dealing with a catastrophe of unbelievable proportions," said Alan Lowenthal, a Democratic state senator from Long Beach. The budget plan consisted of $11.4 billion in borrowing, $14.4 billion for temporary increases in taxes, and $15.1 billion dedicated for program cuts. The package initially appeared to have enough support to reach the two-thirds majority needed to make the bill a law, but fell short by a single vote. The Assembly was at one point in session for thirty hours, breaking the record for the longest legislative session in the history of the state. Many Republican lawmakers say they disagree with the tax increases that are included as part of the budget package. "People don't realize where California is at — people are losing homes, people are losing jobs," said Republican state senator Abel Maldonado. "You're not going to go back to the people's pocketbooks to fuel that spending," added Republican state senator Dennis Hollingsworth from Temecula. Senate leader Darrell Steinberg wants another session on Tuesday, saying that he would put up the tax provisions of the budget proposal for a vote. "Bring a toothbrush, bring any necessities you want to bring, because I will not allow anyone to go home to resume their lives ... as long as we know ... that 20,000 people will be laid off," he warned.
LAUSANNE, Switzerland - Iraq will be allowed to participate in the Beijing games after the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday rescinded its suspension of the country's Olympic association. The decision came after last-minute talks during which an Iraqi government delegation pledged to hold free elections for its national Olympic committee under international observation. The deadline to submit competitors' names for athletics events expires Wednesday. Iraq is expected to send two athletes to Beijing. Five others lost their chance to go when the final date to select competitors for archery, judo, rowing and weightlifting passed last week. "The National Olympic Committee will have fair elections before the end of November," said Pere Miro, head of the IOC's department for relations with national Olympic committees. Until then, Iraq's Olympic organization will be run by an interim committee proposed by its national sports federations and approved by the IOC, he said. "We want to forget all the past," Iraq's government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told The Associated Press after signing the agreement in front of journalists. "We want to have real representation for the Iraqi teams and the Iraqi supporters." Allegations of corruption The IOC suspended Iraq in May citing political interference in the country's national Olympic committee, which the government had dissolved over allegations of corruption. Basil Abdul Mahdi, an adviser to the Ministry of Youth and Sport, said last week there would be "no retreat" in Baghdad's decision to replace the disbanded Olympic committee. The hardline stance prompted concern that Iraq would not be represented in Beijing. But eight-hour talks at the IOC's headquarters in Lausanne on Tuesday involving Miro and Husain al-Musallam, director-general of the Olympic Council of Asia, produced a breakthrough, allowing Iraq to have two competitors in the athletics events. Hours before the talks, a delegation of Iraqi groups in Switzerland came to the IOC headquarters to deliver a letter to Olympic officials expressing dismay at their country's suspension and requesting the decision be overturned. Claims of unfair treatment Ahmed Tabour, head of the Iraqi Cultural and Sports Committee in Switzerland, said his country was being treated unfairly by the IOC. "Iraq was never suspended during the days of Saddam (Hussein), who personally appointed the national Olympic committee," he told The Associated Press. "The Iraqi people need hope, and sport gives them a lot of hope." The IOC last suspended Iraq in May 2003 — weeks after U.S.-led troops toppled Saddam's regime. That ban occurred after the IOC learned of the abuse of athletes by Saddam's son Uday, the country's former Olympic chief. The suspension was lifted a year later, allowing Iraq to take part in the 2004 Summer Games in Athens where it fielded a team of 25 athletes. Iraq's soccer team made it to the semifinals, prompting celebrations throughout a country where violence has claimed the lives of athletes, coaches and staff. The Olympic cycling coach, national wrestling coach, a soccer federation member and a prominent volleyball player have been killed, most in 2006 during the height of sectarian slayings. The two athletes who will represent Iraq this year have benefited from an IOC solidarity program that allowed them to train at sports facilities abroad, IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said. Although the duo failed to meet the qualifying standards to go to Beijing, they were allowed to take part under the IOC's wild card program designed to ensure every country is represented at the games. The fact that they are unlikely to add to Iraq's overall tally of one bronze medal since its first appearance at the Summer Olympics in 1948 is no great concern, said al-Dabbagh. "Sport is really important for us in Iraq right now," he said. "It brings the people together." © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. \|\|\|\|\| IOC reverses ban, says Iraq can go to Olympics LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Olympic Committee says Iraq can take part in Beijing Games, lifting its previous ban. IOC officials say they have reversed an earlier decision because the government has pledged to ensure the independence of its national Olympic committee. The decision follows last-minute talks Tuesday between Iraqi officials and the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland. Iraq is expected to send two athletes to Beijing. Five others lost their chance to go when the final date to select competitors for archery, judo, rowing and weightlifting passed last week. \|\|\|\|\| Iraq gets OK for Beijing Games Iraqi officials Basil Abdul Mahdi, left, and Ali al-Dabbagh, second from left, arrive at IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on Tuesday. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone/Associated Press) Iraqi officials Basil Abdul Mahdi, left, and Ali al-Dabbagh, second from left, arrive at IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on Tuesday. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone/Associated Press) Olympic officials said Tuesday that Iraq will be allowed participate in the Beijing Games, reversing a previous ban on the country. The International Olympic Committee said the decision comes as a result of an Iraqi pledge to ensure the independence of its national Olympic committee. Iraq began a last-ditch effort Tuesday to reverse its ban from the Beijing Games, sending representatives to Switzerland to meet with International Olympic Committee officials. The Iraqi delegation, led by government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, was seeking to get the IOC to reconsider last week's decision to ban the country from the Aug. 8-24 Olympics because of government interference in the country's national Olympic body. Wednesday deadline The decision allows two Iraqi qualifiers to compete in Beijing's track and field events, entries for which must be submitted by Wednesday. Five other Olympics hopefuls in archery, judo, rowing and weightlifting lost their chance to compete when a deadline to select teams for those sports passed last Wednesday. The IOC suspended Iraq in May after the country's government dismissed officials in favour of its own appointees, who weren't recognized by the IOC. The move ran afoul of the IOC charter, which requires national Olympic committees to be free of political influence. The Iraqi government said the old committee was illegitimate after four of its 11 members were kidnapped in Baghdad in 2006. Their fates remain unknown. 'Iraqi people need hope' IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said Monday that the organization is expecting Iraq to formally pledge to hold free elections for its national committee under IOC observation. Hours before the talks, a delegation of Iraqi groups in Switzerland came to the IOC headquarters to deliver a letter to Olympic officials expressing dismay at their country's suspension and requesting that the decision be overturned. Ahmed Tabour, head of the Iraqi Cultural and Sports Committee in Switzerland, said his country was being treated unfairly by the IOC. "Iraq was never suspended during the days of Saddam, who personally appointed the National Olympic Committee," he told the Associated Press. "The Iraqi people need hope, and sport gives them a lot of hope." With files from the Associated Press	The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has lifted a ban on Iraqi athletes participating in the Beijing Olympics. The IOC placed a ban on the country's participation on July 24 claiming a political influence within Iraq's national Olympic committee. This came after the Iraqi government's suspension of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Iraq in May 2008. The decision to remove the ban is a result of the Iraqi government's agreement to allow free elections for their National Olympic Committee while under international scrutiny. "The National Olympic Committee will have fair elections before the end of November," said Pere Miro, Director of the IOC's relation with NOC's. In the meantime, Iraq's NOC will be run by a interim Committee approved by the IOC. Even though the ban has been lifted, five of the seven athletes are still unable to participate due to the final date of selections having passed. Two athletes participating in sprinting and rowing are expected to compete. There has been some who believed that Iraq has been treated wrongly in the matter of their NOC. Ahmed Tabour, head of the Cultural and Sports Committee stated that "Iraq was never suspended during the days of Saddam Hussein, who personally appointed the national Olympic committee. The Iraqi people need hope, and sport gives them a lot of hope."
Columbia astronaut's son dies in F-16 crash in West Bank JERUSALEM — An F-16 fighter plane crash in the West Bank on Sunday killed its pilot, uniting Israel in grief for the son of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon who died in the 2003 Columbia space shuttle disaster. The single-seat warplane crashed in a remote hilly region south of the city of Hebron, the military said, adding that it was not immediately clear what had caused the accident. Military officials named the pilot as Lieutenant Assaf Ramon, 21, the eldest son of Colonel Ilan Ramon, an Israeli fighter pilot who became the Jewish state's first and only astronaut. News of the crash rocked the Jewish state, where Ilan Ramon is regarded as a national hero. "Today, we are plunged into grief... Assaf Ramon has died the same way as his father. It's a terrible tragedy which has struck all the people of Israel," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. Dozens of senior officers and family friends gathered outside the family home at Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv. Among those presenting condolences were chief of staff General Gaby Ashkenazi and air force chief General Ido Neshustan. "We all stand side by side with the Ramon family," Defence Minister Ehud Barak said. A military spokeswoman said an inquiry had been launched and that all of the air force's F-16s were grounded until further notice. Air and ground forces were mobilised for several hours after the crash to recover debris. Astronaut Ilan Ramon was killed along with six others when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry over the US state of Texas on February 1, 2003. The son of a Holocaust survivor, Ramon was already famous in his homeland for taking part in the 1981 air raid that destroyed Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor. On June 7 that year, eight US-made F-16s with an escort of six F-15s flew undetected over Arab territory to launch the surprise attack on the French-built reactor. In 1997, Ilan Ramon was selected by NASA to train in the United States as Israel's first man in space as a payload specialist aboard Columbia. One of his tasks on board was to use a special camera supplied by the Israel Space Agency (ISA) to photograph sandstorms in the Middle East for analysis into their link to global warming. In interviews after the Columbia disaster in which his father died, Assaf Ramon said that he too hoped to one day become an astronaut. He graduated as an Israeli air force pilot earlier this year. State television and radio dedicated special broadcasts to Sunday's tragedy, showing video footage of Assaf Ramon receiving his wings from President Shimon Peres. Ramon, who had since flown around 50 sorties, was promoted posthumously from lieutenant to captain, the military spokeswoman said, adding that the date of his funeral will be announced later. The military said Ramon's aircraft crashed during a routine flight as part of the advanced pilot training course. Witnesses said debris from his plane was spread across a wide swathe of the sparsely populated region. "I saw a huge ball of fire and after that black smoke," Michal Weiss, from the nearby Jewish settlement of Pene Hever, told public radio. Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved. More » \|\|\|\|\| Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement An Israeli F-16 fighter jet has crashed in the West Bank, killing the pilot. The 21-year-old pilot, Assaf Ramon, was the son of Israel's only astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who died in the explosion of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003. Sunday's crash took place in a hilly area south of the city of Hebron, military officials said. The jet was on a routine training flight, they added. There is no word on why it went down. Search and rescue crews are at the scene. Ilan Ramon - who was a former fighter pilot himself - is regarded as a national hero in Israel, and media broke into their normal broadcasts to report his son's death. An unidentified Palestinian told Israeli TV that the plane had flown low over the southern West Bank before crashing. "There was a huge fire," the eyewitness said. Lt Assaf Ramon graduated from the Israeli air force pilot's course earlier this year. The military statement said he had excelled in his training course, and had been given his wings by President Shimon Peres. The Columbia disaster occurred on 1 February 2003. The space shuttle disintegrated during re-entry over the US state of Texas, killing all seven astronauts on board.	Assaf Ramon, the pilot of an Israeli F-16 fighter jet, was killed on Sunday after his plane crashed in the West Bank, according to officials. Ramon was the eldest son of Israel's astronaut Ilan Ramon, who was one of six people killed in the February 2003 Columbia space shuttle explosion. The pilot's plane smashed into a hilly area near the city of Hebron, the Israeli military said, adding that the accident happened during a routine part of an advanced pilot course. Search and rescue have been dispatched to the area. It was not immediately known what caused the jet to crash.
Get information on education programs that could help you increase your earning power. Enlarge Randy Pausch family collection Randy Pausch hugs his wife, Jai, after his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon University. He lost his battle to cancer early Friday morning. He was 47. Enlarge Jai and Randy Pausch, and their children Logan, front left, Dylan and Chloe. Jai and Randy Pausch, and their children Logan, front left, Dylan and Chloe. FROM RANDY PAUSCH'S 'LAST LECTURE' FROM RANDY PAUSCH'S 'LAST LECTURE' -Never underestimate the importance of having fun. I'm dying and I'm having fun. And I'm going to keep having fun every day because there's no other way to play it. -Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. -No one is pure evil. Find the best in everybody. Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress you. -Brick walls are there for a reason. They are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop people who don't want it badly enough. -It is not about achieving your dreams but living your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you. -We can't change the cards we're dealt, just how we play the hand. If I'm not as depressed as you think I should be, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon professor who became a YouTube phenomenon with his "Last Lecture," died Friday of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 47. He died at his home in southern Virginia. RELATED: Professor Pausch's life, 'Lecture' go from Web to book VIDEO: See 'Last Lecture' on YouTube PHOTOS: Randy Paush's life in pictures AUDIO: Hear a clip from 'Lecture' Pausch told USA TODAY during an interview at his home in March that the now-famous lecture was never meant for public consumption, nor was it for his colleagues or students. It was for his two sons and daughter: Dylan, 6, Logan, 3, and Chloe, 2. "If people are finding inspiration, OK, but the book is for my kids," Pausch said. "I knew what I was doing that day," he wrote in the introduction of his best-selling book, also titled The Last Lecture. "Under the ruse of giving an academic lecture, I was trying to put myself in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach for my children." Pausch's wife, Jai, said Friday, "I'd like to thank the millions of people who have offered their love, prayers and support. Randy was so happy and proud that the lecture and book inspired parents to revisit their priorities, particularly their relationships with their children. The outpouring of cards and emails really sustained him." The Last Lecture (Hyperion, $21.95) has been atop or near the top of USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list since it was published in April. This week it is No. 8. It has been translated into 30 languages, and nearly 3 million copies are in print. President George W. Bush, touched by Pausch's story, recently honored him in a letter, citing his service to his country. "Your love of family, dedication in the classroom, and passion for teaching will stand as a lasting legacy, and I am grateful for your willingness to serve," Bush wrote. Bush's wasn't the only accolade that came Pausch's way. He made Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Although celebrated in his field for co-founding the pioneering Entertainment Technology Center and creating an innovative software tool known as "Alice," it was his lecture that earned Pausch worldwide fame. Titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," the humorous and heartfelt talk was videotaped and quickly spread around the world via the Internet. Millions of people have since viewed it. It was delivered at Carnegie Mellon on Sept. 18, 2007, a few weeks after Pausch learned he didn't have long to live. In the lecture he urged his students and colleagues to live life to the fullest. Among his words of wisdom: •"Never underestimate the importance of having fun. I'm dying and I'm having fun. And I'm going to keep having fun every day because there's no other way to play it." •"We can't change the cards we're dealt, just how we play the hand. If I'm not as depressed as you think I should be, I'm sorry to disappoint you." "Good teaching is always a performance, but what Randy did was in a class all by itself," says Andy van Dam, co-founder of the computer science department at Brown University, which Pausch attended as an undergraduate. "His students responded to him as athletes do to a great coach who cares not only about winning but about the team players as individuals." Donations can be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 7000, El Segundo, CA 90245, or to Carnegie Mellon's Randy Pausch Memorial Fund (www.cmu.edu/giving/pausch), which supports the university's continued work on the Alice project. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more \|\|\|\|\| NEW YORK (Reuters) - Randy Pausch, a university professor whose “last lecture” celebrating life in the face of terminal cancer became a book which made him a best-selling sensation, died on Friday at age 47. Pausch died at home of complications from pancreatic cancer, Carnegie Mellon University, where he taught for 10 years, reported on its Web site. The computer science professor was best known for his “last lecture,” entitled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” which he gave in September 2007 just weeks after learning he was suffering from terminal cancer. Footage of the poignant and inspirational lecture became a hit on the Internet, viewed by millions of people. A book based on the talk, “The Last Lecture,” was translated into 30 languages and became an international bestseller, Carnegie Mellon, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said on its Web site. In the lecture, Pausch spoke about the dreams he had achieved, such as writing a World Book Encyclopedia entry and experiencing zero gravity. But he said he learned more from the dreams he had not achieved, such as his desire to be a professional football player. He said he delivered the lecture as a guide for his three young children. “I’m attempting to put myself in a bottle that will one day wash up on the beach for my children,” the university quoted him as saying. In the field of computer science, Pausch created an educational software tool known as “Alice,” which lets students create three-dimensional computer animations. He is survived by his wife Jai and their children Dylan, Logan and Chloe as well as his mother and his sister. The family plans a private burial in Virginia, where Pausch and his family moved last fall. A campus memorial service also is being planned, the university said.	Randy Pausch Randy Pausch, professor of computer science, human-computer interaction, and design at Carnegie Mellon University has died at the age of 47. Pausch died from pancreatic cancer early this morning. He was born Randolph Frederick Pausch on October 23, 1960 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. He was known for his "The Last Lecture" speech on September 18, 2007 at Carnegie Mellon University. The Pittsburgh City Council declared November 19, 2007 to be "Dr. Randy Pausch Day." Finally, Brown University professor Andries van Dam followed Pausch's last lecture with a tearful and impassioned speech praising him for his courage and leadership, calling him a role model. Pausch repeated his "Last Lecture" speech to the Oprah Show. On May 18, 2008, Pausch made a surprise return appearance at Carnegie Mellon, giving a speech at the commencement ceremony, as well as attending the School of Computer Science's diploma ceremony. He leaves behind his wife Jai and their three children: Dylan, 6, Logan, 4, and Chloe, 2.
Boy carrying 5 bombs detained IDF forces apprehend a 15-year-old Palestinian boy carrying five pipe bombs at the Hawara roadblock south of the West Bank town of Nablus; "I looked into his eyes, he was on the brink of tears and scared to death,” soldier tells Ynet By Efrat Weiss TEL AVIV The boy, identified as Hassan Hashash, was obviously sent by someone and terrified, a soldier involved in the incident told Ynet. Soldiers and detained boy (Photo: Reuters) “You could see it’s a young child who was sent (by someone.) I looked into his eyes, he was on the brink of tears and scared to death,” said Muli, a paratrooper whose full name cannot be revealed for security reasons. “The boy pulled out a matchbox, held up a pipe bomb, and attempted to detonate it,” Muli said. “We aimed our weapons at him and told him to move away from us.” Jacket on a hot day After the boy was instructed to remove his jacket, soldiers discovered another four pipe bombs and a knife, Muli said. Later, sappers were dispatched to the scene in order to neutralize the explosive devices. Arrested on purpose? Hassan may have wanted to be detained by the army in order to do his high-school matriculation exams in an Israeli prison, says his brother Amar. “There’s a rumor among youngsters that it’s easier to succeed in Israeli jails,” he told Ynet. “Many boys were detained at roadblocks with weapons, in order to do the tests in jail. Family friends said Hassan’s father was very strict with his son, who was not succeeding in school. Therefore, they estimate, the boy attempted to incriminate himself at the roadblock. “Hassan thought that now he would be with his friends, who were detained in recent weeks, and that way they could study and succeed together,” one acquaintance said. Another boy detained 3 months ago A 15-year-old boy was detained at the same checkpoint only three months ago. In that case, the youngster was carrying a bag containing an explosive belt, an improvised weapon, and 20 bullets. During his interrogation, the boy said he was asked to hand over the bag to a man on the other side of the roadblock. Tuesday’s incident comes amid signs that the lull in violence may be ending. Over the weekend, Palestinians fired dozens of mortar shells and Qassam rockets at Gaza Strip settlements and IDF posts. \|\|\|\|\| > MIDDLE EAST SAUDI ARABIA: FORCED MARRIAGES BANNED The country's top cleric, Grand Mufti Sheik Abdul Aziz al-Asheik, who heads the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars, has banned the practice of forcing women to marry against their will, saying those responsible should be imprisoned, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. "Forcing a woman to marry someone she does not want and preventing her from wedding that whom she chooses is not permissible" under Islamic law, he said. According to Saudi news media, half of the marriages in the country end in divorce, and the high number of forced marriages is thought to be the main reason behind the growing divorce rate. (Agence France-Presse) IRAN: LAWMAKERS ALLOW ABORTION IN LIMITED CASES Parliament approved a bill to allow abortion in the first four months of pregnancy if the life of the mother is in danger or if the fetus is malformed. The bill requires the consent of both parents and approval by three doctors and the coroner's office. The measure still needs approval from the watchdog Guardian Council before it can become a law. Nazila Fathi (NYT) IRAN: CANADIAN DEMAND FOR AUTOPSY IS REJECTED The spokesman for the country's judiciary said the judges had rejected a demand by Canada to return the remains of Zahra Kazemi, an Iranian-Canadian photojournalist who died while in detention in Tehran in 2003, for an autopsy. "Even though she had Canadian citizenship, an Iranian court will investigate her case because she was an Iranian citizen," he said. An Iranian doctor, Shahram Azam, who is in exile in Canada, said this month that he had examined Ms. Kazemi in Tehran and had seen signs that she had been tortured and raped while in custody. Iran's position is that Ms. Kazemi, 54, died after falling and hitting her head. In Canada, a spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew, denounced Iran's decision, saying it was consistent with its "pattern of cover-up and lies." Nazila Fathi (NYT) WEST BANK: PALESTINIAN YOUTH WITH PIPE BOMBS HELD Israeli troops seized a 15-year-old Palestinian boy at a major West Bank checkpoint when he tried to detonate one of five pipe bombs hidden in his overcoat, the military said. It said the youth aroused suspicion at the Hawara checkpoint outside Nablus because he was wearing a heavy coat on a day when temperatures were in the 80's. The soldiers pounced on him when he removed one of the pipe bombs and tried to light it, the military said. \|\|\|\|\| IDF troops detaining a 15-year-old Palestinian boy armed with pipe bombs, in the West Bank on Tuesday. (Reuters) IDF arrests 15-year-old boy carrying five pipe bombs By The Associated Press The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday arrested a 15-year-old Palestinian boy who was carrying five pipe bombs at a busy West Bank checkpoint, a military spokeswoman said. The spokeswoman said the boy, who was not identified, raised the suspicions of soldiers at the Hawara checkpoint outside Nablus when he appeared in a heavy winter coat on a day that temperatures exceeded 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). Israel Radio reported the boy attempted to ignite the bombs with a match before soldiers stopped him. Advertisement The spokeswoman said when soldiers isolated the boy and searched him, they found that he was carrying five pipe bombs. The boy was detained for questioning, the spokeswoman said. In April 2004, soldiers arrested a 16-year-old Palestinian boy with a suicide bomb strapped to his body at the same checkpoint. That boy, Hussam Abdo, later said he was on a mission to kill IDF soldiers. In a separate incident on Tuesday, IDF soldiers operating on the Egyptian border in southern Gaza near Rafah uncovered two 35-kilogram bombs. The bombs were safely detonated by Israeli sappers, the radio reported. \|\|\|\|\| Defense/Security Rifle-Smuggling into Gaza Nipped in the Bud; Terror Continues 17:33 Apr 13, '05 / 4 Nisan 5765 The porous Israeli-Egyptian border at Gaza was partially stopped up last night, when Israeli security authorities discovered and confiscated a stash of 36 rifles about to be smuggled into Gaza. An Israeli Border Police unit thwarted the smuggling of the Kalachnikov automatic rifles, but nine men involved in the attempt managed to flee the scene back into Egypt. Some 140 Kalachnikov rifles have been intercepted by Israeli forces along the Egyptian border since January 1, 2005 - a tiny amount in comparison with those that were not intercepted. According to army estimates, between July 2004 and February 2005, over 3,000 assault rifles were smuggled into Gaza, as well as 400,000 bullets, 400 pistols, and 600 kilograms of explosives. An Arab mob took advantage of the overturning of an IDF jeep in Bethlehem late this afternoon, and began stoning the rescue force that came to help the soldiers. Four soldiers were hurt, including one in light-to-moderate condition, and an Arab who threw bricks at the soldiers was shot and wounded. A teenaged Arab boy attempted to stab an IDF soldier at the Fouriq Checkpoint in Shomron, east of Shechem, this afternoon. The attacker was taken into custody without having succeeded in his goal. Near Shechem yesterday, a 15-year-old Arab boy was caught after being hired by Palestinian terrorists to carry five pipe-bombs into pre-1967 Israel. The boy arrived at the Hawara checkpoint, south of Shechem, during the hot afternoon hours, and his long coat immediately aroused the suspicions of soldiers manning the position. They ordered the teen to halt, with the intention of checking him. However, he then pulled out what appeared to be an ignition device in an attempt to detonate one his five bombs in the direction of the soldiers. A soldier aimed his weapon at him, prompting him to drop all five bombs, which the soldiers later blew up in a controlled explosion. Security officials believe the apprehension of the 15-year-old terrorist averted a series of bombings in Israel. Palestinian terrorists fired two mortar shells towards the Gush Katif town of Gadid last night, and IDF forces found and safely detonated explosives in southern and northern Gaza last night and today. No one was hurt in these incidents. Earlier this week, IDF forces entered the city of Shechem (Nablus) for the first time in two months. They were pursuing a long-time wanted Hizbullah terrorist, who first took refuge in a building but then surrendered peacefully. He was in the midst of planning a major terrorist attack, set to have taken place in the near future. The IDF Judea District Military Court yesterday sentenced several Arab terrorists to several life terms each. A Jenin-area terrorist will serve 20 consecutive life terms in jail for his part in a terrorist bombing in June 2002, in which 19 people were murdered. A suicide terrorist blew himself up on a Jerusalem city bus near Gilo, murdering Dr. Moshe Gottlieb, who was on his way to his weekly volunteer chiropractor work with Down Syndrom children; bus driver Rachamim Tzidkiyahu; 11-year-old Galila Bugala; and 16 others. Another Arab terrorist was sentenced to two consecutive life terms for murdering two Israeli soldiers, in November 2001 and February 2002. Two other Palestinian terrorists were sentenced to seven consecutive jail terms each for several shooting attacks, in which six people were killed. Two days ago, the Samaria District Military Court sentenced the head of the Jenin-area Hamas movement to nine consecutive jail terms, and an additional 20 years, for his direct involvement in the 2002 bus bombing at the Meiron Junction in the north. Nine people were killed in the attack. Published: 11:55 April 13, 2005 Last Update: 17:33 April 13, 2005 E-mail Print Homepage Top of page Comment on this story	Hassan Hashash, a Palestinian aged 15, was detained by the Israeli military on Tuesday, April 12, at the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus in the West Bank. Hashash had been hiding five explosive charges under a winter coat before attempting to ignite one in the presence of Israeli soldiers, the military said. In the sweltering 26°C (78°F) heat, the teenager's incongruous attire caught the attention of an IDF paratrooper nicknamed Muli. "The boy pulled out a matchbox, held up a pipe bomb, and attempted to detonate it," said Muli. "We aimed our weapons at him and told him to move away from us" (Ynet). The military reported that after taking the youth to an isolated area they searched him and found another four explosives. "You could see it's a young child who was sent by someone," said Muli. "I looked into his eyes: he was on the brink of tears and scared to death." The Hawara checkpoint has seen this kind of trouble before. In April 2004, soldiers there arrested a 16-year-old, also Palestinian, with a suicide bomb strapped to his body. The teenager, Hussam Abdo, later told an Israeli newspaper he was on a mission to kill Israeli soldiers. Israeli radio noted that this is the third Palestinian child in the past two months caught attempting to transfer explosives past Israeli checkpoints.
Flooding has destroyed thousands of homes in and around Ouagadougou, the capital, prompting officials on Thursday to call for international help. Seven people have been killed and thousands of others have fled their homes in Burkina Faso after the heaviest rainfall there in 90 years. Simon Compaore, Ouagadougou's mayor, said that more international aid was desperately needed to help ease the crisis. "I would like to join the government's appeal for blankets, clothes and food, because there really is an urgent need for these things," he said. Earlier, Tertius Zongo, the prime minister, said that 150,000 people across the country had been left homeless. "We have been able to find shelter for about 110,000 people but there are others who have taken refuge with their neighbours," he said. Hospital evacuated Many residents of the capital piled whatever belongings they could salvage in the street after their homes were destroyed by the flood waters and the accompanying mud. Aid groups said the flood water had smashed bridges, dams and washed away roads, making their task even more difficult. "Bridges and dams have been destroyed, the main hospital in Ouagadougou which is close to a dam was inundated and some patients including about 60 children were evacuated," Rosine Jourdain, of the Belgian Red Cross in Burkina Faso, said. "An electrical plant was also destroyed so I think we are going to have some power supply problems." Some reports said that among the patients moved out of the capital's main hospital were those with infectious diseases. The government mobilised the army to help firefighters and police deal with the crisis. Seasonal rains from June regularly cause fatal floods and mudslides in West Africa. In 2007, over 800,000 people were affected, some 300 died while homes, crops and infrastructure were washed away. \|\|\|\|\| Torrential rains inundate West Africa Listen to the Interview INTRO: Torrential rains have soaked much of West Africa, killing at least five people and causing 150 thousand others to flee. Burkina Faso is one of the worst affected countries, as we hear from Elizabeth Byrs, spokesperson for OCHA, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: Byrs: And already 100 thousand ten have been relocated in the city of Ouagadougou in the capital, which is also flooded by these unusual strong rains. This situation worsened the beginning of September, first of September. And in particular on the third of September, the city of Ouagadougou received 300 millimetres of rain during this date - it was a deluge - and to give you a comparison, Burkina Faso received one thousand two hundred millimetres of rain per year. It shows the importance and the huge amount of water which fell on Burkina Faso and Ouagadougou. But Burkina Faso is not the only country, which is affected. You have also Benin. Benin floods started in July and the United Nations had already dispatched there in July an expert team to assess the situation to support the authorities, but you have also Ghana, where 25 people died from the bad weather and from the floods. The death toll is likely to increase in the coming days. We have five people drawn in Burkina Faso and we hope that this death toll is not going to dramatically rise in the coming days. But the rainy season is of particular concern this year. Maigua: Burkina Faso appears to be the country worst affected. You said 110 thousand people have been displaced. Where are these people? Where are they being housed? Byrs: They have been housed - they find shelter within the city itself, where the government has provided 93 buildings, 93 shelters for these people. Some of them are in host families, and unfortunately some of them are still without shelter. This is the main concern for the authorities and also for the relief agencies. Maigua: And is the UN providing any assistance to the government, or has the government asked for any assistance? Byrs: The government of Burkina Faso requested international assistance because the situation is pretty bad, so many public infrastructures have been destroyed, bridges have been washed away, the main road is damaged and above all, the main hospital in Ouagadougou had to be evacuated because it was flooded. Narrator: Elizabeth Byrs speaking to our colleague, Patrick Maigua. (duration: 2'38")	According to the United Nations' humanitarian agency, severe flooding in Burkina Faso has affected over 100,000 people, following the country's heaviest rainfall for ninety years. Thousands of homes in the vicinity of Ouagadougou, the country's capital, have been destroyed by the waters. Officials requested international aid for those affected by the disaster. "I would like to join the government's appeal for blankets, clothes and food, because there really is an urgent need for these things," Ouagadougou's mayor Simon Compaore said. The Belgian Red Cross' Rosine Jourdain said that "bridges and dams have been destroyed, the main hospital in Ouagadougou which is close to a dam was inundated and some patients including about 60 children were evacuated. An electrical plant was also destroyed, so I think we are going to have some power supply problems." Flooding has also affected the neighbouring countries of Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, and Senegal. The UN says it is worried that water-borne illnesses, such as cholera and malaria, could start spreading due to the flooding.
A goat's head was delivered to Wrigley Field on Wednesday addressed to Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, a team spokesman confirmed. No note was included, and it was turned over to Chicago police. "We got a call at 2:30 p.m., responding to 1060 West Addison, Wrigley Field," a Chicago Police Department spokesman said. "We're investigating it as an intimidating package." The package was found at Gate K near the field, the team spokesman told the Chicago Tribune. It's possible the goat's head is in reference to a "curse" placed on the team during the 1945 World Series. Restaurant owner Billy Sianis brought his goat to a game, but was asked to leave and he vowed the team would never win again. The Cubs lost that series and have never been back. They last won a championship in 1908, the longest drought in professional sports. The Cubs are currently locked in a tense negotiation with the city and neighborhood regarding the renovation of Wrigley Field and the desire to play more night games. A deal was hoped to have been reached by the start of the regular season but is still being negotiated. \|\|\|\|\| CBS Sports HQ Newsletter We bring sports news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay informed and get a winning edge. I agree that CBS Sports can send me the "CBS Sports HQ Newsletter" newsletter. See All Newsletters Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox for the latest sports news. \|\|\|\|\| (CBS)– Something of a ghoulish surprise arrived at the friendly confines today and people are wondering if it was a prank or something else. At 2:30 p.m. at Gate K, police say a package containing a goat’s head was dropped off. It was addressed to Cubs owner Tom Ricketts. Police were notified and called it a report of an “intimidating package.” It came on a day when the Cubs faced a disappointment. Their 7 p.m. game with the Brewers was put off because of cold and rain in the forecast. Did all of this have something to do with the legendary day back in 1945 when restaurateur Billy Sianis brought a goat to Wrigley and got tossed out? That led to Sianis barking out a curse that the Cubs would never win a World Series at Wrigley. The goat’s head was delivered by an unidentified man driving an unmarked truck. There is surveillance video of the incident as it happened.	Wrigley Field Wednesday at 2:30pm Chicago local time, a goat's head was delivered for owner at his office in . The head was dropped off at Gate K by the unidentified male driver of a van, reportedly not by a member of the . The were notified of the incident, and are investigating. The driver of the truck was recorded on surveillance video. In 1945, when the Cubs last competed in Major League Baseball's , Chicago restaurant owner was ejected from Wrigley Field during the World Series after trying to bring a goat into the stadium. Following the incident, Sianis is alleged to have cursed the team, vowing they would never win the championship again. The incident has become part of Chicago Cubs' fan lore. The day of the incident, the Chicago Cubs game versus the was postponed due to weather. The Cubs organization is also in negotiations with the city of Chicago over possible renovations to Wrigley Field. == Sources == * * *
The Australian doesn't play nicely with your current browser. Please take a moment to upgrade to the latest version. \|\|\|\|\| SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt – Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was abruptly hospitalized Tuesday for heart problems during an investigation over allegations of corruption and violence against protesters, reported state TV. In a sign that his ailment might not be very serious, however, Justice Minister Mohammed el-Guindi said the former president was now being questioned in the hospital. The 82-year-old Mubarak was deposed Feb. 11 after 18 days of popular protests and has been under house arrest in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for the last two months. The public prosecutor announced Monday he was under investigation. Dozens of demonstrators picketed the hospital, denouncing the president and carrying a sign reading "Here is the butcher." They scuffled briefly with supporters of Mubarak amid a massive security presence. El-Guindi said Mubarak was being investigated over his role in the violence against protesters during the uprising in which more than 800 people died. The investigation into corruption charges would be carried out later by the Justice Ministry's anti-corruption department, he said. An investigation of Mubarak's son, Gamal, is also underway in Sharm el-Sheikh, the minister added in comments carried by Egypt's state news agency. Deciding on the site for the interrogation was a dilemma for the authorities who wanted to grant the ailing president a degree of privacy and security. Mubarak arrived under heavy police protection to the main hospital and stepped out of his armored Mercedes unaided before being taken to the presidential suite in the pyramid-shaped building, according to doctors and security officials at the hospital who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The protest movement that deposed Mubarak is now pushing for him to be brought to justice for what they say are decades of abuse. Since Friday, hundreds reoccupied parts of Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo. The protesters had criticized the army for being too close to the old regime and not swiftly bringing Mubarak to trial. On Tuesday, however, a scuffle broke out when some residents tried to break up the four-day sit-in, removing barbed-wire and barricades. The army then moved in and took control of the square and cordoned off the once grassy roundabout that had been the center of many demonstrations. Sanaa Seif, a 17-year-old on the scene, said she saw the army forcibly remove people and the state news agency confirmed that the military police had detained a number of "outlaw thugs" at the square. Mubarak has a history of minor ailments and underwent gallbladder surgery in Germany in March last year. He has kept a low profile since he was ousted, living on his compound in Sharm el-Sheikh. He was banned from traveling and his assets have been frozen. Many of his senior aides have already either been questioned or detained pending investigations. Egypt's state TV reported that Safwat el-Sherif, a senior aide of Mubarak and one of the most powerful men in his regime, was ordered detained for an additional 15 days pending investigations into his role in attacks on protesters during the uprising. El-Sherif had already been remanded into custody for 15 days for the corruption probe. On Sunday, Mubarak defended himself in a pre-recorded message saying he had not abused his authority, and investigators were welcome to check over his assets. It was his first address to the people in the two months since he stepped down. Shortly after, the prosecutor general issued a summons for Mubarak to appear for questioning. Despite series of investigations into former top regime officials, relations between the military and protesters have soured over the last weeks. Protesters say the investigations were slow, and were outweighed by rights abuses by the new rulers. Hundreds of protesters remain in military detention following a demonstration last month, while others have received swift trials before military courts. A military tribunal slapped a three-year prison term on a blogger for charges of insulting the army and spreading false information, further antagonizing the protest movement. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the U.S. is "deeply concerned" about the conviction of Maikel Nabil Sanad. Sanad, 26, carried reports of abuses by the military and accused it of remaining loyal to Mubarak. Toner said Egypt was experiencing a "rocky time" in its transition from autocracy and called on Egyptian authorities to allow greater freedom of expression. This was not kind of progress the U.S. is looking for, he added. Sanad's brother, Mark, said his family was denied the right to visit him Tuesday. His lawyer, Adel Ramadan, said the defense team is preparing to appeal the decision on procedural grounds before a supreme military court. Maj. Gen. Ismail Etman told a private TV station Monday that Sanad's blog was not only insulting, but he also agitated against the country's policy of mandatory military conscription. He added that Sanad might have "foreign links," without elaborating. Sanad, a conscientious objector, had also expressed pro-Israel sentiments, and recorded a video appealing to Israelis during the uprising to show solidarity with Egyptians. ________ Associated Press Writer Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report from Cairo. \|\|\|\|\| Egypt's Hosni Mubarak in hospital after 'heart attack' Hosni Mubarak is said to have been refusing food and drink Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is in intensive care after suffering a heart attack, say state media. He was taken ill while meeting prosecutors investigating the killing of hundreds of protesters and allegations of corruption, reports say. The manager of the hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh said Mr Mubarak's condition was "almost stable". Mr Mubarak, 82, stood down on 11 February following an 18-day popular uprising against his rule. State TV quotes medical sources as saying that Mr Mubarak, had refused to eat or drink since being summoned by the public prosecutor on Sunday. Mr Mubarak's two sons, Alaa and Gamal, are also under investigation and are being questioned at the prosecutor's office in al-Tor in South Sinai governorate, where the former president is said to have been when he suffered the reported medical emergency. Scuffles "There is a state of confusion inside the hospital and only patients are allowed in," Ashraf Swaylam, a news reporter for the state-run station Nile TV, said earlier. The hospital was accepting no patients except for emergency cases, another local media report said. Protesters picketed the hospital, denouncing the president and carrying a sign reading "Here is the butcher", AP news agency reported. They scuffled with supporters of Mr Mubarak. Mr Mubarak underwent gall bladder surgery in the German city of Heidelberg last year and there were reports that he had remained in poor health, although his aides had denied this. A BBC correspondent says it is understood that the former president's doctors had asked Egypt's ruling military council for permission to send him back to Germany for treatment, but that this was refused. Mr Mubarak has been banned from leaving the country, along with his sons and their wives, and the family's assets have been frozen. In a pre-recorded audio message on Sunday, he broke his silence of the last two months to say his reputation and that of his sons had been damaged and he would work to clear their names. Square cleared Correspondents say he has been keeping a low profile in Sharm el-Sheikh, a Red Sea resort, after fleeing to his holiday villa there when he was overthrown. In a separate development, soldiers and police are said to have ended a five-day occupation of Cairo's Tahrir Square by hundreds of protesters. They had been demanding civilian rule and swifter prosecution of disgraced former officials, principally Mr Mubarak. There were clashes on the first night of the occupation and tensions had remained high. \|\|\|\|\| Mubarak in intensive care after heart attack CAIRO — Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak went into intensive care in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, shortly after suffering a heart attack during questioning by prosecutors on Tuesday, state media reported. "Former president Hosni Mubarak went into intensive care at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital after suffering a heart attack," the official MENA agency said. Prosecutors had begun questioning Mubarak and his son Gamal earlier on Tuesday, Justice Minister Abdel Aziz al-Guindi was quoted as saying by MENA. "But the questioning over acquiring wealth illegally has not yet started as that will be handled by the department of illicit gains," Guindi said. Earlier, a security official said that both sons, Alaa and Gamal were being questioned in the south Sinai capital of al-Tor, but headed back south to Sharm el-Sheikh after hearing their father had gone into intensive care. Mubarak went into hospital at 5:00 pm (1500 GMT) in the Red Sea resort where he has been living with his family since nationwide protests forced him to step down in February. State television reported that Mubarak had refused to eat or drink since he received news on Tuesday morning that he was to be questioned. On Sunday, public prosecutor Abdel Magid Mahmud ordered the inquiry, as part of a sweeping probe into corruption and abuse. Nationwide protests that erupted on January 25 forced Mubarak to give up his 30-year grip on power and hand the reins to a military council. "Mubarak was admitted to the Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital this afternoon, amid a very heavy security presence in the town," a security source told AFP. He was admitted by his bodyguards to the VIP wing of the hospital, state television reported, adding that the hospital was not accepting any patients except for emergency cases. Police cars and ambulances surrounded the hospital, as well as a heavy military police presence, the television said. The former president was dressed in a black and white track suit, a witness said. Asked if Mubarak was in good health, hospital director Mohammed Fathallah replied: "Somewhat." The state-owned daily Al-Ahram, citing sources in Sharm el-Sheikh, said on its website that Mubarak had gone to hospital "under the pretext of being unwell in order to avoid facing questioning." The Mubaraks were to be asked about allegations that they were "connected to the crimes of assault against protesters, leading to deaths and injuries," the official MENA news agency said on Sunday. The riots, which saw repeated clashes between protesters, and police and Mubarak loyalists left an estimated 800 people dead and more than 6,000 injured. The former president was also to be quizzed about allegations of graft, MENA added. The prosecutor's summons came after the broadcast of an audio tape in which Mubarak defended his reputation and after weeks of mounting protests calling for him to be put on trial. In the audio message aired on the pan-Arab television network Al-Arabiya, Mubarak complained he was the victim of a smear campaign. He pledged his assistance in a probe of his family's foreign assets, but his defiance in threatening lawsuits against the media angered Egyptians who have been pressing for his trial. After he resigned, Mubarak and his family moved to a residence in Sharm el-Sheikh. Although he is subject to a travel ban, his relative freedom has been a thorn in the side of the military rulers. Weekly protests demanding his trial have attracted tens of thousands and eventually led to a deadly clash with soldiers early Saturday after they tried to clear an overnight demonstration in Cairo's Tahrir Square. The military acknowledged that one person died from a gunshot wound but denied it used force or live ammunition to disperse the protesters. Idolised as a saviour at the beginning of the revolt because it refused to crack down on protesters, the army has faced increasing criticism for stalling on reforms, not putting Mubarak in the dock and alleged human rights abuses. Copyright © 2013 AFP. All rights reserved. More »	Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has been refused permission to leave the country for medical treatment in Germany after suffering a heart attack during questioning by prosecutors who allege he was involved in corruption and killings while in government. The former leader was transported to hospital this afternoon days after he defended himself against allegations of . Hosni Mubarak pictured in 2003. Mubarak, who is banned from leaving Egypt, was today taken to hospital in the coastal city of , where he has been living since being from power following widespread protests across the country, a security source confirmed. It is understood aides have requested he be allowed to leave the country for Germany, where he underwent surgery on his last year. Officials close to Mubarak have repeatedly insisted recent reports that the former leader's health was deteriorating were false. The hospital is reported to have effectively shut down since Mubarak's admission today, and is only accepting emergencies, although ''Wikinews'' cannot independently verify this report. The security source said Mubarak was taken to hospital "amid a very heavy security presence in the town" this afternoon after maintaining a low profile in the city, on the coast with the . He arrived at the hospital in his armored , flanked by heavy police protection, according to two doctors who spoke anonymously. Hearing the news of the hospitalization a number of protesters arrived at the hospital to picket against the former president. The hospital declined to make any comment on the news, and said the Egyptian minister of health would make a statement later today. Mubarak was being questioned by Egyptian officials, who summoned him for interrogation at the weekend, when he was taken to hospital. Prosecutors allege he ordered security forces to fire on people protesting against his rule. In an audio interview broadcast on television station '''', he said he would robustly defend himself against what he termed an "unjust" campaign of "distortions, lies and incitement" against him. He claimed his enemies were systematically aiming to "tarnish my reputation and discredit my integrity," and said he would legally fight those who "engaged in lies and distortions against me."
An alarm for heavy chemical pollution has been issued in the L'vov region, Ukraine, where yesterday evening a railway disaster led to a fire involving 15 containers of liquid yellow phosphor. (pictures at: http://www.vesti.ru/photo.html?id=130484 text in Russian). Podrobnosti.com.ua reports that the fire started when one of the containers started to leak and the phosphor caught fire. Extinguishing the fire proved extremely difficult, since water cannot be used, as in contact with phosphorus it would generate poisonous gas. It took six hours before the flames were over. Gas was generated anyway, at the moment the poisoned surface extends on about 90 sq. km. The casualties count is already heavy: 20 people were injured, 13 of them are in critical conditions, they have been carried to the L'vov hospital. . (video at: http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=130484&cid=1# text in Russian) The poisoned area includes 14 villages. From the five villages that are closer to the disaster area some 800 people have already been evacuated, half of them had to manage on their own as there was not enough public transport for all. At the moment there is no available data about the wind direction and next expected movements of the phosphorus cloud. Special firemen units remain on place to control the possibility of a new fire, while the Admistration of the L'vov Region is trying to forecast the possible short and mid term evolution of the situation. The Ukrainian Railways have officially excluded the possibility of a terrorist act as a cause for the disaster. Podrobnosti.com.ua reports the deadly dose of yellow phosphor at 0,1 g. According to the same source, when poisoning living beings phosphor attacks their bones, their spinal cord, and it starts liver necrosis. \|\|\|\|\| KIEV, Ukraine -- A freight train derailed and released a cloud of toxic gas that sent at least 20 people to hospitals, an accident that touched nerves still raw more than two decades after the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster. Hundreds of people were evacuated and others fled their homes on their own after the Monday evening derailment sparked a fire in a cargo of yellow phosphorous, creating a cloud of gas that affected 14 villages in the former Soviet republic. Twenty people were hospitalized, although their lives were not in danger, said Defense Ministry spokesman Ihor Halyavinsky. Authorities later said that six had been released, although media reports said other people in the area sought medical help. "A disaster has happened. After the Chernobyl catastrophe we are dealing with (another) case that can pose a real threat for our people," said Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk, who went to the area in the Lviv region. "It is an extraordinary event, the consequences of which cannot be predicted." He later backtracked on the remark, and other officials took pains to stress that the situation was under control and the danger minimal. "The cloud of a toxic gas dispersed and there is no threat for people's lives," said Ihor Krol, spokesman for the Emergency Situations Ministry. The train, en route from Kazakhstan to Poland, derailed near Lviv, and 15 of its 58 cars overturned, Krol said. Six of them caught fire and the poison cloud spread over a 35-square-mile area containing 14 villages, he said. Rescuers extinguished the blaze. Phosphorus compounds are chiefly used in fertilizers, although they are important components of pesticides, toothpaste, detergents as well as explosives and fireworks. The highly toxic substance can cause liver damage if consumed. Emergency workers sprinkled contaminated land with soda and sand and tried to cool off the cars, Krol said. Residents were advised to stay inside, not to use water from wells, eat vegetables from their gardens or drink milk produced by their cows. Of the 11,000 people living in the contaminated area, 815 were evacuated, Krol said. Media reports said other people had left the villages amid uncertainty about the effects of the accident. On independent Channel 5 television, an elderly woman and a middle-aged man in one of the affected villages _ neither identified _ said authorities had not told them how to respond to the accident. "Doctors did not come to our village. I only saw advice about what to do on TV," the woman said. Concerns about the government response to such accidents still lingers from the 1986 explosion and fire at the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine, then a Soviet republic. The Soviet government kept the world's worst civilian nuclear accident under wraps for days and played down the disaster long afterward. Transport Minister Mykola Rudkovsky said a commission was working at the scene to determine the cause of the rail accident. A criminal case was opened, which is standard practice in former Soviet republics, and state railway agency director Volodymyr Kozak said sabotage had been ruled out. \|\|\|\|\| "Укрзал╕зниця" исключает диверсию на Львовской железной дороге Государственная администрация железнодорожного транспорта Украины "Укрзал╕зниця" исключает возможность диверсии на Львовской железной дороге. "То, что это диверсия, я такую версию не рассматриваю", - сказал генеральный директор "Укрзал╕зниц╕" Владимир Козак на пресс-конференции во вторник, 17 июля. По его словам, возможных причин аварий несколько: состояние верхнего строения пути, состояние подвижного состава, а также соблюдение правил перевозки опасных грузов. Впрочем, Козак тут же добавил, что пути были в хорошем состоянии. Пассажирские поезда могли двигаться по нему со скоростью 120 километров в час, а грузовые - 90 километров в час. По словам Козака, в результате аварии повреждено 130 метров пути, одна опора контактной сети и 15 вагонов. Он также отметил, что в данный момент пожар находится под контролем, готовы к работе восстановительные поезда и после разрешения правительственной комиссии на ремонт все неполадки будут устранены в течение четырех-пяти часов. Движение поездов не ограничивалось и осуществляется по обходным маршрутам. В частности, пассажирские поезда отстают от графиков на 1-2 часа и двигаются через станции Тернополь-Львов-Здолбунов-Ковель-Сокаль-Клепаров. Не ограничивалась и транспортировка грузов. Как сообщалось, в понедельник, 16 июля, на 12-м километре перегона Ожидов - Красное во Львовской области сошли с рельсов 15 цистерн с желтым фосфором, который может представлять опасность для жизни и здоровья 11-ти тысяч человек, которые проживают в 14 населенных пунктах возле места аварии. \|\|\|\|\| Пожар на месте аварии поезда до сих пор не ликвидирован Пожар, возникший в результате загорания цистерн с желтым фосфором, окончательно не ликвидирован, поскольку местами возникают новые очаги возгорания, а пены на их гашение не хватает. Об этом агентству "РБК-Украина" сообщил глава Бускской районной госадминистрации (РГА) Николай Билинский. По его словам, пожар уже не такой интенсивный и мощный. По последним данным, уже около 200 семей эвакуированы, но люди неохотно оставляют дома, поскольку в их дворах остаются скот, домашние животные и птица. Он добавил, что на месте происшествия работает около 40 спецмашин, но, по полученной им информации, у пожарных не хватает пены на гашение. Напомним, во Львовской области в Бускском районе на перегонке Красное-Ожидив вчера вечером перевернулись 15 цистерн с желтым фосфором, следовавшие из Казахстана в Польшу. Из-за утечки фосфора из одной цистерны произошло самовоспламенение 6 цистерн. Во время гашения пожара образовалось облако из продуктов горения (зона поражения около 90 квадратных километров). В зону поражения попали 14 населенных пунктов Бускского района и отдельные территории Радехивского и Бродивского районов области.	An alarm for heavy chemical pollution has been issued in the Lviv region, Ukraine, where yesterday evening a railway disaster led to a fire involving 15 containers of liquid yellow phosphorus. Extinguishing the fire proved extremely difficult because water cannot be used: in contact with phosphorus, water creates poisonous gas. It took six hours before the flames were extinguished. Gas was generated nonetheless, and at the moment the poisoned area extends about 90 sq. km. The casualties count is already heavy: 20 people are reported injured, 13 of them in critical condition. They have been carried to the Lviv hospital. ''Podrobnosti'' reports that the fire started when one of the containers started to leak and the phosphor caught fire. Map highlighting Lviv and the Lviv Oblast. The poisoned area includes 14 villages. From the five villages that are closer to the disaster area some 800 people have already been evacuated. Half of the evacuees had to manage on their own as there was not enough public transport for all. At the moment there is no available data about the wind direction or next expected movements of the phosphorus cloud. Special firemen units remain on place to control the possibility of a new fire, while the administration of the Lviv Oblast tries to forecast the possible short- and mid-term evolution of the situation. The Ukrainian Railways have officially excluded the possibility of a terrorist act as a cause for the disaster. ''Podrobnosti'' reports the deadly dose of yellow phosphor at 0.1 g. According to that source, when poisoning living beings, phosphor causes liver necrosis and attacks the bones and spinal cord.
The Arizona senator joined a list of high-profile Republicans, including Bob Corker, who have opted to retire amid the turmoil of Donald Trump’s presidency Arizona senator Jeff Flake on Tuesday launched an extraordinary attack against Donald Trump and the “complicity” of the Republican party while announcing his decision to leave the Senate. Flake, a key Republican critic of Trump, said he was retiring at the end of his term in 2018 because there was no room for him in the party under the current president’s stewardship. He then delivered an emotional appeal from the Senate floor against the state of affairs under Trump, bemoaning that his Republican colleagues had “given in or given up on core principles in favor of a more viscerally satisfying anger and resentment”. Jeff Flake: conservatives face a crisis. We must now tell and expect the truth Read more “It is time for our complicity and our accommodation for the unacceptable to end,” Flake said. “There are times when we must risk our careers in favor of our principles. Now is such a time. “We must never allow ourselves to lapse into thinking that that is just the way things are now,” he added. “We must stop pretending that the degradation of our politics and the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal.” “Reckless, outrageous, and undignified behavior has become excused and countenanced as ‘telling it like it is’ when it is actually just reckless, outrageous, and undignified.” He said such behavior was “dangerous to our democracy” and projected not strength but a “corruption of the spirit”. He then asked his colleagues: “When the next generation asks us: ‘Why didn’t you do something? Why didn’t you speak up? What are we going to say?’” Flake joins a list of high-profile Republicans who have jumped ship in recent months amid the turmoil of Trump’s presidency. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, declared his retirement last month and has since been locked in a bitter feud with Trump that reached new heights on Tuesday. Hours before Flake’s announcement, Trump’s war of words with Corker escalated in unprecedented fashion ahead of a meeting between the president and Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill. Prior to the closed-door luncheon, Corker branded Trump as an “utterly untruthful president” on NBC’s Today Show. In a separate interview with CNN, Corker went even further, stating of the president: “I don’t know why he lowers himself to such a low, low standard and debases our country in that way but he does.” Coupled with Flake’s scathing remarks on the Senate floor, the growing list of Republicans sounding the alarm over Trump’s presidency marked a potential watershed moment within the party. Several prominent Republicans have spoken out, albeit in veiled terms, against so-called “Trumpism” in recent weeks. McCain, who represents Arizona alongside Flake in the Senate, denounced “half-baked, spurious nationalism” in a speech last week that also decried the abdication of US leadership on the global stage. Days later, George W Bush condemned bigotry while declaring American politics “more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication”. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, played into the intra-party rift by dubbing Flake’s decision as “a good move” while telling reporters his remarks were not “befitting of the Senate floor”. Speaking at the daily White House briefing, Sanders dismissed the criticisms made by Flake and Corker. “Look, I think the voters of these individual senators’ states are speaking in pretty loud volumes,” she said. “I think they were not likely to be re-elected and I think that shows the support is more behind this president than it is those two individuals.” In his Senate floor speech, Flake implored Republicans to do away with the political considerations that have enabled Trump to challenge to norms of governance and basic decorum. “The alliances and agreements that ensure the stability of the entire world are routinely threatened by the level of thought that goes into 140 characters,” Flake said. “Would we Republicans meekly accept such behavior on display from dominant Democrats? Of course we wouldn’t. And we would be wrong if we did.” “When we remain silent and fail to act ... because of political considerations, because we might make enemies, because we might alienate the base,” he added, “we dishonor our principles and forsake our obligations.” Flake was one of the few Republican senators who declined to endorse Trump during the 2016 presidential election. Earlier this year, he published a book framing the rise of Trump as a moment of reckoning for the Republican party. Flake’s candor highlighted the discord within the Republican party in the aftermath of Trump’s successful insurgent campaign. Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, declared war on the Republican establishment after leaving the White House in August to take down incumbents perceived by the base as insufficient in their support of the president’s agenda. A Bannon ally celebrated the news of Flake’s retirement, texting the Guardian: “Another scalp!” Although Flake had raised millions for his re-election campaign, his criticism of Trump loomed over what was poised to be a tough primary against rightwing challengers that included Kelli Ward, the former Arizona state senator who failed to unseat John McCain in November. Ward had dubbed Flake’s refusal to endorse Trump in the 2016 campaign “treacherous”. Amplifying pressure from the right, Trump met with some of Flake’s potential challengers ahead of a rally in Phoenix in August and subsequently attacked the senator on Twitter, writing: “Not a fan of Jeff Flake, weak on crime & border!” Flake was a co-author of a comprehensive immigration reform bill in 2013 that would have provided a pathway to citizenship for roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US. He also differed from Trump on trade, but ultimately told the Arizona Republic newspaper his decision to leave the Senate was a moral choice. Corker and Flake’s decisions to step aside leave room for Republicans to run new candidates who might be less tarnished by the toxicity of Trump’s tenure. Senate Leadership Fund, the Super Pac dedicated to preserving the Republican majority in the upper chamber, said Flake’s decision would ultimately help to thwart Bannon’s crusade against incumbent Republicans. “The one political upshot of Sen Flake’s decision today is that Steve Bannon’s hand-picked candidate, conspiracy-theorist Kelli Ward, will not be the Republican nominee for this Senate seat in 2018,” the group’s president and CEO, Steven Law, said in a statement. The move nonetheless removed yet another strong, household name from a seat being eyed as a potential pickup by Democrats, who are seeking to regain control of a Republican-led Congress. Democrats are rallying behind the Arizona congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema, known as a rare centrist voice in the increasingly polarized country’s capital. Senior Republican feuds with Trump, saying he's 'debasing our nation' Read more Political operatives in Washington were surprised by Flake’s announcement, which followed a slew of similar decisions from Republicans in swing states. Several Republicans serving in the House of Representatives have announced plans to retire, including David Trott of Michigan, David Reichert of Washington, Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, leaving an opening for Democrats in competitive districts. By contrast, at least one moderate Republican voice, Senator Susan Collins, has said she will seek re-election in Maine. Alex Conant, a partner at Firehouse Strategies who worked on Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign, said it was a “troubling trend” for reliable conservatives like Flake to feel as though they no longer had a place in the Republican party. “It’s no secret that there’s a lot of divisions within the Republican party right now. A lot of Republican leaders are uncomfortable with the direction that Trump is leading us,” Conant said. Additional reporting by Ben Jacobs and David Smith \|\|\|\|\| Story highlights Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican, has long feuded with President Donald Trump Flake faced a GOP primary challenger next year and a tough re-election fight Watch Sen. Jeff Flake on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper" Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Washington (CNN) Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona will not run for re-election, saying Tuesday he wouldn't embrace President Donald Trump to win next year's Republican primary. "Here's the bottom line: The path that I would have to travel to get the Republican nomination is a path I'm not willing to take, and that I can't in good conscience take," Flake told The Arizona Republic. He intends to detail his decision to retire on the Senate floor on Tuesday, the newspaper reported. Will Allison, Flake's campaign spokesman, confirms to CNN that he is not running. His decision means Flake joins retiring Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker as an outspoken critic of Trump with nothing to lose in the year before 2018's midterm elections. Read More \|\|\|\|\| WASHINGTON — Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., announced Tuesday he will not run for reelection next year, expressing dismay with President Donald Trump and the direction of the Republican Party. "We must stop pretending that the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal. They are not normal," Flake said in a passionate speech on the Senate floor that was aimed clearly at Trump. He added, "When the next generation asks us, why didn’t you do something? Why didn’t you speak up? What are we going to say?" Play Facebook Twitter Embed Watch Jeff Flake's Full Senate Floor Speech on His Retirement, the GOP's Future and Trump 17:19 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog "There may not be a place for a Republican like me in the current Republican climate or the current Republican Party," Flake, a strong critic of Trump, told the Arizona Republic. Earlier this year, he published "Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle," which drew on conservative icon Barry Goldwater while bashing Trump’s brand of politics. The one-term senator faced a potentially ugly primary against former state Sen. Kelli Ward, a fire-brand conservative backed by former Trump strategist Steve Bannon who had previously challenged Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots, which hails from the Trump wing, called Flake's announcement, "the best decision he ever made as senator." Flake is an orthodox conservative who took an ideological stand against much of what Trump stands for while still voting with the president and GOP leaders the vast majority of the time. Despite Flake’s widely recognized talents as a politician, his positioning ultimately left him alienated from both wings of his increasingly divided party. "He’s sort of in the worst of both worlds," said Arizona Democratic strategist Andy Barr. "Moderates have come to believe that he’ll vote for them when he won’t, and Trump people think he’s the antichrist for some reason." Democrats had put Flake’s seat in the number-two spot on their target list in next year’s midterm elections, but it’s not immediately clear what Flake’s retirement means for the race. On the one hand, open seats tend to be more vulnerable, but on the other hand polls showed Flake was unpopular in Arizona, and therefore potentially uniquely vulnerable. \|\|\|\|\| The future of President Donald Trump’s promised border wall lies in massive pieces in the California desert. NBC News got an early look at the eight nearly-finished prototypes, assembled near the existing fence along the U.S.-Mexico border miles outside San Diego, ahead of Thursday's deadline for the sections to be completed. Four of the prototypes are made from concrete and are competing for the chance to be used for the concrete portions of the wall. The other four prototypes are made from non-concrete materials that are competing to be used for the stretches of barrier that can be seen through. All are between 18 and 30 feet high. Two of the eight prototypes — one solid, the other see-through — seen from across the border in Tijuana. Guillermo Arias / AFP - Getty Images After the Thursday deadline passes, each sample will be tested on several criteria, officials said. “We're going to test it for breachability. For the subterranean aspect,” Roy Villareal, the Deputy Chief Patrol Agent of the San Diego Sector of CBP, told NBC News. “Can we dig under it? Can we cut through it? Can we scale over it?” According to a rendering released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, Trump’s wall has been envisioned as a multi-faceted barrier that features a concrete stretch facing the U.S. and a non-concrete stretch facing Mexico that would allow officials to see through it. A graphic presented by border patrol during a presentation about the proposed border wall. NBC News This image shows the concrete portion of the wall (E) would sit on the U.S.-facing side of an electronically monitored zone and another barrier (B) — which can be seen through — faces toward the Mexico. The monitoring zone would be about 150 feet wide and alert patrol agents if someone breached the initial border barrier. But even with the prototypes nearing completion, the question over how the U.S. would fund the entire wall remains unanswered. Trump has said repeatedly that Mexico will pay for the wall; Mexico has said just as many times that it will not. The White House’s proposed 2018 budget seeks $1.8 billion to begin building new sections of the wall and replace existing ones, which would include money to build 28 miles of levee wall in the Rio Grande Valley and 14 miles of new wall to replace fences south of San Diego. White House officials have suggested that the entire wall project could cost between $8 and $12 billion, but internal DHS assessments suggest the cost could be higher — as much as $21 billion. This combination of pictures shows the eight prototypes of President Donald Trump's U.S.-Mexico border wall near San Diego seen from across the border from Tijuana, Mexico, on Oct. 22, 2017. Guillermo Arias / AFP - Getty Images Even bigger questions, however, surround whether a massive wall would be effective. Villareal acknowledged “It's hard to gauge” whether a massive wall would cut historically-low apprehensions along the border. “There's always going to be some form of crime, or in this case, illegal migration,” he said. Residents of Mexico put it more bluntly. “I don't know why Donald Trump is so obsessed with this unnecessary waste of money,” Pedro Murillo, a man who tried to cross the border as young man, told NBC News from the Mexican side of the border. “Because, there will always be a way to cross.” \|\|\|\|\| No matter how many times President Donald Trump tries to re-write his ban on travel to the United States for citizens of certain nations, he can’t change the effort’s origin: his campaign pledge to keep Muslims out of the United States. He can claim it is the product of a security review. He can add a nation that sends practically no one to the U.S. in the first place or bar a handful of people from another. But religious discrimination remains at its root. This week a federal judge in Hawaii said as much when he struck down most of Mr. Trump’s third revision of an executive order originally issued in January that would have restricted travel to the U.S. by citizens of predominantly Muslim countries. The first two orders were both blocked by the courts on the grounds that they unlawfully discriminated against individuals based on their nationality or religion. On Tuesday, District Court Judge Derrick K. Watson concluded that Mr. Trump’s latest effort likewise “suffers from precisely the same maladies as its predecessor.” On Wednesday, a federal district judge in Maryland, Theodore D. Chuang, blocked the order’s application to anyone with a bona fide relationship with someone in the United States on the same grounds, calling the third order an “inextricable re-animation of the twice-enjoined Muslim ban.” A ban on Muslims by any other name is still a Muslim ban because, Judge Watson wrote, “it plainly discriminates based on nationality” in a way that violates “the founding principles of this Nation.” There was never much doubt about what the administration was trying to achieve through the president’s order. Mr. Trump made it crystal clear in 2015 that one of his first official acts as president would be to impose a “total ban” on Muslim immigration to this country. Though the White House has since tried to tone that down and reframe the issue in terms of tighter border controls and national security, it’s obvious Mr. Trump is obsessed with fulfilling that early campaign pledge, which is red meat to his base. The president undoubtedly is betting the Supreme Court eventually will take up the matter and rule in his favor given that Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, now sits on the bench. But even if the high court somehow finds a way to declare the president’s actions legally justified, that won’t make them morally right. Americans have long prided themselves on living in an open society that welcomes the contributions of visitors from around the world. Shutting the door against people simply because of their religious beliefs or where they were born ought to be anathema to anyone who honors the global invitation engraved on the base of the Statue of Liberty: “Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” In a statement, the White House lashed out against Judge Watson’s order, saying the ban was based on an “extensive worldwide security review” by the Department of of Homeland Security, and that the court’s action “undercuts the President’s efforts to keep the American people safe and enforce minimum security for entry into the United States.” Yet Judge Watson found that the administration had failed to present any evidence of a link between a person’s nationality and the potential threat they posed. “The categorical restrictions on entire populations of men, women, and children, based upon nationality, are a poor fit for the issues regarding the sharing of public safety and terrorism-related information,” he wrote. In other words, if the goal is to keep Americans safe from terrorist attack, turning people away at the border because of their nationality or religion is one of the least effective things we can do. Mr. Trump may never appreciate that hard truth, however. His instinct is always to blame someone else, and “Muslims” as a group are an easy target that relieves him of the obligation of thinking through the long-term consequences of his impulsive policy choices. The president’s “Muslim ban” was an absurdity from the start, and in a healthy body politic it never would have been allowed to take root in any serious national conservation about terrorism. But these are not normal times. We’re heartened by the judicial restraints the courts have so far managed to impose on the president’s power to arbitrarily determine who can and cannot legally enter the country. But we also recognize those restraints may only be temporary. The ultimate protector of American values lies in the people electing representatives who will uphold them. Become a subscriber today to support editorial writing like this. Start getting full access to our signature journalism for just 99 cents for the first four weeks. \|\|\|\|\| Although voter turnout is usually low, primary elections can be more important than the general election in certain states. Photo by Hill Street Studios/Getty Images. New Jersey voters head to the polls Tuesday for two critical primary contests that will determine who will be competing in the Oct. 16 general election to find a permanent replacement for the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat. Each state sets its own laws governing when they’re held, who can vote in them, and how candidates advance to the general election. In some states, primaries are considered to be more important than the general election. Primaries come in two main categories: partisan and non-partisan. In a partisan primary, each state holds mini-elections for each major political party before the general election date. Candidates of the same political affiliation face off to determine who will receive the party nod and advance to compete with the candidate of the other major political party in the general election. Who can vote in a partisan primary depends on the law. There are three types of partisan primaries: open, closed, and semi-closed. Closed primaries are only open to those registered with that party. But some states opted for semi-closed primaries to avoid exclusion of independent voters. In that case, independents are allowed to cast ballots in either party’s primary. In some states, like Utah, each political party is allowed to choose the type of primary the party will hold, so Republicans hold closed primaries and Democrats hold semi-closed contests. There are a few different variations of this system. In 2011, Idaho passed a law allowing parties to choose preferred primary types, but that requires voters be bound to that party affiliation in the next election. In Arizona where the rules are even stricter, only people pre-registered with a political party are issued a ballot. In an open primary all voters can select a ballot for any party, regardless of their political registration, but they can only vote in one contest. Most states require that voters be registered with some political party. Open primary supporters argue more people can participate when independent voters are encouraged to cast ballots. Open primary elections were adopted during the Progressive Movement of the turn of the century because they were seen as a way to put power in the hands of the people. Citizens could choose their candidates for office through a popular vote, rather than leaving the selection of a candidate up to the caucus power of political party bosses. Open primary critics say this system would allow members of one political party to vote in the rival party’s contest in hopes of helping to nominate the weakest candidate. (See Rush Limbaugh’s Operation “Chaos,” for example). This is known as raiding, but there is little proof such a practice has ever actually affected an election result. In states with closed primaries that lean heavily towards one political party, the primary is the election which usually determines who ascend to office. In New Jersey, a Republican has not been elected to the Senate in over 40 years. There are two candidates running for the Republican nomination: Steve Lonegan, a tea party conservative who twice sought the gubernatorial nomination, and Alieta Eck, a doctor who has never held public office. This race is widely considered so difficult for Republicans to win that many potential candidates sat it out. Similarly, the Senate race in Wyoming centers on the fight between Sen. Michael Enzi and Liz Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney. In a state as Republican-leaning as Wyoming, it is highly unlikely a Democrat would win statewide office. The last Democrat elected to the Senate from Wyoming was John J. Hickey who was appointed to the position to fill the vacancy left by the death of Keith Thomson, who suffered a heart attack before he could assume office in 1961. California and Washington state have opted for a non-partisan blanket or “Top Two” primary election, sometimes called a “jungle” primary. In these states all candidates for office run on the same ballot in one primary, and the candidate who wins a simple majority of the vote (over 50 percent) wins. If nobody wins more than 50 percent of the vote, then the top two candidates advance to a runoff election. This was done in order to create more competition among candidates and give citizens who live in areas historically dominated by one party more choices. It is common under this system to have two candidates from the same political party compete against each other in the general election. Under this system, people who are not members of the dominant party can still have a say in which candidate better represents their views. For an interactive map detailing each state’s primary rules and regulations click here	Arizona Senator Jeff Flake announced on Tuesday he will not seek reelection when his term in the is up next year, citing issues within the United States Republican Party and with President Donald Trump, whose behavior he called "reckless, outrageous, and undignified." The Trump administration said Flake had poor support among his constituency. In a speech on the floor of the Senate, Flake said, "The notion that one should stay silent as the norms and values that keep America strong are undermined and as the alliances and agreements that ensure the stability of the entire world are routinely threatened by the level of thought that goes into 140 characters — the notion that one should say and do nothing in the face of such mercurial behavior is ahistoric and," he said, "I believe, profoundly misguided." He later added on CNN's '''', "It's difficult to move forward in a Republican primary if you have been critical of any of the behavior that's gone on... We Republicans certainly can't countenance that kind of behavior. We ought to stand up and say 'This is not right. This is not us. This is not conservative.' " Senator Jeff Flake in 2016. "Based on the lack of support he has from the people of Arizona, retirement's probably a good move," told the media. Recent polls showed Flake has limited popularity with Republicans in Arizona. Last year President Trump told other Arizona politicians he planned to personally spend US$10 million to see that Flake did not win the Republican primary, the intra-party election that names the party's official candidate. About two months ago Trump tweeted in support of Flake's rival for the primary nod, , "Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He's toxic!" Republican Senators and , who have also been critical of President Trump, stood and clapped at the end of Flake's floor speech. Corker later called Flake a "real conservative." Republican Senator of Maine described herself as deeply disappointed by Flake's decision. Republican Senator and Senator referred to it as "sad" and "depressing." Kaine commented, "When someone as good and decent a person as Jeff Flake does not think he can continue in the body, it's a very tragic day for the institution." Flake has recently published a book, ''Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle'', in which he criticizes what he sees as Trump's negative effect on the tone of United States politics. Politically, Flake has differed from President Trump on trade and immigration, specifically the and the , with Flake in favor of both agreements and Trump against. Flake also co-authored a 2013 law that would have given undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship if it had passed. Trump is in the early stages of building a wall on the U.S.– border in an attempt to prevent people from entering the U.S. illegally and has issued three executive orders limiting immigration from specific countries, though these were later blocked. United States senators serve six-year terms. One third of the Senate is elected or reelected every two years. == Sources == * * * * * * * CAT:United StatesCAT:Politics and conflictsCAT:ElectionsCAT:Republican Party (United States)CAT:ArizonaCAT:Donald Trump
Guergis faces RCMP probe Minister resigns from cabinet, saying past 9 months a 'very difficult time' Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces on Friday that Helena Guergis has resigned from cabinet. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press) Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces on Friday that Helena Guergis has resigned from cabinet. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press) Prime Minister Stephen Harper has asked former cabinet minister Helena Guergis to sit outside the Conservative caucus while the RCMP investigates "serious" allegations over her conduct. In an email sent Friday before the prime minister held a news conference in Ottawa, Guergis announced she had resigned as minister of state for the status of women, ending her tumultuous tenure in Harper's cabinet. Helena Guergis speaks during question period in the House of Commons earlier this month. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press) Helena Guergis speaks during question period in the House of Commons earlier this month. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press) Harper said he learned of the allegations against Guergis on Thursday night and immediately referred them to the Mounties, as well as the commissioners for ethics and conflict of interest. In the meantime, he has asked Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose to assume Guergis's cabinet responsibilities. "Those allegations had to do with Ms. Guergis's conduct and do not involve any other minister, member of Parliament, or federal government employee," Harper told reporters outside the Commons, without providing more details about the allegations. "Ms. Guergis offered her resignation from the ministry, and I accepted it. Pending a resolution, she will sit outside of the Conservative party caucus." Allegations 'peripheral' to Jaffer dinner Speculation over when the unpopular junior minister's time in cabinet would come to an end escalated mid-week after media reports about the alleged business dealings of Guergis's husband, former Alberta Tory MP Rahim Jaffer. A Toronto Star report on Thursday alleged Jaffer boasted to potential clients about his connections inside the Prime Minister's Office at a liquor-filled dinner meeting in downtown Toronto last September. Later the same night, while driving home, he was arrested on charges of impaired driving and cocaine possession. The PMO dismissed Jaffer's alleged claims of influence as "false" and "absurd." It also emerged Thursday that Jaffer was using a parliamentary email account through a wireless device given to him by Guergis. Sources told CBC News that the prime minister received the "credible" allegations against Guergis late Thursday night. The sources said Guergis did not volunteer any information herself, as Harper didn't speak to her until Friday morning. The sources added the allegations are "peripheral" to Jaffer and not directly linked to the alleged events of the dinner meeting reported in the Star story. CTV News reported Friday night that the RCMP is investigating whether Jaffer used his wife's parliamentary office for private, commercial business and whether Guergis accompanied him to business meetings. Remains MP for Simcoe-Grey Guergis has faced repeated calls for her resignation after she apologized for throwing a tantrum in Charlottetown Airport in February, during which she allegedly swore at airport staff and referred to the city as a "hellhole." This week, the Liberals asked the federal ethics commissioner to probe the financing of her purchase of an Ottawa home. Jaffer, who represented the Alberta riding of Edmonton-Strathcona — first as a Reform Party MP and later as a Conservative — pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving stemming from his Sept. 10 arrest and was ordered to pay a $500 fine, but the more serious charges against him were dropped. In her email announcing her resignation, Guergis said she will remain the MP for the southern Ontario riding of Simcoe-Grey. She said the past nine months have been a "very difficult time" for her. She apologized again for her "emotional" behaviour in February and insisted she would never insult Prince Edward Island, her father’s birthplace. "I have worked hard for Canadian women, and I am proud of my record of my accomplishments on their behalf," she added. PM must 'be straight': Ignatieff Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said the prime minister must restore public confidence in the government and Parliament by coming clean about the whole affair. "He's got to come out and level and be clear and be straight and then I think we all want to move on," Ignatieff told reporters on Friday outside the House. Ignatieff said it’s not credible for the government to say MPs had no contact with Jaffer, a former MP, who was using the Conservative logo on his website until Thursday. "There are a huge number of questions to which Canadians need an answer, and the idea that this is over seems to me mistaken," he said. "It’s continuing because this government cannot level with the Canadian people." NDP Leader Jack Layton said Harper should reveal to the public the allegations against Guergis. "I think he would be obliged. He said he would run the most transparent and open government that we had seen," Layton said. "But let’s face it, that’s not happening and Mr. Harper’s tendency is to be very closed about things. You get the impression he was dragged kicking and screaming into this one." Guergis was first elected to the House of Commons in 2004. She served as parliamentary secretary to then trade minister David Emerson after the Conservatives were elected to form a minority government in 2006. In 2007, she was promoted to secretary of state for foreign affairs and international trade, and secretary of state for sport. She was named minister of state for the status of women following the 2008 federal election, which saw Jaffer defeated in his riding. The two married the day after the election. \|\|\|\|\| Jaffer's alleged boast about access 'absurd': PMO Company ex-Tory works for threatens to sue Toronto newspaper over report The Prime Minister's Office has dismissed a disgraced former MP's alleged boasts to his business contacts about access to Stephen Harper's inner circle as "false" and "absurd." Former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer speaks outside an Orangeville, Ont., courthouse in March after pleading guilty to careless driving. (Amber Hildebrandt/CBC) Former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer speaks outside an Orangeville, Ont., courthouse in March after pleading guilty to careless driving. (Amber Hildebrandt/CBC) The Toronto Star published an article Thursday alleging Rahim Jaffer, husband of junior cabinet minister Helena Guergis, dined and drank with several prospective clients and prostitutes Sept. 10 — the night of his arrest on charges of drunk driving and cocaine possession. The Star's report claims Jaffer, 38, said he and his business partners would have "no problem" obtaining government funds for projects. Later that night, an Ontario Provincial Police constable pulled over Jaffer after clocking him driving at 93 km/h in a 50 km/h speed zone in Palgrave, a village northwest of Toronto. The community is in Dufferin-Caledon, next to the southern Ontario riding of Simcoe-Grey represented by Jaffer's wife. The Star quoted an email from one of the prospective clients, Nazim Gillani, to his associates the day after the alleged evening meeting as saying Jaffer "has opened up the prime minister’s office to us." Gillani is the CEO of International Strategic Investments, a company that boasts — on its corporate website — of success in obtaining grants and loans from various government bodies. Andrew MacDougall, a spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said in a statement Thursday the "accusation the Prime Minister's Office has opened doors for Mr. Jaffer or his associates is false." "It is also absurd," MacDougall added. Jaffer, who represented the Alberta riding of Edmonton-Strathcona — first as a Reform Party MP and later as a Conservative — from 1997 until his defeat in the 2008 federal election, has not yet commented on the Star's story or the statement from the Prime Minister's Office. Story a 'complete mischaracterization' of meeting: CEO His business associate, Patrick Glémaud, told Radio-Canada he spoke with Jaffer a few times Thursday and said the former MP is shocked by the Star's allegations. Glémaud, CEO of Green Power Generation Corp, insisted his company has never been in the lobbying business. In a release following the interview, Glémaud said the company "intends to seek legal action" against the Star. "Mr. Jaffer is a valued partner of GPG," the release said. "The allegations in the Toronto Star are inaccurate and a complete mischaracterization of the contact between Mr. Jaffer, a principal of GPG, and ... Nazim Gillani, of International Strategic Investments." Last month, Jaffer pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving stemming from his Sept. 10 arrest and was ordered to pay a $500 fine, but the more serious charges against him were dropped. The plea agreement sparked a firestorm of criticism from opposition parties and accusations the former MP received special treatment. 'Serious' allegations need probing: Ignatieff Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff called the latest allegations "serious" and said they raise larger questions about the integrity of a government that campaigned and came to power on a pledge of integrity and accountability. "Who was Mr. Jaffer talking to in the Conservative government?" Ignatieff told reporters Thursday in Mirabel, Que. "What promises did he make for access? We need the whole story." Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe called on the government to make clear whether Jaffer did any lobbying for his company or received any contracts from Ottawa, saying such work could constitute a conflict of interest for his wife in cabinet. "Was there any lobbying work done by Mr. Jaffer or not, if yes, was he registered or not?" Duceppe said Thursday. "We should not accuse, but check, certainly check." Guergis, whose own future in cabinet has been subject of much speculation on the Hill, has faced repeated calls for her resignation after she apologized for throwing a tantrum in Charlottetown airport in February. This week, the Liberals asked the federal ethics commissioner to probe the financing of her purchase of an Ottawa home. Her office declined comment on Thursday's allegations, saying they involved "personal matters" of a "private citizen." Jaffer's biography on his website states he provides Green Power Generation Corp with "business expertise in industry financing" to help "secure support from the Canadian government and to obtain contracts abroad" and also plays a "crucial role in business development and marketing through his countless relationships developed from his former career as a parliamentarian." Jaffer's website featured the Conservative Party's logo next to his name until the party ordered Jaffer to remove it. "He is not authorized to use our logo and we have asked that he remove it immediately," Fred DeLorey, the Conservative Party's director of communications, told CBC News. \|\|\|\|\| Bernier quits cabinet post over security breach Foreign affairs minister departs ahead of ex-girlfriend's TV interview Embattled Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier has resigned from cabinet over a security breach involving classified documents, Prime Minister Stephen Harper told reporters on Monday. Prime Minister Stephen Harper announces Monday that he has accepted the resignation of Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)The resignation came ahead of Monday night's airing of a French-language television interview of Bernier's former girlfriend, Julie Couillard, in which she revealed the minister had left a secret document in her apartment sometime in April that she later returned to Foreign Affairs. "Maxime came to my house, and the document stayed there," Couillard said during her interview with private television network TVA, without disclosing the contents of the document. Harper said he accepted Bernier's resignation after learning Monday that Bernier had inadvertently left the documents in an unsecured location. "It's only this error. It's a very serious error for any minister," Harper said. "The minister immediately recognized the gravity of that error." The prime minister staunchly defended Bernier in recent weeks after he came under fire for his involvement with Couillard, who has been linked to the criminal biker underworld. "Let me be clear: This is not to do with the minister's private life," Harper said Monday. "What matters here is that rules respecting government classified documents were broken. Obviously it was not done on purpose … but it was clearly done and it has to be treated appropriately." Harper has asked Trade Minister David Emerson to assume the foreign affairs portfolio on an interim basis, while Heritage Minister Josée Verner will handle the Ministry of La Francophonie, which was also held by Bernier. Bernier, 45, was elected to the House of Commons in January 2006 to represent the Quebec riding of Beauce and previously served as minister of industry in Harper's cabinet. PM 'has a lot of explaining to do': Goodale Bernier has also been in a weakened position in recent weeks since a gaffe in April during a visit to Afghanistan, where he publicly suggested the removal of the governor of Kandahar. Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier responds to a question during question period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Wednesday. (Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)Earlier this month, the federal government was forced to rent a Russian cargo jet to ship helicopters to Burma to deliver aid after Bernier publicly promised the Canadian military's new C-17 transports, none of which were immediately available, would handle the job. Montreal newspaper Le Devoir reported Monday that Couillard, who was once married to a biker, is the head of a high-tech firm that has been involved in airport security. Liberal MP Ralph Goodale said the prime minister "has a lot of explaining to do" after dismissing MPs' questions on the matter in recent weeks, which he said were always asked in a "respectful and measured tone." "The prime minister just swept them all aside and said, 'There's no problem here,' " Goodale told reporters Monday. "Obviously, tonight he's been proven incorrect." Speaking to reporters after the announcement, Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe rejected Harper's contention that Bernier's resignation had nothing to do with Couillard's highly anticipated interview . Duceppe said many questions remain unanswered, including how "people with very strange pasts" can bid on government contracts for airport security. NDP Leader Jack Layton said it was about time that Bernier was replaced after committing a "series of incompetencies." "It's been one thing after another and why the prime minister didn't come forward with more information about this whole sordid mess is something he's going to have to answer for," he told reporters. Former girlfriend was married to Rocker Le Devoir reported Monday that Couillard's business specializes in "systems of high security technology" that include security system installations and passenger security. The information was provided to Le Devoir by a former employee at Couillard's firm. Couillard, 38, receives documents regarding airport security, according to the report. Published reports have referred to court documents that say Couillard once married a member of the Rockers biker gang, and was a potential target of Hells Angels kingpin Maurice (Mom) Boucher while she dated another biker. Couillard has said she cut off ties with the underworld in 1999, and her romantic involvement with bikers is part of a distant past. She started dating Bernier before he was sworn in as foreign affairs minister in 2007. They recently split up. Couillard said her name and reputation have been tarnished because of published reports documenting her past ties, but she is not ashamed of anything. With files from the Canadian Press \|\|\|\|\| MPs target Bernier over ex-girlfriend's alleged biker ties PM accuses Dion and Duceppe of being 'gossipy old busybodies' Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier dismissed heated questions from opposition members on Thursday over reports alleging his ex-girlfriend had ties to Quebec biker gangs, insisting their relationship was a private matter. Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier is seen with then girlfriend Julie Couillard in 2007. (CBC)Published reports cite court documents saying Julie Couillard, 38, once married a member of the Rockers biker gang and was a potential target of Hells Angels' kingpin Maurice (Mom) Boucher while she dated another biker in the 1990s. Couillard, who has no criminal record, accompanied Bernier to Rideau Hall last August for his swearing-in ceremony to the Foreign Affairs portfolio. The minister's office said the two recently broke up. YOUR SAY ‘What's so ironic about all of these silly things is that while they are arguing about small things of the past, government doesn't worry itself about having to move on to big things. Keep em' coming, fools.’ —Tracy J Add your comment Responding to opposition suggestions the relationship raises issues of national security, Bernier said it was "in the past" between him and Couillard. He added he never thought he would be subject to "such a nasty and low attack" by opposition members. “People’s private lives are none of your business,” Bernier told the House, garnering a standing ovation and chumly pats on the back from Conservative members around him. Ahead of the debate, Prime Minister Stephen Harper dismissed the reports as irrelevant to government business, calling Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion and Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe "gossipy old busybodies." "I hear one of my cabinet ministers has an ex-girlfriend," Harper said. "It’s none of my business. It's none of Mr. Duceppe's business. It's none of Mr. Dion's business." 'Pattern of embarassment': Ignatieff But Liberal Deputy Leader Michael Ignatieff told the House the latest reports are part of a “pattern of embarrassment” of Bernier’s conduct in the Foreign Affairs portfolio, citing his recent high-profile blunder on Afghanistan. “Questions about ministerial judgment and national security are not a private matter; they are everyone’s business,” Ignatieff said. "Based on this record of embarassment, how can the government have confidence in the minister?" During debate in the House, Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe asked whether Bernier and the Prime Minister's Office were aware of Couillard's "shady past" when he was sworn in. Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, a cabinet colleague and Harper's Quebec lieutenant, came to Bernier's defence, saying Bernier has done a "remarkable job and difficult job for our country." "He merits and deserves our encouragement," Cannon told the Commons. MPs 'wasting taxpayers' money': Van Loan Government House leader Peter Van Loan went further, saying MPs who engage in such questioning were “entirely wasting the taxpayers’ money and aren’t fit for public office.” He also cited the quip made famous decades ago by the late prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who borrowed journalist and writer Martin O'Malley's line that "the state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation." “It’s a question that shouldn’t be asked here,” Van Loan said. “It shouldn’t be asked anywhere, ever.” NDP Leader Jack Layton used his party's question time to grill the government over economic challenges facing middle-income Canadians and what he called the Tories' "robbing" of employment insurance at a time when it was most needed. Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion was not in the Commons during question period, but said earlier that there's "certainly a concern" about Couillard's alleged ties. 'It's my name that'll be dragged in the mud' "Mr. Bernier needs to explain, because we want to know if there were any matters of national security involved," Dion said in French. "But I don’t have more details and you can understand that I have to be cautious in my comments." In an interview with the Globe and Mail published Thursday, Couillard dismissed the media reports on her as politically motivated. "Some people are after Maxime Bernier and it's my name that'll be dragged in the mud," she told the Globe. Bernier has been in a weakened position in recent weeks since a gaffe in April during a visit to Afghanistan, where he publicly suggested the removal of the governor of Kandahar. The minister was quickly forced to issue a "clarification" after the Afghan government expressed concern about foreign interference in its internal affairs. With files from the Canadian Press	Embattled Canadian junior cabinet minister Helena Guergis has resigned her cabinet post and has been ejected from caucus today in Ottawa amid recent scandals involving herself and her husband, disgraced former Member of Parliament (MP) Rahim Jaffer. Guergis, Conservative MP for Simcoe-Grey, held the position as Minister of State for the Status of Women since her re-election in the 2008 federal election, but has come under fire due to an outburst at the Charlottetown airport in February and a call from the opposition Liberal Party for a probe by the federal ethics commissioner into her purchase of an Ottawa home. She has also come under scrutiny due to recent scandals involving her husband, who faced charges of impaired driving and cocaine possession as well as comments made to business contacts about connections to the office of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, those comments later being called "absurd" by the Prime Minister's Office. In an email, Guergis is quoted as saying, "The past nine months have been a very difficult time for me. I have made mistakes for which I have apologized." The email made specific reference to her outburst in Charlottetown, insisting she would never insult her father's birthplace and also voiced her intent to continue in her role as a Member of Parliament. Given the circumstances, Prime Minister Harper stated today at a press conference that "a resignation is necessary," also announcing that the RCMP have been called to investigate recent allegations against Guergis. Harper is also reported to have ejected Guergis from the Conservative caucus pending the investigation by the RCMP. Her role as Minister of State for the status of women has been given to current Public Works minister Rona Ambrose. The governing Conservatives previously came under fire in 2008 after former Minister for Foreign Affairs Maxime Bernier had left confidential documents at the home of his girlfriend, Julie Couillard, a relationship that in itself caused some unrest in Parliament due to Couillard's past connections to Quebec biker gangs.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The UN secretary-general says he is encouraged by efforts to find a permanent solution to the division of Cyprus. But Ban Ki-moon said more courage was needed after talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot President Demetris Christofias. The two leaders have been locked in negotiations for the past 16 months. Mr Ban said he was encouraged by a "shared commitment for a comprehensive solution as early as possible". But while he spoke of convergence on some areas, it is clear that many issues remain unresolved, says the BBC's Tabitha Morgan in Nicosia. 'Grindingly slow' progress Flanked by the two men after meeting each separately, and then together, Mr Ban said: "We will need even more courage and determination in the period ahead to bring these talks to a successful conclusion." A UN-administered boundary currently separates Cyprus Peace talks were launched amid much optimism and fanfare in September 2008. But progress has been grindingly slow and time may be running out to find a solution, analysts say. The two leaders said there had been progress in the past three weeks over issues such as governance and power-sharing. Whilst agreement appears near on certain issues, others such as territory and property, let alone security, seem seem harder to resolve, our correspondent says. There are also concerns that talks could be shelved if Mr Talat, who is seen as a moderate, loses April's leadership election in northern Cyprus to nationalist candidate Dervis Eroglu, who is currently leading in opinion polls. Northern Cyprus is recognised as a state only by Turkey. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish forces invaded the island in response to a Greek-led coup apparently aimed at making it part of Greece. The last attempt at a negotiated solution to the Cypriot problem - in 2004 - collapsed when Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of a UN settlement plan, but Greek Cypriots rejected it. As a result, Cyprus - or the southern part ruled by Greek Cypriots - joined the European Union that year, while the north remained effectively excluded. \|\|\|\|\| UN chief lands on divided Cyprus with message of peace LARNACA, Cyprus — UN chief Ban Ki-moon landed in Cyprus on Sunday for key talks with Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders aimed at reviving a faltering peace effort to end 36 years of division on their island. "I'm here to show my personal support ... My visit is a reflection of the importance I attach to the current efforts," he told reporters at Larnaca airport on the south coast to mark his first visit to the Mediterranean island. "I am under no illusion that the Cyprus problem is easy to solve or about the difficulties you face, at the same time I'm confident that a solution is possible and within reach," the secretary general said. Ban paid tribute to the "time and energy" invested by rival Cypriot leaders and said they needed to show "courage, flexibility, vision and a spirit of compromise" to end the division. "Your destiny is in your hands, you are the ones driving the process ... The expectation of the international community is very high. Let's not underestimate the benefits of a solution," he said. "Solving the Cyprus problem will give inspiration to all those around the world trying to solve other seemingly intractable problems and I'm looking forward to having good meetings with the leaders tomorrow (Monday)." The Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders say they are committed to finding a solution this year, while the United Nations is hoping 2010 will usher a Cyprus settlement. President Demetris Christofias, a Greek Cypriot, and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat are looking to secure a breakthrough after nearly 17 months of slow-moving negotiations. Peace talks were launched amid much optimism and fanfare in September 2008, but the two sides remain divided on the core issues of property, security and territorial adjustments. On Monday, the UN chief is due to hold separate talks with both men before chairing a joint meeting to decide where the process goes from here as pressure builds for a deal to be sealed this year. Christofias has ruled out any draft agreement at this stage, as both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot sides are adamant that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. Any deal which emerges must be put before the Cypriot people in separate, simultaneous referendums. At the last referendum in 2004, Greek Cypriots rejected a UN blueprint for reunification while Turkish Cypriots backed it. The international community has called for the momentum of the negotiations to quicken, with Ban showing his personal conviction to help broker a settlement after more than three-and-a-half decades of division. The intercommunal talks will need to be suspended soon to allow Talat to campaign in April's leadership elections in northern Cyprus where he could lose out to hardliners. Cyprus has been split since Turkish troops seized and occupied its northern third in 1974 in response to a Greek-led coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece. Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More »	File photo of Ban Ki-Moon. A UN buffer zone separates the two sections. A new set of talks are scheduled to attempt to reunite Cyprus, prompting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to say that a solution is "possible and within reach" when he arrived in the country yesterday for talks between Greek and Turkish-Cypriot leaders that will take place later today. Progress have been slow for the peace talks, which started in September 2008, but the UN chief said that a deal would require "courage, flexibility and vision as well as a spirit of compromise". "I am under no illusion that the Cyprus problem is easy to solve", he told reporters after he arrived in Larnaca yesterday in preparation for the talks with Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot Mehmet Ali Talat today. Ban said that "solving the Cyprus problem will give inspiration to all those around the world trying to solve other seemingly intractable problems and I'm looking forward to having good meetings with the leaders", with the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders saying that they are committed to finding a solution. Monday's talks will involve Ban holding talks with the two leaders individually, before chairing a meeting between the pair. Any deal that emerges will be a subject of two simultaneous referendums, one for each side of the border. Both sides agree that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed". Jonny Dymond, the BBC Europe correspondent, has expressed fears that time is running out on a solution. There are also worries that the fast approaching northern Cyprus leadership elections will mean that Talat is replaced by nationalist Dervis Eroglu, who is leading in opinion polls. If this were to happen, talks might be shelved. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, after Turkish forces invaded after a coup led by Greece allegedly aimed to absorb it. Northern Cyprus is only recognised as a state by Turkey.
Near-Earth Asteroid 2004 MN4 Reaches Highest Score To Date On Hazard Scale Don Yeomans, Steve Chesley and Paul Chodas NASA's Near Earth Object Program Office December 23, 2004 A recently rediscovered 400-meter Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) is predicted to pass near the Earth on 13 April 2029. The flyby distance is uncertain and an Earth impact cannot yet be ruled out. The odds of impact, presently around 1 in 300, are unusual enough to merit special monitoring by astronomers, but should not be of public concern. These odds are likely to change on a day-to-day basis as new data are received. In all likelihood, the possibility of impact will eventually be eliminated as the asteroid continues to be tracked by astronomers around the world. The Orbit of 2004 MN4 The orbit of 2004 MN4 about the Sun is shown in blue. Much of the asteroid's orbit lies within the Earth's orbit, which is the outermost white circle. The positions of the asteroid and the Earth are shown for December 23, 2004, when the object was about 14 million km (9 million miles) away from the Earth. This object is the first to reach a level 2 (out of 10) on the Torino Scale. According to the Torino Scale, a rating of 2 indicates "a discovery, which may become routine with expanded searches, of an object making a somewhat close but not highly unusual pass near the Earth. While meriting attention by astronomers, there is no cause for public attention or public concern as an actual collision is very unlikely. New telescopic observations very likely will lead to re-assignment to Level 0 [no hazard]." This asteroid should be easily observable throughout the coming months. The brightness of 2004 MN4 suggests that its diameter is roughly 400 meters (1300 feet) and our current, but very uncertain, best estimate of the flyby distance in 2029 is about twice the distance of the moon, or about 780,000 km (480,000 miles). On average, an asteroid of this size would be expected to pass within 2 lunar distances of Earth every 5 years or so. Most of this object's orbit lies within the Earth's orbit, and it approaches the sun almost as close as the orbit of Venus. 2004 MN4's orbital period about the sun is 323 days, placing it within the Aten class of NEAs, which have an orbital period less than one year. It has a low inclination with respect to the Earth's orbit and the asteroid crosses near the Earth's orbit twice on each of its passages about the sun. Possible Positions of 2004 MN4 on April 13, 2029 The cloud of possible positions of asteroid 2004 MN4 relative to Earth on April 13, 2029 is shown in white. The Moon's orbit is also shown, for scale. The blue arrow indicates the direction of motion of the cloud as it sweeps past the Earth. A tiny portion of the cloud intersects the Earth. A slight dip in the cloud due to the Earth's gravity is clearly evident. The length of the cloud is directly related to current uncertainties in our knowledge of this new object's orbit. As astronomers track this asteroid over the coming weeks and months, the orbit will become better determined and the cloud will shorten, converging on a true position which, in all likelihood, will be well removed from the Earth. 2004 MN4 was discovered on 19 June 2004 by Roy Tucker, David Tholen and Fabrizio Bernardi of the NASA-funded University of Hawaii Asteroid Survey (UHAS), from Kitt Peak, Arizona, and observed over two nights. On 18 December, the object was rediscovered from Australia by Gordon Garradd of the Siding Spring Survey, another NASA-funded NEA survey. Further observations from around the globe over the next several days allowed the Minor Planet Center to confirm the connection to the June discovery, at which point the possibility of impact in 2029 was realized by the automatic SENTRY system of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office. NEODyS, a similar automatic system at the University of Pisa and the University of Valladolid, Spain also detected the impact possibility and provided similar predictions. Animation of Possible Positions of 2004 MN4 in April 2029 Small Animated GIF (62K) Large Animated GIF (119K) Animation showing the cloud of possible positions of asteroid 2004 MN4 relative to Earth in April 2029 is shown in white. The Moon's orbit is also shown, for scale. A tiny portion of the cloud intersects the Earth. The length of the cloud is directly related to current uncertainties in our knowledge of this new object's orbit. This animation will repeat itself ten times. \|\|\|\|\| Back to main Impact Risk Page. 2004 MN4 Earth Impact Risk Summary Torino Scale (maximum) 1 Palermo Scale (maximum) -2.00 Palermo Scale (cumulative) -2.00 Impact Probability (cumulative) 3.7e-05 Number of Potential Impacts 4 V impact 12.59 km/s V infinity 5.86 km/s H 19.6 Diameter 0.410 km Mass 9.5e+10 kg Energy 1.8e+03 MT all above are mean values weighted by impact probability Analysis based on 147 observations spanning 288.92 days (2004-Mar-15.1104 to 2004-Dec-29.02821) Orbit diagram and elements available here. These results were computed on Dec 29, 2004 2004 MN4 Earth Impact Table Date Distance Width Sigma Impact Sigma LOV Stretch LOV Impact Probability Impact Energy Palermo Scale Torino Scale YYYY-MM-DD.DD (r Earth ) (r Earth ) (r Earth ) (MT) 2044-04-13.29 0.74 7.56e-03 0.000 -3.42084 1.68e+04 1.3e-07 1.79e+03 -4.35 0 2045-04-13.62 0.99 6.04e-03 0.000 -2.95368 1.76e+04 1.2e-07 1.78e+03 -4.40 0 2053-04-13.51 0.60 8.86e-03 0.000 -0.39284 1.73e+04 3.6e-05 1.78e+03 -2.00 1 2087-04-13.73 0.76 1.20e-03 0.000 3.53782 6.15e+04 1.7e-08 1.78e+03 -5.57 0 Summary Table Description The Summary Table includes basic information about the hazard for this object. The maximum Torino and Palermo Scale values are listed, as well as the number of tabulated potential impacts and their corresponding cumulative Palermo Scale value and cumulative impact probability. The observation set used for the analysis is also listed. Certain parameter values depend upon the specific impact event in question, but they change little among the various table entries. For this reason we tabulate only mean values for these parameters: V impact - Velocity at atmospheric entry. - Velocity at atmospheric entry. V infinity - Relative velocity at atmospheric entry neglecting the acceleration caused by the Earth's gravity field, often called the hyperbolic excess velocity. (V infinity 2 = V impact 2 - V escape 2 , where V escape = ~11.2 km/s is the Earth escape velocity.) - Relative velocity at atmospheric entry neglecting the acceleration caused by the Earth's gravity field, often called the hyperbolic excess velocity. (V = V - V , where V = ~11.2 km/s is the Earth escape velocity.) H - Absolute Magnitude, a measure of the intrinsic brightness of the object. - Absolute Magnitude, a measure of the intrinsic brightness of the object. Diameter - This is an estimate, based on the absolute magnitude, and assuming a uniform spherical body with visual albedo p V = 0.154. Since the albedo is rarely well determined the diameter estimate should be considered quite rough, but in most cases will be accurate to within a factor of two. - This is an estimate, based on the absolute magnitude, and assuming a uniform spherical body with visual albedo = 0.154. Since the albedo is rarely well determined the diameter estimate should be considered quite rough, but in most cases will be accurate to within a factor of two. Mass - This estimate assumes a uniform spherical body with the computed diameter and a mass density of 2.6 g/cm 3 . The mass estimate is somewhat more rough than the diameter estimate, but generally will be accurate to within a factor of three. - This estimate assumes a uniform spherical body with the computed diameter and a mass density of 2.6 g/cm . The mass estimate is somewhat more rough than the diameter estimate, but generally will be accurate to within a factor of three. Energy - The kinetic energy at impact: 0.5 * Mass * V impact 2. Measured in Megatons of TNT. Impact Table Legend See our Introduction for a more extensive explanation of these terms. Date The calendar date (UTC) of the potential impact. Distance The minimum distance on the target plane (scaled b-plane) from the LOV to the geocenter, measured in Earth radii. For these purposes the radius of the Earth, 6420 km, includes some allowance for the thickness of the atmosphere. Width The one-sigma semi-width of the LOV uncertainty region, measured in Earth radii. Sigma Impact The lateral distance in sigmas from the LOV to the Earth's atmosphere. Zero indicates that the LOV intersects the Earth. It is computed from (Distance - 1)/Width. Sigma LOV The coordinate along the Line Of Variations (LOV). This value is a measure of how well the impacting orbit fits the available observations. Zero indicates the best-fitting, central (nominal) orbit and the further from zero, the less likely the event: Roughly 99% of all the uncertainty region lies between -3 and +3. Sentry explores out to Sigma LOV = +/-5. Stretch LOV The stretching is the semimajor axis of the local linear uncertainty region. It describes how fast one moves across the target plane as Sigma LOV changes, and is measured in Earth radii per sigma. The local probability density varies inversely with the stretching, and thus larger stretching values will generally lead to lower impact probabilities. Impact Probability The probability that the tabulated impact will occur. The probability computation is complex and depends on a number of assumptions that are difficult to verify. For these reasons the stated probability can easily be inaccurate by a factor of a few, and occasionally by a factor of ten or more. Impact Energy The kinetic energy at impact, based upon the computed absolute magnitude and impact velocity for the particular case, and computed in accordance with the guidelines stated for the Palermo Technical Scale. Uncertainty in this value is dominated by mass uncertainty and the stated value will generally be good to within a factor of three. Palermo Scale The hazard rating according to the Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale, based on the tabulated impact date, impact probability and impact energy. Torino Scale The hazard rating according to the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, based on the tabulated impact probability and impact energy. \|\|\|\|\| Last Updated Jan 17, 2000 The Newly Adopted Torino Impact Hazard Scale Assessing Asteroid And Comet Impact Hazard Predictions In The 21st Century Near Earth Objects Scale Helps Risk Communication (NASA - July 22, 1999) Dealing With the Impact Hazard: An International Project (IAU - July 22, 1999) Torino Impact Scale Created To Assess Earth-Asteroid Close Appro aches (MIT - July 22, 1999) The Torino Scale (Ames Research Center - July 22, 1999) New Torino Scale Measures Asteroid Threat (explorezone.com - July 22, 1999) Events Having No Likely Consequences (White Zone) 0 The likelihood of a collision is zero, or well below the chance that a random object of the same size will strike the Earth within the next few decades. This designation also applies to any small object that, in the event of a collision, is unlikely to reach the Earth's surface intact. Events Meriting Careful Monitoring (Green Zone) 1 The chance of collision is extremely unlikely, about the same as a random object of the same size striking the Earth within the next few decades. Events Meriting Concern (Yellow Zone) 2 A somewhat close, but not unusual encounter. Collision is very unlikely. 3 A close encounter, with 1% or greater chance of a collision capable of causing localized destruction. 4 A close encounter, with 1% or greater chance of a collision capable of causing regional devastation. Threatening Events (Orange Zone) 5 A close encounter, with a significant threat of a collision capable of causing regional devastation. 6 A close encounter, with a significant threat of a collision capable of causing a global catastrophe. 7 A close encounter, with an extremely significant threat of a collision capable of causing a global catastrophe. Certain Collisions (Red Zone) 8 A collision capable of causing localized destruction. Such events occur somewhere on Earth between once per 50 years and once per 1000 years. 9 A collision capable of causing regional devastation. Such events occur between once per 1000 years and once per 100,000 years. 10 A collision capable of causing a global climatic catastrophe. Such events occur once per 100,000 years, or less often. Questions/Comments \| Mailing List \| Credits Ron Baalke, Near-Earth Object Webmaster Jet Propulsion Laboratory Pasadena, California \|\|\|\|\| Numerous readers wrote in with bits about a potential asteroid collision:So, in summary, there's a 1-in-233 chance of the worst disaster in recorded history happening on April 13, 2029, and a 232-in-233 chance of nothing happening. Have a nice day!by: The rock is now rated a 4 on the Torino scale, or a 1-in-62 chance of impact.	NASA's Near Earch Object Program Office has recently announced that the asteroid named 2004 MN4, discovered last June, has the highest risk of earth impact to date. In the December 23 annoncement, NASA advised that the 400-meter wide asteroid has a 1 in 300 chance of colliding with earth. As scientists gather more data on 2004 MN4, the probability of collision with earth is expected to decrease. The level of impact risk is measured in terms of Torino Impact Hazard Scale, and the MN4's score was initially 2 out of 10. 2004 MN4 is expected to come closest to the Earth on April 14, 2029.
Mrs Patil's backers say her election will be a boost to women Mrs Patil, 72, won nearly two-thirds of votes cast in state assemblies and in India's parliament, they said. The former governor of the northern Indian state of Rajasthan described her win as "a victory of the people". Mrs Patil's supporters say her election to the largely ceremonial role will be a boost to millions of Indian women. The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder, in Delhi, says that while some see her victory as an important step towards gender equality in India, many view it as only a symbolic gesture. Millions of women in India face discrimination and poverty often linked to age-old traditions which require the parents of a bride to pay a large dowry to the family of her eventual husband. Women's landmark Mrs Patil emerged as a surprise, last-minute candidate after left-wing parties in the Congress-led coalition opposed the Congress Party's first choice. She was backed by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, but was mocked by opponents and by some sections of India's media. This is a victory for the principles which our Indian people uphold Pratibha Patil Profile: Pratibha Patil But Mrs Gandhi, the Congress Party leader, hailed her candidate's win. "In the 60th year of our independence, for the first time we have a woman president," she said. "I am grateful to the people of India and the men and women of India and this is a victory for the principles which our Indian people uphold," the Reuters news agency quoted Mrs Patil as saying after her victory was confirmed. There was also support at a hostel Mrs Patil established in Mumbai, in her home state of Maharashtra. "It is encouraging for other women who want to step out of their homes and make something out of their careers or do something in the world," said one resident, Priya Mehra. Balancing role Mrs Patil has courted controversy, recently telling a Muslim congregation that the veil was introduced to protect their women from Mughal invaders, a comment she later retracted. She also faced allegations that a bank she helped set up gave out cheap loans to her relatives before it folded up. The Congress Party has rejected those allegations and was highly critical of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led opposition candidate, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, an 83-year-old party veteran. The presidency is largely a ceremonial post, but plays a key role with a fragmented electorate often throwing up precariously placed coalition governments. Around 4,500 MPs and state legislators were eligible to vote in the election. Mrs Patil will succeed A P J Abdul Kalam, a popular missile scientist, as president. \|\|\|\|\| NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) -- India has elected its first female president, official results show, in what supporters are calling a boost for the rights of millions of downtrodden women, despite a bitter campaign marked by scandal. Pratibha Patil, 72, is India's first elected female president. Pratibha Patil, the ruling coalition's 72-year-old nominee for the mainly ceremonial post, easily beat opposition-backed challenger and vice president, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, in a vote by the national parliament and state politicians. "This a victory of the people," Patil told reporters after official results were announced Saturday. "I am grateful to the people of India and the men and women of India and this is a victory for the principles which our Indian people uphold." Patil won about two thirds of the electoral college votes. There had never been any doubt she would win, given support from the ruling coalition. The governor of the northwestern desert state of Rajasthan, she emerged on the national stage when the Congress-led coalition and its communist allies failed to agree on a joint candidate. "This is a very special moment for us women, and men of course, in our country because for the first time we have a woman being elected president of India," Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi, India's most powerful politician, said. Supporters hoped Patil's candidacy would help bring issues that plague women in India, like dowry-related violence, into the public spotlight. A woman is murdered, raped or abused every three minutes on average in India. Her presidency also reflects the growing power of some women in India, where an increasing number are taking part in the workforce and in schools and hold senior positions in corporations. After the results, Patil supporters took to the streets, singing and dancing as others lit fire crackers and beat large brass drums. India has had a number of female icons in the past -- most famously Sonia Gandhi's mother-in-law, Indira, who was one of the world's first female prime ministers in 1966. But hope Patil's presidency would spark only positive talk about women's influence in India evaporated when it emerged the bank for women she helped established was closed in 2003 because of bad debts and amid accusations of financial irregularities. The employees' union has taken Patil and others to court, claiming loans meant for poor women were instead given to her brother and other relatives and not returned. She was also accused of trying to shield her brother in a murder inquiry. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has dismissed accusations against her as "mud-slinging", said on Saturday her victory was "a vote against the politics of divisiveness". "All the allegations against me are motivated and have already been answered," Patil said in a statement last week. Her campaign was marked by other mishaps as well. She managed to offend many minority Muslims, and anger some historians, by saying Indian women first veiled their heads as protection against 16th century Muslim invaders. Then she dismayed modern India by claiming she had experienced a "divine premonition" that she was destined for higher office from a long dead spiritual guru. Critics also dug up a comment she was said to have made as Maharashtra's health minister in 1975, saying people with hereditary diseases should be sterilized. E-mail to a friend Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All About Indira Gandhi • Sonia Gandhi's Congress • India \|\|\|\|\| Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on Saturday resigned soon after being defeated by UPA-Left nominee Pratibha Patil in the Presidential election. Shortly after Patil was declared elected for the highest office in the country, Shekhawat drove to Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted his resignation to President A P J Abdul Kalam. In his brief resignation letter, the Vice President thanked Kalam for his cooperation and guidance. ''I hereby tender my resignation from the post of Vice President of India and am extremely grateful to you for the cooperation and guidance that I have always got from you,'' Shekhawat wrote. Earlier, as news came in that Patil had won the election, the 84-year-old NDA-backed independent candidate issued a statement saying he accepted his defeat with ''all humility''. He telephoned Patil to congratulate the UPA-Left nominee, who defeated him by a huge margin of over three lakh vote value in the electoral college of around ten lakh. In the statement, he said he would continue to ''work for the uplift of poor and deprived sections of the society so that they can enjoy their fundamental rights with dignity''. After resigning, Shekhawat gave up his official vehicle and returned from Rashtrapati Bhavan in his personal car. \|\|\|\|\| Pratibha Patil elected first woman President Congress activists in a jubilant mood ahead of the Presidential poll results on Friday in Allahabad. Photo: PTI New Delhi, July. 21 (PTI): Pratibha Patil was today elected the country's first woman President, defeating NDA-backed independent Bhairon Singh Shekhawat by a huge margin in a bitterly contested poll following which he resigned as Vice President. The 72-year-old UPA-Left nominee won by a margin of over three-lakh vote value while Shekhawat drew a blank in as many as four states and suffered cross voting against him in BJP-ruled Gujarat and Chhattisgarh and some other states ruled by its allies. Shortly after the official declaration of Patil's victory, 84-year-old Shekhawat quit as Vice-President. He drove to Rashtrapati Bhavan and handed over his resignation to President A P J Abdul Kalam. In the final count, Patil got a vote value of 6,38,116 while Shekhawat secured 3,31,306 in the electoral college of 10.98 lakhs. The winner got 65.82 per cent of the valid votes. Most constituents of the Third Front having 12.5 per cent vote share in the electoral college abstained from the poll. Patil, who will be the country's 13th President, would be sworn in on July 25 in the Central Hall of Parliament. There were scenes of jubilation at the temporary residence of Patil in the South Avenue area of the capital as also outside 10 Janpath, the residence of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were among the first political leaders to greet the President-elect, who thanked the people for her success. Patil said it was a "victory of the principles which our Indian people uphold". Patil's election historic: Bardhan Terming the election of Patil to the office of President as "historic", CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan today said those who opposed her have to reconcile to the UPA-Left candidate's victory. "It is a historic win and we have a woman president at the 60th year of independence...it is a great moment," Bardhan told reporters. "Those who have opposed her have to reconcile her victory," he said. Madhya Pradesh MLAs invoke divine intervention, votes invalid Rajasthan village joyous at Patil's lead Patil got four additional votes in Tamil Nadu Patil describes her win as "victory of principles" Shekhawat draws blank in four states Poll officials face difficulty in opening UP ballot box Presidential poll casts a long shadow over saffron alliance in Maharashtra Shekhawat resigns as Vice-President Victory has bestowed great responsibilty: Pratibha Patil 'Victory of women folk', says Karunanidhi	The President-elect when she was still the Governor of Rajasthan. Pratibha Patil has won the 12th Presidential Elections of the Republic of India, becoming the first woman president of the second most populous country in the world. Patil, 72, previously governor of the state of Rajasthan, had support from the governing coalition. She won approximately two thirds of the vote, almost double the number of votes of her nearest rival Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who resigned as Vice-President after losing the poll. Patil was a last-minute candidate who appeared when the coalition that leads the congress and the communist allies could not choose a common candidate. The supporters of Patil hope that her election could bring to the spotlight, problems that affect women in India, such as the high murder rate or domestic violence and abuse. More than 4,500 members of the Parliament of India and state Legislative Assemblies were eligible to vote for the largely ceremonial office. Patil was recently the centre of controversy after allegations that a bank gave out cheap loans to her relatives, and for her controversial statements about the Muslim veil. The President-elect will succeed the 11th President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, an engineer and scientist. She is expected to be sworn in on July 25 in the Central Hall of Parliament. The President of India, also called Rashtrapati, is the head of state and first citizen of India and the Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces. The President's role is largely ceremonial. The powers of the President of India are comparable to those of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The real executive authority in India is vested in the Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister. In 1966, Indira Gandhi became the first and to date the only female prime minister of India.
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was elected the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, promising to restore political normalcy and a spirit of national unity to confront raging health and economic crises, and making Donald J. Trump a one-term president after four years of tumult in the White House. Mr. Biden’s victory amounted to a repudiation of Mr. Trump by millions of voters exhausted with his divisive conduct and chaotic administration, and was delivered by an unlikely alliance of women, people of color, old and young voters and a sliver of disaffected Republicans. Mr. Trump is the first incumbent to lose re-election in more than a quarter-century. The result also provided a history-making moment for Mr. Biden’s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California, who will become the first woman to serve as vice president. With his triumph, Mr. Biden, who turns 78 later this month, fulfilled his decades-long ambition in his third bid for the White House, becoming the oldest person elected president. A pillar of Washington who was first elected amid the Watergate scandal, and who prefers political consensus over combat, Mr. Biden will lead a nation and a Democratic Party that have become far more ideological since his arrival in the capital in 1973. \|\|\|\|\| Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to supporters, early Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, positioning himself to lead a nation gripped by historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to supporters, early Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, in Wilmington, Del. Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, positioning himself to lead a nation gripped by historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya) WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, positioning himself to lead a nation gripped by the historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil. His victory came after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials sorted through a surge of mail-in votes that delayed the processing of some ballots. Biden crossed 270 Electoral College votes with a win in Pennsylvania. Biden, 77, staked his candidacy less on any distinctive political ideology than on galvanizing a broad coalition of voters around the notion that Trump posed an existential threat to American democracy. The strategy proved effective, resulting in pivotal victories in Michigan and Wisconsin as well as Pennsylvania, onetime Democratic bastions that had flipped to Trump in 2016. ADVERTISEMENT Biden was on track to win the national popular vote by more than 4 million, a margin that could grow as ballots continue to be counted. Trump seized on delays in processing the vote in some states to falsely allege voter fraud and argue that his rival was trying to seize power — an extraordinary charge by a sitting president trying to sow doubt about a bedrock democratic process. As the vote count played out, Biden tried to ease tensions and project an image of presidential leadership, hitting notes of unity that were seemingly aimed at cooling the temperature of a heated, divided nation. “We have to remember the purpose of our politics isn’t total unrelenting, unending warfare,” Biden said Friday night in Delaware. “No, the purpose of our politics, the work of our nation, isn’t to fan the flames of conflict, but to solve problems, to guarantee justice, to give everybody a fair shot.” Kamala Harris also made history as the first Black woman to become vice president, an achievement that comes as the U.S. faces a reckoning on racial justice. The California senator, who is also the first person of South Asian descent elected to the vice presidency, will become the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in government, four years after Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. Trump is the first incumbent president to lose reelection since Republican George H.W. Bush in 1992. It was unclear whether Trump would publicly concede. Earlier Saturday Trump left the White House for his Virginia golf club dressed in golf shoes, a windbreaker and a white hat as the results gradually expanded Biden’s lead in Pennsylvania. Trump repeated his unsupported allegations of election fraud and illegal voting on Twitter, but they were quickly flagged as potentially misleading by the social media platform. One of his erroneous tweets: “I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Biden was spending Saturday morning with family and advisers at home in Wilmington, Delaware, his campaign said. Americans showed deep interest in the presidential race. A record 103 million voted early this year, opting to avoid waiting in long lines at polling locations during a pandemic. With counting continuing in some states, Biden had already received more than 74 million votes, more than any presidential candidate before him. ADVERTISEMENT More than 236,000 Americans have died during the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 10 million have been infected and millions of jobs have been lost. The final days of the campaign played out against the backdrop of a surge in confirmed cases in nearly every state, including battlegrounds such as Wisconsin that swung to Biden. The pandemic will soon be Biden’s to tame, and he campaigned pledging a big government response, akin to what Franklin D. Roosevelt oversaw with the New Deal during the Depression of the 1930s. But Senate Republicans fought back several Democratic challengers and looked to retain a fragile majority that could serve as a check on such Biden ambition. The 2020 campaign was a referendum on Trump’s handling of the pandemic, which has shuttered schools across the nation, disrupted businesses and raised questions about the feasibility of family gatherings heading into the holidays. The fast spread of the coronavirus transformed political rallies from standard campaign fare to gatherings that were potential public health emergencies. It also contributed to an unprecedented shift to voting early and by mail and prompted Biden to dramatically scale back his travel and events to comply with restrictions. Trump defied calls for caution and ultimately contracted the disease himself. He was saddled throughout the year by negative assessments from the public of his handling of the pandemic. Biden also drew a sharp contrast to Trump through a summer of unrest over the police killings of Black Americans including Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and George Floyd in Minneapolis. Their deaths sparked the largest racial protest movement since the civil rights era. Biden responded by acknowledging the racism that pervades American life, while Trump emphasized his support of police and pivoted to a “law and order” message that resonated with his largely white base. The president’s most ardent backers never wavered and may remain loyal to him and his supporters in Congress after Trump has departed the White House. The third president to be impeached, though acquitted in the Senate, Trump will leave office having left an indelible imprint in a tenure defined by the shattering of White House norms and a day-to-day whirlwind of turnover, partisan divide and the ever-present threat via his Twitter account. Biden, born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and raised in Delaware, was one of the youngest candidates ever elected to the Senate. Before he took office, his wife and daughter were killed, and his two sons badly injured in a 1972 car crash. Commuting every night on a train from Washington back to Wilmington, Biden fashioned an everyman political persona to go along with powerful Senate positions, including chairman of the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees. Some aspects of his record drew critical scrutiny from fellow Democrats, including his support for the 1994 crime bill, his vote for the 2003 Iraq War and his management of the Clarence Thomas’ Supreme Court hearings. Biden’s 1988 presidential campaign was done in by plagiarism allegations, and his next bid in 2008 ended quietly. But later that year, he was tapped to be Barack Obama’s running mate and he became an influential vice president, steering the administration’s outreach to both Capitol Hill and Iraq. While his reputation was burnished by his time in office and his deep friendship with Obama, Biden stood aside for Clinton and opted not to run in 2016 after his adult son Beau died of brain cancer the year before. Trump’s tenure pushed Biden to make one more run as he declared that “the very soul of the nation is at stake.” Full Coverage: Election 2020 ___ Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report. \|\|\|\|\| WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden became president-elect Saturday after winning the pivotal state of Pennsylvania, NBC News projected. The former vice president amassed 273 Electoral College votes after winning Pennsylvania’s 20 electors, according to NBC News, surpassing the 270 needed to win the White House and defeat President Donald Trump. Biden’s victory capped one of the longest and most tumultuous campaigns in modern history, in which he maintained an aggressive focus on Trump’s widely criticized handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. A majority of voters said rising coronavirus cases were a significant factor in their vote, according to early results from the NBC News Exit Poll of early and Election Day voters. Biden regularly criticized Trump as unfit for office and positioned his campaign as a “battle for the soul of America.” He promised from the outset of his run to heal and unite the country if he won, and made central to his closing message a pledge to represent both those who voted for him as well as those who didn't when he got to the White House. As president, Biden will immediately be confronted with a bitterly divided nation in the throes of a pandemic that has already killed 236,000 Americans. Trump has exacerbated the split by minimizing the effects of the pandemic, and has not even said whether he would recognize the outcome of the election. He will also have to corral a fractious Democratic Party with unresolved tensions between its progressive and centrist wings. Biden, who will turn 78 later this month, making him the oldest person ever elected to the presidency, first ran for the nation’s highest office more than 30 years ago. A longtime moderate, he has stressed bipartisanship for decades, and his long Senate career was typified by his willingness to work across the aisle with Republican colleagues. Heading into Saturday, Biden led Trump 253 to 214 in the projected Electoral College vote tally tracked by NBC News. Biden had higher vote totals in four key states — Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania. But all four remained rated by NBC News Decision Desk as too close to call. Biden will be sworn in as the 46th U.S. president on Jan. 20. Harris will become the first female, first Black and first Asian American vice president. In addition to the projected Electoral College vote, Biden also won the popular vote, and he set a record for winning the most votes of any candidate in U.S. history. Trump has repeatedly and erroneously declared victory, including in states where Biden is the projected winner. The president has also repeated unfounded conspiracy theories and tried to cast doubt on the integrity of the tabulation process. This is a breaking news story, please check back for updates. \|\|\|\|\| By choosing “I agree” below, you agree that NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic. This information is shared with social media services, sponsorship, analytics and other third-party service providers. See details. Agree and Continue Revoke Agreement Decline and Visit Plain Text Site	Former Vice President Joe Biden campaigning in 2019. Today, former Joe Biden was projected by multiple media outlets to have surpassed 270 delegate total and therefore become the 46th President of the United States elect. His running mate, Kamala Harris, would become the first female and first African- and Asian-American vice president. At around 11:25am (1625 ), the Associated Press (AP) called the election for Biden, as did NBC News, when Biden was declared to have won Pennsylvania's 20 electoral college votes. Later in the day, the AP and NBC News also called Nevada for Biden, giving him an additional six electoral college votes, for a total by NBC's reckoning of 279 electoral votes to President Donald Trump's 214, or 290 electoral votes by AP's reckoning. Electoral college results map when the election was called for Biden. Biden said in a statement, "I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris". He added, "With the campaign over, it's time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It's time for America to unite. And to heal ... We are the United States of America. And there's nothing we can't do, if we do it together." President Trump has yet to concede, saying earlier in the morning before the call for Biden, "I WON THIS ELECTION, BY A LOT!" on Twitter. Following the announcement of Biden's win, Trump issued a statement at outside Washington, D.C. saying, "The simple fact is this election is far from over. Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor". The lack of a concession from Trump has no legal standing.
Dr. Death, shown here in 1997 with WWE announcer Jim Ross The wrestling world has lost a legend, as it's sad to report that former UWF and All Japan Triple Crown champion Steve "Dr. Death" Williams lost his battle with cancer last night, passing away at the age of 49. We will have more details as we receive them and would like to pass our deepest condolences out to the family, friends and fans of one hell of a great athlete. Williams began his career in 1979, originally trained for MMA, however began wrestling for Bill Watts' MidSouth Wrestling. He formed a team with Ted DiBiase, and feuded with Eddie Gilbert, and was one of a few number of wrestlers who got an early push when MidSouth Wrestling was bought by Jim Crockett and renamed Universal Wrestling Federation. Williams had stints in both WWE and WCW, becoming WCW World Tag Team Champions with Terry Gordy. In 2004, WIlliams underwent surgery for throat cancer and was declared cancer free for a year. He worked briefly in Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE's former developmental facility, teaming with current Raw superstar Jack Swagger. He had a couple of matches this year before oficially retiring, following the death of longtime friend Mitsaharu Misawa. Once again, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of a legend, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams. \|\|\|\|\| "Dr. Death" Steve Williams Passes Away At Age 49 Reported by Daniel Pena on 12/30/2009 TNAHeadlines.com - Breaking TNA News, Spoilers, Photos & More! "Dr. Death" Steve Williams lost his battle with cancer last night, passing away at the age of 49. He had been battling throat cancer for a number of years, first apparently beating it in 2005. It came back this year and his health had worsened in recent months. Williams held numerous titles in North America and Japan throughout his lengthy career in the wrestling industry. He also achieved All-American status as a collegiate football player at the University of Oklahoma. After the death of longtime rival and friend Mitsuharu Misawa this past June, Williams made the decision to retire from the ring after twenty-seven years of service. His final match was held on October 25, 2009 in Tokyo. Donít forget to check out our official members area located at PWMForums.com. Registration is free to join thousands of intelligent members discussing wrestling; view hot women photos; multimedia and tons more! Be part of the best wrestling community online! Paid Advertisement Amazon.com Widgets QUICK LINKS: Main Page \| More Headlines \| Hot Women \| Special Photos Reporter's Advertisement: PLEASE NOTE: The link promoted in the above advertisement may NOT be true and were placed in the post by the reporter to advertise a 3rd Party website. PWMania.com do not take responsibility for the link above. \|\|\|\|\| Wrestling 'Dr Death' passes away THE wrestling world was in mourning again today after the passing of 'Dr Death' Steve Williams. Williams, a major global star throughout the 1980s and 1990s, died following a long battle with throat cancer aged 49. The former All Japan heavyweight champion, who also enjoyed stints in WCW and WWE, was well respected throughout the industry with a reputation as being legitimately one of the toughest men to step foot inside the wrestling ring. Born in Colorado, Williams was also an accomplished amateur wrestler and college American football player. After being diagnosed with cancer he became an inspiration to many by successfully battling the disease for five years. A number of TNA and WWE stars - including Taz, Daniels and Howard Finkel went on Twitter last night to pay their respects. Kevin Nash also wrote: "My condolences go out to Dr Death's family and friends. We lost a great one today!" WWE also posted a tribute on their website, part of which reads: "An All-American football player and wrestler at the University of Oklahoma, Williams went on to wrestle in UWF, NWA, ECW, All Japan and WCW with Terry Gordy before joining WWE in 1998. "In 2007, with his cancer in remission, William penned an inspirational book entitled How Dr Death became Dr Life. "His trying journey infused in Williams a gentle perspective and a deeply spiritual commitment. "WWE.com would like to offer Williams' family and loved ones our deepest condolences." Williams' best friend in wrestling was Smackdown commentator Jim Ross. JR has not yet commented on his pal's passing, but in a previous interview said: "Steve Williams, mentally and physically, is the toughest athlete I've ever seen in any walk of life or any sport, including the NFL and he has a heart of gold." A posting made yesterday on Steve William's official MySpace site, maintained by a close pal, said: " I regret to inform you that our good friend Steve Williams has lost his battle with cancer. "I do not have all the facts other than he passed some time last night. "I'm sure he would like to thank all you for your prayers. "His fans meant everything to him. I will post info as I receive it."	American has died aged 49. The retired wrestler died of cancer. Williams was suffering from throat cancer and underwent surgery in 2004. Williams, who originally trained up as an fighter started his career in 1979. He performed in several different promotions including , and . He held the with in WCW. For a short period he wrestled in , WWE's development facility. During his time there he worked with current superstar . Williams officially retired this year. He choose to retire after the death of fellow wrestler and friend . He wrestled his last match in Japan on October 25, 2009.
Knife found at O.J. Simpson's former L.A. home studied by police LOS ANGELES Police said on Friday they were examining a knife purportedly found at the former home of O.J. Simpson, the onetime football star acquitted of stabbing to death his ex-wife and her friend in the "Trial of the Century" two decades ago. \| Supreme Court temporarily blocks Louisiana abortion law WASHINGTON The Supreme Court, two days after hearing a major abortion case from Texas, on Friday temporarily blocked a Louisiana law imposing regulations on doctors who perform abortions in a move that would allow two recently closed clinics to reopen. Exclusive: U.S. watchdog to probe Fed's lax oversight of Wall Street NEW YORK A U.S. watchdog agency is preparing to investigate whether the Federal Reserve and other regulators are too soft on the banks they are meant to police, after a written request from Democratic lawmakers that marks the latest sign of distrust between Congress and the central bank. Brazil's Lula detained in corruption probe; Rousseff objects SAO PAULO/BRASILIA Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was briefly detained for questioning on Friday in a federal investigation of a vast corruption scheme, fanning a political crisis that threatens to topple his successor, President Dilma Rousseff. \| \|\|\|\|\| Binyamin Netanyahu has been a fierce opponent of the pullout plan The resignation was announced as the cabinet approved the removal of a first group of Jewish settlers from the area. Mr Netanyahu, a former prime minister, has been a fierce critic of the pullout plan championed by his Likud party rival, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been appointed to succeed him. I cannot be part of this irresponsible move that divides the people and harms Israel's security Binyamin Netanyahu Profile: Binyamin Netanyahu Gaza: 'Army in dunes' Mr Netanyahu had threatened to resign last year unless the Gaza plan was put to a referendum but later lifted the ultimatum. He submitted his resignation letter on Sunday, shortly before the cabinet voted by 17 to five to approve the initial phase of withdrawals. The three most isolated Gaza settlements - Kfar Darom, Netzarim and Morag - are first in line to be dismantled in 10 days' time. Mr Netanyahu was quoted on Israeli radio as saying Israel should strive for security - but that withdrawing under fire would only make Gaza a base for terror. Click below to see a detailed map of the Israeli disengagement plan Enlarge Map "I cannot be part of this irresponsible move that divides the people and harms Israel's security and will in the future pose a danger for the wholeness of Jerusalem." The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Jerusalem says Mr Netanyahu's resignation will give strength to the opposition faced by Mr Sharon but will not in itself stop the pullout from going ahead. The issue has caused friction between the prime minister and his hardline rival for months, she says. Mr Netanyahu, 55, is expected to challenge Mr Sharon, 77, for the leadership of the ruling Likud party ahead of the next election. The Israeli prime minister said the country's economic policy would not be affected by Mr Netanyahu's departure. Retaliation Earlier on Sunday, two Israelis were injured in the West Bank when their car came under fire from gunmen north of Ramallah. One of them, a 10-year-old boy, was reported to be in a critical but stable condition. A Palestinian militant group, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, said it had carried out the attack in retaliation for the killing last Thursday of four Israeli Arabs by an Israeli soldier. The army said the 19-year-old soldier had deserted in protest at the Gaza withdrawal. The Israeli government plans to pull more than 8,000 settlers and the soldiers that protect them out of the Gaza Strip. Israel is also planning to withdraw from four small settlements in the West Bank. Israel has occupied the West Bank and Gaza since 1967. \|\|\|\|\| JERUSALEM, Aug. 7 -- Israeli Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's chief political rival, abruptly resigned his cabinet post Sunday in a final-hour protest over Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Netanyahu's resignation, submitted during the weekly cabinet meeting, will have no practical effect on Sharon's plan to begin evacuating Israeli settlements and military installations in Gaza on Aug. 15. But the timing of the resignation highlighted the bitter political contest between the two men for leadership of the Likud Party in the run-up to general elections that must be held before the end of next year. Netanyahu submitted his resignation and walked out of the cabinet room moments before the first of several procedural votes formally setting the evacuation plan in motion. By a vote of 17 to 5, the cabinet then authorized the Israeli army to evacuate the first group of Gaza settlers, roughly 1,200 people in the isolated enclaves of Netzarim, Kfar Darom and Morag, where military officials expect some resistance. "We have reached the moment of truth today," Netanyahu wrote in the letter announcing his resignation, which takes effect in 48 hours. "There is a way to achieve peace and security, but a unilateral withdrawal under fire and with nothing in return is certainly not the way." Sharon has pushed the Gaza evacuation despite stiff opposition from his Likud Party, which voted overwhelmingly against the plan last year in a nonbinding party referendum. The prime minister has argued that leaving the 21 Gaza settlements, where 8,500 Jewish residents live within fortified fences surrounded by 1.3 million Arabs, will improve Israel's security and the long-term viability of its Jewish majority. In a news conference, Netanyahu said Sharon was continuing with the evacuation despite evidence that a "terror base" was being established in Gaza by radical Palestinian groups -- such as the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, and Islamic Jihad -- which oppose Israel's right to exist. "This is happening against all the warnings," Netanyahu said. "I can do nothing about this from the inside, so I'll leave." Netanyahu compared the evacuation to the 1993 Oslo accords, which he has criticized for failing to adequately ensure Israel's security while giving the Palestinians autonomy over some parts of the occupied territories. He suggested that the Gaza withdrawal, which Sharon is undertaking without receiving concessions from the Palestinian leadership, is rewarding the attacks against Israel that have occurred since the most recent uprising began in September 2000. In a statement, Sharon said only that the government intended to push ahead with its current economic plan despite the finance minister's resignation. Hours later, Sharon named Ehud Olmert, a deputy prime minister and Likud member, to replace Netanyahu as finance minister. Netanyahu, who served as prime minister from 1996 until losing the general elections in 1999, has been perhaps the Likud Party's most vocal critic of withdrawal. But his position has sometimes been inconsistent and has angered many party loyalists, whose support he will need to challenge Sharon successfully for the party leadership after the Gaza evacuation. Over the past year, Netanyahu has cast several cabinet votes in favor of the withdrawal plan, known as disengagement. At the same time, much to the chagrin of Sharon, he has tried to derail the evacuation in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, by backing calls for delaying the evacuation and supporting a public referendum on its merits. "Netanyahu is a genius politically," said Gideon Ariel, a conservative member of the Likud Party's central committee. "I hope that the other ministers who say they are against the expulsion will now follow suit. Netanyahu made it very clear that it's impossible to stay" in a government that favors "expelling Jews from their homes." Israeli political analysts said Netanyahu's departure is part of a broader realignment of Israel's political parties in the coming months, precipitated by Sharon's disengagement plan. Increasingly, Israel's political alliances appear to be forming along generational lines, with men such as Sharon and the leader of the rival Labor Party, Shimon Peres, clashing with younger leaders such as Netanyahu over Israel's future boundaries and its relationship with the Palestinians. Sharon and Peres, who are old friends, have been involved in public life here since before Israel's creation nearly six decades ago. In proposing a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, Sharon tacked away from his traditional supporters among the Likud's hard line. Peres, also a deputy prime minister, alienated some members of his own party by backing Sharon and joining his government, even though the Labor Party favors the disengagement plan. Many political analysts are predicting a split within Likud following the disengagement, with Netanyahu leading one wing and Sharon another. In what political analysts and party operatives describe as the "big bang," Sharon and Peres would then form a new movement, joined by the leader of the centrist, secular Shinui Party, Yosef Lapid. The result could be a majority coalition in the 120-seat Knesset. "Netanyahu is preparing for such an eventuality -- no question about it," said Gabriel Sheffer, a political science professor at Hebrew University. "This is connected to major changes in the Israeli party system which will occur after the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. He is zigzagging, and this is nothing new." \|\|\|\|\| Israel's Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures during a press conference announcing his resignation The Israeli Cabinet has approved the first stage of the upcoming pullout from the Gaza Strip. Israel's Cabinet gave a green light for the evacuation of the first three Jewish settlements in Gaza. The vote was 19 to five. Among the dissenters was Finance Minister and former Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu, who dropped a bombshell and resigned in protest over the Gaza pullout. He said the withdrawal is a mistake and an act of blindness. "I cannot be part of a process that creates a base for Islamic terror that will threaten the state of Israel," Mr. Netanyahu told a news conference. The resignation is Mr. Netanyahu's first step toward challenging Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for the leadership of the hawkish Likud party once the pullout is over. Mr. Sharon infuriated the party with his Gaza withdrawal plan, which many see as a betrayal of traditional Likud ideals, such as settling the biblical land of Israel. Now, Mr. Netanyahu, who is 55, sees an opportunity to win back the party by placing himself squarely in the national camp. Eliza Herbst, a spokeswoman for the settlers, says it's better late than never. "We welcome Netanyahu back to his ideological roots, it's a very happy day for us," she said. While Mr. Netanyahu's resignation stole the spotlight, it will have no effect on the Gaza pullout. The Cabinet set the wheels in motion for the evacuation of 21 Gaza settlements, along with four more in the West Bank. More than 9,000 settlers will be removed from their homes, and those who do not leave voluntarily will be removed by force. The process begins next week. \|\|\|\|\| The Case for Toppling Saddam The longer America waits, the more dangerous he becomes. By Benjamin Netanyahu Sept. 11 alerted most Americans to the grave dangers that are now facing our world. Most Americans understand that had al Qaeda possessed an atomic device last September, the city of New York would not exist today. They realize that last week we could have grieved not for thousands of dead, but for millions. But for others around the world, the power of imagination is apparently not so acute. It appears that these people will have to once again see the unimaginable materialize in front of their eyes before they are willing to do what must be done. For how else can one explain opposition to President Bush's plan to dismantle Saddam Hussein's regime? I do not mean to suggest that there are not legitimate questions about a potential operation against Iraq. Indeed, there are. But the question of whether removing Saddam's regime is itself legitimate is not one of them. Equally immaterial is the argument that America cannot oust Saddam without prior approval of the international community. This is a dictator who is rapidly expanding his arsenal of biological and chemical weapons, who has used these weapons of mass destruction against his subjects and his neighbors, and who is feverishly trying to acquire nuclear weapons. The dangers posed by a nuclear-armed Saddam were understood by my country two decades ago, well before Sept. 11. In 1981, Prime Minister Menachem Began dispatched the Israeli air force on a predawn raid that destroyed the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak. Though at the time Israel was condemned by all the world's governments, history has rendered a far kinder judgment on that act of unquestionable foresight and courage. Two decades ago it was possible to thwart Saddam's nuclear ambitions by bombing a single installation. Today nothing less than dismantling his regime will do. For Saddam's nuclear program has changed. He no longer needs one large reactor to produce the deadly material necessary for atomic bombs. He can produce it in centrifuges the size of washing machines that can be hidden throughout the country--and Iraq is a very big country. Even free and unfettered inspections will not uncover these portable manufacturing sites of mass death. We now know that had the democracies taken pre-emptive action to bring down Hitler's regime in the 1930s, the worst horrors in history could have been avoided. And we now know, from defectors and other intelligence, that had Israel not launched its pre-emptive strike on Saddam's atomic-bomb factory recent history would have taken a far more dangerous course. I write this as a citizen of the country that is most endangered by a pre-emptive strike. For in the last gasps of his dying regime, Saddam may well attempt to launch his remaining missiles, with their biological and chemical warheads, at the Jewish State. Though I am today a private citizen, I believe I speak for the overwhelming majority of Israelis in supporting a pre-emptive strike against Saddam's regime. We support this American action even though we stand on the front lines, while others criticize it as they sit comfortably on the sidelines. But we know that their sense of comfort is an illusion. For if action is not taken now, we will all be threatened by a much greater peril. We support this action because it is possible today to defend against chemical and biological attack. There are gas masks, vaccinations and other means of civil defense that can protect our citizens and reduce the risks to them. Indeed, a central component of any strike on Iraq must be to ensure that the Israeli government, if it so chooses, has the means to vaccinate every citizen of Israel before action is initiated. Ensuring this is not merely the responsibility of the government of Israel, but also the responsibility of the government of the U.S. But no gas mask and no vaccine can protect against nuclear weapons. That is why regimes that have no compunction about using weapons of mass destruction, and that will not hesitate to give them to their terror proxies, must never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. These regimes must be brought down before they possess the power to bring us all down. If a pre-emptive action will be supported by a broad coalition of free countries and the U.N., all the better. But if such support is not forthcoming, then the U.S. must be prepared to act without it. This will require courage, and I see it abundantly present in President Bush's bold leadership and in the millions of Americans who have rallied behind him. I recognize this courage because I see it on the faces of my countrymen every day. Millions of Israelis who have been subjected to an unprecedented campaign of terror have stood firmly behind our government in the war against Palestinian terror. We have not crumbled. We have not run. We have stood our ground and fought back. Today the terrorists have the will to destroy us but not the power. Today we have the power to destroy them. Now we must summon the will to do so. Mr. Netanyahu is a former prime minister of Israel. Mr. Netanyahu is a former prime minister of Israel. Reprinted by permission. Article date: September 20, 2002. Press here for latest articles by Binyamin Netanyahu. Press here for interviews and speeches by B. Netanyahu. Press here for general information about B. Netanyahu.	Benjamin Netanyahu Israeli Finance Minster has resigned from the cabinet Sunday to protest against the upcoming Israeli withdrawal from the and part of the according to a ministry spokesman. Netanyahu submitted a resignation letter to that he said counts as his vote against the pullout plan. He also told reporters, "I understand the ambition to leave Gaza. I can't be part of a move that I believe is wrong, a move that will endanger security and divide the people." Sharon pushed for the pullout within his highly split , which in a recent 17 to 5 vote, approved the evacuation plan. The Israeli Army will assist in evacuation efforts of the first group of settlers in , , and . Sharon named the Vice Prime Minister as the new finance minister. The forced evacuations, or "disengagement", of settlers is due to start after August 15. There are nearly 8,500 Jewish residents who live within fortified fences in Gaza. The settlements are surrounded by an Arab Palestinian population of approximately 1.5 million. In a Sunday news conference, Netanyahu said the current evacuation plan has similarities to the 1993 . In that accord, Netanyahu had drawn criticism in his role as Prime Minister for what some say was a failure to adequately insure Israeli security. The gained more autonomy over some parts of the occupied territories in the accords. Netanyahu said of the Gaza withdrawal, the Palestinian leadership is again being rewarded without concession. The resignation is seen as a step by Netanyahu towards challenging Sharon for the leadership of the Likud party once the pullout is over. Netanyahu may have an opportunity to win back the party by placing himself in the national camp. Netanyahu was one of the most vocal in claiming Saddam was preparing "Weapons of Mass Destruction" and he repeatedly urged America to invade Iraq on that basis.
It's the political equivalent of a minefield. And on Wednesday, Stephen Harper waded straight into it with all guns blazing. The Prime Minister was forced to comment on the idea of Quebec as a distinct nation within Canada, after the Bloc Quebecois introduced a motion in the House of Commons calling on MPs to recognize the province as a special entity. But in a bombshell move, he turned the tables on his foes by introducing a motion of his own. It recognizes Quebec as a nation - but only within a united Canada. "Quebeckers know who they are," Harper told the House. "They know they've participated in the foundation, in the founding of Canada and its development and in its greatness. They know that they've protected their language and unique culture but they also promoted their values and interests within Canada. "The real question is straightforward: Do Quebeckers form a nation within a united Canada? The answer is yes. Do Quebeckers form an independent nation from Canada? The answer is no and it will always be no!" In his impassioned speech, which was frequently interrupted by applause, Harper inferred the B.Q.'s plan was a cheap trick to re-introduce an independence referendum, an idea he doesn't believe the majority in the province really support. "I say to my federalist colleagues and I also say to the separatist side that we here will do what we must, what our forefathers have always done to preserve this country, Canada, strong, united independent and free." For once the Liberals were in agreement with their Tory foes. "I would say we're devoted to this country with its boundless potential and dedicated to building Canada which includes Quebec while the Bloc is dedicated to destroying Canada," intones interim leader Bill Graham. "We are fundamentally opposed to breaking up of Canada ... On this point we must clearly and fundamentally disagree and fundamentally fight for the rights of Canada and the whole of Canada." Needless to say, the Bloc wasn't happy with those responses. "It isn't up to the prime minister to decide what Quebeckers will choose as an option," an irate leader Gilles Duceppe retorts. "It's up to Quebeckers ... to decide what their future will be ... not as long as they remain within Canada that is supposedly united. They are not a nation as long as they are a country ... "Never will I accept the only condition to be a nation is to recognize the right to remain in Canada. We are what we are, full stop." The Bloc insists it will pursue its motion despite the Prime Minister's countermeasures, although the party is well aware it will never get the item passed. \|\|\|\|\| Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government will introduce a motion in Parliament asking lawmakers to recognize Quebec as a nation ``within a united Canada.'' Harper said he was prompted to put the motion forward after the Bloc Quebecois separatist party introduced a competing motion to recognize Quebec as a nation without mentioning Canada. Harper wants to shore up support in Quebec for his Conservative Party ahead of a federal election that could be held as early as next year. ``For the Bloc, it's not about Quebec as a nation, it's about separation,'' Harper said in Parliament today. ``The real question is: Do Quebecers form a nation within a united Canada? The answer is yes. Do Quebecers form an independent nation from Canada? The answer is no, and it will always be no.'' The issue flared up after Michael Ignatieff, a leadership candidate for the opposition Liberal Party, said he would recognize Quebec as a nation in Canada's constitution if elected prime minister. The Liberals will select a new leader at a convention next month. Quebec, one of Canada's founding provinces when the country was created in 1867, is mostly French speaking. Separatist governments have held two referendums asking Quebecers if they wanted to split from the rest of Canada; both were defeated. Andre Boisclair, the leader of the province's opposition Parti Quebecois, has vowed to hold a referendum shortly after taking power if he is elected. ``It's incoherent: we are a nation within Canada, but if we become a country, we wouldn't be a nation anymore,'' Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe said after Harper's speech. ``Mr. Harper should recognize us for what we are. If he wants to defend his option after that, I'll respect it.'' The Conservatives, with 124 seats, are short of a majority in the 308-seat House of Commons. The Liberals hold 101 seats and the New Democratic Party hold 29 seats. The Bloc Quebecois has 50 legislators. To contact the reporters on this story: Theophilos Argitis in Ottawa at targitis@bloomberg.net. To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Scanlan in Toronto at dscanlan@bloomberg.net. \|\|\|\|\| Stephen Harper's Conservatives won elections in January Mr Harper was responding to a motion by Quebec separatists that MPs should "recognise Quebecois form a nation". Francophone Quebec has previously held two referendums on separation, in 1980 and 1995, but rejected the idea. Mr Harper's Conservatives won Canada's general election in January to end 12 years of Liberal rule. Analysts say the motion is proving problematic for federalists. An acceptance would encourage talks towards separatism but a rejection could bolster the separatists' belief that their aspirations are being ignored. Kickbacks On Wednesday, Mr Harper backed the notion that the House of Commons should "recognise that Quebecois constitute a nation within a united Canada". He said: "The real question is simple: do Quebecois make up a nation of their own in a united Canada? The answer is yes. "Do Quebecois make up a nation independent from Canada? The answer is no and will always be no." The leader of the Bloc Quebecois party opposed the prime minister's position. "It isn't up to the prime minister to decide what Quebecers will choose as an option. It's up to Quebecers," Gilles Duceppe said. January's elections was called following revelations that Liberal politicians in Quebec had taken kickbacks in return for awarding government contracts. Afterwards Mr Harper pledged a renewed drive for federalism for Quebec. "We will do this because shuffling the deck in Ottawa is not good enough," he said at the time. The Conservatives made significant gains in Quebec.	The Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, announced at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday that he will recognize Quebecois as a nation within Canada, despite a similar Bloc Quebecois' motion. The separatist Bloc Quebecois (BQ) opposition party originally introduced the motion to recognize Quebec as a nation, without specifying in or out of Canada. But Harper said that he will only recognize the Quebecois as a nation within Canada. The Bloc, led by Gilles Duceppe is, by tradition, dedicated to separating Quebec completely from Canada. This has never passed. "I would say we're devoted to this country with its boundless potential and dedicated to building Canada which includes Quebec while the Bloc is dedicated to destroying Canada," interim Liberal leader Bill Graham in response to Harper's speech. "We are fundamentally opposed to breaking up of Canada ... On this point we must clearly and fundamentally disagree and fundamentally fight for the rights of Canada and the whole of Canada." Mr. Duceppe opposed the prime minister's position on Quebec. "It isn't up to the prime minister to decide what Quebeckers will choose as an option," Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe said. "It's up to Quebeckers ... to decide what their future will be ... not as long as they remain within Canada that is supposedly united. They are not a nation as long as they are a country ...Never will I accept the only condition to be a nation is to recognize the right to remain in Canada. We are what we are, full stop." The Conservatives have ten elected MPs in the province.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is touting the implementation of equipment related to its proposed satellite-based airplane navigation system known as NextGen in the Washington area. The agency said Tuesday that it has completed work related to the NextGen project in the Washington Metroplex, which covers the airspace that surrounds Ronald Reagan, Dulles and Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) airports. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said it would drastically ease air traffic congestion around the nation’s capital just in time for the expected rush of Thanksgiving holiday travelers. ADVERTISEMENT “The National Capital Metroplex is the first in the nation to operate three NextGen approaches, each of which is dedicated to one of the region's three major airports — Reagan National (DCA), Dulles International (IAD), and Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International (BWI),” Huerta wrote in a blog post on the Transportation Department’s website. “As with last week's developments in North Texas, these new and improved routes mean increased safety, more on time arrivals, less fuel consumption, and reduced pollution-causing emissions,” the FAA chief continued. “Even better, the side-by-side trio is in operation ahead of the holiday travel period beginning this week. The whole point of NextGen is to get air travelers to their destinations safely and on time, and this is never more important than during the busy holiday season.” The FAA has been planning for years to discard the World War II-era radar technology that’s been used to manage airplane traffic for generations. The agency says the new system will ease congestion in the airspace around busy U.S. airports by streamlining the arrivals and departures of flights. It also argues that navigating flights more efficiently will have environmental benefits because airplanes will use less gas and produce less smog. The catch is that the NextGen system is expected to cost about $40 billion to complete and an original deadline of a 2020 nationwide implementation is rapidly approaching. Complicating matters further, the FAA’s current funding is scheduled to expire in September 2015, although lawmakers have already begun holding hearings about a possible extension next year. In the meantime, the FAA has adopted a piecemeal approach to NextGen that involves individual projects like the D.C. one. FAA officials said the installation of NextGen equipment at the capital area airports will save airlines 2.5 million gallons of gas per year and reduce carbon emissions by about 25,000 metric tons each year. Huerta said the savings would be realized because planes would be allowed to change the way they approach the D.C. area airports for landings to a more fuel-efficient method. “When a plane makes a traditional staircase descent, it burns fuel at each step and requires clearance from air traffic controllers for each step,” he wrote. "Instead [with NextGen], the three parallel Optimized Profile Descents enable aircraft serving the capital area's major airports from the northwest to descend from cruising altitude to the runway in a smooth, continuous arc.” The FAA chief said the benefits that the benefits of NextGen would be extended to other airports in cities that are close to the nation’s capital. “By improving traffic flow to the three major airports, the DC Metroplex initiative also enhances the safety and efficiency of flights serving Richmond International Airport, Andrews Joint Base Airport, and at least nine smaller airports,” he wrote. \|\|\|\|\| Short Range Public Discussion (Latest Discussion - Issued 20:32Z Jul 13, 2011) Version Selection Versions back from latest: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Abbreviations and acronyms used in this product Geographic Boundaries - Map 1: Black/White Geographic Boundaries - Map 1: Color Black/White Map 2: Color SHORT RANGE FORECAST DISCUSSION NWS HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER CAMP SPRINGS MD 432 PM EDT WED JUL 13 2011 VALID 00Z THU JUL 14 2011 - 00Z SAT JUL 16 2011 ...DANGEROUSLY HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS EXPECTED ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S... ...DAILY CHANCES FOR SEVERE WEATHER FORECAST OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES/NORTHERN PLAINS... A HIGHLY AMPLIFIED PATTERN IS IN PLACE ALOFT WITH AN EXPANSIVE UPPER RIDGE STRETCHING FROM THE FOUR CORNERS REGION EASTWARD TO THE SOUTHEASTERN QUADRANT OF THE U.S. OFF TO THE WEST OF THIS RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE...AN ELONGATED TROUGH IS FORECAST ALONG THE WEST COAST WITH THIS FEATURE EXTENDING DOWN TOWARD SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER...THIS IS QUITE THE SOUTHWARD EXTENT OF TROUGHING AS IT APPROACHES THE 30 DEGREE LATITUDE. MEANWHILE...AN UPPER TROUGH ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN STATES WILL BRING A FRONTAL PASSAGE THROUGH THE REGION TODAY WITH THE SYSTEM ALOFT EVENTUALLY SLOWING IN PROGRESSION OFFSHORE OF NOVA SCOTIA. THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO A POWERFUL RIDGE DOWNSTREAM ACROSS THE NORTH-CENTRAL ATLANTIC WATERS WHICH WILL BLOCK THE DISTURBANCES FORWARD PROGRESSION. WHILE A DOMINANT UPPER RIDGE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A MAINSTAY FEATURE THIS SUMMER ACROSS THE MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY...A SURFACE BOUNDARY SINKING SOUTHWARD WILL AT LEAST BRING SOME RELIEF FROM THE EXCESSIVE HEAT AND HUMIDITY. MOST RECENTLY...AREAS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AND NORTHERN KENTUCKY SAW HEAT INDICES IN THE 115 TO 120 DEGREE RANGE. FORTUNATELY...SOMEWHAT COOLER AND DRIER CONDITIONS WILL TAKE OVER NORTH OF THE SURFACE FRONT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK WEEK. HOWEVER...SOUTH OF THIS BOUNDARY...HEAT AND HUMIDITY WILL BE THE RULE WITH DEW POINTS WELL INTO THE 70S ACROSS MANY AREAS. ADDING THE NEAR 100 DEGREE TEMPERATURES WILL MAKE IT FEEL CLOSER TO 110 DEGREES...ESPECIALLY OVER THE COASTAL SOUTHEASTERN U.S. WITHIN THIS MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS...DAILY CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED WITH BETTER COVERAGE ALONG THE STALLED BOUNDARY AND ALONG THE GULF COAST WHERE SEA-BREEZE CONVERGENCE WILL AID IN FURTHER VERTICAL LIFT. AS AN UPPER LOW SPINS ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST...PIECES OF ENERGY ASSOCIATED WITH IT WILL SHEAR OFF AND PUSH ACROSS THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST. SUCH DISTURBANCES CROSSING A WAVY FRONTAL BOUNDARY ACROSS THE REGION WILL INCREASE THE CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION. AS THE ENTIRE TROUGH EDGES EASTWARD...THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM THE NORTHERN ROCKIES OUT INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME LOCALLY SEVERE AS ADVERTISED BY THE LATEST STORM PREDICTION CENTER OUTLOOK. RELIEF FROM THE SUMMER HEAT IS FORECAST ACROSS MUCH OF THE NORTHEASTERN QUARTER OF THE NATION. THIS IS IN RESPONSE TO A COOL SURFACE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE SETTLING OVER THE REGION. HIGHS IN THE 80S WILL BECOME MORE COMMONPLACE WITH MUCH LOWER HUMIDITY LEVELS. RUBIN-OSTER GRAPHICS AVAILABLE AT www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php \|\|\|\|\| As the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday approaches this Thursday, November 27, NOAA's GOES-East and GOES-West satellites are keeping a weather eye out for storms that may affect early travelers. In an image from Nov. 25, the satellites show an active weather pattern is in place for travelers across the central and eastern U.S. [image-50] NOAA's GOES-East satellite provides visible and infrared images over the eastern U.S. and the Atlantic Ocean, while NOAA's GOES-West satellite covers the western U.S. and Pacific Ocean from its fixed orbit in space. Data from both satellites were combined at NASA's GOES Project to create a full view of the U.S. on Nov. 25 at 11:45 UTC (6:45 a.m. EST). The image shows clouds associated with cold front stretching from the Gulf of Mexico over northern Florida and along the U.S. East coast to eastern Canada. Clouds associated with another area of low pressure are in the northern Rockies and northwestern U.S. To create the image, NASA/NOAA's GOES Project takes the cloud data from NOAA's GOES-East satellite and overlays it on a true-color image of land and ocean created by data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS, instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites. Together, those data created the entire picture of the storm and show its movement. After the storm system passes, the snow on the ground becomes visible. NOAA's National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center said "a storm system will develop off the coast of the Carolinas early Wednesday (Nov. 25) and strengthen as it moves rapidly up the East Coast Wednesday into early Thursday (Nov. 26). Heavy snow is likely to begin in the central Appalachians early Wednesday morning, spreading northeast through the interior Mid-Atlantic into New England by Wednesday night. Winter Storm Watches are in effect for these areas." For travelers in the western U.S., the Northern Rocky Mountains are expected to receive more snow from the north side of a stationary frontal boundary. South of the boundary rain showers will affect the lower valley. The National Weather Service calls for cold weather to continue in the northern Plains and Upper Midwest as a Canadian surface high pressure rules the weather. The U.S. Southwest will experience nice weather for mid-week. In the Pacific Northwest, the National Weather Service noted that a warm front will bring rain, heavy at times, to the Cascades today and tonight. There will be a break in the heavier rains on Wednesday, then another period of heavy rain for the Cascades Wednesday night through Friday morning as a cold front slowly drags through the area. NOAA's GOES satellites provide the kind of continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis. Geostationary describes an orbit in which a satellite is always in the same position with respect to the rotating Earth. This allows GOES to hover continuously over one position on Earth's surface, appearing stationary. As a result, GOES provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric triggers for severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, flash floods, hail storms and hurricanes. For updated information about the storm system, visit NOAA's NWS website: www.weather.gov For more information about GOES satellites, visit: www.goes.noaa.gov/ or goes.gsfc.nasa.gov/ \|\|\|\|\| [Avionics Today 11-24-2014] The announced its latest Metroplex-related airspace improvement activity under its nationwide rollout of the NextGen program: a new Optimized Profile Descent (OPD) for the Washington, D.C. Metroplex initiative. According to a statement from the agency, the Washington, D.C. airport system is the first Metroplex in the United States to now have three "satellite-based highways in the sky running side by side by side, each dedicated to one of the three major airports in the region." An aircraft takes off from Reagan National Airport. Photo: Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. OPD is the 's description of a method of operating an aircraft on its approach to an airport by minimizing changes in engine thrust through the use of a favorable initial flight path angle and by strategic flap/landing gear management. Instead of the traditional method of landing an airplane, which follows a stair-step approach, constantly lowering the altitude through reduced engine thrust, OPDs allow the pilot to follow a more efficient descent trajectory with less time spent in level flight, resulting in reduced fuel burn and carbon emissions. "The easiest way to understand how they work is they enable aircraft to make a smooth, continuous descent from cruising altitude to the runway," Paul Takemoto, a spokesperson for the FAA told Avionics Magazine. "Traditional descents (using ground-based navigation aids instead of satellite-based) step down to lower altitudes; each step-down burns fuel and also requires a voice clearance with a controller. OPDs are like sliding down the bannister, with only voice comm at the beginning and end. They save time, fuel and reduce carbon emissions while also eliminating the possibility of voice comm errors." According to the FAA, about 97 percent of commercial aircraft serving the D.C. Metroplex airports are equipped to use OPDs. Included in the D.C. Metroplex airport system are Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Dulles International Airport (IDA) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The OPD into Baltimore/Washington opened this month, joining existing OPDs at Dulles and National, all three of which are among the busiest airports in the National Airspace System (NAS). regarding the completion of the North Texas Metroplex, implementing similar airspace efficiency improvements for flights serving Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport and Dallas Love Field (DAL). The North Texas announcement also followed the completion of the Houston Metroplex project for flights serving David Wayne Hooks Memorial (DWH), William P. Hobby (HOU), George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and Sugar Land Regional (SGR) airports. This most recent announcement of the improvement to the Washington, D.C. Metroplex follows an announcement made by the agency last week, implementing similar airspace efficiency improvements for flights serving Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport and Dallas Love Field (DAL). The North Texas announcement alsofor flights serving David Wayne Hooks Memorial (DWH), William P. Hobby (HOU), George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and Sugar Land Regional (SGR) airports. Due to special use and military airspace within the Washington, D.C. Metroplex airport system, the airspace has become increasingly congested as air traffic volume in the region and throughout the NAS continues to increase. For example, passenger traffic at Reagan National Airport exceeded 20 million in 2013, well in excess of the 15 to 16 million passengers the airport has traditionally served and the fourth consecutive year of record passenger levels, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Thus, the FAA’s OPD rollout in this area is much needed. "Historically the way we've handled aircraft in our air traffic system has been more of a structure of a step-down approach, and now, with these more environmentally friendly satellite-based procedures, we're essentially sliding down a stairwell. Simply put, what we are trying to do with the procedures are provide more environmentally friendly procedures or ways arriving and departing airports with the least amount of impact on the environment," Brian Townsend, a captain and tech pilot for the airspace optimization division of American Airlines said in a video describing the new OPDs in the D.C. Metroplex. The FAA achieved the deployment of the new OPDs by organizing teams of aviation professionals, including Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs), pilots, avionics manufacturers and more. The teams analyze the current flow of aircraft and then create more efficient paths into the busy airspace. According to the FAA, the three new flight paths in the D.C. Metroplex include the Anthem OPD into BWI, the Gibbs OPD into Dulles and the Freedom OPD into Reagan National. All three use the precision and predictability of satellite-based navigation to allow aircraft to follow the most fuel-efficient landing approaches into the different airports. Under the deployment of the three OPDs, the FAA estimates airlines will see a reduction of the amount of fuel they burn by 2.5 million gallons and will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 25,000 metric tons. Implementation of the third OPD in the D.C. Metroplex was achieved ahead of the start of the holiday travel season, when the agency expects the number of flights on Tuesday and Wednesday to be about 1.5 percent over a typical Tuesday and Wednesday. Saturday and Sunday will see a 15 to 18 percent increase in flights over a typical Saturday and Sunday. During this period, the Department of Defense is also releasing unused military airspace to the FAA from Wednesday, Nov. 26 through Sunday, Nov. 30. In addition to improving air traffic flows at Baltimore Washington International, Dulles and Reagan, the FAA said the three OPDs will help improve the efficiency of flights at nine smaller airports in the region, including: Easton/Newman, Frederick Municipal, Leesburg Executive, Montgomery County Airpark, Manassas Regional, Eastern West Virginia Regional, Winchester Regional, Stafford Regional and Martin State, according to an emailed statement. "The OPDs will help flights to all area airports because they greatly reduce congestion in the area. Air routes over Metroplex regions prior to the implementation of these procedures are like a complicated, though safe, web. OPDs serve to eliminate much of the entanglements, making things easier for everyone," said Takemoto. \|\|\|\|\| November 23, 2014 Contact: Paul Takemoto or Tammy Jones Phone: (202) 267-3883 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Just in time for the busy holiday travel season, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced that the Washington, D.C. Metroplex is the first in the nation to have three, state-of-the-art, satellite-based highways in the sky running side by side by side, each dedicated to one of the three major airports in the region. “The national capital region is reaping the benefits of NextGen and this announcement further highlights how the federal government is making a difference,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “These new and improved highways in the sky mean increased safety, more on time arrivals and departures, reduced fuel consumption, and reduced pollution-causing emissions.” Estimates predict airlines will burn at least 2.5 million fewer gallons of fuel each year in the skies above Washington, while emitting at least 25,000 fewer metric tons of carbon dioxide. Using the Environmental Protection Agency’s energy calculator, this is the equivalent of annual greenhouse gas emissions from 5,263 passenger vehicles or 8,961 tons of waste taken to landfills. “The whole point of NextGen is to get air travelers to their destinations safely and on time, and this is never more important than during the busy holiday season,” said FAA administrator Michael Huerta. The three parallel Optimized Profile Descents (OPD) enable aircraft serving the capital area’s three major airports from the northwest to descend from cruising altitude to the runway in a smooth, continuous arc instead of the traditional staircase descent. This saves time for passengers, while reducing fuel and carbon dioxide emissions. A traditional staircase descent burns fuel at each step. In addition, voice communications between air traffic controllers and pilots are greatly reduced since clearances required during each step of a staircase descent are eliminated. The three airports benefitting from the NextGen arrivals are Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The OPD into Baltimore/Washington opened this month, joining the existing OPDs into Dulles and National. Complementary, satellite-based departure paths are also being rolled out at the three airports, allowing aircraft to more quickly join high altitude traffic streams. By improving traffic flow to the three major airports, the D.C. Metroplex initiative, a collaborative effort involving American, Southwest, United and labor unions, also enhances the safety and efficiency of flights serving Richmond International Airport, Andrews Joint Base Airport and at least nine smaller airports. The number of flights through the holiday season is predicted to remain high at relatively the same levels as last year, but passenger counts are expected to be higher as airlines use larger aircraft capable of carrying more passengers. The number of flights Tuesday and Wednesday will be about 1.5 percent over a typical Tuesday and Wednesday. Saturday and Sunday will see a 15-18 percent increase in flights over a typical Saturday and Sunday. The Department of Defense will again release to the FAA unused military airspace from Wednesday, Nov. 26, through Sunday, Nov. 30. The additional airspace allows the FAA to use routes otherwise unavailable to help relieve traffic congestion on the East Coast and throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Southwest. According to the National Weather Service, one or two high impact systems are possible across the country during the holiday travel period. These could bring heavy rain and snow, along with winds. Temperatures are expected to range from the 20s to the 50s across much of the northern U.S. The southern part of the country will see lows in the 30s and highs in the 70s. >Check out video "New arrivals into Washington and Baltimore" \|\|\|\|\| [image-50] The holiday season is upon us and you know what that can mean — crowded airports, delayed flights, and a tasty side dish of frayed nerves. It might be worth giving thanks, then, to a dedicated group of researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, who are working to change that. [image-69] [image-96] [image-114] There, in one of the center's largest buildings, those researchers (sometimes with the help of airline pilots and air traffic controllers) are conducting studies to help reshape the future of American air travel. And they're doing it in a brand new Air Traffic Operations Laboratory, or ATOL for short. "We're trying to make the whole NextGen environment safer, more efficient," said Ed Scearce, NASA Langley's ATOL operations manager. And what is the NextGen environment Scearce is referring to? That would be the Next Generation Air Transportation System, new national airspace technology being implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration. Over the next decade or so, the FAA will transition the country's air traffic control network from a limited ground-based system of radar sites to an expanded space-based system of satellites, helping to move the ever-increasing volume of American air traffic in and out of the nation's airports more quickly and safely. NASA Langley's role in that transition is to use both its new lab space and the Airspace and Traffic Operations Simulation software, or ATOS, to test NextGen-friendly algorithms, operational concepts and flight deck displays. They're also evaluating the integration of revolutionary vehicles, such as unmanned aerial systems (UAS), into the National Airspace System. Researchers are doing that with two types of experiments — batch and human-in-the-loop. In batch experiments, the team at Langley runs simulations entirely on computers. The scenarios might focus on aircraft interval management around Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, or UAS operations around Dallas/Fort Worth, or automated separation assurance in the skies around Denver International Airport. "We can run hundreds or thousands of simulations, because the computers never complain. They work 24-7, nights, weekends. They just don't care," said Scearce. The software can simulate a variety of piloting styles as well. "We have aggressive computer pilots," Scearce said. "We also have computer pilots that have a built-in delay, so you need it to do something quickly but it does it 30 seconds later." Eventually, though, Scearce and his team have to bring in actual people to validate the key findings from all that computer data. During those human-in-the-loop tests, seasoned pilots and air traffic controllers visit the ATOL and interact in simulated air traffic environments. "You have to have controllers in seats, you have to have pilots in seats and say, 'Is this acceptable to you guys?'" said Scearce. Scearce and his team moved into the new lab earlier this year. Compared to their previous home in the same building, the new ATOL has roughly double the space. "You could say we became victims of our own success," said Scearce. "We had the need to run multiple human-in-the-loop studies at once, so this new space is the answer to that." Where the old lab essentially had one room for each function, the new one features two pilot rooms, two air traffic control rooms, two ATOL control rooms and two briefing rooms. It also includes an Unmanned Aerial Systems lab that was previously located off-site. The current upgrade is just the first phase of a two-phase project. Future upgrades planned for the next calendar year include a rapid prototyping/development and testing area, and an area that will allow the team to explore the addition of personal air vehicles into the National Airspace System. Until then, the ATOL crew is staying plenty busy. In the past few months, they've supported three simultaneous batch studies. They're also planning for two more batch studies and three human-in-the-loop studies that will go to data collection next year. Business probably won't die down anytime soon. In 2011, the FAA predicted that air travel would more than double over the next 20 years. With NextGen, the FAA hopes to not only accommodate that additional air traffic, but also make flying a more pleasant experience all around — cheaper, greener, quieter. There are still questions to answer first, though. And NASA Langley's ATOL team is right there in the thick of it, helping search for the answers. "How do you deal with more aircraft in the skies? How do you become more efficient, more environmentally friendly, reduce noise, still get to where you've got to on time and maintain the safety record?" asked Scearce. "That's really what we look at here." Joe Atkinson NASA Langley Research Center	FAA Seal The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Sunday that a airspace upgrade for the Washington, D.C. metro area would be in place in time for the holiday travel week. The FAA said this will improve the efficiency of air travel in this area. Secretary said this upgrade highlights the difference the federal government is making in air travel. He also said this upgrade will improve on-time performance and reduce fuel consumption and emissions. FAA administrator Michael Huerta said with the busy holiday season approaching, it is important to get travelers to their destination safely and on time. The D.C. metroplex now includes three (OPDs) that allow aircraft to descend smoothly to the airport, as opposed to a staircase-style decent. This reduces fuel burn during decent because every time an aircraft levels off, it needs to burn more fuel for each step in the descent. The FAA said it will benefit three major airports in the area: (DCA), (IAD), and (BWI). In a video describing the OPDs in D.C., Brian Townsend, a tech pilot and captain for American Airlines, said this gliding down approach will be more environmentally friendly than the traditional approach. This initiative at the D.C. metroplex involves collaboration by , , and and some labor unions, and is also an effort to improve efficiency for aircraft arriving and taking off from surrounding airports such as , , and other small airports in this region. The agency announced yesterday it has finished the work for the NextGen system in D.C. NextGen is a replacement for the ground-radar-based system that has been in operation since . They also completed a NextGen metroplex project in North last week. The NextGen system is expected to cost billions of dollars to implement and the FAA funding is expected to expire in late 2015. Lawmakers, however, are holding hearings to possibly extend the funding window next year. NASA is also conducting studies of the NextGen System. Researchers are using a brand new laboratory to test NextGen's operations with simulated flights. They plan also to put into the . According to the , a storm system originating over the flowing to the Northeast region of the U.S. may affect travel this week, bringing heavy snow, rain, and winds.
Takeru Kobayashi, left, of Japan poses for photographs with last years hot dog eating champion Joey Chestnut, of San Jose, Calif., during the weigh in news conference for the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest Thursday, July 3, 2008 in New York. The contest will take place Friday July 4, 2008 in the Coney Island section of the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) Chestnut wins hot dog contest after eat-off NEW YORK (AP) — Joey Chestnut reclaimed the top spot at the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island on Friday after first tying with archrival Takeru Kobayashi in a 10-minute chow-down and then beating him in a five-dog eat-off. The men tied at 59 frankfurters in 10 minutes, before being made to gobble another five dogs in a last-minute tiebreaker. They consumed 64 hot dogs total and were looking quite peaked after the competition. Kobayashi had hoped to reclaim the throne after a disappointing three-dog loss last year shattered his six-year winning streak. "He wanted it, but I needed it," Chestnut said of his diminutive Japanese rival. Thousands gathered at Coney Island on the Fourth of July to watch the gluttonous gladiators compete in the annual event. Chestnut emerged victorious for the second year in a row, beating 20 others who had only 10 minutes to scarf down as many hot dogs as possible, two minutes less than in previous years. The regulation time was changed after it was revealed that the original competition in 1916 was just 10 minutes long, instead of the 12-minute limit used in more recent years. The switch made for a tense competition. Chestnut quickly pulled ahead, with cheeks puffed as he crammed hot dogs into his mouth. At one point, the 24-year-old Californian led Kobayashi 14 to 11. Kobayashi fell to third place, but ate his way back and the two went dog-to-dog in the final stretch. After a frankfurter photo-finish, the judges decided it was a tie. Richard Shea, one of the founders of the International Federation of Competitive Eating, said it was the first time in his memory the contest went into overtime. As usual, Kobayashi's strategy was to eat all the dogs first, then dunk the buns and eat them. A pause while swallowing the soggy buns meant defeat. "He should've won it, it was his to win," said judge Gersh Kuntzman said of the diminutive 30-year-old of Nagano, Japan. The 128-pound legend in the competitive eating circuit told Brooklyn papers that he wasn't feeling 100 percent, and while he was improving, the tooth problem and sore jaw that hampered last year's performance were still something of a problem. "If I put one more mouthful in, I could've won (in regulation)," Kobayashi said through a translator. Their competitors also included a pizza cook from New York City, a fishmonger from Chicago and a 110-pound mother of two from Maryland. Chestnut, who topped out at 210 pounds, downplayed his win, which includes $10,000 and the coveted mustard-yellow belt. "It was crazy. I'm just a normal guy eating hot dogs on the Fourth," he said. "You can't overcomplicate it." Chestnut said he was mentally prepared to eat 70, but his body was pushing back during the competition; it didn't want to swallow fast enough. And it shouldn't want to. In fact, it's downright bad for your health, says Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor at New York University School of Medicine. "Hot dogs are extremely unhealthy, especially when eaten at high volume," he said. "They're really processed, they have high cholesterol and too much salt." And thanks to the quantities the competitors ate, they'll likely suffer nausea, bloat, headache, and possibly high blood pressure for several days as the body slowly digests the food. "One is bad for you, five's worse and 50 is terrible," he said. Luckily for the svelte first and second-place winners, being in better shape helps in digesting the food. And any gastrointestinal woes won't deter Kobayashi. He says he'll be back for a rematch next year. Before that, the two will face off again at the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship Sept. 28 in Chattanooga, Tenn. \|\|\|\|\| American defeats Japanese for 2nd year in hot-dog eatoff NEW YORK (AFP) — American Joey Chestnut choked down five frankfurters in a tense two-man eat-off to defeat legendary Japanese eater Takeru Kobayashi for the second year running in the annual hot dog eating contest at Coney Island Friday. Wiping his sleeve over his food-caked face, Chestnut claimed the victory in the tiebreaker after he and Kobayashi tied in the first round, both downing 59 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Californian Chestnut, 24, who weighed in at 102 kilograms (225 pounds), dominated the first round from the outset, but six-time champ Kobayashi chowed his way back in the last minutes to tie the incumbent at the final bite. The organizers of the televised event, which according to legend first took place 92 years ago at the Nathan's hot dog stand on Coney Island, then set the rare eat-off, where Chestnut kept his hold on the champion's "Mustard Belt." "I lost because I wasn't quick enough in the rematch," said the much smaller Kobayashi, 30, who held the belt from 2001 to 2006. In 2007, Kobayashi came to the tournament after suffering jaw problems, and Chestnut went on to win with a world record 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes. This year the tournament changed the time limit to 10 minutes, based on the information that the first contest in 1916 was also 10 minutes. Copyright © 2013 AFP. All rights reserved. More » \|\|\|\|\| In one of the most exciting finishes in hot dog eating competition history, defending champion Joey Chestnut today defeated six-time winner Takeru Kobayashi in overtime to keep the Mustard Belt, $20,000 and the world's fastest hot dog eater title. Joey Chestnut, right, after he defeated Takeru Kobayashi of Japan, left, in overtime at Nathan's annual hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in New York City, July 4, 2008. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters) (Lucas Jackson/Reuters) Both eaters downed 59 hot dogs in the regular 10-minute competition at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hotdog-Eating Contest in Coney Island, forcing a speed-eating, five-dog overtime. There Chestnut, known to some as the "Clay Aiken of Bacon," proved to be the speedier of the two. "It was a little bit messier than I wanted it to be," Chestnut said immediately after the competition. "But I got them in me. I got them down. "He wanted it, but I needed it," he said. Kobayashi, who lost last year's competition to Chestnut, said it was speed that did him in. "There wasn't really that big of a difference," the Japanese eating machine said through a translator. "I think I lost because I wasn't quick enough in the rematch." Though the competition featured several so-called gurgitators, most dressed in eccentric costumes, Chestnut and Kobayashi proved after only a few minutes that the real competition was their head-to-head battle. Chestnut maintained an early one hot dog lead over Kobayashi, who then turned up the heat after the four-minute mark and took the lead. Chestnut eventually caught up to make the contest neck and neck. When the final whistle blew, both Kobayashi and Chestnut had their mouths and their hands full of their 59th dog. Their bellies already full, both competitors took on the speed-eating overtime just minutes later, where Chestnut prevailed. This is the first year in recent memory in which the competition was 10 minutes long, rather than the usual 12 minutes -- a change that's rooted in history. According to Nathan's, which supplies the hot dogs for the competition, a document was found last month, dating to the early 1900s, that laid down the rules for the hot dog eating competition.	Joey Chestnut in 2006. For the second year in a row, American competitive eater Joey Chestnut defeated his Japanese rival Takeru Kobayashi at the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City, after a tie forced a five hot dog eat-off to be held. After ten minutes of hot dog eating, two shorter than in previous years, Chestnut and Kobayashi were tied at 59 frankfurters. But after the rare tiebreaker, 24-year-old Chestnut emerged as the winner, claiming a $10,000 prize and a mustard-yellow belt. "It was crazy," he said. "I'm just a normal guy eating hot dogs on the Fourth. You can't overcomplicate it." Kobayashi, whose loss last year shattered a six-year winning streak, said that a sore jaw and a tooth problem may have altered his performance. "If I put one more mouthful in, I could've won", the 30-year-old Nagano native said through a translator. "I lost because I wasn't quick enough in the rematch." This year, the 22 competitors were under a 10 minute time limit, unlike the 12 minutes used for previous contests. The reason for this, according to Nathan's, was the discovery of a document from 1916, which revealed that the original competition was 10 minutes long. Thousands gathered at Coney Island to watch the annual event, which has become one of the more colorful traditions of America's Independence Day.
An extra 3,100 peacekeeping troops will be sent to Congo, the UN Security Council said today, even though rebels said they remained committed to a pullback from the front lines. There are currently 17,000 peacekeepers in the central African nation - the world's largest UN peacekeeping mission - but they have been unable to stop the fighting. The reinforcements come as urgent aid appeals for Congo are being made by aid agencies as the extent of the humanitarian crisis is revealed. Rebels have withdrawn from some of their positions in the east to allow aid in. But there are fears aid is still not reaching those vulnerable to rape, malnutrition and abduction. Army advances are being fended off by rebel troops. Today, the army, pro-government Mai Mai militias, and Rwandan Hutu rebels attacked rebels in Katoro, a small village about 45 miles north of Goma. Rebel spokesman Bertran Bisimwa said fighters overcame the attack and warned if the UN peacekeeping force "is not able to keep quiet in this area ... we'll go and attack these groups who are trying to take control of that area." This could undermine UN hopes that the rebels' retreat could be one step towards brokering peace in Congo. So far, more than 250,000 people have been forced to flee their homes because of fighting in recent weeks, adding to more than 1 million people already displaced. The Disasters Emergency Committee has launched a Congo crisis appeal. Its chief executive, Brendan Gormley, said aid was getting through but the effort needed to be greatly increased. "The start of the rainy season has meant people living in already desperate conditions are becoming ever more vulnerable," he said. "We have got to do more and now, more than ever, we need the UK public to show their generosity." Charles Badenoch, the chief executive of DEC member agency World Vision, said: "Children are being separated and orphaned by this intense conflict. Thousands of people are vulnerable to rape, malnutrition, abduction and disease. We urgently need your help to bring them relief, stability and hope." The conflict had seen many people displaced for the second, third and even fourth time, the DEC said. Aid workers say thousands of children are living in spontaneous settlement camps, where they are at increased risk of being physically and mentally abused. World Vision estimates there are about 5,500 former child soldiers in the camps who are vulnerable to being forced to fight again by the militias. Solange Nyamulisa of ActionAid said it was helping a group of Congolese women organise a demonstration at a refugee camp, calling for protection and an end to violence against women. "Whilst UN peacekeepers are authorised under their mandate to use force to protect civilians, they need to be seen to be doing so, particularly around the protection of women and children," Nyamulisa said. "UN mission forces should be providing 24-hour security at all refugee camps with enough troops deployed in enough strength to serve as deterrents." Witnesses say the rebels, led by Laurent Nkunda, have moved back 25 miles (40km) on two fronts north of Goma. The withdrawal comes after several weeks of fighting and talks last weekend with the UN envoy Olusegun Obasanjo. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, welcomed the rebel retreat and the opening of aid corridors. In a statement, he called on all sides to observe the cessation of hostilities. Donations can be made by visiting dec.org.uk or calling the DEC on 0370 60 60 900, or at banks and post offices. \|\|\|\|\| Security Council 6018th Meeting (AM) SEEKING TO STABILIZE SITUATION IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, SECURITY COUNCIL REINFORCES UNITED NATIONS TROOP STRENGTH BY NEARLY 3,000, UNTIL YEAR’S END The Security Council this morning authorized a temporary increase of the military strength of the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) of up to 2,785 military personnel, and the strength of its formed police unit of up to 300 personnel. Unanimously adopting resolution 1843 (2008), the Council, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter and following the recommendations by the Secretary-General in his letter of 12 November (document S/2008/703), authorized the immediate deployment of those additional capacities until 31 December. It expressed its intention to extend that authorization on the occasion of MONUC’s mandate renewal, underlining that the duration of stay of the additional forces would depend on the security situation in the Kivus. The Council stressed that the temporary increase in personnel was aimed at enabling MONUC to reinforce its capacity to protect civilians, to reconfigure its structure and forces and to optimize their deployment. It underscored the importance of MONUC implementing its mandate in full, including through robust rules of engagement. After the vote, the representative of South Africa said his delegation had supported the resolution because the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, in particular around the city of Goma, was deteriorating very fast and the humanitarian situation was becoming dire. While pleased with the increase in the number of peacekeepers, he underlined the need for the political process to go forward. In that regard, he welcomed the appointment by the Secretary-General of Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to assist in the process. He hoped the resolution would also serve to encourage the political process. The meeting started at 10:20 a.m. and adjourned at 10:25 a.m. Resolution The full text of resolution 1843 (2008) reads as follows: “The Security Council, “Recalling its previous resolutions and statements of its President concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in particular resolutions 1794 (2007) and 1756 (2007) and the statement of its President dated 29 October 2008 (S/PRST/2008/40), “Expressing its strong support to the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) in its efforts to restore peace in the Kivus and taking note of the letter addressed by the Secretary-General to the President of the Security Council dated 31 October 2008 (S/2008/703) requesting additional capacities for MONUC in order to ensure the effective implementation of its mandate, “Recalling that under resolution 1794 (2007) the mandate of MONUC expires on 31 December 2008 and looking forward to the report and recommendations of the Secretary-General regarding MONUC’s mandate and reconfiguration, “Reaffirming its commitment to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, “Reiterating its condemnation of the resurgence of violence in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and demanding all parties to immediately respect a ceasefire, “Welcoming the appointment of former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo by the Secretary-General as his Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region and calling on all parties to the conflict to cooperate with him in finding an urgent political solution to the crisis, “Expressing its extreme concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation and in particular the targeted attacks against the civilian population, sexual violence, recruitment of child soldiers and summary executions, considering that this situation should be addressed as a matter of urgency, “Urging all parties to ensure timely, safe and unhindered access of all humanitarian actors and to comply fully with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, human rights law and refugee law, “Determining that the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to pose a threat to international peace and security in the region, “Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, “1. Decides to authorize, as recommended by the Secretary-General in his letter dated 31 October 2008 (S/2008/703), a temporary increase of MONUC’s authorized military strength by up to 2,785 military personnel, and the strength of its formed police unit by up to 300 personnel; “2. Authorizes the immediate deployment of those additional capacities until 31 December 2008 and expresses its intention to extend this authorization on the occasion of MONUC’s mandate renewal, underlining that the duration of stay of the additional forces will depend on the security situation in the Kivus; “3. Stresses that this temporary increase in personnel aims at enabling MONUC to reinforce its capacity to protect civilians, to reconfigure its structure and forces and to optimize their deployment; “4. Underscores the importance of MONUC implementing its mandate in full, including through robust rules of engagement; “5. Emphasizes that MONUC will be reviewed in view of the recent developments by 31 December 2008; “6. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.” Background The Council had before it a l etter dated 31 October 2008 from the Secretary-General to the President of the Security Council (document S/2008/703) , the annex of which -- from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations -- discusses reinforcements requested for the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) in light of the persistent crisis in the eastern part of that country. The requested surge reinforcements total 2,785 military personnel and 300 in additional formed police unit strength. The letter notes that, since the adoption of the MONUC mandate resolutions 1756 and 1794 of 2007, giving highest priority to addressing the crisis in the eastern Kivu province in all its dimensions, developments on the ground had resulted in a significant increase in the number and complexity of tasks performed by the Mission. The current crisis, emanating from the recent offensive by the Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple (CNDP), clearly underscores that the resources available to the Mission are not commensurate with the security challenges it faces, putting into question the credibility of the United Nations and the international community, which has invested so much in bringing peace to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The need to protect Goma through reinforcement to a level of 1,500 MONUC troops has, in addition, significantly reduced the peacekeeping presence in other critical areas of the country, the note says. With the near total disintegration of the country’s Armed Forces in the face of advancing CNDP troops, MONUC is the only organized defence for that city. Two companies are also deployed as part of the forward defence line north of the city towards Rutshuru, and a special forces company from the Ituri brigade, as well as a South African company deployed in Ngungu are also being redeployed to the area. Those and other redeployments have dovetailed into the rebalancing of the force that is already under way. In order for MONUC to fulfil its mandate in those conditions for the coming months, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations requests the following additional capabilities: -- Two infantry battalions of 850 troops each to help stabilize the situation in North Kivu province, along with two special forces companies of 150 each to allow the Mission to rapidly respond to crises; -- Additional air assets, including 18 utility helicopters with 260 personnel, two C-130 Hercules aircraft with 50 personnel, to be based in North and South Kivu; -- A rapid/reaction force providing the surge needed by the Mission until the first phase of the disengagement plan is completed; -- Additional information analysis capability based in Goma, including external imagery/electronic equipment and associated analysis structure, requiring approximately 50 personnel; -- One engineering company of 175 personnel, to provide support to the above surge assets; -- A total of 200 military training instructors/advisers, to enhance Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC) effectiveness; and -- Two additional formed police units of 150 each to be deployed in North Kivu. If the armed groups and the FARDC comply with the disengagement plan and return to the implementation of peace agreements in good faith, it is envisaged that the above surge capacity would be required for approximately nine months. * *** *	The United Nations Security Council has announced that it intends to send up to 3,085 more peacekeeping troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite a commitment from rebel forces to reduce their fighting. The UN stated that the troops will be deployed immediately, and kept in the Congo for at least the rest of 2008. Depending on the security situation in the country, the troops may be kept in the country past the end of this year. The move was made as part of UN Security Council Resolution 1843, and was recommended by the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. The resolution states that this “temporary increase in personnel aims at enabling to reinforce its capacity to protect civilians, to reconfigure its structure and forces and to optimize their deployment.” The UN Security Council chamber, which is located in New York The resolution also made some other comments in relation to the Congo. The resolution also aimed to work at “reiterating its condemnation of the resurgence of violence in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and demanding all parties to immediately respect a ceasefire.” The document also welcomed “the appointment of former Nigerian President by the Secretary-General as his Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region.
The trains crossed on opposite sides of Korea Historic crossing The two trains - one travelling from the North and one from the South - each carried 150 invited passengers. South Korea hailed it as a landmark in relations between the two countries. But Thursday's crossing remains largely symbolic, the BBC's Charles Scanlon says. North Korea has so far only agreed to a one-off test-run. For that, our correspondent adds, Pyongyang has demanded a high price. South Korea has agreed to supply it with $80 million (£41m) worth of economic aid for the development of light industry. 'New era' Hundreds of people gathered at Munsan station in west South Korea to cheer the five-carriage train as it set off on the 25km (16 miles) trip to Kaesong, across the heavily-armed border. Firecrackers and white balloons were set off and crowds waved white-and-blue "reunification flags". KOREAN BORDER Heavily fortified border has separated the two Koreas since 1950-53 war 240 km long and 4 km wide, the DMZ takes up about 5% of the Korean peninsula N Korea has 1.1m man army, S Korea and US forces total more than 700,000 In pictures: Train crossing History of Korean War On the eastern side, children bearing flowers welcomed the North Korean train as it arrived at Jejin station. One carriage carried a banner reading: "The train once boarded by great president Kim Il-sung". Each train carried 150 passengers from both Koreas - and included celebrities and politicians. Passengers on the South Korean train said they were warmly received in the North, while female cabin attendants in military uniforms on board the North train posed for pictures upon arrival at the station in the South. One of those on board the North-bound train was a conductor who made one of the last railway crossings before they ended because of the 1950-53 Korean War. "I wish I could operate this train myself," Han Chun-ki, 80, said. "I never thought this day would come". South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung expressed his hope that the crossing could herald a new era in North-South relations. "This will be a turning point for overcoming the legacy of the Cold War era, tearing down the wall of division and opening a new era for peace and reunification," he said. A North Korean official, Kwon Ho-ung, said both nations "should not be derailed from the tracks" towards unification. However, not everyone welcomed the event. A small number of protesters - mainly relatives of South Koreans allegedly abducted by the North following the war - gathered at Munsan. "I wish the train would come back with my son if he is still alive," a tearful Lee Kam-shim, 72, told the Associated Press. Border tension The South has long pushed for a railway connection with the North - not only as a way of improving links with its neighbour, but also to establish better transportation links to China and beyond. But the secretive Communist country has been less enthusiastic, and previous talks have collapsed as Pyongyang has sought to extract concessions on other issues, such as a disputed sea border. The train from the North was welcomed by flag-waving onlookers Thursday's historic crossing was made possible after the North's military agreed last week to provide security across what is the world's most heavily fortified border. The two sides are still technically at war - having never signed an official ceasefire at the end of the Korean War. But there have been concerted efforts, particularly by the South, at reconciliation in recent years. The railway tracks - which run alongside roads across the border - were built and maintained by South Korea part of recent reconciliation projects. And landmines and tank traps were cleared from the narrow border strip two years ago when the lines were reconnected. \|\|\|\|\| For decades here, in South Korean postcards and school textbooks, the bullet-scarred, rusting hulks of wartime locomotives trapped in the demilitarized zone have symbolized a divided Korea and a conflict that has never formally ended. North Korea and South Korea are still technically at war since the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. “These are not just test runs,” Unification Minister Lee Jae-Joung of South Korea said. “They mean reconnecting the severed bloodline of the Korean nation.” He spoke during a ceremony at Munsan Station, 12 kilometers south of the demilitarized zone. “The trains carry our dream of peace.” His North Korean counterpart, Kwon Ho Ung, who was also in Munsan, said the trains represented the “Korean nation’s wish to gallop to the destination of reunification,” despite what he called outside forces — apparently a reference to the United States — that are “not happy with reconciliation among Koreans.” The major television networks in South Korea broadcast the event live. The South Korean train, carrying 150 people from both sides of the border, pulled out of Munsan around 11:30 a.m. as fireworks exploded overhead. It traveled 27 kilometers to Gaesong, a North Korean border town where South Korea runs factories employing workers from the North and where labor is less costly than in the South. The North Korean train, which also carried passengers from both sides of the border, made a similar journey, traveling between the Diamond Mountain resort and Jejin, 40 kilometers to the south. South Korea has long dreamed of building a trans-Korea railroad that would connect its train network to China and to the Trans-Siberian Railway in the former Soviet Union, creating a so-called Iron Silk Road. North Korea blocks overland access to Asia, which makes South Koreans “feel as if we live in an island,” the South Korean transportation minister, Lee Yong Sup, said yesterday. Advertisement Continue reading the main story A trans-Korea railroad would offer a faster and cheaper way for South Korea to bring exports that are now shipped by sea to China and Europe. It would also provide a shortcut for Russian oil and other natural resources transported to South Korea. Such a rail system would save South Korea $34 to $50 a ton in shipping costs, said Lim Jae Kyung, a researcher at the Korea Transport Institute. But before the dream of a trans-Korea rail system comes true, transportation analysts and government officials say, years of confidence-building talks and billions of dollars in investment in North Korea’s decrepit rail system will be needed. Officials acknowledge that such a dream will not be made real until after North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons and improves its human rights record. Those moves would help build public support in South Korea for large investments across the border and would open the way for international development aid. Six-nation talks on ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs have been stalled for months. Doubts persist over whether Pyongyang will give up its weapons program in return for economic aid and diplomatic recognition from Washington. Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. “I cannot understand why we should give rice, flour, fertilizer and everything else the North Koreans want when they don’t do anything for us,” said Hong Moo Sun, 71, one of a dozen South Koreans protesting just outside Munsan Station today. The protesters were calling for North Korea to return their relatives. Hundreds of South Korean fishermen, described by the North as defectors, were taken to the North in the years following the war. Several who have returned have said that they had been held against their will. Members of the Grand National Party, part of the conservative opposition in South Korea, called the event today a “train of illusion” — the event, they said, appeared to draw voters’ attention in an election year. South Korean officials say a trans-Korea railroad would invigorate inter-Korean trade, which tripled from $430 million in 2000 to $1.35 billion last year. It would also bring cash to North Korea, which could collect an estimated $150 million a year in transit fees from trains that pass through its territory, according to some estimates. Advertisement Continue reading the main story But it is unclear whether or when North Korea might agree to regular train service across the border. Procuring international aid to renovate the rail network and letting trains from one of Asia’s most vibrant economies, carrying exports and tourists, rumble through its isolated territory could threaten the North Korean regime, analysts and others say. North Korea now relies on keeping its people ignorant of the outside world to maintain its totalitarian grip on power, those analysts add. Both Koreas agreed in 2000 to reconnect their rail systems, which had been severed by aerial bombing during the war. It took three years to link the tracks on the west and east ends of the border. After four more years of haggling and delays, the North Korean military agreed this month to allow one-time test runs. The agreement came after South Korea promised to send North Korea 400,000 tons of rice, as well as $80 million worth of raw materials for shoes, soap and textiles. South Korea has spent 544.5 billion won, or $589 million, on reconnecting the rail system, including 180 billion won in equipment, tracks and other material loaned to North Korea. South Korean policy makers have called for patience in working toward reconciliation with the North. They have often been accused by conservative politicians and civic groups of giving in to North Korea’s strategy of extracting economic aid for every step toward reconciliation. “This is a precious first step for a 1,000-mile journey,” Mr. Lee, the unification minister, said today. Advertisement Continue reading the main story South Korea has seen some tangible results in its overtures to the North in recent years. The North Korean military cleared mines and moved some of its weapons to make room for the rail system and the Gaesong industrial complex. In addition, South Korean factory managers commute from Seoul to Gaesong using a road that was reconnected in 2004, and South Korean buses regularly take tourists to the Diamond Mountain resort in the North. \|\|\|\|\| By Jack Kim CHEJIN, South Korea (Reuters) - Two trains from North and South Korea crossed the heavily fortified border on Thursday, restoring an artery severed in the 1950-1953 fratricidal war and fanning dreams of unification. It took the two Koreas 56 years to send the trains -- one starting in the South and one in the North -- across the Cold War's last frontier. The one-off runs covered about 25 km (15 miles) each way. The trains each carried 100 South Koreans and 50 North Koreans -- including celebrities, politicians and a South Korean driver from one of the last trains to cross before rail links were cut in 1951. "Today the heart of the Korean peninsula will start beating again," South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung said before the west coast crossing at Munsan station, about 50 km northwest of Seoul. Across the peninsula, on the east coast, South Korean soldiers opened a gate across the tracks to welcome the train from the North. "The trains represent the dreams, the hopes and the future of the two Koreas," Lee said. The South Korean train which left Munsan was seen off to fireworks, traditional drumming and hundreds of people waving flags depicting a unified Korean peninsula. Every major South Korean network covered the start of the historic crossing live, but the train quickly disappeared from view on entering the Demilitarized Zone, the 4-km (2.5-mile) buffer strip which has separated the adversaries since the 1953 armistice. Seoul's national security laws bar virtually all civilian access to the DMZ. Continued... \|\|\|\|\| A train passes the gate for the Demilitarized Zone as South Koreans wave unification flags near Dorasan Station. (Pool photo by Lee Jin-man) Trains cross divided Korean Peninsula MUNSAN, South Korea: Trains crossed the border between North and South Korea on Thursday for the first time in 56 years, in what was hailed by both sides as a milestone for reconciliation on the divided Korean Peninsula. As white balloons soared into a blue sky, soldiers swung open barbed-wire-topped gates shortly after noon to let a five-car South Korean train enter North Korea. It entered through the 4-kilometer-wide, or 2.5-mile-wide, demilitarized zone, the world's most heavily armed border. At the same time, 240 kilometers to the east, a North Korean train trundled down the coast. Although these were one-time test runs on two short stretches of railway that were linked through the demilitarized zone several years ago, they were highly symbolic to Koreans. No train had crossed the border since the last trains carrying refugees and wounded soldiers arrived in South Korea from the north during the Korean War in 1951. For decades here, in South Korean postcards and school textbooks, the bullet-scarred, rusting hulks of wartime locomotives trapped in the demilitarized zone have symbolized a divided Korea and a conflict that has never been formally ended. North Korea and South Korea are still technically at war - the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. "These are not just test runs," Unification Minister Lee Jae Joung of South Korea said. "They mean reconnecting the severed bloodline of the Korean nation." He spoke during a ceremony at Munsan Station, 12 kilometers south of the demilitarized zone. "The trains carry our dream of peace." His North Korean counterpart, Kwon Ho Ung, who was also in Munsan, said the trains represented the "Korean nation's wish to gallop to the destination of reunification," despite what he called outside forces - apparently a reference to the United States - that are "not happy with reconciliation among Koreans." The major television networks in South Korea broadcast the event live. The South Korean train, carrying 150 people from both sides of the border, pulled out of Munsan around 11:30 a.m. as fireworks exploded overhead. It traveled 27 kilometers to Gaesong, a North Korean border town where South Korea runs factories employing workers from the North, where labor is less costly than in the South. The North Korean train, which also carried passengers from both sides of the border, made a similar journey, traveling between the Diamond Mountain resort and Jejin, 40 kilometers to the south. South Korea has long dreamed of building a trans-Korea railroad that would connect its train network to China and to the Trans-Siberian Railway in the former Soviet Union, creating a so-called Iron Silk Road. North Korea blocks overland access to Asia, which makes South Koreans "feel as if we live in an island," the South Korean transportation minister, Lee Yong Sup, said Wednesday. A trans-Korea railroad would offer a faster and cheaper way for South Korea to bring exports that are now shipped by sea to China and Europe. It would also provide a shortcut for Russian oil and other natural resources transported to South Korea. Such a rail system would save South Korea $34 to $50 a ton in shipping costs, said Lim Jae Kyung, a researcher at the Korea Transport Institute. But before the dream of a trans-Korea rail system comes true, transportation analysts and government officials say, years of confidence-building talks and billions of dollars in investment in North Korea's decrepit rail system will be needed. Officials acknowledge that such a dream will not be made real until after North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons and improves its human rights record. Those moves would help build public support in South Korea for large investments across the border and would open the way for international development aid. Six-nation talks on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programs have been stalled for months. Doubts persist over whether Pyongyang will give up its weapons program in return for economic aid and diplomatic recognition from Washington. "I cannot understand why we should give rice, flour, fertilizer and everything else the North Koreans want when they don't do anything for us," said Hong Moo Sun, 71, one of a dozen South Koreans protesting just outside Munsan Station on Thursday. The protesters were calling for North Korea to return their relatives. Hundreds of South Korean fishermen, described by the North as defectors, were taken to the North in the years following the war. Several who have returned have said that they had been held against their will. Members of the Grand National Party, part of the conservative opposition, called the event Thursday a "train of illusion" - the event, they said, appeared to draw voters' attention in an election year.	Diesel locomotive of the type that crossed from south to north For the first time in 56 years, two passenger trains crossed the border between North Korea and South Korea. Before today, no trains made the trip between the north and the south since the Korean War divided the once-unified Korea. Riding on rails built by South Korea several years ago, the train traveled from Munsan in the south to Kaesong in the north. The train was granted access to the demilitarized zone since 1951, the heavily guarded border between North and South Korea. Meanwhile, from the north a train traveled from Kumgang to Jejin. Each train carried 150 specially invited passengers. "Today the heart of the Korean peninsula will start beating again," South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung said. Although largely symbolic, the rail connection is seen as an important step in thawing relations. To date, North Korea has approved only this one trial run of the trains.
Industries Microsoft Launches Ad Network With its own search-based ads, the software giant will challenge Google while phasing out ties to Yahoo. Microsoft on Monday launched an online advertising network linked to searches through MSN, challenging Google in the lucrative paid search field. The Redmond software giant introduced the service, known as adCenter, in France and Singapore on August 31 and said it will expand it internationally. Testing in the United States will begin during October. After establishing its own ad network, MSN also is expected to phase out its relationship with Yahoo, which now sells ads on MSN search. Advertising linked to search has provided Google with the bulk of its revenue through its AdSense service. Microsoft’s move into the field accelerates the company’s battle against the search giant and follows on the heels of Microsoft’s announcement last week of a restructuring aimed at re-emphasizing the web (see Microsoft Revamps Structure). “This is a move that Microsoft had to make given the strength of Google in this market,” said Jonathan Spira, chief analyst of Basex, an IT research firm focusing on knowledge sharing and collaboration. “It’s interesting or perhaps deliberate that this follows Microsoft’s reorganization, where MSN ended up in the same group as the Windows OS." ‘This... gives Microsoft the ability to control its own destiny.’ -Jonathan Spira, Basex Microsoft shares were up $0.17 to $25.44 in recent trading. “The launch of adCenter in France and Singapore is a great first step to delivering on our global vision to connect advertisers to consumers in a much more meaningful way,” said Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of the MSN Information Services & Merchant Platform. Microsoft would eventually like to begin selling ads on web sites in addition to MSN through the network it is building. Slice of the Pie However, the company will face challengers in building a network to rival Google’s, which has been providing thousands of small web sites with much of their revenue. Microsoft would like a slice of that business, as well as relationships with these small web sites to which it could sell software. “The possibilities of that tie-in are endless if one contemplates the possibility of software and tools delivered over the Internet and paid for by online adverts,” said Mr. Spira. “This also gives Microsoft the ability to control its own destiny and eliminate the service that Yahoo is providing selling the ads.” For assistance with this goal, Microsoft enlisted the expertise of web-advertising technology firm DoubleClick to create the service. “adCenter is helping us apply more flexibility and control in our paid-search advertising campaigns because it gives us the tools to learn so much more about the kind of people who are searching on MSN,” said Stuart Larkin, vice president of Search for Performics, a division of DoubleClick. Microsoft will initially run adCenter in tandem with the Yahoo system it has been using for MSN searches, but The New York Times reported that Microsoft expects to replace the Yahoo system completely by next spring. Demographic Watcher Unlike Google’s system, Microsoft’s adCenter will target web users according to their demographic statistics. Microsoft was able to compile such information from people who signed up for its Hotmail and Passport services. adCenter will include campaign management tools and audience intelligence statistics. Keyword selection features will let advertisers indicate who they want to reach based on geographic location, gender, age range, time of day, and day of the week. A site analyzer will suggest keywords to advertisers based on the content of their web site. An audience profiler gives advertisers an expected profile of customers who are likely to search for particular keywords. A cost estimator will help advertisers budget for the cost by estimating the rank, traffic, and cost per month for a keyword. Campaign optimization features let advertisers refine their budget allocations and keywords, and apply filters for geographic locations and demographic information. The software also offers post-sales audience intelligence and reporting information so advertisers can learn about the performance of their campaign and the audience they reached. The data includes the click-through rates, estimated positioning, and spending levels. \|\|\|\|\| The new method of selling advertising will be used across MSN's search pages initially, company officials said. However, the content provider expects to use adCenter across other web properties in the future. MSN has officially taken the lid off its paid search service in France and Singapore, with plans to launch a pilot in the United States next month. The program, known as adCenter , had been in testing since March in the two countries and launched in Singapore on August 31. adCenter will allow advertisers to direct their promotions towards specific demographics. Ad targerting will be based on data collected from other MSN properties, however MSN has maintained any information provided to advertisers will be generic in nature. The system will also recommend keywords on which to place ads based on the type of customer the advertiser is looking for. Such a featurewould prove useful in the event MSN has no information on the visitor, thus ensuring the best possible performance of an ad campaign. Google and Yahoo do not provide targeting by demographic, and MSN hopes the approach will entice companies to place their ads on the service. "We're excited by the positive feedback we have received from advertisers thus far," MSN chief Yusuf Mehdi said. Other features of adCenter include a site analyzer that suggests keywords based on site content; audience profiler that gives advertisers an idea of the demographics of people searching for a specific keyword; and detailed reports on ad campaign performance. It is unclear what will happen to Yahoo search ads, which MSN has a contract to run through 2006. In March, Microsoft said that it remained "committed to working with Yahoo! Search Marketing (formerly Overture) and will continue to collaborate with it." \|\|\|\|\| Mr Ballmer was "disappointed" by Lucovsky's decision to leave The claim was made in a sworn statement by Mark Lucovsky, a former Microsoft employee who quit for Google in 2004. Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer has denied the claims, saying they are a "gross exaggeration of what actually took place". The statement is the latest salvo in a bitter legal battle between the firms. In his sworn statement, Mr Lucovsky - a key Windows architect - alleged that Mr Ballmer hurled a chair across the room when he informed him he was moving to Google, before launching into an abusive tirade against Google's chief executive Eric Schmidt. However, Mr Ballmer has dismissed the claims. "Mark's decision to leave was disappointing and I urged him strongly to change his mind. But his characterisation of that meeting is not accurate," he said in a statement. Bitter row The row between the two firms was triggered when one of Microsoft's vice presidents, Dr Kai-Fu Lee, was hired by Google to set up a research centre in China. Microsoft claimed the move was a violation of a one-year non-compete clause in his contract and began legal action against the search engine giant. However, Google has retaliated by claiming that Microsoft's action is a form of intimidation designed to eliminate the threat of a fast-growing rival. The group has been moving further into the software arena - most recently with the launch of Talk, a service which lets e-mail account holders talk to each other via a PC, microphone and speakers. The system is a direct threat to online voice and instant messaging service providers such as Skype, Microsoft and Yahoo. Microsoft won the first round of the increasingly bitter battle between the two firms in July, when a King County Superior Court judge issued a temporary order barring Mr Lee from carrying out the duties he had been hired to do for Google. The two sides will face each other in court again on Tuesday when Microsoft will ask a court to extend that order until the matter comes to trial in January.	300px Microsoft announced today the official launch of MSN '''adCenter''' in France and Singapore. '''adCenter''' allows advertisers to target specific demographics using information provided by Microsoft's Hotmail and Microsoft Passport Network users. "The launch of adCenter in France and Singapore is a great first step to delivering on our global vision to connect advertisers to consumers in a much more meaningful way," said Yusuf Mehdi, senior V.P. of MSN Information Services & Merchant Platform. Advertisers will be able to target ads based on geographic location, gender, age range, time of day, and day of the week. If MSN has no information on the visitor it will display ads based upon keywords. Additional features include a cost estimator and a site analyzer that will recommend keywords based on the content of the advertiser’s website. MSN currently has a contract for Yahoo ads that runs through 2006, and they are expected to slowly phase them out, although MSN has not confirmed this. '''adCenter''' has been in testing in France and Singapore since March. Testing in the US will begin in October. Microsoft plans to eventually sell ads on websites outside of MSN. This initiative is a part of a broader strategy that Microsoft has launched to compete against Google's AdWords service, in operation for several years, which allows advertisers to bid on specific keywords and ensure ad placement on the company's search engine and other online properties. Microsoft's chief executive vowed to "kill Google" in an expletive-laden tirade against the firm, according to US court documents filed by Google. Many internet users choose to block web page advertisements from both Microsoft and Google, using several different techniques of ad filtering, such as adblock in the firefox web browser.
High court reviews German man's conviction for killing, eating other man 12:04 AM EDT Apr 15 BERLIN (AP) - Germany's supreme court reviewed Wednesday prosecution demands for a life sentence for the man who killed and ate another man, while his defence argued his sentence should be cut to five years. The Federal Constitutional Court, Germany's highest court, is reviewing the grisly case of Armin Meiwes and his January 2004 conviction of the manslaughter of Bernd Juergen Brandes, following appeals by both prosecutors and defence. Meiwes was sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison after he confessed to killing, dismembering and eating Brandes. The trial made headlines across the globe, in part because of the graphic descriptions the defendant gave in court. A grisly video that Meiwes made of the act was shown in closed session. Prosecutors, who have called Meiwes a human butcher who acted simply to "satisfy a sexual impulse," are seeking a life sentence for murder. Meiwes' defence argues that since the victim had volunteered to be killed and eaten, the crime should be classified a mercy killing, which carries a five-year maximum penalty. Brandes travelled from Berlin to Meiwes' home near the central city of Kassel in reply to an Internet advertisement seeking a young man for "slaughter and consumption." Meiwes testified that Brandes wanted to be stabbed to death after drinking a bottle of cold medicine to lose consciousness. Meiwes told the trial he regretted the killing but that Brandes "came to me of his free will to end his life." A verdict is expected April 22. © The Canadian Press, 2005 \|\|\|\|\| Germany's supreme court yesterday reviewed prosecution demands for life in prison for the man who killed and ate another man, while his defence argued his sentence should be cut to five years. The Federal Constitutional Court, Germany's highest court, is reviewing the grisly case of Armin Meiwes and his January 2004 conviction of the manslaughter of Bernd Juergen Brandes following appeals by both prosecutors and defence. Meiwes was sentenced to 8½ years in prison after he confessed to killing, dismembering and eating Brandes.	Yes, he carved up and ate another human being, but it was not without the victim’s express consent—so goes the defense of Armin Meiwes, known as the ‘German cannibal,’ following appeals by both sides, defense and prosecution, of the verdict. While Meiwes was convicted to 8 ½ years in prison for the manslaughter killing and eating of another human, Bernd Juergen Brandes, he argues that the victim had volunteered to be eaten, advertising the fact that he wanted someone to take part in “slaughter and consumption” on the Internet. Testimony in the case showed that Brandes wanted to die a stabbing death after imbibing a bottle of cold medicine to lose consciousness. Brandes “came to me of his free will to end his life,” said Meiwes. He believes his actions are a mercy killing, not manslaughter. The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, the highest court in the country, is reviewing the January 2004 conviction. The trial gained notoriety both from graphic descriptions Meiwes gave during the proceedings, as well as a grisly video presented to the judges in closed session. Meiwes seeks a reduction in sentence to 5 years, while the prosecution believes the cutting and dismembering deserves not just the full 8 ½ years already passed against the defendant, but a life sentence. The court should decide by Friday, April 22, 2005.
(CNN) -- Gwar lead singer Dave Brockie died Sunday, his manager said Monday. Brockie was 50. "His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, Virginia," Gwar manager Jack Flanagan said in a statement on the group's website. An autopsy will be done to determine why he died, Flanagan said. His heavy metal band formed in 1984, billing itself as "Earth's only openly extra-terrestrial rock band." Brockie performed as Gwar's frontman under the persona of "Oderus Urungus." The band was based on a mythology of an "elite group of chaos warriors" who "ravaged the galaxy" until they were "banished to the most insignificant planet in the universe ... the seething mud ball known as Earth." "My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family," Flanagan said. "More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed." People we've lost in 2014 \|\|\|\|\| Music A cartoonish looking Tony Abbott joins the Gwar stage at Soundwave. Photo: YouTube David Brockie, frontman for the satirical extra-terrestrial metal band Gwar, has been found dead at his Virginia home, United States police said. He was 50. Officers were called to Brockie's Richmond home Sunday evening and found him inside, police said in a statement. Foul play is not suspected and an autopsy will determine the cause of death, it said. Gwar's manager Jack Flanagan released a statement this morning, confirming ''with a saddened heart'' the death of Brockie. ''My dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of Gwar passed away at approximately 6.50pm (US EST) Sunday March 23, 2014. His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, VA," Flanagan said. Advertisement "Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed. He was 50 years old, born August 30, 1963. ''My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family. More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed." Gwar's David Brockie as 'Oderus Urungus'. Former Gwar guitarist Steve Douglas wrote on Facebook: "I have had a few bad days in my life but this one truly ranks right up there. "Dave Brockie, I do not know what happened to you yet, but I know you are gone and it is hurting very badly!" Brockie co-founded Gwar, billed on its website as "Earth's only openly extra-terrestrial rock band," in the 1980s with fellow art students at Virginia Commonwealth University. The Grammy-nominated group gained a worldwide cult following for its mix of thrash metal, grotesque costumes and outrageous stage shows. They recently visited Australia for this year's Soundwave festival, where they continued to shock with fake blood, sprayed from orifices including an enormous fake penis, a gore-encrusted cannon and the decapitated head of a Tony Abbott effigy. In Melbourne, fans were encouraged not to crowd surf at the festival but when Gwar frontman "Oderus Urungus" pointed his plastic sword towards the crowd all the rules suddenly changed. Performing as "Oderus Urungus", Brockie wore an elaborate costume of a horned mask, shoulder pads, massive helmets and armor with blades jutting out of it. Described by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper in 2007 as "the mutant child of early '80s hair music," Gwar's onstage antics often included simulated urination, dismemberment of lifesize puppets and lots of fake blood. It released its latest album last year. In a profanity-laced television interview produced by this year's Soundwave music festival, Brockie said he was less than sober on stage. "For me, being wasted is not being wasted. When I'm sober, that's being wasted, literally," he said while in full costume, a bottle in one armored hand. "They're like, 'Oderus, you don't have to be drunk to perform.' I'm like, 'What the f--- are you talking about?'" he said, laughing. Brockie called the late Bon Scott of Australian hard rock band AC/DC "my favorite performer in the history of metal. He's the greatest lead singer ever." Don Drakulich, another founder of Gwar and one of its costume and prop makers, said he knew little about Brockie's death except that his roommate found the body. "It's very sad, and I'm shocked," said Drakulich, who no longer tours with the band. - Reuters, with Kate Hennessy \|\|\|\|\| RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Dave Brockie, who as "Oderus Urungus" fronted the alien-costumed heavy metal band GWAR during graphic and fake-blood-soaked stage shows for more than three decades, has died. He was 50. Officers were called to Brockie's home Sunday evening and found the singer dead inside the home, Richmond police spokeswoman Dionne Waugh said Monday. Detectives don't suspect foul play at this time, and the medical examiner's office will determine cause of death, Waugh said. The band founded in 1984 is known for its comically grotesque costumes, stage antics and vulgar lyrics. GWAR was nominated for a Grammy Award for best long-form music video in 1993 for "Phallus in Wonderland" but lost to "Diva" by Annie Lennox. It also was nominated for best metal performance for "S.F.W." in 1996 but lost to "Happiness In Slavery" by Nine Inch Nails. Randy Blythe, the lead vocalist for Virginia-based metal band Lamb of God, fondly recalled Brockie's approach to humor in a post on the band's Facebook page: "Right now, if I were to truly honor Dave in the way HE would do it if it were ME that had died, I would make a completely tasteless joke about his death. But I do not have the stomach for that — Dave would, but not me. He never put much stock in 'limits.'" GWAR released its latest album, "Battle Maximus," in September 2013 and recently toured Australia and Japan. Over the summer, the band held its 4th annual GWAR-B-Q at a small water park in Richmond and released its own canned craft beer for the occasion made by Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Fla. The band had announced plans for its 5th annual event last week. Brockie remained a constant in the band that has had a revolving door of members, including lead guitarist Cory Smoot, who was found dead on the band's tour bus in North Dakota in 2011. He was 34. The state medical examiner said Smoot, who had performed since 2002 under the name "Flattus Maximus," died of "coronary artery thrombosis brought about by his pre-existing coronary artery disease." But records showed that investigators found on Smoot a $5 bill with a white powder residue, a prescription bottle holding eight Oxycodone-Acetaminophen pills, a lighter and two empty syringes. ___ Michael Felberbaum can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/MLFelberbaum . \|\|\|\|\| Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images Dave Brockie, aka GWAR band member Oderus Urungus, was found dead Sunday at his home in Richmond, Va. He was 50. There may not have been a more entertaining personality to hit the music business in the past 43 million years than Dave Brockie. The body of the 50-year-old GWAR frontman — better known with his fearsome prosthetic makeup as “Oderus Urungus” — was found in his Richmond, Va., home Sunday night. It was a sad and abrupt end for a larger-than-life personality that the band’s legion of fans assumed would eventually leave this planet on a spaceship, not on a gurney. That’s because GWAR — with its legendary stage shows in which members dumped fale blood on the audience, as well as its epic backstory — carved a niche in heavy metal history over the last 30 years. "Basically my job is screaming into a microphone and bashing a huge dinosaur with a long sword,” Brockie told the Daily News in 2009. “I am one of the blessed people that gets to do what I love to do for a living." Almost immediately after the band first played in a cramped Richmond bar called P.B. Kelly's during the mid-‘80s, critics took one gaze at the band’s look — a bunch of art school students clad in outlandish rubber costumes — and dismissed the group as a gimmick. Until Sunday, Brockie had outlasted most of his critics. GWAR — with its legendary stage shows and epic alien backstory — carved a niche in heavy metal history over the last 30 years. Brockie would be the first to admit GWAR wasn’t exactly The Beatles — their musical catalogue includes songs like “Meat Sandwich,” “Saddam a Go-Go” and “Slaughterama” — but their lore captivated concertgoers for three decades. Their legend has it that Ungus and his fellow alien raiders, including Flattus Maximus and Balasac the Jaws of Death, crashed on this planet 43 million years ago in the midst of unleashing a swath of destruction across the universe. After inadvertently creating the human race by having intercourse with apes, GWAR members then got themselves frozen in ice, only to be dethawed in 1984 to become a rock band. Jeff Bottari/AP Brockie, pictured in 2012 at San Diego ComicCon, was far removed from his world-destroyer image. Though the band continued after the death of guitarist Cory Smoot from a heart attack in 2011, it’s hard to envision their saga going further. “When someone dies, a lot of the time people will say 'Oh, he was a unique person, really one of a kind, a true original' — most of these people no idea of what they are talking about — they obviously had never met Dave,” Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe wrote on his Instagram page. Gary Miller/FilmMagic Brockie’s band leaves a 30-year legacy as one of the most original concepts in rock history. “I can't think of ANYONE even remotely like him.” \|\|\|\|\| The frontman of the heavy metal band Gwar, Dave Brockie, has been found dead at his home in the US at the age of 50. Officers were called to a home in Richmond, Virginia, on Sunday evening to a report of a dead person, said Dionne Waugh, a spokesperson for local police. When police arrived, Brockie was found dead inside the home. Waugh said the medical examiner's officer would determine the cause of death but foul play is not suspected. "Dave was one of the funniest, smartest, most creative and energetic persons I've known," former Gwar bassist Mike Bishop told Richmond's Style Weekly newspaper. "He was brash sometimes, always crass, irreverent, he was hilarious in every way. But he was also deeply intelligent and interested in life, history, politics and art." Former bandmate Chris Bopst said: "I wish it was a joke. Everyone is in shock." Earlier today a picture of the musician was posted on the band's official website, along with the dates of his birth and death. The group's manager, Jack Flanagan, released a statement confirming the news. "It is with a saddened heart, that I confirm my dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of Gwar passed away at approximately 6.50pm EST Sunday 23 March 2014. "His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed," he said. Flanagan added: "My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family. More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed." Brockie had been part of the Grammy-nominated band since it was founded in 1984 and went by the stage name Oderus Urungus. Gwar were known for the grotesque costumes, on-stage antics and extreme lyrics. They had recently announced they would hold the fifth Gwar-B-Q concert on 16 August at Hadad's Water Park in Virginia. The band released their last album in 2013 and had recently completed tours in Japan and Australia. In 2011, lead guitarist 34-year-old Cory Smoot was found dead on the band's tour bus. Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter	Brockie as Oderus Urungus onstage in 2010. of rubber-costumed act was found dead in his , Virginia home late on Sunday. Better known by stage name Oderus Urungus, Brockie was 50. Founder, singer, leader, and occasional bassist of GWAR, Brockie's career stretches back to 1984. He and fellow art students formed what they dubbed "Earth's only openly extra-terrestrial rock band", growing famous for satirical and obscene lyrical themes, and live shows featuring the defilement of effigies and plenty of fake blood. Fellow founding member Don Drakulich, who still makes props and costumes for the rockers, said he was "very sad" and "shocked". He said Brockie's roommate found the corpse. GWAR members changed frequently and the band recovered from the sudden death of guitarist during a 2011 tour, but the '''' notes "it's hard to envision their saga going further" after Brockie's death. The band ran with the backstory of crashing to "the most insignificant planet in the universe" 43 million years ago before creating humans by having sex with apes. Becoming encased with ice, the legend ran that upon thawing out in 1984 the members decided to form a band. Manager Jack Flanagan announced the death via GWAR's website, adding a post-mortem will be conducted. "My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family" he said. Flanagan said another GWAR member found the body. Brockie said in 2009 "I am one of the blessed people that gets to do what I love to do for a living." GWAR received a nomination in 1993, with '''' up for Best Longform Music Video. Fellow Virginia rocker , vocalist for , paid tribute online, writing on "When someone dies, a lot of the time people will say 'Oh, he was a unique person, really one of a kind, a true original' ... I can't think of ANYONE even remotely like him." Blythe also took to Facebook. "Right now, if I were to truly honor Dave in the way HE would do it if it were ME that had died, I would make a completely tasteless joke about his death. But I do not have the stomach for that — Dave would, but not me. He never put much stock in 'limits'." Ex-GWAR guitarist Steve Douglas said on Facebook "I have had a few bad days in my life but this one truly ranks right up there. ... you are gone and it is hurting very badly!" "I wish it was a joke" said another ex-member, Chris Bopst. "Everyone is in shock." Former bassist paid tribute in an interview with ''''. "Dave was one of the funniest, smartest, most creative and energetic persons I've known," he said. "He was brash sometimes, always crass, irreverent, he was hilarious in every way. But he was also deeply intelligent and interested in life, history, politics and art." == Sources == * * * * *
Stil uit Candy Shop van 50 Cent Popprofessor Tom ter Bogt onderzocht samen met twee studenten de invloed van ‘sexy’ videoclips op tieners. Meisjes blijken er gevoeliger voor te zijn dan jongens. Utrecht, 15 febr. „Welcome to the Candy Shop", zegt de vrouw tegen de rapper. Achter haar staan talloze schaars geklede vrouwen klaar voor hem. Candy Shop van de Amerikaanse rapper 50 Cent is een van de vijf videoclips die werden gebruikt in het onderzoek van professor Tom ter Bogt en twee studenten, Sanne Bogers en Monique Kloosterman. Zij onderzochten de invloed van ‘sexy’ videoclips op de gedachten en gedragingen van tieners. Bijna vijfhonderd scholieren tussen de 13 en 16 jaar deden aan het onderzoek mee. De ene helft keek naar ‘sexy’ clips, de andere helft zag dezelfde liedjes, maar dan zonder de clips. Zij keken naar concertregistraties. Clips van gangstarappers zouden vooral jongens beïnvloeden, is de gangbare opvatting, met name in Amerika. Ze zouden leiden tot seksuele bandeloosheid en groepsverkrachtingen. Maar het onderzoek van Ter Bogt laat zien dat vooral meisjes zich iets van de clips aantrekken. Ná het zien van de filmpjes vinden ze een sexy uiterlijk voor meisjes belangrijker dan daar voor. Ook wijzen ze na het zien van de clips permissieve seks, oftewel seks zonder liefde, minder resoluut af. Candy Shop van rapper 50 Cent „Let wel”, zegt Ter Bogt, „een grote meerderheid van de jongeren keurt zulke seks af. Alleen, na het zien van de clips vond een aantal meisjes het op de korte termijn wel oké.” Overigens keken de tieners naar de gecensureerde versies van de clips. Ter Bogt, die vanmiddag is benoemd tot bijzonder hoogleraar populaire muziek en jeugdcultuur aan de Universiteit Utrecht, is volgens eigen zeggen geen veroorzaker van morele paniek. „Jongeren moeten experimenteren met seks. Maar die experimenten moeten wel gebaseerd zijn op egalitaire verhoudingen. De verhouding tussen mannen en vrouwen in deze clips is ongelijk. De filmpjes doen het lichaamsbeeld van tienermeisjes geen goed. Zodra ze zich definiëren aan de hand van hun uiterlijk, krijgen ze minder zelfvertrouwen, doen ze het minder goed op school en lijden ze vaker aan eetstoornissen.” Muziekzenders zouden sexy clips moeten afwisselen met minder sexy filmpjes, meent Ter Bogt. „Dat drukt schema’s, als dat een sexy uiterlijk belangrijk is, naar achteren. We moeten er op hameren dat dit niet de echte wereld is.” Naast Candy Shop werden deze vier clips gebruikt in het onderzoek: Watchin’ van Amanda Wilson ft. Freemasons Hot In Here van Nelly Lapdance van NERD The World Is Mine van David Guetta \|\|\|\|\| Sexy clips slecht voor zelfbeeld meisjes 15-02-08 Seksueel getinte videoclips zijn slecht voor het zelfbeeld van veel meisjes. Ze hebben door het kijken naar sexy videoclips de neiging te denken dat een sexy uiterlijk essentieel is. Dat blijkt uit onderzoek van de hoogleraar popmuziek Ter Bogt onder 500 jongeren van 13 tot 16 jaar. Het denken dat een sexy uiterlijk essentieel is, zorgt bij meisjes vaak voor een gebrek aan zelfvertrouwen en dat kan onder meer leiden tot eetstoornissen, zegt de onderzoeker. Op jongens blijken de clips nauwelijks effect te hebben. Volgens Ter Bogt is de vrees dat sexy videoclips jongens kunnen aanzetten tot groepsverkrachtingen nergens op gegrond. Voor het beluisteren en bekijken van audio- en video-items op deze site dient Javascript ingeschakeld te zijn en heeft u Adobe Flash Player nodig. Deze kunt u gratis downloaden van de Adobe Flash Player website. Psychologen Onderzoek van Amerikaanse psychologen ondersteunt de conclusie van Ter Bogt. Maar daaruit blijkt ook dat er iets aan te doen is. Vooral de ouders spelen daarin een belangrijke rol. Zij kunnen hun dochters een gevoel van eigenwaarde bijbrengen. Maar volgens de psychologen helpt het ook als jongens leren meisjes te waarderen als maatje, zus en vriendin. Ouders wordt aangeraden zich op de hoogte te stellen welke tv-programma's hun dochter bekijkt en waar ze naartoe surft. Daarna zouden ze moeten praten over de keuzes die hun dochter maakt. Meisjes die zich zorgen maken over hun uiterlijk hebben vaak moeite zich te concentreren op andere zaken. De psychologen hameren er op dat de energie die het meisje steekt in kleding ten koste gaat van schoolwerk, contact met vrienden en andere activiteiten. Ouders zouden ook daarover moeten praten met hun kind. Onderzoek van Amerikaanse psychologen ondersteunt de conclusie van Ter Bogt. Maar daaruit blijkt ook dat er iets aan te doen is. Vooral de ouders spelen daarin een belangrijke rol.Zij kunnen hun dochters een gevoel van eigenwaarde bijbrengen. Maar volgens de psychologen helpt het ook als jongens leren meisjes te waarderen als maatje, zus en vriendin.Ouders wordt aangeraden zich op de hoogte te stellen welke tv-programma's hun dochter bekijkt en waar ze naartoe surft. Daarna zouden ze moeten praten over de keuzes die hun dochter maakt.Meisjes die zich zorgen maken over hun uiterlijk hebben vaak moeite zich te concentreren op andere zaken.De psychologen hameren er op dat de energie die het meisje steekt in kleding ten koste gaat van schoolwerk, contact met vrienden en andere activiteiten. Ouders zouden ook daarover moeten praten met hun kind. > Mail dit artikel	Sexy video clips have a more negative influence on girls than on boys, says Dutch pop professor Tom ter Bogt. Ter Bogt investigated the influence of sexy video clips on the thoughts, behaviour and self-image of 13 to 16 year old children. After viewing the clips, girls felt that outward appearance was more important, they were less satisfied with their own appearance, and they became less resolute in denying permissive sex. In his research Ter Bogt showed (censored) sexy videos from well-known pop-artists 50 Cent, Amanda Wilson ft. Freemasons, Nelly, NERD and David Guetta to a group of 250 children. An equally-sized group watched the concert performances of the same songs. After seeing the videos the girls in the test group felt more strongly that outward appearance was important for girls, and they tended to be less satisfied about their own appearances. Unexpectedly the videos did not affect the boys in the groups as much, their behaviour and self-image was more or less unchanged, contrary to previous beliefs that boys can be influenced by sexy videos to participate in group rapes. Tom ter Bogt was instated today as professor at the University of Utrecht in pop music and youth culture. "There is no reason for a moral panic," Ter Bogt says, "young people need to experiment with sex. But these experiments must be based on equality between men and women, and the relationships in these videos are not based on equality. The clips undermine the self-image of young girls. When they start to define their identity with their looks, they may lose self-confidence, will perform worse in school, and will suffer more from eating disorders." The conclusions of Ter Bogt are confirmed by research by US psychologists, but also shows that parents have a major influence in their girls' self-image.
Efforts to change the redistricting system in Illinois appeared dead Thursday, after a Democratic plan was defeated in the Illinois House and supporters abandoned a petition drive to put a Republican-supported constitutional amendment on the November ballot. The House voted 69-47 on largely partisan lines for the Democratic plan, Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 121, but 71 ‘yes’ votes were needed. Democrats cast all the ‘yes’ votes, while Republicans and one Democrat voted ‘no.’ The Illinois Constitution requires that lawmakers’ districts be redrawn after each U.S. Census to keep districts approximately equal in population. However, the last three redistricting efforts have been decided by lottery. Both parties had offered rival plans to revamp that process. Woodstock Rep. Jack Franks was the lone Democratic opponent. He said the amendment’s “fatal flaw” was that it still gave legislators first crack at drawing their own districts. “I couldn’t get past that because I want to have a system where it’s not legislators choosing their electors, it should be the electors choosing the legislators,” he said. House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, said the measure was a step backwards. Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn even said Thursday he wasn’t sure the Democratic measure was true reform. Cross said Quinn’s opposition “speaks volumes” about allowing legislators to draw their own districts. “People saw this for what it was,” he said. “It’s been time for real change, and this does not do it.” House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, said Quinn’s position was “shocking.” “Maybe he needs to spend more time in the General Assembly checking in with us, because I think he’s dead wrong,” she said. Cross said a better approach was the so-called Fair Map Amendment, which would have put map-drawing power in the hands of a commission appointed by the legislative leaders. That measure was blocked by a Democratic-controlled committee in the legislature. Supporters also tried to get around the General Assembly by gathering petition signatures to pu the Fair Map on the November ballot through citizen initiative. In a letter sent Thursday evening to The State Journal-Register's editorial staff, however, the Illinois League of Women Voters -- which coordinated the Fair Map effort -- said that coalition had fallen short of the nearly 300,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot. "We simply did not have enough time to finish the kind of statewide campaign necessary to meet the constitutional requirements of a citizen initiative," League executive director Jan Czarnik wrote. John Guidroz can be reached at 782-6882. \|\|\|\|\| Democrats’ redistricting bid falls short Bill needed 71 votes for approval but got 69 House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, said the Democratic proposal represented a vast improvement over the state's current process because it "gets rid of the tiebreaker." The loss represented the last opportunity this go-around to try to eliminate the oft-criticized redistricting process, where the deadlock that typically results is broken by pulling a name from a stovepipe hat like that worn by Abraham Lincoln. SPRINGFIELD — — Status quo won again at the Capitol as Democrats on Thursday failed to muster enough support to give Illinois voters a chance this fall to change the way lawmakers redraw their district boundaries. The proposed constitutional amendment needed a three-fifths majority, but fell two short of the 71 votes needed to put the matter on the November ballot. House Democrats control 70 seats, and Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, voted against the measure, leaving Democrats with only 69 votes. "I did not want to amend our constitution unless we had a real remedy and a real solution," Franks said. House Republican leader Tom Cross said his party's proposal, which Democrats blocked, would have taken redistricting from the legislature and given the public a bigger voice. Cross said the redistricting process is the Berlin Wall of Illinois politics, likening the Republican efforts to change it to President Ronald Reagan calling on Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the wall that separated the East and West. "The status quo isn't working," said Cross, of Oswego. "It is broken. It is time to break from the past. The wall has got to come down." Rep. Eddie Washington, D-Waukegan, stirred howls of outrage when he told Republicans: "You can't say one thing and have a party that really excludes minorities." Meanwhile, the League of Women Voters of Illinois said a drive to gather enough signatures to put the Republican-backed plan on the ballot also will fall short. In other action, a House committee approved a voucher program for Chicago's poorest and most overcrowded public schools. rlong@tribune.com xtxmanchir@tribune.com	Chamber of the Illinois House of Representatives in . The Illinois House of Representatives failed last Thursday to approve a Democratic Party-sponsored amendment to the state constitution's redistricting procedures, killing any hope of reforming the controversial process this year. The vote was 69–47, just two votes short of the 71-vote supermajority needed to propose constitutional amendments for ratification by voters in the next election cycle. In the redistricting process, the boundaries of legislative districts are redrawn every ten years following the US census. Districts are redrawn such that they contain constituencies roughly equal in population. During the last three redistricting periods, however, discussions have resulted in deadlock such that the maps were essentially chosen by lottery. Democrats, Republicans, and regular citizens alike have all unsuccessfully attempted to reform that process this year. All constitutional amendments must be proposed by Monday in order to be voted on in a referendum during the election next November. The Democratic bill, Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 121, was sponsored by State Senator Kwame Raoul and State Representative Barbara Flynn Currie, both from Chicago. The representatives voted mostly on party lines: Democrats hold 70 seats in the House, and 69 of them voted for the amendment. 46 Republicans and one Democrat voted against it. Currie presented the amendment as an improvement because it "gets rid of the tiebreaker." In fact, she argues that the public benefits from giving the job of redistricting to the legislature as a whole, rather than an appointed committee. "...leaving the decision in the hands of 177 people who are elected by the geographic diversity...is more democratic than giving it instead to the hands of four legislative leaders." Currie was referring to the Fair Map Amendment, a citizen-led proposal to create a nine-member commission that would contain no legislators. The party leaders would select eight of the members, however, which Democrats have opposed as intoducing too much bias. Others are against the amendment on the grounds that it does not adequately ensure minority representation. The lone Democratic dissenter, Representative Jack Franks from , disagrees. "I couldn’t get past that because I want to have a system where it’s not legislators choosing their electors, it should be the electors choosing the legislators," he said. Even Illinois Governor Pat Quinn was not enthusiastic about the bill and thought it was not "true reform". Republicans have introduced the citizen-initiated Fair Map Amendment in the legislature as an alternative and have pushed for its passage. The bill was quickly struck down by a Democrat-led committee. At the same time, organizers of the petition drive for the Fair Map Amendment announced that they fell short of the nearly 300,000 signatures needed to bypass the legislature and directly place the question on the ballot.
Miami of Ohio drops Michigan in 2OT Email Comments Share Associated Press FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Alden Hirschfeld made sure Miami of Ohio's season didn't end in overtime for a second straight season. Hirschfeld scored 1:54 into the second overtime to give the top-seeded RedHawks a 3-2 victory over Michigan in the NCAA Midwest Regional final Sunday night, sending the RedHawks to the Frozen Four for the second straight year. "Obviously it was an unbelievable feeling," Hirschfeld said. Hirschfeld picked the puck up at the top of the circle, turned and fired it past goalie Shawn Hunwick. "The puck just kind of popped out and I took it out to the top of the circle and their D went down to block it and I just shot it through on net," Hirschfeld said. Pat Cannone scored two power-play goals for Miami, Curtis McKenzie had a pair of assists and Connor Knapp made 55 saves. "We knew he'd go in there and do exactly what he did," Miami coach Enrico Blasi said. "We reminded him that Michigan shoots from everywhere and be ready and he was right off the bat." The RedHawks (29-7-7) came within a minute of winning the national title last year before squandering a two-goal lead and losing in overtime to Boston University. Now the RedHawks will face Boston College (27-10-3) in the semifinals April 8 in Detroit. Hirschfeld ensured that when he finally ended the game, scoring Miami's only even-strength goal Miami in the regional. David Wohlberg had an even-strength goal for Michigan, Chad Langlais added a power-play goal and defenseman Steve Kampfer had a pair of assists. Hunwick made 32 saves against Michigan's Central Collegiate Hockey Association rival. The loss cost Michigan (26-18-1) a chance to play for the national championship practically in its own backyard. The Michigan campus is about 45 miles from Ford Field. Michigan thought for a split second it won when right wing Kevin Lynch knocked a loose puck into the during a scrum in front 2:37 into the overtime. But it came a split second after the referee blew the whistle for a high-stick penalty on Miami defenseman Joe Hartman. "That's a tough one to swallow. There's a loose puck in the crease and the referee blows the whistle because he was calling a penalty on them, yet we had control or were about to have control of the puck," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. Knapp said he knew it wasn't a goal. "I was fortunate he blew the whistle fast. It was under me for a split second," he said. Hunwick, the CCHA tournament MVP, finished with 32 saves. Michigan captain Chris Summers said Hunwick apologized to him after the game for giving up the goal. "I laughed at him. I said, 'What are you sorry for, man? We wouldn't be here without you,'" Summers said. It was the first multiple overtime game for Miami in 23 years of hockey. It was the first for Michigan since losing 4-3 in triple overtime to Maine in the 1995 national semifinals. Berenson said he was proud of the way his team, which finished seventh in the CCHA, won seven straight before losing. "I thought they had a terrific run here that last month or more," he said. Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press \|\|\|\|\| The page you're looking for isn't here. Either someone gave you a bad link or there's something funky going on. Either way, we're truly sorry for the inconvenience. \|\|\|\|\| Boston College Advances To Frozen Four Boston College Advances To Frozen Four WORCESTER, Mass. -- When the lights get brighter and the stage gets bigger, it doesn't matter how you get it done, it really only matters if you get it done. Such was the case on Sunday afternoon as Boston College won -- survived might be more appropriate -- a shootout gallery game against Yale by a final of 9-7 in the Northeast Regional final in front of 6,054 at the DCU Center. [+] Enlarge AP Photo/Winslow Townson Boston College coach Jerry York and regional Most Outstanding Player Cam Atkinson can rest easy after surviving Yale. It wasn't pretty, at least not from a defensive and goaltending perspective, but it counted just the same. Actually, it counted more because of the stakes. With the victory, the Eagles (27-10-3) advance to their 22nd Frozen Four in school history, ninth in coach Jerry York's tenure and third in the past four seasons. But that doesn't mean it was easy or routine, even given the program's perpetual success. "National games come in all sizes," York said. "Your objective is to win and advance and we were able to do that tonight. The game was never over because of their skill set. They led the nation in scoring so you know they have offensive weapons. They don't ask if it's a pretty game but we were fortunate to score nine goals." It looked like it was going to be a long day for Yale from the outset, if the first two of the Bulldogs' season-high nine goals allowed were any indication. BC opened the scoring at 5:21 of the first when Yale defenseman Ryan Donald snapped his stick on a slap shot attempt from the blue line during a 4-on-4 situation. The puck dribbled weakly toward the BC net, where it was picked off by winger Cam Atkinson, who pushed a lead pass to linemate Brian Gibbons at center ice. From there, Gibbons carried the puck and beat Yale goaltender Ryan Rondeau low to the blocker side. After Yale tied it 1-1, the Eagles retook the lead with a fluky short-handed goal from defenseman Carl Sneep at 16:34. The senior secured the puck at his own blue line and fired a clear toward the opposite end of the ice. The puck bounced and hopped over Rondeau's blocker to make it 2-1 BC. "There's nothing you can do," said Yale coach and former goaltender Keith Allain of the 120-foot score against his club. "You want to get as close to that bounce as you can so it doesn't have room to play on you. You don't expect it to bounce like that. "It took a perfect bounce for them and a terrible bounce for us." From there the rest of the afternoon became an all-out assault on the record books. The game was never tied again and BC jumped out to four- and five-goal leads in the second and third periods respectively, only to give those cushions away each time. The 16 goals are an NCAA tournament record for a regional game. The previous mark was 13, which had been accomplished twice. [+] Enlarge AP Photo/Winslow Townson Jimmy Hayes scored two goals in Boston College's 9-7 win over Yale in the Northeast Regional final. "I don't think we were very good defensively as a team and the goaltenders are a part of that but they certainly aren't the only part," Allain said. Yale (21-10-3) ended up using three goaltenders -- possibly four if you count the 2:27 of empty-net time late in the third period. No matter what the Bulldogs tried on the defensive end, it didn't work. In the end, they faced 39 shots, but a .769 save percentage isn't going to win many, if any, games. Lost in the Yale loss was the play of senior center Mark Arcobello. In the final game of his college career he scored three goals and added three assists. The six-point night tied for second all time in an NCAA tournament game. "If only I had played as good on defense as I did on offense maybe I could have prevented a couple of goals," Arcobello said. Over on the other bench, Atkinson recorded a hat trick too, his third in the last 10 games. And his line accounted for six goals and four assists. For his efforts, Atkinson was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Northeast Regional. Joining him on the All-Regional team were linemate Joe Whitney and Arcobello, defensemen Sneep and Yale's Tom Dignard, and BC goalie John Muse. "We had a lot of good and lot of bad tonight," BC center Ben Smith said. "The good thing is we came out on the right side of it. But it was just one of those nights where who can score the most goals wins and we did it." BC has now registered five straight wins and it improved to 8-1 overall in NCAA tournament games played in this building. And it should be noted that each of the Eagles' last two national championship runs (2001 and 2008) also began in central Massachusetts. Up next is a national semifinal game against Miami on April 8 at Detroit's Ford Field (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2 HD). The other bit of good news for BC is that it has time to rest and work on its own-zone play before the Frozen Four. That's a good thing considering the Eagles have played six postseason games this month and have allowed at least five goals in three of them. And in all three of those games, BC had trouble holding third-period leads. "I think putting a team away means winning hockey games," York said when asked about his team's late-game issues. And winning hockey games this time of year -- by any means possible -- equals advancing to play another day. And that's all that really matters. David Albright covers college sports for ESPN.com and can be reached at espncaa@gmail.com.	Miami of Ohio beat the Michigan Wolverines 3–2 at the finals of the NCAA Midwest regional ice hockey tournament Sunday night at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Miami sophomore forward Alden Hirschfeld scored at 1:54 into the second overtime when his shot from the top of the left face off circle deflected into the goal off the skate of the Michigan goaltender Shawn Hunwick. Pat Cannone led the scoring with two power play goals for Miami during regulation. It looked as though Michigan had won the game in the first overtime when Michigan's forward Kevin Lynch appeared to score. Unfortunately for Michigan the referee blew the whistle calling a penalty just before the puck went in the net. The Miami goaltender Connor Knapp who made 53 saves in the game was named the most outstanding player of the midwest regional tournament. This was the first multiple overtime game for the Miami of Ohio RedHawks in their 23 years. Miami will be going to the Frozen Four for the second straight year. The Boston College Eagles advanced to the Frozen Four in a shoot out with the Yale Bulldogs. BC defeated Yale 9–7 last night at the finals of the NorthEast regionals in front of 6,054 fans at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. BC forward Cam Atkinson had a hat trick and an assist. Mark Arcobello of Yale also had a hat trick. In an attempt to find a way to stop the Eagles scoring Yale played three different goalies during the game. The sixteen total goals is a NCAA record for a regional tournament game. The previous record was thirteen. This will be the 22nd time that Boston College has made it to the Frozen Four, it is the ninth for coach Jerry York and their third trip in the past four seasons. BC will face Miami of Ohio in the semifinals on April 8 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.
SYDNEY, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Melbourne won their second A-League title in three years with a 1-0 win over Adelaide in Saturday's Australian grand final. Midfielder Tom Pondeljak scored the only goal with a long-range strike on the hour that decided a spiteful contest which ended with both teams reduced to 10 men. Adelaide's Brazilian striker Cristiano was sent off after 10 minutes for a clumsy elbow to the head of an opposing defender. Melbourne striker Danny Allsopp was shown the red card 20 minutes before fulltime after a late fracas but his team held on to secure the title. "It was a great performance. Adelaide were great, they pushed us right to the death but I think we deserved it," Melbourne captain Kevin Muscat said. Adelaide were humiliated 6-0 by Melbourne in the grand final two years ago but captain Travis Dodd praised his team for their performance this time. "Down to 10 men it was a very difficult game for us but the amount of courage and heart the boys showed tonight to get through the game and keep fighting to the end was fantastic. I couldn't ask any more," he said. (Reporting by Julian Linden; Editing by Clare Fallon) \|\|\|\|\| Victory claim second A-League title By Joe O'Shea Posted Updated Melbourne claimed its second A-League crown in three years with a hard-fought and controversial 1-0 win over Adelaide in tonight's highly-charged grand final at Docklands. A long-range strike from man-of-the-match Tom Pondeljak in the 60th minute proved the difference as both sides finished the match with 10 men courtesy of two questionable red cards from referee Matthew Breeze. Victory captain Kevin Muscat, who played every minute of Melbourne's A-League season, said the title was the perfect reward for an outstanding season. "It was by no means an easy game tonight, but I can't speak highly enough of the boys because all the talk during the week, we actually stood up and walked the walk," he told Fox Sports. "It was a tremendous performance and Adelaide were great on the day, they pushed us right to the death there. "But I can honestly say we deserved it." Going into the match as rank outsiders, the Reds' chances of pulling off an upset were dealt a cruel blow when leading goal-scorer Cristiano was inexplicably sent off by Breeze in the 10th minute for a clumsy but accidental elbow to the head of Rodrigo Vargas. Cristiano appeared to have eyes only for the ball but that did not stop Breeze from giving him his marching orders and placing Adelaide in big trouble early in the match. Despite threatening the Adelaide goal on several occasions leading into half-time, the Victory could not take advantage of the weight of numbers as goal-keeper of the year Eugene Galekovic made some fine saves to keep the Reds in the match. The score was 0-0 at half-time thanks to desperation defence from United, but Pondeljak's match-winning strike just on the hour-mark snuck past the unsighted Galekovic to hand Melbourne the lead. Allsopp marched The Victory appeared to have placed one hand on the trophy with Pondeljak's goal, but five minutes later Adelaide was given a ray of hope when Danny Allsopp was given the second red card of the match for an apparent headbutt. Finally playing with even numbers, Reds duo Travis Dodd and Paul Agostino both had opportunities to level the score in the final 15 minutes of the match, but Victory 'keeper Michael Theoklitos kept a clean sheet to help Melbourne become the first side to claim two A-League championships. Skipper Dodd said after the game that Cristiano's send-off changed the game, and paid tribute to the fighting spirit showed by his men. "It's one of those things I guess, it changed the game, but what can you do about it now?" he told Fox Sports after the match. "We worked hard to keep it scoreless until half-time, to keep our discipline and keep our shape and keep doing what we were doing. "We backed ourselves to be able to pinch one and came out in the second half and had a couple of good opportunities, but that goal really took the sting out of us. "It's a credit to the boys they just kept fighting. "Down to 10 men it was a very difficult game for us, but the amount of courage and heart the boys showed tonight to get through the game and keep fighting to the end was fantastic. I couldn't ask any more." Reds' horrific start Aurelio Vidmar's men came out the stronger of the two sides in the opening exchanges, but were quickly forced to play from behind after Cristiano's send-off. Vargas lay bleeding from the head following the clash with Cristiano, and after a minute of consultation with his assistant referee, Breeze shocked the crowd by producing the straight red that reduced the Reds to 10 men. The Victory enjoyed 55 per cent of the possession and had 10 shots on goal in the opening stanza, with Allsopp and Archie Thompson looking particularly dangerous against the short-handed Reds. Allsopp had the best chance for Melbourne midway through the half when he received a pinpoint long ball from Muscat, only to see his shot parried away by Galekovic. Melbourne entered the game as the shortest-priced favourite for the title since the A-League's inception, having beaten the Reds all five times the clubs met this season. The two sides met in the decider for the second time in three years after the Victory smashed Adelaide 6-0 in 2007 for their first title. Melbourne 1 (T Pondeljak '60) Adelaide 0	Melbourne Victory has won the A-League Grand Final against Adelaide United at the Telstra Dome. Melbourne came into the match with a 6-0 (2-0, 4-0) win over Adelaide United in their two legged semi final. Adelaide United came into the match with a win against Queensland Roar in the preliminary final. The A-League uses the Page playoff system where the winner of the major semi final (1st vs. 2nd) qualifies for the grand final, while the loser plays the winner of the minor semi final (3rd vs. 4th) for the remaining place. Docklands Stadium, where the match was played Cristiano Melbourne midfielder Tom Pondeljak scored the only goal for the match with a long range strike on sixty minutes. Adelaide were reduced to ten men after ten minutes when Cristiano landed a clumsy elbow to the head of an opposing player. Melbourne was reduced to ten men twenty minutes from time when Danny Allsopp was sent off due to a late fracas. "It was a great performance. Adelaide were great, they pushed us right to the death but I think we deserved it," Melbourne captain Kevin Muscat said. "Down to 10 men it was a very difficult game for us but the amount of courage and heart the boys showed tonight to get through the game and keep fighting to the end was fantastic. I couldn't ask any more." "It's one of those things I guess, it changed the game, but what can you do about it now?" Adelaide Captain Travis Dodd told Fox Sports after the match. "We worked hard to keep it scoreless until half-time, to keep our discipline and keep our shape and keep doing what we were doing."
#K-pop livestreaming concerts K-pop concerts go online in time of pandemic Tens of thousands of fans from across the globe simultaneously cheered and applauded in the safety of their own homes when their favorite K-pop boy band, SuperM, appeared on the s... #royal tombs Walkways at Joseon Dynasty royal tomb sites open to public Forest walkways at Joseon Dynasty royal tomb sites were made available to the public on Saturday, allowing more outdoor leisure activities for people tired of staying home amid th... \|\|\|\|\| Adjust font size: SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Monday the country has performed a successful nuclear test. South Korean government officials also said North Korea performed its first nuclear test, the South's Yonhap news agency reported According to KCNA, there was no radioactive leakage from the site. South Korean officials could not immediately confirm the Yonhap report. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun convened an urgent meeting of security advisers over the issue, Yonhap reported. The North said last week it would conduct a nuclear test as part of its deterrent against a possible U.S. invasion. The report of the test came as Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Seoul for meetings with President Roh Moo-hyun to address the nuclear issue as well as address strains in relations between the two countries over territorial and historical disputes. North Korea accused rival South Korea on Monday of committing a serious provocation by firing warning shots during a weekend incident in which the South says soldiers from the communist North crossed over their border. The border shooting came Saturday. South Korean soldiers rattled off about 40 warning shots after a group of five North Korean troops crossed into the southern side of the no-man's-land separating the divided Korean peninsula, South Korea said. No one was hurt in the incident. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. \|\|\|\|\| Adjust font size: SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Monday the country has performed a successful nuclear test. South Korean government officials also said North Korea performed its first nuclear test, the South's Yonhap news agency reported According to KCNA, there was no radioactive leakage from the site. South Korean officials could not immediately confirm the Yonhap report. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun convened an urgent meeting of security advisers over the issue, Yonhap reported. The North said last week it would conduct a nuclear test as part of its deterrent against a possible U.S. invasion. The report of the test came as Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Seoul for meetings with President Roh Moo-hyun to address the nuclear issue as well as address strains in relations between the two countries over territorial and historical disputes. North Korea accused rival South Korea on Monday of committing a serious provocation by firing warning shots during a weekend incident in which the South says soldiers from the communist North crossed over their border. The border shooting came Saturday. South Korean soldiers rattled off about 40 warning shots after a group of five North Korean troops crossed into the southern side of the no-man's-land separating the divided Korean peninsula, South Korea said. No one was hurt in the incident. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. \|\|\|\|\| There was concern among South Koreans at the news It said the underground test, carried out in defiance of international warnings, was a success and had not resulted in any leak of radiation. The US said intelligence had detected a seismic event at a suspected test site and Russia said it was "100% certain" a nuclear test had occurred. The US said the reported test was a "provocative act", while China denounced it as "brazen". In an unusually strong statement against its ally, China expressed its "resolute opposition" to the claimed test and said it "defied the universal opposition of international society". N KOREA NUCLEAR PROGRAMME Believed to have 'handful' of nuclear weapons But not thought to have any small enough to put in a missile Could try dropping from airplane, though world watching closely Q&A;: Nuclear stand-off Send us your comments Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the claimed test "unpardonable" and said the region was "entering a new, dangerous nuclear age". The BBC's Jonathan Marcus says North Korea's claimed test does not necessarily mean it has a fully-fledged nuclear bomb or warhead that it can deliver to a target. Our correspondent says there will now be pressure on the UN Security Council to push for a resolution condemning North Korea and probably demanding a stiff menu of economic sanctions. US White House spokesman Tony Snow said: "We expect the UN Security Council to take immediate actions to respond to this unprovoked act." Mr Abe, who is in Seoul for a meeting with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, urged the council to take "undaunted" action. He said Japan and the US would step up co-operation on the missile defence system they began after a North Korean missile test in 1998. President Roh said the claimed test had created a "severe situation" that threatened stability in the region. He said Seoul would react "sternly and calmly". The South Korean military - which has been put on a heightened state of alert - had the capability to cope with any North Korean provocation, he said. Seoul also suspended a scheduled aid shipment of concrete to North Korea, the state news agency reported. The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Beijing says China's statement is an indication of how strongly it is angered by North Korea's action, although Beijing will still be loath to support tougher sanctions against Pyongyang. 'Historic event' When it announced the test, KCNA described it as an "historic event that brought happiness to our military and people". It said the test would maintain "peace and stability" in the region and was "a great leap forward in the building of a great prosperous, powerful socialist nation". KOREAN NUCLEAR CRISIS Sept 2005: At first hailed as a breakthrough, North Korea agrees to give up nuclear activities Next day, N Korea says it will not scrap its activities unless it gets a civilian nuclear reactor US imposes financial sanctions on N Korea businesses July 2006: N Korea test-fires seven missiles UN Security Council votes to impose sanctions over the tests Oct 2006: N Korea claims to have carried out nuclear test N Korea's mercurial leader N Korea nuclear timeline Russia's defence ministry said it was "100% certain" that an underground nuclear explosion had taken place, ITAR-Tass news agency reported. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Japan had detected seismic waves, but could not confirm whether they were from a nuclear test. The Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers have held a telephone conference call with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to discuss the issue, South Korea's foreign ministry said. The development comes three days after the UN Security Council agreed on a formal statement urging North Korea to cancel any planned nuclear test and return to disarmament talks. Pyongyang pulled out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003 and has refused for a year to attend talks aimed at ending its nuclear ambitions. The UN Security Council imposed an embargo on the import and export of missile-related materials in July after North Korea test-fired several missiles. If confirmed, the test would make North Korea the ninth country known to have nuclear weapons. \|\|\|\|\| Monday, October 9, 2006 at 01:35:27 (UTC) = Coordinated Universal Time Monday, October 9, 2006 at 10:35:27 AM = local time at epicenter Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones \|\|\|\|\| Why did this happen? Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy. \|\|\|\|\| N.Korea nuke test relatively small-scientists By Michael Perry SYDNEY, Oct 9 (Reuters) - North Korea's nuclear test on Monday might have been a "mini-nuke" explosion possibly as low as one kiloton, comparable to some small tests by India and Pakistan in 1998, scientists said on Monday. The U.S. Geological Survey said it had detected a 4.2 magnitude quake in North Korea at 10:35 local time (0135 GMT) on Monday, confirming a similar report from South Korea. Gary Gibson, senior seismologist at Australia's Seismology Research Centre, said a 4.2 magnitude quake would be the result of a one kiloton explosion. "It depends on how the thing is set off. There is not a perfect correlation between magnitude and the yield and depends to some extent on the rock type they set it off in," he said. "It is a relatively small nuclear test." A U.S. intelligence source agreed that a preliminary examination of the data did not indicate a large blast or a series of explosions. But the source stressed that analysts were still working towards a definitive evaluation. "It's premature because they're still evaluating the data," the source said. The RIA news agency quoted on Monday Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov as saying that the nuclear device tested by North Korea ranged between five and 15 kilotons. The nuclear weapon the United States exploded over Hiroshima in 1945 produced a 12.5-kiloton yield. In 1998, India carried out five underground nuclear tests at Pokharan in the western desert state of Rajasthan and declared itself a nuclear weapons state. The total yield of the first round of blasts measured near 60 kilotons. Two days later, it exploded sub-kiloton devices that scientists said made it capable of conducting computer tests not covered by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. "Our biggest one was in the vicinity of 45 kilotons. That was thermo-nuclear," said S.K. Malhotra, head of the public awareness division of the Department of Atomic Energy. Nuclear analyst Andrew Davies, from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said if the North Korean test yield was only a kiloton, Pyongyang may be disappointed. "A kiloton is a very low yield and would tend to suggest, I would have thought, that the device was not all they hoped it would be," Davies told Reuters. "If a nuclear, plutonium bomb fizzles, you can still get one or two kilotons quite easily. You still get a significant energy release. But an efficient device will give you more like 20 (kilotons)." MINI NUKES The United States has said it is interested in developing so-called "mini nukes" -- nuclear weapons with a yield of less of than five kilotons. Indian nuclear scientists said they thought the North Korean test was an indication that the country was going for smaller devices to ensure effective delivery. "They are concentrating more on the small devices because of reliability of launching and effectiveness," said A.N. Prasad, former chief of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, India's top nuclear research facility. "If the situation demands, they can scale it up, which is not difficult. This is the best approach now." After India exploded its devices, arch foe and neighbour Pakistan rushed to conduct its own tests. Within days it had conducted six tests, although claims related to the number, strength and yield of the tests were doubted by scientists in India and the United States. Pakistan said two nuclear tests had a total yield of between 34-48 kilotons, while three others were sub-kiloton. It said a sixth test yielded 10-15 kilotons. The Southern Arizona Seismic Observatory said the two major tests yielded 9-12 kilotons, while the sixth yielded only 4-6 kilotons. A source in Beijing who is close to the North Korean regime said Pyongyang had detonated a neutron bomb, designed to release larger amounts of deadly radiation than other nuclear weapons. There was no immediate confirmation of the claim. (Additional reporting by Krittivas Mukherjee in MUMBAI, Simon Cameron-Moore in ISLAMABAD, James Grubel in CANBERRA and David Morgan in WASHINGTON) © Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.	According to South Korea-based Yonhap News service, and the Associated Press, North Korea has announced that it has successfully conducted its first nuclear test. Location of a 4.2 earthquake, allegedly caused by the nuclear test. North Korea first announced it possessed nuclear weapons in 2005, though because it had not conducted a nuclear test its nuclear capability remained ambiguous. The United States, Japan, China, and South Korea have all urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear program. North Korea released a statement on October 3 saying that it would soon conduct a nuclear test, and also emphasized that it would neither use nuclear weapons first nor aid other countries in nuclear proliferation. The state claimed that it would only use the weapons as a deterrent against the United States and its allies. In 2003, U.S. President George W. Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said that they "would not tolerate" a nuclear North Korea. China and Japan have also expressed concern. U.S. officials have reported that the government of the People's Republic of China was given a 20-minute advance warning that the test was about to occur. The PRC sent an emergency alert to Washington through the United States embassy in Beijing and President George W. Bush was told shortly after 10 p.m. that a test was imminent by National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. Rumors of an impending nuclear test have circulated since North Korea announced its weapons capability. The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates that North Korea may have up to 10 or 12 nuclear devices already built. According to North Korea's Central News Agency, the country conducted an underground nuclear test successfully without any radioactive leakage. Underground tests, if they fully contain the nuclear blast, can result in a minimum of nuclear fallout contamination. If confirmed, the nuclear test by North Korea would be the first nuclear test since the dual Indian and Pakistani nuclear tests of 1998. The U.S. Geological Service has recorded a magnitude 4.2 event in eastern North Korea at 01:35:27 (UTC), or 10:35:27 North Korean local time. U.S. President George W Bush speaking at the White House ahead of an emergency closed session of the UN Security Council called the action "unacceptable ... North Korea has defied the will of the international community and the international community will respond." He also described it as "a threat to international peace and security. The United States condemns this provocative act." Bush contacted the leaders of Russia, China, Japan and South Korea, the other nations that have been engaged in negotiations with North Korea. All have already denounced the action. China using the harshest language yet against its old war time ally, calling the test "brazen". Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe insisted on "decisive action." Some experts are speculating that the test may push the United Nations to back sanctions against the North Koreans, Japan's U.N Ambassador Kenzo Oshima has told reporters in New York that the United States is drafting the resolutions, which could range from trade restrictions to monetary dealings and even a sea based blockade. The sitting members have strongly condemned the nuclear test. In the first significant reaction to the announcement the South Korean government has decided to suspend a scheduled shipment of its emergency relief aid to its northern neighbor. An official from the Unification Ministry said "A ship was scheduled to depart ... carrying 4,000 tons of concrete on Tuesday, but we decided to delay the shipment under the current circumstances." The yield of the device has not been conclusively confirmed. Fox News has reported the yield at below 4 kilotons, citing a unspecified senior Bush administration official; however, Russian military sources estimate the yield as between 5-15 kilotons. The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources stated its estimate of the yield as 550 tons, but later scaled it up to 800 tons. A senior seismologist at the Australian Seismology Research Centre said that a 4.2 magnitude quake would roughly correspond with a one kiloton explosion, but would not say it was conclusive, since it depends on the type of rock that the test was set off in. It has been reported that the Korea Exchange, South Korea's main stock exchange, suspended trading for five minutes upon hearing news of the test.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Baseball home-run king Barry Bonds used steroids to fuel his success and then lied about it, prosecutors said on Thursday in charging him with perjury and obstruction of justice. Barry Bonds watches from the dugout as the San Francisco Giants play the San Diego Padres in San Francisco, September 25, 2007. Bonds was indicted by a federal grand jury on perjury and obstruction of justice charges in connection with a probe into allegations of steroid use, a Justice Department official said on Thursday REUTERS/Robert Galbraith The indictment, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, stems from the investigation into the San Francisco Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) whose top figures have already served jail time on steroid distribution charges. The all-time Major League baseball home run king has long been under federal probe over suspicion that he lied to the BALCO grand jury in 2003 when he told them he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs. The seven-time Most Valuable Player surged late in his career to break what had long been one of the greatest records in American sports. Although many fans wondered aloud about the source of his power, Bonds, 43, has long denied any link to steroids. Despite his huge success on the field, his abrasive personality and the lingering doubts about steroid use, kept him from gaining widespread personal popularity, especially outside San Francisco. “During the criminal investigation, evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances for Bonds and other professional athletes,” the indictment said. Bonds’ main criminal lawyer did not immediately return a telephone call for comment, but a second lawyer said he would plead not guilty to the charges. Major League Baseball had no immediate comment. The indictment comes just weeks after Olympic sprinter Marion Jones relinquished the five medals she won at the 2000 Sydney Games and accepted a two-year ban after admitting she used performance-enhancing drugs. Bonds passed Hank Aaron to become the American home run king this summer, but his San Francisco Giants chose not to negotiate another year on his contract. He was hoping to sign a contract with another team in the coming months. If convicted on a perjury charge, Bonds could face up to five years in prison. His personal trainer and boyhood friend Greg Anderson was imprisoned in the case on steroid distribution charges. Anderson was later sent back to prison for declining to cooperate in the Bonds probe. The indictment quotes Bonds speaking before the grand jury as saying he did not take steroids. \|\|\|\|\| Tragedy on the court, picking off Peyton, a perfect storm, and much more. BREAKING NEWS SAN FRANCISCO - Barry Bonds was indicted Thursday for perjury and obstruction of justice, charged with lying when he told a federal grand jury that he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs. The indictment unsealed Thursday against baseball’s home-run king culminated a four-year investigation into steroid use by elite athletes. “During the criminal investigation, evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing substances for Bonds and other athletes,” the indictment read. Story continues below ↓ advertisement advertisement In August, the 43-year-old Bonds passed Hank Aaron to become baseball’s career home run leader. Late in the season, the San Francisco Giants told the seven-time National League MVP they didn’t want him back next year. He is currently a free agent. While Bonds was chasing Aaron, the grand jury was working behind closed doors to complete the long-rumored indictment. “I’m surprised,” said John Burris, one of Bonds’ attorneys, “but there’s been an effort to get Barry for a long time. “I’m curious what evidence they have now they didn’t have before.” The indictment charged Bonds with lying when he said that he didn’t knowingly take steroids given to him by his personal trainer, Greg Anderson. He also denied taking steroids at anytime in 2001 when he was pursuing the season home-run record. He is also charged with lying that Anderson never injected him with steroids. “Greg wouldn’t do that,” Bonds testified in December 2003 when asked if Anderson ever gave him any drugs that needed to be injected. “He knows I’m against that stuff.” © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.	Baseball home-run leader Barry Bonds was indicted today in the United States District Court in San Francisco, California. The charges of perjury and obstruction of justice stem from Bonds's testimony that he did not knowingly take steroids to a grand jury during the BALCO scandal. Barry Bonds Evidence was allegedly obtained during the investigation that included a positive test for performance-enhancing substances. Bonds, currently a free agent, still denies using steroids. The indictment said: "During the criminal investigation, evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances for Bonds and other professional athletes." If Bonds is convicted of all four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice, he could face up to 20 to 30 years in prison.
To the Editor: I couldn’t believe what I was reading June 3, when I read your article on the first page of your newspaper that the Cub Scout/ Boy Scout Troop in Crystal Lake h ... Read More » To the Editor: In the aftermath of the tragic tornados in Oklahoma, isn’t there something that can be done to stall tornadoes. Whole populations and cities are at the mercy of ... Read More » \|\|\|\|\| All News Archives Businesses Classifieds Jobs Cars Homes Bars & Clubs Restaurants Events Boats Help Wednesday, October 24 Font: Regular Medium Large Print Story Email Story Expunge suspension for sketch, mom says By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, 609-463-6713 Published: Monday, October 22, 2007 DENNIS TOWNSHIP - Kyle McDevitt walked from the front door of the house to a red bicycle in the gravel driveway, apparently unconcerned about the half-dozen journalists on the lawn talking to his family about him. The 7-year-old lifted the bicycle off the ground Sunday and hopped on it. As he rode down the street with friends, his mother reminded him to strap on his blue helmet. Then Shirley McDevitt told reporters at a news conference in front of a relative's home that she wants her son's permanent school record expunged. He was suspended Thursday after drawing a stick figure shooting another stick figure, McDevitt said. One smiling figure had the name "me" written above it. The other smiling figure had a schoolmate's name on it. Kyle Walker told his mother it was a water gun and that he and the boy were friends. After stepping inside the house for dinner, Kyle said to a reporter he wasn't nervous about all the attention. He is studying maps in Social Studies in the second grade at the Dennis Township Primary School. He has an older brother. He said he wasn't worried about going to school and what the other children might think after his one-day suspension received national attention. He spoke more in nods than in words, with a finger in his mouth. Family members said he was obviously nervous but was too young to understand how his pencil sketch could draw so much attention. "He knows why they're here," his mother said of the media. "I don't know that he knows why it's so serious." He cried the night he was suspended, she said, because he thought he was going to miss a school field trip. McDevitt said the Dennis Township School District overreacted by suspending her son for a day last week. Now she says she doesn't want that mark on her son's permanent record, and she wants the school to remove it. She said she worries the blemish could hurt him later in his school life. "When a child draws at that age, they're not drawing with thought," said McDevitt, of Belleplain. McDevitt said she was told he was suspended because of the school's zero-tolerance policy for guns. The drawing was discovered, she said, after the schoolmate brought the drawing home and his parents expressed their concerns to the school, she said. The school district declined comment on the incident Friday. Superintendent of Schools George Papp could not be reached at his home Sunday afternoon. To e-mail Brian Ianieri at The Press: BIanieri@pressofac.com Links by inform.com \|\|\|\|\| View and discuss the pictures and issues that caught our eyes A berry good harvest, Mideast playtime, Manny being Manny and more. What keeps you up at night? Gut Check America wants you to tell us what really matters to our country. As part of October's report, we're asking our middle-class readers to send in video explaining and showing how they are being financially squeezed and how it's affecting their standards of living. Click here to learn more and get involved. DENNIS TOWNSHIP, N.J. - A New Jersey second-grader's drawing of a stick figure shooting a gun has earned him a one-day school suspension. Seven-year-old Kyle Walker's mom told an The Press newspaper of Atlantic City that her son was suspended for violating the district's zero-tolerance policy on guns. She said her son told her he'd drawn a water pistol. Kyle gave the picture to another child on the school bus, and that child's parents complained about it to school officials. Story continues below ↓ advertisement advertisement The case is not the first in New Jersey in which students were suspended for depictions of weapons. Four kindergarten boys were suspended in 2000 for playing cops and robbers, even though they were using their fingers as guns. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.	Kyle McDevitt, a seven-year-old, second grade boy at Dennis Township Primary School in New Jersey, was suspended for one day after drawing an image of one stick figure person shooting another. The drawing depicted two stick figures, one labeled as 'me' by McDevitt and the other was labeled with the name of another student, with McDevitt smiling while shooting the other student. While on a school bus, the child gave the drawing to another student who took it home and showed it to his parents. The parents then filed a complaint with the school's district. According to the boy's mother, Shirley McDevitt, the gun was a squirt gun filled with water. She also said that the boys are friends with each other. She has asked school officials to "expunge" her son's permanent school record of the incident. "When a child draws at that age, they're not drawing with thought," stated McDevitt. She also stated that officials for the school district said that the boy was suspended because of the schools policy on "zero-tolerance" for guns. Other sketches are reported to have been drawn such as a skateboarder, a cyclops and a ghost.
The Flybe Q400 was travelling from Manchester Airport The Flybe Bombardier Q400 had 36 people on board when crew members were forced to shut down one of its two turboprop engines on Monday morning. The airport was put on full emergency alert after the plane's captain put out an emergency call at 0740 BST. The plane, which had been travelling from Manchester Airport, landed safely and all on board left the aircraft just before 0800 BST. I did wonder if the engine was on fire when I saw all the fire engines outside the plane Jim Mulhall Passenger Jim Mulhall, 47, a safety consultant for the oil and gas industry, who was on the plane said: "When the captain told us they were going to cut an engine everyone went quiet, probably because they were apprehensive. "He told us it was not a problem and then there was an obvious reduction in noise as the engine went off and again he assured us it wasn't an issue. "We came down with a bang much more than normal and he stopped the plane quickly. "I did wonder if the engine was on fire when I saw all the fire engines outside the plane." Flying pattern A Flybe spokeswoman said: "On Monday morning, Flybe flight BE7220 from Manchester to Edinburgh landed without incident at 0750 after reporting a technical fault with the aircraft. "This resulted in a warning light showing on the control panel. Engineers are investigating the fault and the aircraft is expected to resume its normal flying pattern this afternoon. "The Bombardier Q400 is a state of the art aircraft that is designed and manufactured to land safely after such an incident. "There was no adverse reaction from the passengers on board who disembarked safely upon arrival at Edinburgh." A BAA spokeswoman at the airport said: "We were at first put on a procedure called full emergency standby. "But the whole incident was stood down very quickly, all procedures were followed and everyone landed very safely." Were you one of the passengers on board the plane? You can e-mail us at newsonlinescotland@bbc.co.uk. \|\|\|\|\| Nik Powell To Step Down As NFTS Director Nik Powell, Director of the National Film and Television School (NFTS), is to step down from his role, it has been announced. Mr Powell will step down from the position at the end of July.	A Q400 similar to the one that made the emergency landing A Flybe, , had to make an emergency landing at in Scotland after it had engine troubles on its scheduled flight from Manchester. Thirty-six passengers were onboard flight BE7220 when the captain made the call to at approximately 07:40 BST. The captain was forced to shut down one of the plane's two turboprop engines before finally landing safely at Edinburgh Airport at 07:50 BST. Upon landing the plane was met by fire engines and other emergency vehicles before taxiing to the terminal building. Jim Mulhall, a passenger on board the plane said, "When the captain told us they were going to cut an engine everyone went quiet, probably because they were apprehensive." Normal operations at the airport have since resumed, while the aircraft is expected to resume commercial flying this afternoon.
The Governments of Bulgaria and Hungary as EU Member States, the Government of Croatia as an EU candidate country negotiating on accession, all three countries neighbouring Serbia, have agreed to issue the following statement with regard to their forthcoming national decisions on the recognition of Kosovo: • The declaration of independence of Kosovo came after the failure of all the efforts of the international community to find a negotiated solution between Belgrade and Pristina on the status of Kosovo. In these circumstances the change of the unsustainable status quo was unavoidable. Kosovo is a sui generis case arising from the unique circumstances of the disintegration of former Yugoslavia as well as the continued period of international administration. • The three countries attach paramount importance to a maximum degree of stability in South-Eastern Europe and a clear European perspective for all countries in the region. • The Kosovo institutions have committed themselves, inter alia by adopting relevant legislation, to fully implement the principles and the arrangements envisaged by the UNSG Special Envoy’s Comprehensive Proposal (Ahtisaari Plan) for the Kosovo Status Settlement. They have also declared their readiness to welcome an international presence in Kosovo in accordance with UNSCR 1244. • The decision on the recognition of Kosovo is based on thorough consideration and on the conclusions adopted by the General Affairs and External Relations Council of the European Union on 12 February 2007 and 18 February 2008, as well as by the European Council on 14 December 2007. • The three countries will continue to support the active commitment of the EU and NATO to the stability and democracy-building in Kosovo. Kosovo institutions should provide guarantees for a multi-ethnic state, based on the principles of democracy, rule of law, ensuring broad rights for Serb and other communities, including their effective participation in all institutions. This process is to be supervised by the international community. • The three countries express their interest in developing ties with a Serbia that maintains good relations with its neighbours, enjoys economic growth and keeps its European orientation. • The three countries believe that European integration is the only solid and sustainable platform for economic development, social progress and prosperity for all countries of the region, including Serbia. • The three countries support the further strengthening of ties between Serbia and the Union. Earlier they stood by securing visa facilitation for and later encouraged the opening of talks on visa liberalization with Serbia that could lead to further travel facilitations for its citizens. In the spirit of the Thessaloniki Agenda, which confirmed that the future of the countries of the region lies in the European Union, they favour the earliest possible signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement between Serbia and the European Union so that Serbia could become in time a candidate country and later a full-fledged member of the European Union, benefiting from the available European assistance throughout the whole process. • The three countries look forward to the continued development of their good-neighbourly relations with Serbia and to the strengthening of their traditional ties with its people. \|\|\|\|\| Serbia's neighbours recognise Kosovo ZAGREB (AFP) — Croatia and two other neighbours of Serbia recognised Kosovo's independence Wednesday, in a new blow to Belgrade's resistance to losing the province and its delicate post-war ties with Zagreb. Serbia immediately warned the three that their relations with Belgrade would suffer for joining the growing list of nations giving diplomatic support to Kosovo. Bulgaria, Croatia and Hungary announced their move in a joint statement, saying the decision was "based on thorough consideration." Thirty-two countries now recognise Kosovo's independence, which the Serbian province's ethnic Albanian-dominated parliament unilaterally declared on February 17. The latest acceptances came two days after the worst violence in Kosovo since the proclamation, which is bitterly opposed by the Belgrade government and Kosovo Serbs, who are outnumbered by ethnic Albanians by more than nine to one. A UN policeman was killed and more than 150 people wounded in the flashpoint northern town of Kosovska Mitrovica on Monday in clashes between international security forces and anti-independence Serbs. Zagreb and Budapest formalised their recognition after cabinet meetings, with Sofia due to make an official announcement later on Thursday. Croatia's government said in a statement it "accepted" Kosovo's independence, prompting deputy prime minister Slobodan Uzelac, who represents the country's Serb minority, to immediately tender his resignation in protest. In the statement, Zagreb stressed its "readiness to continue developing universal and intensive relations with Serbia." "Ties between the countries in the region are of special importance and their lasting stability remains an irreplaceable factor of peace and security in Europe." Croatia's recognition, the second by a former Yugoslav republic after Slovenia, is expected to be the most sensitive, as it threatens to harm delicate post-war ties between the two neighbours. Ahead of the announcement, Serbian President Boris Tadic had warned Croatia against the move, saying it would have an "immediate impact on our bilateral ties." Relations had gradually improved since the 1991-95 break-up of Yugoslavia, when ethnic Serb rebels backed by the Belgrade regime of Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic opposed Croatia's own independence. Earlier, announcing its decision, Budapest called on Belgrade to ensure the safety of 350,000 ethnic Hungarians living in Vojvodina, a Serbian province where nationalists have targeted the minority in the past. The three countries said they wanted to ensure stability in the Balkans and give Serbia and other nations, including Croatia, hope for their future integration in the European Union, which Bulgaria and Hungary have already joined. But Serbia's Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic reacted frostily. "Every country that makes this move cannot count on good relations with us," Jeremic said on a trip to Athens. "Every country that recognizes the illegal state of Kosovo violates international law." Kosovo, which Serbs consider a cradle of their civilisation, has been under UN administration since 1999, when NATO intervened to stop Belgrade's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. Belgrade, which has so far recalled ambassadors from 29 countries that accepted Kosovo's independence, had yet to announce any response to the latest recognitions. "Belgrade is in a very awkward position ... due to the fact there is a Serb minority in Croatia," said Croatian political analyst Davor Gjenero. Kosovo's independence has been recognised by the United States and most of the EU, including Britain, France and Germany. Serbia has been backed by traditional ally Russia in opposing independence. It is also supported by EU states Cyprus, Romania, Slovakia and Spain, which along with several other countries including China fear the move could encourage separatists at home. Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved. More » \|\|\|\|\| Neighbours' Kosovo recognition deals blow to Serbia BELGRADE: Serbia's neighbours in Croatia, Hungary and Bulgaria dealt a blow to the Serb campaign to overturn Kosovo's month-old independence on Wednesday by announcing they would recognise the new republic. In a joint statement issued in Zagreb, Budapest and Sofia, they said the decision was based on "thorough consideration". They also underlined the importance of protecting the Serb minority in Kosovo's 90 percent ethnic Albanian republic. "The government has made a decision to recognise Kosovo," Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader told reporters. "I do understand this is a difficult one for Serbia to swallow. That's one of the reasons we have waited until now. But I don't expect a worsening of political and economic relations because there is no alternative to good neighbourly relations". The Croatia mission in Belgrade, near the U.S. embassy which was attacked and burned by Serb protesters last month, was closed for the day behind new steel shutters. Some Bulgarian families worried about security left Serbia, diplomatic sources said. Police protection at the embassies was at normal levels when the news was broadcast in Serbia. A Hungarian diplomatic source told Reuters there was concern in Budapest about potential attacks on the ethnic Hungarian minority of some 300,000 in the northern province of Vojvodina. "Unfortunately, it can happen (but) independent Kosovo is a reality and recognition cannot be avoided," he said. Serbia's pro-Western foreign minister Vuk Jeremic acknowledged the neighbours' decision "with sadness". "Countries that take this decision cannot have good ties with Serbia," he said in Greece, a traditional ally which has not recognised Kosovo. Canada announced recognition on Tuesday, reiterating the Western case that forcing its 2 million Albanians to rejoin Serbia after nine years under United Nations rule is not a viable option. Over 30 countries have now recognised Kosovo. Serbia's pro-Western President Boris Tadic said this week that ties with Croatia would suffer further. Serbs and Croats fought a war from 1991 to 1995 over the breakup of Yugoslavia. "We want to have the best possible relations with this country," Tadic said. "But recognition of Kosovo is certainly not an act of goodwill between neighbours." SECURITY In the Kosovo Serb stronghold Mitrovica, United Nations police returned to the base they were forced to abandon on Monday in the worst riots yet over Kosovo's independence. NATO says the violence was orchestrated by the hardline faction in the Serbian government. The Belgrade daily Blic on Wednesday cited sources as saying hardliner Slobodan Samardzic, the minister for Kosovo, had advocated keeping tensions high. Diplomats say Samardzic had proposed what amounted to the partition of Kosovo but the U.N. administration turned down the idea of allowing Serbia to govern scattered Serb enclaves. Diplomats said recognition by the neighbours was a wake-up call to Serbia that European recognition of an independent Kosovo was not going away. Kosovo's deputy prime minister, Hajredin Kuci, told Reuters it was good news for Kosovo "because we need to have good bilateral relations with them". "But at the same time it's very good for the Serbian perception and the people of Serbia that everybody who is in the neighbourhood is recognising the new reality and they are for regional cooperation and EU integration," Kuci added. Serbian neighbours Romania, Bosnia and Macedonia have not yet recognised Kosovo. And Russia, which is Serbia's main ally in its struggle against the secession, shows no sign of softening its stance. Diplomatic sources said Serbia was likely to withdraw its ambassadors temporarily from the latest capitals to recognise Kosovo. But further retaliation was not expected. Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica assured members of the Foreign Investor Council that business would not suffer. "Further developing economic relations with states with which Serbia has political problems is the message we wanted to hear and the one we've got," a source familiar with the meeting told Reuters. "We've got guarantees for the stability and safety for our future business activities." (Reporting by Igor Ilic, Mark John, David Chance, Ivana Sekularac, Karolos Gohmann, Shaban Buza, Matt Robinson, Gordana Filipovic and Anna Mudeva; Editing by Elizabeth Piper) \|\|\|\|\| Serbia has warned Croatia about the impact on diplomatic ties A similar move is expected on Thursday by Bulgaria, another Balkan nation. Serbia's foreign minister said Kosovo was "an illegal state", warning that nations that had recognised it "cannot count on good relations with us". Separately, UN police began returning to the Serb part of the Kosovo town of Mitrovica, after clashes there in which a UN officer was killed on Monday. The police left the northern part of the town after fighting pitched battles with Kosovo Serbs who had earlier seized a city courthouse. A UN policeman from Ukraine was fatally wounded during the clashes, and more than 130 people - both protesters and international forces - were wounded. 'Difficult to swallow' On Wednesday, Croatia and Hungary officially announced that they had recognised Kosovo as an independent state. "The government has accepted the decision of the Kosovo parliament on declaring the independence of Kosovo on 17 February," a statement by the government in Zagreb said. Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader told reporters he realised that the decision "is a difficult one for Serbia to swallow". "But I don't expect a worsening of political and economic relations because there is no alternative to good neighbourly relations," Mr Sanader said. Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister Slobodan Uzelac, an ethnic Serb, immediately tendered his resignation in protest against the move. Croatia is the second former Yugoslav republic to recognise Kosovo, after Slovenia. This just shows that Croats, Hungarians and Bulgarians will never be our friends Kozak, BBC News website reader, Srbobran, Serbia Balkan readers' views In Budapest, the foreign ministry said that, in common with the majority of EU and Nato member states, Hungary had decided that "internationally supervised independence may offer the best way out of the crisis". The Bulgarian foreign ministry said Sofia would officially recognise Kosovo on Thursday. The announcements came shortly after Bulgaria, Croatia and Hungary said in a joint statement that they intended to recognise the authorities in Pristina. The statement described Kosovo's case as unique and also made it clear that Bulgaria, Croatia and Hungary would support EU and Nato efforts to build democracy in Kosovo. The document also expressed hopes that Belgrade would keep "its European orientation". Hungary and Bulgaria are both part of the 27-member EU, and Croatia is negotiating EU membership. Belgrade's warning On Wednesday, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic urged Belgrade's neighbours not to recognise Kosovo, warning that there would be consequences. "I call on states, particularly those of the region, not to take this step. Do not injure our country's territorial integrity and sovereignty," he said. Serbian President Boris Tadic had already warned Croatia that recognising Kosovo would have an immediate negative impact on relations. Croatia's own declaration of independence in 1991 prompted a four-year conflict with Serb-led Yugoslavia. Ties have steadily improved but Belgrade is likely to take diplomatic action. Serbia has recalled its ambassadors from about 30 countries that have recognised Kosovo. While most EU member states have already recognised Kosovo's independence, a significant minority - including Spain, Slovakia, Romania and Cyprus - have refused to accept the declaration. \|\|\|\|\| SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) -- Croatia, Bulgaria and Hungary said Wednesday they will recognize Kosovo as an independent country. Serbian President Boris Tadic says recognition by Croatia would have "immediate negative" consequences. Croatia's recognition of Kosovo is certain to renew tensions with Serbia, its wartime foe. Serbia's three neighbors issued a joint statement, carried by Bulgaria's official news agency BTA, announcing their decision. Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry says Sofia will recognize Kosovo on Thursday. Croatia did not specify a time, but could do so as early as Wednesday. Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders declared independence from Serbia on February 17 despite fierce opposition from Belgrade and from Kosovo's minority Serbs. Serbian President Boris Tadic said earlier this week that recognition by Croatia would have "immediate negative" consequences on bilateral relations. The two countries have greatly improved relations after they fought a war in 1991 as Yugoslavia disintegrated, but animosity has lingered. Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic criticized the decision by the three countries. "Every country that decides to recognize the illegally declared state of Kosovo breaches international law," Jeremic said during a visit to Athens, Greece. Any country that does so "can't count on good relations with Serbia." Jeremic issued an appeal to regional countries. "Don't do this. Help us to find a solution," he said after meeting Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis. In the joint statement, Croatia, Bulgaria and Hungary said that Kosovo should "provide guarantees for a multiethnic state." They said their decision was prompted by the failure of talks on Kosovo's future, and their aim to work on stabilizing southeast Europe. But they emphasized they want good relations with Serbia. E-mail to a friend Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All About Serbia • Kosovo	Serbians protesting against Kosovan independence on February 21, 2008. Croatia, Bulgaria and Hungary, all of which border Serbia, announced in a joint statement Wednesday that they will recognize Kosovo as an independent state. "The decision on the recognition of Kosovo is based on thorough consideration," the statement said. Croatia and Hungary later confirmed they had officially recognized Kosovo, while Bulgaria is expected to make an announcement Thursday. Yesterday, Bulgaria's security council held a meeting regarding Kosovo. Angel Naidenov, spokesman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, praised Kosovo for their efforts in establishing a "multi-ethnic and democratic country." The statement says Kosovo's declaration of independence was prompted by the international community's failure to work out a solution between Serbia and Kosovo. "In these circumstances the change of the unsustainable status quo was unavoidable," the statement said. The three nations express their interest in helping the European Union with stabilizing the region, and they wish to develop ties with a Kosovo that "maintains good relations with its neighbors, enjoys economic growth, and keeps its European orientation." Serbian foreign minister Vuk Jeremić criticized their decision. "Every country that decides to recognize the illegally declared state of Kosovo breaches international law," he said, adding that countries who recognize Kosovo "cannot have good ties with Serbia." "I call on states, particularly those of the region, not to take this step. Do not injure our country's territorial integrity and sovereignty," Jeremić said. Boris Tadić, Serbia's president, had previously warned Croatia that recognizing Kosovo would have a negative effect on their relations. "We want to have the best possible relations with this country," Tadić said. "But recognition of Kosovo is certainly not an act of goodwill between neighbours." Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader says he does not expect relations to worsen. "I do understand this is a difficult one for Serbia to swallow. That's one of the reasons we have waited until now. But I don't expect a worsening of political and economic relations because there is no alternative to good neighbourly relations." Kosovo's deputy prime minister, Hajredin Kuçi said the decision was "very good for the Serbian perception and the people of Serbia that everybody who is in the neighbourhood is recognizing the new reality."
The apparent suicide of a 38-year-old Japanese venture capitalist has added a sinister aura to the investigation into the dealings of Takafumi Horie, the brash Internet entrepreneur at the center of a drama that has roiled stock markets. The body of Hideaki Naguchi, a former executive with Horie’s multibillion-dollar Livedoor Co. online media services empire, was discovered Wednesday night in a business hotel in Naha, Okinawa, 1,000 miles south of Tokyo. Media reports said he had slashed his wrists. Naguchi left Livedoor in 2002 to join H.S. Securities Ltd., which handled mergers and acquisitions for Livedoor, according to Japanese media reports. The securities firm’s offices were among those raided this week when prosecutors launched an investigation to determine whether some Livedoor deals violated securities laws. News of the suicide added to the sensation surrounding an affair the Japanese are calling the “Livedoor Shock.” Advertisement The investigation triggered a collapse in the value of Livedoor shares -- the company has lost about a third of its $6.3-billion value. Panic selling across the board knocked billions of dollars off Tokyo stock values, humiliating the world’s second-largest exchange. After losing almost $400 billion in value over the last three days, the Tokyo Stock Exchange recovered today as investors steadied their nerves. The Nikkei index ended at 15,696.28, up 355.10 points, or 2.3%. Today’s trading hours were cut by 30 minutes in anticipation of heavy volume, after waves of sell orders Wednesday forced the exchange into an embarrassing early close because its computer system was in danger of overloading. The market’s recovery eased fears that Japan’s woes would spiral into a regional stock crash. Advertisement “Overall, the Japanese economy remains stable and corporate performance is expected to be steady, so this incident is accidental and temporary,” said Satoru Otsuka of Mizuho Research Institute in Tokyo. Livedoor says its own investigation shows it broke no securities laws. But Japanese news reports say investigators are looking at other Livedoor deals, as well as whether the company concealed losses. The affair has become a proxy battle for a larger struggle between competing business cultures in Japan. Advertisement Horie and Livedoor are the most visible exponents of a new breed of Japanese entrepreneur, with no patience for the customs of a cautious and cozy business establishment. It is a clash that has been stoked by Horie’s rock star lifestyle of private jets, actress girlfriends and such an appetite for publicity that he appears on TV quiz shows and writes an Internet blog. In the process, the 33-year-old entrepreneur has become a rebel with a cause for a generation of Japanese happy to see someone take a chisel to the calcified ruling class. Horie’s popularity has been a driving force in popularizing stock trading by small investors in Japan, where the phenomenon of day traders is relatively new. Day traders, many of whom use Livedoor’s Internet portal, were credited with helping push the Nikkei index up more than 40% last year, its best gain since 1986. But they were also among those who tried to bail out of Livedoor stock when news of the raids hit this week. Advertisement It is unclear what triggered the inquiry into Livedoor’s dealings. But the raids have spawned consequences far beyond one man or one company. Most damaging was the Tokyo exchange’s inability to handle the volume of sell orders, resulting in a plea Wednesday for brokerage houses to slow down and consolidate their orders. Some veteran U.S. investment managers say that despite broader economic reforms in Japan, the stock exchange’s inability to cope with volatile trading demonstrated how structural weaknesses in the country’s financial system hadn’t been fully addressed. “I kind of like the fact that the stock exchange is getting humiliated. It’s what it needs,” said Mark Headley, president of Matthews International Capital Management in San Francisco, which invests across Asia. “The more shocks to the system in Japan, the better.” Advertisement * Times staff writer Tom Petruno in Los Angeles contributed to this report. \|\|\|\|\| January 19, 2006 - 2:22PM A passer-by looks at a news report showing the president of Japan's top internet firm Livedoor, Takafumi Horie, displayed on a window of a securities firm in Tokyo. Photo: AFP One of the closest aides to the young Internet tycoon at the center of a scandal that has shaken Japan's stock market has been found dead in an apparent suicide, reports said Thursday. Hideaki Noguchi, 38, was found Wednesday bleeding in a hotel bed with cuts to his wrists on the southern Japanese island chain of Okinawa and he was later confirmed dead, the Yomiuri Shimbun and Jiji Press said. Noguchi, the vice president of H.S. Securities Co., was one of the closest advisers to Livedoor president Takafumi Horie, who is embroiled in a scandal, reports said. Horie, 33, contacted by Nippon Television about the apparent suicide, was momentarily speechless and said, "Why?" Asked whether Noguchi was linked to the Livedoor scandal, Horie said, "I don't really know," the network said. "Pardon me. ... I don't want anybody else to die," Horie said when asked about the suicide, the report said. Okinawa police declined comment on the incident. H.S. Securities was due to hold a news conference later Thursday. Prosecutors raided Livedoor and Horie's home late Monday on suspicion that the company misled investors to hide losses, which triggered a massive sell-off on the Tokyo stock market Wednesday. Noguchi joined On the Edge, formerly a part of Livedoor, in 2000 and worked on the company's initial public offering on the Mothers market, the exchange operated by the Tokyo Stock Exchange for emerging companies, the Yomiuri Shimbun said. He worked as president of a Livedoor group company until he joined H.S. Securities, the report said. The avalanche of sell-offs Wednesday led the Tokyo Stock Exchange to shut down 20 minutes early in an unprecedented measure to prevent a systems crash. AFP	Hideaki Noguchi, 38, a close aide to Livedoor president Takafumi Horie was found bleeding in a hotel bed with cuts to his wrists on Wednesday in Naha, the capital of the southern prefecture of Okinawa. He was later confirmed dead and the police suspect that he committed suicide. Hideo Sawada, the president of HS Securities, told reporters in Tokyo that Noguchi's family had identified the body. Noguchi was a board member at Japan M&A Management Co., a unit of H.S. Securities Co. The firm was raided by prosecutors earlier this week in connection with fraudulent practices at Livedoor, according to the Kyodo News agency. He was a graduate of Tokyo's Meiji University, and joined Livedoor in 2000. He had previously worked at Kokusai Securities Co. as an adviser in financing. Livedoor was publicly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in April 2000. Noguchi then set up the investment unit Capitalista Co., which merged with HS Securities. News of the suicide is being featured in the Japanese media in connection with what is being termed the "Livedoor Shock". The problems at Livedoor have led to the loss of a third of its $6.3-billion value in the stock market. Livedoor maintains that its own investigation reveal that it did not violate any securities laws. Some view the affair as an outcome of the larger struggle between competing business cultures in Japan. Takafumi Horie is part of a new generation of Japanese entrepreneurs with little patience for the customs of a traditionally cautious business culture. Horie has shown an appetite for publicity through his internet blogs and appearances on TV shows while living a rock star lifestyle that includes private jets and actress girlfriends. Horie is also credited with popularizing stock trading among individual investors. The practice of day trading is relatively new in Japan. The Nikkei index was up about 40% last year, its best performance since 1986.
1442: Heba, from Cairo, writes: "I live in a building that overlooks the city, there is a big crowd, and perhaps more than a thousand people are marching. I haven't seen any scenes of violence. It's been quite civilised so far, although this is my first revolution! The police have used quite a bit of tear gas and I can see black smoke from behind the television building where I live. I can also hear quite a lot of action. I haven't been able to leave my home because of my elderly mother. When the police started using the tear gas, fumes wafted into our flat, making my eyes water and burning my nose, making it difficult to breath. Everyone is chanting, there's a mass chorus of people demanding change. The most interesting aspect of the demonstration is the fact that all kinds of people are taking to the streets. People from different social classes and different backgrounds - this is very rare in Egypt. In the past, only the disaffected would consider protesting; now everyone, even those with a vested interest in the regime, are out. I've never seen it." \|\|\|\|\| More Video Mubarak's 30 Year Rule Is Over Mubarak, who ruled for 30 years, is the second Arab leader forced to quit by a remarkable populist and largely peaceful uprising. Last month, Tunisia's president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali resigned and left the country in the face of massive street protests against his regime. Egypt's high military council, which has taken over the country, is headed by Defense Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi. He was made deputy prime minister just two weeks ago in an effort to appease protesters, and visited Tahrir Square during the demonstrations. "Welcome back Egypt," tweeted Google executive Wael Ghonim, who became the face of protests since he was detained by security forces last month. Men, women and children -- many with tears in their eyes -- flooded Cairo's streets as the atmosphere turned from one of determination to pure ecstasy. "The Egyptian people won," a thrilled Amr Hamadi said. Hamadi, a 32-year-old factory worker who was celebrating with other protesters near the presidential palace, said, "Egypt will be in 10 years one of the best countries in the world." "This is the greatest day of my life," Nobel Laureate and opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei said. "The country has been liberated." The news has significant implications for the world and the United States. Egypt is one of the United States' closest allies in the region, a key economic partner and only one of two Arab states that recognize Israel. Though the White House has distanced itself from Mubarak's administration over recent weeks, Mubarak was a close U.S. partner, helping broker peace deals between Israel and Palestine and supporting the U.S. in its wars against Iraq. Mubarak's resignation was celebrated all over the Arab world. In Gaza City, hundreds came out onto the streets firing weapons in the air in celebration. Fireworks erupted in Beirut as Mubarak's resignation was announced and people driving by the Egyptian embassy in Amman, Jordan, honked in celebration. \|\|\|\|\| Mubarak resigns; army to suspend parliament Update at 1:57 p.m. ET: Essam El Erian, spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood party, which was banned by Mubarak, hails what he calls Egypt's "historic moment of victory." He tells Al-Jazeera Tv that Egyptians brought about a "new history in the country and the region" and showed that they can accomplish it "without any help." "This revolution was done by all Egyptians -- Christians and Muslims, old and young," he says. He says the country has embraced a "new model of democracy" for freedom and equally that can be now be added to democratic models in the West. Update at 1:35 p.m. ET: A statement on Egypt by President Obama was originally scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET but has been delayed until later today. The White House did not indicate when it will be delivered. Update at 1:32 p.m. ET: The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which is now leading the country, says in a statement that it is studying the way forward, but emphasizes that "there is no alternative but legitimacy acceptable to the people." The statement, read on Egyptian state TV, also praises former President Hosni Mubarak for his decision to step down and "for what he has delivered in his career in times of war and peace." Update at 12:50 p.m. ET: The Swiss government will freeze any assets held in the country by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Al-Jazeera TV reports, citing a foreign ministry spokesman. Update at 12:41 p.m. ET: Abdel-Rahman Samir, one of the youth organizers of the protests that forced Mubarak to resign, says the movement will now open negotiations with the military over democratic reform -- but says protests will continue to ensure change is carried out. "We still don't have any guarantees yet — if we end the whole situation now it's like we haven't done anything," he says, the Associated Press reports. "So we need to keep sitting in Tahrir (Square) until we get all our demands." But, he adds, "I feel fantastic .... I feel like we have worked so hard, we planted a seed for a year and a half and now we are now finally sowing the fruits." Update at 12:31 p.m. ET: Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei tells Al-Jazeera TV that the political developments today are "a dream that I have been wishing to see for the last 30 years." The former head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency says the most important chore now for Egyptians is to "make sure the country is retored and socially cohesive, economically vibrant and politically democratic." Asked for his message to the Egyptian people, he says: "You gained your liberty, you have gained the right to catch up with the rest of the world. Make the best of it and God bless you." Update at 12:09 p.m. ET: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation has sent stock prices up and oil prices down, the Associated Press reports. Vice President Omar Suleiman announced in a 20-second statement on Egyptian state TV that Mubarak was stepping down and handing power to the military to run "the affairs of the country." Reuters reports that parliament will be suspended and the military will lead the country along with the head of the constitutional court. In Europe, Germany's DAX traded up 0.4% and the FTSE in London jumped 0.7%. The Dow rose 0.2% in late early afternoon trading. Oil prices, on the other hand, fell 30 cents a barrel to $86.43 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Mubarak's departure has eased fears that unrest might spread to other countries and affect the Suez Canal, the AP reports. Update at 11:34 a.m. ET: Here is the full statement that a grim-looking Vice President Omar Suleiman delivered on Egypt state TV announcing President Mubarak's resignation: In these grave circumstances that the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave his position as president of the republic. He has mandated the Armed Forces Supreme Council to run the state. God is our protector and succor. Update at 11:32 a.m. ET: Our colleagues at The Oval report that President Obama will make a statement on the Egyptian developments at 1:30 p.m. ET. Update at 11:27 a.m. ET: Al-Jazeera correspondent Sherine Tadros, reporting from Tahrir Square, reports that a number of demonstrators have fainted amid the jubilation and been helped out of the area. Update at 11:22 a.m. ET MSNBC reports that President Obama was notified of Mubarak's resignation during an Oval Office meeting. He then watched the TV coverage for several minutes in an outer office. Update at 11:15 a.m. ET: Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, reacting to the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, says: "This is the greatest day of my life. The country has been liberated." Update at 11:08 a.m. ET: Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators erupted in jubilation in Tahrir Square as Vice President Omar Suleiman announces that President Mubarak has resigned and called on the army to "run the affairs of the country." Update at 11:05 a.m. ET: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has resigned. Vice President Omar Suleiman said in a brief televised statement. His statement in full: "Hosni Mubarak has waived the office of presidency and told the army to run the affairs of the country. " Update at 11:03 a.m. ET: Hossam Badrawi, who was recently appointed general secretary of the NDP, resigns saying Egypt needs new parties, Al-Jazeera reports. Update at 10:42 a.m. ET: Reuters quotes a U.S. official as describing Mubarak's departure from Cairo as a "positive first step." Update at 10:16 a.m. ET: Al-Jazeera TV reports that one person has died and 20 injured when a police station in the north Sinai town of El-Arish came under small-arms fire during protests. Update at 10:08 am. ET: Reuters, quoting witnesses, reports 1,000 protesters in the north Sinai town of El-Arish have exchanged gunfire and tossed firebombs at a police station. Update at 10:04 am. ET: Crowds move in large numbers from Tahrir Square in Cairo to the presidential palace ahead of an "urgent and important" statement from the presidency. Thousands of others have gathered outside Egypt state TV. Update at 9:51 am. ET: Al-Jazeera reports that two helicopters have arrived at the presidential palace ahead of a statement by the presidency. Tens of thousands of protesters have surrounded the building in a peaceful demonstration. Update at 9:36 am. ET: Egypt state tv says to expect a statement shortly from the presidential palace, Reuters reports. Update at 9:14 am. ET:The Associated Press quotes a local official in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik as confirming that President Mubarak is there. Update at 8:39 am. ET: Denmark's prime minister has become the first European Union leader to publicly urge President Hosni Mubarak to step down. "Mubarak is history, Mubarak must step down," Lars Loekke Rasmussen said Friday in Copenhagen, the Associated Press reports. Update at 8:23 am. ET: President Mubarak and his family have left Cairo and are now in his Red Sea residence in Sharm el-Sheik, CBS News, NBC and Al-Arabiya TV report. Update at 8 am. ET: Egypt's military is supporting President Mubarak's plans for a transfer of power but is not preventing hundreds of thousands of protesters to demonstrate in Tahrir Square in Cairo and to gather outside both the presidential palace and the building housing Egypt state TV, the Associated Press reports. Update at 8 am. ET: Al-Jazeera TV reports that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is preparing to issue its third statement in two days regarding the transfer of power. Update at 6:38 am. ET: Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel laureate, says in a statement on Twitter that the "entire nation is on the streets." "Only way out is for regime to go," he tweets. "People power can't be crushed. We shall prevail. Still hope army can join." Update at 6:18 am. ET: In Cairo, thousands of demonstrators are blocking access to the building housing state TV, Al-Jazeera reports, keeping some employees and guests from reaching the station. Al-Arabiya TV quotes witnesses in the Egyptian city of Suez as saying protesters there have seized control of some governmental buildings. Update at 6:14 am. ET: Protesters at Cairo's Tahrir Square have finished Friday prayers, but it is unclear whether they will continue their demonstration there or march to other locations. As thousands of protesters keep up their call for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's Supreme Council of Armed Forces issues a cautious statement promising free and fair presidential elections later this year and a conditional lifting of emergency law. It did not specify a date for elections. The statement also endorses Mubarak's transfer of power to his vice president and promises the lifting of the 30-year-old emergency laws "as soon as current circumstances end." It is the second statement from the council within 24 hours as the stalemate continues in Egypt for the 18th day. The statement, in effect, endorses the plan for transfer of power as presented Thursday by Mubarak in a national speech. In it, he announced the transfer of all presidential powers to his new vice president, Omar Suleiman, and the guarantee of free and fair elections in September. The statement angered hundreds of thousands of protesters in Tahrir Square. They vowed to continue their effort to force Mubarak from office. Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel laureate, issued a statement afterward on Twitter, calling on the military to take over power: "Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now." The Obama administration says the voice of the Egyptian people "must be heard" and calls on the government to clarify its plans for a transition to democracy. \|\|\|\|\| CAIRO (AP) - Cries of "Egypt is free" rang out and fireworks lit up the sky over Cairo's Tahrir Square where hundreds of thousands danced, wept and prayed in joyful pandemonium Friday after 18 days of mass pro-democracy protests forced President Hosni Mubarak to hand over power to the military, ending three decades of authoritarian rule. Ecstatic protesters hoisted soldiers onto their shoulders and families posed for pictures in front of tanks in streets flooded with residents of the capital of 18 million people streaming out to celebrate. Strangers hugged strangers, some fell to kiss the ground, and others stood stunned in disbelief. Chants of "Hold your heads high, you're Egyptian" roared with each burst of fireworks overhead. "I'm 21 years old and this is the first time in my life I feel free," an ebullient Abdul-Rahman Ayyash, born eight years after Mubarak came to power, said as he hugged fellow protesters in Tahrir, or Liberation, Square. The military, which effectively carried out a coup at the pleas of protesters that it push Mubarak out, announced on state television that is was committed to shepherding demands for greater democracy and that it would announce the next steps soon, possibly including the dissolving of parliament and creation of a transitional government to lead reforms. Mubarak's downfall at the hands of the biggest popular uprising in the modern history of the Arab world had stunning implications for the United States and the West, Israel, and the region, unsettling authoritarian rulers across the Mideast. The 82-year-old leader was the epitome of the implicit deal the United States was locked into in the Middle East for decades: Support for autocratic leaders in return for their guarantee of stability, a bulwark against Islamic militants and peace — or at least an effort at peace — with Israel. The question for Washington now was whether that same arrangement will hold as the Arab world's most populous state makes a potentially rocky transition to democracy, with no guarantee of the results. At the White House, President Barack Obama said "Egyptians have inspired us" and said of the important questions that lay ahead, "I'm confident the people of Egypt can find the answers." The United States at times seemed overwhelmed throughout the 18 days of upheaval, fumbling to juggle its advocacy of democracy and the right to protest, its loyalty to longtime ally Mubarak and its fears the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood — or more radical groups — could gain a foothold. His fall came 32 years to the day after the collapse of the shah's government in Iran — the prime example of a revolution that turned to Islamic militancy. Washington's concerns frustrated the young protesters, who argued that while the powerful Brotherhood would have to play a future political role, its popularity would be diminished in an open system where other ideologies were freed to outweigh it. Neighboring Israel watched with the crisis with unease, worried that their 1979 peace treaty could be in danger. It quickly demanded on Friday that post-Mubarak Egypt continue to adhere to it. Any break seems unlikely in the near term: The military leadership supports the treaty. Anti-Israeli feeling is strong among Egyptians, and a more democratic government may take a tougher line toward Israel in the chronically broken-down peace process. But few call for outright abrogating a treaty that has kept peace after three wars in the past half-century. From the oil-rich Gulf states in the east to Morocco in the west, regimes both pro- and anti-U.S. could not help but worry they could see a similar upheaval. Several of the region's authoritarian rulers have made pre-emptive gestures of democratic reform to avert their own protest movements. The lesson many took: If it could happen in only three weeks in Egypt, where Mubarak's lock on power had appeared unshakable, it could happen anywhere. Only a month earlier, Tunisia's president was forced to step down in the face of protests. Perhaps more surprising was the genesis of the force that overthrew Mubarak. The protests were started by a small core of secular, liberal youth activists organizing on the Internet who only a few months earlier struggled to gather more than 100 demonstrators at a time. But their work through Facebook and other social network sites over the past few years built a greater awareness and bitterness among Egyptians over issues like police abuse and corruption. When the called the first major protest, on Jan. 25, they tapped into a public inspired by Tunisia's revolt and thousands turned out, beyond even the organizers' expectations. From there, protests swelled, drawing hundreds of thousands. The Muslim Brotherhood joined in. But far from hijacking the protests as many feared, it often seemed co-opted by the protesters, forced to set aside its hard-line ideology at least for now to adhere to democratic demands. About 300 people were killed in the course of the turmoil.	Hosni Mubarak. Hosni Mubarak has stepped down as the president of Egypt, handing control of the country to the armed forces. Mubarak stepped down after eighteen days of mass protests across the country. "In these difficult circumstances that the country is passing through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave the position of the presidency. He has commissioned the armed forces council to direct the issues of the state," said the vice president of Egypt, Omar Suleiman. Both houses of parliament and the cabinet are expected to be suspended following Mubarak's resignation the BBC reports, quoting Al-Arabiya. In response to the resignation, Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei stated that "This is the greatest day of my life. The country has been liberated." Mubarak had been Egypt's president for nearly 30 years.
printer friendly format FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 16, 2009 GOVERNOR PATERSON ANNOUNCES LANDMARK CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION Marriage Equality Legislation Will End Legal Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples Bill Recognizes Fundamental Civil Right of Marriage Governor David A. Paterson today introduced landmark civil rights legislation that will end legal discrimination against same-sex couples in New York State. The Governor’s marriage equality Program Bill recognizes the fundamental civil right of marriage and would grant same-sex couples the same legal recognition afforded to partners of the opposite sex. The Governor was joined by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, federal, state and local lawmakers, and prominent advocates to make the announcement. “Marriage equality is about basic civil rights and personal freedom,” Governor Paterson said. “Too many individuals face legal discrimination every single day. Too many loving families do not receive the legal recognition they deserve. Anyone who has ever faced intolerance of any kind knows the solemn importance of protecting the rights of all people. That is why we stand together today to embrace civil rights for every New Yorker. We stand together today for marriage equality in the State of New York.” The bill would amend the Domestic Relations Law to give same-sex couples the opportunity to enter into civil marriages. It would mandate that all provisions of State law be construed to encompass same-sex marriages, consistent with the legislation’s intent, regardless of whether they use gender-specific or gender-neutral terms. As a result of this legislation, same-sex spouses would enjoy the same legal status and treatment under New York law as heterosexual couples, on issues such as property ownership, inheritance, health care, and insurance coverage. The Program Bill builds on the Governor’s previous actions, including a memorandum he issued last May, which directed State agencies to afford recognition to same-sex couples legally married outside of New York to the full extent permitted by law. “Our work to correct injustice cannot depend on factors like timing or guaranteed success,” Governor Paterson added. “For too long, LGBT New Yorkers have been told to wait for their civil rights and personal freedom. We will not wait any longer. Now is the time for action. Now is the time for leadership. Now is the time to march forward together.” Senator Thomas K. Duane, who will sponsor the bill in the New York State Senate, said: “Civil rights can never be held back. Eventually what is just and right always prevails. With Governor Paterson’s leadership, we will break down the marriage barrier once and for all. I am proud to introduce this legislation in the Senate and I look forward to standing here with the Governor when he signs it into law. I have seen what this Governor can do. I saw it when I first joined the Senate and we finally passed the Hate Crimes legislation he had worked on for so long. I saw it in 2002, one month after he became Minority Leader, when we passed the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act. He knows that passing this bill will take hard work and bipartisan support and I know he will roll up his sleeves to get it done – and get it done this year.” Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, who will sponsor the bill in the New York State Assembly said: “I praise Governor Paterson for giving us this important civil rights bill so soon after the budget was finalized. Program Bills are a reflection of the Governor’s priorities and I know that equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has been one of his long and deeply held beliefs. The legislative process requires diligence, and I am confident that the Assembly will pass the Governor’s program bill in 2009 just as we did in 2007.” In order to make clear the distinction between marriage as recognized by the state and marriage as recognized by religious institutions, this Program Bill specifically provides that it would not compel any member of the clergy to solemnize a same-sex marriage. << SEE ALL PRESS RELEASES \|\|\|\|\| New York Gov. David Paterson (c.), joined by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (l.) and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, holds a news conference on Thursday announcing plans to legalize same-sex marriges in New York. New York to introduce same-sex marriage bill After Iowa and Vermont legalized gay marriage, and with bills also pending in Maine and New Hampshire, are gay rights gaining momentum? In a relatively short time, the number of states giving gay couples the right to marry doubled from two to four. On Thursday, New York put in a bid to become the fifth. Gov. David Paterson announced his determination to shepherd a "marriage equality" bill through the state legislature this year, in order to build on the momentum generated earlier this month by the legalization of gay marriage in Iowa and Vermont. "For too long, the gay and lesbian communities have been told their rights and freedoms have to wait," the Democratic governor said Thursday, framing the issue as a civil rights issue as compelling as the 19th century battle for abolition. "This is the real reform, and the time has come to act.... The time has come to bring marriage equality to the State of New York." Of the states where same-sex marriage is legal, only Vermont adopted it through the legislative process. In Iowa, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, the courts have ruled that it could not be prohibited under their constitutions. During the past decade, state legislatures have sided overwhelmingly with those who oppose gay marriage. Forty-four states have enacted laws that define marriage as between a man and a woman, known often as Defense of Marriage Acts (DOMAs). Thirty others have amended their constitutions to define marriage in a similar way. In a sign that momentum may be shifting toward gay rights advocates, bills that would legalize marriage between same-sex couples are pending in Maine and New Hampshire as well as in New York. Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill that would create civil marriages, and Minnesota is looking at a proposal to make marriage gender-neutral. If approved, each would have the effect of allowing gays to marry. "As couples start to marry for real, much of the public are finding their day-to-day lives aren't changing very much, and that's helping to deflate the rhetoric from opponents of gay marriage," says Dan Hawes, director of organizing at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "The events of the last several weeks in two such really very different places show the building of momentum." But, pointing to the 30 states with DOMA amendments, opponents of same-sex marriage say they are confident that legalization will remain confined to a few states. "If there really is any momentum, it's going to encounter some pretty serious obstacles," says William Duncan, director of the Marriage Law Foundation in Lehi, Utah. "We're talking about a handful of states [that may legalize same-sex marriage] that are pretty unique in terms of their political and social climate." Courts and minority rights Historically, courts often have acted to define legal protections for minorities, such as in legalizing interracial marriage or desegregating schools, before legislatures. Such rulings have helped to change public perception of an issue, and subsequently, prompted legislative action. Gay-marriage advocates point to the court rulings in their favor and say they are in keeping with the judiciary's historical role as the protector of minority rights that a popular vote might disallow. "Initially, gay marriage was clearly in the domain of the courts because there really was no hope that legislatures or executives would act in the area," says Kenneth Sherrill, a political scientist and gay rights advocate at Hunter College in New York. One impact of the court rulings in Connecticut and Iowa, he says, "is that legislators came to realize this is a serious issue involving real rights. It wasn't a frivolous demand by a fringe group." Opponents of same-sex marriage bristle at framing the issue in terms of civil rights. Civil unions, same-sex registries, and an array of other legal options are available to ensure that gay and lesbian couples have the same rights as heterosexual couples, they say. "The issue isn't access to the benefits or rights or status. The issue is the word marriage, and the redefining of the word, and the whole institution of marriage," says Carrie Gordon Earll, spokesperson for Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian foundation in Colorado Springs, Colo. Ms. Earll says gays and lesbians do not constitute a disadvantaged minority in the traditional sense of the word because of their generally good economic status. "They're trying to equate themselves with a disadvantaged minority, and, clearly, if you look at the demographics of the homosexual community, it's not a disadvantaged community," she says. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I), who joined Paterson Thursday in supporting the marriage equality bill, disputed that. The city already has taken steps to support same-sex couples, such as allowing them the right to list both of their names on a child's birth certificate, ensuring that they have pension benefits, and legally recognizing same-sex marriages and civil unions performed in other states, he noted. "Despite the progress that we've made, we all recognize that gay and lesbian couples are still denied many civil protections and benefits that married couples enjoy," the mayor says. "That's why marriage equality is so important." Changing public opinion? Though opponents have used the legislative process to fight gay marriage, they now argue that the decision on legalization is better left to a simple majority vote or ballot initiative. "That is something that absolutely the people should have a vote on," says Ms. Earll. "It should not be decided by unelected judges or perhaps even out-of-touch elected legislatures." While bills permitting same-sex marriage are pending in just a handful of states, more than 10 states are also considering proposals that would extend marriage-type benefits to gay and lesbian couples. Washington State has just approved a bill that grants same-sex couples all the rights of marriage, without calling it that. Gay rights advocates say these developments indicate a shift in favor of same-sex marriage. Legislative experts, however, say it's not yet clear whether measures that would expand rights of gay couples will lead to more states legalizing same-sex marriage. The question, says Christine Nelson of the National Conference of State Legislatures, is whether such legislation will "chip away and provide little pieces of benefits that ultimately could add up to something more significant." \|\|\|\|\| By Edith Honan NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Gov. David Paterson on Thursday introduced a bill to allow gay marriage in the state, likening the effort to civil rights struggles and brushing aside objections from religious leaders. If the bill becomes law, New York will follow Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Iowa in legalizing gay marriage, but the effort is expected to face resistance in the state Senate. "Anyone that has ever experienced degradation or intolerance would understand the solemn duty and how important it actually is," Paterson, the state's first black governor, told a news conference in Manhattan. "This is a civil rights issue. Civil rights don't wait for the right time," he said. Paterson was accompanied by city and state leaders, including New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Gay marriage has broad support in the Democratic-controlled New York lower house, the Assembly, where it passed in a 85 to 61 vote in 2007. It was not put to a vote in the state Senate. The bill is again expected to be passed in the Assembly. In the Senate Democrats hold a majority for the first time in more than 40 years, but it is slim -- 32 to 30 -- and at least one Democrat has said he opposes the measure. Lawmakers in New Hampshire and Maine, which offer same-sex couples some form of legal recognition, also are weighing bills to allow gay marriage. California briefly recognized gay marriage until voters banned it in a referendum last year. Continued...	New York's governor David Paterson introduced a bill Thursday into the state legislature to legalize marriage between same-sex couples, although it appears to lack the necessary support in the state senate. Governor of New York David Paterson. "For too long, the gay and lesbian communities have been told their rights and freedoms have to wait", said Gov. Paterson. "The time has come to bring marriage equality to the State of New York." The legislation would give same-sex couples 1,300 to 1,400 rights that don't exist unless a couple is married, he said. Of the four states in which same-sex marriage is presently legal — Vermont, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Connecticut — only Vermont has legalized marriage within the state legislature. The other three states have determined through the courts that the prohibition of same-sex marriage was not allowed under their state constitutions.
"In some cases, children were wrongly removed; in other cases, they were removed for good reason; in other cases, they were given up; and in other cases, the judgment on the removal is obscure or difficult to make." Mr Howard warned that an apology also ran the risk of people thinking they had now "ticked the box" on action to redress the problems of indigenous Australia, which included an unacceptably high mortality rate compared to non-indigenous Australians. It was the second address Mr Howard has made in the US in a week in which he defended his legacy and, in the process, embarrassed the Opposition Leader, Brendan Nelson. Dr Nelson has dropped many of Mr Howard's policies, including on the apology, Work Choices, climate change and withdrawing troops from Iraq. On the apology, Mr Howard said his view was shared by Noel Pearson, a man he regarded as "the voice of contemporary indigenous Australia more than anybody else". He also turned to what he said was the "broader issue": 20 or 30 years of failed policies in relation to indigenous affairs. "I think we persevered for too long with the notion of separate development. I think the only way the indigenous people of Australia can get what we call a fair go is for them to become part of the mainstream of the community and get the benefits and opportunities available from mainstream Australian society, whilst recognising … the particular and special place of the indigenous culture in the life of the country." Mr Howard also rejected suggestions from a questioner that this issue and his refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol had cost the Coalition the election. "The first lesson I learned is, you win some, you lose some," he said. "I did have the opportunity of winning four elections. I am not going to give an instant retrospective." He said his position on Kyoto was a "very simple one" - that Australia would have been disadvantaged by the possibility of two countries not assuming "the same obligations as we might have assumed". This would have imposed penalties on emerging Australian industries that did not apply in other countries. This was sufficient argument not to sign, he said. The irony was that Australia, which did not ratify Kyoto, would meet its targets while "a large number of European countries and Canada" would not. He said it always struck him as "interesting" that the Europeans and British were prepared to sign Kyoto at the same time as the former Eastern Bloc was deindustrialising and Britain was closing its coalmines. "I am quite proud that we are going to meet our target, which is a damn sight better than many countries in Europe," he said. Mr Howard again described it as a mistake for Australia to walk away from his Work Choices changes and again warned that this would hurt the economy. Asked how he had changed Australia during his 11½ years as prime minister, Mr Howard said he had ended the "pointless debate about our identity" and engendered "a rather positive view about Australian history and Australian achievement". "I think our sense of national pride is stronger now than it was in the 1990s, less ambiguous, and that's tremendously important." Mr Howard pointed to the deepening of the US alliance and the free trade agreement, revealing after the speech that he and his family had dined with the US President, George Bush, and his family at the White House last Thursday. Asked what he would do on his return from his five-week speaking tour of the US, he said: "Oh, a number of things. Enjoy myself." \|\|\|\|\| JOHN Howard says he has left Australia with a stronger, less ambiguous sense of national pride than before the Coalition won government in 1996. "I think we were having a pointless debate about our identity in the early 1990s," the former prime minister said after a speech to Harvard University students yesterday. "I think we've shed that. We have now got a very positive view of Australian history and Australian achievement. I think our sense of national pride is stronger now than it was in the 1990s and less ambiguous. And that's tremendously important." Mr Howard, who in Washington last week received the American Enterprise Institute's outstanding achievement award for 2008, broke his public silence onlast month's apology to the Stolen Generations in his Harvard address. The former Liberal leader said the apology could create a sense of the indigenous box being "ticked" when vital work needed to be done. Mr Howard, the only living former prime minister who was not at federal parliament to hear the apology, said he was opposed to it on the grounds that today's generation could not be held responsible for the acts of previous generations and because some removal practices had been of benefit to Aborigines. He told the students that this latter point was supported by north Queensland Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson, whom he described as "the voice of contemporary indigenous Australia more than anyone else". Speaking at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, Mr Howard claimed Australia had wasted 20-30 years pursuing discredited policies of separate Aboriginal development. He said the only practical future for Aborigines lay in mainstream Australia. "I think the only way indigenous people can get what we call a fair go is for them to become part of the mainstream community and get the benefits and opportunities available in mainstream Australia," he said. Asked by a Harvard student why he did not accept the symbolic importance of the apology to the Stolen Generations, Mr Howard gave three reasons. "The first is I do not believe, as an issue of principle, that one generation can assume responsibility for the acts of an earlier generation," he said. "My second reason was that the circumstances of the removal of indigenous children when those policies were practised were not uniform. "Children were wrongly removed; in other cases, they were removed for good reason; in other cases, they were given up; and in other cases, the judgment of the removal is obscured. "The third reason I wasn't in favour of it was that it seems to me that there is a real danger that when we do something like that, there's a psychological reaction of the indigenous box has been ticked, and we've solved the problem. "The commitment to do practical things such as reducing the gap between the life expectancy of indigenous Australians and other Australians, which is unacceptably high, is pushed into the background." Mr Howard said his critics had wrongly suggested in 1996 that Asian leaders would not deal with him. "They said we would project insensitivity towards the countries of Asia. That hasn't turned out to be the case in any sense," he said. "We have further deepened our relationship with the United States. The free trade agreement will grow in significance as access to the giant government procurement and service sector in the US becomes more and more available to Australian participants." Asked how he managed the conflict between the long-term policy goals of government and short-term political realities, Mr Howard said he could point to several long-term positions that had had a short-term political cost to his government. These included the Coalition's support for nuclear power, running the 1998 election on a goods and services tax and, more recently, labour market reform. All were of "long-term importance to Australia", he said.	File Photo of John Howard. Former Australian Prime Minister, John Howard has criticised the Rudd Labor government for apologising to the Stolen Generations in parliament last month. Mr Howard was prime minister before the election last year. Mr Howard's successor, opposition leader and leader of the Liberal party, Brendan Nelson supported the apology, making a speech of his own in parliament. The apology was unanimously supported by the House of Representatives. While speaking to students at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, the former Prime Minister defended his decision not to apologise to indigenous Australians during his 11 years in office. "I do not believe, as a matter of principle, that one generation can accept responsibility for the acts of an earlier generation. I don't accept that as a matter of principle," Mr Howard said. "In some cases, children were wrongly removed; in other cases, they were removed for good reason; in other cases, they were given up; and in other cases, the judgment on the removal is obscure or difficult to make." Mr Howard said the apology was dangerous as it led many to believe that the government had "ticked the box" on indigenous issues in Australia. "The third reason I wasn't in favour of it was that it seems to me that there is a real danger that when we do something like that, there's a psychological reaction of the indigenous box has been ticked, and we've solved the problem," "The commitment to do practical things such as reducing the gap between the life expectancy of indigenous Australians and other Australians, which is unacceptably high, is pushed into the background," the former PM told listeners. Mr Howard said there had been a failure over the past few decades to address indigenous affairs. "I think we persevered for too long with the notion of separate development. I think the only way the indigenous people of Australia can get what we call a fair go is for them to become part of the mainstream of the community and get the benefits and opportunities available from mainstream Australian society, whilst recognising … the particular and special place of the indigenous culture in the life of the country," said Mr Howard. Mr Howard rejected suggestions from a member of the audience that his refusal to apologise to indigenous Australians and refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol lost his government the election. "The first lesson I learned is you win some, you lose some," "I did have the opportunity of winning four elections," said Mr Howard.
Newport Chemical Depot (NECD) Newport, Indiana The nerve agent VX stockpiled at the Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana is stored in 1,690 steel ton containers commonly known as "TCs". These containers are designed specifically for the maintenance, storage, and transportation of bulk chemical agent. The Newport Chemical Depot (NECD) stores bulk nerve agent VX in ton containers that are over six and one-half feet long, and almost three feet in diameter. The solid steel sidewalls are roughly a half inch thick, and each end is about one inch thick. When empty, the containers weigh 1,600 pounds. When filled to capacity, the containers can hold up to 170 gallons of liquid, though the TCs stored at Newport have a layer of nitrogen gas that occupies a 10 percent void within the TC. Ton containers are designed to withstand pressures up to 25 times greater than the pressure of our atmosphere, and internal pressures up to 500 pounds per square inch. The ton containers at Newport are stacked in rows three containers high, and are clamped together for stability on top of wooden concave cradles inside a single warehouse of corrugated steel sheet metal supported by steel beams. In order to provide maximum protection to facility personnel and the environment, storage personnel are trained in handling ton containers storing chemical agent and monitoring the containers for signs of leakage. The Newport Chemical Depot employs numerous security measures to ensure the safety of the stockpile. The depot entrances are guarded 24-hours per day and the outer perimeter is secured by a single chain link barbed wire fence. The storage area is surrounded by double fences and equipped with intrusion detection devices and television monitors. In addition, personnel entering the area must follow strict safety and security procedures. The chemical agent storage area has alarms and detection systems that monitor the air 24-hours per day for signs of chemical agent release. In addition, four Automatic Continuous Air Monitoring Systems (ACAMS) monitor the storage building. Should the ACAMS detect chemical agent vapor, it would activate a series of alarms, both visual and audible, and alert emergency response teams. Certified personnel also conduct visual monitoring regularly to inspect the condition of the ton containers housed in the storage building. If a ton container shows evidence of leaking, detailed emergency response procedures are in place to rectify the problem and to protect the health of site personnel and the community. The Newport Chemical Depot will continue to store bulk chemical agent in ton containers until it is safely disposed of by the Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program. Once the agent has been removed, the containers will be cleaned and decontaminated in accordance with federal, state and local laws, and then shipped off-site for recycling. On February 18, 1999, the Army awarded the $295 million contract to Parsons Infrastructure and Technology Group, Inc., and its partnership team headed by AlliedSignal to complete the facility design; build, operate and close the disposal facility. Within a year, construction was scheduled to begin on this new facility that will destroy 1,269 tons of liquid VX stored in carbon steel ton containers. The Parsons-AlliedSignal Team will dispose of the Newport stockpile using a low-pressure, low-temperature neutralization process, followed by a post-treatment process called supercritical water oxidation (SCWO)which reduces the neutralized by product to distilled water and salt. Disposal Schedule: Construction: 2000-2002* Testing: 2002-2003* Operations: 2004* Closure: 2005* * Dates are based on using the neutralization process \|\|\|\|\| The U.S. Army began work Thursday on a long process to destroy nearly 950,000 liters of deadly VX nerve gas agent that has been stored in the midestern U.S. state of Indiana. Army contractors drained two of 1,600 hardened steel containers at the Newport Chemical Depot and moved the nerve agent into a holding tank. Friday, the VX will be pumped into a chemical reactor where it will be mixed with water and sodium hydroxide. The mixture will be heated for several days to determine when the chemical has been neutralized. The entire process will take more than two years to complete. Authorities want to ship the neutralized chemical to a New Jersey treatment plant before it is dumped into the Delaware River. Experts say a single drop of VX on the skin can kill a person in less than 12 seconds. Some information for this report provided by AP. \|\|\|\|\| 'Perhaps you should look into it': Kayleigh McEnany dodges Obamagate question – video 'Perhaps you should look into it': Kayleigh McEnany dodges Obamagate question – video After listing issues with people in office while Obama was president, the press secretary said it was reporters' responsibility to 'answer the question' of what Obama did that was against the law \|\|\|\|\| By Karen Hensel 24 Hour News 8 (Vermillion County) – Indiana National Guard soldiers are no longer guarding the Newport Chemical Depot. I-Team 8 first reported on security issues at the Newport Chemical Depot a year ago. On Wednesday, we learned that the 70 Guard soldiers from Bloomington who have lived and worked at the depot for the past two years have left. The depot is home to 1200 tons of deadly VX nerve agent, which is scheduled to be destroyed in mid-May over much controversy. Depot employees and the community said good-bye in a ceremony for the soldiers Wednesday. An Army spokesperson told I-Team 8 their mission is complete and their mission was never to guard the actual VX The Army contends the Guard was there only to assist a private security contractor. However, they were part of 600 Guardsmen from 4 states that have rotated in and out of the depot following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. \|\|\|\|\| By Karen Hensel 24 Hour News 8 (Newport) - Thursday morning marked a huge milestone for the state when destruction of the deadly chemical nerve agent VX began. The process is nerve-wracking, because even though workers will be well-protected during destruction, just one pindrop of VX on the skin can kill. The destruction process began Thursday morning at 9:00 am. There have been questions raised about the VX destruction process. It must be broken down into a byproduct called hydrolysate, a highly corrosive substance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has criticized the Army's plans to destroy the VX and dispose it, raising questions about preparedness. The state of New Jersey continues to fight a plan to dump the hydrolysate into the Delaware River. Site project manager at the Newport facility, Jeffrey Brubaker, said everything went according to plan Thursday. "This morning we received the first tonne-container of VX into the facility. From there, the tonne-container was moved into a specially-designed glove box where the agent will be drained," said Brubaker. "In total, as agent destruction operations proceed over the next two and a half to three years, we will destroy the entire stockpile here at Newport, which is in excess of 1,200 tons of VX. The estimated cost of that project is about $1.3 billion," he said. Some Hoosiers, especially those living close to Newport, have expressed concern about the process. "Safety is our number one priority. We are beginning operations today. We're going to proceed forward very slowly, very deliberately. When neutralization operations commence sometime tomorrow, we're going to take a look at all of the data from the first neutralization. We're going to copmare that data with our expectations going in. Only after we are completely satisfied will any decisions be made about moving forward," said Brubaker. Video shows workers at the Newport Chemical Depot beginning the VX destruction process. The VX nerve agent is a liquid, not a gas. "It's a common misperception. People believe it's a gas when actually it's a liquid. It's a liquid agent similar in viscosity to lightweight motor oil," said Jeff Lindblad, public affairs spokesman. Army workers are draining two tons of the chemical from boxes through tubes into agent holding tanks. From there, the VX will be broken down or neutralized and temporarily stored on site. "The agent holding tank is within a secure area within the facility. That area is also under what we call engineering controls. It's a filtered area. Therefore that ensures total containment of the agent," said Brubaker. I-Team 8 first reported how the CDC was concerned about the safety of the disposal process. Hydrolysate is a byproduct of VX which when broken down is a highly corrosive material that has been compared to Drano. Despite safety concerns, authorities at Newport say there's no threat whatsoever to the public. "I can tell you we have the best-trained, most disciplined work force here, excellent processes, the best I've ever worked with. You can be confident we know what we're doing. We're doing the right thing. We're doing it deliberately. We're doing it right,” said Richard Goetz, operations director. How It's Done At 9:00 am in Newport, the first of 1,600 tonne-containers was moved into the cradle and glove box. A handful of army officials and contractors were also in the room, some actually opening the first container, others with a checklist. It takes 15 minutes just to open the container. "They operate in gloves and use special wrenches to take apart the valves,” explained a contractor. Working through special gloves in a sealed box, the workers wear cotton coveralls. Each has a gas mask and antidote as a precaution. The Army has ordered the start-up to be very slow and deliberate by design. This is a pilot project. Working slowly helps ensure safety for the workers and residents. Two valves are key. Hoses are connected to drain from the barrel. Draining won't be complete until Friday. The VX will then be neutralized, fed into a reactor and mixed with hot sodium hydroxide and water. Samples will be taken every two hours and sent to a lab on-site. Tests will be performed to be sure all of the VX is destroyed. That’s important since scientists and government agencies have sounded the alarm trace elements of VX might still remain. "We have verification chambers and test air and surface of the tonne-container to be sure it is completely decontaminated before it is moved into the room,” said the contractor. One container at a time, 1,200 tons of VX, the Army estimates it will take two and a half years to destroy it all. The VX has been stored in Newport for forty years. Residents are told if something goes wrong, stay inside and shut off airflow to your home. The Army won't let anyone on site during the destruction process. However, they have mounted cameras inside the destruction chamber. Project Security - Read I-Team 8's reports about Indiana's weapons of mass destruction	Testing began on a chemical reactor at the Newport Chemical Depot near Terre Haute, Indiana on Friday morning. If successful, the reactor will be put to use destroying the large VX nerve gas stockpiles stored at the facility over the course of the next two years. After the disposal project experienced several delays, the facility announced it would begin pumping VX into a completed disposal unit for testing. The unit consists of a chemical reactor in which the VX will be mixed with water and sodium hydroxide, heated to 194°F while mixed with paddles. The resulting chemical, called hydrolysate, is chemically similar to commercial drain cleaners and has similar properties. If the test is successfully completed , the unit will continue processing the VX until the entire stockpile has been neutralized, a process projected to take two years. Administrators expect to complete testing on May 10, 2005. According to the controversial plan, the finished waste product would be shipped to New Jersey for final reprocessing. The inert chemical would then be emptied into the Delaware River where natural attenuation would occur. Residents near the proposed river disposal site in New Jersey oppose this idea. The contractor for the final component of this disposal would be the DuPont Corporation. ====Background on Newport Chemical Depot (NCD)==== dangerous goods, class 2.3 ( GNU license) NCD is a bulk chemical storage and destruction facility in west central Indiana, thirty miles north of Terre Haute. Originally founded during World War II to produce RDX, a conventional explosive, it later became a site for chemical weapons manufacturing during the Cold War. It is now used to securely store and gradually neutralize part of the US stockpile of VX. VX was manufactured by the U.S. in the 1950s and 60's as a deterrent to possible Soviet Union use. It was never deployed, and the manufacture was halted in 1969 after an order signed by then-president Richard Nixon. In 1999, the Army announced it awarded a disposal contract to Parsons Infrastructure & Technology, Inc., a business unit of Parsons Corporation. Some 220 civilian Parsons employees work at the facility, which is supervised by an Army officer reporting to the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, and a board of civilian government overseers called the Indiana Citizens' Advisory Commission, some of whose members are appointed by the state governor. Security at the facility is controversial. A private security service, supplemented by a complement of Indiana National Guard soldiers, guarded the facility until April 14, 2005, when the soldiers were withdrawn. An Indianapolis television station has questioned security measures in some of its special reports.
ABC News White House Accuses Gore of Hypocrisy White House Accuses Gore of Hypocrisy, Defends NSA Domestic Surveillance Program By NEDRA PICKLER WASHINGTON Jan 17, 2006 (AP) The White House accused former Vice President Al Gore of hypocrisy Tuesday for his assertion that President Bush broke the law by eavesdropping on Americans without court approval. "If Al Gore is going to be the voice of the Democrats on national security matters, we welcome it," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said in a swipe at the Democrat, who lost the 2000 election to Bush. Gore, in a speech Monday, called for an independent investigation of the administration program that he says broke the law by listening in without warrants on Americans suspected of talking with terrorists abroad. Gore called the program, authorized by President Bush, "a threat to the very structure of our government" and charged that the administration acted without congressional authority and made a "direct assault" on a federal court set up to authorize requests to eavesdrop on Americans. Meanwhile, two civil liberties groups the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed federal lawsuits Tuesday seeking to block the eavesdropping program, which they called unconstitutional electronic surveillance of American citizens. McClellan said the Clinton-Gore administration had engaged in warrantless physical searches, and he cited an FBI search of the home of CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames without permission from a judge. He said Clinton's deputy attorney general, Jamie Gorelick, had testified before Congress that the president had the inherent authority to engage in physical searches without warrants. "I think his hypocrisy knows no bounds," McClellan said of Gore. But at the time that of the Ames search in 1993 and when Gorelick testified a year later, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act required warrants for electronic surveillance for intelligence purposes, but did not cover physical searches. The law was changed to cover physical searches in 1995 under legislation that Clinton supported and signed. Gore said Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should name a special counsel to investigate the program, saying Gonzales had an "obvious conflict of interest" as a member of the Bush Cabinet as well as the nation's top law enforcement officer. \|\|\|\|\| White House, Gore In Spat Over Spying (Page 1 of 2) WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2006 The White House fired back at Al Gore on Tuesday, accusing the former vice president of hypocrisy for his assertion that President Bush broke the law by eavesdropping on Americans without court approval."If Al Gore is going to be the voice of the Democrats on national security matters, we welcome it," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said in a swipe at the Democrat, who lost the 2000 election to Mr. Bush only after the Supreme Court intervened.Gore, in a speech Monday, called for an independent investigation of the National Security Agency program that he says broke the law by listening in without warrants on Americans suspected of talking with terrorists abroad.Gore called the program, authorized by President Bush, "a threat to the very structure of our government" and charged that the administration acted without congressional authority and made a "direct assault" on a federal court set up to authorize requests to eavesdrop on Americans.McClellan said the Clinton-Gore administration had engaged in warrantless physical searches, and he cited an FBI search of the home of CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames without permission from a judge. He said Clinton's deputy attorney general, Jamie Gorelick, had testified before Congress that the president had the inherent authority to engage in physical searches without warrants."I think his hypocrisy knows no bounds," McClellan said of Gore.Meanwhile, two civil liberties groups the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed federal lawsuits Tuesday seeking to block the administration's eavesdropping program, which they called unconstitutional electronic surveillance of American citizens.In a related development, The New York Times reported Tuesday that the NSA sent the FBI thousands of tips about alleged terrorists in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks.But nearly all the tips, according to current and former officials, failed to pan out or lead to innocent Americans, the Times said.Gore said Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should name a special counsel to investigate the program, saying Gonzales had an "obvious conflict of interest" as a member of the Bush Cabinet as well as the nation's top law enforcement officer. \|\|\|\|\| Trump Claims There Is a Crisis at the Border. What’s the Reality? Here are some of President Trump’s most common assertions of a crisis, and the reality of what we know. \|\|\|\|\| Gore responds to White House 'hypocrisy' comments RAW STORY Published: January 17, 2006 Print This \| Email This In response to White House comments that Gore exhibited "hypocrisy" in calling for a Special Prosecutor, saying that the Clinton administration had wiretapped some Americans, Gore will make this statement shortly. It was leaked to RAW STORY in advance. Former Vice President Al Gore: "The Administration's response to my speech illustrates perfectly the need for a special counsel to review the legality of the NSA wiretapping program. The Attorney General is making a political defense of the President without even addressing the substantive legal questions that have so troubled millions of Americans in both political parties. Advertisement There are two problems with the Attorney General's effort to focus attention on the past instead of the present Administration's behavior. First, as others have thoroughly documented, his charges are factually wrong. Both before and after the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was amended in 1995, the Clinton/Gore Administration complied fully and completely with the terms of the law. Second, the Attorney General's attempt to cite a previous administration's activity as precedent for theirs - even though factually wrong - ironically demonstrates another reason why we must be so vigilant about their brazen disregard for the law. If unchecked, their behavior would serve as a precedent to encourage future presidents to claim these same powers, which many legal experts in both parties believe are clearly illegal. The issue, simply put, is that for more than four years, the executive branch has been wiretapping many thousands of American citizens without warrants in direct contradiction of American law. It is clearly wrong and disrespectful to the American people to allow a close political associate of the president to be in charge of reviewing serious charges against him. The country needs a full and independent investigation into the facts and legality of the present Administration's program." # Background from AP: The White House accused former Vice President Al Gore of hypocrisy Tuesday for his assertion that President Bush broke the law by eavesdropping on Americans without court approval. "If Al Gore is going to be the voice of the Democrats on national security matters, we welcome it," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said in a swipe at the Democrat, who lost the 2000 election to Bush only after the Supreme Court intervened. Gore called the program, authorized by President Bush, "a threat to the very structure of our government" and charged that the administration acted without congressional authority and made a "direct assault" on a federal court set up to authorize requests to eavesdrop on Americans. McClellan said the Clinton-Gore administration had engaged in warrantless physical searches, and he cited an FBI search of the home of CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames without permission from a judge. He said Clinton's deputy attorney general, Jamie Gorelick, had testified before Congress that the president had the inherent authority to engage in physical searches without warrants. "I think his hypocrisy knows no bounds," McClellan said of Gore.	In a forceful speech Monday, former Vice President Al Gore criticized the use of unwarranted domestic wiretaps by the National Security Agency. Gore called the wiretapping program, which the White House insists is vital to the defense of America, "a threat to the very structure of our government" and urged the Attorney General to appoint a special counsel for investigation into the matter. He additionally recommended Congress to hold comprehensive hearings and for telecommunications companies who are assisting in the program to stop doing so, and suggested the administration is using the threat of terrorism as a means to amass power in the executive branch. Former Vice President Al Gore "Is America in more danger now than when we faced worldwide fascism on the march - when our fathers fought and won two World Wars simultaneously?" He added, "Once violated, the rule of law is in danger. Unless stopped, lawlessness grows. The greater the power of the executive grows, the more difficult it becomes for the other branches to perform their constitutional roles." The Republican National Committee responded to Gore's statements, saying, "Al Gore's incessant need to insert himself in the headline of the day is almost as glaring as his lack of understanding of the threats facing America." They continued, "While the president works to protect Americans from terrorists, Democrats deliver no solutions of their own, only diatribes laden with inaccuracies and anger." On Tuesday, White House press secretary Scott McClellan also responded, saying that the Clinton administration had authorized an FBI search of double agent Aldrich Ames without a warrant. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales made similar remarks earlier. Regarding Gore, McClellan said, "I think his hypocrisy knows no bounds." Opponents of the wiretapping program say this is an inaccurate comparison. On Monday's edition of Larry King Live, New York Times reporter James Risen said that "under the rules at that time the Attorney General could authorize a warrantless physical search of a house. After the Ames case," he added, "Congress changed that and closed that loophole and so that now that kind of search couldn't be done under the law." Responding to the White House and Attorney General's comments, Gore said, "The Attorney General is making a political defense of the President without even addressing the substantive legal questions that have so troubled millions of Americans in both political parties. There are...problems with the Attorney General's effort to focus attention on the past instead of the present Administration's behavior. As others have thoroughly documented, his charges are factually wrong. Both before and after the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was amended in 1995, the Clinton/Gore Administration complied fully and completely with the terms of the law."

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