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Tifatul blocks porn sites with holy curtain A | A | A | The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 08/11/2010 9:11 AM | Headlines A complete ban on all pornographic websites in observance of the Ramadan fasting period is unfeasible, Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring says. “A 100 percent ban would be impossible, but it is the effort that counts,” Tifatul said Tuesday. Last month, the minister recommended blocking access to websites with pornographic content before Ramadan, which officially started today. He added that the ban, which his office has been working on for the past month, would be put in place gradually, with a 100 percent ban as its ideal target. However, a few sites might slip through, he said. Several porn sites were still accessible at the time of writing this article. “The work done by Internet service providers [ISPs] to filter porn sites is not easy considering there are 4 million web sites out there,” he said. Tifatul said ISPs were responsible for the filtering since they acted as gatekeepers connecting individual computers to the Internet. Indonesia’s 200 ISPs had agreed to the ministry’s request, he said. ISPs would suffer no losses by blocking pornographic websites because those sites were not their core business, he said. “They mostly deal with communication data, networking between companies and ATMs,” he said. The filters, he said, would be based on keywords entered during searches. The list of porn-related keywords would be updated regularly to adjust to new keywords that previously had no links to porn sites. “The eradication of porn will be very dynamic in the future,” he said. The websites blocked, he added, would be those that were “clearly vulgar” containing sexual intercourse, nudity, sexual organs, child prostitution and sexual symbols. However, Tifatul failed to provide a clear definition of what would be considered “clearly vulgar”. “The disputable [definitions] will be our next step to decide upon.” Websites that referred to sex-related words and images, but used them in a scientific and cultural context, would be spared, he said. “Of course, certain formulas and analysis will be used in the process.” Tifatul further said that sanctions would be imposed on individuals distributing pornographic material, whether it was ISPs or individuals. The 1999 Telecommunications Law (which forbids telecommunications operators from violating public decency), the 2008 Information Transaction Law (which bans the distribution of pornographic material) and the 2008 Pornography Law would be applicable, he said. “The blocking of certain web sites would continue past Ramadan because the pornography law is permanent, even if it is revoked or amended,” he said Tifatul said the ban was a necessary step in implementing the pornography and information transaction laws, as well as protecting people from unsuitable content. “The negative impact is evident in our society. [Pornographic content] crushes our culture and destroys our children,” he said. However, many people have expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the blockage given the immense size of the Internet and many tactics to unblock websites. Doubts also surfaced on the effectiveness of using keywords as certain words might have more than one meaning or connotation. (gzl) ||||| Indonesia to crack down on porn over Ramadan JAKARTA — Indonesia, gripped in recent months by a sex scandal involving local celebrities, will mark the start of Ramadan Wednesday with a campaign against pornography. Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring, a member of the conservative Islamic party, called a news conference on the eve of the month-long period of dusk-to-dawn fasting at which he renewed a promise to act against porn sites. Quoting a poem, Sembiring called on Muslims to "keep hearts clean in the holy month," and said that he would target websites and media that carried sexual content. Already 200 Internet service providers in Indonesia have since last month agreed to block sites that displayed sexual activity and nudity, and "their efforts are extraordinary," Sembiring said. "It's not an easy task as there are four million local and international porn sites," he said, but added that he was unable to say how many sites had been shut out of Indonesia. "I've promised before there will be efforts to close porn sites... This Ramadan hopefully traffic to porn sites can be reduced by more than 90 percent," he said. Sembiring's call follows President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's support for a Web filter, saying in June that his country must not "stay naked and be crushed by the information technology frenzy." With 240 million people making it the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, Indonesia was scandalised in June by the online release of videos apparently showing local celebrities engaging in sex. Rock singer Nazril Ariel, 28, a divorcee, is still in police custody on pornography charges after his arrest in June. Ariel appears in separate videos with models and television personalities Luna Maya, 26, also his current girlfriend, and ex-girlfriend Cut Tari, 32. Both women have been questioned but not arrested over the videos. A music engineer with the initials "RJ" was arrested in July for allegedly uploading the videos to the Internet. The footage, which was widely distributed across the Internet, prompted clerics to issue an edict banning Muslims from watch certain gossip shows on Indonesian television. Shows which dished out intimate details of people's private lives were immoral and threatened society, said the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI). Gossip shows should be allowed only if they "uphold the law, warn the public and help people," said MUI chairman Maaruf Amin, who hoped that "pornography and immoral content" would be kept out of all TV programmes during Ramadan. "Hopefully, Ramadan will set a momentum for the media to clean up their programmes and keep them free of pornography and filth. If we can't wipe them out totally, at least minimise them," he told AFP. Freelance magazine photographer Ahmad Fadilah, 35, who admitted to watching Internet porn occasionally, said hoped access will restricted only to hardcore porn sites such as those showing bestiality and unnatural sex. "Go ahead and block the really vulgar and disgusting ones but please leave the beautiful, artistic ones alone. Anyway, if sites are blocked, there are other ways to access porn, like from VCD," Fadilah said. "Sometimes people like to say Ramadan is a month to cleanse your heart and mind. But people still watch porn and who will find out if they do it quietly?" Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More » ||||| Ban on Porn, Prostitutes, Fireworks Promises a Quiet Start to Ramadan Indonesia. On Tuesday, the eve of Islam’s holiest month, various officials separately announced bans on pornographic sites, prostitutes and firecrackers — things that can distract Muslims from faithfully observing Ramadan in peace. No Offensive Sites Following up on his promise of a porn-free Ramadan, Communication and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring said he was confident that 80 percent of all “offensive sites” on the Internet in Indonesia were now inaccessible, including some of the most popular: Playboy.com, 17tahun.us, youporn.com, porn.com and comicmuhammad.blogspot.com. “These five top-rated Web sites were just taken as samples, but we estimate that qualitatively we have banned 80 percent of offensive sites,” Tifatul said. He added that the sites were chosen based on lists of most accessed sites on the ministry’s filtering system as well as those on Alexa.com, which ranks Web site visits. The ministry worked with major Internet service providers Telkom, Bakrie Telkom, XL Axiata, Indosat, IndosatM2 and Telkomsel to block the sites the government deemed offensive. Tifatul acknowledged that the government would not be able to immediately impose a complete ban on Internet pornography, but added that online filtering was an ongoing and dynamic process. He said the ministry would adopt the same approach used by YouTube, which involves constantly monitoring offensive content which, when discovered, is immediately removed. The same method will also be used in the future to filter out other offensive sites related to blasphemy, gambling, online fraud and violence, Tifatul said. “But we are focusing on the pornographic [sites] first.” He emphasized that the ban had a strong legal basis, citing the 1999 Telecommunications Law, the 2008 Information and Electronic Transaction Law (ITE) and the 2008 Anti-Pornography Law. “The definition of pornography is not debatable anymore” since the Constitutional Court overturned a judicial review of the Anti-Pornography Law, Titaful added. No Prostitutes In Surabaya, Dolly, one of Southeast Asia’s largest red-light districts, is now quiet, with brothel doors bearing signs saying “Closed for Ramadan.” Sawahan Police Chief Adj. Comr. Widodo said the prostitutes working in Dolly had all returned to their hometowns following a city regulation that mandated brothels close up shop throughout the fasting month. Asmiani, a staff member at Jaya Indah, told Detik.com that the brothel’s seven prostitutes would return to work a week after Idul Fitri celebrations on Sept. 10 and 11. The signs went up the same day hard-line Muslim groups under the banner of the Islamic Believers Union (GUIB) conducted a sweep of the district. About 350 members of the group raided brothels in three popular areas in Surabaya, but all they found were locked doors and empty streets. Still, they threatened to attack prostitution dens and other entertainment businesses that did not respect the Islamic holy month. “If they do not respect Ramadan, they will be attacked,” said Habib Muhammad Mahdi Al Habsyi, the head of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) in Surabaya. The FPI is one of the 32 organizations that make up GUIB. Zulkarnain, the spokesman for East Java’s hard-line Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid, denied members of the group were terrorizing the area, saying they were only out to remind people to abstain from immoral acts. “Please understand that this is a reaction to immoral activities legalized by the city administration. We are just spreading the message,” Zulkarnain said. “But if they keep operating during Ramadan, do not blame us if we attack them, as they are the ones who conduct moral terror.” Bambang Budiono, the head of the Human Rights Study Center at Airlangga University, condemned the group’s actions, which he said were equivalent to “spreading terror in the name of Ramadan.” No Firecrackers Meanwhile in Jakarta, Governor Fauzi Bowo forbade the use of firecrackers during Ramadan after a car carrying 70 kilograms of fireworks exploded in Pluit, North Jakarta, injuring four. “Every year people are victimized by incidents involving fireworks. Some of them suffer burns or even amputations,” he said. “These [incidents] force me to tighten law enforcement.” Penjaringan Police Chief Comr. Lalu M Ichwan said the four injured when a Daihatsu Zebra pickup truck exploded at noon on Tuesday were employees of Toyindo Perkasa, which owned the fireworks. Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said the fireworks were already expired and were meant to be destroyed in a nearby lake. “Those fireworks were already past their expiration dates,” Boy said. Lalu said the person in charge of getting rid of the fireworks would be questioned, as well as the victims once they recovered. ||||| Sehari menjelang memasuki bulan puasa (Selasa, 10/8), Kementrian Komunikasi dan Informasi mengumumkan rangkaian upaya pemblokiran situs porno di Indonesia yang ditempuh selama ini. Dalam sebulan terakhir, menurut Menteri Kominfo Tifatul Sembiring, sudah sekitar 70% dari sekitar empat jutaan situs porno Indonesia yang diblokir dengan bantuan penyedia layanan koneksi internet swasta. Untuk melihat materi ini, JavaScript harus dinyalakan dan Flash terbaru harus dipasang. Unduh Flash Player versi terbaru Tukar format AV Tifatul mengakui pihaknya menggunakan momen sehari menjelang Ramadan untuk mengumumkan penegakan atas pelarangan situs porno di Indonesia dan sekaligus menegaskan aturan akan ditegakkan seterusnya. Pemblokiran, tambah Tifatul mengandalkan sebuah sistem pemblokir situs bernama massive trust namun dia menyerahkan model dan teknologi pemblokiran pada masing-masing penyedia jasa layanan internet. "Karena semua internet kecamatan yang dipasang oleh pemerintah sudah bebas dari situs porno. Namanya massive trust, bisa pakai itu." "Tapi ketika kami kumpulkan ISP, mereka mengatakan ada cara-cara yang lebih efektif dan efisien yang bisa digunakan. Kami katakan terserah tapi yang penting outputnya adalah pornografi tidak keluar lagi." Secara bertahap Kami katakan terserah tapi yang penting outputnya adalah pornografi tidak keluar lagi. Tifatul Sembiring Bagaimanapun ketika dicek hingga Selasa petang, hanya dengan membubuhkan kata 'seks' atau 'porno' di mesin pencari internet maka dengan mudah masih bisa ditemukan berbagai situs porno, baik berbahasa Indonesia atau Inggris. Upaya memblokir situs porno memang tidak mudah, paling tidak begitulah menurut penyedia layanan internet atau ISP dan mereka memerlukan waktu untuk menyesuaikan diri. Menurut Direktur Informasi Telkom, Indra Utoyo, hingga saat ini para ISP masih menunggu aturan tertulis tentang situs mana lagi yang harus diblokir karena kemungkinan munculnya situs-situs baru. "Jadi ini bertahap karena 'kan daftarnya akan terus kejar-kejaran. Nanti ada yang muncul lagi dan kita akan blok. Sambil kekuatan network kita juga disesuaikan untuk bisa melakukan filtering sekaligus menjaga tingkat layanan. Ini 'kan pasti ada effort dan resources yang harus disiapkan yang bisa berdampak pada bisnis juga." Tidak ada catatan resmi berapa jumlah pengguna internet di Indonesia, meskipun pengguna jejaring sosial seperti Facebook mencapai 25 juta nama, sebagian melalui telepon genggam. ||||| Selasa, 10 Agustus 2010 | 15:19 WIB TEMPO Interaktif , Jakarta - Menteri Komunikasi dan Informatika, Tifatul Sembiring mengancam akan mencabut izin perusahaan pelayanan jasa internet jika tidak melakukan pemblokiran terhadap situs porno. "Itu perintah undang-undangnya," ujarnya saat berbicara dalam keterangan pers di Jakarta, Selasa (10/8). Menurut Tifatul, peringatan ini sudah berlangsung selama satu bulan kemarin. tujuannya, kata dia, agar sebelum ramadhan target 90 persen pemblokiran situs porno bisa tercapai. "Sampai saat ini sudah men capai 70 persen lebih,' katanya. Kementerian, kata Tifatul, saat ini melakukan kerjasama dengan 200 Internet Service Provider (ISP) yang ada di Indonesia untuk memblokir beredarnya situs porno di dunia maya. Mereka, telah merancang aplikasi penghalang situs porno yang akan diperagakan berbeda. "Kunci pemblokiran ada pada keyword yang berbau porno," ujarnya. Namun Tifatul menjamin, situs lain yang berhubungan dengan kesehatan dan pengetahuan medis tidak akan ikut terblokir hanya karena memamerkan anatomi tubuh manusia. "Itukan untuk pengetahuan, pendekatannya lain," ujarnya. Menambahkan hal itu, Juru Bicara Kementrian, Gatot Dewa Broto menerangkan bentuk sanksi pencabutan izin pemakaian spektrum frekuensi merupakan ganjaran terberat bagi perusahaan jasa layanan internet. Sebelumnya, kata dia, secara mekanisme kominfo akan melayangkan tiga kali surat peringatan. "Kalau tiga kali tidak digubris, maka kami cabut," katanya. SANDY INDRA PRATAMA
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The message one Indonesian saw when attempting to access pornography today The Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has announced that the government will be banning pornographic sites in the country. The announcement comes before the Islamic holiday of Ramadan. The ministry conducted a technical test of the banning program with the six largest internet service providers in Indonesia — , , , , Bakrie Telecom, and . The ministry is optimistic that their ban will make 80% of pornographic sites inaccessable in the Southeast Asian country. The People's Republic of China runs a similar program that blocks pornographic websites. Communications minister Tifatul Sembiring said that about 200 ISPs in Indonesia had agreed to block the websites. Sembiring also said that ISPs would not suffer any losses by blocking pornographic websites. He also added that the ministry would adopt the same approach used by , which involves constantly monitoring offensive content which, when discovered, is immediately removed.
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December 17, 2006 Nobel Prize laureate Paul Crutzen says he has new data supporting his controversial theory that injecting the common pollutant sulfur into the atmosphere would cancel out the greenhouse effect. Although such a project could not be implemented for at least 10 years, the data is aimed at appeasing critics of the idea he first championed in the scientific journal Climatic Change in August. The Dutch meteorologist showed what he calls the positive cooling effect of adding a layer of sulfates to the atmosphere at a global warming conference at the Porter School for Environmental Studies in Tel Aviv. He said new, detailed calculations carried out since August showed the project would indeed lower global temperatures. "Our calculations using the best models available have shown that injecting 1 million tonnes of sulfur a year would cool down the climate so the greenhouse effect is wiped out," Crutzen told Reuters. An added layer of sulfates in the stratosphere, some 16 kilometres above the earth, would reflect sunlight into space and reduce solar radiation reaching the earth's surface, Crutzen said. He said he envisioned giant cannons or balloons dispersing the sulfur to offset the build-up of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, largely released by burning fossil fuels in power plants, factories and vehicles. The world has struggled for decades to reduce sulfur pollution, a component of acid rain that kills forests and fish, mainly through tighter controls on burning coal. "We are now entering a very intensive period of model calculations and following that we will conduct small experiments to test the sulfur oxidation mechanisms that we calculated," Crutzen said. Crutzen said he planned to publish the new findings in a few months' time in one of the major scientific journals. The idea of using sulfur to combat global warming - which most scientists say will bring more floods, desertification, heatwaves and rising sea levels - is not new. Scientists noticed that large volcanic eruptions had similar effects and the 1991 eruption on Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines lowered temperatures around the world for two years. For decades the theory was dismissed as dangerous until Crutzen, who won the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for research on ozone, published his paper. "Until August this was a taboo issue. But the paper I published really set off some movement in this area. It never hit the level of seriousness which it has taken in the past months. It may have had to do with the Nobel Prize, but I hope that's not all," Crutzen said. Some critics say the project is too risky and will have negative effects on the earth's water supply and increase acid rain. Crutzen said it was necessary to study the negative consequences, but he did not expect a rise in acid rain because the amount of sulfur injected would be a small percentage of the sulfates polluting the lower atmosphere today. Some environmental groups, wary of geo-engineering projects, say the idea should at least be looked at. "The fact that the top experts in the field are saying it's necessary shows it's a sad state of affairs," said Steve Sawyer, a policy adviser for Greenpeace International. "This idea should be examined and as a last resort it can buy us a few decades," Sawyer said. Reuters ||||| Would giant canons bombarding the atmosphere with sulfur actually counter greenhouse effect? By Zafrir Rinat Professor Paul J. Krutzen's ideas may sound like science fiction, but he says they could save the world from global warming. He suggests building gargantuan cannons that would shoot enormous quantities of sulfur into the stratosphere, thereby blocking solar radiation. The 1995 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry will arrive in Israel this week, and tomorrow will present his revolutionary scheme in a conference on global warning at Tel Aviv University's Porter School of Environmental Studies. Other research on the topic will also be presented at the conference. The Dutch-born Krutzen maintains that there is dwindling hope that humanity will cope with global warming through reduction of greenhouse gases, because of a lack of desire or ability on the part of the world's nations to undertake the necessary measures. Hence, he suggests employing geo-engineering methods to cool the planet, including injection substances into the atmosphere that would reflect solar radiation back into space. A few months ago, Krutzen published an article that echoed throughout the scientific world, in which he proposed the option of introducing billions of tons of sulfate particles into the stratosphere by means of giant balloons or cannons. The advantage of direct injection into the stratosphere is that in that upper layer of atmosphere, the half-life of sulfur is one to two years, rather than a week, as at lower levels. Advertisement Unlike the gases that produce global warming, particles of substances like sulfur reflect the sun's radiation, contributing to a cooling process. This phenomenon is commonly illustrated following a volcanic eruption, when enormous quantities of sulfur are emitted, causing a decrease in temperatures. Krutzen cites Mt. Pinatubo, in the Philippines. When the volcano erupted, in 1991, it expelled enormous quantities of sulfur-containing compounds. Scientific estimates are that these emissions pushed down the average temperature on earth by half a degree, Celsius, over the course of a year. An American laboratory recently conducted the first examination of sulfur's ability to reflect solar radiation. But a long series of experiments and research will be required to examine Krutzen's suggestions. One negative aspect of Krutzen's scheme could be its effect on human health. In recent years, sulfur emissions from industrial sources were consciously reduced because of the health risk they pose. Paradoxically, the health benefits of those measures were accompanied by an increased greenhouse effect, because reducing the level of sulfur in the atmosphere led to an increase in the sun's radiation that got through. Krutzen expresses a great deal of pessimism regarding humanity's ability to reduce its production of greenhouse gases. Still he stresses that his scheme is not intended to take the place of trying to reduce them. Rather, he sees his concept becoming vital if global warming becomes worse within a short period of time, a scenario that certainly is possible.
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Nobel Prize winner Professor Paul J. Crutzen has stated he has data to support his controversial claim that injecting sulfur into the atmosphere would negate the greenhouse effect. The data is intended to quiet critics of the theory he first discussed in the scientific journal ''Climatic Change'' in August, 2006. The 1995 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry stated ''"Our calculations using the best models available have shown that injecting 1 million tonnes of sulfur a year would cool down the climate so the greenhouse effect is wiped out."'' The theory uses the idea that an added layer of sulfates in the stratosphere, approximately 16 kilometres above the earth, would reflect sunlight back into space and reduce the amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface. Critics have shown that the earth has struggled for decades to reduce sulfur pollution, and how it is a component of acid rain that kills plantlife and animals. A large-scale experiment would be impossible to conduct, however scientists have noticed that massive volcanic eruptions have had similar effects on the earth. The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines lowered temperatures around the world for two years, according to data taken at the time. Crutzen resparked discussion on the topic, a theory which has been dismissed up until now as dangerous. ''"Until August this was a taboo issue. But the paper I published really set off some movement in this area. It never hit the level of seriousness which it has taken in the past months,"'' Crutzen said. Environmental groups are skeptical but agree the idea should be investigated. ''"This idea should be examined and as a last resort it can buy us a few decades,"'' said Steve Sawyer, a policy adviser for Greenpeace International.
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CURRENT FUEL TAXES Introduction Good public policy requires above all else certainty and consistency from Government in its treatment of fuel taxation. Any change in Government transport or fuel policies including fuel taxation has the potential to change the road transport fuel mix. Investments, both on the supply side by industry and the demand side by consumers (eg LPG conversion of vehicles), have been put in place with the current regime in mind. Fuel production investments are long term and hence any changes likely to impact on the fuel mix should be given appropriate advance warning. Major refinery investment is usually undertaken with a 10-15 year time frame in mind. Concessions Currently, concessions to certain groups in the community are delivered through a mix of excise exemptions on the collection side and grants or rebates on the payment side after tax has been collected. Excise exemptions for fuels on the basis of different use (eg heating oil) provides an incentive for unscrupulous operators to substitute the lower taxed fuel (heating oil) for a higher taxed fuel (diesel for use in internal combustion engines). This leads to a revenue loss for the Federal Government and a loss to legitimate stakeholders in the industry through unfair competition depressing margins by driving down the price in the areas where fuel substitution is taking place. The industrys view is that revenue loss for Government and industry is significant. A solution to this issue is to tax like fuels on a uniform basis. That is, diesel and heating oil and other like fuels would all be taxed at the same rate. Any concessions to be delivered to farmers, miners, or the trucking industry should then be delivered through a grant system. A grants-based system also strengthens the compliance ability of the ATO because the taxation system is based on the use to which fuels are put. Simply put, burner applications are generally taxed at a lower rate than internal combustion engine use, with specific exceptions being agriculture, mining and certain trucking applications. In a grant-based system consumers are asked to sign a form indicating that they have used the fuel in the appropriate way in order to be eligible for a grant or rebate. This makes it much easier for the ATO to pursue those who have not complied. In the case of petrol, like fuels would be petrol, toluene, solvents and all substances with a flash point of less than 23 degrees Celsius. To summarise, a fuel tax system with uniform tax rates removes the incentive to substitute the lower taxed fuel for the higher taxed fuel. In addition a grants-based system provides government with information on the value of its support for fuels with concessions. It is also much easier to pursue consumers which illegally avoid paying excise if they are required to sign a form to signify what use they will put the fuel. If the fuel is incorrectly used and thereby legitimate excise is avoided then prosecutions are much easier to pursue than if an excise exemption system was in place and consumers did not have to sign off on what use they would put the fuel. Past 'Fuel Policy' The tax free status of most alternative fuels has developed by default because of the way that the excise legislation was drafted. That is, if a new fuel is marketed, it is outside the taxation regime because it is not listed as a taxable item. Although, two of the alternative fuels, ethanol and LPG have attained a tax free status due to specific Government decisions. LPG and ethanol were given tax free status in the 1970s in order to encourage the diversification of transport fuels at a time when security of liquid fuels was an important issue for Governments due to OPECs attempts to raise crude oil prices leading to the two oil price shocks in 1973-74 (leading to the formation of the International Energy Agency) and 1979-80. More recent government initiatives to encourage certain fuels through grants (Diesel and Alternative Fuels Grants) arose out of concern for the impact of the GST on the relativities between diesel and alternative fuels. These policies led to a road transport fuel mix in 1989-90 of 62% petrol, 36% diesel and 2% LPG. There was no road transport consumption of ethanol or CNG at that time. By 1999-00 the road transport fuel market share of petrol had fallen to 55%, diesel had grown to 39% and LPG had reached 6% - see the chart below: Current Tax Rates for Transport Fuels are: EXCISE Cents Per Litre Petrol (including regular unleaded, premium unleaded, and lead replacement petrol) 38.143 Diesel 38.143 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) 0 Ethanol (even if blended with petrol or diesel) 0 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) 0 Biodiesel (100% ie unblended) 0 Biodiesel (if blended with conventional diesel) 38.143 GST Add 10% to the price of all of the above fuels. ||||| Home > Energy and transport > Renewable energy Renewable Remote Power Generation Program (RRPGP) Supporting the use of renewable energy for remote power generation In those areas of Australia not serviced by a main electricity grid, electricity generated from renewable sources is often an effective way of reducing reliance on diesel for electricity generation. The Renewable Remote Power Generation Program (RRPGP) provides financial support to increase the use of renewable energy generation in remote parts of Australia that presently rely on diesel for electricity generation. The objective of the RRPGP is to increase the uptake of renewable energy technologies in remote areas of Australia, which will: help in providing an effective electricity supply to remote users; assist the development of the Australian renewable energy industry; help meet the energy infrastructure needs of indigenous communities; and lead to long term greenhouse gas reductions. Up to $264 million will be available over the life of the RRPGP. Program funds are now available to participating States and Territories and are allocated on the basis of the relevant diesel fuel excise paid in each State or Territory by public generators in financial years 2000/01 to 2003/4. The certified amounts of relevant diesel fuel excise paid in 2000/01 are shown below: Western Australia $24.43 million Northern Territory $11.80 million Queensland $ 9.05 million South Australia $ 2.55 million Tasmania $ 1.59 million New South Wales $ 0.28 million Total $49.70 million The funds are available to the participating States and the Northern Territory to fund approved programs or projects. Potentially eligible installations are those for which renewable energy generation replaces all or some of the diesel used for off-grid electricity generation. RRPGP funding may also be available for new off-grid installations where it can be demonstrated that the energy source would otherwise have been diesel. The RRPGP may provide support for up to 50% of the capital costs of renewable energy installations. Capital costs encompass expenditure on: Renewable energy generating equipment such as photovoltaic arrays, wind turbines and hydro units; Enabling equipment (equipment necessary to make useable electricity available from the renewable energy generating equipment such as inverters, control and monitoring equipment and batteries); and Essential non-equipment requirements such as installation, design and project management costs. The RRPGP will not fund solar hot water systems or fossil fuel (including diesel) generation systems. RRPGP implementation is different in each of the States and Territories, to best meet the different characteristics of each jurisdiction. RRPGP sub-programs which have been approved thus far are: Western Australia's Remote Area Power Supply (RAPS) This program has a budget of $18 million in RRPGP funds to provide rebates of 55% (50% RRPGP rebates, 5% Western Australian rebates) of the initial capital costs of renewable energy installations in remote areas of Western Australia. Eligible target groups are: Indigenous Communities; Isolated households; and Commercial operations, including pastoral properties, tourist operations and mining operations. For further information contact Mr Evan Gray (08) 9420 5610. Western Australia's Renewable Energy Water Pumping Program (REWPP) This program has a budget of $3.5 million in RRPGP funds to provide rebates of 50% of the initial capital costs of the renewable energy component of solar pumps and windmills replacing diesel-based pumps in remote areas of Western Australia. For further information contact Mr Evan Gray (08) 9420 5610. Northern Territory's Renewable Energy Rebate Program (RERP) This program has a budget of $38.2 million in RRPGP funds to provide rebates of 50% of the initial capital costs of renewable energy installations in remote areas of the Northern Territory. Eligible target groups are: Small communities and households, including outstations and small indigenous communities; Commercial operations, including pastoral properties and tourist operations; Large communities, including towns and large indigenous communities; and Industrial operations, including mine sites. For further information contact Dr Subhash Chandra on (08) 8999 5440. Queensland's Working Property Rebate Scheme (WPRS) This program has a budget of $8 million in RRPGP funds to assist in providing rebates of 65% (50% RRPGP rebates up to $150,000 each, 15% Queensland Government rebates up to $25,000 each) of the initial capital costs of renewable energy installations to family owned working properties, initially in the fourteen most western and northern shires in Queensland. Rebates above $175,000 will be considered on an individual basis. For further information contact Mr Andrew Thomson (07) 3227 8189. Queensland's Renewable Energy Diesel Replacement Scheme (REDRS) This program has a budget of $22.3 million in RRPGP funds to provide rebates of 50% of the initial capital costs of renewable energy installations in remote areas of Queensland. Eligible target groups are: Indigenous Communities; Households; and Business. For further information on REDRS contact Mr David Drew (07) 3224 6156 RRPGP in South Australia This program has a budget of $7.6 million in RRPGP funds to provide rebates of 50% of the initial capital costs of renewable energy installations in remote areas of South Australia. Eligible target groups are: Pastoral properties and homesteads; Indigenous communities; Remote Area Energy Supply (RAES) Subsidised Public Generators; and Tourist facilities, roadhouses and small remote communities that do not qualify for assistance under the RAES scheme. For further information contact Ms Tracy Goh (08) 8226 5522, or the RRPGP information line (SA country callers only) 1800 7774 72. RRPGP in New South Wales This program has a budget of $0.78 million in RRPGP funds to provide rebates of 50% of the initial capital costs of renewable energy installations in remote areas of New South Wales. The program is restricted to applicants wishing to install more than 10 kW of renewable generation. For further information contact Ms Alison Reeve (02) 9249 6100. Indigenous Renewable Energy Services Project (Bushlight) This program has a budget of $8 million in RRPGP funds. Managed by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), the program focuses on energy issues in remote, off grid indigenous communities. The program has two objectives: increase industry capacity to service indigenous communities; and build greater understanding of renewable energy issues within communities. A leading feature of the project is the creation of mobile service teams designed to assist communities with education, advice, repairs and maintenance of renewable remote area power supply systems. For further information contact Mr Gary Wright (02) 6121 4589. Queries concerning the development or operation of individual State and Territory Government programs should be addressed to: Western Australia Evan Gray (08) 9420 5610 Sustainable Energy Development Office Northern Territory Dr Subhash Chandra (08) 8999 5440 Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development Queensland Andrew Thomson (07) 3227 8189 Environment Protection Authority Energy Advisory Service 1300 369 388 South Australia Tracy Goh (08) 8226 5522 Department of Minerals and Energy RRPGP Information line 1800 7774 72 (SA country callers only) Tasmania Phillip Clarke (03) 6233 2498 Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources New South Wales Alison Reeve (02) 9249 6100 Sustainable Energy Development Authority Online Survey Form - Take a minute to help us improve our website
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The Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, has announced new measures to alleviate the impact of rising global oil prices on Australians. They include grants of up to $2,000 to switch to LPG, and $17.2 million over three years to improve E10 blend ethanol fuel infrastructure. Speaking in Parliament House, the Prime Minister outlined the cause of higher petrol and diesel prices as a consequence of increasing global demand for oil occurring at a time when additional supply is tight. He singled out the re-emergence of China as a major factor in the increase in demand, and underinvestment as the main reason that supply cannot be increased rapidly. The Prime Minister once again said he would not lower fuel excises, saying that any benefit that might bring would be quickly devoured by further rises in global oil prices, and would leave a large hole in the Federal budget. He announced that the $1,000 grant to purchases of new vehicles equipped to run on LPG would be brought forward from 2011 to be effective immediately. In addition, he announced that conversions of private vehicles to LPG would be eligible for a $2,000 grant, also effective immediately. LPG is much cheaper than petrol in Australia, partly due to concessional tax treatment. The Prime Minister said that a six cylinder vehicle that travels 15,000 kilometres in a year would save $27 per week at current prices if converted from petrol to LPG. With the $2,000 grant, the conversion would pay for itself in four months. The cost of the eight-year program to convert vehicles from petrol to LPG, including lost excise revenue, is estimated to be $1.3 billion. On the ethanol front, the Prime Minister announced a further $17.2 million dollars over three years to help petrol retailers install or convert pumps for E10 blends. Eligible petrol stations will receive up to $10,000 towards the cost of conversion or installation, once complete, and an additional $10,000 when sales targets are met. The Prime Minister also made mention of remote communities that rely on diesel for their electricity supply. He said that the existing Renewable Remote Power Generation Programme has helped remote communities reduce their reliance on diesel, through the use of renewable energy services like wind turbines. He announced that the Government will extend this programme with an additional $123.5 million over four years, and will now include energy efficiency projects. The Prime Minister also committed an additional $135.4 million over the next five years for exploration services, searching for new oil, natural gas and geothermal reserves.
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Dec. 13: Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., has been hospitalized with symptoms initially described as stroke-like. NBC's Chip Reid reports. NBC, MSNBC and news services WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota was hospitalized Wednesday, weeks before his party was to take control of the Senate by a one-vote margin. But by evening, his condition was unclear, with conflicting reports over whether he had suffered a stroke. The one thing that appeared to be true was that Johnson had some undiagnosed illness that has left him with difficulty speaking and moving. The Washington Post reported that Johnson was undergoing surgery. Johnson, who turns 60 on Dec. 28, was admitted to George Washington University Hospital, said Julianne Fisher, Johnson's communications director. The illness was initially thought to be a stroke. Story continues below ↓ advertisement advertisement Fisher later said, however, that Johnson did not suffer a stroke or heart attack. Other sources, said Johnson had. In a statement late Wednesday, Fisher said, "Senator Johnson continues to undergo testing and procedures at George Washington University Hospital. We expect to have more information in the morning." Admiral John Eisold, attending physician of the U.S. Capitol, issued a statement saying Johnson was admitted to the hospital "with the symptoms of a stroke." While many on Capitol Hill voiced frustration about the lack of immediate information, aides noted the senator promptly received medical attention after feeling ill earlier in the day. "He has great doctors looking after him," one aide said. Johnson became disoriented during a conference call with reporters at midday Wednesday, stuttering in response to a question. He appeared to recover, asking if there were any additional questions before ending the call. Fisher said he walked back to his Capitol office after the call with reporters but appeared to not be feeling well. The Capitol physician was called, and Johnson was taken by ambulance to George Washington University Hospital for evaluation. A statement released by Johnson's office then said, in part, "At this stage, he is undergoing a comprehensive evaluation by the stroke team. Further details will be forthcoming when more is known." Filling a vacated Senate seat Democrats won a 51-49 majority in the November election. South Dakota’s Republican governor, Mike Rounds, would appoint a replacement to serve until the 2008 election should Johnson die or resign. The appointment would last until the next general election — in this case, 2008. Johnson's term expires that year. The 17th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says state legislatures can give their governors the power to appoint someone else to take over, but only in the case of "vacancies." What's a vacancy? Clearly death or resignation, but history suggests not much else. Serious illness doesn't count. Under the rules of the Senate, tie votes are settled by the vote of the vice president — currently Republican Dick Cheney — effectively giving control of the Senate to the Republicans. Previous cases The Senate historian's office cites several examples of a senator being incapacitated for years and remaining in office. Most recently, Sen. Karl Mundt (coincidentally, also from South Dakota) suffered a stroke in 1969 and was incapacitated, but he refused to step down. He remained in office until January 1973, when his term expired. Mundt was pressured repeatedly to step down during his illness, but he demanded that the governor promise to appoint his wife. The governor refused, and Mundt remained in office. Another example was Sen. Carter Glass, D-Va. Glass had a heart condition that prevented him from working for most of his last term after his re-election in 1942. Yet Glass refused to resign, and finally died of congestive heart failure in May 1946, in his apartment at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. ||||| Adjust font size: WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Tim Johnson, D-South Dakota, was hospitalized Wednesday after he suffered stroke-like symptoms in his Washington office, his staff said. Johnson, who turns 60 on December 28, was taken to George Washington University Hospital by ambulance about 11:30 a.m., sources in his office said. A statement issued by Johnson's office said he was suffering from a "possible stroke." "At this stage he is undergoing a comprehensive evaluation by the stroke team," the statement said. Staffers said that Johnson was conscious when he was transported to the hospital. A lawyer and longtime state lawmaker, Johnson was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986. He served five terms before he was elected to the Senate in 1996. He is the senior senator from South Dakota and serves on numerous committees, including appropriations, budget, banking, energy and natural resources, and Indian affairs. Should Johnson not be able to complete his term, which ends in 2008, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds, a Republican, could appoint his replacement, which could shift the balance of power in the Senate. Johnson battled prostate cancer in 2004, and after surgery, tests showed he no longer had the disease, according to his Web site. ||||| CAPITOL HILL South Dakota Democratic Senator Tim Johnson is being checked out at a Washington hospital after suffering a possible stroke. A statement issued by his office said he's been taken to George Washington University Hospital, where he is undergoing a comprehensive evaluation by the stroke team.Johnson turns 60 later this month.If he were to become unable to serve, it could halt the scheduled Democratic takeover of the Senate. South Dakota's governor, who would appoint any temporary replacement, is a Republican.Democrats are scheduled to hold a narrow 51-to-49 margin as a result of last month's election.Johnson is in his second term and is one of the more reserved members of the Senate, rarely taking center stage at news conferences. ||||| Dec. 14: NBC News analyst and moderator of "Meet the Press" talks with "Today" show anchor Meredith Vieira about Sen. Johnson's illness. Dec. 14: Sen. Tim Johnson, D-SD, is recovering after he underwent emergency brain surgery to treat a congenital malformation. NBC’s Mike Viqueira has the latest on his condition. WASHINGTON - Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson was "appropriately responsive to both word and touch" half a day after successful emergency brain surgery, but still leaving active the political drama over whether his illness could cost Democrats newly won control of the Senate. Admiral John Eisold, Attending Physician of the United States Capitol released a statement Thursday afternoon saying Thompson "continued to have an uncomplicated post-operative course. Specifically, he has been appropriately responsive to both word and touch. No further surgical intervention has been required." The South Dakota senator, 59, suffered from bleeding in the brain caused by a congenital malformation, the U.S. Capitol physician said. Story continues below ↓ advertisement advertisement The condition, usually present at birth, causes tangled blood vessels that can burst unexpectedly later in life. Control of the Senate Democrats hold a fragile 51-49 margin in the new Senate that convenes Jan. 4. If Johnson leaves the Senate, the Republican governor of South Dakota could appoint a Republican to fill the remaining two years of Johnson's term - keeping the Senate in GOP hands with Vice President Dick Cheney's tie-breaking power. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid visited Johnson in the hospital Thursday morning and said afterward he was confident the senator would recover fully. Asked about whether Democratic control of the Senate might be jeopardized, Reid said, "There isn't a thing that's changed." Reid refused to comment on Johnson's medical condition, declining to even answer a question on whether the senator was conscious. "To me he looked very good," Reid said. Symptoms caught early Johnson was taken to the hospital on Wednesday after becoming disoriented during a conference phone call with reporters. At first, he answered questions normally but then began to stutter. He paused, then continued stammering before appearing to recover and ending the call. "The senator is recovering without complication," said Adm. John Eisold, the Capitol physician. "It is premature to determine whether further surgery will be required or to assess any long-term prognosis." Eisold said doctors stopped bleeding in Johnson's brain and drained the blood that had accumulated there. NBC VIDEO • What struck Johnson? Dec. 14: Dr. Nancy Snyderman talks with "Today" show anchor Matt Lauer about what could have happened to Sen. Tim Johnson. Today show Johnson's condition, also known as AVM, or arteriovenous malformation, causes arteries and veins to grow abnormally large and become tangled. The condition is believed to affect about 300,000 Americans, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The institute's Web site said only about 12 percent of the people with the condition experience symptoms, ranging in severity. It kills about 3,000 people a year. The senator's wife, Barbara Johnson, said the family "is encouraged and optimistic." In a statement from Johnson's office Thursday, she said her family was "grateful for the prayers and good wishes of friends, supporters and South Dakotans." A person familiar with Johnson's situation said surgery began late Wednesday night and ended around 12:30 a.m. Thursday and that the next 24 to 48 hours would be critical in determining Johnson's condition. The person spoke on condition of anonymity out of respect for the senator's family. If Johnson were forced to relinquish his seat, a replacement would be named by South Dakota's GOP Gov. Mike Rounds. A Republican appointee would create a 50-50 tie, and allow the GOP to retain Senate control. However, Senate historian Don Ritchie said senators serve out their terms unless they resign or die. Nine senators have remained in the Senate even though illnesses kept them away from the chamber for six months or more. Rounds' press secretary, Mark Johnston, said Thursday the governor had nothing new to say. "We're watching as much as everyone else," he said. The governor, elected to a second four-year term last month, has been widely seen as the Republican candidate with the best chance to challenge Johnson in two years. Other than Rounds himself, top possibilities if a replacement senator were needed include Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard and state Public Utilities Commission Chairman Dusty Johnson, considered a rising star in the Republican Party. Retiring GOP legislative leaders, such as state House Speaker Matthew Michels and Senate Majority Leader Eric Bogue, also might be considered. Johnson, who turns 60 later this month, was admitted to George Washington University hospital at midday after experiencing what his office initially said was a possible stroke. His spokeswoman, Julianne Fisher, later told reporters that it had been determined that the senator had suffered neither a stroke nor a heart attack. Fisher said that after making the conference call with reporters from the recording studio in the basement of the Capitol, he then walked back to his office but appeared to not be feeling well. The Capitol physician came to his office and examined him, and it was decided he should go to the hospital. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance around noon, Fisher said. "It was caught very early," she said. A brain specialist not involved with Johnson's care said there's no way to know until Johnson is awake and able to answer questions how much lingering damage, if any, the bleeding may have caused. Still, while he'll remain in intensive care for a while, "he has every chance of recovery," said Dr. William Bank, who treats AVM and other neurovascular disorders at Washington Hospital Center. Political ramifications Johnson is up for re-election in 2008. In 1969, another South Dakota senator, Karl Mundt, a Republican, suffered a stroke while in office. Mundt continued to serve until the end of his term in January 1973, although he was unable to attend Senate sessions and was stripped of his committee assignments by the Senate Republican Conference in 1972. Johnson, who was elected in 1996, holds the same seat previously held by Mundt. South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson said there were no special restrictions on an appointment by the governor and a replacement would not have to be from the same political party. The Senate last convened with a perfect balance of 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats in January 2001. Then, the two parties struck a power-sharing agreement that gave control of the Senate to Republicans but gave Democrats equal representation on committees. That arrangement lasted only until June 2001, when Vermont Republican James Jeffords became an independent who chose to vote with Democrats on organizational matters, giving Democrats control until Republicans won back the Senate in the 2002 midterm elections. Johnson, a centrist Democrat, was first elected to the Senate in 1996 after serving 10 years in the House. He narrowly defeated Republican John Thune in his 2002 re-election bid. Thune defeated Sen. Tom Daschle, the former Senate Democratic leader, two years later. Johnson is in line to become chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee. He underwent prostate cancer treatment in 2004, and subsequent tests have shown him to be clear of the disease. Johnson is the second senator to become ill after the Nov. 7 election. Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas, a Republican, was diagnosed with leukemia on Election Day. He is back at work. © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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U.S. Senator Tim Johnson Tim Johnson, a United States Democratic Senator from South Dakota, reportedly suffered a stroke at about 11:30 this morning. However, subsequent tests revealed that the senator did not suffer a stroke or a heart attack. He was transported to George Washington University Hospital by ambulance, where he was diagnosed with a congenital arteriovenous malformation and underwent brain surgery. He is currently "recovering without complications" and "appropriately responsive to both word and touch" but it still in critical condition and being monitored. Additional surgery may be required. Currently, the US Senate is controlled by the Republican Party; however, when the Senate reconvenes after the recent midterm elections the Democrats will have a one senator majority. Under the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, state legislatures can give their governor the power to appoint someone else to take over, but this power can only be used in cases where the senator vacates his seat. Historically, this applies to death or resignation, but serious illness does not count. Should Johnson die or resign, the Republican governor, Mike Rounds, will likely appoint a Republican in Johnson's place. This would bring the Senate to a 50-50 tie for organizational purposes and give Vice President Dick Cheney the tie-breaking vote, thus letting the Republicans control the Senate. This appointment would last until the end of Johnson's term, in 2008. If he does not recover the senate has the power to force him out, but historically the senate has not done so. On Nov. 23, 1969, GOP Sen. Karl Mundt of South Dakota, who previously held Johnson's seat, had a debilitating stroke. He later endured months of speech and physical therapy at his Washington home. Mundt's wife, Mary, refused to vacate the seat despite pressure from the state's Republicans. Mund remained formally in his seat until his term expired in 1973. In the past multiple other senators have become incapacitated for months or even years and kept their seat, but party control of the senate was not involved.
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The Trump administration is not extending its waiver of the Jones Act for Puerto Rico, after it expired Sunday night. The Homeland Security Department (DHS) told CBS News in a statement that the department believes the waiver isn't necessary at this time. The act requires that goods shipped between U.S. ports be carried by ships built and operated by Americans, or be subject to tariffs and fees. "We believe that extending the waiver is unnecessary to support the humanitarian relief efforts on the island," Homeland Security Press Secretary David Lapan wrote. "There is an ample supply of Jones Act-qualified vessels to ensure that cargo is able to reach Puerto Rico." That said, DHS said it will review requests for individual ships on a case-by-case basis and will "respond quickly if a non-Jones Act qualified vessel is needed for a 'national defense'-related need." So far, says DHS, "14 vessels notified us and three have completed their movements." Under the waiver, they will still have until Oct. 18 to complete their deliveries. Just one of the vessels is under contract with FEMA, while most of the humanitarian relief supplies are being delivered by DHS, FEMA and DOD ships, or ships eligible under the Jones Act. The administration had announced on Sept. 28 that the Jones Act would be waived for the island, which suffered enormous damage from Hurricane Maria. DHS had faced pressure from lawmakers including Sens. John McCain and Marco Rubio to waive the act in order to speed up the shipment of aid to Puerto Rico. However, CBS News' Major Garrett pointed out that the problem may not have been supply -- given that thousands of shipping containers filled with medicine, food and construction equipment sat at the ports for days because there were no trucks or truck drivers or open roads to distribute the supplies after the hurricane. ||||| Trump’s Jones Act waiver won’t be renewed, Department of Homeland Security confirms, with tariffs once again driving up price of supplies A waiver enabling foreign ships to deliver supplies to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico has expired and will not be renewed, it was confirmed on Monday, dealing a fresh blow to the US territory as it struggles to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. In the wake of the hurricane, millions of Americans have been without access to clean water, electricity, fuel and medicines. Donald Trump, who initially came under fire for being slow in his response to the crisis in Puerto Rico, temporarily waived the Jones Act – a 1920 law stating that all goods sent between US ports be carried on ships built, owned and operated by the US – on 28 September. But the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the waiver expired on Sunday and would not be extended “at this time”, meaning Puerto Rico will once more be subject to restrictions under the act. Experts have said the Jones Act has resulted in high tariffs on foreign ships delivering goods to Puerto Rico, doubling the price of consumer goods when compared with neighboring islands that are not subject to the law. Trump’s decision to temporarily waive the law, which came amid mounting pressure from local officials in Puerto Rico and the Arizona senator John McCain, had eased the way for foreign ships to deliver crucial supplies, such as food and gasoline, more expeditiously and at a lower cost. The White House did not immediately return a request for comment when asked about the waiver’s expiration. Puerto Rico’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló, said on Monday that much of the island remained without basic utilities. Water supplies have been restored to just 60% of Puerto Rico’s residents, while only 15% of people on the island had electricity, three weeks after the hurricane hit. The storm’s death toll rose in recent days to 36, with officials cautioning that dozens of bodies had yet to be included in the government’s count. In a letter to congressional leaders on Monday, Rosselló requested US lawmakers approve roughly $1.4bn in funding to aid recovery efforts. The governor also ordered an investigation into the mishandling of food and water delivery to municipalities amid complaints from some areas that supplies were not being received. Trump paid a visit to Puerto Rico last week, where he was criticized for throwing paper towels to survivors and claiming the island should be “proud” of having far fewer deaths than Hurricane Katrina. The president defended his tone in an interview with Trinity Broadcasting Network on Saturday, telling the host and former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee: “I was having fun, they were having fun, they said: ‘Throw them to me, throw them to me, Mr President.’ “So the next day they said, ‘Oh, it was so disrespectful to the people.’ It was just a made-up thing and also … when I walked in the cheering was incredible.” Last week, the Trump administration sought a $29bn funding package from Congress that would be allocated toward areas affected by recent hurricanes, including Puerto Rico, Texas and Florida. The money would also go toward fighting devastation caused by wildfires tearing through California. The House is poised to vote on legislation this week that would meet the request. Some lawmakers, including McCain, have also called on Congress to permanently retire Jones Act restrictions on Puerto Rico. McCain, who has co-sponsored a bill to do so, said Monday the expiration of the waiver made his bill all the more urgent. “Now that the temporary Jones Act waiver for Puerto Rico has expired, it is more important than ever for Congress to pass my bill to permanently exempt Puerto Rico from this archaic and burdensome law,” McCain said in a statement to HuffPost. “Until we provide Puerto Rico with long-term relief, the Jones Act will continue to hinder much-needed efforts to help the people of Puerto Rico recover and rebuild from Hurricane Maria.” ||||| Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE Hurricane Maria's destruction of Puerto Rico resurfaced a disturbing fact. More than half of Americans don't realize Puerto Rico is a U.S. commonwealth. USA TODAY The U.S. and Puerto Rican flags wave in front of the governor's mansion in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, on June 29, 2015. (Photo: Ricardo Arduengo, AP) The destruction wrought by Hurricane Maria on the 3.4 million residents of Puerto Rico resurfaced a disturbing fact – many Americans don't know the first thing about the Caribbean island. A USA Today/Suffolk University poll conducted in March found that fewer than half of Americans (47%) believe that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth. They are. Instead, 30% of the people surveyed thought residents of the island are citizens of Puerto Rico. Another 21% just didn't know where the people of Puerto Rico belong. That may help explain why the nation rallied behind the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Hurricane Irma in Florida, but have not responded in the same way to the victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. "What I fear is that the federal government is not stepping up as fully and as quickly as we must," Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., whose parents are Puerto Rican, said on the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday. "We need an air lift. We need an effort the scale of Dunkirk. We need the federal government to go all in." President Trump announced Tuesday morning that he will visit the island next week, but confusion remains. So what exactly is Puerto Rico? Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE Puerto Ricans are trying to make contact with relatives and friends after Hurricane Maria knocked out power and telephone services. Hundreds of other residents and tourists packed San Juan Airport on Sunday, which is barely functioning. (Sept. 25) AP It's a U.S. commonwealth Puerto Rico first became a U.S. territory following the Spanish-American War, which was ignited by the explosion of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898. The war ended with the U.S. acquiring many of Spain's possessions, including Cuba, Guam, the Philippines and Puerto Rico. In 1952, Puerto Ricans adopted a new constitution, which established the current relationship of Puerto Rico as a commonwealth of the United States. Under that arrangement, Puerto Rico shares many similarities to U.S. states. Its residents elect their own legislative assembly, a governor, and a representative to the U.S. House of Representatives. But unlike U.S. states, Puerto Ricans on the island cannot vote in presidential elections, and their representative in the House — known as a resident commissioner — has no vote. The island also has a Federal Affairs Administration, based in Washington, D.C., which represents the island before the federal government, the 50 state governments and U.S. businesses. Its residents are U.S. citizens In 1917, the U.S. Congress passed the Jones–Shafroth Act, which grants U.S. citizenship to anyone born on the island. As U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans can freely travel and move to the U.S. mainland without a passport or a visa. For Puerto Ricans, traveling to the mainland is the same as a New Yorker crossing into New Jersey or flying to Hawaii. Thousands of Puerto Ricans have taken advantage of that in recent years as the island's finances have crumbled. From 2006 to 2015, about 445,000 left the island for the mainland, more than 10% of the island's population, according to the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute. Most of them live in New York, Florida, and New Jersey. As citizens, Puerto Ricans can also volunteer to serve, or be drafted into, the military. About 18,000 Puerto Ricans served in World War I, 65,000 in World War II, 61,000 in the Korean War, and 48,000 in Vietnam, according to Puerto Rico's former governor Luis Fortuño. Puerto Ricans get some, but not all, federal benefits As U.S. citizens, Puerto Ricans receive many of the same financial benefits, and liabilities, of their mainland counterparts. They pay most federal taxes, including payroll, Social Security and Medicare taxes. But they do not pay federal personal income taxes. Puerto Ricans receive many, but not all, federal benefits. For example, the federal government matches 100% of Medicaid funding for people living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, but matches only 57.2% of Medicaid expenditures for residents of Puerto Rico. Congress has also capped annual Medicaid spending in Puerto Rico. Finances in Puerto Rico were dire even before Maria hit Hurricane Maria hit the island at the worst possible time as the government was already grappling with a historic economic crisis that has forced the closure of schools, hospitals and other government services. In May, an oversight board appointed to manage the crisis filed for the equivalency of bankruptcy protection. The government is being crushed by $74 billion in debts and $49 billion in pension liabilities, but its creditors are worried the island will default on its payments. Even Trump raised that concern in a series of tweets Monday night lamenting the "billions of dollars owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with." Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2xyf5PH ||||| Large amounts of federal aid began moving into Puerto Rico on Saturday, as the island tried to recover from a battering by hurricane Maria. Local officials praised the Trump administration’s response but also called for the emergency loosening of rules long blamed for condemning the US territory to second-class economic status. Crisis grows in Puerto Rico as towns without water, power and phone service Read more In the north-west of the island, people began returning to their homes after a spillway eased pressure on a dam that cracked after more than 1ft of rain fell in the wake of the hurricane. Though water continued to pour out of rain-swollen Lake Guajataca, the dam had not burst by Saturday night. Upstream of the towns of Quebradillas and Isabela, the state of the dam had prompted stern official warnings from Governor Ricardo Rossello and the US National Weather Service (NWS). Federal officials said Friday that 70,000 people would have to be evacuated, although Javier Jimenez, mayor of the nearby town of San Sebastian, said he believed the number was far smaller. Secretary of Public Affairs Ramon Rosario said about 300 families were in harm’s way. The NWS extended a flash flood watch for communities along the rain-swollen Guajataca River until 2pm local time on Sunday. If the dam failed, the NWS warned, the flooding would be life-threatening. “Stay away or be swept away,” it said. The governor said there was “significant damage” to the dam and authorities believed it could give way at any moment. “We don’t know how long it’s going to hold,” Rossello said. “The integrity of the structure has been compromised in a significant way.” Some residents nonetheless returned to their homes on Saturday as water levels in the reservoir began to sink. “There were a lot of people worried and crying, but that’s natural, because the reservoir was about to break through,” said Maria Nieves, 43. “They couldn’t open the spillway until later in the night.” The 345-yard dam, which was built around 1928, holds back a man-made lake covering about two square miles. More than 15in of rain from Maria fell on the surrounding mountains. The aid effort quickened with the opening of the island’s main port in the capital, San Juan, allowing 11 ships to bring in 1.6 million gallons of water, 23,000 cots, dozens of generators and food. Dozens more shipments are expected in upcoming days. The federal aid effort is racing to stem a growing crisis in towns left without water, fuel, electricity or phone service. Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) said they would take satellite phones to all of Puerto Rico’s towns and cities, more than half of which were cut off. The island’s infrastructure was in sorry shape long before Maria struck. A $73bn debt crisis has left agencies like the state power company broke. As a result the power company abandoned most basic maintenance in recent years, leaving the island subject to regular blackouts. A federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico’s finances authorized up to $1bn in local funds to be used for hurricane response, but Governor Rossello said he would ask for more. “We’re going to request waivers and other mechanisms so Puerto Rico can respond to this crisis,” he said. “Puerto Rico will practically collect no taxes in the next month.” Play Video 0:25 Puerto Rico: dam wall cracks on Lake Guajataca - video US representative Nydia Velazquez of New York said she would request a one-year waiver from the Jones Act, a federal law blamed for driving up prices on Puerto Rico by requiring cargo shipments to move only on US vessels as a means of supporting the US maritime industry. “We will use all our resources,” Velazquez said. “We need to make Puerto Rico whole again. These are American citizens.” Hurricane Maria adds to damage caused by Irma on Turks and Caicos Read more Rossello said Maria would clearly cost more than the last major storm to hit the island, Hurricane George in September 1998. “This is without a doubt the biggest catastrophe in modern history for Puerto Rico,” he said. Rossello and other officials praised the federal government for planning its response before the storm hit, a contrast with what Puerto Rico has long seen as the neglect of 3.4 million Americans in a territory without a vote in Congress or the electoral college. “This is the first time we get this type of federal coordination,” said Jenniffer Gonzalez, Puerto Rico’s non-voting representative in Washington. Officials said 1,360 of the island’s 1,600 cellphone towers were down, and 85% of above-ground and underground phone and internet cables were knocked out. With roads blocked and phones dead, officials said, the situation may worsen. At least 31 lives in all have been lost around the Caribbean due to Maria, including at least 15 on hard-hit Dominica. Haiti reported three deaths; Guadeloupe two; and the Dominican Republic one. Across Puerto Rico, more than 15,000 people were in shelters, including some 2,000 rescued from the north coastal town of Toa Baja. Many Puerto Ricans planned to head to the mainland to temporarily escape the devastation. ||||| Image copyright AFP Image caption Winds have been lashing coastal cities like Fajardo as Hurricane Maria approaches Puerto Rico Hurricane Maria, the second maximum-strength Atlantic storm of the season, has reached the southernmost Virgin Islands as it heads for Puerto Rico. The category five hurricane began lashing St Croix in its north-westerly path across the Caribbean. On Monday it inflicted substantial damage on Dominica and the first aerial images of the island have emerged. The storm briefly weakened to a four but is now again packing top sustained winds of 280km/h (175mph). The storm is moving roughly along the same track as Irma, this season's other category five hurricane. The governor of Puerto Rico, a US territory, has told the island's 3.5 million people to seek shelter with the hurricane poised to make landfall around 8am local time (1300 GMT). Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Hurricane Maria brought high winds to Guadeloupe Officials there fear the debris left by Irma earlier this month could now prove extremely dangerous in the winds of Maria. There are also concerns that heavy rain could cause landslides in some places, and that a predicted storm surge of up to 9 feet (2.7m) could swamp low-lying areas. Puerto Rico has been a haven for people fleeing other storm-ravaged Caribbean islands in recent weeks. Hundreds of shelters have been set up by the authorities. What do we know of the damage on Dominica? Image copyright AFP Image caption Hurricane Maria early on Tuesday The first aerial footage of the island confirms "significant damage", Ronald Jackson of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency says. It shows flattened buildings, rivers which have burst their banks and a flooded runway. Dominica has been virtually cut off with telecommunications severed, but local amateur radio operators say more than 90% of properties have been damaged. The former British colony, which has a population of 72,000 and is less than 50km long and 25km wide, escaped the worst of Hurricane Irma two weeks ago. But on Monday the eye of the new category five storm passed directly over. The last communication from the island was from Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit just as the storm struck late on Monday, when he said in a Facebook post that the winds had swept away the roofs of "almost every person I have spoken to or otherwise made contact with." Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Hurricane Maria tracks towards Puerto Rico Where else has Maria passed? The French territory of Martinique has been hit by power cuts but is thought to have escaped serious damage. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage from Martinique shows early devastating winds Images show flooding in the French territory of Guadeloupe, where one person was killed by a falling tree. At least two others were missing after their ship sank near Desirade, the easternmost island in the archipelago. Officials described weather conditions as "very bad" with violent winds. About 80,000 homes were without power there, a government statement said. There are reports of flooding, mudslides and power outages in parts of St Lucia. Where next? A storm surge - rising seawater coming in from the coast - is expected to bring "life-threatening" swells of up to 9ft (2.7m) above ground in the US and British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, National Hurricane Center forecasters in the US said. Heavy rainfall of around 25in (63cm) was expected near Puerto Rico and up to 20in in the US and British Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico's public safety commissioner, Hector Pesquera, issued a stern warning to island residents. "You have to evacuate. Otherwise, you're going to die," he said. "I don't know how to make this any clearer." Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello warned the storm could be "devastating and catastrophic", adding that he expected to lose a lot of infrastructure. Tropical storm warnings were issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St Eustatius, St Martin, Anguilla and Martinique. UK territories prepare for worst How did Maria gather strength so fast? Maria jumped from a category three to a top-strength category five within just a few hours on Monday, which was a shock for people in Dominica. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Why are there so many hurricanes? The BBC's David Shukman explains A factor in its rapid development is that local sea surface temperatures are currently anomalously high by a margin of around one to two degrees, says BBC weather forecaster Steve Cleaton. The elevated sea surface temperature will have contributed to the rapid development of this system, in concert with other very favourable atmospheric conditions within the locale such as low wind shear, our meteorologist adds. Will Irma relief work be affected? Some islands in Maria's path escaped the worst of Hurricane Irma and have been used as bases to distribute relief to places that were not so fortunate. Now there are concerns that this work could be jeopardised if they are badly hit, too. Image copyright AFP / Getty Images Image caption Puerto Ricans have been preparing in the capital, San Juan Guadeloupe has been a bridgehead for aid going to Irma-hit French territories, while Puerto Rico has also been offering crucial assistance to its neighbours. Overseas forces mobilise Britain, France, the US and the Netherlands all have overseas territories in the Caribbean. The British government said more than 1,300 troops were staying put in the region and an additional military team had been deployed. A 42-strong military resilience team has also been deployed to the British Virgin Islands. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Watch: The islanders caught between hurricanes French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told AFP that 110 more soldiers would be sent to the region to reinforce about 3,000 people already there. The Dutch navy tweeted that troops were heading to Saba and St Eustatius to bolster security amid fears of potential looting. US President Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, where the US military has been evacuating personnel. Are you in an area affected by Hurricane Maria? If it's safe to do so, you can share your experience by emailing [email protected]. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: ||||| Don’t start stitching that 51st star on the American flag just yet. Although 97 percent of voters in a Puerto Rico referendum on June 11 voted to start down the path of statehood, the chance of the island becoming a state is still, at best, a long shot. Optimism was the word of the day among supporters of Puerto Rico statehood after this most recent victory, in this high-profile plebiscite. Among revelers waving American flags Sunday night, Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello—the leader of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party—echoed sentiments that the referendum’s message was clear. “The United States of America will have to obey the will of our people!,” he told the crowd. Related Stories The Historical Exclusion Behind the Puerto Rico Bankruptcy Crisis Testing Territorial Limits On the mainland, the jubilation continued to reverberate. In a statement on Monday, Congressman José E. Serrano, who was born in Puerto Rico, celebrated the results of the plebiscite and claimed it as final proof that “Congress has a duty to listen and act upon these results so that Puerto Rico can be decolonized once and for all.” That same day, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer acknowledged the vote as a first step, saying “now that the people have spoken in Puerto Rico, this is something that Congress has to address.” To that end, Puerto Rico’s nonvoting Resident Commissioner in the House of Representatives, Jenniffer González, is drafting a statehood bill, and statehood advocates have been making the rounds on the Hill this week imploring Congress to move the matter forward. All that enthusiasm is probably for naught. In reality, Sunday’s vote didn’t actually signal imminent statehood for Puerto Rico, in spite of the huge margin of victory and insistences from proponents that it would force the issue in Congress. In fact, some observers think the resounding victory of statehood might have actually hurt the long-term prospects of the legislative body finally allowing Puerto Rico fully into the Union. “To make a long story short, the prospects are between zero and negative-10 percent,” says Carlos Iván Gorrín Peralta, a professor at the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico and a territorial-law scholar. At the end of the day, it’s the cynical calculations of politics in Washington that will determine Puerto Rico’s status. Although proponents of statehood sometimes cast the referendum as an automatic trigger for congressional review, the facts are that Congress is not bound by any aspect of the referendum vote on Sunday, and that Puerto Rico’s right to self-determination—while an important theoretical international legal concept and germane to its own territorial constitution—simply does not exist in federal legislative terms. Puerto Rico occupies an uncertain political status, one different from the 37 states added to the original 13 United States by Congress. “All 37 [entry] processes have followed the scheme set out way back in 1787 in the Northwest Ordinance,” says Gorrín. “They were all annexed as part of the United States, designated from that moment to become states eventually.” The landmass of the continental United States, as well as the archipelago of Hawaii and the territory of Alaska, were all added to the U.S. with the legal understanding that they would be eligible to become states, which meant that Congress had clear pathways—including the use of referenda and self-determination—for declaring and granting statehood. ||||| ONE of the little-noticed results of the Nov. 6 elections was a plebiscite held in Puerto Rico on the island’s relationship with the United States. The outcome was murky, much like the last century’s worth of political history between Washington and San Juan, and the mainland’s confused or disinterested attitude toward Puerto Rico that abetted it. Ever since the United States invaded Puerto Rico in 1898 and then was handed the island by Spain as part of the settlement for the Spanish-American War, the island’s people — American citizens since the passage of the Jones Act in 1917 — have been continuously put in situations where they are simultaneously auditioning for statehood, agitating for independence, and making the very best of living in limbo. Despite what my name suggests, I am Puerto Rican. I grew up with a mother from the island and a Scots-Irish father in a small town in rural North Carolina, at a time when there were so few Hispanics in the area that my mom liked to go to a Mexican restaurant just to speak some Spanish. That was 20-odd years ago. The local Latino population has grown so much since then that my mom, who retired two years ago, was able to work for a decade as a translator for the local school system. I was used to being “discovered” as Puerto Rican. Sometimes when this happened, I’d be called upon to explain things. In fourth grade, that meant being assigned to give the class — half black kids, and half white kids — a show-and-tell presentation on Puerto Rico and its strange status as a self-ruling commonwealth, with its own governor and legislature, the American president as its head of state, but whose residents lack a vote in national presidential elections or voting representation in Congress despite being American citizens. I was asked, “Do you eat a lot of tacos?” The answer, “Probably not any more than you do.” I was also asked, by one of the two dark-haired girls that I had a crush on, this one a doctor’s daughter, “Why don’t we just sell it?” Even fourth graders can be left speechless. It later occurred to me that I should have answered: “You can’t just sell it. It’s not your beach house!” If Puerto Rico were our beach house, we’d pay more attention to it. It has long been conventional wisdom among many Puerto Ricans that the status quo will hold because neither of the American national parties has decided that converting the island into a state would benefit them politically. Paired with this is the conventional wisdom that the Republican Party doesn’t actually want nearly four million more Hispanic voters, and their corresponding electoral votes, at play in national elections. (Both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum did pronounce themselves pro-statehood when courting votes — and fund-raising dollars — on the island during last year’s Republican primaries.) When Spain granted Puerto Rico to the United States in 1898, President William McKinley initiated a project that he defined as “benevolent assimilation” on an island filled with people who already had a strong identity of their own and who, of course, primarily spoke Spanish. Some of the same people who had resisted rule by Spain, and who had even achieved an extremely brief autonomy — nine months — for the island before the American Navy’s arrival, continued to resist rule by the United States. Among them was a family member — the poet, journalist and statesman Luis Muñoz Rivera. It was during the Spanish reign that he had written, “Annexionism had always seemed to me absurd, depressing and inconceivable.” Though Mr. Muñoz Rivera continued to make the case for autonomy, he was also essential in the creation of some useful accommodations to American rule, like the Jones Act.
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According to the United States on Monday, Puerto Rico's exemption from the , which temporarily lifted the rule requiring that only U.S.-owned ships might carry goods between U.S. ports, was allowed to expire on Sunday rather than being renewed. The island commonwealth had been given a temporary exemption from this law to allow foreign ships to aid the delivery of relief supplies after , which struck Puerto Rico last month. Puerto Ricans and lawmakers had asked for an extension of the waiver in light of the island's current difficulties. "We believe that extending the waiver is unnecessary to support the humanitarian relief efforts on the island... There is an ample supply of Jones Act-qualified vessels to ensure that cargo is able to reach Puerto Rico," reads a statement from Homeland Security Press Secretary David Lapan. The Jones Act of 1920 requires that all ships carrying cargo directly from one U.S. port to another must be built, operated and owned by U.S. personnel. Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth, falls under its jurisdiction. President Donald Trump issued a temporary waiver of this requirement for Puerto Rico on September 28 to help the relief effort. However, there were also concerns about supplies sitting idle in ports for lack of organized distribution and truck drivers to take them where they were needed. Some foreign ships may take until October 18 to complete deliveries. Republicans Marco Rubio and John McCain were among those in the U.S. Congress who had urged President Trump to issue the waiver, though McCain supported making the exemption permanent: "Now that the temporary Jones Act waiver for Puerto Rico has expired, it is more important than ever for Congress to pass my bill to permanently exempt Puerto Rico from this archaic and burdensome law," he told the ''Huffington Post''. "Until we provide Puerto Rico with long-term relief, the Jones Act will continue to hinder much-needed efforts to help the people of Puerto Rico recover and rebuild from Hurricane Maria." In September, Puerto Rico was nicked by the same that left Florida in disarray but then pummeled head-on by Hurricane Maria. The crisis displaced thousands of people and led to extraordinary rainfall and flash flood scares after a large crack appeared in the Guajataca Dam. According to Governor Ricardo Rosselló, 85% of residents remain without electricity, and many also still lack access to running water. Puerto Rico was colonized by Spain and came under U.S. control in the in 1898, along with Guam and the Philippines. Every person born in Puerto Rico is a United States citizen by birth. Puerto Rican residents do not participate in national elections, hold no seats in the , and have a non-voting representative in the U.S. congress. Mostly, they are exempt from but not other federal taxes. Every few years, the Puerto Ricans hold a referendum to determine whether they wish to remain a commonwealth, seek U.S. statehood, or seek independence in some form. In June, 97% of voters selected the second option, though turnout was low, and Congress is not legally required to obey their wishes.
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Police officers in an undated file photo. A father and son were named among the victims of a triple shooting in Hertfordshire, police said on Thursday. REUTERS/File LONDON (Reuters) - A father and son were named among the victims of a triple shooting in Hertfordshire, police said on Thursday. Keith Cowell, 52, and his son Matthew, 17, were found dead at a house in Bishop’s Stortford on Tuesday evening. The third victim, a 33-year-old from Billericay, in Essex, was named as Tony Dulieu. Two women, aged 54 and 23, who have not been named, are in a serious but stable condition in hospital. A three-year-old girl was found in the house unharmed and is being cared for by child protection officers. Police have described the shooting as a disturbing and targeted attack and are searching for two young Asian men who were seen leaving the house. ||||| · Three men shot dead, two women seriously injured · Hunt for pair seen driving up to Hertfordshire house. A three-year-old girl was under police guard last night after a gunman burst into a house she was in and shot dead three men and wounded two women in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. Detectives were last night hunting two Asian men who witnesses said had driven up to the house just before the shooting. One is described as entering the house, before returning to the red car where an accomplice was waiting. The vehicle then sped off. Neighbours described hearing a series of bangs at about 9.30pm on Tuesday evening. Police say the victims had been targeted by the gunmen, whom they probably knew. Police did not name those shot but official records and neighbours said the house was occupied by Keith Cowell, 52, a taxi driver for a firm based at nearby Stansted airport. His 17-year-old son Matthew is also believed to have been shot dead as well as a 33-year-old man. Two women were left seriously wounded. Official records show that Mr Cowell's wife, Nicole, 46, lived at the house, and neighbours said the other wounded woman was the girlfriend of Matthew Cowell and the mother of the three-year-old child. The family dog, a pit bull called Glorious, was also killed. Last night the girl was being cared for by family and detectives are waiting to see if she saw anything of the attack and whether she can recall any details. Chief Superintendent Al Thomas, the area commander for east Hertfordshire police, said: "We don't underestimate the impact of these murders. We share the concern and sense of shock within the community. Early information suggests this was a targeted incident and not a random attack." Chief Constable Frank Whiteley said witnesses had described seeing two young Asian men, aged in their late teens to early 20s, driving away from the scene in a small red car towards the M11. Mr Whiteley added: "We are fairly confident that there was some knowledge between the victims and those responsible. Gun crime is low in Hertfordshire. We are a quarter down on gun crime in total this year." Gary Sanderson, spokesman for East of England Ambulance Services, said: "The three males were pronounced dead almost immediately. The women were treated rapidly and were taken to hospital with serious injuries. The little girl was carried out of the house and she was fine. "This is one of the largest scale incidents we've ever seen involving firearms." Neighbour Richard Guy, 19, who was at home when the shooting happened in Plaw Hatch Close, said: "At about 9.30pm or 9.45pm last night me and my dad heard a crash or a bang and a car reversed away quickly and sped out. "I don't know if it was a shot bang or a car bang. I thought nothing of it but then I came back from the pub at about 12 and then this had happened." Police refused to discuss a possible motive for the attack, but one resident linked it to drugs. Dean O'Connell, 20, said: "You don't expect it somewhere like this, but this estate is renowned for a little bit of drugs. Most of the trouble here, I imagine, is because of drugs. If it is drugs, the extent that it's gone to is mental." Roy Hinson, a relative of Mr Cowell, laid flowers at the scene, and said: "Keith was a great guy and so was Matt." Rosie Knight, 13, who used to walk the family's pet staffordshire bull terrier, said: "They were a lovely family. You had Keith living there with his wife and then there was their son Matty and his girlfriend Clare whose daughter Angel lived with them. "Matty and Clare were on the point of moving out. They had found their own house. It was a chance for them to start a new life together on their own." ||||| A car sped off after the shootings, one neighbour said Hertfordshire police were called to an incident at a house in Plaw Hatch Close, Bishop's Stortford, on Tuesday. Two men, aged 33 and 52, and a 17-year-old boy died at the scene. Two women, aged 23 and 54, were injured. They are in a critical but stable condition in hospital. The girl was found in the house unharmed. Police have begun a murder inquiry. Police are looking for two slim Asian men in connection with the attack. The pair were seen making off from the scene in a small red car, and were described by police as being aged in their late teens or early 20s. 'Sense of shock' Officers have been conducting a full investigation of the scene. Ch Supt Al Thomas, of Herts Police, said: "We don't underestimate the impact of these murders. "We share the concern and sense of shock within the community. "Early information suggests this was a targeted incident and not a random attack, we have no information to suggest this is part of a trend or escalation in gun crime in the county." Witnesses at the scene said a father and son had been killed in the attack, but police have not yet released the identities of the victims or their relationships. House-to-house inquires were being carried out and a forensic search of the area under way. A neighbour, Richard Guy, told BBC News: "I came back from the pub about twelve o'clock and, yeah, there was police here. "I mean, before I went out I heard a bang and a car speed off quite quickly but it's something that I hear round here quite regularly so I didn't really expect it to be anything, anything bad. "I've only been here since December. For something to this extent to happen already - it's quite a shock to everyone I think." Dean O'Connell, who also lives in the close, said: "You don't expect it somewhere like this, but this estate is renowned for a little bit of drugs - most of the trouble here, I imagine, is because of drugs."
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A three-year-old girl is under police guard following her discovery in a house which gunmen had broken into, killing three men and injuring two women, in Bishop's Stortford, England. Police announced on Wednesday that the toddler had been discovered, unharmed, when they had been called to an incident on Tuesday evening. Neighbours have said that they heard shots from the house around 2130 (BST), before observing an Asian man returning to an accomplice in a red car outside the premises. The men are believed to have been in their early twenties, and were seen fleeing the scene towards the M11 motorway. Three men were killed, aged 17, 33 and 52 and two women, aged 23 and 54, were injured. They are believed to have been victims of a targeted shooting, as opposed to a random act of violence, or burglary involving firearms.
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A study of the WebmasterWorld states that 75% of all blogs on Google's blogspot are spam. According to this study the top 15 doorway domains consist of 14 domains, where the spam percentage is over 74%. This means that in four search results of current study, three sites turned out to be spam. The researchers scanned 1000 most searched queries: 'phentermine' on blogspot.com and the query 'ringtone' on hometown.aol.com. The WebmasterWorld experts easily identified more than a half of the search results as spam. The following list shows the spam percentage on 'top doorway domains': - blogspot.com 77% - netscape.com 74% - hometown.aol.com 84% - hometown.aol.de 91% - oas.org 78% - xoomer.alice.it 77% - home.aol.com 95% - freewebs.com 52% - blogstudio.com 99% - maxpages.com 81% - usaid.gov 85% - blogsharing.com 93% - sitegr.com 100% - torospace.com 95% - blog.hix.com 100% The list shows that some of these blogs are used exclusively, or almost exclusively, for spam. The main reason for such a torrent of splogs is the fact that these sites provide blog space for free, just to attract more traffic. The next list show the spam percentage of spam sites on 'top-level domains' (TLD): - .info 68% - .biz 53% - .net 12% - .org 11% - .com 4.1% The aim of this research shows that at the moment Internet actually consists of spam and if we think about it: what would happen if certain World Wide Web structures, among which Google, Yahoo and other search engines, didn't fight spam? ||||| On a recurring theme of Internet spam, a study discussed in WebmasterWorld indicates that three out of four blogs -- or 75% -- are spam. According to the study (PDF link): ...14 of the top-15 doorway domains have a spam percentage higher than 74%; that is, 3 out of 4 unique URLs on these domains (that appeared in our search results) were detected as spam. To demonstrate the need for scrutinizing these sites, we scanned the top-1000 results from two queries – “site:blogspot.com phentermine” and “site:hometown.aol.com ringtone” – and identified more than half of the URLs as spam easily. Here is a chart from the study showing the "top doorway domains and their spam percentages (among the search results in our data)": The reason for this is the suspicion that the popular blogging service is free. One WebmasterWorld member states: The trouble is, there's no algorithm that can automatically factor in the price of a service. It's free to set up a blog on Blogger, so it can be abused more easily. If these spammers actually had to pay for a new domain name every time they set up a splog, they wouldn't bother. Other findings of this research showed the spam percentages for Top-Level Domains (TLDs): 68% of .info TLDs are spam TLDs are spam 53% of .biz TLDs are spam TLDs are spam 12% of .net TLDs are spam TLDs are spam 11% of .org TLDs are spam TLDs are spam 4.1% of .com TLDs are spam Forum discussion continues at WebmasterWorld.
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According to a survey conducted by some web sites, providing free web space for amateur bloggers contain in many cases mostly spam. Certain queries showed even a rate of 100% spam. Experts from WebmasterWorld provided precise figures and statistics to their survey. For example the following list shows the percentage of spam on different popular sites providing free bloggers' web space: * '''blogspot.com''' with 77% * '''netscape.com''' with 74% * '''hometown.aol.com''' with 84% * '''hometown.aol.de''' with 91% * '''oas.org''' with 78% * '''xoomer.alice.it''' with 77% * '''home.aol.com''' with 95% * '''freewebs.com''' with 52% * '''blogstudio.com''' with 99% * '''maxpages.com''' with 81% * '''usaid.gov''' with 85% * '''blogsharing.com''' with 93% * '''sitegr.com''' with 100% * '''torospace.com''' with 95% * '''blog.hix.com''' with 100% The present research was based on most popular queries on the blog sites. Among other the WebmasterWorld experts used the query ''phentermine'' on Google's '''blogspot.com''' and ''ringtone'' on '''hometown.aol.com'''. These queries proved that there blogospheres contained more than 74% . The researchers said that the main reason for this big amount of splogs was the fact that the web-space provided on the mentioned sites was free, thus the spammers don't have to bother buying a domain and paying its support.
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Scorecard - Commentary - Wickets - Partnerships - Wagon wheels - Player v player - Over comparison - Over graphs - Career averages - Match home - Bulletin - Article index (5) - Photo index (25) ODI no. 2545 ICC World Cup - 15th Match, Group A Scotland v South Africa 2006/07 season Played at (neutral venue), on 20 March 2007 (50-over match) Result South Africa won by 7 wickets (with 160 balls remaining) Scotland innings (50 overs maximum) R M B 4s 6s SR c Smith b Langeveldt 24 59 44 2 1 54.54 c Boucher b Hall 13 46 33 2 0 39.39 run out (de Villiers) 31 82 50 4 0 62.00 c de Villiers b Hall 4 23 13 0 0 30.76 b Langeveldt 1 24 21 0 0 4.76 not out 45 111 64 3 0 70.31 b Pollock 15 38 30 2 0 50.00 c Kemp b Hall 23 40 35 1 1 65.71 run out ( Boucher/Hall) 18 11 11 3 1 163.63 Extras (b 2, lb 4, w 5, nb 1) 12 Total (8 wickets; 50 overs; 219 mins) 186 Did not bat , Fall of wickets Bowling O M R W Econ 10 1 25 1 2.50 9 0 25 0 2.77 (1nb) 10 2 48 3 4.80 (2w) 10 1 48 2 4.80 (3w) 8 0 21 0 2.62 3 0 13 0 4.33 South Africa innings (target: 187 runs from 50 overs) R M B 4s 6s SR c Rogers b Haq 91 100 65 13 1 140.00 c Brown b Rogers 62 67 45 9 2 137.77 c McCallum b Haq 21 23 23 3 0 91.30 not out 12 11 7 1 1 171.42 not out 0 1 0 0 0 - Extras (b 1, w 1) 2 Total (3 wickets; 23.2 overs; 102 mins) 188 Did not bat , , , , , Fall of wickets Bowling O M R W Econ 3 0 21 0 7.00 4 0 32 0 8.00 3 0 24 0 8.00 2 0 20 0 10.00 6 0 43 2 7.16 5.2 0 47 1 8.81 (1w) Toss South Africa, who chose to field first Points South Africa 2, Scotland 0 Player of the match GC Smith (South Africa) Umpires (England) and (Sri Lanka) TV umpire Match referee (Sri Lanka) Reserve umpire (New Zealand) Match notes Scotland innings Power Play 2: Overs 10.1 - 15.0 Power Play 3: Overs 15.1 - 20.0 Scotland: 50 runs in 15.4 overs (96 balls), Extras 3 Drinks: Scotland - 57/2 in 17.0 overs (RR Watson 14, GM Hamilton 3) Drinks: Scotland - 93/5 in 33.0 overs (DR Brown 10, CJO Smith 4) Scotland: 100 runs in 34.6 overs (213 balls), Extras 6 Scotland: 150 runs in 46.2 overs (284 balls), Extras 10 7th Wicket: 50 runs in 55 balls (DR Brown 23, JAR Blain 23, Ex 4) South Africa innings South Africa: 50 runs in 6.3 overs (39 balls), Extras 1 1st Wicket: 50 runs in 39 balls (GC Smith 31, AB de Villiers 20, Ex 1) GC Smith: 50 off 36 balls (10 x 4) South Africa: 100 runs in 12.2 overs (74 balls), Extras 1 1st Wicket: 100 runs in 74 balls (GC Smith 56, AB de Villiers 43, Ex 1) AB de Villiers: 50 off 41 balls (9 x 4) Drinks: South Africa - 134/1 in 15.5 overs (GC Smith 71) Rain: South Africa - 147/1 in 19.0 overs (GC Smith 77, AG Prince 7) South Africa: 150 runs in 19.3 overs (117 balls), Extras 1 ||||| ICC World Cup: Scotland v South Africa 20-03-2007 at St Kitts South Africa beat Scotland by 7 wickets South Africa won the toss and decided to field Scotland Innings 186 for 8 (50.0 overs) South Africa Innings 188 for 3 (23.2 overs) Scotland Innings Runs Balls 4s 6s D F Watts c G C Smith b C K Langeveldt 24 44 2 1 R M Haq c M V Boucher b A J Hall 13 33 2 0 R R Watson run out 31 50 4 0 G M Hamilton c A B de Villiers b A J Hall 4 13 0 0 N F I McCallum b C K Langeveldt 1 21 0 0 D R Brown not out 45 64 3 0 C J O Smith b S M Pollock 15 30 2 0 J A R Blain c J M Kemp b A J Hall 23 35 1 1 P J C Hoffmann run out 18 11 3 1 Extras 1nb 5w 2b 4lb 12 Total for 8 186 (50.0 ovs) Bowler O M R W S M Pollock 10.0 1 25 1 M Ntini 9.0 0 25 0 A J Hall 10.0 2 48 3 C K Langeveldt 10.0 1 48 2 J H Kallis 8.0 0 21 0 G C Smith 3.0 0 13 0 Fall of wicket 35 R M Haq 43 D F Watts 63 G M Hamilton 71 N F I McCallum 84 R R Watson 113 C J O Smith 163 J A R Blain 186 P J C Hoffmann Back to top South Africa Innings Runs Balls 4s 6s G C Smith c G A Rogers b R M Haq 91 65 13 1 A B de Villiers c D R Brown b G A Rogers 62 45 9 2 A G Prince c N F I McCallum b R M Haq 21 23 3 0 J M Kemp not out 12 7 1 1 S M Pollock not out 0 0 0 0 Extras 1w 1b 2 Total for 3 188 (23.2 ovs) Bowler O M R W P J C Hoffmann 3.0 0 21 0 J A R Blain 4.0 0 32 0 J D Nel 3.0 0 24 0 D R Brown 2.0 0 20 0 R M Haq 6.0 0 43 2 G A Rogers 5.2 0 47 1 Fall of wicket 134 A B de Villiers 162 A G Prince 178 G C Smith Back to top Umpires: M R Benson, E A R de Silva Scotland: D F Watts, R M Haq, R R Watson, G M Hamilton, N F I McCallum, D R Brown, C J O Smith, G A Rogers, J A R Blain, J D Nel, P J C Hoffmann South Africa: G C Smith, A B de Villiers, J H Kallis, H H Gibbs, A G Prince, J M Kemp, M V Boucher, S M Pollock, A J Hall, C K Langeveldt, M Ntini ||||| Wright will make a return to the Scottish camp after the funeral Batsman Ryan Watson will take over as captain against South Africa, a match Wright will miss, but the medium-pacer will lead against the Netherlands. Wright led Scotland to victory at the Intercontinental Cup and ICC Trophy and removed Ricky Ponting on Tuesday. His absence could give Dewald Nel a chance to make his World Cup debut. Scotland opener Fraser Watts spoke of the sympathy for Wright among the team-mates he has temporarily left behind. "It's Craig's first World Cup - and he has worked very, very hard to get here," he said. "It's such a great shame for him that he lost his auntie and will miss the South Africa game. Obviously, your family comes first in these situations. "We are thinking of him at the moment - and when we play on Tuesday we will be thinking of him. "Wrighty has his own way of doing things - and so does Ryan. But they are both good captains, both experienced guys who know exactly what they are doing."
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South Africa beat Scotland by 7 wickets (with 160 balls remaining) in Group A of the World Cup at the Warner Park Stadium, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis. Scotland captain Craig Wright missed this match as he had flown home to attend his aunt's funeral; Ryan Watson deputised as captain in his absence. This victory meant both South Africa and Australia qualified for the Super 8 phase. Toss: South Africa won, and elected to field first. Fall of wickets: 1-35 (Haq, 11.2 ov), 2-43 (Watts, 14.1 ov), 3-63 (Hamilton, 19.1 ov), 4-71 (McCallum, 24.2 ov), 5-84 (Watson, 29.3 ov), 6-113 (Smith, 38.4 ov), 7-163 (Blain, 47.4 ov), 8-186 (Hoffmann, 49.6 ov) Fall of wickets: 1-134 (de Villiers, 15.5 ov), 2-162 (Prince, 20.6 ov), 3-178 (Smith, 22.6 ov) South Africa: G C Smith (capt), A B de Villiers, J H Kallis, H H Gibbs, A G Prince, J M Kemp, M V Boucher (wkt), S M Pollock, A J Hall, C K Langeveldt, M Ntini Scotland: D F Watts, R M Haq, R R Watson (capt), G M Hamilton, N F I McCallum, D R Brown, C J O Smith (wkt), G A Rogers, J A R Blain, J D Nel, P J C Hoffmann Player of the match: G C Smith (South Africa) Umpires: M R Benson (England) and E A R de Silva (Sri Lanka) TV umpire: S A Bucknor (Jamaica) Match referee: R S Madugalle (Sri Lanka) Reserve umpire: A L Hill (New Zealand)
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Tech blogs are fizzing with rage at the 'revelation' that Microsoft small print says a new Windows OEM licence must be purchased if a motherboard is changed or upgraded. The software behemoth is quoted as saying that the 'heart and soul' of a PC lies therein, and so changing it - other than in the case of a failure - amounts to creating a new machine. Other licence types do not face such restrictions. Comments about the newly-uncovered atrocity are typically less than complimentary towards Redmond: “They are trully [sic] evil,” fumes one. Several others go for the succinct and to-the-point: “F**k Micro$oft.” For Microsoft's part, it claims this has always been the case. And this document seems to corroborate the assertion. Customers reading their license agreements? Whatever next.® ||||| Microsoft recently made a change to the licence agreement saying that a new motherboard is equal to a new computer, hence you need to purchase a new Windows licence. Here is what Microsoft has to say: “An upgrade of the motherboard is considered to result in a “new personal computer” to which Microsoft® OEM operating system software cannot be transferred from another computer. If the motherboard is upgraded or replaced for reasons other than a defect, then a new computer has been created and the license of new operating system software is required.” The reason Microsoft gave for this term is that “Microsoft needed to have one base component “left standing” that would still define that original PC. Since the motherboard contains the CPU and is the “heart and soul” of the PC, when the motherboard is replaced (for reasons other than defect) a new PC is essentially created.” Microsoft sent a memo to its OEM partners asking them to enforce this new policy, every time they upgrade a computer for a client. Digg this story
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Microsoft has recently made changes to the Windows license agreement, saying that, “An upgrade of the motherboard is considered to result in a new personal computer to which Microsoft OEM operating system software cannot be transferred from another computer." This will force users who upgrade their motherboard, even via the OEM, to purchase a new license agreement. The only exception is a defect for which the OEM replaces the motherboard. Microsoft claims it needs to have "one base component left standing that would still define that original PC. Since the motherboard contains the CPU and is the heart and soul of the PC, when the motherboard is replaced (for reasons other than defect) a new PC is essentially created.” Microsoft has asked its OEM partners to begin enforcing the new policy when they upgrade a client's computer.
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Take action! Help Wikileaks fight to get the truth out and change the world for the better. From Wikileaks EDITORIAL Thursday February 28, 2008 Julius Baer Bank & Trust -- the Swiss-Cayman "private banking" entity currently attempting to sue Wikileaks before US Federal court Justice Jeffery White in San Francisco, today released a press release onto the Business Wire vanity wire service. The press release was subsequently picked up by Reuters and other wire services. Wikileaks responds. Julius Baer Bank & Trust, from here on in, simply referred to as Baer, claimed in relation to Wikileaks: "It wasn't our intention to shut down the Web site". This is a lie. Baer's requests to the court to do just that are a matter of public record. The only change made by Judge Jeffery White to Baer's proposed "Wikileaks.org' takedown order was to cross out the word 'proposed'! Baer also wrote-for-the-judge a separate order in relation to the documents alone, which was similarly granted. Further, at any time subsequent Baer could have asked the court that its earlier request on the shutdown order be rescinded. It has not done so. While one might be tempted to blame the bank's Hollywood lawyers Lavely & Singer for running amuck, Baer continues to employ the same law firm. This can only be seen as an endorsement of its conduct. Baer claimed that: "This decision was arrived at only after a month long effort on the part of Julius Baer.. to engage the operators of Wikileaks in a dialogue.." This is a lie. Wikileaks responded with grace and speed to every one of Baer's highly irregular (see below) demands and left communication open. A full record is available as: The last letter is from Wikileaks. The entire correspondence covers a period of two days. Baer did not submit the correspondence to the court for hearing although it was absolutely central to the issues and Wikileaks was not represented. A clear abuse of process. Wikileaks is confident about its place in the court of public opinion, but the shadowy Swiss-Cayman "Bank and Trust" Baer, has been allergic to the sun from the very beginning. The first sign of this hyper-sensitivity to light was when its lawyers, Lavely & Singer refused to put their demands in writing -- even email -- as requested. The second sign was when the same lawyers refused to even identify their client! Finally Baer's (as it turned out) lawyers refused to even state what city they would be taking their threatened action in so Wikileaks could arrange representation in that city, instead preferring to abuse process and arrange a hearing where Wikileaks was not represented. But don't take our word for it -- see the submissions to the court by our then pre-litigation council Julie Turner and: It is Baer who decided to hire Hollywood lawyers Lavely & Singer, who like to describe themselves as "all-around bad cop for stars from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger to Jim Carrey and Celine Dion.". It is Baer who stood by these lawyers while they abused process with the assistance of a negligent Judge. It is Baer who has refused to make amends for its misdeeds and it is Baer who is now suffering, and will continue to suffer the consequences. Baer "has form" in engaging in quasi-criminal conduct not just in relation to offshore banking. Swiss court records reveal Baer hired Zurich-based private detectives Ryffel AG to follow the alleged whistleblower Rudolf Elmer while he took his daughters to primary school. The police apprehended one of the PIs in a car chase. The chase became a matter of public record in a Dec 2007 case in Switzerland — as did Baer's attempts to bribe the suspected whistleblower into keeping quiet. See: Baer claimed that: "The posting of confidential bank records by anonymous sources significantly harms the privacy rights of all individuals." This is misrepresentation. Baer likes to spin the documents as 'bank records' and never likes to talk about the dates concerned. The documents are nearly all Microsoft Word files setting up trust arrangements used as anonymizing shell structures. In its court filings, Baer claims to have been aware of the documents release since 2003 and the Swiss media had the documents in 2005. The only relevence these documents have now is that they expose the bank's ultra-rich clients suspiciously funneling money through Cayman Islands trusts nearly a decade ago. Wikileaks took a skeptical position on the documents until attacked by the bank. Baer, in attempting to shoot the messenger has only succeeded, spectacularly, in shooting itself. Wikileaks awaits Baer's apology. ||||| Freedom of speech and digital rights groups plan to argue on its behalf at a legal hearing on 29 February. The hearing will decide whether to continue a court order that removed links to some of the Wikileaks sites from the net's address books. The order was sought by Swiss bank Julius Baer after internal documents were placed on Wikileaks. Speech test The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are planning to "intervene" for Wikileaks at the continuation hearing. The rights groups claim the order that knocked Wikileaks offline in the US raises "serious First Amendment concerns". "Blocking access to the entire site in response to a few documents posted there completely disregards the public's right to know," said ACLU attorney Ann Brick in a statement. The order granted for Julius Baer by US district judge Jeffrey White ordered Dynadot - the company that hosts the Wikileaks website in America - to remove all mentions of the site from its address books. Anyone in the US trying to find Wikileaks would have to consult this address list to find the website. The bank took the action in mid-February because, it is understood, the documents hosted could have had an impact on a separate case being heard in Switzerland. Julius Baer said the case had nothing to do with free speech. "This action has been brought solely to prevent the unlawful dissemination of stolen bank records and personal account information of its customers," lawyers for the bank wrote in court papers. "Many of those documents have also been altered and forged," said the legal filing. However, the attempt to get the documents removed spurred many other sites to host them and Wikileaks' sites in other countries were largely unaffected by the ruling. The US site itself was also reachable by those that knew its numerical net address rather than just its English name. In total, 18 organisations have pledged support for Wikileaks in documents filed to the US court that will hear the legal argument. ||||| Take action! Help Wikileaks fight to get the truth out and change the world for the better. From Wikileaks Wikileaks would like to thank the following 18 steadfast supporters of the First Amendment who have filed in support of Wikileaks and against the claims of the Cayman Islands branch of Swiss bank Bank Julius Baer and their lawyers, Lavely & Singer. Please give these organizations your support! Any other individuals or organizations wishing to join the case please contact one of the lead amicus organizations listed (preferred), [email protected] or just file with the court. Tweleve media organisations have filed a joint Amici Curiae ("friends of the Court") brief: 1. Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press (RCFP) 2. The American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) 3. The Associated Press - (AP) world wide news agency, based in New York 4. Citizen Media Law Project 5. The E.W Scripps Company - newspapers, TV, cable TV etc. 6. Gannet Co. Inc - the largest publisher of newspapers in the USA, including USA Today 7. The Hearst Corporation - media conglomerate which publishes the San Francisco Chronicle 8. The Los Ageles Times 9. National Newspaper Association (NNA) 10. Newspaper Association of America (NAA) 11. The Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) 12. The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) - also provided some legal funding See Brief of Amici Curiae (Media Coalition) (02-26-2008) (.pdf, 17 pages) These following two groups have also filed a brief: 13. Public Citizen - founded by Ralph Nader 14. California First Amendment Coalition (CFAC) See Public Citizen / CFAC brief (.pdf 13 pages) These organisations have also filed their own Motion to Intervene as well: 15. The Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF) 16. the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) 17. The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) 18. Jordan McCorckle, an individual at the University of Texas and user of WikiLeaks.org See Motion to Intervene and Supporting Memorandum (.pdf 15 pages) Did the Hollywood media celebrity lawyers Lavely & Singer warn their clients Bank Julius Baer & Trust that their meddling with US First Amendment rights would result in so much expert legal opposition? Or did Lavely & Singer act in their own interests and against their clients interests by seeking to provoke Wikileaks inorder to get a bit of free publicity for their "we sue journalists" law firm? It is time BJB read up on the McLibel case before Lavely & Singer, who have already cost BJB tens or hundreds of millions in bad press and possibily delayed its US IPO, destroy BJB's name completely. [thanks to wikileak.org for research]
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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have sided with ''Wikileaks.org'' and will defend them against a lawsuit which took the site off line in the United States. Wikileaks is a website dedicated to hosting leaked documents that are "anonymous, untraceable, uncensorable." On February 18, 2008, a permanent court injunction issued in the in San Francisco by judge Jeffrey White, California to Bank Julius Baer (BJB), a Swiss Bank, took the domain name offline. However the site remained online via its IP address and alternative domain names. Wikileaks previously published hundreds of documents obtained from a of the Swiss Bank, "purportedly showing offshore tax evasion and money laundering by extremely wealthy and in some cases, politically sensitive, clients from the US, Europe, China and Peru." "Blocking access to the entire site in response to a few documents posted there completely disregards the public's right to know," said Ann Brick a lawyer for the ACLU. At least 18 other organizations have signed documents in defense of Wikileaks. Those documents have been forged into a 'joint Amici Curiae ("friends of the Court") brief; which will be submitted to the court and used as defense evidence in a hearing scheduled for Friday February 29. Despite the attempts by the ACLU and others, Bank Julius Baer says that their lawsuit has nothing to do with the rights of free speech. "This action has been brought solely to prevent the unlawful dissemination of stolen bank records and personal account information of its customers. Many of those documents have also been altered and forged," said the Bank. Recently the Bank has made allegations that they have been "unable to negotiate with Wikileaks" at all before or during legal proceedings. Wikileaks, in a press release denies the allegations. "Wikileaks at all times responded with grace and dignity to BJBs highly irregular demands and left communication open," said Wikileaks which also adds that the correspondence with the Bank is available on its website on servers in Denmark. "BJB did not submit the correspondence to the court, although it must be absolutely central to the issues held there. We wonder why?"
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MOSCOW — A chaotic day of deadly street violence in southern Kyrgyzstan ended Friday with the interim government’s retaking control of administration buildings in two southern cities. The buildings were overrun a day earlier by followers of the former president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who was toppled in an uprising a month ago. The interim government established in the wake of that unrest has consolidated power in the capital, Bishkek, but still has a tenuous hold on the south, the homeland of Mr. Bakiyev. At least one person was killed and 37 were wounded Friday in exchanges of gunfire between supporters of Mr. Bakiyev and those backing the interim government. Crowds on both sides included dozens of armed men, witnesses said. The interim leader, Roza Otunbayeva, blamed Mr. Bakiyev for the uprising in the south, the most serious challenge yet to the new government. A former adviser of Mr. Bakiyev was arrested and accused of fomenting unrest. “The former president again spilled the blood of Kyrgyz citizens,” Ms. Otunbayeva said in a statement carried by local news media. Government officials said Thursday that they would not use police force, but instead would encourage supporters to swarm into the buildings held by armed followers of Mr. Bakiyev. The result was a strange tableau of violence as the pro-government groups — some peaceful and some armed with sticks, rocks and rifles — stormed the government buildings while uniformed police officers and special forces largely stayed on the sidelines, witnesses said. The loyalty of those forces in the south has been in question. Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia, is the home of a base used to supply the United States-led war in Afghanistan. The turmoil seems likely to continue. The violence is emblematic of the challenges facing the small group of people who proclaimed themselves the interim government. They are unelected and have no formal legitimacy, and it remains unclear whom the police and the army are siding with, particularly in the south. The danger of violent uprising is heightened because the population is bristling with guns. Legal gun ownership in Kyrgyzstan is restricted to hunting firearms, but many households in rural areas keep Kalashnikov rifles owing to a history of ethnic fighting in the region. Also, an Interior Ministry arsenal was looted during the April 7 uprising, scattering hundreds of small arms. The worst violence on Friday unfolded in Jalal-Abad, near the former president’s home village. The first shots there were fired as a group of pro-government protesters walked toward the administration building, Asylbek Tekebayev, a supporter of the interim government, said in a telephone interview. Mr. Tekebayev said the two sides shot at each other across the city’s central square in front of the administration building, at a distance of about 150 yards. “It was horrible,” he said. “The bullets were hitting people in the back, in the side, they were falling and tripping, and everybody started to run.” By late afternoon, the crowd, which Mr. Tekebayev said included at least half a dozen men with rifles, regrouped. The opposing groups also exchanged fire over control of a university building where the pro-Bakiyev group had positioned snipers, according to news agencies, which reported three wounded in that shootout. The Kyrgyz Health Ministry said hospitals in Jalal-Abad admitted 37 people wounded in the fighting. The ministry said one man had died from gunshot wounds and five were in grave condition. A political party leader in the south who is loyal to the interim government, Batyrbek Abdrazakov, said that by the evening pro-government groups had full control of the government building, the Interfax news agency reported. The United States Embassy in Bishkek issued a statement urging restraint on both sides. “We continue to encourage all parties to refrain from violence and express hope that Kyrgyzstan can move forward on a productive and democratic path,” the statement said. After the buildings were stormed on Thursday, a committee that said it represented Mr. Bakiyev’s supporters issued a statement in which it claimed to have wide support in the south and called for his return to power. Demonstrators had shoved their way into buildings not only in Jalal-Abad, but also in Osh and Batken. The three cities are the regional capitals of southern Kyrgyzstan. In Batken, the protesters eventually left the building, under unclear circumstances. After taking over the government building in Osh on Thursday, demonstrators escorted the former governor, Mamasadyk Bakirov, back into his office, which had been occupied by the appointee of the interim government, Sooronbai Zheenbekov. By Friday afternoon, Mr. Zheenbekov was back in his office, the Kabar news agency in Kyrgyzstan reported. To try to re-establish control over the south, the defense minister, Ismail Isakov, was sent to Osh and granted new powers as a governor general for the three southern districts, according to Edil Baisalov, the interim government’s chief of staff. After protesters seized government buildings, including the president’s office, last month in Bishkek Mr. Bakiyev fled to the south before going into exile. During that takeover, 86 people died when police officers and soldiers guarding government buildings fired at protesters, some of them also armed. ||||| Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Supporters of Kyrgyzstan's ousted president have stormed regional government buildings in the south of the ex-Soviet republic. Hundreds of Kurmanbek Bakiyev's supporters took over buildings in Osh and Jalalabad, but the new government said it had regained control in Batken. Reports suggested airports in Osh and Jalalabad had also been disrupted. Allies of Mr Bakiyev said they had 25,000 supporters in the south, ready to march on Bishkek. The president was overthrown last month in an uprising that left at least 85 people dead. The provisional government has launched several criminal proceedings against the former president, who is now in Belarus with his family. But tensions remain high nationwide, as the government attempts to assert its authority on the country. Embassy recalls This is the biggest challenge so far for the provisional government, reports BBC Central Asia correspondent Rayhan Demytrie. Last week there were reports that leaflets had been distributed in southern Kyrgyzstan calling for the formation of a "southern Kyrgyz democratic republic". The interim government said it was in control of the situation and had sent its defence minister to help restore order. In another development, all diplomats from the Belarussian embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek were recalled because of security concerns. The move followed a number of small demonstrations in front of the embassy in which people demanded the extradition Mr Bakiyev. 'Bakiyev - our president' The government buildings in Osh were stormed by some 250 Bakiyev supporters on Thursday morning. They scuffled briefly with supporters of the new government before smashing their way through the glass doors and entering the building, but the police did not intervene. Kurmanbek Bakiyev is now in Belarus Sacked regional governor Mamsadyk Bakirov was said to be among the protesters, who were demanding his reinstatement. Reports from Jalalabad - Mr Bakiyev's home city - said around 100 of the ousted president's supporters had broken into and occupied local government buildings there. Jalalabad's new governor was seized by the crowd. He had gone to the scene in the hope of talking to them but was then "put in a car and taken away" to an unknown location, an unnamed official told AFP news agency. Reports say the protesters in Jalalabad were mainly women and security forces were taking care not to interfere. They chanted "Bakiyev - our president" and hung a banner reading "Bakiyev, the legal president of Kyrgyzstan" on the administrative building. Batken's administrative building was also seized but the provisional government later said it had retaken control of the situation in the city while "work [was] under way on Osh and Jalalabad". On Wednesday, a protest was held in the capital Bishkek in which supporters of the city's former mayor demanded his return. A body calling itself the "committee in defence of ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev" told reporters that 25,000 people in the south were ready to march on Bishkek and "deal with the provisional government". Its press service was quoted by Russia's Interfax news agency as saying that they were "ready to gather in Jalalabad" for the march north. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| MOSCOW — Opponents of the interim government in Kyrgyzstan stormed administration buildings in three southern cities on Thursday, forcibly installed a new governor and seized an airport apparently in an attempt to take power in the south a month after the country’s president was ousted in an uprising. After seizing the buildings, the protesters issued a statement demanding the return to power of the former president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev. It was the worst turbulence in Kyrgyzstan since the bloody uprising that led to the overthrow of Mr. Bakiyev last month. He is in exile in Belarus, but he retains support in his homeland in the south of the country, where discontent has been rising. Kyrgyzstan, a landlocked mountainous nation in the heart of Central Asia, hosts a military base important to the United States’ war efforts in Afghanistan. Russia, which considers Kyrgyzstan within its sphere of influence, has opposed the base. A committee that said it represented Mr. Bakiyev’s supporters issued a statement on Thursday in which it claimed to have wide support in the south, news agencies reported. The committee said the former president’s supporters would soon head north to “confront the interim government” in the capital, Bishkek. It was not clear whether the military took steps on Thursday to position troops to block the roads north to the capital. The unrest in the south began with street protests that led to the storming of the government buildings, following a now familiar pattern in Kyrgyz politics. Demonstrators shoved their way into buildings in the cities of Osh, Jalal-Abad and Batken, the three regional capitals of southern Kyrgyzstan, which is separated from the capital and the north of the country by a rugged mountain chain. In Batken, the protesters eventually left the building. After taking over a government building in Osh, demonstrators escorted the former governor, Mamasadyk Bakirov, back into his office, which had been occupied by an appointee of the interim government earlier in the day. Protesters also seized the Osh airport, an official with the interim government said. The interim government had no plans to deploy the army or to evict the protesters by force, Edil Baisalov, the chief of staff, said in a telephone interview. “Taking over government buildings has become a popular pastime,” Mr. Baisalov said. He characterized the demonstrators as a few hundred relatives of officials in the former government, and he contended that they posed no threat to the leaders of the interim government. Still, the defense minister, Ismail Isakov, was sent to Osh and granted new powers as a governor general for the three southern districts, Mr. Baisalov said. Mr. Isakov will try to rally unarmed civilian supporters to clear the seized buildings, Mr. Baisalov said. The interim government also called for a national demonstration of support on Friday, in places that included cities in the south. The loyalty of troops garrisoned in Osh and police forces in the south has been in doubt since the uprising. Mr. Baisalov said the government had full control. In Bishkek, a former interior minister in Mr. Bakiyev’s government was put under house arrest by the interim government, the Interfax news service reported. After protesters seized government buildings last month in Bishkek, including the president’s office, Mr. Bakiyev fled to the south before going into exile. During the takeover, 86 people died when police officers and soldiers guarding the government buildings fired at protesters, some of them also armed. ||||| Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement At least one person has died and nearly 40 injured in clashes between rival supporters of Kyrgyzstan's interim government and the ousted president. Gunfire was heard as pro-government supporters tried to seize back control of administrative offices in the southern city of Jalalabad. Earlier, they regained the offices in the nearby city of Osh from supporters of ex-president Kurmanbek Bakiyev. Mr Bakiyev was overthrown in a violent uprising last month. He fled with his family to Belarus after the 7 April clashes between government forces and protesters that left at least 85 people dead. A new interim government has been installed but tensions have remained high across the country as it attempts to assert its authority. Violent outburst As many as 4,000 pro-government supporters moved in on the government building in Jalalabad on Friday in an attempt to oust some 200 Bakiyev supporters inside. But the stand-off turned violent as rival sides battled each other with sticks and stones and gunshots were fired. The health ministry said one person died after surgery for a gunshot wound and at least 37 other people were injured, Reuters news agency reports. Residents in the city have closed shops and businesses and returned home for safety, the BBC's Central Asia correspondent Rayhan Demytrie reports. Earlier, the government-backed regional governor in Osh re-entered the offices backed by hundreds of supporters. They reclaimed the building from the Bakiyev supporters, some 250 of whom stormed the offices on Thursday demanding the reinstatement of regional governor Mamsadyk Bakirov, who had been sacked by the government. There were some scuffles between the rival sides but no serious injuries, reports said. The interim government says it is in control of the situation and has sent its defence minister to help restore order. But there are fears that skirmishes and clashes between the two opposing groups could bring more violence to the country, our correspondent adds. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version
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Supporters of Kurmanbek Makiyev, shown here in 2006, took over several government buildings yesterday. The interim government of Kyrgyzstan has regained control of several government offices after a day of violent clashes with supporters of former . Backers of the ousted president took over regional government offices in , , and in the southern part of the country yesterday. Afterward, they released a statement calling for the reinstatement of Bakiyev's administration. The provisional government, led by , said later that it had managed to retake the offices in Batken after the demonstrators left the buildings there. The governor of Osh also managed to reclaim the buildings in his city with the aid of civilian government supporters. Approximately 250 protesters were reported to have forced their way into government buildings in Osh yesterday morning, unstopped by local law enforcement officials. Up to 200 other Bakiyev supporters, most of whom were women, managed to seize administration buildings in Jalal-Abad, and were also untouched by police. A group of 4,000 pro-government citizens approached the occupied buildings in Jalal-Abad, but was quickly dispersed when gunfire was heard. Hospitals in the city reported receiving 37 people wounded in the incident, and at least one person has died. A group loyal to Bakiyev later said that they had 25,000 supporters to march into , the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz government said that they would use counter-protests, rather than police forces, to combat the demonstrators.
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Search all sections About ODPM Building Regulations Devolution Fire Government Offices Homelessness Housing Local Government Planning Regions Science and Research Sustainable Communities Urban Policy Advanced Search ||||| Property Policies File Downloads No documents found The policies available here relate to the way in which land required for Crossrail will be acquired and disposed of, the way in which noise and vibration and ground settlement will be dealt with, and the circumstances under which property may be purchased in cases of hardship.Note: Clicking on a file link below will cause the file to launch in a new window. Alternatively, to save the file, right-click on the link and select "Save As...". ||||| Crossrail Bill This is the text of the Crossrail Bill, as introduced in the House of Commons on 22nd February 2005. EXPLANATORY NOTES Explanatory Notes to the Bill, prepared by the Department for Transport, are published separately as Bill 62- EN. EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Mr Secretary Darling has made the following statement under section 19(1)(a) of the Human Rights Act 1998: In my view the provisions of the Crossrail Bill are compatible with the Convention rights. Crossrail Bill ||||| On July 20th 2004 the Secretary of State for Transport, Mr Alistair Darling, announced in a statement to the House of Commons on Transport strategy that the Government "intend to introduce a hybrid bill at the earliest opportunity to take the powers necessary for Crossrail to be built". Crossrail FAQs Wh at is a hybrid bill? In simple terms a hybrid bill is a public bill which is treated like a private bill for part of its passage through Parliament. This gives individuals and bodies an opportunity to oppose the bill or to seek its amendment before a Select Committee in either or in both Houses. Can I oppose the bill? During the passage of the bill through Parliament there will be an opportunity for individuals, groups and organisations who are especially and directly affected by the bill to "petition" against it. Those who are successful may have their arguments heard by a Select Committee. What is a petition? A petition in this context is not a public petition (a paper headed “we the undersigned .....” followed by many signatures). It is a document, in a particular format, outlining how you are affected by the bill and why you think it shouldn’t be proceeded with or how you would like it altered. The format is important but any ordinary person will be able to write one if they follow the instructions which are available below. What stage has the Crossrail bill got to? The Crossrail Bill and the Environmental Statement were published on 22 February, 2005. Consultation on the ES was invited by the DfT. The results were published on the DfT website before the Second Reading of the Bill which took place on 19 July 2005. The Environmental Statement can be found on the Crossrail Bill Supporting Documents site which can be accessed from the website homepage. Because of the General Election in May 2005 a carry over motion was passed in Parliament in April, and the Bill re-introduced on May 18, 2005. A further Supplementary Environmental Statement was published in May 2005. On 19 July 2005, there was a successful Second Reading of the Crossrail Bill and the Bill was formally committed to a Select Committee which will consider petitions lodged against the Bill.A deadline of 16 September was set for the submission of petitions. The Committee began hearing the cases of petitioners against the bill on 17th January. The Committee usually meets at 10 am and 2.30 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week. More Information? Please look at the Select Committee webpages for more information about the Committee. There are links at the bottom of the page if you need more information about the Crossrail project itself. If you want to object to the bill and you missed the deadline you can petition against the bill when it reaches the House of Lords. ||||| The Lands Tribunal Decisions This site has a search facility which contains all the final decisions made by the Tribunal since 2000. Please follow the search instructions. Please view the latest decisions on the database and use the search engine. Decisions appealed to the Court of Appeal are listed here.
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The British Parliament approved the first stage of the new Crossrail underground railroad through London as a £15 billion construction project earlier this month. Crossrail is the first major new train line to be built in London in decades. The rail line being implemented as a hybrid bill in Parliament. After a second reading in Parliament, it was voted upon and decided that the government will commit to the project so that the line will be built. The next issue before Parliament of to ensure that the implementation of the bill so it is consistent with private interests of neighborhoods to be affected by Crossrail. This is when residents can petition Parliament to change the way the line is constructed. As a result of construction of the Crossrail line, hundreds of homes will have new tunnels excavated beneath them. On contacting Crossrail, they have indicated approximately £50 will be offered to each landowner to buy all the land rights-of-way to build the train tunnel more than 9 meters below the residential buildings. The average value for properties in the affected areas is £350,000. Under UK compulsory purchase laws to be used in this bill, the residents are entitled to the difference in the value of the whole property with and without a tunnel under it. If the offer given by Crossrail is not accepted by any of the residents, the residents can take the case to the Land Tribunal, where the fair value will be established. This however, could be cost prohibitive. Crossrail does not indicate that it will attempt to assign a fair value in the original offer and instead is only going to offer around £50 per property in the hope that not many people take the matter to the Land Tribunal.
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Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize and US Congressional Gold Medal Norman Borlaug, the man known as the father of the Green Revolution in agriculture, has died in the US state of Texas aged 95. Prof Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for agricultural innovation and the development of high-yield crops. The Green Revolution helped world food production more than double between 1960 and 1990 with Asia, Africa and Latin America in particular benefiting. The Nobel Institute said he had helped save hundreds of millions of lives. Prof Borlaug died late on Saturday evening at his home in Dallas from complications with cancer, said a spokesperson for Texas A&M University, where he had worked. 'A better place' In the early 1960s Prof Borlaug realised that creating short-stemmed varieties would leave food plants more energy for growing larger heads of grain. His high-yield, disease-resistant dwarf wheat quickly boosted harvests in Latin America, and his techniques were particularly successful in South Asia, where famine was widespread. Analysts believe the Green Revolution helped avert a worldwide famine in the late 20th century. A close friend of Prof Borlaug at Texas A&M, Dr Ed Runge, told Associated Press news agency: "He has probably done more and is known by fewer people than anybody that has done that much... He made the world a better place." The Nobel prize presentation said Prof Borlaug "more than any other single person of his age... has helped to provide bread for a hungry world". Prof Borlaug continued his work into his 90s. At a conference in the Philippines in 2006 he said: "We still have a large number of miserable, hungry people and this contributes to world instability. "Human misery is explosive, and you better not forget that." Norman Borlaug was born in Iowa in 1914. He studied at the University of Minnesota and later worked for DuPont and the Rockefeller Foundation. He set up his wheat and maize centre in 1963 to train scientists. Prof Borlaug was awarded the highest US civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal, in 2007. ||||| By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Norman Borlaug, the U.S. agricultural scientist who received the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for developing high-yielding crops to prevent famine in the developing world, has died at age 95, Texas A&M University said. Borlaug, hailed as a central figure in the "green revolution" that made more food available for the world's hungry, died on Saturday night from cancer complications in Dallas, the university said in a statement. The "green revolution" -- the development of crops such as wheat that delivered better yields than traditional strains -- is credited with helping avert massive famines that had been predicted in the developing world in the last half of the 20th century. Borlaug served as a distinguished professor of international agriculture at Texas A&M University, located in College Station, Texas. Experts have said his crusade to develop high-yielding, disease-resistant crops saved the lives of millions of people worldwide who otherwise may have been doomed to starvation. His efforts to develop new crop varieties helped alleviate food shortages in places such as India and Pakistan, helping make developing countries self-sufficient in food production. He was awarded the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. In 2007, Borlaug also received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor of the United States. "We all eat at least three times a day in privileged nations, and yet we take food for granted," Borlaug said in a recent interview. "There has been great progress, and food is more equitably distributed. But hunger is commonplace, and famine appears all too often." In 1944, he was appointed as geneticist and plant pathologist assigned the job of organizing and directing the Cooperative Wheat Research and Production Program in Mexico. This joint undertaking of the Mexican government and the Rockefeller Foundation philanthropic organization focused upon scientific research in genetics, plant breeding and related fields. Within two decades, he succeeded in finding a high-yielding disease-resistant wheat. The Iowa-born scientist then worked to put newly developed cereal strains into extensive production. "It is the hope of the Borlaug family that his life be an example to all. We would like his life be a model for making a difference in the lives of others and to bring about efforts to end human misery for all mankind," his children said in a statement released by the university. ||||| Global Community Mourns Loss of Nobel Peace Laureate Norman E. Borlaug COLLEGE STATION - Norman E. Borlaug, who received the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for developing high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat used to prevent famine in developing countries throughout the world, died shortly before 11 p.m. from complications of cancer in Dallas. Borlaug, whose career was dedicated to using science to combat world hunger, was Distinguished Professor of International Agriculture in Texas A&M; University's department of soil and crop sciences. He was 95. The memorial service, which will be held at Texas A&M; in College Station, is pending. In 2007, Borlaug received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor of the United States. This capped a string of major awards and honors throughout his scientific and humanitarian career. "We all eat at least three times a day in privileged nations, and yet we take food for granted," Borlaug said in a recent interview. "There has been great progress, and food is more equitably distributed. But hunger is commonplace, and famine appears all too often." Until recently, Borlaug still traveled internationally working tirelessly for improvements in agricultural science and food policy. He regularly could be found in his office on campus in College Station advising students and providing counsel to fellow faculty members on research and scholarship. His childhood days were spent on an Iowa farm, influenced by his Norwegian grandfather's lessons on common sense. At the University of Minnesota, where he began his college education during the Depression of the 1930s, he was told his high school education had not prepared him properly in science and math. He failed an entrance exam and was placed in the General College. But that experience made Borlaug work hard on his studies. He earned meals as a restaurant waiter and paid for tuition and books by saving money from summer jobs. Borlaug also received his master's and doctorate degrees in plant pathology from University of Minnesota. During World War II, Borlaug was in charge of industrial and agricultural chemical research for a DuPont laboratory. In 1944, after his release from the War Manpower Commission, he became a scientist for the Cooperative Wheat Research and Production Program - a joint venture between the Rockefeller Foundation and the Mexican government which began his life-long passion for international agriculture. This project became the institution known as CIMMYT, Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo (The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) near Mexico City. In this program, he introduced scientific techniques for preventing famine in Mexico and began bringing into the program promising young scientists, later named “Borlaug Interns.” He used the lessons learned in Mexico later to disprove 1960s doomsday predictions of mass famine throughout South and East Asia. By this time, “Borlaug Interns” were coming from many countries, and these interns were instrumental in implementing what was later named the “Green Revolution” in wheat production. Today, India and Pakistan are self-sufficient in food production due to Borlaug's interventions. In 1970, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for this work recognizing that agricultural productivity has a pivotal role in creating stability and preventing conflict. In 1986, he created the World Food Prize to give recognition to the work of scientists and humanitarians who have contributed to advancing international agriculture and fighting world hunger. Borlaug's most recent international work was cooperative efforts with CIMMYT, in Mexico and the Sasakawa Africa Association program. One of his favorite parts of the World Food Prize celebration each October was the success of the Youth Institute. In 1984, Borlaug came to Texas A&M; as Distinguished Professor of International Agriculture, dividing his time between College Station each fall to teach and at CIMMYT in Mexico each spring where he continued research and participation in global efforts to reduce world hunger. Borlaug’s passions extended beyond agriculture. He loved sports and started Little League Baseball in Mexico City so that his then-young son, William Gibson Borlaug, could play while the family was living there. Borlaug was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992. He was also passionate about training, mentoring and challenging young scientists, instilling in them the desire to teach and adopt science-based practices that increase the world’s food supply and thus serve mankind by leading to a more peaceful world. At Texas A&M; in 2006, the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture was named in his honor. The institute strives to continue Borlaug's legacy by promoting science-based solutions for the world's agriculture and food challenges. The Borlaug Institute is currently working in some of the world's most challenging agricultural development environments such as Afghanistan, Guatemala, Ethiopia and Iraq. Borlaug was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret. He is survived by daughter Jeanie Borlaug Laube and her husband Rex, and son William Gibson Borlaug and his wife Barbie. He also is survived by a sister, Charlotte Culbert of Iowa, grandson William Richard Rhoda and wife Stephanie, and four granddaughters: Tiffany Borlaug Rubi and husband John, Julie Borlaug Larson and husband Dave, Jennifer Rhoda Marsh and husband Dan, and Natalie Howe Borlaug; and great-grandchildren Kyle Rhoda, Matthew Rhoda, Nicholas Rhoda, Anne Borlaug Rubi and Peter Dierks Rubi, and Luke Borlaug Larson. “It is the hope of the Borlaug family that his life be an example to all. We would like his life be a model for making a difference in the lives of others and to bring about efforts to end human misery for all mankind,” his children stated. “One of his favorite quotes was ‘reach for the stars. Although you will never touch them, if you reach hard enough, you will find that you get a little ‘star dust’ on you in the process!’” The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorials to the Borlaug International Scholars Fund. Checks should be made payable to "Texas A&M; Foundation" and may be mailed to the Texas A&M; Foundation, 401 George Bush Drive, College Station, TX 77840-2811. Please indicate in the Memo line "Borlaug International Scholars Fund". This fund will allow students from developing countries to pursue graduate studies or short-term experiential learning activities at Texas A&M; University or other land grant universities of the United States. Condolences may be addressed to The Borlaug Family, 13352 Peyton, Dallas, Tx 75240. For information on the memorial service and Borlaug's complete vitae, please visit http://borlaug.tamu.edu/. Editors Note: The following is a list of Norman E. Borlaug's major awards and honors: - Nobel Peace Prize, 1970. - Election to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, 1970 and nine Foreign Academies. - Aztec Eagle, Government of Mexico, 1970. - Outstanding Agricultural Achievement Award, World Farm Foundation (USA), 1971. - Presidential Medal of Freedom (USA), 1977. - Jefferson Award, American Institute for Public Service, 1980. - Distinguished Achievement Award in Food and Agricultural Sciences, Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (USA), 1982. - The Presidential World without Hunger Award: Educator/Scientist category (USA), 1985. - The 1988 Americas Award, The Americas Foundation (USA). - Jefferson Lifetime Achievement Award (USA), 1997. - Altruistic Green Revolution Award, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, 1998. - Recognition Award for Contributions to World Wheat and Maize Research and Production, Republic of El Salvador, 1999. - Dedication of Norman E. Borlaug Center for Southern Crop Improvement, Texas A&M; University, 1999. - Vannevar Bush Award, National Science Foundation (USA), 2000. - Memorial Centennial Medial of the N.I. Vavilov Research Institute of Plant Industry (Russia), 2000. - Public Welfare Medal, National Academy of Sciences (USA), 2002. - The 2002 Rotary International Award for World Understanding and Peace, Barcelona, Spain. - The Philip Hauge Abelson Prize, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2002. - Award for Distinguished Achievements to Science and Medicine, American Council of Science and Health, 2003. - National Medal of Science (USA), 2004. - Padma Vibhushan in Science and Engineering, awarded by the Government of India, 2006. - Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture created as part of the Texas A&M; University System, 2006. - Congressional Gold Medal, 2006. - Texas A&M; University honorary doctor of letters degree, 2007 (Borlaug received more than 50 honorary degrees in his career). -30- ||||| Lee County officials met with cialis the World Health Organisation. 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Norman Borlaug in 2003 American agronomist and Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug has died aged 95. Borlaug, known as the father of the Green Revolution that transformed agriculture in the 20th century, died of complications from cancer at his home in Dallas, Texas in the United States late on Saturday evening. Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his development and introduction of high yield crops, and also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal, the two highest civilian awards in the U.S.. His work is often credited as saving over a billion lives. Born in 1914 in Cresco, Iowa Borlaug worked on the family farm before enrolling at the University of Minnesota, gaining a master's and a Ph.D. in plant pathology and genetics. In 1944 he began working for the Cooperative Wheat Research and Production Program, a joint project of the Mexican government and the Rockefeller Foundation. It was there that he led the development of new disease-resistant, high yield wheat varieties. His introduction of these varieties to Southeast Asia in the 1960s averted mass famines, and led to countries such as India and Pakistan becoming self-sufficient in food. This was soon heralded as the start of a "Green Revolution", and later his efforts were extended to Africa. From 1984 until his death Borlaug taught as Distinguished Professor of International Agriculture at Texas A&M University, whilst continuing his research in Mexico and his promotion of agricultural development around the world. In 1986 he established the World Food Prize to recognize contributors to improvements in world food supplies. In 2006 A&M created the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture to continue his work. As well as his agricultural work, when younger he was a keen wrestler, competing for his high school and the University of Minnesota. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1992. Borlaug is survived by two children, Jeanie and William, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. In a statement his children said: "It is the hope of the Borlaug family that his life be an example to all. We would like his life be a model for making a difference in the lives of others and to bring about efforts to end human misery for all mankind." A memorial is planned to be held at Texas A&M.
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Fahmida Mirza, a former medical doctor, on Wednesday became the first woman speaker of the National Assembly as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and its allies, poised to form the government, showed their strength and voted for her. Only 324 parliamentarians were present in the National Assembly or the lower house of Pakistan's parliament, and Mirza received 249 votes. Israr Tareen, her rival candidate from the former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), secured only 70 votes. "Fahmida Mirza is declared to have been elected speaker of the National Assembly," Chaudhry Amir Hussain, the outgoing speaker, said as MPs pounded their desks in approval and congratulated the purple-veiled former medical doctor. Later, elections for the deputy speaker were held in which PPP candidate Faisal Kundi defeated Khushbakht Shujaat of the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM), who was supported by PML-Q. Mirza was the joint candidate of PPP, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Awami National Party (ANP) and other allied parties. "This is my third tenure in the National Assembly and I believe it is time that we all work together to address the challenges facing the country," Mirza told reporters before the session. "I am sure we will be able to face these challenges with the support of parliamentarians, our people and Pakistani media." Mirza hails from Badin in Sindh and has been winning elections continuously since 1997. Her husband Zulfiqar Ali Mirza is a close friend of PPP chief Asif Ali Zardari. Hailing from an influential political family of Sindh, Mirza, 52, has won the National Assembly seat in open electoral contest from Badin in 1997, 2002 and 2008. Her grandfather Qazi Abdul Qayyum was the first Muslim president of the Hyderabad Municipality. Her uncle Qazi Muhammad Akbar was member of the Provincial Assembly and served as minister of home, finance, public works and information at various times. Mirza's father Qazi Abid started his political career as chairman of the Hyderabad Division Council. He later served as federal minister for education, water and power, food and agriculture and information. He was also thrice secretary general of the All Pakistan Newspaper Society (APNS) and owns a big publication house in Pakistan. "The election of Fahmida Mirza as speaker will be a big step towards the empowerment of women in Pakistan," Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a central PPP leader, told reporters. The alliance that is opposed to President Pervez Musharraf swept the February 18 elections, defeating the PML-Q backed by him. The alliance is set to form the government next week but it is not clear yet who will be heading it. The PML-N and other allied parties have given the authority to the PPP to nominate the prime minister. Zardari, widower of the assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, co-chairs the party with his son Bilawal Zardari. He is himself interested in heading the government but is not member of the National Assembly, a pre-requisite to become a prime minister. Not being a graduate also may keep him away from the bypolls to be held next month if parliament cannot undo the restriction imposed by Musharraf that only graduates can contest the polls. However, Bilawal, who is studying law at Oxford University in London, arrived in Karachi on Wednesday noon and was likely to address a press conference later in the day. "The 19-year-old son of Bhutto would announce the name of prime minister in the press conference," party's information secretary Sherry Rehman told reporters but was not sure when the press conference will be held. ||||| Ms Mirza's husband is an associate of PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari Fahmida Mirza, 52, was elected speaker with 249 votes in the 342-seat lower house, an official said. Ms Mirza is a veteran politician and an ally of Asif Ali Zardari, Ms Bhutto's widower who succeeded her as leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). The PPP has agreed to lead a coalition government but has yet to name a PM. An announcement is expected next week. There is growing speculation that the new PM will serve as a stop-gap until Mr Zardari wins a by-election and becomes eligible for high office. Speaking before her election, Ms Mirza said it was time to "work together to address the challenges facing the country". "I am sure that we will be able to face these challenges with the support of parliamentarians, our people and Pakistani media," she said. The speaker oversees the workings of parliament, deciding which debates and motions may be allowed. Ms Mirza, a businesswoman, has been elected to parliament three times from her constituency in Ms Bhutto's home province of Sindh. Her husband, Zulfiqar Mirza, is a long standing ally of Mr Zardari. The new parliament - comprising opponents of President Musharraf who swept to victory in last month's elections - met for the first time on Monday. ||||| NEWS CENTRAL/S. ASIA Pakistan swears in female speaker Mirza was nominated by the Popular People's Party of Benazir Bhutto, the murdered former premier [AFP] Pakistan's National Assembly has elected the first female parliamentary speaker in the country's 60-year history. Fahmida Mirza, a member of the Popular People's Party (PPP) of Benazir Bhutto, the assassinated former prime minister, was voted in on Wednesday. The former doctor won the election with 249 votes from the 342-seat lower house of parliament. MPs pounded their desks in approval as Amir Hussain, the outgoing speaker, announced the result after a day-long vote. Pakistan's challenges "This is my third tenure in the national assembly and I believe it is time that we all work together to address the challenges facing the country," Mirza said before the vote. Your Views Do you think the new coalition government can solve Pakistan's problems? Send us your views "I am sure that we will be able to face these challenges with the support of parliamentarians, our people and Pakistani media." The speaker conducts the business of the house, deciding which debates or motions are allowed, and will therefore play a key role in a parliament that is expected to confront Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president. "This is a big test and I hope that with the honour that Allah has bestowed upon you, you will be able to live up to expectations," Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, parliamentary leader of the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) party, said. The candidate put forward by the PML-Q won just 70 votes after their crushing defeat in the elections on February 18. Premier nomination Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Bhutto's 19-year-old son and her heir apparent, returned to Pakistan on Wednesday to announce her party's nomination for the post of prime minister, a party spokesman said. Party insiders say the current front-runner for the position is Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was parliamentary speaker during Bhutto's government from 1993-1996. They say that the prime minister named by Bilawal may only hold the post for a few months until Asif Ali Zardari, his father, becomes eligible to become premier. Zardari did not contest the elections because candidacies were filed before his wife's assassination but is likely to fight a by-election in her home constituency in May. The election of Mirza was largely a formality after being nominated by the PPP, which has the largest number of seats in the assembly and is preparing to lead the coalition government."This is my third tenure in the national assembly and I believe it is time that we all work together to address the challenges facing the country," Mirza said before the vote."I am sure that we will be able to face these challenges with the support of parliamentarians, our people and Pakistani media."The speaker conducts the business of the house, deciding which debates or motions are allowed, and will therefore play a key role in a parliament that is expected to confront Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president."This is a big test and I hope that with the honour that Allah has bestowed upon you, you will be able to live up to expectations," Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, parliamentary leader of the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) party, said.The candidate put forward by the PML-Q won just 70 votes after their crushing defeat in the elections on February 18.Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Bhutto's 19-year-old son and her heir apparent, returned to Pakistan on Wednesday to announce her party's nomination for the post of prime minister, a party spokesman said.Party insiders say the current front-runner for the position is Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was parliamentary speaker during Bhutto's government from 1993-1996.They say that the prime minister named by Bilawal may only hold the post for a few months until Asif Ali Zardari, his father, becomes eligible to become premier.Zardari did not contest the elections because candidacies were filed before his wife's assassination but is likely to fight a by-election in her home constituency in May. Source: Agencies
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The of Pakistan has elected of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) as its first female speaker, weeks after the general elections which ousted President Pervez Musharraf's party and gave the PPP the most seats in Parliament. Mirza, a former medical doctor who has previously served three terms in the National Assembly, was the joint candidate of the PPP, the (PML-N), the (ANP), and other allied parties. She received 249 votes out of the 324 who were present. Her main rival candidate, from the former ruling party (PML-Q), received only 70 votes. The result was announced by , the outgoing speaker. "Fahmida Mirza is declared to have been elected speaker of the National Assembly," he said, as other Parliament members pounded their desks in approval. "This is my third tenure in the National Assembly and I believe it is time that we all work together to address the challenges facing the country," Mirza told reporters. "I am sure we will be able to face these challenges with the support of parliamentarians, our people and Pakistani media." Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a central PPP leader, said, "The election of Fahmida Mirza as speaker will be a big step towards the empowerment of women in Pakistan." , parliamentary leader of the pro-Musharraf PML-Q, told Mirza, "This is a big test and I hope that with the honour that Allah has bestowed upon you, you will be able to live up to expectations." Later, in elections for the deputy speaker, PPP candidate defeated of the , which is allied with the PML-Q. The coalition government headed by the PPP has yet to name a Prime Minister, but they are expected to announce their nomination in the next few days. Party insiders say the prime minister, who will be named by Benazir Bhutto's son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, will only hold office for a few months until Bilawal's father, Asif Ali Zardari, becomes eligible for the post.
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Yisrael Beirenu's proposal was aimed mainly at Israel's Arab and ultra-Orthodox population [AFP] Yisrael Beirenu's proposal was aimed mainly at Israel's Arab and ultra-Orthodox population [AFP] The legislation committee on Sunday scrapped the bill, which had been tabled by the Yisrael Beitenu party, led by Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's foreign minister. An Israeli government committee has rejected a draft bill that would have required Israelis to take an oath of loyalty. The bill was rejected by a vote of eight to three, an official was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying. The move effectively strips the proposal of government approval and significantly lowers the chances it would pass into law. 'False impression' Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera's Jerusalem correspondent, said the bill's rejection showed the government as a whole had not been behind the proposal. "This committee within the Knesset [Israeli parliament] is responsible for examining draft laws that are being proposed, and they basically threw it out," she said. "It was very clear that the Labor party, another important member of the coalition, wasn't having anything to do with this bill." Labor said that the bill, which called for all citizens to take a pledge of allegiance, risked "creating the false impression" that Israel's Arab citizens were disloyal. The pledge was a key element in Yisrael Beitenu's campaigning for the February general election, in which it came in third, winning 15 of the 120 seats in parliament. The bill by Lieberman's secular nationalist party was aimed mostly at Israel's Arab citizens - some 20 per cent of Israel's population - and also at the ultra-Orthodox population. Neither group does the military service, which is mandatory for most Israelis. 'Catastrophe' bill softened A related bill on the Nakba, which many Palestinians lament as the "catastrophe" when they fled their homes in the wake of the 1948 creation of Israel, was watered down by the cabinet. The revised draft law now prohibits any government funds from being used for events marking the Nakba, instead of banning commemorations altogether, a government official was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying. "The original bill marked a serious infringement on the freedom of expression, which we deemed excessive," the official said. The changes followed a legal review of the bill approved by the cabinet last week, which would have prohibited any events marking Nakba and provided for penalties of up to three years in prison. US appeal rebuffed In another development, Israel has refused to bow to US calls that it freeze settlement activity. "I want to say in a crystal clear manner that the current Israeli government will not accept in any fashion that legal settlement activity be frozen," Yisrael Katz, Israel's transport minister and a close ally of Binyamin Netanyahu, said on Sunday. Netanyahu did not address the issue at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting, but the fighting words were echoed by other members of the cabinet, including the Labor party. Several members of the Israeli cabinet belong to right-leaning or ultra-nationalist parties. ||||| Israel takes a clear and decisive step against the world displaying its rogue nature in latest shake up over the illegal settlement development. On Sunday, Israel's Transport Minister Yisrael Katz vehemently declared that Israel will not bow to US demands to halt its settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. "I want to say in a crystal clear manner that the current Israeli government will not accept in any fashion that legal settlement activity in Judea and Samaria be frozen," said Katz who is a close aide to hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "The government will defend the vital interests of the state of Israel," he told army radio. The rebuttal is considered the first high-level reaction to Washington's demands for Israeli settlement expansion to be halted. The international community considers all Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal for they are in violation of three United Nations Security Council Resolutions. The Israeli government, however, has refused at every turn to take action toward ceasing or even slowing down its illegal development of the occupied Palestinian territories. Tel Aviv has also made clear its utter distaste for a two-state solution - another defiance of Washington's guidelines for the Middle East peace process. As a result Portugal's foreign minister called on the European Union to join force with the US against Israel in pressuring Tel Aviv into accepting the creation of a Palestinian state. Obama's unequivocal stance on Israel's inhumane and unrelenting siege of the Gaza Strip, and it's settlement construction activity is a slap in the face of the former Bush administration's cart blanche approval for Israel to act in complete disregard of international convention. The Israeli government, in response to US and world pressure has begun large scale military defense exercises near the border of Lebanon. The maneuvers, said to address Israel's tactical weaknesses demonstrated from its 2006 defeat when it attacked Lebanon in an unprovoked display of aggression, are making surrounding Muslim countries nervous. MGH/SC/MMN ||||| Stop settlement: Obama tells Israel Washington (PTI): Reiterating his resolve for a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, US President Barack Obama called on Israel to halt building settlements in the occupied West Bank and also asked Palestine to reduce incitement of anti-Israeli sentiment among its people. "I have been a strong believer in a two-state solution that would provide the Israelis and Palestinians the peace and security that they need," Obama told reporters after his meeting with the visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, at the White House. "It is our belief that the best way to achieve that is to create the conditions on the ground and set the stage for a Palestinian state as well," he said with Mahmoud sitting by his side at his Oval Office. Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had met the President, as part of Obama's endeavour to find a lasting solution to Israel-Palestine conflict in the region. He articulated all the stake holders have to play their role. "On the Israeli side, those obligations include stopping settlements. They include making sure that there is a viable, substantial Palestinian state," he argued. International ||||| Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of Ottawa Citizen Headline News will soon be in your inbox. ||||| U.S. President Barack Obama will not cut the billions of dollars in military aid promised to Israel, a senior U.S. administration official said Wednesday. The $30 billion in aid promised to Israel over the next decade will not be harmed by the world financial crisis, the official told Israel Radio. He spoke on condition of anonymity. The Obama Administration however expects the next government of Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu to continue peace negotiations with the Palestinians, he said. Advertisement Israel Radio also quoted the official as saying that if Hamas joins a Palestinian unity cabinet but does not accept the conditions of the Quartet of Middle East peace sponsors - the U.S., European Union, United Nations and Russia - the Obama Administration would have no dealings with that government. The radical Islamist movement ruling Gaza is holding talks in Cairo with the secular Fatah party of moderate President Mahmoud Abbas and other factions on forming a unity government. The talks in Cairo are a bid to reconcile between the rivaling factions, which have been locked in a bitter power struggle since Hamas beat Fatah in January 2006 elections and culminated in the Islamist group violently seizing sole control of Gaza in June 2007. After the Hamas elections victory, the Quartet said it would boycott Hamas, unless it recognized Israel's right to exist, endorsed past interim peace deals calling for a two-state solution to the conflict, and renounced violence. Related articles: U.S. to increase military aid to Israel in decade-long deal Olmert welcomes 'significant improvement' in U.S. military aid U.S. Senate bill would restrict Israel's use of military aid to buy cluster bombs The increased military aid was promised to outgoing prime minister Ehud Olmert by then-under secretary of state for political affairs Nicholas Burns in August 2007.Israel Radio also quoted the official as saying that if Hamas joins a Palestinian unity cabinet but does not accept the conditions of the Quartet of Middle East peace sponsors - the U.S., European Union, United Nations and Russia - the Obama Administration would have no dealings with that government.The radical Islamist movement ruling Gaza is holding talks in Cairo with the secular Fatah party of moderate President Mahmoud Abbas and other factions on forming a unity government.The talks in Cairo are a bid to reconcile between the rivaling factions, which have been locked in a bitter power struggle since Hamas beat Fatah in January 2006 elections and culminated in the Islamist group violently seizing sole control of Gaza in June 2007.After the Hamas elections victory, the Quartet said it would boycott Hamas, unless it recognized Israel's right to exist, endorsed past interim peace deals calling for a two-state solution to the conflict, and renounced violence.
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Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu firmly rejected calls to end settlements in the occupied on Sunday after Netanyahu was pressed by the Obama administration to halt all settlement activity during a meeting last week in Washington. PM Netanyahu Obama criticized settlement activity saying, "On the Israeli side, those obligations include stopping settlements. They include making sure that there is a viable, substantial Palestinian state." Obama's requests were quickly met with rejection from the Israeli government, "I want to say in a crystal clear manner that the current Israeli government will not accept in any fashion that legal settlement activity be frozen," said Israeli transportation minister Yisrael Katz on Sunday. Netanyahu also stated that Israel would not accept limits on housing development in Jerusalem, a city which Palestine hopes to make the capital of its future state. Israeli science minister, Daniel Herschkowitz, equated Obama's pleas to end settlement activity to the Pharaoh's decree that "every son that is born ye shall cast into the river." Although the U.S. has verbally stated it wants to see an end to settlement activity, Israel is still the largest recipient of United States aid annually, receiving 3 billion in financial aid and advanced military weaponry. In related news, a law in Israel that would make refusal to acknowledge Israel as a Jewish state illegal was rejected by an Israeli government committee today. Along with outlawing the marking of the , the bill would have made any "call to negate Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state, where the content of such publication would have a reasonable possibility of causing an act of hatred, disdain or disloyalty," a punishable offense imprisonable for up to one year.
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Women in Saudi Arabia to vote and run in elections Saudi women face severe restrictions in their working and personal lives Continue reading the main story Related Stories Women in Saudi Arabia are to be given the right to vote and run in future municipal elections, King Abdullah has announced. He said they would also have the right to be appointed to the consultative Shura Council. The move was welcomed by activists who have called for greater rights for women in the kingdom, which enforces a strict version of Sunni Islamic law. The changes will occur after municipal polls on Thursday, the king said. King Abdullah announced the move in a speech at the opening of the new term of the Shura Council - the formal body advising the king, whose members are all appointed. "Because we refuse to marginalise women in society in all roles that comply with sharia, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior clerics and others... to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from next term," he said. "Women will be able to run as candidates in the municipal election and will even have a right to vote." Cautious reformer Continue reading the main story Analysis Saudi Arabia is a conservative society which has been inching towards reform under the leadership of King Abdullah, himself a reformist. About 10 years ago the king said women should be central to the Saudi economy. Since then, change has been gradual for fear of a religious backlash. Steps have been taken to reduce segregation and give more respect to women. Now, allowing women to stand and vote in municipal elections is a big step towards political reform, even though the municipal councils have very little power. The right for women to join the all- male Shura Council could turn out to be even more significant as it is the most influential political body in the country. The BBC's world affairs correspondent Emily Buchanan says it is an extraordinary development for women in Saudi Arabia, who are not allowed to drive, or to leave the country unaccompanied. She says there has been a big debate about the role of women in the kingdom and, although not everyone will welcome the decision, such a reform will ease some of the tension that has been growing over the issue. Saudi writer Nimah Ismail Nawwab told the BBC: "This is something we have long waited for and long worked towards." She said activists had been campaigning for 20 years on driving, guardianship and voting issues. Another campaigner, Wajeha al-Huwaider, said the king's announcement was "great news". "Now it is time to remove other barriers like not allowing women to drive cars and not being able to function, to live a normal life without male guardians," she told Reuters news agency. Correspondents say King Abdullah has been cautiously pressing for political reforms, but in a country where conservative clerics and some members of the royal family resist change, liberalisation has been very gradual. In May more than 60 intellectuals called for a boycott of Thursday's ballot saying "municipal councils lack the authority to effectively carry out their role". Municipal elections are the only public polls in Saudi Arabia. More than 5,000 men will compete in municipal elections on Thursday - the second-ever in the kingdom - to fill half the seats in local councils. The other half are appointed by the government. The next municipal elections are due in four years' time. ||||| Saudi king gives women right to vote RIYADH — Saudi King Abdullah on Sunday granted women the right to vote and run in municipal elections, in a historic first for the ultra-conservative country where women are subjected to many restrictions. The 86-year-old monarch made the unexpected announcement that he had issued a decree to enfranchise women in a speech to the Shura Council broadcast live on state television. "Starting with the next term, women will have the right to run in municipal elections and to choose candidates, according to Islamic principles," said King Abdullah. "We have decided that women will participate in the Shura Council as members starting the next term," he added. Women's rights activists have long fought for the right to vote in the Gulf kingdom, which applies a strict version of Sunni Islam and bans women from driving or travelling without the consent of a male guardian. Manal al-Sharif, the 32-year-old icon of a campaign in which a group of defiant Saudi women got behind the steering wheels of their cars in a protest against the driving ban, told AFP the king's decision was "a historic and courageous one." "The king is a reformist," she said of the monarch whose country was spared a wave of protests rocking the region by which autocratic regimes in Tunisia and Egypt were toppled. Abdullah's move was also hailed by the United States and Britain, which both called it a significant "step forward" for the Saudi people. "The announcements made today represent an important step forward in expanding the rights of women in Saudi Arabia, and we support King Abdullah and the people of Saudi Arabia as they undertake these and other reforms," said Tommy Vietor, the White House National Security Council spokesman. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he welcomed the announcement and that "we look forward to examining the full details of the proposed changes and how they will work in practice." The king's decision means that women will be able to take part in the elections that are to be held in four years, as the next vote is due to take place on Thursday and nominations are already closed. In addition to participating in the only public polls in the country, women would have the right to join the all-appointed Shura (consultative) Council, he said in the address opening the assembly's new term. More than 5,000 men will compete in Thursday's municipal elections, only the second in Saudi Arabia's history, to fill half the seats in the kingdom's 285 municipal councils. The other half are appointed by the government. The first elections were held in 2005, but the government extended the existing council's term for two years. -- 'Day of joy' -- King Abdullah said his decision came because "we refuse marginalising women's role in the Saudi society in all fields," and followed "consultations with several scholars." He did not mention anything about women's right to drive in the kingdom where they must hire male chauffeurs, or depend on the goodwill of relatives if they do not have the means. However, he said that "balanced modernisation which agrees with our Islamic values is a necessary demand in an epoch where there is no place for those who are hesitant" in moving forward. Saudi Arabia has seen many changes since Abdullah became king in 2005. Norah al-Fayez, who was named to the post of deputy education minister for women's education in 2009, was the first woman ever named to a ministerial post in the country. More than 60 intellectuals and activists had called in May for a boycott of the September ballot because "municipal councils lack the authority to effectively carry out their role" and "half of their members are appointed," as well as because they exclude women. The Shura Council had recommended allowing women to vote in the next local polls, officials have said. And in April, Samar Badawi said she was suing the municipal affairs ministry for upholding the ban on women taking part in the local poll. Badawi filed a lawsuit at the administrative court in Mecca against the ministry for denying women the right to register as voters. In the same month, a group of women defied the ban on women in elections by turning up at a voter registration office in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, in a rare public demonstration against the male-only electoral system. But they were turned back by the head of the centre who told them women were still banned from voting. While being spared any unrest linked to the Arab Spring, the oil-rich Sunni kingdom has however seen minor sporadic demonstrations by Shiites that took place in its Eastern Province. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has publicly thrown her support behind the driving campaign, saying that "what these women are doing is brave, and what they are seeking is right." Suheila Zine el-Abidine, an activist from Saudi's National Human Rights Association, paid tribute to the king for allowing women to vote. "We are very happy with his decision today," she said, adding that "by affirming women's political rights in a royal decree, he has removed all questions raised around this matter." Madawi al-Hassun, a businesswoman, was also elated by the move. "Today is a day of joy for Saudi women," she said. Copyright © 2011 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
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King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has announced women will be allowed to in the country and run for there. The modifications will apply from 2012. Abdullah made this announcement at the start of a new term. In a speech, the king said "we refuse to marginalise women in society in all roles that comply with sharia" and so made the decision "to involve women in the Shura Council as members, starting from next term". Abdullah clarified that female adults "will be able to run as candidates in the municipal election and will even have a right to vote." Such changes are to be put in place "according to Islamic principles," he said. Muslim women, he continued, "must not be marginalised in opinion or advice". Activists have sought women's right to vote in Saudi Arabia for years. As it stands, women in Saudi Arabia cannot drive, nor travel without male permission, based on Sunni Islam principles.
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- (03/07/06)--There was breaking news Tuesday afternoon when a plane went down on Interstate-75. It happened just north of Exit 98 on East Holly Road in Oakland County. The pilot of the single-engine Piper Warrior landed on the median near Exit 98. That's just south of the Genesee County line in Oakland County. The pilot and his passenger were flying to Mid Michigan from Ohio. The two got lost trying to find Oakland Airport. Once the pilot got his bearings, they faced yet another hurdle. A median on I-75 turned into a point of landing for an Ohio man and his passenger. The pilot of the Warrior was bound for Oakland Airport. Then came a problem. "The engine stalled and they tried to start it back a couple times by switching fuel tanks, but there was no luck so they had to make an emergency landing," said Charles Oaks with the Springfield Township Fire Department. They crash landed on the interstate during the peak of rush hour. Traffic was backed up for miles in the northbound lanes. "It kind of reminded me of a blimp," said witness Maureen Ghenon. "It was really big. I was surprised to look down and see that it was so small because it was right there. You immediately knew that it wasn't going to recover. It was going to land." Both men, who are EMS workers, managed to walk away unharmed. Authorities say the pilot was flying his friend here to drive back a vehicle purchased in Brighton. Now both will be driving home. "The guy said he just lost a $70,000 plane and he wasn't in the mood to talk right now, and I asked the passenger and he said, no, he wasn't, either,"Oaks said. "He said it was the first time he had ever flown an airplane in his life, and it will probably be his last." The pilot had some experience flying. An environmental cleanup crew was called in to clear out 30 gallons of gasoline that was spilled. The FAA was also called in to investigate. You can see the abc12 report by clicking on the video icon above. You will need Windows Media Player to view this video. You can get it FREE by clicking here. NOTE: Video clips will only be available for 7-days from the date they were created. ALSO: Video clips may play in a separate window, without audio, on Mac OS X machines. abc12.com is aware of this issue and is working with the video player vendor to correct it as soon as possible.Copyright 2006 ABC Inc., WJRT-TV Inc. ||||| Plane makes emergency landing on I-75 Passengers walk away unharmed. Plane lands along I-75 A small passenger plane made an emergency landing on Interstate 75. It happened around 4pm, Tuesday, at the Genesee/Oakland County line. Two people were on board and both walked away unharmed. Traffic slowed along 1-75, but continued to move in both directions as crews worked to move the plane from the scene . ||||| Flight Standards Service-Civil Aviation Registry The Civil Aviation Registry is responsible for developing, maintaining, and operating national programs for the registration of United States civil aircraft and certification of airmen. Civil Aviation Registry Branches If assistance is needed with small Unmanned Aircraft (UAS) registration, email [email protected]. Live phone support will be available starting December 25 from 7am to 5pm Eastern, seven days a week. Phone assistance is available at 844-244-3565. In our continuing effort to improve the quality of service to our stakeholders, Flight Standards Service (AFS) would appreciate any comments you may have on our services and how to improve them. Your participation in meeting our goals for continuous improvement is greatly appreciated.
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Piper PA-28 aircraft A small, single-engine plane crashed in the median of Interstate 75 near Holly, Michigan Tuesday afternoon. The crash site is located about 100 feet from the East Holly Road overpass, near Exit 98, with approximate geographical coordinates of . The Piper model PA-28-180 aircraft crashed in the median during mid-afternoon local time, and slowed traffic when police and rescue teams were en route to the scene. According to local television station WEYI-TV, two passengers were aboard the plane, and did not sustain any large injuries. According to the FAA database, the plane was manufactured in 1968, and was issued a license in 1970. The most recent owner according to the database is a flying school in Coldwater, Ohio.
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This was the first US war crimes trial since World War II Osama Bin Laden's former driver has been sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison at the first US military trial in Guantanamo Bay. Salim Hamdan was convicted on Wednesday of supporting terrorism, but acquitted of conspiracy to murder. Prosecutors had demanded a sentence of not less than 30 years. On time served Hamdan could be released in five months but the Pentagon has said he will still be retained as an "enemy combatant". The US has always argued it can detain such people indefinitely, as long as its so-called war on terror continues. The Pentagon said Hamdan would serve his sentence and then be eligible for review. Regret The BBC's Kim Ghattas at the trial says the sentence is a dramatic snub to the Bush administration and came after just one-and-a-half hours of deliberation. The jury of six US military officers, not the judge, imposed the sentence under the tribunal rules. "It is my duty as president [of the jury] to inform you that this military commission sentences you to be confined for 66 months," a juror told Hamdan. HAMDAN CHARGES Conspiracy: Not guilty of two counts of conspiring with al-Qaeda to attack civilians, destroy property and commit murder Providing support for terrorism: Guilty on five counts, including being the driver and bodyguard for Osama Bin Laden, a man he knew to be the leader of a terrorist group. Not guilty on three other counts Profile: Salim Hamdan Timeline: Al-Qaeda Our correspondent says Hamdan looked nervous as he walked in for sentencing but after hearing it, he told jurors: "I would like to apologise one more time to all the members and I would like to thank you for what you have done for me." The judge, Navy Capt Keith Allred, told Hamdan: "I hope the day comes when you return to your wife and your daughters and your country." Hamdan, who is aged about 40, smiled as he left court and said thank you to those in the room. After the sentencing, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said: "He will serve out the rest of his sentence. At that time he will still be considered an enemy combatant. "But he will be eligible for review by an Administrative Review Board." The boards decide annually on the threat posed by detainees and the possibility of their transfer or release. The White House had earlier said the trial was "fair". The defence is still likely to go ahead with the appeal it announced on Wednesday. Rights groups have condemned the tribunal system. Amnesty International said it was "fundamentally flawed" and should be abandoned. 'Worked for wages' In his earlier plea for leniency to the jury, Hamdan said in a prepared statement: "It's true there are work opportunities in Yemen, but not at the level I needed after I got married and not to the level of ambitions that I had in my future." He said he regretted the loss of "innocent lives". Hamdan had admitted working for Bin Laden in Afghanistan from 1997 to 2001 for $200 (£99) a month, but said he worked for wages, not to wage war on the US. About 270 suspects remain in detention in Guantanamo Bay. Among the dozens of other inmates due to be tried there in the coming months are men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks. E-mail this to a friend Printable version Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? ||||| Hamdan Sentenced To 66 Months A military panel has sentenced Salim Ahmed Hamdan of Yemen to 66 months of confinement for providing material support to terrorism by a military commission under the Military Commissions Act of 2006. The sentence includes a 61 month and eight day credit ordered by the military judge, Navy Capt. Keith Allred. Hamdan will serve his sentence to confinement separate from the other detainees at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Hamdan's conviction and sentencing at trial is one step in the military commission process. Now that the trial is complete his case will receive an automatic review by the convening authority, who will evaluate the legal sufficiency of the findings and appropriateness of the sentence. Hamdan will still be represented by counsel and have the opportunity to submit matters for consideration on his behalf. Then his case will receive an automatic review by the Court of Military Commission Review. Thereafter, he could appeal to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the Supreme Court. Trials by military commission demonstrate that the United States is committed to holding dangerous terror suspects accountable for their actions. Military commissions provide a mechanism to serve justice to those accused of law of war violations while keeping the United States, friends and allies safe from those determined on carrying out attacks on civilian populations and coalition forces. Military commissions are constituted courts, affording all the necessary judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples for purposes of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention. A link to Hamdan's list of charges can be viewed on the Military Commission Web site at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/May2007/Hamdan_Charges.pdf. ||||| GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, Aug. 6 -- A military jury on Wednesday found a former driver for Osama bin Laden guilty of supporting terrorism but not of conspiring in terrorist attacks, handing the Bush administration a partial victory in the first U.S. war crimes trial in a half a century. The verdict, reached after about eight hours of deliberations over three days, only intensified the debate over whether Salim Ahmed Hamdan's conviction was preordained in an unfair system -- or whether military trials are appropriate for people accused of committing heinous acts against the United States. The administration seized on the acquittal to defend its military justice system against accusations that it was politicized and drawn up to ensure convictions. Pentagon and White House officials said they are satisfied with the result. "We're pleased that Salim Hamdan received a fair trial," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said. "The military commission system is a fair and appropriate legal process for prosecuting detainees." Despite the partial acquittal, Hamdan still faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Jurors are to reconvene Thursday to determine his sentence. With the conclusion of the trial -- the first by military commission since the end of World War II -- U.S. prosecutors can move ahead with military trials for up to 80 Guantanamo Bay detainees, including those accused of planning the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. One reason Hamdan, who even the military judge labeled "a small player," was tried first is so the system could be tested on him. The military jury of five men and one woman found Hamdan guilty of supporting al-Qaeda by driving and guarding bin Laden and ferrying weapons for the terrorist group. Hamdan, a Yemeni father of two, bowed his head and wiped his eyes with his white headdress as the verdict was read. The judge, Navy Capt. Keith J. Allred, called it "an emotional moment" for Hamdan, who was later led back to his cell at the U.S. detention facility here, his home for the past six years. President Bush first empowered the commissions after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, reversing a tradition of trying alleged terrorists in civilian courts in an effort to seek swift and tough-minded military justice. The process had experienced legal, procedural and diplomatic delays. Deputy defense counsel Michael Berrigan called the trial a "travesty" but said the defense team "is not at all unhappy with the results." Ben Wizner, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union who attended the trial as one of several human rights observers, ridiculed the administration for inaugurating the military system on "a marginal figure." ||||| GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - A military jury on Wednesday convicted Osama bin Laden’s driver of supporting terrorism but acquitted him on more serious charges of conspiring with al Qaeda to wage murderous attacks, in the first U.S. war crimes trial since World War Two. The trial of Yemeni captive Salim Hamdan at the remote U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba was the first full test of the controversial military tribunal authorized by the Bush administration to try foreign captives on terrorism charges outside the regular U.S. court system. Supporters of the trial by military commission, including the White House, said it had been vindicated by the split verdict. Human rights and civil liberties groups, and military defense lawyers, condemned the process. As the subsequent sentencing hearing began, the judge called Hamdan “a small player” and refused to let the government call an FBI agent to testify about retrieving bodies from the World Trade Center after the September 11 attacks. The judge, Navy Capt. Keith Allred, said the testimony was irrelevant since Hamdan had been cleared of conspiring with al Qaeda to carry out any attacks. While Hamdan was convicted on five counts of providing material support for terrorism, the judge said the charges duplicated each other and ordered that he be sentenced only for one count, which he summarized as “driving Mr. bin Laden around Afghanistan.” CHICKEN SELLER Defense lawyers said the partial acquittal affirmed their faith in the military officers on the jury but did nothing to remedy fundamental flaws in a system designed to convict on all counts. The chief Guantanamo prosecutor, Army. Col. Lawrence Morris, said the verdict showed Hamdan was an al Qaeda warrior whose role went far beyond simply being a driver and should not be equated with “somebody who sold a chicken to a terrorist.” Hamdan, who was captured in Afghanistan in 2001 after the U.S. invasion that followed the September 11 attacks, wore a white turban and long white robe topped with a tan blazer as he stood tensely in the courtroom and listened through headphones to the English-Arabic interpreter who relayed the verdict. He raised his hands and wept quietly into them when he heard “guilty.” His case will be reviewed by the Pentagon appointee overseeing the tribunals and then by a special military appeals court. Hamdan could then appeal to the U.S. federal appeals court in Washington and finally to the U.S. Supreme Court. MORE TRIALS In Washington, White House spokesman Tony Fratto said Hamdan received a fair trial and the military tribunal had been shown to work. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the military would move forward to try 20 other Guantanamo detainees facing war crimes charges, including five who could be executed if convicted of plotting the September 11 attacks. Slideshow ( 8 images ) Republican presidential hopeful John McCain welcomed the verdict and said the process of bringing terrorists to justice had been too long delayed. Democratic candidate Barack Obama said the long delay showed how flawed the U.S. government’s legal approach was. The American Civil Liberties Union called the tribunal a betrayal of American values from start to finish and “a monumental debacle of American justice.” The jury heard two weeks of testimony, including that of 10 federal agents who interrogated Hamdan without warning him that his confessions would be used against him in a criminal trial. Slideshow ( 8 images ) It was the Bush administration’s third attempt to try Hamdan, who won a Supreme Court victory that scrapped the first version of the Guantanamo court system in 2006. The charges were twice dropped and refiled. The charges Hamdan was cleared of -- two counts of conspiring with al Qaeda to attack civilians, destroy property, and commit murder in violation of the laws of war -- were the only charges against him in the first prosecution attempt. “The travesty of this verdict now is that had the case gone to trial in 2004 he would have been acquitted of all the charges,” said Deputy Chief Defense Counsel Michael Berrigan. Hamdan was convicted of providing personal services in support of terrorism, specifically driving, guarding and ferrying weapons for a man he knew to be the leader of an international terrorist organization. “The Pentagon must be very proud of itself today,” said John Wesley Hall, head of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. “It convicted a truck driver of being guilty of driving a truck.” ||||| The Bush administration needed a big win in the Salim Hamdan case at Guantánamo. It didn't get one. By convicting Osama bin Laden's former driver—the first "terrorist" to be tried under the first U.S. war-crimes tribunal since World War II—only of "material" support for terrorism, and absolving him of conspiracy to commit terrorism, the military judges provoked questions about what Hamdan was doing there in the first place. Is driving a car a war crime? The appeals court may decide not—in which case even this meager verdict could be thrown out. "I would be very surprised if any of this conviction stands at the end of the day," says Scott Horton, a law professor specializing in human rights at Columbia University. "He was convicted of things that are not war crimes by a tribunal that has the power only to prosecute war crimes." Obviously this was no show trial. This six-member jury did not buy the prosecution's case that Hamdan knew about and was involved in terror plots, only that he assisted Al Qaeda by driving and guarding bin Laden. "This is not a jury that did the government's bidding," says Scott Silliman of Duke Law School, a former JAG officer. "The fact that you couldn't get two thirds on conspiracy is significant … I think it could go all the way back to the Supreme Court." As Matt Waxman, the former Defense Department assistant secretary of detainee affairs, put it to me: "In terms of global perceptions, it's really been the U.S. system that's on trial more than individual terrorism suspects … The government has certainly lost the perceptions battle on this case so far." Indeed, the Hamdan verdict points up, more than anything else, one of the central mistakes of the Bush administration after 9/11: sheer overreaching. Was this really the best the administration could do—a driver—in the first test run of its much-batted-about tribunal system, nearly seven years after the terror attacks themselves? By arrogantly deciding that the president had the right to define and pursue the "war on terror" any way he liked, and that he could define anyone he liked as an "unlawful combatant"—then expanding its prisoner population way beyond the true Al Qaeda culprits to include everyone rounded up in Afghanistan and then Iraq—the administration ensured itself a legal and moral quagmire. It ensured that, ironically, the champions of a strong executive branch in the Bush White House would end with even less executive power to wage this "war" than they inherited from Bill Clinton. And it ensured that hundreds of detainees of dubious criminality and nonexistent intelligence value will continue to molder in prison with no disposition of their cases. The government plans to use the tribunals for no more than one third of Gitmo's detainee population, further draining America of the moral authority that was once so much a part of our self-identity. Yes, the war against Al Qaeda called for a stretching and changing of the rules of war. There was a need for some ruthlessness. There was a need to "work the dark side" somewhat, as Dick Cheney memorably put it, when you were dealing with the Khalid Sheikh Mohammeds and Muhammad Attas of the world. But for that very reason it was necessary to define the enemy precisely, to severely limit the number of these occasionally necessary breaches of the traditional rules of war that gave us our moral stature and helped to keep our men and women in arms safer in the hands of enemies. The administration did the opposite. What began as a hunt for a relatively contained group of self-declared murderers like bin Laden became a feckless dragnet for tens of thousands (if one includes Iraq) that no other country could openly support. And now we are paying for it. We Americans are now fighting the "War on Terror" all but alone in the world. "By defining the war on terror so expansively the administration has undermined the legitimacy of that very concept," says Waxman, who fought several brave battles within the White House, principally against Cheney, his chief legal counsel David Addington and their Justice Department mole, John Yoo, to clarify and rationalize detention and interrogation rules. "Had the government taken a much narrower approach, and restricted the definition of who could be detained, it would be in a stronger position."
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Guards in front of Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay Wednesday, an American military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay, in Cuba found Salim Hamdan, a Yemini and Osama bin Laden's former driver guilty of supporting terrorism. Today, the jury handed down a sentence of 66 months, with credit for time already served. This means that Hamdan could be released in five months. Prosecutors had sought a thirty-year sentence. Pentagon spokesperson Bryan Whitman said: "He will serve out the rest of his sentence. At that time he will still be considered an enemy combatant, but he will be eligible for review by an Administrative Review Board." After hearing the sentence Hamdan said to the jurors, "I would like to apologise one more time to all the members and I would like to thank you for what you have done for me." He smiled and thanked those in the courtroom as he left. The ten-day trial was the first to test the Bush Administration's military-tribunal system for people suspected of terrorism. The trial allowed evidence which would not be allowed in either a civilian or a military court, including hearsay as evidence for the conviction of Hamdan. The original charges to Hamdan included five counts of supporting terrorism, but the judge, Navy Capt. Keith Allred, ordered only one count factor into the sentencing. Allred summarized the charge as "driving Mr. bin Laden around Afghanistan". Hamdan will have at least two appeals — one to the person appointed to oversee the tribunals, and one to a military appeals court — and possibly more at a later date. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told Reuters that the military plans to move forward with trials for 20 other suspected terrorists at Guantanamo, including five facing execution if convicted in connection with planning the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.. The United States has tried Hamdan before, once being appealed to the United States Supreme Court. In Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, a 2006 case before the court, the court found the previous tribunal system lacked "the power to proceed because its structures and procedures violate both the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the four Geneva Conventions signed in 1949". Two cases were dropped before the current one was tried.
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National Express back on track with rail win Last Updated: 1:23am GMT 11/12/2007 Will the train operator's chief be able to keep the customers satisfied with his ambitious timetable for improvement, asks Jonathan Russell For the bleary-eyed travellers on this morning's 07.58 train from Newcastle to London their three-and-a-half-hour journey probably represents little more than the end of another weekend. For National Express, the company operating that train, it is the start of a seven-year journey at the controls of arguably the most important rail franchise in the country. For the passenger, journey's end is King's Cross. But for National Express and Richard Bowker, its chief executive, the objective is to rebuild a rail franchise that failed to meet its financial and operational targets under the previous operator, GNER. Under GNER passengers on the 07.58 had little more than an 80 per cent chance of getting to London on time. For Bowker the aim is to increase this to nearer 90 per cent in 12 months. Under GNER the franchise failed to meet its target of returning £1.3bn to the Government over 10 years. For Bowker the plan is to pay £1.4bn over seven. Both targets are hugely ambitious. When the cost of the winning bid was revealed more than a few eyebrows were raised both in the City and among rival operators. But for Bowker and National Express, which had already lost two of the three bids they had put in for in the recent round of franchise tenders, the win was crucial. "It is hugely important for us," he explains. "We hadn't won a franchise for a little while. This is probably the highest-profile franchise in the country. It was a huge vote of confidence in National Express. It puts us back in the premier league of train operators." But for transport groups rail franchises can be an easy way to get things wrong. The financial and reputational risks are enormous. GNER was forced to hand the franchise back to the Government in December last year just 18 months into a 10-year deal - unable to pay Government the premiums it had promised. advertisement Having won the franchise, Bowker's next job is ensuring that he does not fall into the same financial trap as GNER. He says: "We have made sure that every pound of that franchise bid is one that we can earn. We are not in the business of winging these things." The bottom line for Bowker is a forecast that revenue on the franchise will rise eight per cent per year, through a combination of increased passenger numbers and fare rises. GNER ran into trouble for two reasons. First its payment schedule was loaded on the first few years of the contract, when franchises are most expensive to run. Secondly, and largely unconnected to the franchise, its parent company, Sea Containers, was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. National Express has weighted its payment schedule towards the end of its seven-year franchise when the projected rise in demand and a 20 per cent increase in capacity should have substantially boosted revenues. Bowker says: "In 2010 there will be a significant uplift in capacity, allowing us to increase the number of trains from 136 to 161 per day. That equates to an extra 14,000 passengers per day." In the railway business bums on seats is what it is all about. To this end Bowker is championing his CRM programme or "customer relationship management". While this has been scoffed at by rivals who prefer to spend time with engineers than marketers, it is something Bowker is convinced can make a difference. "Customer relationship management is a hard-nosed commercial reality," he says. "The problem with transport businesses is that we have become better at dispensing a service but none of us have any idea who our customers are." To illustrate the point he cites a pilot scheme run this time last year aimed at getting more young families to use National Express's Silverlink service for shopping trips. The marketing effort cost the company about £20,000, but, according to Bowker, resulted in an additional £60,000 in revenue. In a fixed-cost business such as the railway the £40,000 balance goes straight to the bottom line. In much the same vein National Express is investing about £1m in rebranding its entire business including the local bus network, its ONE franchise and Intercity East Coat. The programme will be introduced in stages to reduce costs with new liveries applied as new vehicles are introduced or existing ones are renovated. Whether or not brand is a selling point in a transport market that offers little choice of supplier is questionable. However, it is worth noting that National Express's new franchise is effectively the only one in the country to face competition from open-access train operators in the shape of Hull Trains and the soon to be introduced Grand Central. But for passengers the only thing that matters is whether the service runs on time. According to Bowker the key to achieving that is in the detail. Are the doors closed on time? Does the platform guard have his eye firmly on the clock in the crucial two or three minutes before departure? For him the focus is as much on when the train departs as when it arrives. He says: "It comes down to the very basic stuff. If you are sloppy about two or three aspects of the process it can affect the whole timetable. " But Bowker admits that some of the issues are out of his hands. To keep his network running on time he needs Network Rail to keep the infrastructure in good order. To this end National Express has agreed a 100-day "action plan" with Network Rail on how to deal with long-term problems such as maintaining and repairing overhead lines and deadlines for engineering work. But hard as National Express and Network Rail may work to improve the business it is the travelling public that will determine its success. A lot of the factors - petrol prices, road congestion and the green agenda - are out of his control. In the final reckoning it is the passenger on the 07.58 who will decide. Publishers wishing to reproduce photographs on this page should phone 44 (0) 207 538 7505 or e-mail [email protected] Post this story to: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit ||||| The service will be replaced by the National Express East Coast. GNER had operated the service since 1996, but has now been replaced by National Express East Coast. The route was put out to tender last year, after GNER's parent firm said it could not pay £1.3bn it had promised the government to run the service. The new operator has promised to improve punctuality and spend £24m on new rolling stock. National Express beat off opposition from Arriva, First Group and a joint venture between Virgin and Stagecoach to win the contract. The route links London with Scotland, calling at Peterborough, Leeds, Doncaster, York, Darlington, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. National Express agreed to pay the treasury £1.4bn to operate the franchise until the end of March 2015. The last GNER train will run on Saturday night The group, which also operates the Gatwick Express and Stansted Express, as well as One and C2c train companies, has pledged a new fleet of extra trains by the end of 2010 - delivering 14,000 extra seats a day. It has also promised a £7.4m package of station upgrades and a further £8m on station gating schemes, including automatic ticket gates at eight stations. Group chief executive Richard Bowker said: "Our plans for the franchise are ambitious and challenging and the customer is at the heart of them. "We have an exciting package of innovation and investment planned, which are aimed at making services attractive to many more people. "We will offer improved reliability, more trains and seats, easier ticketing and updated catering."
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National Express Group logo Intercity 125 in National Express East Coast livery National Express branding has been added over the old GNER livery before the new livery is applied National Express East Coast has begun operating intercity rail services on the East Coast Main Line connecting London with the north-east of England and Scotland after it was awarded the franchise earlier this year. GNER, the previous operator, had their contract terminated early when parent company Sea Containers Ltd encountered financial difficulties. GNER could not afford to pay the £1.3 billion premium it had promised the government, and whilst National Express have promised £1.4 billion, the larger contributions are scheduled for towards the end of the franchise when revenues should be better as increases in capacity and the estimated growth in rail travel take effect. The new operator, part of the National Express Group, has committed to making an number of improvements to the service as part of the franchise contract. One of the first changes for passengers travelling today will be that the on-board wireless internet service is now free for all passengers. Elsewhere on the UK railway network, today also saw TransPennine Express begin services from Manchester to Edinburgh and Glasgow after a change in the Cross Country franchise saw the services leaving Virgin Trains.
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This was the deadliest suicide strike in Iraq for nearly a month A suicide bomber has killed at least 28 people queuing outside a police recruitment centre in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, police say. At least 57 other people were wounded in the attack, carried out by a bomber on a motorcycle. Meanwhile, the US military says it is to reduce troop numbers in the country by 12,000 in the next six months. The level of violence in Iraq has declined since 2007, but it remains a feature of daily life for many Iraqis. At least 12 people died two days ago when a car bomb exploded at a cattle market in Babil province. There are still almost daily violent incidents in Baghdad. Explosives belt Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The attack happened at about 1000 (0700 GMT) in "the middle of a crowd outside the [police] academy on Palestine Street", a police official told AFP news agency. Reports suggest the bomber detonated a belt of explosives as he crashed his motorbike into a line of people waiting at the side entrance to the training centre. Most of the dead were police recruits, while others were serving officers and civilians. The reported death toll quickly rose, making this the deadliest suicide strike reported in Iraq for nearly a month. Police recruitment centres have been a popular target for insurgents, and this academy has been attacked before. On 1 December last year, 15 police and recruits were killed, and another 45 people injured, in twin blasts at the building. And in 2005 two female suicide bombers attacked the building, killing 40 people. The BBC's Mike Sergeant says that measures have been taken to try to protect the building, such as setting up concrete blocks and checkpoints nearby. But he says that with the streams of police and recruits coming and going it is difficult to make it secure. Iraq has massively expanded its police and military forces over recent years as the government of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki seeks to ensure local forces can provide security amid the envisaged draw-down of US troops. Troop reduction As part of that draw-down, the US military announced on Sunday that it would not replace two brigades - comprising some 12,000 soldiers - due to leave Iraq over the next six months. "Two brigade combat teams who were scheduled to redeploy in the next six months, along with enabling forces such as logistics, engineers and intelligence, will not be replaced," it said in a statement. [Al-Qaeda] want very much to maintain relevance Maj Gen David Perkins US military spokesman Maj Gen David Perkins, a spokesman for US forces in Iraq, told a news conference that violence was at its lowest level since the summer of 2003. He claimed a recent series of attacks was evidence that terror groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq were growing desperate as they sought to derail security gains in the country, the Associated Press reports. "It's indicative that al-Qaeda feels threatened," he said. "They're feeling desperate. They want very much to maintain relevance." Some 140,000 US soldiers are currently in the country. The withdrawal is part of President Barack Obama's plan to end the "combat mission" in Iraq by August 2010, entailing the withdrawal of some two-thirds of the US force there - some of which will be deployed in Afghanistan instead. That reduction will in part depend on the success of national elections later this year, our correspondent says. Between 35,000 and 50,000 American troops will then stay in Iraq for a further year, to provide support and training to Iraqi forces, the US says. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| Register for NYTimes.com. Breaking news and award winning multimedia New York Times newspaper articles Arts & Dining reviews Online Classifieds It's free and it only takes a minute! Member ID or E-Mail Address: Password: Forgot Your Password? Remember me on this computer.
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28 people were killed in an suicide bombing attack outside a police recruitment building at 10am local time (UTC+3) in Baghdad, Iraq. The attack occurred in the centre of a crowd outside the police recruitment building. Most of the dead were police recruits, yet civilians and other serving officers were also injured or killed. At least 57 people were injured in the attack. The death toll is the highest reported incident in Iraq for nearly one month. Insurgents often choose police recruitment centres to attack and this centre, located on Palestine Street, has been previously attacked. In an attempt to prevent such attacks concrete blocks were previously constructed and checkpoints established. According to a nearby police lieutenant there was a demonstration of about 100 oil employees at an intersection between the police recruitment building and the oil ministry. The bomb went off one hour after the demonstration had started and according to some sources the bomber mingled within the crowd. The police believe that there was an accomplice who remotely detonated the bomber. There may have been a second bomb. Some reports suggest that the suicide bomber crashed into the crowds on a motorcycle and detonated a belt or vest of explosives. An eye-witness said that the police started firing weapons "randomly" after the explosion. Pick-up trucks were used to transport the casualties to hospital afterwards.
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David Taylor collapsed while out walking with his family David Taylor, the Labour MP for North West Leicestershire, has died after suffering a heart attack while walking with his family. The 63-year-old had been walking in the grounds of Calke Abbey, Derbyshire, on Saturday. He died at Queen's Hospital, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire. Gordon Brown paid tribute to Mr Taylor, describing him as "one of the most hard working MPs locally and nationally". Mr Taylor won his seat in 1997 and his majority in 2005 was 4,477. He had been due to step down as the MP for North West Leicestershire at the next general election. The prime minister said Mr Taylor had been "a strong campaigner and representative of his community for decades". He was a great campaigner in the East Midlands, a very caring person and a popular local MP Phil Hope MP Mr Brown went on to praise the MP's "indefatigable campaigning, constant attendance in the Commons and his independence of mind - no greater tribute can be made to David's lasting legacy as a local champion for North West Leicestershire". Regional Minister for the East Midlands Phil Hope MP said: "I am shocked and saddened at this news and my thoughts are with his family at this time. "He was a great campaigner in the East Midlands, a very caring person and a popular local MP who believed deeply in the principles of social justice and co-operation. He will be much missed." Labour MP for Leicester South Sir Peter Soulsby said: "It's a terrible shock. "I'd known David for many years, long before he was a member of Parliament and he's remained unchanged through all of those years. "He was kind, considerate, passionately committed and the absolute model of a backbencher." Backbencher award Mr Taylor had cited an "excessive workload" for his decision in May 2008 to stand down at the next general election and said he had faced increased abuse from constituents and in some cases threats to his life. He had said it had been an "enormous privilege" to represent the constituency and said at the time: "The vast bulk of people you come into contact with are good, decent people." Before becoming an MP Mr Taylor was a member of Heather Parish Council and North West Leicestershire District Council. He worked as an accountant and computer manager at Leicestershire County Council between 1977 and 1997. In 2007, Mr Taylor was voted Backbencher of the Year. He served on three select committees, including the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, and he was chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health. Deborah Arnott, director of the anti-smoking campaign group Ash, said Mr Taylor was "crucial in getting the smoking ban legislation through parliament". During the 1980s Mr Taylor was a keen long distance runner, competing in several half marathons and full marathons including the 1989 London Marathon in which he finished in just over three hours. In the 1990s he cycled routes including the Pennine Way and Coast to Coast. He is survived by four daughters and his wife Pam. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| North West Leicestershire MP David Taylor has died suddenly. Mr Taylor was enjoying a walk with his family at Calke Abbey, in Derbyshire, yesterday when he suffered a massive heart attack. He was taken to Queens Hospital, in Burton-on-Trent, but medics were unable to save him. His widow Pam has paid tribute to the efforts of the ambulance and hospital staff. His office said funeral arrangements would be announced in due course. Mr Taylor announced last year that he would not stand at the next General Election. ||||| control As Monica says in Friends, "rules are good, rules helpthe fun!"First: if you're after a detailed response, please email or write to me. If you're a constituent (or perhaps a very special case), I'll respond; if you're not, you'll have to contact your own MP. Ditto if you want to introduce a subject which bears no relevance to my original post.Second: I don't have a problem with trenchant criticism of me or the Government, or vociferously expressed opinions, but if I regard your comments as offensive I won't allow them to appear. (I don't like having to moderate comments, but have reluctantly come to the conclusion that people cannot be relied upon not to abuse my good nature!) Thirdly: I might just randomly delete comments from certain people because I'm getting thoroughly fed up with them and want them to go away and annoy someone else for a while. You know who you are. That's all - although I reserve the right to create new rules as and when I feel like it. My blog = my rules! ||||| Añade una ubicación a tus Tweets Cuando twitteas desde un lugar, Twitter guarda esa ubicación. Puedes cambiar la opción de geo-ubicación antes de mandar un tweet y claro, siempre tienes la opción de borrar el historial de tus ubicaciones. Aprende más
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David Taylor, the 63-year-old Labour Co-operative British Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Leicestershire, died yesterday from a sudden heart attack whilst walking in Calke Abbey, Derbyshire with his family. According to his website, he was taken to Queen's Hospital, Burton in Staffordshire, but staff were unable to save him. On their Twitter page, the Co-operative Party described his death as 'devastating'. Kerry McCarthy, Labour MP for Bristol East, described him on her blog as 'one of those MPs who could be described as a true parliamentarian'. Taylor was elected MP in 1997, and was previously an accountant and computer manager. In 2007, he won the ''Commons Backbencher of the Year'' award. He was not going to stand for re-election.
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Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Iran says it has successfully launched a rocket capable of carrying its first domestically built satellite. Officials said only the rocket had been fired, correcting state media reports that the communications satellite itself had been sent into orbit. The White House voiced concern, saying the technology could also be used for launching weapons. Tehran has pursued a space programme for years, despite international concern over its nuclear plans. In February it sent a probe into space as part of preparations for the launch of the satellite. Long-held ambition Footage aired on Irinn (Islamic Republic of Iran News Network) showed the launch of the Safir rocket in darkness. The presenter said that the satellite launch was a trial which was successful. State and military officials confirmed the launch had taken place. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was at the event, said one report. In October 2005 a Russian-made Iranian satellite named Sina-1 was put into orbit by a Russian rocket. Sunday's launch comes amid a long-running dispute over Iran's nuclear activities. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said: "The Iranian development and testing of rockets is troubling and raises further questions about their intentions. "This action and dual use possibilities for their ballistic missile programme are inconsistent with their UN Security Council obligations." The US and some European countries have demanded that Iran curtail uranium enrichment - but Iran protests that its purposes are peaceful and says it has a right to continue. ||||| Iran launches home-built satellite rocket 18 Aug 2008, 0040 hrs IST, AGENCIES Print EMail Discuss Share Save Comment Text: TEHRAN: Iran said it had launched a rocket carrying a test-satellite into space on Sunday, in a move that could further exacerbate tensions with the West over its nuclear drive. "The Safir (Ambassador) rocket was successfully launched. All its systems...are Iranian made," Reza Taghipour, head of Iran's space agency, told state television, adding that a "test satellite was put into orbit." "We have paved the way for placing a satellite in space in future," state television said, showing images of the dawn rocket launch. Western governments, which suspect Iran is trying to build an atomic weapon, have voiced concern that the Islamic republic's space programme could be put to military use. A top Iranian official told AFP that earlier reports by state media that the country's first domestically-built communications satellite, called Omid or Hope, had been launched were not correct. A defence minstry statement carried by the official news agency IRNA said that the rocket, "built by Iranian experts" was launched in the presence of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "The second launch of the Safir rocket carrying the first satellite Omid was conducted successfully," it said. But the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "The Iranian media is mistaken. It was the launch of a rocket capable of carrying a satellite. The Omid satellite was not launched itself." Sunday's development comes amid a standoff between Iran and the international community over Tehran's long-standing refusal to suspend sensitive uranium enrichment work, a process which makes nuclear fuel but also the core of an atomic bomb. "The achievement has drawn much attention from around the world, especially from among Muslim nations, as Iran is under heavy sanctions by the West and the UN Security Council, making it develop the technology and build every part and equipment needed in the field of aerospace," the Fars news agency said. In February, Iran said it had sent a probe into space on the back of a rocket on a mission to prepare for a satellite launch, a move Ahmadinejad lauded as a national success It was however condemned by the United States, Iran's arch-foe which is leading the campaign against its nuclear drive, amid fears that it could be put to military use, and Russia had also voiced concern. At the time, Mohsen Mir Shams, the deputy head of Iran's space organisation, said the satellite would be put into orbit at a altitude of 650 kilometres (400 miles) above the earth, passing over Iran six times every 24 hours. Iran has pursued a space programme for several years, and in October 2005 a Russian-made Iranian satellite named Sina-1 was put into orbit by a Russian rocket. "This satellite, the rocket and the launch station are entirely Iranian-built, achieved by particularly talented scientists and technicians," Ahmadinejad told reporters during a trip to Turkey last week, IRNA reported. Ahmadinejad has made Iran's scientific development one of the main themes of his presidency, asserting that the country has reached a peak of progress despite sanctions and no longer needs to depend on foreign states for help. The armed forces said Sunday's launch coincided with the anniversary of the birth of the eight century Imam Mahdi, who vanished as a boy and whom Shiites believe will return one day as the messiah. Iran's Arabic-language state television broadcast footage of the rocket heading into space from the launch station, located in the remote desert of western Iran, and graphics showing a satellite separating from a rocket. Iran is risking a possible fourth round of UN sanctions after it failed to give a clear response to an incentives package offered by six major world powers in return for halting its uranium enrichment activities. Iran has however said it was ready to hold more talks with the European Union on the package offered by Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States. Read business stories in हिंदी ગુજરાતી Print EMail Discuss Share Save Comment Text: ||||| Iran tests rocket for future launch of satellite TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has test launched a rocket it plans to use to carry a research satellite into orbit, state television reported Sunday. Saturday's test of the two-stage rocket, called the Safir-e Omid, or Ambassador of Peace, was successful, state TV said, broadcasting images of the nighttime launch. The rocket released equipment that beamed flight data back to ground control, said Reza Taghipoor, the head of Iran's Space Agency, in a live television interview. Iran has long held the goal of developing a space program. In 2005, it launched its first commercial satellite on a Russian rocket in a joint project with Moscow, which appears to be the main partner in transferring space technology to Iran. Iran first tested a rocket it said was capable of delivering a satellite in February, saying that trial was also successful. It said then that it planned two more test launches before attempting to put its first domestically built satellite into orbit. The country's fledgling space program, like its nuclear program, has provoked unease abroad. The same technology used to put satellites into space can also be used to deliver warheads. The United States called the Feb. 4 launch "just another troubling development," saying it was a cause for concern about Iran's continuing development of medium- and long-range missiles. Despite the anxiety over Iran's space program, it is not exactly clear how developed it is. Iran has said it wants to put its own satellites into orbit to monitor natural disasters in the earthquake-prone nation and improve its telecommunications. Iranian officials also point to America's use of satellites to monitor Afghanistan and Iraq and say they need similar abilities for their security. Iran hopes to launch four more satellites by 2010, the government has said. Iran also announced on Sunday that it had extended the range of its military aircraft to just over 1,800 miles without refueling. The television report, which quoted Iranian Air Force chief Gen. Ahmad Mighani, did not specify what kind of aircraft or how the range was extended. Such a feat could be accomplished, however, by adding extra fuel tanks to the plane which are dropped when empty. Israel, which is about 600 miles away, from Iran, has often traded threats with the Islamic republic. ||||| Iran launches dummy satellite 17/08/2008 20:10 - (SA) Tehran - Iran put a dummy satellite into orbit on a home-grown rocket for the first time on Sunday, proving its capacity to launch satellites, the head of Iran's aerospace body said. "The Safir satellite carrier was launched today (Sunday) and for the first time we successfully launched a dummy satellite into orbit," Reza Taghizadeh told state television. Iranian state media had earlier wrongly reported that Iran had put a domestically made Omid (Hope) satellite into orbit. - Reuters ||||| Intergalactic New Iranian satellite Photo: AFP Ahmadinejad counted down Photo: AP Iran says it put first dummy satellite in orbit Islamic Republic says it put dummy satellite into orbit on home-grown rocket for first time; technology used to put satellites into space can also be used for launching weapons. Israeli expert: 'Iran far from launching military satellite with real capabilities' Reuters Latest Update: 08.17.08, 23:50 / Israel News Iran said it had put a dummy satellite into orbit on a home-grown rocket for the first time on Sunday -- a move likely to increase Western concerns about its nuclear ambitions. Going Global Iran says its warplanes can fly to Israel and back / Associated Press State TV quotes air force general as saying Islamic republic's aircraft can now fly 3,000 kilometers without refueling Full Story The long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into space can also be used for launching weapons, although Iran says it has no plans to do so. The long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into space can also be used for launching weapons, although Iran says it has no plans to do so. "The Safir (Ambassador) satellite carrier was launched today and for the first time we successfully launched a dummy satellite into orbit," Reza Taghizadeh, head of the Iranian Aerospace Organization, told state television. However Israeli expert Yiftah S. Shapir, who heads the Military Balance project at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) claims Iran is still far from its goal of launching a real communications satellite into space. "This was a step towards the launching of an Iranian military satellite, but the road is still long," he said. "Prestige-wise a two-kilogram satellite waving an Iranian flag in space would be enough, but capability-wise, even if the satellite is launched, it will be a tiny research satellite without any real ability." He added that Iran launched a Russian satellite into space in 2005, but it disappeared without a trace. "For 30 years the Iranians have failed to launch a project that was both commercially and economically successful," Shrir said. "I can only assume it's due to ongoing management and organization difficulties – competing Iranian institutions that inhibit one another." However Shrir does not doubt Iran's motivation. "The launching of an independent satellite is of great national importance to the Iranians and it is definitely a significant part of their missile plan," he concluded. Iran launches dummy satellite. (Photo: AFP) Iran, embroiled in a standoff with the West over its nuclear ambitions, caused international concern in February by testing another domestically made rocket as part of its satellite program, the Explorer 1. Iran, embroiled in a standoff with the West over its nuclear ambitions, caused international concern in February by testing another domestically made rocket as part of its satellite program, the Explorer 1. Iran said at the time it needed two more similar launches before putting a domestically made satellite into orbit. France and Russia both said that test raised the suspicion that Iran was seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Iran said at the time it needed two more similar launches before putting a domestically made satellite into orbit. France and Russia both said that test raised the suspicion that Iran was seeking to develop nuclear weapons. 'Sanctions have not isolated us' Washington, has accused Iran of aiming to equip missiles with nuclear warheads, called it 'unfortunate'. It cites Iran's missile potential, among others, as the reason why it needs to install an anti-missile defense system in eastern Europe. Iran already claims to have missiles with a range of 2,000 km (1,250 miles), meaning it could hit Israel or US military bases in the Gulf. Iran already claims to have missiles with a range of 2,000 km (1,250 miles), meaning it could hit Israel or US military bases in the Gulf. The West accuses Iran of trying to obtain nuclear arms under cover of a civilian program. Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, insists it needs nuclear technology to generate electricity. The West accuses Iran of trying to obtain nuclear arms under cover of a civilian program. Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, insists it needs nuclear technology to generate electricity. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was present at Iran's space center and read out the launch countdown, state television reported. It said he had "congratulated the Iranian nation on the great achievement." Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was present at Iran's space center and read out the launch countdown, state television reported. It said he had "congratulated the Iranian nation on the great achievement." Iranian television showed the rocket on its desert launch pad, but did not show the actual lift-off. Few details were available about the rocket or its payload. Iranian television showed the rocket on its desert launch pad, but did not show the actual lift-off. Few details were available about the rocket or its payload. Western experts say Iran rarely provides enough details for them to determine the extent of its technological advances, but that much Iranian technology consists of modifications of equipment supplied by China, North Korea and others. Western experts say Iran rarely provides enough details for them to determine the extent of its technological advances, but that much Iranian technology consists of modifications of equipment supplied by China, North Korea and others. The UN Security Council has imposed three rounds of sanctions on Iran for defying demands that it suspend its uranium enrichment program. The UN Security Council has imposed three rounds of sanctions on Iran for defying demands that it suspend its uranium enrichment program. Ahmadinejad insisted international sanctions had made Iran even stronger, IRNA reported. Ahmadinejad insisted international sanctions had made Iran even stronger, IRNA reported. "Sanctions have not isolated us. Instead, we have become more independent," he said after the launch. Roi Mandel contributed to this report First Published: 08.17.08, 19:19 talkback Print Send to friend Bookmark to del.icio.us See More Rice signs missile defense deal with Poland Syria hopes to expand military ties with Russia 54 Talkbacks for this article See all talkbacks Please wait for the talkbacks to load ||||| Iran's Safir Omid rocket being launched into space at an undisclosed location Iran sparks US concern with satellite rocket launch TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran said it had sent a rocket carrying a dummy satellite into space on Sunday, triggering fresh concern in Washington that the technology could be diverted to ballistic missiles. The launch is likely to further exacerbate tensions with the West over its nuclear drive, which Iran's arch-foe Washington and its allies claim is a cover for atomic weapons ambitions. "The Safir (Ambassador) rocket was successfully launched. All its systems...are Iranian-made," Reza Taghipour, head of Iran's space agency, told state television, adding that a "test satellite was put into orbit." "We have paved the way for placing a satellite in space in future," state television said, showing images of the pre-dawn rocket launch which was attended by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Western governments, already concerned over Iran's nuclear activities, have warned that the technology used in the Islamic republic's space programme could be diverted to military use, claims denied by Tehran. "The Iranian development and testing of rockets is troubling and raises further questions about their intentions," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. "This action and dual use possibilities for their ballistic missile program are inconsistent with their UN Security Council obligations." A top Iranian official told AFP that state media reports that the country's first domestically-built satellite, called Omid or Hope, had been launched were not correct. A defence ministry statement carried by the official news agency IRNA had said the rocket, "built by Iranian experts" was launched with Omid. But the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the media was mistaken. Iran's Arabic-language state television broadcast footage of the rocket heading into space and graphics showing a satellite separating from a rocket. Sunday's development comes amid an international standoff over Tehran's long-standing refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, a process which makes nuclear fuel but also the core of an atomic bomb. Israel and its staunch ally the United States have never ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear sites, although currently Washington has said it is pursuing the diplomatic option. On Sunday, Iran's air force commander said its fighter jets have been upgraded to allow them to fly 3,000 kilometres (1,860 miles) without refuelling which would put Israel easily within reach. "We do not wish to attack another country... but we will defend ourselves should we be attacked," Brigadier General Ahmad Mighani added, without however mentioning Israel. Ahmadinejad has made Iran's scientific development one of the main themes of his presidency, asserting that the country has reached a peak of progress despite sanctions and no longer needs to depend on foreign states for help. "This satellite, the rocket and the launch station are entirely Iranian-built, achieved by particularly talented scientists and technicians," Ahmadinejad told reporters in Turkey last week, announcing that the satellite would be launched soon, IRNA said. In February, Iran triggered international concern when it said it had sent a probe into space on the back of a rocket to prepare for a satellite launch, and announced the opening of its space station in a remote western desert. Iran is risking a possible fourth round of UN sanctions after it failed to give a clear response to an incentives package offered by six major world powers in return for halting uranium enrichment. Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, insists its nuclear work is aimed purely at generating electricity. In February, the deputy head of Iran's space organisation said the Omid satellite would be put into orbit at an altitude of 650 kilometres (400 miles) above the earth, passing over Iran six times every 24 hours. Iran has pursued a space programme for several years, and in October 2005 a Russian-made Iranian satellite named Sina-1 was put into orbit by a Russian rocket. Sunday's launch came on the birth anniversary of eighth century Imam Mahdi, who vanished as a boy and who Shiites believe will return one day as the messiah. ||||| An image grab from the Arabic-language Iranian TV station Al-Alam shows the launching into space of Iran's Safir Omid rocket, which is capable of carrying a satellite into orbit, an undisclosed location in the Islamic republic. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>> TEHRAN, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Iran announced Sunday that it launched a satellite into space earlier in the day, the country's first domestically made. The satellite, Omid (hope), was launched Sunday by using Safir (ambassador) satellite-carrier rocket, the armed forces said in a statement, quoted by the official IRNA news agency. The Omid Satellite which was successfully fired on the birth anniversary of the last Imam (prophet) of Shiites, Hazrat Mahdi (who is believed to reappear at the end of the world) illustrated the auspicious name of the Imam in the space, IRNA said. According to Iran's English-language Press TV satellite channel, the domestically manufactured Omid Satellite will pass over the country six times a day. The launch of Safir rocket aimed to test remote sensing, satellite telemetry, and geographic information system (GIS) technology as well as remote and ground station data processing, Press TV said. Another news agency Fars quoted government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham as saying that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was at the launch of the communications satellite from Iran's space station. In February, Iran said it has prepared for the satellite launch by sending a probe into space of a rocket on the mission. Ahmadinejad announced in his press interview in Istanbul Friday that Iran would in near future launch its first domestic satellite to the space. Iran, embroiled in a standoff with the West over its disputed nuclear ambitions, has pursued a space program for several years, according to media reports. [1] [2] [3] [4] ||||| By Parisa Hafezi TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said it had put a dummy satellite into orbit on a home-grown rocket for the first time on Sunday -- a move likely to increase Western concerns about its nuclear ambitions. The long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into space can also be used for launching weapons, although Iran says it has no plans to do so. "The Safir (Ambassador) satellite carrier was launched today and for the first time we successfully launched a dummy satellite into orbit," Reza Taghizadeh, head of the Iranian Aerospace Organisation, told state television. Iran, embroiled in a standoff with the West over its nuclear ambitions, caused international concern in February by testing another domestically made rocket as part of its satellite program, the Explorer 1. Iran said at the time it needed two more similar launches before putting a domestically made satellite into orbit. France and Russia both said that test raised the suspicion that Iran was seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Washington, has accused Iran of aiming to equip missiles with nuclear warheads, called it 'unfortunate'. It cites Iran's missile potential, among others, as the reason why it needs to install an anti-missile defense system in eastern Europe. Iran already claims to have missiles with a range of 2,000 km (1,250 miles), meaning it could hit Israel or U.S. military bases in the Gulf. Continued... ||||| WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran's attempt to launch a dummy satellite into orbit was a "dramatic failure" that fell far short of the country's assertions of success, a U.S. official said on Tuesday "The attempted launch failed," the official said. "The vehicle failed shortly after liftoff and in no way reached its intended position," the official said. "It could be characterized as a dramatic failure." Iran, embroiled in a standoff with the West over its nuclear ambitions, said on Sunday it has put a dummy satellite into orbit on a home-grown rocket for the first time, using a technology that could also be used for launching weapons. Iran says it has no nuclear-weapons plans and that it seeks nuclear technology to generate electricity. Iranian television showed the rocket on its launch pad, but did not show the actual lift-off. "The failed launch shows that the purported Iranian space program is in its nascent stages at best -- they have a long way to go," the U.S. official said. (Reporting by Randall Mikkelsen; Editing by Kristin Roberts)
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Iran has announced that on August 17 it conducted a successful test flight of the Safir carrier rocket, which was launched from Semnan Province, Iran. The nature of the test flight is currently unclear, with various contradictory reports and statements being issued. It has been claimed that this test flight was used to launch into orbit the Omid, a low earth orbit satellite, however, later reports suggest that a demonstration payload was affixed to the rocket. In addition to uncertainty regarding the rocket's payload, some reports suggest that the rocket reached orbit, whereas others suggest that it intentionally flew a sub-orbital trajectory, similar to two previous test flights. It is believed that if the Omid satellite was not launched on this rocket, it may be launched as early as next week. Upon successful launch, the Omid will be the second Iranian satellite to be placed into orbit, and will be the first to be launched on an indigenously developed rocket. The Safir rocket is believed to be a derivative of the Shahab-3 missile, itself an Iranian-produced derivative of the North Korean Rodong-1 missile. ''Safir'' is Persian for ''"envoy"'' or ''"ambassador"''. The launch follows a number of controversial missile tests conducted by Iran during July, and an earlier sub-orbital test of the Safir rocket in February. The details of the launch have yet to be confirmed by independent observers, however, videos have been published online. If the rocket did reached orbit, Iran will be the eleventh country to develop the ability to launch satellites. The last country to develop such a capability was Russia, which used technology inherited from the Soviet Union to launch the Kosmos 2175 spy satellite in 1992. Israel was the last country to develop a completely independent launch system, Shavit, which first flew in 1988. Other countries to have developed a satellite launch capability are Russia (and the former Soviet Union), the United States, France, Japan, China, the United Kingdom, India and Israel. It would be the 40th orbital launch so far this year, and the 39th to reach orbit. On August 19, a United States official stated, "The vehicle failed shortly after liftoff and in no way reached its intended position." The video footage shown on Iranian state television was only about one minute and it wasn't shown how far the rocket went upward.
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WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia have broken a logjam in arms control negotiations and expect to sign a treaty next month to slash their nuclear arsenals to the lowest levels in half a century, officials in both nations said Wednesday. After months of deadlock and delay, the two sides have agreed to lower the limit on deployed strategic warheads by more than one-quarter and launchers by half, the officials said. The treaty will impose a new inspection regime to replace one that lapsed in December, but will not restrict American plans for missile defense based in Europe. President Obama and President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia plan to talk Friday to complete the agreement, but officials said they were optimistic that the deal was nearly done. The two sides have begun preparing for a signing ceremony in Prague on April 8, timing it to mark the anniversary of Mr. Obama’s speech in the Czech capital outlining his vision for eventually ridding the world of nuclear weapons. The new treaty represents perhaps the most concrete foreign policy achievement for Mr. Obama since he took office 14 months ago and the most significant result of his effort to “reset” the troubled relationship with Russia. The administration wants to use it to build momentum for an international nuclear summit meeting in Washington just days after the signing ceremony and a more ambitious round of arms cuts later in his term. “This gives a boost” to the administration’s efforts to build better ties to Russia, said Steven Pifer, a top State Department official under President George W. Bush who specialized in Russia and arms control issues. “There’s still a ways to go and there are still difficult issues. But the last six months, it seems to be going pretty well and this adds to the positive in the relationship.” More broadly, the White House hopes the treaty will build on the president’s victory in the fight to overhaul health care, demonstrating progress on both the international and domestic fronts after months of frustration over unmet goals. The new 10-year pact would replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty of 1991, or Start, which expired in December, and further extend cuts negotiated in 2002 by Mr. Bush in the Treaty of Moscow. Under the new pact, according to people briefed on it in Washington and Moscow, within seven years each side would have to cut its deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 from the 2,200 now allowed. Each side would cut the total number of launchers to 800 from 1,600 now permitted. The number of nuclear-armed missiles and heavy bombers would be capped at 700 each. Neither the White House nor the Kremlin formally announced the agreement on Wednesday, pending the final telephone call between the presidents. A Kremlin official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was an agreement on the text of the pact, although not all the wording had been given final approval. Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said, “We’re very close.” Arms control proponents hailed the progress. Daryl G. Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, called it “the first truly post-cold-war nuclear arms reduction treaty.” Richard Burt, a former chief Start negotiator who now heads a disarmament advocacy group called Global Zero, said that the two presidents “took a major step toward achieving their goal of global zero.” The breakthrough ended nearly a year of tumultuous negotiations that dragged on far longer than anticipated. The two sides quarreled over verifying compliance, sharing telemetry and limiting missile defense programs. Mr. Obama restructured Mr. Bush’s plans for an antimissile shield in Europe, but Moscow objected to the new version as well and wanted restrictions. Mr. Obama refused. The two presidents cut through disagreements during a telephone call on March 13. The treaty will go for ratification to the legislatures in both countries, and the politics of Senate ratification could be tricky, coming at a polarized moment with a midterm election on the horizon. Republican senators have already expressed concern that Mr. Obama might make unacceptable concessions. Ratification in the Senate requires 67 votes, meaning Mr. Obama would need support from Republicans. Senators Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Jon Kyl of Arizona, the Republican leaders, wrote Mr. Obama last week warning him that ratification “is highly unlikely” if the treaty contained any binding linkage between offensive weapons and missile defense, reminding him of his position “that missile defense is simply not on the table.” Administration officials describing the draft treaty said its preamble recognized the relationship between offensive weapons and missile defense, but that the language was not binding. The treaty establishes a new regime of inspections, but the American monitoring team that was based at the Votkinsk missile production factory until Start expired would not be allowed to return on a permanent basis. Russian analysts said Moscow was happy to have reduced what it saw as the overly intrusive inspection regime mandated by Start but disappointed not to have secured restrictions on missile defense. The military was pressuring the Kremlin not to agree to arms reductions without limits on the American missile shield, even though both Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama have described it as aimed at Iran, not Russia. In the end, the Kremlin overruled the military because it wanted a foreign policy achievement. “The military does not have the influence that it did during Soviet times,” said Anton V. Khlopkov, director of the Center for Energy and Security Studies in Moscow. “Back then, the military people, if they didn’t run, they were among those who led the arms control negotiations from the Soviet side. Now, they have less of a role.” Vladimir Z. Dvorkin, a retired major general and arms control adviser, said Moscow would retain the ability to scrap the new treaty if American missile defenses became a threat. “If, for example, the U.S. unilaterally deploys considerable amounts of missile defense, then Russia has the right to withdraw from the agreement because the spirit of the preamble has been violated,” he said. Mr. Obama met at the White House on Wednesday with Senators John Kerry of Massachusetts and Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, the senior Democrat and Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to brief them on the negotiations. Mr. Kerry later said he would hold hearings between Easter and Memorial Day on the history of arms control and promised action by year’s end. “I assured the president that we strongly support his efforts and that if the final negotiations and all that follows go smoothly, we will work to ensure that the Senate can act on the treaty this year,” Mr. Kerry said. ||||| Washington (CNN) -- Talks between Russia and the United States on a new arms-control agreement are "almost at the finish line," a State Department official said Wednesday. Discussions between the two sides continue on technical details but a deal is "really close," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner. "I would describe it as steady progress toward the end goal," he said. "We are extremely close but I'm not going to characterize a deal on that." The agreement would replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) arms-control agreement between the United States and Russia, which expired in December 2009. President Barack Obama hopes to talk to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev about the deal in the "next several days," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday. The Czech government has agreed to host the signing of a new arms-control agreement between Russia and the United States in Prague once it is complete, a Czech Foreign Ministry spokesman told CNN. The United States made the request, said Filip Kanda, the spokesman. He pointed out that negotiations on a new agreement continue in Geneva, Switzerland. "It is too early to say what the date will be," he told CNN. Gibbs said Wednesday that the administration had always considered returning to Prague -- where Obama presented his vision for a world free of nuclear weapons last year -- for the signing. But "there are still something that need to be worked out," he said. The new arms agreement would reduce the number of deployed strategic warheads each side can have. The United States currently has approximately 2,200 strategic warheads deployed; Russia has an estimated 2,500. Under the new agreement each side would be allowed between 1,500 and 1,675 nuclear warheads, officials have said. The treaty also would limit the number of "delivery vehicles," the strategic bombers and missiles that carry the warheads, to between 500 and 1,100 for each side, officials have said. The current limit is 1,600 but the United States actually has 900 delivery vehicles; Russia has an estimated 600. For the American side, Obama will have the final word on the precise numbers within the agreed-upon parameters. Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, who met with Obama at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the START negotiations, said the president expressed confidence that "real progress is being made." "I assured the president that we strongly support his efforts, and that if the final negotiations and all that follows go smoothly, we will work to ensure that the Senate can act on the treaty this year," said Kerry, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a written statement. Republican Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Indiana, also attended the meeting. CNN's Jill Dougherty and Charley Keyes contributed to this report ||||| U.S., Russia Reach Nuclear Arms Accord, Kremlin Says (Update3) (Adds comments from Obama spokesman, analyst, weapons goals beginning in third paragraph.) By Anna Shiryaevskaya and Roger Runningen March 24 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. and Russian negotiators have reached agreement on all elements of a treaty to slash the nuclear arsenals of both nations, a Kremlin official said, and an accord may be signed as soon as next month in Prague. Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev likely would meet in the Czech capital for the signing, though the time and place haven’t been made final, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with Kremlin policy. Obama’s spokesman, Robert Gibbs, said “there are still some things that need to be worked out” before a deal on a replacement for the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is sealed. Obama and Medvedev still need to speak again, a conversation that likely will take place in the next few days, he said. The U.S. and Russia have been negotiating the terms of an accord to meet calls by Medvedev and Obama for a reduction of their nuclear arsenals to between 1,500 and 1,675 deployed warheads and between 500 and 1,100 delivery systems. Under Start, which expired in December, each side is permitted a maximum of 2,200 warheads and 1,600 launch vehicles. Medvedev and Obama have made signing a new nuclear arms accord a priority as they try to repair ties that sank to a post-Cold War low under Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush. Breakthrough “This is a major diplomatic and domestic political breakthrough for the president at a critical time,” said Stephen Flanagan, vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “While the actual reductions achieved would be modest,” he said, it suggests a “reset in relations with Moscow is starting to pay some dividends” that may lead to more weapons reductions in years ahead. While Gibbs and the Kremlin official refused to confirm the timing for a signing ceremony, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Moscow last week that the former Cold War foes may sign the treaty in early April. Officials in Prague have been notified that the two leaders are seeking to sign the accord in the Czech capital. “We were asked whether we’d agree to host the meeting in Prague when negotiations are finished and we agreed,” ministry spokesman Filip Kanda said earlier today. Czech President Vaclav Klaus was informed about the plans for a summit there today by the Russian ambassador, his office said. Prague Speech It was in Prague last April where, Obama pledged during a public speech outside Hradcany Castle to push for ratification of the 13-year-old Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and pursue the goal of a nuclear-free world. “The United States will take concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons,” Obama said in his April 5 speech. “To put an end to Cold War thinking, we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and urge others to do the same.” “I would anticipate that when we have something to sign, it will be in Prague,” Gibbs said. Medvedev is scheduled to visit neighboring Slovakia on April 6-7, the office of Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic said in an e-mailed statement. Obama and Medvedev’s meeting may come before the U.S. president’s summit on nuclear security April 12-13 in Washington. Flanagan said having a weapons reduction treaty in hand may help Obama push his broader non-proliferation agenda at the meeting. Consultations Obama held private briefings today with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John F. Kerry, a Democrat, and the panel’s top Republican, Senator Richard Lugar, on the arms- reduction talks. They will play key roles in Senate ratification of any treaty. A treaty also would be subject to approval by the Russian parliament. “I assured the president that we strongly support his efforts, and that if the final negotiations and all that follows go smoothly, we will work to ensure that the Senate can act on the treaty this year,” Kerry, of Massachusetts, said in a statement afterward. He said the committee will begin hearings sometime after Congress returns from its Easter holiday break. --With assistance from Lenka Ponikelska and Peter Laca in Prague, Julianna Goldman and Viola Gienger in Washington and Lyubov Pronina in Moscow. Editors: Joe Sobczyk, Bill Schmick To contact the reporter on this story: Anna Shiryaevskaya in Moscow at [email protected]; Roger Runningen in Washington at [email protected] To contact the editor responsible for this story: Patrick Henry at [email protected]
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US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev meeting in July 2009 According to officials from the United States and Russia, the two countries are to sign a new treaty on the control of nuclear weapons in Prague sometime next month. According to the unnamed officials, some work still remained on the treaty, a successor to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which was signed in 1991 and expired in December 2009. An American official said that while "we are still working to finalize the treaty," diplomats from both sides said they were optimistic that the deal was near completion. The new-found optimism came after a recent breakthrough in negotiations, which have taken nearly a year, longer than either the Americans or Russians expected. Originally, the treaty was to be negotiated in London of April 2009, but the completion date was then pushed back to December 2009, a deadline that passed with no deal. Contentious issues in the negotiations included devising a way to make sure each side was complying with the requirements, the sharing of technology between the two sides, and how to limit defense programs in both countries. While an original plan for an American defense system was abandoned by Barack Obama, a second plan presented by the US was also opposed by the Russians, which were pushing for language that would restrict the American nuclear program. The final text will be composed of largely non-binding language recognizing the relationship between different types of weapons. Under this text, both countries would be forced to reduce their deployed nuclear warheads to around 1,600, down from a current limit of 2,200. The treaty would also require the arsenal of "delivery vehicles," aircraft or missiles that can carry the warheads, to be halved to 800. Arms-control advocates consider the reductions in the treaty relatively minor, but the Obama administration hopes to end negotiations with a simpler and more straight-forward treaty as a way to rebuild trust with the Russian government in preparation for more drastic changes in the future.
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Registered Users Enter your details below to login: Email Password Keep me logged in information Keeps you logged in for a rolling 15 days or until you logout. Forgot your password? ||||| Italian woman at heart of euthanasia debate dies Eluana Englaro, seen in this undated photo, fell into a vegetative state following a car accident in 1992. (Englaro family/Associated Press) Eluana Englaro, seen in this undated photo, fell into a vegetative state following a car accident in 1992. (Englaro family/Associated Press) The Italian woman at the centre of a high-profile euthanasia debate has died, media agencies reported Monday. Eluana Englaro, who had been in a vegetative state for 17 years, died in a clinic in the northeastern city of Udine, the ANSA and Apcom news agencies said. "Yes, she has left us," her father, Beppino Englaro, told ANSA. "But I don't want to say anything, I just want to be alone." Englaro's case has pitted right-to-die activists against the anti-euthanasia movement. Late last year, her father won an intense 10-year legal battle to allow her feeding tubes to be removed, saying that was her wish. The court accepted that before the accident, Englaro had expressed a preference for dying over being kept alive artificially. In line with the high court ruling, medical workers on Friday began gradually suspending food and water for Englaro. But on Monday, Italian senators were frantically discussing a bill designed to keep Englaro alive. The bill — supported by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, his centre-right government and the Vatican — was expected to win quick approval. The bill could still affect future right-to-die cases. Berlusconi's government had passed an emergency decree Friday to prevent Englaro from having her tube disconnected, but the move led to a rare institutional crisis as the country's president, Giorgio Napolitano, rejected it on the grounds it defied court rulings. Italy does not allow euthanasia. Patients have a right to refuse treatment, but they are barred from giving advance directions on what treatment they wish to receive if they become unconscious. With files from the Associated Press ||||| ROME Inspectors on Monday visited an Italian clinic that has stopped feeding a comatose woman to check whether it is qualified to allow her to die in line with a court ruling. The government had raised objections to the use of the facility as a place for 38-year-old Eluana Englaro, in a vegetative state since a car crash in 1992, to end her life. Doctors at the clinic in the northern city of Udine stopped feeding her on Friday, in line with a ruling by Italy's top court that she could be allowed to die. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government, backed by the Vatican, has been trying to block the implementation of the ruling, arguing that not feeding the patient amounts to euthanasia, which is illegal in Italy. Health Minister Maurizio Sacconi, who wants her kept alive, said an inspection at the weekend had reported "irregularities." He said the clinic did not meet the requirements of the court ruling which called for Englaro to be allowed to die in a hospice, rather than a clinic. Regional authorities sent their own inspectors on Monday to establish if Sacconi's objections warranted halting the suspension of food to the woman. The clinic's deputy director, Luciano Cattivello, told reporters it fulfilled all legal requirements. The case has split the mainly Catholic country and led to a constitutional crisis between Berlusconi and the head of state. It also sparked a debate about whether, by siding openly with Berlusconi, the Vatican was unduly interfering. It has been compared to that of Terri Schiavo, an American woman in a vegetative state who was allowed to die in 2005 after a long legal battle. Berlusconi issued an emergency decree of Friday ordering doctors to resume feeding Englaro but the decree was rejected by President Giorgio Napolitano who said it was unconstitutional because it overruled the country's most senior judges. The center-right prime minister is pushing through parliament, where he has a large majority, a law that would ban suspending food to patients who can no longer feed themselves. The Senate should discuss the law on Monday. It then goes to the lower house which is unlikely to vote before Wednesday. Englaro's doctor, Carlo Alberto Defanti, said that besides the irreversible damage to her brain, her physical condition was good and it could take two weeks from the suspension of food before her heart stopped. (Editing by Andrew Dobbie) ||||| Udinese midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah of Ghana, right, is chased by Bologna midfielder Francesco Valiani during a Serie A soccer match between Udinese and Bologna in Udine, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Franco Debernardi) Italy govt. tries new tactic in right-to-die case ROME (AP) — Italy's health minister declared Sunday there were problems with the clinic hosting a woman in a hotly debated right-to-die case, as the government appeared to be trying a new tactic to keep her alive. Minister Maurizio Sacconi also said the "La Quiete" clinic in Udine isn't the hospice or hospital facility called for by the Milan appeals court, which has ruled that Eluana Englaro's feeding tubes can be removed. Englaro, 38, has been in a vegetative state since she was in a car accident 17 years ago. Her doctors have said her condition is irreversible. Her father won a decade-long court battle to remove her feeding tubes, saying it was her wish. But Italy's center-right government, backed by the Vatican, has been trying to keep her alive and hopes to pass legislation this week forbidding food and water from being suspended for patients who depend on them. Englaro's plight has convulsed Italy, which has seen daily demonstrations and sit-ins by both those who favor letting her die and those who say that's tantamount to homicide. "The Milan appeals court spoke of a hospice or a sanitary structure, while here all we have are rooms on loan," Sacconi said. "It's an irregular situation." Sacconi has sent investigators to the clinic to make sure it is following a protocol outlining how Eluana should be cared for in preparation for the tubes to be removed. In addition, carabinieri officers visited the clinic Saturday and reported some "administrative anomalies," the ANSA and Apcom news agencies reported. It wasn't known, however, if the technical issues raised by the inspections or Sacconi's comments would be enough to halt the gradual suspension of food and water for Englaro that began Friday. The head of the clinic, Ines Domenicali, said the only anomaly was that volunteers were caring for Englaro, but said everything concerning her care was correct, ANSA reported. On Sunday, Englaro's neurologist, Dr. Carlo Alberto Defanti, said her condition was "stable, and we are proceeding with the total suspension of artificial nutrition," ANSA said. Englaro's case has prompted a rare institutional clash between the Italian president, Giorgio Napolitano, and the government of Premier Silvio Berlusconi, who has backed the Vatican's line that Englaro should be kept alive. Napolitano refused to sign an emergency decree passed Friday by the Cabinet forbidding food and water from being suspended, arguing that it defied the Milan court ruling. On Sunday, the Vatican said its No. 2, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, had a "polite" phone call with Napolitano to discuss the Englaro case. The statement added the Vatican appreciated Parliament's efforts to quickly pass the new bill. For the second day in a row, Pope Benedict XVI made indirect reference to the case. "Let us pray for all the sick, especially those most seriously ill, who cannot in any way provide for themselves, but are totally dependent on the care of others," Benedict said in his Sunday noon blessing. "Let each of them experience, in the care of those who are near them, the power of God's love and the wealth of his saving grace." Englaro's father, Beppino Englaro, was quoted Sunday as decrying the intrusion of the church in the affair, saying that while he respects the Vatican's opinion, it has "nothing to do with this case." "The church can say what it likes, I won't argue with that, but these events are beyond its control," he said, according to Spain's El Pais daily. The father has issued only a handful of statements in recent weeks and has kept his daughter out of the public eye for years. But in an abrupt change, he invited both Berlusconi and Napolitano to visit her at the clinic in Udine "to see how she truly is." That followed Berlusconi's comments about how Englaro could still recover and could theoretically even bear a child since she still menstruates. The father has said Eluana visited a comatose friend in a hospital before her own accident and said she never wanted to be kept alive that way. The Englaro case has drawn comparisons with that of Terri Schiavo, the American woman who died in 2005 after an fierce right-to-die debate. Schiavo's feeding tube was removed in March 2005. Congress passed a bill to allow a federal court to review the Florida woman's case, and then-President George W. Bush returned from his Texas ranch to sign the bill into law. A federal judge refused to order the tube reinserted, a decision upheld by a federal appeals court and the Supreme Court. ||||| By Silvia Aloisi Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is pushing a law through parliament to force doctors to resume feeding a comatose woman in a right-to-die case that has plunged the country into a constitutional crisis. Berlusconi says he is in a race against time to save Eluana Englaro, who has been in a coma for 17 years and has not been fed since Friday in line with a high court ruling that she should be allowed to die. Parliament -- where Berlusconi has a large majority -- could pass the law this week, reversing the court ruling and circumventing the head of state, who blocked Berlusconi's previous attempt to order the resumption of feeding by decree. "I still believe that saving Eluana is possible," Maurizio Sacconi, Berlusconi's health minister, told Corriere della Sera newspaper on Sunday. Englaro, 38, has been in a vegetative state since a car crash in 1992. Her father, who says that before the accident she had stated her wish not to be kept alive artificially, has fought a 10-year legal battle in the mainly Catholic country to have her feeding tube disconnected. Last November, the top court ruled in his favour and doctors at a clinic in the northern city of Udine implemented that ruling on Friday. But Berlusconi, backed by the Vatican, issued an emergency decree on the same day stating that food and water cannot be suspended from patients who are not self-sufficient -- only to see it rejected by the head of state. VATICAN SIDES WITH BERLUSCONI In an unprecedented clash with the head of state Berlusconi said he could not allow the "killing" of Englaro, adding she could "in theory have a baby" and that not feeding her amounted to euthanasia, which is illegal in Italy. President Giorgio Napolitano, a former communist, said his decree was unconstitutional because it overruled top judges. The Vatican, which remains highly influential in Italy, has openly sided with Berlusconi and criticised the president. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the pope's secretary of state, spoke about the case with Napolitano by phone, the Vatican said on Sunday, adding it welcomed the decision to put Berlusconi's draft law on a fast-track. Medical experts say it could take more than two weeks for Englaro's heart to stop, but that the suspension of food and water will have irreversible effects on her weakened body in a matter of days. Analysts say that Berlusconi is using the highly charged case to concentrate power in the executive, weakening the president and the courts. "Berlusconi has chosen the Englaro case as the chance to alter in his favour the balance of power between his office and the presidency," said a Corriere della Sera editorial. Berlusconi defended his stance on Sunday. "I can guarantee on my honour and that of my ministers, that our decision was based on moral principles and there was never a plan to attack anybody," he said. Englaro's father has invited him to visit his daughter to see for himself her condition. (Editing by Matthew Jones) ||||| The Italian government has been plunged into a constitutional crisis over the fate of a 38-year-old woman who has been in a coma for the past 17 years. Eluana Englaro was left in a vegetative state after a car crash in 1992. After a decade-long court battle, doctors reduced her nutrition on Friday in preparation for removing her feeding tubes, which her father claims would be in accordance with her wishes. But in an extraordinary turn of events, the country's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, after consultation with the Vatican, has issued an emergency decree stating that food and water cannot be suspended for any patient depending upon them, reversing the earlier court ruling. On issuing the emergency decree, Berlusconi declared: "This is murder. I would be failing to rescue her. I'm not a Pontius Pilate." Justifying his campaign to save Englaro's life, the prime minister added that, physically at least, she was "in the condition to have babies", a remark described by La Stampa newspaper as "shocking". Giorgio Napolitano, Italy's president, has refused to sign the decree, but if it is ratified by the Italian parliament doctors may be obliged to resume the feeding of Eluana early this week. But, in a moving interview with the Observer, Eluana's father Beppino said last week that the doctors were carrying out his daughter's wishes by allowing her to die. "If she couldn't be what she was (before the accident in 1992) then she would not have wanted to live". The case has deeply divided Italian society and raised concerns over the influence of the Vatican. Yesterday Pope Benedict indirectly referred to Englaro in a message delivered to mark the World Day of the Sick, stating that society had a duty to defend "the absolute and supreme dignity of every human being" even when "weak and shrouded in the mystery of suffering". But even some of Berlusconi's political allies, including the president of the lower house of parliament, Gianfranco Fini, have stated that the supreme court ruling should be obeyed and Englaro should be allowed to die. Opposition leader Walter Veltroni, of the centre-left Democratic party, said the government should leave the Englaro family in peace and warned that Berlusconi's intervention "could cause a very dangerous constitutional crisis". Last night demonstrations in support of Eluana's right to die and the supreme court ruling were taking place across Italy. Meanwhile, doctors are continuing to act according to the original supreme court ruling. On Friday morning in the La Quiete clinic in Udine, northern Italy, they began reducing the amount of food in Eluana Englaro's feeding tube, according to a precise medical protocol that will see nutrition gradually replaced with sedative and anti-convulsant medication. Experts say that within four to five days her condition may have deteriorated to an irreversible extent, though it might be two weeks or more before her heart stops. The process means the Englaro family and their doctors are now in a race against time as they try to end Eluana's life before the Berlusconi government and its backers in the Vatican halt the process. Beppino, 67, was last night in the family home in Lecco, 30 miles north of Milan, caring for his wife and Eluana's mother, Saturna, who is gravely ill with cancer. After a long, agonising fight to allow his daughter to die, he described the government's last-ditch attempts as "a grotesque attack on my family". Prior to issuing the decree, Berlusconi was involved in frantic telephone exchanges with the Vatican head of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who implored the prime minister to prevent Eluana's death. The cardinal reportedly told Berlusconi: "We have to stop this crime against humanity." Doctors have confirmed that, after 17 years and with such catastrophic brain damage, Eluana will never regain consciousness or awareness. The anaesthetist caring for her, Professor Antonio de Monte, said: "Eluana died 17 years ago." Right-to-die cases Tony Bland During the 1989 Hillsborough disaster Bland, from Keighley, Yorkshire, suffered two punctured lungs, blocking oxygen flow to his brain and was left in a persistent vegetative state (PVS). After campaigns on both sides, the House of Lords ruled in 1993 that withdrawing treatment, as advised by a doctor and approved by Bland's parents, was lawful. Sue Rodriguez Diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 1991, Rodriguez began a campaign against Canada's law forbidding medically assisted suicides. Her two-year legal battle ended with the Canadian supreme court ruling against her. Rodriguez eventually found a physician willing to assist in her death in 1994. Terri Schiavo Respiratory and cardiac arrest in 1990 caused Schiavo massive brain damage leading to PVS. After eight years, her husband Michael Schiavo petitioned the Florida courts to have her life support removed. Terri's family appealed, leading to a seven-year legal battle. Her feeding tube was finally removed in 2005. Daniel James The former England youth rugby player, 23, was left paralysed when a scrum collapsed. In need of 24-hour care, he applied to the Dignitas suicide clinic and travelled with his parents to Switzerland last September. James's parents were caught up in a tabloid frenzy on their return. Craig Ewert Ewert's assisted death caused headlines when he allowed it to be filmed for a Sky documentary, Right to Die, screened in December 2008. The former university professor, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was suffering from motor neurone disease and was filmed at Dignitas's clinic kissing his wife goodbye and then drinking a lethal mixture. Richard Rogers
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, who had been in a since 1992 following an automobile accident, died Monday at the "La Quiete" clinic in , where doctors stopped feeding her four days ago. The case has sparked a debate about euthanasia, as well as a political crisis. Eluana Englaro, undated handout photo. Euthanasia is illegal in Italy, however, refusing treatment is not. On Friday doctors removed her feeding tubes in accordance with a November 2008 ruling by the that it was within her father's rights to order the cessation of feeding. Eluana's father, Beppino Englaro, fought a ten-year battle to remove his daughter's feeding tubes. He and Eluana's friends testified that this would have been according to her own wishes. Beppino Englaro delivered the news of Eluana's death by telling : "Yes, she has left us, but I don't want to say anything, I just want to be alone." In an interview with '''' last week, Beppino Englaro said: "If she couldn't be what she was before the 1992 accident then she would not have wanted to live." In the last days of Eluana's life, the Italian government, led by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, sought to intervene to save her life. The Vatican backed the government's position. At the time of her death, the was working on a law to force doctors to resume feeding Eluana. When her death was announced, the Senate held a moment of silence as a sign of respect. The legislation is continuing and could affect future right-to-die cases. Berlusconi said that he felt "deep pain and regret" for not saving her life. On Sunday, he said, "I can guarantee on my honour and that of my ministers, that our decision was based on moral principles and there was never a plan to attack anybody." Friday, Berlusconi had attempted to issue a decree to prevent the feeding tubes from being removed. This was however rejected by President who said it violated high court orders, triggering a constitutional crisis. of the opposition party, , criticized the Prime Minister. "Berlusconi has little knowledge of the constitutional culture," he said. "He is a bully who wants to question the president's constitutional democratic powers." The Maurizio Sacconi attempted to halt the proceedings on a technicality. According to his office, the court had specified for Eluana Englaro to die in a hospice, which the "La Quiete" clinic technically is not. Eluana Englaro's long-time , Carlo Alberto Defanti, had erroneously predicted that she would survive another eight to ten days. "Apart from her brain injuries, Eluana is a healthy woman. She has never been ill and never took antibiotics," said Dr. Defanti on Sunday. "It was something we did not foresee," he said of her death on Monday. Defanti said he did "the right thing... I am helping a person achieve her own wish, a defenseless person who was betrayed by everyone except her father and a few other people." Professor Antonio de Monte, an who also provided care for her said: "Eluana died 17 years ago." At Sunday's noon blessing, said, without direct reference to the case, "Let us pray for all the sick, especially those most seriously ill, who cannot in any way provide for themselves, but are totally dependent on the care of others. Let each of them experience, in the care of those who are near them, the power of God's love and the wealth of his saving grace." According to '''', opinion polls showed the people of Italy to be evenly divided 47/47, with 6 percent undecided, on the issue. Beppino Englaro and observers have called Eluana "Italy’s Terri Schiavo" in reference to the United States Terri Schiavo case in 2005, which resulted in Terri, who was also in a vegetative state, being allowed to die after attempted legislative intervention.
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Uiterst rechtse fractie in Europees Parlement ontbonden BRUSSEL - De uiterst rechtse fractie in het Europese Parlement bestaat niet meer. Dat heeft de leiding van het halfrond woensdagmiddag officieel bekendgemaakt. De fractie, waartoe de drie leden van het Vlaams Belang behoorden, beschikte na het vertrek van de vijf verkozenen van de partij Groot Roemenië niet langer over voldoende leden. De vijf Roemeense Europarlementsleden verlieten de groep als gevolg van de 'anti-Roemeense' uitlatingen van hun fractiegenote Alessandra Mussolini. Daardoor telt de groep nog slechts 18 verkozenen. Het reglement van het Europese Parlement bepaalt dat een fractie minstens 20 leden moet tellen.De fractie Identiteit, Traditie, Soevereniteit werd begin dit jaar op de been gebracht. Ook voordien waren er aan uiterst rechtse zijde van het Europese halfrond reeds pogingen tot frontvorming geweest, maar de doorbraak kwam er pas na de toetreding van Bulgarije en Roemenië tot de Europese Unie.Elf maanden later zijn het uitgerekend de Roemenen die de fractie ten grave dragen. De concrete aanleiding voor hun vertrek was een tirade van Mussolini, de kleindochter van de fascistische leider Benito Mussolini. In de nasleep van de moord op een Italiaanse vrouw in Rome opperde ze in een Roemeens blad dat Roemenen 'van de wet overtreden een levenswijze hebben gemaakt'.De fractie ging echter sowieso onzekere tijden tegemoet. Later deze maand vinden in Roemenië Europese verkiezingen plaats en Groter Roemenië, dat reeds een herpositionering in het politieke landschap overwoog, deed het niet al te best in de peilingen.Tot de groep behoorden, naast het Vlaams Belang, ook het Franse Front National, het Roemeense Groter Roemenië, het Bulgaarse Ataka, het Oostenrijkse FPO en enkele Britse en Italiaanse leden. Deze Europarlementsleden worden opnieuw 'niet-ingeschreven' leden.Dat betekent in concreto dat ze veel minder aanspraak kunnen maken op spreektijd, geen amendementen meer kunnen indienen in de plenaire vergaderingen en voor het onderlinge overleg geen beroep meer kunnen doen op de tolkdiensten. Ook de financiële werkingstoelages vanwege het parlement worden gekortwiekt en de groep kan niet langer aanspraak maken op fondsen van het parlement om bijeenkomsten buiten Brussel en Straatsburg te organiseren. dsl NIEUWSOVERZICHT ||||| To access premium content in the EUobserver you need to purchase Pay Per View credits. If you have purchased credits before, please click here to login. You pay 1 credit = 0.5 euro to view one normal news article. Credits can be stored for later use. Special reports provided on the EUobserver.com site may cost more. The exact price is specified on the report. MEPs welcome fall of far-right group is 1 credit. Please enter the amount of Pay Per View credits you want to buy. credit(s) You will now be directed to our payment partner Worldpay.com's secure server to fill in your credit card details. If you require an invoice and would like to pay by cheque or bank transaction, please contact: [email protected] If you want to read our privacy policy click here. Refunds will be made at the discretion of the EUobserver.com ASBL management. ||||| Remarks by Ms Mussolini angered the Romanian delegation Italian MEP Alessandra Mussolini, the grand-daughter of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, reportedly described Romanians as "habitual law-breakers". Italy recently expelled 20 Romanians following a spate of violent crimes. The resignations take the bloc's membership below the minimum required for a grouping in the parliament. The European parliament only grants official status to political groups that can claim a minimum of 20 members from at least five countries. The withdrawal of the Romanian MEPs leaves the far-right bloc - known as Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty (ITS) - with 18 members, effectively disqualifying it. ITS was created in January, after the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU boosted the number of far-right MEPs in the European parliament. Anti-Roma platform The row erupted last week when the Greater Romania party MEPs accused Ms Mussolini of insulting Romanians, citing a newspaper interview she had given in which she said "breaking the law has become a way of life for Romanians". The ITS group united far-right MEPs from across Europe A statement from the Greater Romania party MEPs, circulated by e-mail in the European parliament shortly after, said the party could have no further dealings with Ms Mussolini. The Greater Romania party has itself campaigned on a fiercely nationalistic, anti-Roma platform. The main groups in the European parliament have largely refused to co-operate with the ITS. The announcement of the group's demise was reportedly greeted with applause when it was announced at the assembly in Strasbourg. "This collection of unsavoury European politicians were united only by hatred - be it of other races, nationalities, sexualities or, ironically, the EU," British Green MEP Jean Lambert was quoted by AFP news agency as saying. "It was only a matter of time before they succumbed to a hatred of each other as well." ||||| Brussels - The most right-wing group in the European Parliament was dissolved Wednesday after five Romanian legislators confirmed that they had quit in protest at remarks made by a fellow party member from Italy. The Identity-Tradition-Sovereignty (ITS) group was formed in January, when the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the EU brought several new far-right MEPs into the parliament. The departure of the MEPs from the Greater Romania party left ITS with just 18 members, two less than the minimum needed for an official presence in the parliament. The five Romanians first announced that they would quit ITS on November 8, after Italian MEP Alessandra Mussolini - granddaughter of the Fascist dictator - accused Romanians in Italy of making 'lawbreaking a way of life.' Her words came amidst a heated debate in Italy over the alleged crimes committed by Romanian migrants - a debate sparked by the murder of an Italian woman, allegedly by a Romanian. ITS was widely regarded as the most xenophobic and anti-EU group in the European parliament, uniting far-right parties such as France's National Front and Belgium's Vlaams Belang. Its dissolution deprives them of a voice as well as EU funds. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur ||||| Far-right EU Parliament group dissolves BRUSSELS: A group of extreme-right members of the European Parliament was dissolved Wednesday after its outraged Romanian contingent walked out in an argument over racism. Ten months after it was created amid much publicity, the group calling itself Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty was disbanded and stripped of the public financing provided by the European Parliament. The collapse of the group was initiated by a bitter fight between the Romanian members of Parliament and Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter of the Italian Fascist leader of World War II and a member of the bloc. The Greater Romania Party withdrew from the bloc to protest Mussolini's comments after the arrest of a Romanian suspected in the murder of the wife of an Italian naval officer. The crime led to an anti-Romanian outcry in Italy and calls for deportations. Mussolini told the Romanian newspaper Cotidianul on Nov. 2 that law-breaking had become "a way of life for Romanians going to Italy who cannot make a living by honest work." The crimes, she continued, were not petty infringements "but abhorrent murders that chill the blood." During a vitriolic series of exchanges, the leader of the Romanian deputies in the European Parliament, Corneliu Vadim Tudor, said his party was unable to have any relationship with someone "who dares to make such a sacrilege toward our people." Alluding to her grandfather, the Greater Romania party said that, while no one should be punished for the sins of their ancestors, Mussolini's behavior brought to mind the Romanian proverb: "Those born of a cat eat mice." Mussolini then accused the Romanians of insulting her family and declared that she could no longer sit with the group. After days of feuding it was announced Wednesday, to applause in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, that the group had dissolved because it no longer met the threshold for numbers of Parliament members. That followed a decision by Daniela Buruiana-Aprodu and Cristian Stanescu to follow the lead of three Romanian colleagues who had already announced that they were leaving the group. Identity, Tradition and Sovereignty only became a reality after Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union on Jan. 1, 2007, and the five Romanian deputies signed up, as well as one Bulgarian member of Parliament. Its ranks included seven members of the French National Front, including its president Jean-Marie Le Pen and his daughter Marine, along with the five Romanian deputies, three Flemish nationalists from Belgium and two Italians. Graham Watson, leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, said the extreme-right group had become a "casualty of their own philosophy which paints all foreigners into a single mold and encourages xenophobic and racist comments." "The irony of a Mussolini destroying the coherence of a far-right group will not be lost on Europeans from Bucharest to Brindisi," Watson said. The leader of the Socialist Group, Martin Schulz, said it was good news that the far right could no longer use "the money of the European taxpayer to support its xenophobia and neofascism." Under EU rules, at least 20 deputies from at least five European Union member states are needed to form a party grouping that provides access to official funds and greater speaking rights. The spat has cost the extreme right a considerable sum of money. The grouping was expected to draw about €1.3 million, or $1.9 million, a year from the public purse. But the group may have been doomed anyway because the Romanians, who face elections on Nov. 20, could lose all their seats unless they perform better than opinion polls suggest. "It was well known that, if the Romanian far right loses the elections, the group would cease to exist," said Oana Popescu, foreign editor of Cotidianul. "They may have tried to pre-empt that outcome in a more dignified way." Even at its inception, the far-right group in the European Parliament was in trouble after one of its members was force to disown a colleague for attacking the "Jewish establishment" and for accusing Roma parents of selling their daughters into prostitution. International Herald Tribune
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European Parliament in . The coalition (ITS) in the , collapsed today after the Romanian delegates withdrew over a dispute with Italian , grand-daughter of dictator . After a was accused of murdering the wife of an Italian naval officer recently, Ms Mussolini told the Romanian newspaper on November 2nd: "Breaking the law has become a way of life for Romanians. However, it is not about petty crimes, but horrifying crimes, that give one goose bumps." In her comment, Ms. Mussolini did not distinguish between Roma gipsies and the rest of Romanians, which the leader of the Romanian deputies, , found to be "a sacrilege toward our people". The far-right is running on an anti-Romani platform. Mr. Tudor went on to suggest that such a comment could be expected from the grand-daughter of Benito Mussolini, which Ms. Mussolini saw as an insult to her family. After these five Romanian Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) left, the ITS only had 18 members left, whereas 20 members from six countries are needed to form a faction. As a result of the dissolution, these MEPs will no longer be able to amend laws in the plenary meetings of the European Parliament, they will get less time to speech, and they will not be able to use the translator service or ask for certain financial contributions for their meetings. The bloc now misses out on an estimated €1.3 million. Immigration tensions have soared recently in Italy, resulting in the expulsion of 20 Romanians. Since Romania joined the European Union, their citizens should be able to travel freely within the European Union, but Italy is considering restrictions on this right. Beside the Greater Romania MEPs and several politicians from Italy, the ITS bloc was composed of members from Austria (), Belgium (), Bulgaria (), France () and individual politicians from the United Kingdom. Attempts to form a far-right coalition in the European Parliament had previously been undertaken, but the ITS faction only came together last January, after Romania and Bulgaria had joined the European Union on January 1. The survival of the group was already doubtful, according to polls which predicted an for the Greater Romania party in the elections on November 20.
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(CNN) -- The remains of two people have been found in an Austin, Texas, building where a man crashed a small plane, authorities said. The identities of the two dead people have not been confirmed, the Austin Fire Department said in a statement. Two other people who were injured in the incident were taken to a hospital, and 11 others were treated for minor injuries, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said. Authorities said Andrew Joseph Stack III, 53, an Austin resident with an apparent grudge against the Internal Revenue Service, set his house on fire Thursday and then crashed a Piper Cherokee PA-28 into the building, which houses an IRS office with nearly 200 employees, federal officials said. "This appears to be an intentional act by a sole individual," Acevedo said at a news conference. A fire created by the crash had been put out, save for some small areas, officials said. Fire crews were expected to continue to work through the night. Pilot: 'I have just had enough' Clues about what led to Thursday incident were few, but attention was directed at a message on a Web site registered to Stack appears to be a suicide note. "If you're reading this, you're no doubt asking yourself, 'Why did this have to happen?' " the message says. "The simple truth is that it is complicated and has been coming for a long time." In the lengthy, rambling message, the writer rails against the government and, particularly, the IRS. See text of the note (PDF) The building into which the airplane crashed is a federal IRS center with 199 employees. "I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different," the online message says. "I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let's try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well." An IRS spokesman said the agency is prohibited by federal law from releasing or talking about any interactions or transactions they have had with Stack. Two people, both males, were taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge, according to Matilda Sanchez, a spokeswoman for Seton Family of Hospitals, which runs the medical center. One patient was treated and released later Thursday, Sanchez said. The other was transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. The transferred patient suffered burns on 20 to 25 percent of his body, mostly on his back, she said. He is in serious and stable condition. Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell tried to calm any concerns residents could have about the crash and the huge fire, which he said was mostly contained. "It is an isolated incident," the mayor said. "The people of Austin, the people of the nation, are in no danger whatsoever." "There is evidence that the gas tank was just about full. ... That amount of gasoline ... can do a lot of damage," he said. Witnesses said nearby buildings shook. Fire and smoke could be seen billowing into the sky. See iReport photos and videos from the scene "I just saw smoke and flames," said CNN iReporter Mike Ernest. "I could not believe what I was seeing. It was just smoke and flames everywhere." The crash occurred around 10 a.m. Firefighters used two ladder trucks and other equipment to hose down the blaze at the Echelon office building, which police said is in the 9400 block of Research Boulevard. The flames seemed mostly extinguished about 75 minutes later. The FAA said preliminary information indicated the plane departed Georgetown Municipal Airport north of Austin about 9:40 a.m. Initial indications are that the flight originated there but there were conflicting reports, said Jack Lillis, an attendant at Georgetown airport. The pilot evidently did not file a flight plan, the FAAsaid. No flight plan was required because flights Thursday morning were under visual flight rules, or VFR, because of clear weather. Two F-16 fighter jets were sent from Houston as a precaution, but federal authorities said preliminary information did not indicate any terrorist connection. "We do not yet know the cause of the plane crash," the Department of Homeland Security said in a release. "At this time, we have no reason to believe there is a nexus to terrorist activity. We continue to gather more information, and are aware there is additional information about the pilot's history." CNN's Jeanne Meserve and Mallory Simon contributed to this report. ||||| View and discuss the pictures and issues that caught our eyes. An Olympic victory, a painful homecoming, combat in Afghanistan and more striking images from around the world. Feb. 18: An eyewitness describes the airplane that hit an office building in Austin, Tx., appeared to be going full throttle before it hit between the first and second floor, leaving a gaping hole in the building. msnbc.com staff and news service reports AUSTIN, Texas - "If you’re reading this, you’re no doubt asking yourself, 'Why did this have to happen?' The simple truth is that it is complicated and has been coming for a long time." So began a lengthy, rambling anti-government Web message believed posted by a Texas man suspected of crashing his small plane into an office building housing IRS employees. The man, identified by federal law enforcement officials as Joseph Stack, 53, was a software engineer who had a long-running grudge with the Internal Revenue Service, whom he referred to in the screed as "thugs and plunderers." The Web message was dated Thursday and signed "Joe Stack (1956-2010)." Hours after posting it, Stack set fire to his home, drove to a municipal airport, got into his single-engine Piper Cherokee and deliberately crashed it into a multistory office building, authorities said. Stack was presumed to have died in the crash, federal law enforcement officials said. The Fire Department Thursday night said in a statement that it “has concluded its search of the building and located the remains of two victims. Identities have not been confirmed. AFD will have ongoing operations at the site throughout the night, putting out hot spots and watching for any fire flare-ups.” At least two people were seriously injured and a third person — a federal employee who worked in the building — was unaccounted for, fire officials said. The crash caused a raging fire that sent black smoke billowing from the seven-story Echelon Building. The fire was extinguished hours later. At an afternoon news conference, Austin police Chief Art Acevedo said the crash "appears to be an intentional act." "It would appear to be by a sole individual, and it appears this individual was targeting federal offices inside that building," Acevedo said. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, said in a statement that the crash was "a cowardly act of domestic terrorism." The police chief, however, said he preferred to describe it as "a criminal act by a lone individual." The FBI was taking over the investigation. About 190 IRS employees work in the building, and IRS spokesman Richard C. Sanford the agency was trying to account for all of its workers. Violence 'the only answer' The pilot, listed in FAA and property records as Andrew Joseph Stack III of Austin and identified by law enforcement sources as Joseph Stack, apparently had a long-running dispute with the IRS. AP In a statement posted on the Web early Thursday morning, Joseph Stack appeared to blame the IRS for the loss of tens of thousands in savings and retirement money over the years. A long message posted on a Web site registered to Stack outlined a litany of problems with the IRS and said violence "is the only answer." The Web site was taken offline Thursday afternoon by the hosting company at the request of the FBI. Video Joe Stack's final act Feb. 18: As investigators and journalists raced to piece together a picture of the suspected pilot who crashed into a Texas building early Thursday, a story of growing frustration and rage emerged. NBC's Pete Williams reports. Nightly News A senior law enforcement official told NBC the saga began Thursday morning, when police received a domestic disturbance call at Stack's house, about six miles from the crash site. When they responded, they discovered that the man had lit a fire in his house and fled. They said he went to the Georgetown Municipal Airport, got into his small plane and took off. A short time later, the plane crashed into the office building about 30 miles away. Federal authorities said they did not know whether the man crashed the plane intentionally, though they said it was a distinct possibility, the official told NBC. House fire Elbert Hutchins, who lives one house away from Stack's home in a quiet, tree-lined middle-class neighborhood, said the house caught fire about 9:15 a.m. He said a woman and her teenage daughter drove up before firefighters arrived. "They both were very, very distraught," said Hutchins, a retiree who said he didn't know the family well. "'That's our house!' they cried 'That's our house!' " Red Cross spokeswoman Marty McKellips said the agency was treating two people who live in the house and that the family had no comment Thursday. McKellips said the family would “give information and answer questions” on Friday. The pilot of the plane belonging to Stack which took off from the airport in Georgetown didn't file a flight plan, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford said. The Echelon Building is next to a major highway in north Austin, and the crash started fires on several floors of the hulking black building. Dozens of windows were blown out and vehicles traveling on a nearby highway paused to look. Thirteen people were treated at the scene and two people were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, Austin fire officials said. Their condition wasn't immediately known. Thao Nguyen / AP Authorities say Joseph Stack set fire to his home before crashing his plane. Pilot's background According to California Secretary of State records, Stack had a troubled business history, twice starting software companies that ultimately were suspended by the state's Franchise Tax Board. He started Software Systems Service Corp. in Lincoln, Calif., but that business license was suspended in 2004 for nonpayment of back taxes totaling $1,153, KCRA-TV in Sacramento reported. Another company, Prowless Engineering Inc. was suspended in 2000 for failure to file a 1994 tax return, according to KCRA. Stack listed himself as chief executive officer of both companies. According to records, Stack apparently moved to the Austin area around 2003 and ran Embedded Art, a small, independent software firm specializing in "process control and automation" and "complex software engineering development tasks." In his 3,200-word statement posted on the company's Web site early Thursday morning and later taken down, Stack appeared to blame the IRS for the loss of tens of thousands in savings and retirement money over the years. Administrative records show the Web site was registered to Joe Stack of San Marcos, Texas, in 2006. 'Unthinkable atrocities' Stack said his "nightmare" with the federal government dated to the early 1980s. In one passage, Stack writes: “That little lesson in patriotism cost me $40,000+, 10 years of my life, and set my retirement plans back to 0. It made me realize for the first time that I live in a country with an ideology that is based on a total and complete lie. It also made me realize, not only how naive I had been, but also the incredible stupidity of the American public; that they buy, hook, line, and sinker, the crap about their 'freedom' … and that they continue to do so with eyes closed in the face of overwhelming evidence and all that keeps happening in front of them.” He also wrote: "Why is it that a handful of thugs and plunderers can commit unthinkable atrocities (and in the case of the GM executives, for scores of years) and when it's time for their gravy train to crash under the weight of their gluttony and overwhelming stupidity, the force of the full federal government has no difficulty coming to their aid within days if not hours? Toward the end, he wrote, “I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let's try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well.” The IRS, CIA and FBI all have offices in the complex where the building that was struck is located, though it was not clear if they are all in the building that was hit. The IRS Web site said an office of its EP Team Audit Program is located in the building where the plane crashed. The group, known as EPTA, examines employee benefit plans with 2,500 or more participants, according to the Web site. The FBI said its office was not in the building. In Washington, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama was briefed on the crash. The Homeland Security Department was investigating all angles but the case does not appear to involve international terrorism, Gibbs said. ||||| Print Share + 2nd Body Found In Plane-Crashed Texas IRS Building Lengthy Anti-Tax Diatribe On Alleged Pilot's Web Site May Give Authorities Clues Into Frame of Mind AUSTIN, Texas (CBS News) ― 1 of 2 Smoke billows from a building that houses IRS offices after a small plane crashed into it Feb. 18, 2010 in Austin, Texas. According to reports, the pilot, identified as Joseph A. Stack III, was killed in the crash. Jana Birchum/Getty Images 2 of 2 Smoke billows from a building that houses IRS offices after a small plane crashed into it Feb. 18, 2010 in Austin, Texas. According to reports, the pilot, identified as Joseph A. Stack III, was killed in the crash. Jana Birchum/Getty Images Close numSlides of totalImages Related Links CBS News Interactive: Eye On Air Safety Emergency crews have found a second body in the wreckage where a small plane smashed into an Austin office building.Austin Fire Department Battalion Chief Palmer Buck said late Thursday that authorities "have now accounted for everybody," but declined to discuss the identities of those found.Authorities said earlier that the pilot who crashed into the building was presumed dead and that one worker in the building had been missing.Authorities say Joseph A. Stack, a software engineer furious with the Internal Revenue Service, launched a suicide attack on the agency by crashing his small plane into the building that contains nearly 200 IRS employees.The crash set off a raging fire that sent workers running for their lives.Evidence of an intentional attack may be found in an apparent suicide note he left on his Web site - a lengthy diatribe that railed against taxes and the government and said violence "is the only answer." Authorities believe the note is real.Closing the note, Stack writes: "I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let's try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well."The note, dated February 18, 2010, is signed: "Joe Stack (1956-2010)."Despite the grim diary, Stack was even-tempered and unflappable, according to the manager of a band in which he used to play.A senior law enforcement official told CBS News that Stack died in the crash.While Department of Homeland Security official Matt Chandler told CBS News there was "no reason to believe" the crash was related to terrorist activity, the potential targeting of a government building bears at least passing resemblance to Timothy McVeigh's bombing of a federal office building in Oklahoma City in 1995.Before the incident, Stack is believed to have set fire to his home, a senior law enforcement official told CBS News. Austin Police also responded to reports of a domestic disturbance at Stack's residence earlier Thursday morning, involving an alleged fight with his wife.Stack later took off from Georgetown Municipal airport in a Piper Cherokee PA-28 at 9:40 a.m., a Federal Aviation Administration official told CBS News. He didn't file a flight plan, the official said.According to CBS affiliate KEYE in Austin, the Georgetown airport has since been evacuated and a bomb squad is on the scene.At least one person who worked in the building was unaccounted for and two people were hospitalized, said Austin Fire Department Division Chief Dawn Clopton. She did not have any information about the pilot. About 190 IRS employees work in the building, and IRS spokesman Richard C. Sanford the agency is trying to account for all employees.After the low-flying plane crashed into the building, flames shot out, windows exploded and workers scrambled to safety. Thick smoke billowed out of the second and third stories hours later as fire crews battled the blaze."It felt like a bomb blew off," said Peggy Walker, an IRS revenue officer who was sitting at her desk in the building when the plane crashed. "The ceiling caved in and windows blew in. We got up and ran."IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said the agency is working with law enforcement agencies to investigate the events that led up to the crash."My thoughts and prayers go out to the dedicated employees of the IRS who work in the Austin building," Shulman said. "We will immediately begin doing whatever we can to help them during this difficult time."In a neighborhood about six miles from the crash site, a home listed as belonging to Stack was on fire earlier Thursday. Two law enforcement officials said Stack had apparently set fire to his home before the suicidal plane flight.Elbert Hutchins, who lives one house away from the house on a quiet, tree-lined middle class neighborhood, said the house caught fire about 9:15 a.m. He said a woman and her teenage daughter drove up to the house before firefighters arrived."They both were very, very distraught," said Hutchins, a retiree who said he didn't know the family well. "'That's our house!' they cried 'That's our house!' "Gerry Cullen, 66, was eating breakfast a restaurant across the street when the plane struck the building."The airplane hit and vanished in a fireball," said Cullen, a former flight instructor.Matt Farney, 39, who was in the parking lot of a nearby Home Depot, said he saw a low-flying small plane near some apartments and the office building just before it crashed."I figured he was going to buzz the apartments or he was showing off," Farney said. "It was insane. ... It didn't look like he was out of control or anything."Sitting at her desk in another building about a half-mile from the crash, Michelle Santibanez said she felt vibrations after the crash. She and her co-workers ran to the windows, where they saw a scene that reminded them of the Sept. 11, 2001 U.S. terror attacks, she said."It was the same kind of scenario with window panels falling out and desks falling out and paperwork flying," said Santibanez, an accountant.National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson said an investigator from the board's Dallas office has been dispatched to the scene of the accident to start an investigation. The FAA and NTSB officials said they had no information on whether the crash was intentional. The White House also said President Barack Obama was briefed about the crash.As a precaution, the Colorado-based North American Aerospace Defense Command launched two F-16 aircraft from Houston's Ellington Field, and is conducting an air patrol over the crash area.According to California Secretary of State records, Stack had a troubled business history, twice starting software companies in California that ultimately were suspended by the state's Franchise Tax Board.In 1985, he incorporated Prowess Engineering Inc. in Corona. It was suspended two years later. He started Software Systems Service Corp. in Lincoln in 1995 and that entity was suspended in 2001. Stack listed himself as chief executive officer of both companies. (© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.) ||||| A software engineer furious with the Internal Revenue Service plowed his small plane into an office building housing nearly 200 federal tax employees after setting his home on fire Thursday, officials said. Enlarge By Jay Janner, AP Smoke billows from a seven-story building after a small private plane crashed into the building Thursday in Austin. AUSTIN As it dove out of the sky toward an IRS field office Thursday morning, Joseph Stack's small single-engine Piper Dakota became a screaming 3,000-pound missile. "It was low, straight and fast," said Stuart Newberg, who was stopped at a traffic light when Stack's plane whizzed past before slamming into the offices that housed 190 IRS employees. Stack, a 53-year-old software engineer apparently enraged over tax issues, plowed the plane into the side of the building, triggering a massive fireball that engulfed the offices. He is presumed dead, and one other person in the building is believed to have been killed; 13 others were injured, two critically. Emergency crews recovered two bodies. Austin Fire Department Battalion Chief Palmer Buck declined to discuss the identities of those found, but said authorities had now "accounted for everybody." The FBI said Stack is believed to have acted alone. But the plumes of black smoke triggered vivid memories of the 9/11 suicide hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001, and renewed fears that even a small plane can cause horrific damage in the wrong hands. "It's a vulnerability, a weakness we hope terrorists don't exploit," said Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican from Austin who is on the House Homeland Security Committee. A rambling letter that was part screed against the government and part suicide note appeared Thursday on a website registered to Stack. In the note, signed "Joe Stack (1956-2010)," he said he slowly came to the conclusion that "violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer." Three federal law enforcement sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is pending, said evidence authorities had gathered indicated that Stack had written the 3,000-word "manifesto." The writer of the letter complains that he is being unfairly targeted by the IRS and rages at accountants who prepared his taxes. "I choose to not keep looking over my shoulder at 'big brother' while he strips my carcass," the letter says. "I choose not to ignore what is going on all around me, I choose not to pretend that business as usual won't continue; I have just had enough." No warning at airport Stack, in recent years active as a bass guitarist with a honky-tonk Austin rock band, gave no indication that he was about to launch a deadly attack, according to many who knew him. Police said Thursday that something appeared to have set him off. Stack set fire to his family home Thursday morning, then headed to a small airport nearby. R.L. Quinn, owner of Awesome Aviation & Pilot Shop, said he saw Stack's distinctly painted plane around 9 a.m. yesterday morning as it left the area near his hangar. Quinn was driving a golf cart across the airport to drop off a letter. Aircraft normally have the right-of-way, but the pilot waited to let Quinn pass, he said. "I waved at him to say thank you," said Quinn, who knew Stack from seeing him occasionally around the airport. "He waved back." Twelve minutes later, the plane smashed into the Echelon I office building, near a busy highway intersection in northwest Austin and in sight of dozens of motorists. Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo credited a fast response by rescue workers with saving the lives of several people in the building. Acevedo also said the low-flying plane may have been spotted by some of the office workers in the moments before impact. "Some folks might have seen this aircraft coming and yelled out some warnings," Acevedo said. 'A reasonable guy' Billy Eli, 47, an Austin singer and songwriter, said Stack played bass in his band from about 2005-08 and that he gave no indication of being violent. Stack was part of the band, described on its website as "gritty Texan bar-room country," for an album called Amped Out. Stack appears on the album cover wearing a cowboy hat and jeans. Eli described Stack as "a reasonable guy who liked quality musical instruments. He wasn't a quiet guy, but he was not boisterous. A middle-of-the-road guy. He knew a lot of stuff about a lot of different things. He liked electronics." Eli said he last spoke with Stack just before Christmas. "Today was the first I knew he was having any IRS issues," Eli said. Jim Hemphill, 49, an Austin attorney who played guitar in the band, said he also was shocked. "I never saw anything like this in Joe," Hemphill said. "But we weren't the kind of friends who would talk about personal or political things. We just played music together." Hemphill said he saw Stack for the last time about a month ago when he had dinner at Stack's home, along with his wife and stepdaughter. The 33-paragraph manifesto that the FBI believes Stack wrote is typed neatly with near-perfect grammar. It drips with cynicism, paranoia and narcissism. In it, the writer rails on greedy corporations, corrupt politicians and, as an apparent last straw, a self-serving accountant who allegedly botched Stack's tax returns and got him in trouble with the IRS. California tax records seem to parallel the letter. Two of Stack's businesses were suspended by state authorities in California for tax problems. The state's Franchise Tax Board suspended the license of Software System Service in 2004 because of $1,153 in unpaid corporate income taxes from 1996 and 2002. Four years earlier, it suspended Prowess Engineering because the company failed to file a 1994 tax return, board spokeswoman Denise Azini said. Although the targets of Stack's apparent rage vary in his final letter, the gripe is consistent: No one cared about him. The manifesto begins with an indictment of politicians who are "not the least bit interested in me or anything I have to say," and goes on to say that he had discovered that his accountant "was representing himself and not me." Stack harks back to financiers in the Great Depression who leaped from Wall Street skyscrapers after losing everything. "Now," he wrote, "the poor get to die for the mistakes. "I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different," the letter says. "I am finally ready to stop this insanity. "Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let's try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well." Small plane, big damage Even though Stack's plane — with a total weight of 3,000 pounds and a top speed of about 200 mph — is tiny compared with the large jets used by radical Islamic terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, it was capable of creating a significant explosion and fire, according to aviation accident investigators. The Dakota carries up to 77 gallons of fuel, according to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fact sheet on the plane. "That's enough for an enormous fire," said Steve Wallace, the former head of the FAA's accident investigation office. "And particularly if the pilot was deliberately trying to drive the plane into the building." McCaul, the area's congressman, agrees. "This little Piper caused devastating damage — it almost brought the entire building down," he said. McCaul added that he fears terrorists will see the damage Stack caused and plan copycat attacks. "I think it's been on the radar of al-Qaeda and others," he said of using private planes in terror attacks. "This just re-emphasizes the fact that it can be done, and they may attempt to do the same thing." When the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) proposed the first security regulations for private airplanes in late 2008, it exempted 150,000 small airplanes that it did not consider to be threats. The regulations, which are being revised, targeted 15,000 business jets that the TSA said could cause significant damage if terrorists were to pack one with explosives and fly it into a building. These jets "could be used effectively to commit a terrorist act," the TSA said in proposing background checks for people boarding private jets. That assertion was challenged last year by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general. Private aviation "does not present a serious homeland security vulnerability requiring TSA to increase regulatory oversight," Inspector General Richard Skinner said in a report. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano disputed the conclusion. Levin and Frank reported from Washington; Jayson from Austin. Contributing: Kevin Johnson in Vancouver, Brad Heath and Donna Leinwand in Washington. 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 ||||| A Have more to add? News tip? Tell us AUSTIN -- In a rambling, obscenity-laced suicide note posted online, the pilot accused of flying his plane into an Austin office building Thursday takes aim at the IRS, religion, big business and even former President George W. Bush. A man identified as Joe Stack, 53, of Austin flew his small, single-engine airplane from a Georgetown airport to Austin about 25 miles away without filing a flight plan and crashed it into a seven-story office complex in northwest Austin, reports said. Officials also believe he set his own house ablaze. Two bodies were recovered in the debris, Austin fire officials said late Thursday. "I remember reading about the stock market crash before the 'great' depression and how there were wealthy bankers and businessmen jumping out of windows when they realized they screwed up and lost everything,” according to the online note, dated Feb. 18, 2010, and signed “Joe Stack, (1956-2010)." “Isn't it ironic how far we've come in 60 years in this country that they now know how to fix that little economic problem; they just steal from the middle class (who doesn't have any say in it, elections are a joke) to cover their asses and it's 'business-as-usual.' "Now when the wealthy f--- up, the poor get to die for the mistakes… isn't that a clever, tidy solution." Stack, who is presumed dead, described himself in the note as a software engineer and blamed the government, the IRS and accountants for his business problems. Violence, he wrote, "not only is the answer, it is the only answer." Flames poured out of windows and terrified workers fled the building after the crash. Emergency crews found a body in the building early Thursday night, but Police Chief Art Acevedo declined to say whether it was the pilot. Later Thursday, a second body was found in the wreckage. At least 13 people were injured, with two reported in critical condition. Fire Department Battalion Chief Palmer Buck said late Thursday that authorities "have now accounted for everybody," but declined to discuss the identities of those found. Authorities said earlier that the pilot who crashed into the building was presumed dead and that one worker in the building had been missing. Thick black and gray smoke was billowing out of the second and third stories of the building Thursday as fire crews using ladder trucks and hoses battled the fire. Dozens of windows were blown out of the hulking black building, and vehicles traveling on a nearby highway paused to look. Quoting a federal official, CNN reported that the pilot had torched his home before taking off in the plane. Public records show the home was located in the 1800 block of Dapplegrey Lane. The airplane involved is a Piper PA-28-236 that is registered to Stack. The office building, described as the Echelon building, is in the 9400 block of Research Boulevard, according to Austin fire officials. The site, about six miles southwest of Stack's home in northwest Austin, is near U.S. 183 and MoPac. The crash occurred about 10 a.m. A federal official said two F-16 fighter jets were launched as a precaution after the crash, though a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said there is no reason to believe that terrorism was involved. President Obama was briefed on the crash. Initial reports were that the Austin field offices of the San Antonio FBI were in the building, but it was later learned that the FBI offices are in a nearby building. The building does contain offices of the Internal Revenue Service where about 190 people work, according to reports. In the online note, Stack says he lived in southern California, worked as a “contract software engineer,” and had been divorced and remarried. He says that he moved to Austin to try his luck but ended up finding no work. He even blames the FAA for costing him business by grounding air traffic after 9/11, preventing him from calling on clients. The note ends: "I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let’s try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well." Firefighters received the crash report at about 9:56 a.m. and arrived on the scene within four minutes, authorities said. About 60 firefighters battled the blaze after the crash, said Buck, the Austin fire battalion chief. Crews were later pulled out of the building, Buck said. "It’s a pretty dangerous mission," he said. Buck said the building would be closed for quite awhile. An access road in front of the building also remained closed, Buck said. The building, in a heavily congested section of Austin, was still smoldering six hours later, with the worst of the damage on the second and third floors. The entire outside of the second floor was gone on the side of the building where the plane hit. Support beams were bent inward. Venetian blinds dangled from blown-out windows, and large sections of the exterior were blackened with soot. It was not immediately clear if any tax records were destroyed. Police Chief Acevedo said the person who was unaccounted for earlier was scheduled to be at work Thursday, but he had no other information. He noted, however, that initial reports that the pilot had stolen the plane were incorrect and he confirmed that the man owned it. Peggy Walker, an IRS revenue officer who works in the Echelon building, said she was sitting at her desk when the plane crashed. "It felt like a bomb blew off. The ceiling caved in and windows blew in. We got up and ran," she said. Matt Farney, 39, who was in the parking lot of a nearby Home Depot, said he saw a low-flying private plane near some apartments and the office building just before it crashed. "I figured he was going to buzz the apartments or he was showing off," Farney said, adding that the plane dipped down. "It was a ball of flames that was high or higher than the apartments. It was surreal. It was insane. ... It didn't look like he was out of control or anything." Michelle Santibanez was sitting at her desk about a half-mile from the crash when she felt vibrations. She and her co-workers ran to the windows, where they saw a scene that reminded them of the 2001 terrorist attacks, she said. "It was the same kind of scenario with window panels falling out and desks falling out and paperwork flying," said Santibanez, an accountant. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford said the agency was investigating but had no immediate information on the type of plane or how many people were on board. National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson told The Associated Press that an investigator from the board's Dallas office has been dispatched to the scene of the accident to start an investigation. The FAA and NTSB officials said they had no information on whether the crash was intentional. ||||| Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement The pilot of a plane which crashed into an office block in Austin, Texas, left a note expressing his anger at federal tax authorities, police say. Police are linking the apparent suicide note left online to Joseph Andrew Stack, the man named as the pilot. The note criticised the Internal Revenue Service - based inside the office block and declared: "Violence is the only answer." Firefighters continue to search for one person who is still unaccounted for. 'Leaping flames' The single-engined Piper Cherokee plane hit the second floor of the seven-storey building at 0956 local time (1556GMT). It had taken off from nearby Georgetown airport in Texas, and did not file a flight plan, Lynn Lunsford of the Federal Aviation Administration said. Twisted metal and debris seemed to be the only thing left on some floors Heather Wills, from Austin, told the BBC that she was driving past when she saw the huge cloud of black smoke. "As I got nearer I could see flames leaping out of the building - the flames were two storeys high. I could hear the glass windows shattering from the heat. "My first thought was that it was a fire. The traffic was backed up all along the freeway." Around 190 IRS employees work in the office complex and some were forced to climb out of windows after the plane burst into flames. Two people were taken to hospital, but it is not clear if they were seriously injured. There has been no official statement on the status of the pilot. Grievance Police are also investigating whether Mr Stack set fire to his house before crashing the plane. The message on the website apparently registered to and signed by Mr Stack speaks of having problems with the IRS. "Well, Mr Big Brother IRS man, let's try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well," the note reads. Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said there was no cause for concern and assured residents that it was an isolated incident. The White House said the crash did not appear to be an act of terrorism. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama had been briefed about the incident. The Department of Homeland Security was investigating the crash, he added. As a precaution, the North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled two F-16 fighter jets from Houston, Texas, to patrol the area. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| 2 dead after plane crashes into North Austin building Updated: 2/18/2010 9:04 PM By: Anna M. Gonzalez Timeline 9:18 a.m. - AFD receives call about a house fire on in the 1800 block of Dapplegrey Lane. 9:24 a.m. 9:40 a.m. - Plane departs Georgetown Airport 9:55 a.m. - Witnesses report seeing low-flying aircraft 9:56 a.m. – The same aircraft crashes and caused damage to 7 story structure A federal employee died when a plane crashed into a building in North Austin Thursday, police say. According to federal officials, the pilot of the plane started a house fire in North Austin before heading to the Georgetown Municipal Airport, getting into his plane and flying it into the Echelon Building 1 in the 9400 block of Research Blvd. The building houses 200 employees of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, including that agency’s criminal investigations division. The pilot is also presumed dead. EMS officials say 13 people were treated on the scene, suffering from heat-related injuries. Of those, two were critically injured and transported to the hospital. One person suffered second-degree burns across 25 percent of his back. He was transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. The other suffered non-life threatening injuries due to smoke inhalation. Witness reports The FBI is asking all witnesses to share your account of what happened: 210-650-6196 (6197/6198/6199 or 6200) Meanwhile, witnesses at the house fire in the 1800 block of Dapplegrey Lane told News 8 Austin they feared the fire was intentionally set. Investigators have confirmed the house was owned by 53-year-old software engineer Andrew Joseph Stack. WATCH THE VIDEO Damage report AFD Battalion Chief Palmer Buck talks about the damage on the scene. Latest from the scene Officials delivered the latest news at a press conference at 4:45 p.m. Thursday. Recap of events News 8’s Bob Robuck reports from the scene. Stack's family was at home at the time of the fire and were able to escape unharmed. They are not commenting on the incident. Stack's family was at home at the time of the fire and were able to escape unharmed. They are not commenting on the incident. Authorities also found an anti-IRS note on EmbeddedArt.com, a site Stack owns. The note has since been removed. The site’s archive indicates Embedded Art was “a small independent software house, specializing in process control and automation." The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane, a Piper Cherokee PA28, departed from Georgetown airport, about 20 miles north of Austin at about 9:40 a.m. The crash occurred about 30 minutes later and ignited a two-alarm fire. TxDOT cameras in the area showed fire and smoke coming from the building. Fire officials on the scene of the crash were worried the building would collapse as metal beams were reportedly breaking. Crews on the scene reported still seeing debris fly off the building an hour after the crash, and the fire was still burning on the inside of the building. The debris is believed to be from firefighters breaking glass windows to vent the building. News 8 crews in the field said debris from the crash hit a Lexus, shattering the car’s windshield. There is no word on injuries to the vehicle occupants. As of Thursday at 1 p.m., police have reopened the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 183. The southbound frontage road of 183 was still closed at 5 p.m. The St. Edwards University Professional Education Center is housed nearby the crash, according to Mischelle Diaz, information officer at St. Edwards University. Everyone was evacuated from the building after the crash. Initially it was reported the Austin Resident Agency Office of the FBI was housed in the building. However, the FBI’s offices are adjacent to the building. “It hit the building next door. All FBI personnel are safe. We are helping local police departments and fire to determine what happened. Nothing indicates we were targeted,” Erik Vasys with FBI in San Antonio said. The plane crash re-opened a wound for Austinites and awakened memories of 9/11. Click here for the story. Related Stories 2/18/10 Georgetown Municipal Airport reopens after scare 2/18/10 Neighbors of alleged pilot shocked, saddened Officials react to tragedy Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell: Today we suffered a tragic event in Austin. Our public safety first responders reacted quickly and efficiently and contained the fire as well as the incident. From the site of the crash it was apparent to me that the event could have resulted greater numbers of injured people. And, while we are lucky that the injury count is low, the thoughts and prayers of our community go out to the families involved. This incident is now fully contained. This is apparently an isolated incident and Austinites should feel safe to go about their daily lives. Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement regarding the plane crash in Austin: “In true Texas form, first responders and everyday citizens responded to today’s plane crash with selfless acts of heroism, securing the area, evacuating the building and controlling the fire, and are to be commended. My office continues to communicate with local, state and federal officials on this incident, which is currently an open criminal investigation. With details still emerging, it is important to refrain from speculation and let the law enforcement experts determine what exactly unfolded.” IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman: Like most Americans, I am shocked by the tragic events that took place in Austin this morning. This incident is of deep concern to me. We are working with law-enforcement agencies to fully investigate the events that led up to this plane crash. My thoughts and prayers go out to the dedicated employees of the IRS who work in the Austin building. We will immediately begin doing whatever we can to help them during this difficult time. While this appears to be an isolated incident, the safety of our employees is my highest priority. We will continue to do whatever is needed to ensure our employees are safe. Email this Story to a Friend Printer Friendly Version Search TOP STORIES ||||| by The Associated Press Posted on February 18, 2010 at 12:14 PM AUSTIN -- Investigators want to know if today's fiery crash of a small plane into an Austin building that houses the IRS -- was intentional. The Associated Press reports authorities are trying to determine if the pilot targeted the tax agency. Assistant Austin Fire Chief Harry Evans says one person is missing and two people were taken to a hospital. Their conditions and identities weren't immediately known. The crash sent workers fleeing as ceilings crumbled, windows shattered and flames shot out of the building. Thick black and gray smoke was billowing out of the second and third stories. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford says the pilot didn't file a flight plan. IRS worker Peggy Walker was at her desk when the plane crashed. ||||| If you use an RSS reader, here is feed for The Blotter: XML . Learn more about RSS. Home > The Blotter > Archives > 2010 > February > 18 > Entry A small plane crashed into a Northwest Austin building that houses federal offices about 10 this morning, injuring several people and sparking a fire that sent plumes of smoke into the air that could be seen for miles. Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said the crash, at the Echelon 1 building in the 9400 block of Research Boulevard, “appears to be an intentional act, appears to be by a sole individual, and it appears this individual was targeting federal offices inside that building.” The plane, a single-engine Piper Cherokee PA-28-236 Dakota, took off from a Georgetown airport at 9:40 a.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown said. A federal official confirmed for the Statesman that its tail number is registered to a plane owned by Andrew Joseph Stack, a private plane pilot whose nearby home was on fire at roughly the same time. The North Austin home was destroyed, but officials have not confirmed that the two incidents are connected. It is unclear who was piloting the plane when it crashed into the building, but an FBI agent said all indications are that Stack was piloting the plane. A note posted on a Web site registered to Stack suggested that Stack was disgruntled with the U.S. tax system. The Georgetown airport had been shut down and evacuated about 12:30 p.m., Georgetown police Lt. Todd Turbush said, though he did not have details on why. A dispatcher with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office said emergency officials were investigating Stack’s car, which he had left at the airport. Flights there were to resume about about 5:15 p.m., said an official with the Austin-Travis County Emergency Operations Center who did not wish to be named. Austin Fire Department Division Chief Dawn Clopton said that the FBI would be taking over the investigation. An FBI agent who declined to identify himself said the agency is investigating the incident as an assault on a federal officer. Officials said 13 people were treated at the scene, mostly with burns and heat-related injuries. Two were critically injured and transported to area hospitals. An IRS revenue collection agent who worked on the building’s second floor is missing, said Mark Menn, a 59-year-old field revenue agent who worked in the building. Menn declined to give the man’s name. Matilda Sanchez, spokeswoman for the Seton Family of Hospitals, said an injured man was admitted to University Medical Center Brackenridge in good condition with minor injuries and smoke inhalation. The man was later discharged. Sanchez said a second man was admitted in serious condition with burns, then transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. A second hospitalized patient was identified by the Texas Comptroller’s office one of its employees, 38-year-old Shane Hill. The comptroller’s office said Hill was at the Echelon building for work, but did not elaborate. “The thoughts and prayers of Texas Comptroller Susan Combs and her agency are with Shane Hill and his family,” the office said in a written statement. To see more on the condition of the patients, click here. Authorities have been unable to reach the crash impact site and do not yet know the condition of the pilot, Clopton said. “That is part of the building that is unstable,” she said. Battalion Chief Palmer Buck said that part of building has collapsed and some steel beams are bowed down. The pilot did not file a flight plan or, as far as FAA officials know at this time, have any other contact with the agency. Federal investigators said two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from Houston as a precaution, but were returned after initial details showed no terrorist connection to the crash. “At this time, we have no reason to believe there is a nexus to terrorist activity. We continue to gather more information, and are aware there is additional information about the pilot’s history,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. The Internal Revenue Service has offices in the Echelon building, including its civil enforcement and criminal investigations divisions, said Special Agent Michael Lemoine, a spokesman for the criminal investigations division. He said that some IRS offices are on the first floor, which Lemoine said was hit by the plane. William Winnie, an Internal Revenue Service agent, said he was in a training session on the third floor of the building when he saw a light-colored, single-engine plane coming at the building. “It looked like it was coming right in my window,” Winnie said. He said the plane veered down and to the left and crashed into the floors below. “I didn’t lose my footing, but it was enough to knock people who were sitting to the floor.” To read more witness accounts, click here. Mischelle Diaz, a spokeswoman for St. Edward’s University, said the plane hit next to a building where the university’s Professional Education Center provides software training and teaches some graduate students. She said the education center has been evacuated and that university officials were trying to confirm that students and instructors all got out safely. “We’re just desperately trying to get some information,” Diaz said. The American Red Cross of Central Texas will be providing food and water to the firefighters and investigators at the crash site, said spokeswoman Marty McKellips. Photos: Plane crashes into North Austin building Photos: Crews respond to North Austin house fire Video: Scene from the North Austin plane crash Photo: Claudia Grisales/American-Statesman a Get the latest crime reports in your neighborhood with the Statesman's Crime Tracker. Permalink |
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A photo of Joseph Andrew Stack, the plane's assumed pilot (circa 2006) A small plane crashed into a building, which was one of the Echelon office complex, in north Austin, Texas this morning at 09:56 local time (1456 UTC). Federal officials say the plane owner was Joseph Andrew Stack III; presumed to be the pilot who set his house on fire on the 1800 block of Dapplegrey Lane in north Austin an hour earlier. He then drove to Georgetown Municipal Airport, approximately 20 miles away, took off and then crashed his private plane into the Echelon complex. The Federal Aviation Authority indicated the light aircraft was a Piper Cherokee PA-28, as did news reports and eye witnesses. The FAA said the plane had no flight plan and was under Visual Flight Rules. Mr. Stack committed suicide, and a suicide note has been located. Mr. Stack's suicide note mentions anti-government and anti-corporate ideals, as well as problems with the Internal Revenue Service and that he lost money in the Enron scandal. Although the incident was intentional, a Department of Homeland Security official said that terrorism is not suspected. The online host of the note, T35 Hosting, later removed it in its entirety after the FBI requested its censorship. However, ''Wikinews'' has preserved the full text of the letter. Image of the Echelon Building the day after the crash Austin Fire Department reported around 1100 local time (1600 UTC) that two people were transported to local hospitals and one was unaccounted for. One man was admitted at a local hospital under serious condition for smoke inhalation. The other man suffered from second-degree burns on 25% of his back and has been transported by helicopter to Brooke Medical Center in San Antonio and is said to be in stable condition. The seven-story Echelon Building One is located on 9430 Research Boulevard and contains Internal Revenue Service offices. The Echelon building complex houses a number of federal offices, including Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation. Research Boulevard is the service road of U.S. Route 183. The incident has caused severe backups on both Research Boulevard and Route 183. A Piper 28, similar to the one involved in the crash A witness told ''The Austin Statesman'' that he saw the plane flying lower than usual, then it made a sharp turn and hit the building. An Austin County EMS official, James Shamard, said that smoke is visible from at least a mile from the crash site. Another official for the Austin Fire Department said that two persons who were working in the building are still unaccounted for. ''MSNBC'' reports that there was some form of domestic dispute between Mr. Stack and his wife before the incident. He then reportedly used gasoline to light his house on fire. When the fire department arrived, they rescued his wife and teenage daughter. According to Jerry Cullen, a pilot and former flight instructor who witnessed the crash, the plane was traveling at high speed at time of impact. __NOTOC__
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During Yahoo's Q4 earnings call, CEO Carol Bartz talked up the quality of the company's search offering?noting that consumer usage had "stabilized," and reminding naysayers that Microsoft's Live Search was a distant second in terms of query volume and market share. But there are signs that Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) is facing strong headwinds when it comes to paid search: ?While Q4 search revenues were up 11 percent year-over-year, they were down $2 million sequentially?Recent vendor reports found that Yahoo's lead over Microsoft in terms of advertiser share had narrowed to just 3 percent, an indication that Microsoft is picking up new advertisers and greater percentages of their budgets at a faster pace And according to Search Engine Land's Danny Sullivan, Yahoo has been making changes to advertisers' campaigns?including adjusting the keywords they bid on and creating ad copy?without the marketers' express consent. Some outspoken search pros say they've shut down their YSM accounts completely as a result, and others say they've shifted their budget to Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT). Sullivan says the main problem is that the campaign optimizations are opt-out?not opt-in?and the changes are driving up advertisers' costs without delivering a solid ROI. Yahoo posted an official response, arguing that the changes have only affected a small percentage of accounts, and that they're designed to benefit small-to-medium-sized advertisers that can't afford SEM support, in particular. Still, with Yahoo trying to revitalize its brand under Bartz, and fend off Microsoft as paid search competition, Sullivan notes the obvious: "Yahoo can't afford to alienate advertisers right now." Related Search Ad Update: Q4 A Mixed Bag In Terms Of Spending With Bartz On Board, Next Wave Of Speculation Rolls In ||||| Google Closes in on Yahoo's Leadership in Display Advertising Meanwhile, Marketers Don't Think the No. 2 Online Player Has Made Strides in Search, According to Poll NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Yahoo's business didn't crater in the fourth quarter -- good news for new CEO Carol Bartz. But the bad news: The No. 2 online player predicts first-quarter revenue will be down 10% as the recession starts to hit online-display-ad budgets in a bigger way. What's more, the display-ad advantage it commanded over its closest competitor, Google, is less formidable than it used to be. Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz Research firm Advertiser Perceptions shared with Advertising Age the results of its latest Advertiser Intelligence Report, a poll of 1,212 executives at agencies and marketers involved in online advertising. The results won't leave anyone at Yahoo sleeping well at night: Google is making inroads on the display-ad side and is now perceived to be Yahoo's equal in many key metrics -- yet Yahoo hasn't made commensurate gains in search. "Perceptions of Yahoo are strong and are improving, but what's surprising is how well Google's display efforts have succeeded in creating equally strong perceptions on Yahoo's turf," said Advertising Perceptions CEO Ken Pearl. "Since positive perceptions lead to increasing ad revenue, it will be interesting to see how the online-display market plays out over the next several months." Yahoo declined to comment on the poll. The data break down like this: Advertisers give Yahoo very high marks for the results of their ad campaigns and for the marketing services Yahoo provides. But in a survey conducted in November, Google bested Yahoo when it came to results advertisers felt they were getting from campaigns: Advertisers rated Yahoo 29% better than the average of the 150 online media companies in the survey, but Google rated 43% better. Customer service vs. user experience On marketing services, Yahoo is still preferred, rating 42% better than average, compared with 7% better than average for Google. But in terms of audience, advertisers perceive virtually no difference between display ads on Google and display ads on Yahoo. And in customer service, Google is beating Yahoo handily: Google rates 19% above the industry average compared with 9% above average for Yahoo, a sign that some of Google's hard work wooing agencies and marketers is paying off. Some perspective: For all its effort thus far, Google is still a nonplayer in display, and earns 99% of its revenue from search, while Yahoo dominates 33% of the $7.1 billion U.S. online-display market, according to eMarketer. It will take more than matching Yahoo in advertiser perception to close that gap. Also troubling for Yahoo: It is losing ground in search in the eyes of marketers. Google accounted for 73% of the revenue in the larger and faster-growing search-ad marketplace, compared with Yahoo's 13%, according to eMarketer. Yahoo's dominance in display is due in part to its scale and to its skill in providing marketing solutions to Madison Avenue. But Yahoo's year of turmoil, including a revolving door of ad execs in key verticals, came at just the time Google was putting the pedal through the floor. "[Yahoo's] lack of focus internally bled out and diminished their ability to solve their client's marketing problems," said Steve Kerho, VP-analytics at Omnicom interactive shop Organic. Keeping search Ironically, Mr. Kerho said he believes the best way for Yahoo to protect its display-ad business is to find a way to succeed in search. "When you look at how people consume media online, it's search and display. Their ability to give end-to-end solutions is hampered if they have to outsource part of that," he said. While it's early to know how Ms. Bartz intends to approach search, she indicated last week she's not inclined to part with it. "Search is a very valuable part of our business," she said. "Understanding the intent and goals of our users as they seek information online is extremely useful to our franchise in many ways." Ms. Bartz said she was eager to get to know Yahoo's sales force and "have a beer with them." Better make that a double, because 2009 could be the toughest they've had to face. ||||| - Yahoo's Briefcase online storage service, which soldiered on for almost 10 years with a distinctly Web 1.0 capacity of 30MB, is finally being shut down. Users of the free service, which lets people upload files as big as 5MB and organize them in folders, are being greeted by a message that says they have to download or delete their files by March 30. After that, the accounts will be closed and files deleted. Yahoo is discontinuing Briefcase because users outgrew it, Yahoo said in a statement. Other services, such as Yahoo Mail and Flickr, offer far greater storage capacity, and the use of Briefcase has fallen in recent years, the company said. The move will help it to focus on services that are more widely used, according to Yahoo. As it battles Google and Microsoft in the search arena and struggles to bring in more revenue from its array of other services, Yahoo is being driven toward tighter focus. The company announced layoffs last year and has seen its stock price plunge since a proposed acquisition by Microsoft fell apart in May 2008. Time may have passed Briefcase by, but the idea of Internet-based file storage is alive and well. Microsoft last year announced Live Mesh, a service now in beta testing that lets users store files online, keep them synchronized across mobile devices and PCs, and access them on the road. The free DropBox application offers similar capabilities. And Google is rumored to be near introducing an online storage service called GDrive. ||||| Yahoo Shutting Briefcase Yahoo will close an online storage service called Briefcase as the company sheds some operations. Briefcase, introduced almost 10 years ago, will shut March 30 and users must download or delete files by then, the company said on its Web site. Yahoo customers were already shifting to other services, such as its e-mail program or the Flickr photo site, to store files online, the company said. "Usage has been significantly declining over the years as users outgrew the need for Yahoo Briefcase and turned to offerings with much more storage and enhanced sharing capabilities," spokeswoman Kim Rubey said in an e-mailed statement. "Discontinuing the service will allow us to focus our efforts on more broadly used products." — Bloomberg News Adobe IPhone Flash elusive Adobe Systems faces a challenge in creating a version of its Flash video software for Apple's iPhone, CEO Shantanu Narayen said. "It's a hard technical challenge, and that's part of the reason Apple and Adobe are collaborating," Narayen said Friday in a Bloomberg Television interview from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "The onus is on us to deliver." Adobe's Flash, used to view online video and animation, is installed on 98 percent of the world's personal computers. While the software is on more than 800 million handsets, it isn't available on the iPhone. Apple CEO Steve Jobs said last March that Flash runs too slowly for the iPhone. Advertisement — Bloomberg News Tessera Wins patent review Tessera Technologies won a patent-infringement ruling in its bid to strike licensing agreements with Qualcomm and other chip makers for wireless devices. The U.S. International Trade Commission on Friday agreed to review a decision by one of its judges that Tessera's patents weren't infringed by the chip makers. The review will be completed by April. The case against Qualcomm, Motorola and four other companies was the first of three to be heard by the commission, which has the power to block imports of products that violate U.S. patents. San Jose-based Tessera's patents cover a way of making packaging to surround the chips so they are protected from damage and yet can be made smaller and faster. — Bloomberg News
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Yahoo!'s headquarters in Sunnyvale, California Yahoo!'s Briefcase service is to be closed after ten years. The directory-cum-internet portal's Briefcase, which offers 30mb of online storage of files up to 5mb, is to be shut down on March 30. Data not retrieved before then will be deleted. Usage of the service has declined in recent years and has been superseded by other companies' offers. Google has plans for a GDrive service, whilst Microsoft's Live Mesh is now in beta. now has unlimited storage, as do paid accounts with the Yahoo!-owned photo- and video-sharing site . A spokesperson for Yahoo! said that "discontinuing the service will allow us to focus our efforts on more broadly used products". Yahoo has been losing market value since Microsoft's deal to buy the company fell through in May 2008 and the company has reduced staff. Yahoo! still dominates the market for display adverts but this market is shrinking against targeted search adverts, where Google dominates.
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Yemeni security forces have killed a regional al-Qaida leader during intensifying operations against the organisation in the wake of its failed Christmas Day bombing of a US airliner over Detroit, the government said today. Ali Hassan al-Ahmadi, governor of Shabwa province, said Abdullah Mehdar was killed overnight after being besieged in a house where he had been hiding. Mehdar was reportedly the leader of an al-Qaida cell in the al-Houta region, 600km east of Sana'a, the capital. Four men were detained but several others escaped into the nearby hills. Another senior al-Qaida commander was captured last week. Yemen insists it is capable of fighting al-Qaida on its own but needs more financial help, equipment and cooperation. "Our security agencies are capable of tackling terrorist threats," the foreign minister, Abu-Bakr al-Qirbi, told Reuters news agency, adding that anti-terrorism and coastguard units needed outside support in training, equipment and exchange of intelligence. "However, a security or military solution is not sufficient. So the international community has to pay more attention to the economic and development needs of Yemen," he added. Later this month the impoverished country in the Arabian peninsular and its many problems — poverty, rapid population growth and natural resource depletion — will be the subject of a one-day international conference in London, called by Gordon Brown in the aftermath of the attempt by the Nigerian student Omar Farouk Abumutallab to blow up a US airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day. President Barack Obama has ruled out sending in US troops but there is nervousness in Yemen that it is being identified in the west as a new front in the struggle against jihadi terror. Over the past few weeks the Yemeni government has sent reinforcements to some eastern provinces as it intensified its fight against al-Qaida, said by the Sana'a authorities to number some 200 to 300 members in the country. The US and Britain say they fear Yemen, a failing if not a failed state, is in danger of becoming a safe haven for the organisation after its virtual defeat in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, and as it faces increasing pressure in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Earlier, Yemen's interior ministry said that at least 15 Houthi rebels had been killed in clashes with tribesmen loyal to the government and in operations by security forces, as violence increased in the Sa'ada region, north of the capital. Saudi Arabia, fighting the Houthis in support of the regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, claimed this week to have killed hundreds of them. The rebels have fought the government sporadically since 2004, complaining of social, economic and religious marginalisation. Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, meanwhile attacked Riyadh for its support for the Yemeni government. "We were expecting that Saudi Arabian officials would act like a mentor and make peace between brothers, not enter the war and use bombs ... and machine guns against Muslims. "If only a small part of the weapons of Saudi Arabia were used on behalf of Gaza and against the Zionist regime (Israel), today there would be no sign of the Zionist regime in the region," Ahmadinejad said on state television. Yemen in turn has repeatedly accused Iran of backing the Houthis. ||||| Local al-Qaida Leader Killed in Yemen Photo: AP The alleged leader of an al-Qaida cell was killed in the Yemeni province of Shabwa, after security forces raided the house he was hiding in, according to the provincial governor. Yemen recently began cracking down on al-Qaida operations in several eastern provinces. The governor of Yemen's eastern Shabwa province announced Wednesday that government security forces had killed a man they describe as the leader of a local al-Qaida cell, amid ongoing and intensive counter-terrorism operations. Governor Ali Hassan al-Ahmadi told journalists that Abdullah Mehdar was killed by government security forces after they laid siege to a house where he was hiding. Yemeni government TV reported that four alleged al-Qaida members were also arrested in the raid, which began Tuesday. The report said one security officer was killed when "al-Qaida tried to create a diversion, attacking security forces in another place." Editor-in-chief Hakim Almasmari of the Yemen Post newspaper says that the latest success by the Yemeni government is part of a series of ongoing attacks on al-Qaida targets. "Around 12 raids have happened in Sana'a on al-Qaida suspects over the last two days. In Shabwa, Abdallah Mehdar was killed because he did not surrender. He's not one of the top al-Qaida leaders but he is a member of al-Qaida. The good thing is that there were no civilian casualties reported for the attack," he said. Almasmari says that Yemeni security forces were given special anti-terrorism training by the United States and are experienced in such operations. "The national security army was trained by the U.S. for terrorist combating, so they were well trained. They attacked [Abdallah Mehdar's] house and he refused to surrender, but other al-Qaida members usually surrender to the government," he added. The French press agency, quoting local sources, indicated that 18 al-Qaida suspects escaped the government dragnet and fled to a nearby mountain. Yemeni TV, quoting military sources, warned local residents not to help al Qaida terrorists, but to help security forces in capturing them. Shabwa province governor al-Ahmadi told reporters Sunday that dozens of foreign al-Qaida fighters, including Egyptians and Saudis who have fled from Afghanistan are hiding in the mountains of Shabwa district. Yemen analysts say that Nasser al-Waheshi, leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, his deputy Saeed Ali al-Shehri, and Yemeni American Sheikh Anwar al-Awlaki may be hiding in Shabwa.
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Yemeni local al-Qaida leader Abdullah Mehdar has been killed in a raid of his home in the Shabwah province. Four more men were arrested at the alleged al-Houta-area cell commander's house while several more escaped. Shabwah Governor Ali Hassan al-Ahmadi told journalists that security forces had entered the Mehdar house and killed him on site. Abdullah Mehdar was added to Yemen's "List of the most wanted" by the Yemeni Interior Ministry earlier today. Military annalists say that other commanders of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula may be hiding in Shabwah. The group are the suspected perpetrators of the failed bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253.
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You can request the document from a number of document delivery services: British Library Document Supply Centre CISTI Canadian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information Infotrieve Thomson ISI Document Delivery You can also request the document from your local library through interlibrary loan services. * Please note that prices for article purchases are subject to change. However, this will NOT affect your current purchase. ||||| 2002 Satellite image of swollen Jamuna river flooding Bangladesh Catherine Brahic 3 December 2004 Source: SciDev.Net This week's issue of Nature features the first study to demonstrate a link between greenhouse gas emissions and an extreme weather event — in this case, the unusually high temperatures in Europe during the summer of 2003 that led to 14,000 deaths more than the seasonal average in France alone. In their paper, Peter Stott of the UK Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, and colleagues say they "estimate that it is very likely that human influence has at least doubled the risk" of extreme weather events, such as the European heat wave. While it is impossible to attribute a single meteorological event, such as a heat wave or a flood, to changes in the atmosphere, it is possible, using available computer models, to estimate whether human activities increase the risk of such events taking place. Stott and colleagues did just that. They used a computer model to compare the likelihood of the 2003 heat wave taking place with and without human activities, which in the model included greenhouse gas emissions. The researchers conclude that human activities at least doubled the chance of the heat wave taking place, and say they are 90 per cent sure this statement is accurate. Previously, other scientists had made similar but unquantified estimates. In a SciDev.Net editorial earlier this year, Saleemul Huq, director of the Climate Change Programme at the International Institute for Environment and Development, wrote, "It may be impossible to attribute [the 2004 floods in Bangladesh] to climate change". "But what can be said with certainty is that such events will occur with increasing frequency in the future, due to changes in the global climate system caused by greenhouse gas emissions attributable to human activities." Scientists are a long way from being able to determine exactly how far human activities were responsible for increasing the risk of severe floods in Bangladesh in 2004. However, says Stott, in theory the same methods that he and his colleagues used in their study could be applied to any weather event, anywhere in the world. PRECIS, a climate model based on the Hadley Centre's one, but able to be run on a personal computer, is just one of tools already being used in countries including Bhutan, Brazil and India to gain a better understanding of regional climate systems. Eventually, such information could lead to risk studies of regional weather events, like the one done by Stott and his colleagues. In accompanying article in Nature, Myles Allen, who supervised Stott's study, and UK lawyer Richard Lord write about the legal implications of the team's findings. "Although these ideas may seem far-fetched now," they write, "we could one day see Californian farmers suing member states of the European Union for authorising emissions that threatened the security of their water supplies." Stott agrees that following the same reasoning, farmers in Egypt might also one day sue European states for increasing the salinity of the water they use to water their crops. In fact, a group of environmental lawyers is already urging UNESCO to investigate the effects of climate change on three World Heritage Sites: the Belize Barrier Reef, and two national parks, one in the Andean and the other in the Himalayan mountain ranges. Pro Public, the environmental group leading the Himalayan campaign points out that in Nepal, it is not only the park that is endangered, but also the communities living beneath the swelling glacier lakes (see Melting glaciers threaten communities in South Asia). "The Nepalese are not responsible for what's happening there," said Prakash Sharma, executive director of Pro Public in an interview with BBC Online. "We might be a little bit responsible but I think [it is] the global phenomenon of climate change." Link to paper in Nature by Stott et al Link to article by Allen and Lord in Nature Link to BBC Online news story References: Nature 432, 551 (2004) / Nature 432, 610 (2004) Related SciDev.Net articles: Threat of devastating floods 'will double' by 2050 Haiti's lessons for managing the global environment Bangladesh floods: rich nations 'must share the blame' Related links: PRECIS Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research Photo Credit: NASA NASA Dossiers: Climate Change ||||| an incomplete understanding of the climate system, an imperfect ability to transform our knowledge into accurate mathematical equations, the limited power of computers, the models' inability to reproduce important atmospheric phenomena, and inaccurate representations of the complex natural interconnections. These weaknesses combine to make GCM-based predictions too uncertain to be used as the bases for public policy responses related to future climate changes. The Limits of Human Knowledge. The world's best scientists have only an incomplete understanding of how the various atmospheric, land surface, oceanic and ice components interact. Even if their understanding of the climate system were perfect, scientists would still face challenges. Consider that while scientists do have a general idea of the complex interrelationships of the atmosphere and the oceans, expressing this knowledge mathematically is very difficult. The Limits of Computing Power. GCMs are limited in important ways. Global climate is produced through a variety of processes and interactions that operate on a wide range of scales, including molecular, regional, continental and global. Changes in climate occur from physical interactions that take place on any or all of these scales. The changes, and the resulting weather patterns, can occur nearly instantaneously or they can take decades or millenia to develop. Unfortunately, the computers and programs that run the GCMs are limited to gross representations of the geographic, geologic and atmospheric details that they use to run climate simulations. Thus, many small-scale features, such as a temporary but significant shift in the prevailing winds or unusually dry surface conditions due to increased evaporation from forest fires and high winds cannot be represented, even though they may significantly impact the local, regional, or even global climate. Indeed, GCMs can at best represent only a thumbnail sketch of the real world, with spatial resolutions no finer than regional areas a thousand miles square. Many topographical, geological, atmospheric and biological variations can occur within any contiguous thousand square miles. For instance, GCM's might average rainfall amounts and wind velocity over large diverse land surfaces which could include arid mountain plateaus, low-land deserts and temperate coastal rainforests. But, even modest topographic changes - for instance, a new housing development that paves over farmland and drains a wetland area - could render a model of land-surface interactions inaccurate. Resulting Model Breakdowns. Given the limitations noted, GCMs simply cannot reliably reproduce climate systems. Commonplace events like precipitation and the passage of typical weather fronts are difficult enough to depict; truly complex phenomena, such as, hurricanes, thunderstorms, and tornadoes may be represented so poorly that they simply cannot be relied upon. El Niņo, La Niņa and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation are examples of complex climate patterns that are inadequately reproduced or completely absent in GCMs. In addition, global average temperature is measured by three different instruments - ground-based thermometers, weather balloons and global satellite observations - with each system covering a slightly different range of the earth's atmosphere. The data they provide is conflicting. Whereas, both the global satellite network and weather balloon observations show a modest cooling trend during the past 25 years, the ground-based thermometers show a modest warming of approximately 0.13 degrees Celsius per decade. The GCMs display two flaws related to measured global temperatures. First, they show global temperatures rising across all levels of the atmosphere, a finding not reflected in reality. [See figure.] Second, the lowest predicted global temperature measurement of the GCMs is nearly three times more than the temperature rise measured by ground-based thermometers. Thus, the GCMs do not reflect the temperature differences or the direction of temperature change within various levels of the atmosphere, nor do they show the actual amount of temperature change. Finally, GCMs ignore the interconnected nature of climate processes and how an inaccurate simulation of one introduces errors into every other related process. A simple model for precipitation involves scores of variables. But a single error, say in representing atmospheric moisture or deciding what mechanism is causing precipitation, will make the simulation "wrong." For example, precipitation requires moisture in the atmosphere and a mechanism to force it to condense (i.e., by forcing the air to rise over mountains, by surface heating, as a result of weather fronts or by cyclonic rotation). Any errors in representing either the atmospheric moisture content or the precipitation-causing mechanisms will produce an erroneous simulation. Thus, GCM simulations of precipitation will be affected by limitations in the representation and simulation of topography. Inaccuracies in simulating precipitation will, in turn, adversely affect the simulation of virtually every other climate variable. Condensation releases heat to the atmosphere and forms clouds, which reflect energy from the sun and trap heat from the earth's surface - and both sources of heat affect air temperature. This in turn affects winds, atmospheric pressure and atmospheric circulation. Since winds drive the upper currents of the ocean, the simulation of ocean circulation also is adversely affected. Additionally, inadequate simulations of precipitation lead to inaccurate assessments of soil moisture. Since vegetation also responds to precipitation, the entire representation of the biosphere becomes open to question. This is not to say that climate scientists lack skill or dedication; it is to reiterate the extraordinary difficulty of producing accurate climate models. More than just long-term average and seasonal variations go into estimating the extent of climate change. Climate change is likely to manifest itself in small regional fluctuations. Moreover, year-to-year variability is important. Much of the character of the earth's climate is in how it varies over time. GCMs that simulate essentially the same conditions year after year, as virtually all climate models do, miss an important aspect of the earth's climate. Thus GCMs' predictive powers must be evaluated in light of each model's ability to represent the global climate's holistic and variable nature. Although GCMs are not weather prediction models, climate is nevertheless an ensemble of weather events. The utility of a climate model is not in predicting whether it will rain in northern Florida on a certain afternoon. What is of interest is to determine the long-term probability that future precipitation will be significantly different - in frequency and/or intensity - from what it is today. Will the winter of 2048 be warmer or colder, wetter or drier than present conditions, and if so, by how much? If climate models cannot simulate processes known to drive daily weather patterns, to what degree can GCM's climate predictions be believed? Conclusion. Climate is to some degree a representation of the average of weather events that occur. If the frequency and locations of weather events are simulated inaccurately or not at all, the reliability of climate change prognostications is undermined. While GCMs cannot be expected to simulate future weather, they should be able to accurately depict the earth's present climate and vitality. Since they cannot, GCM predictions of climate change are statistical exercises with little bearing on reality. World leaders are making critical decisions based upon predictions of General Circulation Models or Global Climate Models (GCMs) that humans are causing global climate change or global warming. Global climate models attempt to describe the earth's climate and are used in variety of applications. These include the investigation of the possible causes of climate change and the simulation of past and future climates. But these models are limited in important ways, including: ||||| Also see the archival list of the Essays on Science and Society. BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER: The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change Policy-makers and the media, particularly in the United States, frequently assert that climate science is highly uncertain. Some have used this as an argument against adopting strong measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For example, while discussing a major U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report on the risks of climate change, then-EPA administrator Christine Whitman argued, "As [the report] went through review, there was less consensus on the science and conclusions on climate change" (1). Some corporations whose revenues might be adversely affected by controls on carbon dioxide emissions have also alleged major uncertainties in the science (2). Such statements suggest that there might be substantive disagreement in the scientific community about the reality of anthropogenic climate change. This is not the case. The scientific consensus is clearly expressed in the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Created in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environmental Programme, IPCC's purpose is to evaluate the state of climate science as a basis for informed policy action, primarily on the basis of peer-reviewed and published scientific literature (3). In its most recent assessment, IPCC states unequivocally that the consensus of scientific opinion is that Earth's climate is being affected by human activities: "Human activities ... are modifying the concentration of atmospheric constituents ... that absorb or scatter radiant energy. ... [M]ost of the observed warming over the last 50 years is likely to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations" [p. 21 in (4)]. IPCC is not alone in its conclusions. In recent years, all major scientific bodies in the United States whose members' expertise bears directly on the matter have issued similar statements. For example, the National Academy of Sciences report, Climate Change Science: An Analysis of Some Key Questions, begins: "Greenhouse gases are accumulating in Earth's atmosphere as a result of human activities, causing surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures to rise" [p. 1 in (5)]. The report explicitly asks whether the IPCC assessment is a fair summary of professional scientific thinking, and answers yes: "The IPCC's conclusion that most of the observed warming of the last 50 years is likely to have been due to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations accurately reflects the current thinking of the scientific community on this issue" [p. 3 in (5)]. Others agree. The American Meteorological Society (6), the American Geophysical Union (7), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) all have issued statements in recent years concluding that the evidence for human modification of climate is compelling (8). The drafting of such reports and statements involves many opportunities for comment, criticism, and revision, and it is not likely that they would diverge greatly from the opinions of the societies' members. Nevertheless, they might downplay legitimate dissenting opinions. That hypothesis was tested by analyzing 928 abstracts, published in refereed scientific journals between 1993 and 2003, and listed in the ISI database with the keywords "climate change" (9). The 928 papers were divided into six categories: explicit endorsement of the consensus position, evaluation of impacts, mitigation proposals, methods, paleoclimate analysis, and rejection of the consensus position. Of all the papers, 75% fell into the first three categories, either explicitly or implicitly accepting the consensus view; 25% dealt with methods or paleoclimate, taking no position on current anthropogenic climate change. Remarkably, none of the papers disagreed with the consensus position. Admittedly, authors evaluating impacts, developing methods, or studying paleoclimatic change might believe that current climate change is natural. However, none of these papers argued that point. This analysis shows that scientists publishing in the peer-reviewed literature agree with IPCC, the National Academy of Sciences, and the public statements of their professional societies. Politicians, economists, journalists, and others may have the impression of confusion, disagreement, or discord among climate scientists, but that impression is incorrect. The scientific consensus might, of course, be wrong. If the history of science teaches anything, it is humility, and no one can be faulted for failing to act on what is not known. But our grandchildren will surely blame us if they find that we understood the reality of anthropogenic climate change and failed to do anything about it. Many details about climate interactions are not well understood, and there are ample grounds for continued research to provide a better basis for understanding climate dynamics. The question of what to do about climate change is also still open. But there is a scientific consensus on the reality of anthropogenic climate change. Climate scientists have repeatedly tried to make this clear. It is time for the rest of us to listen. References and Notes
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Scientists using a computer model of the typical European summer with no human influences (without global warming) have compared it to the same model with global warming included. They have concluded that human influence makes extremely warm summers (i.e. summers as warm as the 2003 heatwave) more than twice as likely. Commentators have suggested that in the future this may open the way for lawsuits against heavy polluters by persons whose livelihoods have been affected by adverse climate change. However, the report stesses that though it is in fact impossible to pin any specific extreme climate event on either global warming or natural climate variation, human activities increase the frequency of such events. The study is based upon climate activity during the last 50 years, which can only be replicated with computer models which include human forcing (CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs)). However, even within a warmer world the summer of 2003 was anomalously warm in Europe. Most simulations of 2003 climate produce cooler weather in Europe than what actually happened. It is not yet known if flaws in the models cause this difference, if the warmth of 2003 was part of a trend, or 2003 was merely unusually hot. If there will be a warming trend, a model predicts that such summers could become an event of 1-in-2 probability only by 2050. In the Americas, a series of sudden weather changes has been more frequent in the last 15 years since the discovery of the phenomenon knows as ''El Niño'', in which vast regions of North and South America suffered weather extremes ranging from high tides to extreme hail, rain and snowstorms during summer and winter seasons following extremely hot summers. There's still no scientific evidence that ''El Niño'' is directly influenced by human factors.
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Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Thousands of protesters have gathered in the Thai capital Bangkok for what they call a "final battle" in a six-month campaign to oust the government. A similar protest in October left two people dead and nearly 500 wounded. Demonstrators gathered at Government House, where protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have set up camp since late August. They say the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is too close to ousted former PM Thaksin Shinawatra. "I am confident in the strength of the people. We will definitely go to parliament," said anti-government leader Chamlong Srimuang. Local media said the march was set to go ahead early on Monday, ahead of a planned parliament meeting. Troops ready The last march aimed at preventing a parliament session on 7 October erupted into the worst street violence Bangkok had seen in 16 years, as police fired tear gas and clashed with rowdy PAD protesters. A spokesman for Mr Somchai said police had been ordered not to use tear gas or weapons this time, but insisted that the parliament meeting would go ahead as planned. The PAD group launched their anti-government campaign in May Officials said nearly 2,000 soldiers were on stand-by if the police needed help. The PAD is calling the march its "final battle" to oust the government, which it blames for a grenade attack last week that killed one person and wounded 23. Another grenade blast near their protest site wounded eight PAD security guards on Saturday. Mr Somchai has denied the government or its supporters are behind the blasts. Police have made no arrests so far. As anti-government supporters gathered for the demonstration, police said about 10,000 pro-Thaksin supporters had descended on a Buddhist temple just outside Bangkok to support the government. Leaders of that gathering said they had no intention of confronting the PAD. The PAD wants to replace Thailand's one-man, one-vote system with one in which some representatives are chosen by professions and social groups rather than the general electorate. The new government says it wants to start negotiations with the PAD. But it is also pushing ahead with controversial plans to amend the constitution - a key grievance of the protesters who see it as part of a plan to rehabilitate former PM Thaksin. Mr Thaksin, Mr Somchai's brother-in-law, was forced from office in a military coup in 2006 and remains in exile overseas. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| Political upheaval feared today The fate of the country hangs in the balance today in the face of another political upheaval that could lead to a bloodbath after the People's Alliance for Democracy vowed to launch an all-out effort to bring down the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and prevent charter amendment by laying siege to Parliament today in its "biggest and final" rally yet. The PAD announced its plan to move its protest from Government House to Parliament at a press conference yesterday after a three-hour meeting of its five core leaders at Ban Phra Arthit. Meanwhile, appointed Senator Ruangkrai Leekijwattana said Parlia-ment had put the Constitution amendment draft presented by Dr Weng Tochirakarn, a leader of the pro-government Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship, at the top of its agenda to be discussed from tomorrow despite House Speaker Chai Chidchob insisting last week that this wouldn't be so. He said the draft included clauses reducing the power of privy councillors, removing some independent agencies, whitewashing parties facing dissolution and giving amnesty to 111 former Thai Rak Thai Party executives. PAD leader Maj-General Chamlong Srimuang yesterday showed members of the press that Constitution amendment had been marked urgent on Parliament's agenda for today. Pipop Thongchai said the PAD intended to stop Parliament working in support of the Somchai government. He said both Parliament and the government had lost any mandate to run the country because they refused to take responsibility for the bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters on October 7. He accused the government of continuing to use violence through a series of deadly bomb attacks to deter people from joining the PAD protest. "If the people are afraid, the government will be able to prevent peaceful protests in the long run, and we will not be able to protect our country and the monarchy,'' he said. Sondhi Limthongkul said the latest bomb attack early yesterday that killed one person showed that the government was using undisciplined military officers to do its dirty work. "This is pressuring a peaceful gathering to use weapons in self-defence. Thai society will see a bloodbath. It is sad that military officers and police have taken part in this,'' he said. The five leaders refused to reveal how they planned to break into the Parliament compound. Chamlong insisted that the PAD must move on Parliament to ensure there was no charter amendment even after reporters told him that House Speaker Chai Chidchob had guaranteed that charter amendment would not be on the House agenda. ||||| COUNTRY ON BRINK AGAIN Thaksin's phone-in "banned," for today How will Thailand emerge from week of biggest tension? Army chief Anupong will be key Threats of political violence decreased a little on Sunday with cancellation of an expected phone-in by ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra to his supporters at Suan Kaew Temple and the government mulling postponing tomorrow's parliamentary session to avoid confrontation with the People's Alliance for Democracy. With Army chief Gen Anupong Paochinda appointed to lead a special task force to monitor the PAD's activities, there is also hope there will not be a repeat of the October 7 violence that saw many PAD protesters killed and seriously injured by tear gas explosions. Anupong came out strongly against the police use of force after the incident, but the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat ignored his implicit call for its resignation. The pro-Thaksin gathering at the Suan Kaew Temple is expected to disperse in the evening, after abbot Phra Payom Kallayano vowed to "cut the power" if the "Truth Today" forum involved a satellite address by the former leader. The PAD, which aims to create its "final and decisive" rally in the wake of a bomb attack inside Government House last week that killed a protester, remains committed to besieging Parliament tomorrow. Exactly when the protesters inside Government House, joined by big numbers of their provincial allies today, will march to Parliament is not known, although PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang said the march would take place tomorrow. If the PAD manages to surround Parliament, the siege may last a few days. How the country can avoid violence, therefore, relies much on Anupong, whose advice on which action the government should take will be crucial. Speaking from Peru, Prime Minister Somchai said he appointed Army Commander in Chief Gen Anupong to monitor the situation which became tense as anti-government protesters planned to march to the Parliament on Monday. Somchai was attending a summit meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Lima, Peru. Somchai said, "Gen Anupong's committee will be in charge of monitoring the situation and give suggestions to authorities concerned on how to deal with the protesters." The panel was not assigned to crack down on the protesters, Somchai reiterated. Anupong's panel has duties to monitor the situation involving the protesters who vowed to conduct a mass rally on Sunday and march to block the Parliament on Monday. Since Anupong condemned the use of force on October 7, it's unlikely he would suggest drastic measures to deal with the PAD, observers believe. The PAD said it wanted to besiege Parliament to block any attempt to amend the Constitution to pave the way for Thaksin and his banned political associates to return to power. Somchai reiterated that the joint session between MPs and senators on Monday will not discuss the constitution amendment. The sessions will instead discuss laws concerning international trades and Asean which required the Parliament's ratification. However, calls are growing today for the government to postpone the parliamentary session, or at least change the venue of the meeting. The calls were backed by some government MPs. ||||| BANGKOK, Nov 22 (TNA) -- More than 30 medical teams and 11 government hospitals in the Thai capital are on standby to provide emergency treatment to any wounded protesters of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) as the group will rally at Parliament on Sunday and Monday to express opposition to any consideration of constitutional amendments by the House. Public Health Minister Pol. Capt. Chalerm Yubamrung said he had ordered permanent secretary of Public Health Dr. Praj Boonyawongvirot to prepare some 30 emergency medical teams, comprising over 100 personnel, to be stationed at the rally site from early Saturday. Also, 11 government hospitals in Bangkok must be well prepared, having physicians, medical staff and patient beds available round-the-clock, Mr. Chalerm said. The urgent order was made out of concern that violence might occur -- like the October 7 incidents in which two persons were killed and nearly 500 others wounded when police fired teargas into the PAD protesters at Parliament. Dr. Praj, meanwhile, said he had instructed the officials of two emergency relief centres to coordinate with the assigned hospitals to delegate work if violence breaks out. Initially, officials of the emergency relief centres will work from Saturday morning through Monday. (TNA) General News : Last Update : 16:27:17 22 November 2008 (GMT+7:00)
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Thailand's ongoing political crisis continues today with pro- and anti-government rallies being held. Meeting outside Bangkok, the pro-government United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) is holding one of their "Truth Today" talkshows at Suan Kaew Temple. In the anti-government camp, supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) are massing at the occupied Government House compound and calling their planned march on parliament their "final battle". In contrast to a confrontation with authorities which could last days, the pro-government UDD talk show and rally is expected to disperse this evening. Organisers and government party MPs have given assurances there are no plans to confront PAD demonstrators. Ensconced in the Government House compound since August, the PAD protesters' march on parliament was announced over this weekend following a grenade attack on Thursday that killed one and injured over 20. The yellow-shirted protesters assert that the People's Power Party (PPP) government lead by Somchai Wongsawat is too close to fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Protest leaders insist their planned siege of the parliament is intended to prevent discussion of legislation to amend the constitution. The PAD claim the amendments are intended to rehabilitate Thaksin and members of his outlawed Thai Rak Thai party who were banned from holding office. The Prime Minister has denied any plans to review this draft legislation, stating that the agenda is predominantly related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). With two killed and over 500 injured in the last attempt to disrupt parliament, various hospitals and groups of medical staff are on standby, ready to treat any injured protesters. The October 7 protest at parliament saw police fire explosive tear gas rounds into the PAD crowd, causing death and loss of limbs. Following instructions from the Public Health Minister, Chalerm Yubamrung, eleven hospitals have been told to be on alert.
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Rape more common than smoking in the US Author: Stephanie Kovalchik The United States is experiencing an epidemic of sexual violence. New findings from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS), a study launched by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2010, report that nearly 1 in 5 women are estimated to have been the victims of rape, defined as unwanted completed or attempted sexual penetration, including victims who did not have the capacity to give consent (owing to intoxication, for example). In almost all cases, the perpetrator was someone the victim knew (91.9%) and more than half of the time was their own partner. Young adulthood was the period of highest risk for first sexual victimization. For 80% of female victims, first rape occurred before age 25; for 42%, before age 18. Although the lifetime prevalence of stalking was surprisingly less than the prevalence of non-consensual sexual contact, incidence estimates for the past year suggest that this trend could be changing as new communication technologies introduce new opportunities for sexual harassment. In 2010, the study estimates that 1.27 million American woman were raped--equivalent to one woman every 29 seconds--and 5.1 million were stalked--equivalent to one woman every 7 seconds. These are a few of the key findings from the first annual report of what will be an ongoing, nationally representative survey of sexual violence in the US. The NISVS will be a great resource to public health researchers. Using the data collected by the NISVS, investigators will be able to monitor national and state-specific trends in the prevalence of sexual violence and stalking for the first time, to characterize the type of individuals who are at the highest risk of being a victim or a perpetrator of a sexual crime (whether physical or psychological), and to investigate the health consequences of sexual victimization. The first NISVS report has already made national headlines because of the high prevalence of forced sex that was found. To give some perspective, the study's figures, if true, indicate that number of American women who have been raped is greater than the number who are current smokers. Skeptics might question whether such statistics could be for real. After all, some surveys have been made famous for getting it wrong, like the 1948 polls that were made the laughingstock of newly elected President Harry S. Truman after they predicted that Thomas E. Dewey would win the election. A survey that makes predictions risks being ridiculed (often very publicly) but it benefits from the opportunity of self-correction. Surveys that only intend to provide a snapshot of a population never get such feedback. As a consequence, the study designers can never know whether they have managed to avoid distortion. For survey research, coverage and response are the most important ingredients to getting an accurate picture of the population of interest. Surveys with good coverage give every member of the target population a chance to participate. Convenience samples, like polls conducted at shopping malls, are notoriously poor at coverage. When random digit dialing was introduced in the 1970s, it was a breakthrough for survey research because it largely solved the coverage problem. At that time, 90% of the US population had a landline telephone. So, with RDD and phone interviews, the question was no longer how to get a sample with good coverage for almost any region of the States but how to do it in a cost-effective way. With the increasing popularity of new communication technologies in the 21st centruy, there is a growing number of Americans who will never be reached through a landline. The challenge that cell phone use in particular poses for survey research has been a focus of the work of Paul J. Lavrakas, former Chief Research Methodologist for Nielsen and contributing author to Advances in Telephone Survey Methodology. In a Public Opinion Quarterly article summarizing the outcomes of several gatherings of expert panels between 2003 and 2008, Larakas and colleagues conclude that "...surveying persons reached on cell phone numbers in the United States currently is a very complex undertaking if one wants to do it 'right,' i.e. to do it legally, ethically, and in ways that optimally allocate one's finite resources to gather the highest quality data, and to analyze and interpret those data accurately.'' Though daunting, to avoid non-coverage bias, it is an undertaking that has to be faced. The Pew Research Center estimates that for 25% of current households the only phone service used is a mobile phone. The 2010 NISVS was a telephone survey. A strength of the design is that both landline and cell phones were included. Of the 16,507 completed interviews, 9,046 of the participants were on a cell phone and 7,461 were on a landline. Response is the more concerning piece of the NISVS methodology. Using the American Association for Public Opinion Research Response Rate 4 formula, response rate is defined as the number of fully and partially completed interviews over all eligible cases, which is the sum total of cases with completed interviews, refusals, non-contacts, other spoken language than that used for the survey, and a correction factor for cases of unknown eligibility. The NISVS response rate was an underwhelming 27.5%. The majority of non-response was due to non-contacts. Although this rate is actually better than average for national telephone surveys, it still raises that question of whether the experience of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence is different among those Americans in the 72.5% of the sample who were either away from their phone or who looked at the unknown number coming in and chose not to answer. If non-participation were a random event (a doubtful but much hoped for circumstance for survey researchers), then the NISVS participants would still provide a nationally representative sample of Americans. However, there is evidence that chance was not entirely indiscriminate when selecting the 27.5% of responders when one compares the NISVS sample and the US population on several socio-economic characteristics. In contrast to the US population, participants in the NISVS were more likely to have a college or advanced degree (36.4% versus 29.6%), more likely to be divorced (12.9% versus 10.3%), more likely to never have been married (30.2% and 26.1%), and more likely to have an annual household income that was below the federal poverty level (19.6% versus 12.1%). The NISVS has an important public health message but it is unclear to which public it applies. ||||| Rape more common than smoking in the US Author: Stephanie Kovalchik The United States is experiencing an epidemic of sexual violence. New findings from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS), a study launched by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2010, report that nearly 1 in 5 women are estimated to have been the victims of rape, defined as unwanted completed or attempted sexual penetration, including victims who did not have the capacity to give consent (owing to intoxication, for example). In almost all cases, the perpetrator was someone the victim knew (91.9%) and more than half of the time was their own partner. Young adulthood was the period of highest risk for first sexual victimization. For 80% of female victims, first rape occurred before age 25; for 42%, before age 18. Although the lifetime prevalence of stalking was surprisingly less than the prevalence of non-consensual sexual contact, incidence estimates for the past year suggest that this trend could be changing as new communication technologies introduce new opportunities for sexual harassment. In 2010, the study estimates that 1.27 million American woman were raped--equivalent to one woman every 29 seconds--and 5.1 million were stalked--equivalent to one woman every 7 seconds. These are a few of the key findings from the first annual report of what will be an ongoing, nationally representative survey of sexual violence in the US. The NISVS will be a great resource to public health researchers. Using the data collected by the NISVS, investigators will be able to monitor national and state-specific trends in the prevalence of sexual violence and stalking for the first time, to characterize the type of individuals who are at the highest risk of being a victim or a perpetrator of a sexual crime (whether physical or psychological), and to investigate the health consequences of sexual victimization. The first NISVS report has already made national headlines because of the high prevalence of forced sex that was found. To give some perspective, the study's figures, if true, indicate that number of American women who have been raped is greater than the number who are current smokers. Skeptics might question whether such statistics could be for real. After all, some surveys have been made famous for getting it wrong, like the 1948 polls that were made the laughingstock of newly elected President Harry S. Truman after they predicted that Thomas E. Dewey would win the election. A survey that makes predictions risks being ridiculed (often very publicly) but it benefits from the opportunity of self-correction. Surveys that only intend to provide a snapshot of a population never get such feedback. As a consequence, the study designers can never know whether they have managed to avoid distortion. For survey research, coverage and response are the most important ingredients to getting an accurate picture of the population of interest. Surveys with good coverage give every member of the target population a chance to participate. Convenience samples, like polls conducted at shopping malls, are notoriously poor at coverage. When random digit dialing was introduced in the 1970s, it was a breakthrough for survey research because it largely solved the coverage problem. At that time, 90% of the US population had a landline telephone. So, with RDD and phone interviews, the question was no longer how to get a sample with good coverage for almost any region of the States but how to do it in a cost-effective way. With the increasing popularity of new communication technologies in the 21st centruy, there is a growing number of Americans who will never be reached through a landline. The challenge that cell phone use in particular poses for survey research has been a focus of the work of Paul J. Lavrakas, former Chief Research Methodologist for Nielsen and contributing author to Advances in Telephone Survey Methodology. In a Public Opinion Quarterly article summarizing the outcomes of several gatherings of expert panels between 2003 and 2008, Larakas and colleagues conclude that "...surveying persons reached on cell phone numbers in the United States currently is a very complex undertaking if one wants to do it 'right,' i.e. to do it legally, ethically, and in ways that optimally allocate one's finite resources to gather the highest quality data, and to analyze and interpret those data accurately.'' Though daunting, to avoid non-coverage bias, it is an undertaking that has to be faced. The Pew Research Center estimates that for 25% of current households the only phone service used is a mobile phone. The 2010 NISVS was a telephone survey. A strength of the design is that both landline and cell phones were included. Of the 16,507 completed interviews, 9,046 of the participants were on a cell phone and 7,461 were on a landline. Response is the more concerning piece of the NISVS methodology. Using the American Association for Public Opinion Research Response Rate 4 formula, response rate is defined as the number of fully and partially completed interviews over all eligible cases, which is the sum total of cases with completed interviews, refusals, non-contacts, other spoken language than that used for the survey, and a correction factor for cases of unknown eligibility. The NISVS response rate was an underwhelming 27.5%. The majority of non-response was due to non-contacts. Although this rate is actually better than average for national telephone surveys, it still raises that question of whether the experience of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence is different among those Americans in the 72.5% of the sample who were either away from their phone or who looked at the unknown number coming in and chose not to answer. If non-participation were a random event (a doubtful but much hoped for circumstance for survey researchers), then the NISVS participants would still provide a nationally representative sample of Americans. However, there is evidence that chance was not entirely indiscriminate when selecting the 27.5% of responders when one compares the NISVS sample and the US population on several socio-economic characteristics. In contrast to the US population, participants in the NISVS were more likely to have a college or advanced degree (36.4% versus 29.6%), more likely to be divorced (12.9% versus 10.3%), more likely to never have been married (30.2% and 26.1%), and more likely to have an annual household income that was below the federal poverty level (19.6% versus 12.1%). The NISVS has an important public health message but it is unclear to which public it applies. ||||| FBI scraps long-standing definition of rape to include men as victims Advocates hail move, could impact Jerry Sandusky case Men can now be victims of rape in the eye of the law. In a landmark decision that advocates say has been long overdue, the FBI has changed its definition of rape to include males. “This long-awaited change to the definition of rape is a victory for women and men across the country whose suffering has gone unaccounted for over 80 years,” said Vice President Joseph Biden in a statement Thursday. The new definition, as it appears on the FBI website, is: “Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” Another important change: the removal of the word ‘forcibly’ from the bureau’s definition, which had been in place since 1927. Advocates for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence long decried the old standard as exclusionary and limited by its definition of “carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.” District attorneys will now have clearer avenues to prosecute those accused with forcing anal sex and/or oral sex upon another person or rape with an object. The issue of consent is addressed for the first time, since drug and alcohol intoxication are often present at the scene of reported crimes. The issue of men and rape has been thrown into the spotlight recently after former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky was accused of sex abuse of boys. Sandusky’s accusers would not be considered rape victims under the FBI’s old definition. Attorney General Eric Holder said that the new definition will lead to a clearer picture of sexual assault in America and rectify what advocates believe are woefully underreported statistics. The Criminal Justice Information Services Assistant Director David Cuthbertson said in a statement on the FBI website that the new definition “reflects the vast majority of state rape statutes,” and that the FBI “is confident that the number of victims of this heinous crime will be more accurately reflected in national crime statistics.” ||||| US redefines rape; adds men, others as victims WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Friday expanded the FBI's more than eight-decade-old definition of rape to count men as victims for the first time and to drop the requirement that victims must have physically resisted their attackers. The new definition will increase the number of people counted as rape victims in FBI statistics, but it will not change federal or state laws or alter charges or prosecutions. It's an important shift because lawmakers and policymakers use crime statistics to allocate money and other resources for prevention and victim assistance. The White House said the change was not motivated by the recent Penn State child sex-abuse scandal. Indeed, the expanded definition has been long awaited as many states and research groups made similar changes in their definitions of rape over recent decades. Senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett called the change a "very, very important step." The issue got top-level White House attention starting last July, when Vice President Joe Biden raised it at a Cabinet meeting. Biden, author of the Violence Against Women Act when he was in the Senate, said the new definition is a victory for women and men "whose suffering has gone unaccounted for over 80 years." Calling rape a "devastating crime," the vice president said, "We can't solve it unless we know the full extent of it." Since 1929, the FBI has defined rape as the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will. The revised definition covers any gender of victim or attacker and includes instances in which the victim is incapable of giving consent because of the influence of drugs or alcohol or because of age. Physical resistance is not required. The Justice Department said the new definition mirrors the majority of state rape statutes now on the books. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said all rape victims "should have access to the comprehensive services that will help them rebuild their lives." In November, Leahy introduced legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act and provide an increased emphasis on efforts to stop sexual assault. "We've always had a broad definition of who is eligible for services, and the change could result in additional resources being made available for survivors of rape," said Linda McFarlane, deputy executive director of Just Detention International. The nonprofit human rights organization works to eliminate sexual abuse in prisons and other detention settings. Congress approved $592 million this year to address violence against women, including sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking, under the Violence Against Women Act and Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. Of that amount, $23 million goes to a sexual assault services program and $39 million to a rape prevention and education program administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Obama administration had sought $777 million to combat violence against women. The change likely will result in big increases in the number of reported rapes, but it was not immediately clear how big. To take just one example of how the FBI totals will change, Chicago didn't report any rapes to the FBI for 2010 because its broad definition of the crime didn't match the FBI's narrow definition. The change has been sought by women's groups for more than a decade. The Women's Law Project, on behalf of more than 80 sexual assault coalitions and national organizations concerned about violence against women, wrote FBI Director Robert Mueller in 2001 that the narrow definition was based on gender-based stereotypes and requested it be changed then. Using the old definition, a total of 84,767 rapes were reported nationwide in 2010, according to the FBI's uniform crime report based on data from 18,000 law enforcement agencies. Nearly 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the U.S. have been raped at some time in their lives, according to a 2010 survey by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which used a broader definition. Those figures were what framed much of the discussion, said Lynn Rosenthal, the White House adviser on violence against women. Rosenthal said discussions were under way long before the Penn State child sex-abuse scandal became public and that the scandal did not drive the policy change. Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is charged with more than 50 counts of child sex abuse; Sandusky says he is innocent. Trust between police and the public is a vital ingredient in lower crime rates, and undercounting a crime like rape can undermine that trust, said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a nonprofit group that represents police departments across the country. The revised FBI definition says that rape is "the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object," without the consent of the victim. Also constituting rape under the new definition is "oral penetration by a sex organ of another person" without consent. Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ||||| WASHINGTON—Attorney General Eric Holder today announced revisions to the Uniform Crime Report’s (UCR) definition of rape, which will lead to a more comprehensive statistical reporting of rape nationwide. The new definition is more inclusive, better reflects state criminal codes and focuses on the various forms of sexual penetration understood to be rape. The new definition of rape is: “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” The definition is used by the FBI to collect information from local law enforcement agencies about reported rapes. “Rape is a devastating crime and we can’t solve it unless we know the full extent of it,” said Vice President Biden, a leader in the effort to end violence against women for over 20 years and author of the landmark Violence Against Women Act. “This long-awaited change to the definition of rape is a victory for women and men across the country whose suffering has gone unaccounted for over 80 years.” “These long overdue updates to the definition of rape will help ensure justice for those whose lives have been devastated by sexual violence and reflect the Department of Justice’s commitment to standing with rape victims,” Attorney General Holder said. “This new, more inclusive definition will provide us with a more accurate understanding of the scope and volume of these crimes.” “The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Advisory Policy Board recently recommended the adoption of a revised definition of rape within the Summary Reporting System of the Uniform Crime Reporting Program,” said David Cuthbertson, FBI Assistant Director, CJIS Division. “This definitional change was recently approved by FBI Director Robert S. Mueller. This change will give law enforcement the ability to report more complete rape offense data, as the new definition reflects the vast majority of state rape statutes. As we implement this change, the FBI is confident that the number of victims of this heinous crime will be more accurately reflected in national crime statistics.” The revised definition includes any gender of victim or perpetrator, and includes instances in which the victim is incapable of giving consent because of temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity, including due to the influence of drugs or alcohol or because of age. The ability of the victim to give consent must be determined in accordance with state statute. Physical resistance from the victim is not required to demonstrate lack of consent. The new definition does not change federal or state criminal codes or impact charging and prosecution on the local level. “The revised definition of rape sends an important message to the broad range of rape victims that they are supported and to perpetrators that they will be held accountable,” said Justice Department Director of the Office on Violence Against Women Susan B. Carbon. “We are grateful for the dedicated work of all those involved in making and implementing the changes that reflect more accurately the devastating crime of rape.” The longstanding, narrow definition of forcible rape, first established in 1927, is “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.” It thus included only forcible male penile penetration of a female vagina and excluded oral and anal penetration; rape of males; penetration of the vagina and anus with an object or body part other than the penis; rape of females by females; and non-forcible rape. Police departments submit data on reported crimes and arrests to the UCR. The UCR data are reported nationally and used to measure and understand crime trends. In addition, the UCR program will also collect data based on the historical definition of rape, enabling law enforcement to track consistent trend data until the statistical differences between the old and new definitions are more fully understood. The revised definition of rape is within FBI’s UCR Summary Reporting System Program. The new definition is supported by leading law enforcement agencies and advocates and reflects the work of the FBI’s CJIS Advisory Policy Board. Click here to read a blog post from Director Carbon on the importance of the new definition of rape to our nation’s law enforcement, and for survivors of rape and their advocates. Click here to listen to the FBI’s podcast.
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On Friday, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) expanded its long-standing definition of rape to include men, and the rape of any gender by lack of consent — as opposed to physical coercion. The revised definition should ensure all rapes are recorded in crime statistics. Valerie Jarrett, a White House adviser, said it was a "very, very important step." The new definition defines rape as: "The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim." Describing the changes to as "long overdue", said the revised definition of rape will, "help ensure justice for those whose lives have been devastated by sexual violence and reflect the Department of Justice's commitment to standing with rape victims". The prior definition of rape — "the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will" — was set by the FBI in 1927. In contrast, the revised definition drops the requirement that there be physical resistance, thus including crimes where the victim is unable to give consent because they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or . The changes are primarily a revision to the Uniform Crime Reports system (UCR), and are not expected to impact prior cases or current prosecutions. Introducing no changes to current State or Federal law, the FBI expects the revised definition of rape will see victim numbers "more accurately reflected in national crime statistics". Close to the revised rape definition is a 2010 study by the (CDC), which included male rape and non-consensual sex; their figures indicate that, at some point in their lives, about 20% of women and 1.5% of men in the United States have been raped. Writing for '''', Stephanie Kovalchik says this report shows the US "is experiencing an epidemic of sexual violence." Comparing with other CDC reports, she highlights "that the number of American women who have been raped is greater than the number who are current smokers." Joe Biden, with a history of advocating improved rape legislation, described the changes as "a victory for women and men across the country whose suffering has gone unaccounted for over 80 years." Whilst still in the Senate, Biden led efforts to implement legislative change — including authoring the . == Sources == * * * *
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Drug prevention posters are outside the airport in Accra Yasemin Vatansever and Yatunde Diya were stopped as they tried to board a plane at Accra airport on 2 July. The investigating team said the girls had told family they were going on a school trip to France. Instead, they went to Ghana for six days. If found guilty it is thought they could face at least 10 years in jail. The Foreign Office said the pair had appeared in court charged with possessing and attempting to export an illegal substance. The higher the court, the better it gets - there is corruption in the lower courts and police ranks but the government is very determined to fight against corruption Sabine Zanker Fair Trials Abroad Africa new front in drug war Have Your Say Ghanaian Narcotic Control Board officers working as part of Operation Westbridge with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) were said to have found the drugs in laptop bags carried by the girls. Two Ghanaian men apparently paid for their accommodation in Accra. The girls have told police the men gave them the laptop bags. Fair Trials Abroad (FTA) said one of the girls' family had contacted them and they were looking into the case. Sabine Zanker, of FTA, said cases such as these were usually dealt with fairly quickly in Ghana, which has a good legal system. She said: "The higher the court, the better it gets - there is corruption in the lower courts and police ranks but the government is very determined to fight against corruption". She added that the Ghanaian government was working with the UK on drugs cases. Operation Westbridge is designed to stop traffickers getting drugs into the UK and Europe through the West African country. British and Ghanaian customs officials have intercepted more than 200kg of cocaine between Accra and British airports since November. Interpol estimates more than a third of the cocaine arriving in Europe is trafficked through West Africa. ||||| The Narcotics Control Board has confirmed the arrest of two British teenage girls at the Kotoka International Airport allegedly carrying £300,000 worth of cocaine in laptop bags. The two 16-year-olds, were arrested on July 2 as they were about to board a British Airways flight to London. They have been named as Yasemin Vatansever, a British citizen of Cypriot descent and Yatunde Diya, also a British citizen with Nigerian descent. The girls face provision charges of possessing narcotics without lawful authority and attempting to export narcotic drugs. They were allegedly found to be carrying 6.5kg of drugs. The Narcotic Board's Deputy Executive Secretary, Mark Ewunpomah told The Telegraph newspaper: "They were carrying drugs from Ghana to Britain. It was cocaine. It was in laptop bags. The laptops had been removed. They put 3 kg in each bag." He said the girls were expected to be formally charged with possessing narcotic drugs and attempting to export drugs, for which the minimum sentence is 10 years. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said officers from the British Embassy have been supporting the two girls. She said: "Next of kin have been informed and we are providing full consular assistance." The arresting officers were part of Operation Westbridge, a project set up by Britain and Ghana to tackle drug smugglers using Accra airport as a gateway to Britain and the European mainland. The suspects are in police custody. Officials of the Narcotics Board have launched a hunt for two Ghanaian accomplices identified only as Kwame and Emmanuel who are said to be at large. An uncle of one of the girls, who is called Yasmin, told ITV News: "These girls have apparently had all their clothes taken away from them, and all they have is the set of clothes in which they got arrested. "They've not been given proper food, the British consulate have been helping out by giving them some food, but all they've been getting is water and biscuits. These girls are held with adults, other criminals, who are much older than them." ||||| Two 16-year-old British girls who were allegedly carrying cocaine worth £300,000 have been "provisionally charged" at a court in Ghana, the Foreign Office confirmed tonight. The girls, from Islington, north London, were arrested 10 days ago at Accra airport by officers from the Ghanaian Narcotic Control Board. They were allegedly carrying 6.5kg of cocaine as they tried to board a British Airways flight. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said officials from the British embassy had been supporting the two girls. "We are aware of the arrest of two British national minors on July 2 at Accra airport," the spokeswoman said. "Next of kin have been informed, and we are providing full consular assistance. We are unable to confirm any personal details due to their age." An HM Revenue and Customs spokeswoman told Guardian Unlimited that the girls had apparently been "recruited" by drugs smugglers in Britain, and had travelled to the west African country by themselves without their parents' knowledge. The drugs were allegedly found within their luggage. "They were given [bags] to carry and we do not know if they knew what was in them," the spokeswoman said. "They were recruited in Britain and travelled to Ghana. "It is unusual in that they are so young, but it is not unusual for British people to be bringing drugs into the country in this way." Ghana, along with other African countries, has become a key staging route for drugs from South America since authorities cracked down on long-established smuggling ports. More than £10m worth of drugs has been seized by Ghanaian or British officials from people travelling between the two countries in recent months. The girls, who have had an initial court hearing, could face jail sentences of up to 15 years if convicted. It was not clear whether British authorities would ask for leniency due to their age. An uncle of one of the girls said he was worried about them. The uncle, who was not named, told ITV News: "These girls have apparently had all their clothes taken away from them, and all they have is the set of clothes in which they got arrested. "They've not been given proper food. The British consulate have been helping out by giving them some food, but all they've been getting is water and biscuits. These girls are held with adults, other criminals, who are much older than them." Justice campaigners Fair Trials Abroad said they intended to take a keen interest in the case. The officials at Accra were taking part in Operation Westbridge, set up by UK customs in conjunction with the Ghanaian authorities to tackle the problem of drug smugglers using the airport as a gateway to the UK and Europe. Tony Walker, leading the operation for customs, said the alleged use of such young girls as couriers "vividly illustrates the ruthlessness of the criminal drug gangs involved in this traffic". "The dedication of UK and Ghanaian drug detection officers has prevented deadly Class A drugs from entering the UK," he added. "The Westbridge collaboration between Ghana and the UK is delivering real results in this and other cases by helping to protect both countries from the violence and corruption that always accompanies the trade in illegal drugs." The operation - launched last November - sees customs officers providing technical and operational expertise, including training in the use of Foreign Office-funded scanning equipment, to the Ghanaian government. It follows the success of Operation Airbridge, a joint UK and Jamaican initiative to catch drug couriers with internal concealments of Class A drugs before they board planes from Jamaica. Customs officials believe that operation proved the value of working in partnership with local law enforcement agencies, with the number of "drug swallowers" detected at UK airports having travelled from Jamaica falling markedly. Drug runners are known to target vulnerable people, including women and children, to carry drugs across international borders. Known as mules, they carry the drugs in their luggage, taped to their bodies or concealed in clothing. Drugs can even be dissolved in drinks. Ghana was the first country in Africa to introduce high-tech scanning machines that are able to detect the faintest traces of cocaine and other substances. Sending the machines and officers to train and aid Ghanaian authorities in counter smuggling measures costs £250,000 a year, the customs spokeswoman said. The cost is being paid for by the FCO and Home Office. Customs officials are currently in discussion with other countries, including Nigeria, about establishing similar liaison schemes. ||||| General News of Thursday, 12 July 2007 British teenagers arrested in Ghana over drugs Two 16-year-old girls from London were arrested in Ghana after being discovered with an estimated 300,000 pounds' worth (443,000 euros, 610,000 dollars) of cocaine, customs officials said Thursday. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs said in a statement that the teenagers, both college students, were detained at Accra Airport by Ghanaian Narcotic Control Board officers working on a joint British-Ghanaian project targeting drug smugglers. The head of the Operation Westbridge project, British customs officer Tony Walker, said: "The use of such young girls as couriers vividly illustrates the ruthlessness of the criminal drug gangs involved in this traffic. "The dedication of UK and Ghanaian drug detection officers has prevented deadly Class A drugs from entering the UK." The girls had been in the process of boarding a British Airways flight to London and were allegedly in possession of 6.5 kilos (14 pounds) of cocaine, HMRC said. A Foreign Office spokeswoman in London said British embassy officials had been called to support the girls. "We are aware of the arrest of two British national minors on July 2 at Accra airport," a spokeswoman said. "Next of kin have been informed and we are providing full consular assistance. We are unable to confirm any personal details due to their age." Operation Westbridge was launched in November 2006 to curb a rise in cocaine smuggling from Ghana. Britain provides technical and operational expertise to counterparts in Ghana, including training and use of scanning equipment. The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Annual Drug Report 2006 identified West Africa as a key staging post for drugs mules coming to Britain.
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Two 16-year-old British girls were arrested in Accra, Ghana earlier this month for apparently attempting to smuggle £300,000 worth of cocaine in laptop bags. Yasemin Vatansever, of Cypriot descent and Yatunde Diya of Nigerian descent were arrested as they attempted to board a British Airways flight from the Kotoka International Airport on July 2, 2007. The arrest was by the Ghanaian Narcotic Control Board. They were alleged to be carrying 6.5 kg of drugs. They are currently in Ghana police custody and have been visited by British High Commission staff. The girls who are both students from Islington, north London, had left home after informing their families they were making a school trip to France. They are expected to be charged with "possessing narcotic drugs and attempting to export drugs", for which they could be jailed for up to ten years if found guilty. The arrest is part of the Operation Westbridge project set up in November 2006 as a collaboration between the Ghanaian Narcotic Control Board and HM Revenue and Customs of the UK. It is to curb the influx of drugs into Europe and the UK through West Africa which is now being used as a transit point from South America. The project involves the provision of technical and operational expertise to the Ghanaian teams and training in the use of specialist scanning equipment. Ghana is the first country in Africa to introduce such equipment.
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United Nations, New York - The fiancee of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the United Nations official who investigated his killing made an impassioned plea for justice on Thursday, days before the first anniversary of his death. Hatice Cengiz, who was preparing to marry Khashoggi when he was killed in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul on October 2 last year, complained that "no concrete action" had been taken since the incident to identify and prosecute his killers. "What is so sad for me is not seeing the punishment of the perpetrators," Cengiz told a small group of reporters through a Turkish interpreter. "Imagine that the entire world remains silent over Jamal's killing. This silence and inertia created huge disappointment on my side." At the time of his death, Khashoggi was a legal resident of the United States. UN rapporteur Agnes Callamard, who investigated the murder, urged Cengiz and others to be "patient and resilient", saying justice would only be won after a "long haul" given the current geopolitical climate. "Accountability is not delivered in 12 months, that's summary justice. True justice takes time and I know it's painful, but that's the reality of the world we live in," said Callamard. Callamard also dismissed a domestic trial of 11 suspects in Saudi Arabia as a sham, adding that "political, economic and symbolic pathways" should be pursued to isolate Riyadh diplomatically. The UN rapporteur urged the CIA to declassify its files on the killing, and for the FBI to open a criminal investigation. Meanwhile, she urged the G20 group of rich countries to move their November 2020 meeting, which is set to be in Riyadh. Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Khashoggi, has expressed her frustration over the slow progress of the investigation on the killing in Istanbul in 2018 [File: Yves Herman/Reuters] Bin Salman's role in the killing Callamard added that if passed, the Saudi Arabia Human Rights and Accountability Act, currently being discussed in the US Congress, could also help identify Khashoggi's killers and make it hard for them to obtain US visas. Cengiz and Callamard spoke on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, hours after revelations in a new documentary that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, had accepted some degree of responsibility for the killing. In a trailer to a PBS documentary set to air next week, MBS said: "I get all the responsibility because it happened under my watch". However, Prince Mohammed did not admit to ordering the murder, saying he could not possibly monitor all "three million government employees" in the kingdom. Khashoggi, a US-based Washington Post columnist, visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get the papers he needed to marry Cengiz. He was allegedly killed while inside the consulate, and his body reportedly dismembered and removed from the building. His remains have not been found. The CIA assessed that MBS had ordered the killing. In June, Callamard issued a report that detailed a "deliberate, premeditated execution", and called for MBS and other top Saudi officials to be investigated. The killing sparked a global uproar, further tarnishing the young crown prince's image and undermining ambitious plans to improve the country's abysmal human rights record and diversify its economy away from hydrocarbons. Officials in Riyadh, who initially said Khashoggi had left the consulate unharmed, now say the journalist was killed in a rogue operation that did not involve the prince. In an upcoming document, Saudi Arabia's crown prince said he bears some responsibility for the death of Khashoggi, but did not admit to ordering the killing [File: Kazuhiro Nobig/Getty Images] Answering a question from Al Jazeera, Callamard said MBS's comment in the new documentary was "interesting" but that she "cannot take it at face value". "It does not point to any personal sense of responsibility. He has not apologised to Hatice yet, or the family members," said Callamard. Cengiz said the prince's comments displayed a "pure political manoeuvre". "By saying that everything happened under his watch, he's sending the world a message that he's more influential than the king of Saudi Arabia, and is the real head of the country," said Cengiz. "He's also distancing himself from the killing of Jamal, saying it happened under his watch but that he was not involved in the crime." ||||| Jamal Khashoggi's fiancée demands that Saudi Arabia be held accountable for his murder "It took me a long time to enter into mourning," Hatice Cengiz said. "After a long delay, I experienced this huge shock wave." ||||| RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said he bears responsibility for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year by Saudi operatives “because it happened under my watch,” according to a PBS documentary to be broadcast next week. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, September 18, 2019. Mandel Ngan/Pool via REUTERS Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, has not spoken publicly about the killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The CIA and some Western governments have said he ordered it, but Saudi officials say he had no role. The death sparked a global uproar, tarnishing the crown prince’s image and imperiling ambitious plans to diversify the economy of the world’s top oil exporter and open up cloistered Saudi society. He has not since visited the United States or Europe. “It happened under my watch. I get all the responsibility, because it happened under my watch,” he told PBS’ Martin Smith, according to a preview of a documentary, “The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,” set to air on Oct. 1, ahead of the one-year anniversary of Khashoggi’s death. After initial denials, the official Saudi narrative blamed the murder on rogue operatives. The public prosecutor said the then-deputy intelligence chief ordered the repatriation of Khashoggi, a royal insider who became an outspoken critic, but the lead negotiator ordered him killed after discussions for his return failed. Saud al-Qahtani, a former top royal adviser whom Reuters reported gave orders over Skype to the killers, briefed the hit team on Khashoggi’s activities before the operation, the prosecutor said. Asked how the killing could happen without him knowing about it, Smith quotes Prince Mohammed as saying: “We have 20 million people. We have 3 million government employees.” Smith asked whether the killers could have taken private government jets, to which the crown prince responded: “I have officials, ministers to follow things, and they’re responsible. They have the authority to do that.” Smith describes the December exchange, which apparently took place off camera, in the preview of the documentary. A senior U.S. administration official told Reuters in June the Trump administration was pressing Riyadh for “tangible progress” toward holding to account those behind the killing ahead. Eleven Saudi suspects have been put on trial in secretive proceedings but only a few hearings have been held. A U.N. report has called for Prince Mohammed and other senior Saudi officials to be investigated. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was last seen at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, where he was to receive papers ahead of his wedding. His body was reportedly dismembered and removed from the building, and his remains have not been found. ||||| Nearly one year ago, the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul shocked the world. Ever since, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been silent about his involvement in the operation, which the CIA concluded he ordered but the Saudis deny. Now, in a newly published conversation with FRONTLINE correspondent Martin Smith, the Saudi leader speaks out for the first time about his role in Khashoggi’s murder — telling Smith that the killing happened on his watch. “It happened under my watch,” the Saudi leader told Smith. “I get all the responsibility, because it happened under my watch.” But he insists that it was without his knowledge. The exchange is recounted in The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, FRONTLINE’s upcoming season premiere, which examines the Saudi leader’s rise, his rule, and his ties to the events surrounding Khashoggi’s murder. Weeks after Khashoggi’s death in October 2018, Prince Mohammed called the killing “heinous” and promised that it would be investigated. All the while, his government maintained that the leader had no knowledge of the “rogue operation.” Two months later, in December 2018, Smith tracked down the crown prince at an electric car race outside Riyadh. Smith pressed Prince Mohammed on how the murder could have happened without him knowing about it. “We have 20 million people. We have 3 million government employees,” Prince Mohammed responded. “And they can take one of your planes?” Smith asked, referring to the 15-person team said to have been behind Khashoggi’s death and dismemberment that flew in and out of Istanbul on jets owned by the Saudi government. “I have officials, ministers to follow things, and they’re responsible, they have the authority to do that,” Prince Mohammed said. The Saudi royal’s comments to Smith, who has been covering the Middle East for FRONTLINE for nearly two decades, are just one facet of new reporting featured in The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. The documentary, which airs on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Khashoggi’s death, also includes never-before-seen FRONTLINE interview footage with Khashoggi that sheds new light on his transformation from a supporter of MBS to his critic. “I don’t want to be a dissident, but in the same time, I don’t want to go back home and be silent again,” the columnist told Smith months before his death. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia premieres Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. EST/9 p.m. CST. Tune in or stream on PBS (check local listings), at PBS.org/frontline and on the PBS Video App.
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On Thursday, Hatice Cengiz, fiancée of journalist , addressed reporters in New York, New York, calling for the killers of Khashoggi to be brought to justice. Cengiz traveled to New York for the United Nations (UN) General Assembly which took place this week. Khashoggi was murdered last October in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Hatice Cengiz is a Turkish national now living in London. The previous day, television broadcaster revealed that in December, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia accepted responsibility for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi but did not say he'd ordered it. Speaking to of PBS, he said, "It happened under my watch. I get all the responsibility, because it happened under my watch." The official position remained that operatives within the Saudi government committed the murder. According to Reuters and NBC, Mohammad bin Salman is the '''' Saudi ruler. Cengiz called Mohammad's admission a "political maneuver." She explained, "By confessing this, he's also distancing himself from the killing of Jamal ... He's saying that it happened under his watch but he means he is not involved in this crime." She credited news media with keeping the story alive. Speaking to ''NBC News'', she said, "His fellow journalists did their best that so no one could push this under the carpet ... But at the end of the day, all of these efforts did not persuade world leaders to sanction Saudi Arabia. That is so sad". "What is so sad for me", Cengiz said, "is not seeing the punishment of the perpetrators ... Imagine that the entire world remains silent over Jamal's killing. This silence and inertia created huge disappointment on my side." , a UN for the who had investigated the case, cautioned justice does not come swiftly. "True justice takes time and I know it's painful, but that's the reality of the world we live in," she said, asking Cengiz to be "patient and resilient." The CIA and other intelligence agencies reportedly believe the crown prince ordered Khashoggi's killing. Callamard encouraged the CIA to release the files from their investigation. A closed-door trial is underway in Saudi Arabia in which eleven individuals have been charged with the murder, however Callamard did not give it any credence. Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi national, was a columnist for ''The Washington Post'', and he lived in self-imposed exile in Virginia as a legal resident of the United States. He entered the consulate in Istanbul on October 2 2018, seeking documents allowing him to marry Turkish national Hatice Cengiz. He never came out. Saudi Arabia initially denied all claims that Khashoggi was slain, however, a UN report eventually concluded evidence supported his murder and dismemberment inside the consulate by Saudi agents. To date, his remains had not been recovered. == Sources == * * * * *
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Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Chancellor Alistair Darling has set the stage for the general election with a Budget warning to voters not to put the recovery at risk by deserting Labour. He cut stamp duty for first-time home buyers - but unveiled a series of tax increases for the better-off. Mr Darling said Labour had been "right about the recovery" and cut by £11bn this year's forecast £178bn deficit. The Tories said Labour had made a "complete mess" of the economy and had "done nothing to clear it up". Tory leader David Cameron accused Mr Darling of stealing Tory policies on stamp duty and an extra tax on strong cider. And, taunting Gordon Brown, he said: "The biggest risk to the recovery is five more years of this prime minister." Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said both the chancellor and David Cameron were "in denial" about the scale of spending cuts needed and dismissed the budget as "a political dodge not an economic plan". "This isn't the preface to a new government but a footnote to 13 years of failure," he added. BBC Economics Editor Stephanie Flanders summed up Mr Darling's message as "it's bad, but not as bad as we thought - and not nearly as bad as it would have been under the Conservatives". Setting out the battle lines for the forthcoming election campaign, Mr Darling said: "The choice before the country now is whether to support those whose policies will suffocate our recovery and put our future at risk. "Or support a government which has been right about the recession, right about the recovery, and is right about supporting the people and business of this country to build a prosperous future." Mr Darling said stamp duty on homes sales up to £250,000 would be suspended for two years for first time buyers, paid for by an increase to 5% of the rate on £1m homes. This unfair fuel tax is another example of an uncaring, out of touch government. Elfin Llwyd Plaid Cymru Cameron: Labour's messed it up Darling in denial - Clegg The chancellor also unveiled a series of other measures aimed at clawing back tax from high earners - likely to go down well with Labour MPs fighting an election next month. He said he was freezing the inheritance tax threshold for another four years, in order to help pay for the costs of care for older people. He also announced the end of some personal tax allowances on those earning more than £150,000 and a cut in tax relief on pensions for those with incomes above £130,000 a year. He confirmed the government would stick to a 2.2% real terms rise on spending this year but warned spending cuts after 2011 would be the "toughest for decades". 'Toughest' But to cut earlier, as the Conservatives were demanding, would be both wrong and "dangerous" and would risk derailing the recovery, he said. "The task now is to bring down borrowing in a way which does not damage the recovery or the frontline services on which people depend," he said. "The challenge now is how we invest as a country to support the industries of the future and allow the talent of the British people to flourish." Mr Darling provoked roars of approval from Labour MPs when he announced a crackdown on tax evasion through new agreements with the governments of Dominica, Grenada and Belize - home of Tory "non dom" donor Lord Ashcroft. The Treasury is insisting all of the new spending measures are fully funded from existing budgets and not paid for by the £11bn less than expected borrowing. The stamp duty cut will cost the Treasury £230m in 2010-11 and £290m in 2011-12 to be funded by the introduction of a new higher stamp duty band of 5% on properties costing more than £1m from April next year. Mr Darling said he would stagger next month's scheduled increase in fuel duties - with the tax rising by a just a penny in April with another penny in October and the final instalment of 0.76p in January next year. But the most expensive measure in the Budget is a £600m pledge to increase the winter fuel allowance for pensioners for another year. Duty on beer, wine and spirits will increase as planned from midnight on Sunday, including 10% on cider, with further increases to come on high strength cider. Alcohol duties will also increase by 2% above inflation for two further years from 2013. Tobacco duty will increase from today by 1% above inflation and then increase by 2% in real terms each year until 2014. In a series of measures aimed at boosting business, Mr Darling said business rates will be cut for one year from October, meaning a tax reduction for over 500,000 firms in England, and said state-owned banks would be forced to lend more. He extended a six month job or training guarantee for under 24-year-olds to March 2012, and announced a one-off £270m fund to create 20,000 extra university places. Mr Darling said that stronger than expected tax receipts meant that government borrowing would be £167bn this year - £11bn down on the £178bn he predicted in the pre-Budget report in December. 'Right calls' He said that the debt would continue to fall faster than previously forecast - dropping to £74bn in 2014-15, down £8bn on his earlier prediction. The chancellor said he was standing by his forecast that the economy would grow by 1 to 1.5% this year although he slightly downgraded his prediction for next year to 3 to 3.5% compared to the 3.5% in the pre-Budget report. His forecast for the following years is unchanged. He also revealed that the £2bn proceeds of a bank bonus tax was more than three times what the Treasury forecast in his pre-Budget report. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. And he unveiled a guarantee to give everyone a basic bank account, giving up to a million more people access to bank accounts over the next five years. Some of the more controversial measures in the Budget may not make it into law before polling day, which could be just six weeks away. But the planned cut in stamp duty would probably stay in place whoever wins the election, as it is similar to existing Tory policy. He also outlined plans to boost future economic growth, with billions invested in digital jobs, broadband for all, high-speed rail and biotech industries, using money from existing budgets. Civil servant strike If the Conservatives win the election they will produce an "emergency Budget" within 50 days of taking office which could reverse many of Mr Darling's measures. The chancellor did not unveil any new tax increases, with the new 50% top rate of income tax expected to come into force from April and thresholds frozen. Giving its reaction to the Budget, the SNP said Mr Darling should have scrapped the fuel duty increase altogether, adding: "The Labour government have shown they would rather save face with the City than support Scotland's communities." Plaid Cymru's leader at Westminster, Elfyn Llwyd, said: "This unfair fuel tax is another example of an uncaring, out of touch government." Business groups broadly welcomed the measures aimed at boosting enterprise. CBI director general Richard Lambert said: "This was a clever, political budget. However, anxiety remains on how the deficit is going to be paid down, and the growth forecasts for 2011 and beyond are still on the optimistic side." Derek Simpson, joint leader of the Unite trade union, said: "The last Budget before the election shows leadership and responsibility during difficult times." Lord Pearson, leader of the UK Independence Party, said: "The three old discredited parties who are debating our economy have once again avoided the elephant in the room, in any discussion about our economy which is of course the cost of our European Union membership." Green Party leader Caroline Lucas welcomed Mr Darling's plan for a "green investment bank" but said overall the Budget was "a wasted opportunity to seriously put fairness at the heart of the agenda". ||||| Alistair Darling today delivered a cautious pre-election budget, ruling out "shortsighted" spending cuts in favour of securing a strong economic recovery. In a sideswipe at the Conservatives, the chancellor told MPs today that immediate cuts to spending would be "wrong" since the economic recovery was still in its "infancy". And he delighted Labour backbenchers by using an increase in stamp duty for homes worth more than £1m to fund a rise in the tax threshold for less expensive properties. Darling, who had warned prior to the announcement that the budget would be a "sensible, workmanlike" package rather than a traditional pre-election giveaway, nonetheless unveiled policies worth a total of £1.4bn. Among the announcements were the following: • The stamp duty threshold will be doubled to £250,000, paid for by an increase to 5% for homes worth over £1m. • A new green investment bank will be introduced to stimulate billions of pounds of private finance for low-carbon industries such as offshore wind farms. • Next month's fuel duty increase will be staged; it will rise by 1p in April, followed by a further 1p rise in October and the remaining 1p in January next year. Plus £100m to repair potholed roads. • A guaranteed offer of jobs or training to young people under the age of 24 will be extended by a year to March 2012. • A £2.5bn one-off growth package to help small businesses and promote innovation and skills will be introduced. • The duty on cider will increase by 10% above inflation from midnight on Sunday. • Duty on beer, wine and spirits will increase as planned from midnight on Sunday. Alcohol duty will also increase by 2% above inflation for two further years from 2013. Darling told MPs that the decisions taken by the government in the recession had been "right" but the country still faced testing times as the recovery was still fragile. He said the budget deficit would not be as bad as expected: £167bn rather than the projected £178bn. But he cut his short-term growth forecasts. In a 58-minute budget statement short on new announcements, the chancellor held back from initiating spending cuts this year, insisting that the economy remained too weak to begin the process. "I know there are some demanding immediate cuts to public spending and I believe that such a policy would be both wrong and dangerous. I believe that to start cutting now risks derailing the recovery, which is already bringing down borrowing more rapidly than was expected. "To go faster in the face of uncertainty would mean taking a huge risk with people's jobs, incomes and our country's future and I'm not prepared to take that risk. We have worked too hard as a country to come through this recession to throw it away now." One of the few surprises in today's budget was a doubling of the threshold for stamp duty to £250,000 for first-time home-buyers. To the delight of many Labour backbenchers, Darling told MPs that the measure, which he expects to help nine in 10 first-time buyers, would be funded by increasing stamp duty on properties worth more than £1m. Other measures outlined today included ensuring 1 million people would be able to open bank accounts in the next five years, and a four-year freeze on the inheritance tax threshold. Darling told MPs that, thanks to stronger-than-expected tax receipts, government borrowing would be £167bn this year – £11bn down on the £178bn he predicted in the pre-budget report in December. UK debt would continue to fall faster than previously forecast – dropping to £74bn in 2014-15, down £8bn on his earlier prediction. Darling said he still believed the economy would grow by 1% to 1.5% this year. But he lowered his growth prediction for 2011 slightly to between 3% and 3.5%. On banks, Darling said that the Treasury had already received more than £8bn in fees and charges from banks. The one-off 50% tax on bankers' bonuses has raised £2bn, more than twice as much forecast. Darling told MPs: "When faced with the upheaval of the global recession, we made the right choices to support the economy, business and families." The setting up of a new green investment bank is a response to calls from the renewable energy industry and environmental campaigners to provide governmental support for private investment in the development of low-carbon industries. Darling told colleagues it would control £2bn in assets and "unlock billions more" from the private sector for green energy and transport development. Investment would focus in particular towards offshore wind energy, "where Britain is already the world leader", he said, with £60m going to develop ports which will be the site of turbine manufacturing. Half the £2bn would be raised from the sale of assets including the Channel Tunnel rail link, while the other half would come from private investment. The Conservative party last year outlined its plans to roll up different sources of government funding for the low-carbon sector into a single green investment bank to leverage private sector finance and fund new green start-up businesses. David Cameron responded to the budget announcement today by saying that Labour ought to be "ashamed" of the state of the nation's finances. Pointing out that £167bn is more than every Labour government in history added together had borrowed, Cameron said that the country needed a Tory government to "clean up the mess". He said that the centrepiece policy of raising the stamp duty threshold to £250,000 was borrowed from the Tories and all Labour could offer was "debt, waste and taxes". "This prime minister is going round telling everyone: 'Stick with me; stick with what you know.' That is the whole problem: this country is stuck with him." He went on: "It's like the captain of the Titanic saying, 'Let me command the lifeboats.' It's like Robert Maxwell saying, 'Let me reinvest your pension.' It's like Richard Nixon saying, 'I'm the man to clean up politics.' "Do you really expect the British public to turn round and say: 'Thank you for nearly bankrupting the economy'?" To Tory cheers, he said it was time for a "radical change of direction". "Britain doesn't need this prime minister and this chancellor; it needs new energy, new leadership and values to get this country going again. That is the argument we will take to the country, the moment this man runs out of time and calls that election." Cameron issued his broadside as a PoliticsHome poll showed that Labour's ratings on the economy had gone up since January. Then only 36% of respondents were willing to give Labour some or a lot of credit for their handling of the economy. Now that figure is up to 41%. Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, accused the government of being in "denial" about the scale of cuts needed to put the country's finances back on a sound footing. "The prime minister may have wanted a giveaway budget, what we got was a given-up budget. This isn't the preface to a new government but a footnote to 13 years of failure. We need real change. We needed a budget that gave us honesty on spending and fairness on taxation. We got neither." He also attacked the Tories too for waging a "phoney war" about when to make cuts and claimed neither they nor the government had the "courage to come up with the details of the cuts we will need in the years ahead to tackle Britain's deficit". The TUC hailed a "measured" budget with a "real sense of social justice" that took no risks with the recovery. Brendan Barber, the general secretary of the umbrella union body, welcomed the extra jobs guarantee for young people, support for business and the green investment bank, which he said were important steps in rebalancing the economy away from finance. But he added: "We welcome the decision to maintain this year's planned increase in spending, but there are real concerns that cuts planned for future years will damage public services. Instead the chancellor should have put more emphasis on raising tax from those who benefitted most from the boom years, through a 'Robin Hood tax' on financial transactions and limits on tax breaks for the rich." The budget also received a qualified thumbs-up from the business sector. Miles Templeman, the director general of the Institute of Directors, said: "The chancellor's GDP forecasts are too optimistic and there is still no sign of a credible deficit reduction plan, but we certainly welcome the specific measures to support small and medium-sized businesses." ||||| David Cameron today challenged his party to take a more optimistic approach to Europe as he vowed to fight to change Britain’s relationship from the inside and praised the “benefits” of EU membership. Hours after 100 Tory MPs demanded he legislate for a referendum because “the cost of membership is too high”, Mr Cameron told his party that greater engagement was important and claimed Britain is already winning key arguments. “For those of us who are practical Eurosceptics, who know there is a real benefit from being engaged but are frustrated by some of the ways the relationship works I see lots of reasons to say the argument is going in our direction,” he told a press conference concluding a two day summit in Brussels. “We know there are benefits from being engaged. I’m an optimist about getting this relationship right.” The remarks mark a sharply different tone and noticeably more gentle style of approach from December, when his failure to secure specific safeguards for the City led him to veto Britain’s participation in the fiscal treaty. Yesterday he rejected out of hand the requests for a referendum commitment from his party. “Some people just want to get out: ‘stop the bus I want to get off’”, he said. “I completely understand that but I don’t share that view, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. “The problem with an in/out referen
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Alistair Darling in 2006 Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, today unveiled the country's final annual budget before the general election. The biggest announcements included abolishing stamp duty on homes under £250,000 for first-time buyers, whilst increasing it to 5% on homes over £1 million. In his statement to the House of Commons, the Chancellor claimed that the Labour government had made the right calls in countering the global recession, but warned that introducing cuts too early would jeopardise the recovery. Opposition leader David Cameron attacked the Budget, saying that the headline stamp duty plans were stolen from his own Conservative party. He criticised the amount of government debt, expected to be £167 billion this year, pointing out that it was more than every previous Labour government's borrowing added together. Cameron continued his call for spending cuts to decrease the deficit, saying it was time for a "radical change of direction". Darling however maintains that it is too soon. "I know there are some demanding immediate cuts to public spending," said the Chancellor to the Commons. "I believe such a policy would be both wrong and dangerous. To start cutting now risks derailing the recovery – which is already bringing down borrowing more rapidly than expected." This year's expected government debt is less than the £178 billion that was forecast in December 2009's pre-Budget report. There will be an estimated 2.2% real terms rise in government spending this year, and several spending announcements were made. However Darling warned that cuts will follow after 2011, and could be "the toughest for decades". The Conservatives have said that if they win the upcoming election, they will introduce an "emergency Budget" less than 50 days after taking office. Among the plans announced by the Chancellor today are a green investment bank to support renewable energy and low-carbon industries. This will have £2 billion, half raised by sale of government assets, including the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, and half raised from private investment. Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds will also have to provide loans worth £94 billion to businesses, with small and medium sized companies receiving at least half of this. These companies will also have access to a new credit adjudicator to oversee banks' decisions on loans. There will be a sharp rise of 10% in tax on cider, with wine, beer and spirit duties rising at 2% above inflation as planned. These changes will occur from midnight on Sunday, and tax on alcohol is set to increase a further 2% for two years from 2013. The previously scheduled increase in fuel duty will still happen, but will now be staggered over a longer period. Other changes include a freeze of the threshold for inheritance tax for the next four-years, whilst higher winter fuel payments for pensioners will be maintained for another year.
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For a year now, there have been many rumors why SuprNova.org was taken offline. Some have said that it was because of legal issues, some said it was because I sold out to eXeem project, or because I became a millionaire and did not want to bother with the site anymore, and the rumors go on. Today, on the exact day, when SuprNova.org went offline, I decided that it is time for everybody to know the truth and that it is time for me to stop pretending like nothing ever happened. On November 2004, I received a call from my ISP saying that all of my servers had been raided by the police. I received nothing from the police before or after the raid, nobody told me what was going on. In early December, Reuters did an article on me, and many Slovenian newspapers jumped on the story. So I ended up reading about myself in Slovenian newspapers. And right about that time, I had a feeling something was wrong. I do not really know what the feeling was or where it was coming from, but I decided it was time to take SuprNova.org offline. About a month later, after SuprNova.org had been taken offline, there was a door bell at 6:30 in the morning, saying it's the police. Actually I was not expecting anything anymore, since SuprNova.org had been taken offline long before that. They showed me a court order to search my place and they did so. They took as far as I remember, two of my computers and lots of documents. About a month or so later, I was called to the police, so that we or actually they, did a list of all the files that were on all of the computers that they took from my home and from the ISP. Another month later, I was called to the police for my hearing. I and my lawyer decided, we wouldnt answer any questions. After this was over, the police told us they will give this to the prosecutor and he will continue the procedure. My lawyer told me, that I should expect a letter from the prosecutor after the summer holidays. And that was true, nothing happened during the summer holidays and I had quite a wonderful time. Very relaxed. And just when I was hoping that the prosecutor would forget about my case I received another letter. When I received the paper, that I had to go pick up the envelope at the post, I became completely depressed and sad. But anyway, I went to the post and picked up the document. It was from the prosecutor, saying by the law blah blah and blah blah the denunciation against Andrej Preston has been dropped. And I received all the CD's and computers that they took from me. This happened on 18th October 2005. Since then nothing happened, and I hope it stays that way. This has been a huge pressure on me and I think it left some permanent marks on me. I hope none of you will ever have to go through something like this. What is written above is just a short story of everything that went on during last year. I also do not want to give out too much information, since it wouldn't be wise. Thanks to all of the friends that knew about this and supported me as much as they could! Its been a hard year for all of us. Links: The last letter that I have received Discuss the article in our forum ||||| Suprnova.org - One Year Later December 19, 2005 Thomas Mennecke Marking the one year anniversary of Suprnova.org's closure, Snarf-it.org has returned. After escaping the Netherlands due to the copyright enforcement pressures of Brein, Snarf-it.org has released a new version of its indexing site. Not to be outdone however, Suprnova.org's Sloncek, the former administrator of the massive indexing site, has issued an apparent "tell all" on the events surrounding December 19, 2004. In late November of 2004, news regarding an effort to decentralize the vulnerable BitTorrent trackers was underway. The effort would become known as eXeem, spearheaded by a name synonymous with BitTorrent - Suprnova.org. The initial excitement surrounding eXeem was impressive. It would marry the decentralized supernode indexing concept with the efficiency of the BitTorrent distribution protocol. With the vulnerabilities of centralized trackers eliminated, it was thought BitTorrent would become invincible. Unfortunately, eXeem did not live up to this promise. It was soon learned that eXeem would be shipped with Cydoor, a notorious piece of third party software. Although Cydoor had cleaned up its act considerably since its earlier days, the stigmatism associated with the adware product doomed eXeem before it was ever released. Torn apart by negative press, eXeem slowly disintegrated. Paralleling the introduction of eXeem was the closure of Suprnova.org. For reasons described as personal, on December 19, 2004, Suprnova.org no longer listed torrent files. "SuprNova.org was more like a hobby that took most of my free time away," Sloncek told Slyck.com. "Now with current situation, there’s too much pressure and I don’t have the time for it." Twelve days later on December 30, 2004, eXeem was publicly introduced. With the closure of Suprnova.org and the introduction of the adware application eXeem, the combination simply proved too coincidental and Sloncek was publicly labeled many things, perhaps most notably a "sell-out." Many felt he simply gave up on Suprnova.org to make a quick buck with eXeem. Sloncek remained quiet on the issue for the next year. Even when Suprnova.org was resurrected as a news and information site on September 14, 2005, virtually no mention was given to the events surrounding the demise of Suprnova.org. That is until now. On the anniversary of Suprnova.org’s demise, Sloncek has finally articulated the events surrounding that day. According to Sloncek, in November of 2004, his ISP informed him the Suprnova.org server had been raided by the police. As news began to spread internationally, Sloncek decided to take Suprnova.org offline in December. A month later, the police then proceeded to raid his home, confiscating documents and two computers. Remarkably, Sloncek states that despite the massive effort against him, the prosecution dropped all charges and returned his computers on October 18, 2005. While it’s refreshing to finally hear Sloncek's side of the story, three major issues remain. Primarily, it strikes many as odd that Sloncek would continue supporting eXeem, touted as “the next Suprnova”, if he was under serious copyright enforcement actions. “I knew that being a PR for some international company that dealt with P2P will not be a problem, since I’m not the owner and its not in my country,” Sloncek told Slyck.com. “And at that time, the program seemed promising." Another point of contention is his decision to continue working on a P2P project despite the turmoil. The mere suggestion of P2P is often directly associated with copyright infringement, which would appear to conflict with his legal situation. “Why work with P2P again? I love P2P and I made sure that being just a PR (not the owner or developer or anything else), will not be considered illegal.” Lastly, Sloncek cleared one last inconsistency. Although the Suprnova.org servers were raided in November, the site continued to function until December. How is such a feat possible? Directly after the raid, Sloncek purchased several servers in the Netherlands. This kept Suprnova.org operational until that fateful day in December. Although the loss of Suprnova.org was a blow to the BitTorrent community, it was soon surpassed by the multitude of other indexing sites, most notably ThePirateBay.org. A year later, answers for the curious are finally available. Running a high traffic BitTorrent site, one that was almost the very definition of BitTorrent, is no light burden. Considering the magnitude of the situation Sloncek faced, he did what was best for him. No on else from the BitTorrent community was going to help him, and he knew that. Whether he is telling the truth is irrelevant. His site gave millions the ability to share information on an unprecedented scale. To want any more from him would be, as Steve Jobs called the music industry, “greedy.” You can read Sloncek’s statement here. You can discuss this article here - 32 replies
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Exactly one year since the popular Suprnova BitTorrent link site went offline, its founder, Andrej Preston (known as "Sloncek" to the Internet community), has spoken out about what happened on his website. After twelve months of speculation amongst former users and many sites popping up to try and take its place, Preston says "it is time for everybody to know the truth and that it is time for me to stop pretending like nothing ever happened". According to Preston his nightmare began in November, 2004 when he received a phonecall from his ISP stating that Preston's servers had just been raided. Preston claims that at this time he had no communication from the police. After reading about himself in various Slovenian newspapers in early December, Preston decided to take his suprnova.org site offline. At the same time another project Preston was involved in eXeem was touted as being the biggest thing to happen to file sharing. Preston claims that a month or so after his site went offline his home was raided by the police at 6:30 in the morning. Police seized two computers and documents. Preston was then called into the local police unit another month later for a hearing. Preston, on the advice of his lawyer decided he would not answer anything during the interview with the police. At the conclusion of the interview Preston was told that the matter would be handed over to the prosecutor. Preston recalls that on October 18, 2005 he received a notice to go to the post office and pick up another letter which he must sign for. Upon receiving the notice Preston says that he "became completely depressed and sad". Preston however was greeted with good news at the post office when he opened the letter and discovered that his matter had been dropped. He also received his computers and CDs back.
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WASHINGTON -- During last year's presidential campaign, John F. Kerry was the candidate often portrayed as intellectual and complex, while George W. Bush was the populist who mangled his sentences. But newly released records show that Bush and Kerry had a virtually identical grade average at Yale University four decades ago. In 1999, The New Yorker published a transcript indicating that Bush had received a cumulative score of 77 for his first three years at Yale and a roughly similar average under a non-numerical rating system during his senior year. Kerry, who graduated two years before Bush, got a cumulative 76 for his four years, according to a transcript that Kerry sent to the Navy when he was applying for officer training school. He received four D's in his freshman year out of 10 courses, but improved his average in later years. The grade transcript, which Kerry has always declined to release, was included in his Navy record. During the campaign the Globe sought Kerry's naval records, but he refused to waive privacy restrictions for the full file. Late last month, Kerry gave the Navy permission to send the documents to the Globe. Kerry appeared to be responding to critics who suspected that there might be damaging information in the file about his activities in Vietnam. The military and medical records, however, appear identical to what Kerry has already released. This marks the first time Kerry's grades have been publicly reported. The transcript shows that Kerry's freshman-year average was 71. He scored a 61 in geology, a 63 and 68 in two history classes, and a 69 in political science. His top score was a 79, in another political science course. Another of his strongest efforts, a 77, came in French class. Under Yale's grading system in effect at the time, grades between 90 and 100 equaled an A, 80-89 a B, 70-79 a C, 60 to 69 a D, and anything below that was a failing grade. In addition to Kerry's four D's in his freshman year, he received one D in his sophomore year. He did not fail any courses. ''I always told my Dad that D stood for distinction," Kerry said yesterday in a written response to questions, noting that he has previously acknowledged that he spent a lot of time learning to fly instead of focusing on his studies. Kerry's weak grades came despite years of education at some of the world's most elite prep schools, ranging from Fessenden School in Massachusetts to St. Paul's School in New Hampshire. It is noteworthy, however, that Kerry received a high honor at Yale despite his mediocre grades: He was chosen to deliver his senior class oration, a testament to his reputation as a public speaker. He delivered a speech questioning the wisdom of the Vietnam War, in which he would soon see combat. ||||| All through last year’s presidential race, Vietnam-era critics of Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) charged that he was trying to hide something by refusing to authorize the public release of his entire military and medical file. On Tuesday, Kerry provided access to his complete records. The long-awaited documents contained no bombshells, and his enemies still were not satisfied. The 180-page sheaf of medal commendations, officer’s fitness reports and medical entries released under federal guidelines by Kerry’s Senate office provided a few new nuggets of information about his 1968 to 1969 stint as a Swift boat commander during the Vietnam War. There was one page from a January 1969 officer evaluation that appeared to back Kerry’s claims that he had been well-rated by his superiors. During the heat of the 2004 campaign, some members of a group of anti-Kerry Navy veterans suggested that the then-missing document might provide a damning assessment of his wartime role. Advertisement Kerry said in a statement Tuesday that he had provided “unprecedented access” to his military and medical records during the campaign “and now months after it ended.” In releasing the file, he said, “the facts speak for themselves and as these records prove, once again the right wing is wrong.” But Kerry’s reluctance to provide easy access to records that buttressed his war resume remains one of the more puzzling aspects of his campaign strategy. Pollsters and political scientists who have studied the race said that Kerry might have left himself vulnerable by reacting too slowly to criticism by pro-Bush veterans and their insistent calls for public access to all of his records. Kerry’s move to release the file now, observers said, could inoculate him from similar pressure if he decided to run again in 2008. “This would certainly help him keep his options open,” said William Benoit, a communications professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia who has analyzed the repairing of political images. Advertisement But a former Swift boat officer who led the Navy veterans’ bitter public campaign against Kerry demanded more Tuesday, saying that the file was incomplete. “We asked him to universally release his entire file, and what we’ve seen instead is a parceling out of incomplete records,” said John O’Neill, a Houston lawyer who was a founder of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The group last year mounted a well-bankrolled advertising campaign to undermine Kerry’s wartime pedigree. O’Neill expressed doubt that Kerry’s latest document release included material from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. But David Wade, a Kerry spokesman, said that the request to Navy Personnel Command to release documents extended to all government record repositories. In a phone interview from Houston, O’Neill said the Swift boat group was pressing for information about three unresolved controversies from the 2004 race: Kerry’s disputed contention that his Swift boat had entered Cambodian waters about December 1968; wording discrepancies among several versions of Kerry’s medal commendations; and a perceived lag between Kerry’s discharge from the Navy in 1970 and a later departure date in 1978. Advertisement “If he made a true universal release of his records and not through selective journalists, maybe we could get to the records that would answer some of these questions,” O’Neill said. “If there were orders, for example, that sent him to Cambodia, they should be in his file.” Navy archives are sometimes incomplete, and Kerry’s latest document release contained no new information on any of those controversies. But it did include the missing first page of a two-page evaluation from 1969. That document indicated that Kerry would have been selected for “accelerated promotion” and described him as “one of the top few” in his officer group -- the highest rank available. “No matter how much these dishonest partisans pretend otherwise, the truth is right there in black and white in fitness reports written by his commanding officers,” Wade said. A less flattering portrait of Kerry shows up in other documents in the file. Correspondence from Navy officials reveals that soon after leaving Vietnam, Kerry took pains to make sure that all his wartime commendations were documented in his military file. Advertisement “Subject officer advised ... that he has never received the citation or decoration for the Silver Star medal,” a Navy personnel officer wrote in a file notation in December 1969 -- nine months after Kerry had returned from Vietnam. Kerry’s reluctance last year to give unfettered access to his file may have provided Swift boat critics with a ready-made issue. But his political caution, Benoit said, was understandable. “He wanted to release it in the best light possible, and to do that, he has to keep control,” Benoit said. “Even if he had put it all out there for everyone to see, I’m not so sure the Swift boat people would have been any easier on him. By putting all the records out there now, at least he gives them one less argument to use against him next time.” ||||| The Scourge of the Wristband If you’re looking for a way to remember your fondest memories of the Michael Jackson trial, have no fear. In support of the King of Pop, dedicated fans are buying (and selling) ghostly white wristbands engraved with the words “Truth.Justice.Michael.” The band that equates Michael with the principles of honesty and integrity has been so popular that it sold out. Fortunately, for those of you who still Beat It to MJ, a new bracelet has come along. The “MJJ=Innocent” band is a bold way of saying “Hey, I always bet on a dark horse.” Maybe you’re still on the fence about MJ. Luckily, Livestrong-style bracelets are now available for dozens of causes — charitable and otherwise. (See here and here.) For example, let everyone know you’re up on your pop culture with a “That’s Hot” pink band. From a distance you’ll be supporting breast cancer but up close your true devotion to The Simple Life will shine. Or perhaps instead of living strong you’d rather “LIVEPURE,” one in a series of religious bands. Now that trucker hats are out and support bands are in, you can sport a “Jesus is my homie” band, a “100% Catholic” band, or, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing, an “I Love Jesus, Jesus Loves Me” band. From “I Love Fishing” to “I Love Hunting,” there’s a countless number of bands to show your support for virtually everything unimportant. So live strong: let us all know that if it’s between Tsunami relief and “Red Sox Nation,” you’re sticking with Boston. (Paula Lehman) The Perfect Photo Op A couple of weeks ago, Laura Bush spent five days in the Middle East to promote peace and mend relations with our allies in the Arab world. In Alexandria, Egypt, she visited a girls’ school, Om El Kora, along with the wife of Egypt’s president, Hosni Mubarak. It was the perfect photo op and the First Lady shared hugs and smiles with sweet, Egyptian schoolchildren as she chatted about empowering women and the importance of education. (Some of the many pics from the visit.) Well, it turns out the school didn’t look that way before Laura came to town. A report from an Egyptian blogger: One week before the scheduled visit, the tattered school was painted anew, tidied up, and the sewage system was fixed. The dirty roads around the school were cleaned up and trees were miraculously planted all around the area. A sign in English was written to welcome the 2 first ladies. Oh, yea, one more thing. The kids weren’t quite right either: Nevertheless, the Alexandria education officials didn’t like how the Om el Qura school kids looked like. The girls were poor and wore dirty school uniforms. Instead of cleaning them out and distributing clean clothes that would have definitely drew a huge smile on their faces, the officials decided to replaced the kids with new kids brought from a language school. Oh, yea, one more thing. The kids weren’t quite right either: Problem solved! John Kerry: Not As Smart As You Thought If we had any doubt that John Kerry has the worst political instincts of the twenty-first century, the delayed release of his Yale transcripts closes the book. It turns out that Kerry’s grades were no better than Bush’s, and — depending how you spin it — even worse. Kerry’s average was 76, with a whopping four D’s in his freshman year, including two history classes, political science, and the cakewalk, known then as well as now, called geology. The erudite Bush, by contrast, received only one D in his four years. And note how clever the president has been to avoid trumpeting his academic achievements. Kerry, who allegedly looks French, was certainly thinking French when he under-marketed his Bart Simpson report card. Intellectuals are heroes in the land of the pomme frites, but over here in the land of freedom fries, we’re more attracted to Bernard Kerik than Bernard Henri-Levy. Why was he so damn insecure about his poor performance, and why didn’t he have the confidence to be in touch with his inner moron? Did he and his advisors think that he would actually lose votes if we knew that he served with less distinction at Yale than along the Bay Hap River? Imagine how our perception of him would have changed if we only knew. When he fielded those tough debate questions with such sure-footed fluency, we would have been won over by his climb from the bottom of the class. Yes, it’s okay to get smart, but less okay to be born smart unless you’re John Kennedy, and leaven it with wit and charm. Or Bill Clinton, who was able to connect on a profoundly emotional level. Think about us. The “For Dummies” series is a money-making machine. We worship at the altar of self-deprecation, particularly in our irony-infused, post-modern culture of coolness. P.T. Barnum famously said that nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people. It’s also true that nobody ever got elected over-estimating it. John Kerry, meet Adlai Stevenson. (Adam Hanft) Morning Roundup • British Prime Minister Tony Blair will ask President George Bush today to increase aid to Africa and spend more on the fight against global warming. The White House said it would give $674 million, money that is seen largely as a thank you to Blair for sticking with Bush during the Iraq war. At least the Africans will get something out of the war. [NY Times] • Pope Benedict XVI called gay marriage an expression of “anarchic freedom” in a speech in Rome yesterday. He also took swipes at divorce and artificial contraception, which the Pope called the “banalization of the human body.” That sound you hear is American Catholics slamming the church doors behind them. [Boston Globe] • General Motors will eliminate 25,000 jobs in the U.S. by 2008. The jobs cuts will save about $2.5 billion for shareholders, and save all those employees from having to go to work. Lucky them! GM did not announce which plants would close, so no one is safe right now. Gives people plenty to talk about on their lunch break. [AP] • Women in New York could face shorter restroom lines under a new building code that requires more women’s toilets in new bars, arenas, convention halls and movie theaters. For every one men’s toilet, there must be two women’s toilets. Farewell to the meat market line in crowded bars. This is good government at work people — uncross your legs and rejoice! [New York Daily News] New York 2012: No Chance In Hell With New York’s 2012 Olympic bid down the tubes, online bookies responded immediately by downgrading the Big Apple. PinnacleSports.com quickly issued a press release and although Paris remains in first place, New York is now dead last, a 30-1 long shot: Paris: 1/6 London: 13/2 Madrid: 27/1 New York: 30/1 Moscow: 25/1 Had New York’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, not tied the Olympic bid to a Westside stadium — there’s a bit of unused land in Queens and Brooklyn, we hear — perhaps Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s decision wouldn’t have crushed the city’s chances. Now with NYC effectively out the running, millions of New Yorkers will be spared horrific traffic jams on 100-degree summer days — but they also won’t be able to rent out their 250-square-foot apartments for $20,000 a week either. New York’s Olympic stadium plan rejected [CNN] Stadium Loss Is Win-Win [Forbes]
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John Kerry's Yale transcript was released as a part of his naval records late last month. A number of American news sources have drawn attention to the fact it shows that Kerry's grades were slightly lower than George W. Bush's. This is contrary to popular perception, which portrays Kerry as an "intellectual" and Bush as a "regular guy". Bush's transcript was published in 1999 by ''The New Yorker''. Kerry earned a 76 percent cumulative average during his four years at Yale, while Bush earned a 77 percent his first three years and a similar average his fourth year under a non-numerical grading system. Both Bush and Kerry began their memberships in Skull and Bones while at Yale.
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A full-patch Hells Angels member helped police infiltrate the downtown Toronto chapter and led to the seizure of their "flagship" clubhouse in a series of raids Wednesday, police said. "This is the second time the Hells Angels' criminal activity has been exposed by one of their own," OPP Det. Insp. Dan Redmond said at a news conference held Thursday in Mississauga, Ont. Under the dark of early morning, nearly 40 locations were raided by police across Ontario, as well as one location each in New Brunswick and British Columbia. Co-ordinating the dozens of raids across three time zones was a "mammoth task," said Redmond, with 400 officers involved. Of the raids, the most significant is considered the downtown Toronto clubhouse, which police seized and stripped of its signs Wednesday. Redmond called it the "flagship" of the Hells Angels in Ontario, if not the country. Nearly 170 charges were laid against 31 people, police said. No list of charges and names was released. Sixteen full-patch members are in custody, with arrest warrants outstanding on two. Redmond refused to specify whether any senior members had been arrested, saying only that they were "affected" and no longer have their "home" — the clubhouse. Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino called it a "good day" for police and warned biker gang members and their associates: "You can run but you can't hide and we will do all we can to bring you to justice." Seized were vehicles, drugs, weapons, property and real-estate, though amounts were not specified. Representatives from all police levels spoke at the news conference, including RCMP, OPP and the Toronto police. Ontario has 16 Angels chapters, though not all are active, and about 200 full-patch members, police said. ||||| Sign-up to receive the weekly top stories, contest and promotion announcements every Tuesday Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of Canada.com Newsletter will soon be in your inbox. ||||| Three of the accused in court today. Security was tight outside the court today as the suspects were transported to the hearing. About $500,000 in vehicles, drugs, weapons and more than $500,000 in cash was seized by police. OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino speaks during a press conference in Toronto on Thursday, April 5, 2007. View larger image Toronto Police remove a sign from the suspected Hells Angels clubhouse on Eastern Avenue in downtown Toronto on Wednesday, April 4, 2007. View larger image A police officer walks out of the Hells Angels clubhouse hours after an early morning raid in Toronto on Wednesday, April 4, 2007. (CP / Aaron Harris) Hells Angels suspects appear in court after raid CTV.ca News Staff More than a dozen alleged members of the Hells Angels appeared in a Toronto court today after a nation-wide raid netted hundreds of arrests on Wednesday. Heavily-armed officers stood on guard as the suspects were lead into the courtroom three at a time. Family members wept as they learned many of their relatives would be spending the Easter long weekend in jail awaiting bail hearings. However, several of the 31 Toronto-area men arrested have been released on bail for medical reasons, including kidney problems and sleep apnea. Lawyers for the accused were on hand and maintained their clients' innocence. "Well, he's not happy. He's a man who has worked his entire life. He's worked the same job the last 19 years and he would be working if he wasn't in jail today," Daniel Kayfetz, defence lawyer for one of the accused, said outside the courtroom on Thursday. "No, he's not guilty and he intends to plead not guilty and the matter will go before the court. Obviously nobody can be happy about being dragged into a large case like this," defence lawyer Allan Gold said of his high-profile client Don Peterson. In another twist to the investigation, a Niagara police officer has been charged with breach of trust for allegedly leaking police information to gang members. The officer has since been released on bail with the condition that he refrains from contacting any member of the Hells Angels organization. Earlier, a police press conference revealed an informant from within the Hells Angels organization aided police in the investigation. "Project Develop was an 18-month investigation that utilized a full-patch Hells Angels member as a police agent to infiltrate the Toronto downtown chapter of the Hells Angels," Ontario Provincial Police Insp. Dan Redmond said Thursday. "Hells Angels criminal activity has been exposed by one of their own." The probe, dubbed Project Develop, culminated in a series of raids against the Hells Angels and affiliate gangs on Wednesday. The dramatic pre-dawn operation targeted clubhouses in Ontario, New Brunswick and British Columbia on Wednesday. Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Julian Fantino told reporters the arrests send a message to bikers. "We are here to shut you down. You can run, but you can't hide. And we will do all that we can, to bring you to justice," Fantino said. In Ontario alone, some 32 raids were carried out -- at least a dozen of those in Toronto. In total, 31 arrests were made and 169 charges laid in Ontario. Police said the raids dealt a significant blow to the organization's flagship chapter in Toronto, said to be the largest in the country. The Toronto Hells Angels clubhouse was seized as well as $500,000 in vehicles, drugs, weapons and more than $500,000 in cash. "This clubhouse has been used by the Hells Angels as almost a claim to that area. They've been advertising their presence quite blatantly," Toronto Police Deputy Chief Tony Warr said. "We felt it was necessary to send the message to the community that they were no longer there," said Warr, referring to the sign that was removed from the suspected clubhouse on Avenue in downtown Toronto on Wednesday. Raids were also carried out at clubhouses in Niagara Falls, Waterloo, Barrie, London, Hamilton, as well as Durham, Peel and York regions. In British Columbia and New Brunswick, RCMP spokesmen confirmed that outlaw motorcycle organizations, including the Hells Angels and the Bacchus Motorcycle Club, had been targeted as part of an ongoing investigation. A series of simultaneous raids launched by provincial police in September 2006 saw 500 officers involved in arresting 15 members of the Hells Angels. In January 2006, police made a series of arrests focused in Thunder Bay, Ont., in which a total of 27 Hell Angels and associates were charged. About 175 full-patch Hells Angels members -- of the 460 nationwide -- operate in Ontario. There are 34 chapters in Canada and 16 of them in Ontario. There are also seven chapters in British Columbia, three in Alberta, two in Saskatchewan, one in Manitoba and five in Quebec. The arrests came nearly one year to the day that police found eight bodies of rival Bandidos gang members in a farmer's field in Shedden, Ont., just south of London, Ont. Eight people, including a former police officer from Winnipeg, were later charged in relation to the Shedden deaths. With a report from CTV's Chris Eby and files from The Canadian Press ||||| A chicken farm in the hot zone labeled by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Abbotsford, B.C. (CP/Richard Lam) Agriculture Minister Bob Speller announces kill of 19 million birds in B.C. OTTAWA (CP) - Agriculture Minister Bob Speller has ordered that 19 million chickens and turkeys be killed in the Fraser Valley of southern British Columbia to fight an outbreak of highly contagious avian flu. The federal governments "preoccupation is to stop the spread of this disease and to stamp it out," Speller said at an Ottawa news conference. It is hoped the cull will eliminate the virus in the province. Speller said the cull, which affects about 80 per cent of B.C. poultry producers, follows a recommendation from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The agency was under pressure to act after the contagion spread beyond a 10-kilometre hot zone created around the first affected farms in Abbotsford. Poultry producers have banded together, and Friday they proposed "a phased depopulation" of the entire Fraser Valley commercial flock, an idea backed by B.C. Agriculture Minister John van Dongen. About 400,000 birds had already been ordered slaughtered. Two workers who dealt with the birds caught mild forms of the H7 avian flu that is not considered a threat to humans. Both have recovered. H7 avian flu is not considered a threat to humans. Federal Agriculture Minister Bob Speller ||||| Today's Headlines December 6th 2004 DALE BRAZAO AND JOHN DUNCANSON STAFF REPORTERS BOCA RATON, Fla.-A key witness in the Toronto police corruption scandal has left Canada to live here in a luxury home backing on to a private golf course, raising concerns in police circles that he will not return to testify. Daniel Contogiannis, a chiropractor and downtown pub owner, recently moved out of his Mississauga mansion and now resides in one of Florida's more affluent gated communities, surrounded by four private golf courses. Photo by DALE BRAZAO/TORONTO STAR Chiropractor Daniel Contogiannis, a key witness in Toronto’s police corruption scandal, has moved his family to a luxury community in Boca Raton, Fla. He cannot be compelled to return to Canada. Police Corruption Charges May Daniel Contogiannis, a chiropractor and downtown pub owner, recently moved out of his Mississauga mansion and now resides in one of Florida's more affluent gated communities, surrounded by four private golf courses. Contogiannis, who a friend calls "a victim" in the scandal, cannot be compelled to return to Canada and testify, legal experts say. Police fear that could compromise the crown's case. Court documents filed by an RCMP-led task force describe Contogiannis as a co-conspirator. Police sources claim he was involved, through his part ownership of Toronto's two Peel Pubs, in a shakedown scheme that targeted bars in the downtown Entertainment District. The heart of the allegations involves police officers demanding money to warn taverns about or protect them from liquor licence inspections. In one case, sources claim, $50,000 was paid out by bar owners to avoid inspections. Contogiannis, identified only by his initials in court documents, has not been charged with any crime. He is, however, scheduled to be a witness against the very officers to whom he and other bar owners are alleged to have paid protection money Go Up in Smoke Prime Minister lands in The Prime Minister of Canada was besieged with critism when he arrived in Coquitlim B. C. from Halifax this morning, wearing a huge fox fur hat. "I wore it at the request of the people of Halifax", the Prime Minister explained. "When I told them i was coming to Coquitlim, everyone I talked to said "Wear da fox hat" Your Morning Smile A drunken man walks into a biker bar, sits down at the bar and orders a drink. Looking around, he sees 3 men sitting at a corner table.He gets up, staggers to the table, leans over, looks the biggest, meanest, biker in the face and says"I went by your grandma's house today and I saw her in the hallway buck naked. Man, she is one fine looking woman!"The biker looks at him and doesn't say a word. His buddies are confused, because he is one mean biker and would fight at the drop of a hat.The drunk leans on the table again and says: "I got it on with your grandma and she is good, the best I ever had!"The biker's buddies are starting to get really mad but the biker still says nothing.The drunk leans on the table one more time and says, "I'll tell you something else, boy, your grandma liked it!" At this point the biker stands up, takes the drunk by the shoulders looks him square in the eyes and says,"Grandpa,....... Go home, you're drunk." Biker Violence Fear Unfounded Coquitlim Under Fire Click to read more
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On Wednesday, approximately forty Hells Angels locations were raided by police in Ontario, New Brunswick, and British Columbia. Police arrested more than thirty people in the three provinces. New York City. The largest Hells Angels location in Canada, located in downtown Toronto on 498 Eastern Ave., was raided early Wednesday morning. Nearly sixteen members were arrested with two members still on the wanted list. Toronto Police removed the sign and are now investigating. They are currently planning a large crackdown on the Hells Angels in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). "Hopefully by now biker gangs and their associates are getting the message: we're here to shut you down. You can run but you can't hide, and we will do all that we can to bring you to justice," said Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner (OPP) Julian Fantino. "I believe that we have to continue the attack on organized crime however it's manifested, and we owe the citizens of our community no less." "It's a good day for policing in Toronto, a good day for policing in Ontario." "Project Develop was an 18-month investigation that utilized a full-patch Hells Angels member as a police agent to infiltrate the Toronto downtown chapter of the Hells Angels," OPP Inspector Dan Redmond said yesterday. "Hells Angels criminal activity has been exposed by one of their own." Nearly 170 charges were laid against thirty-one people, police said, though they provided no list of charges or names. Sixteen full-patch members are said to be in custody, with arrest warrants outstanding for another two. Police seized vehicles, drugs, weapons, property and real-estate, but were not specific about the amounts. The Hells Angels is a large biker gang founded 1948 in Fontana, California and is estimated to have 1,800 members in 22 countries. Since they started many other biker gangs merged with them, due to the fact that the Hells Angels are larger. The Hells Angels have 500 members in Canada, thirty-four active chapters in Canada, sixteen in Ontario, seven in British Columbia, five in Quebec, three in Alberta, two in Saskatchewan, and one in Manitoba. A number of raids have been made since, with two in September and January 2006. A location on Sherwood Ave. in Scarborough, Ontario, and a house on Berard Court in Barrie, Ontario are under a restraining order as they may have drug related crimes. The Toronto chapter of Hells Angels, in the "Real Deal News" section of their website, alleged that the police were staging a show for the media and that the raids were overly dramatic to make Hells Angels look bad on television.
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A 19-year-old math major got dressed in a suit and a ski mask and fired off several rounds from an AK-47 assault rifle today, sending the campus of the University of Texas at Austin into a lockdown before taking his own life in a library, police said. Colton Tooley was seen running through the campus this morning as classes started. He was wearing a dark business suit, carrying a rifle and shooting rounds into the air. Police told ABCNews.com that the investigation had moved off campus to a "house associated with the shooting." Tooley was a sophomore math major at UT, concentrating in actuarial sciences, according to the student directory. Public records indicate that Tooley lived in South Austin, about 10 miles away from the university. Calls made to a number at that address went unaswered, but recorded answering machine message identified Tooley as a resident. Just before noon, a campus lockdown that had been in effect since around 8 a.m., was lifted, and police ended a search for a possible second suspect. "The armed suspect is dead. No other injuries have been reported," UT President Bill Powers wrote in a campus email. Tooley was found dead on the sixth floor of the library from apparently self inflicted wounds, police said. An email and text alert was sent to students and faculty around 8 a.m., just as the day's first classes were beginning, warning that an "armed subject was reported last seen at Perry Castaneda Library" and telling students to remain in place. "I was walking to class, a little late," senior Robby Reeb told ABCNews.com. "I was walking from the business school, and a guy sprinted past me screaming, 'There's a guy with a gun.' I looked up and saw a man in a ski mask, wearing a suit, and carrying an assault rifle. And I called 911." Reeb said he was outside between two buildings and had to choose which one to enter to avoid the shooter. Students reported hearing bursts of gunfire. Police confirmed Tooley was carrying an AK-47, a military-grade combat rifle. Authorities said there were currently two crimes scenes: the library where the gunman was found dead, and an area outside where he fired shots into the air. At a press conference police said they had not yet determined a motive. ||||| He killed himself at the library during the incident, police said. Austin and University of Texas police were searching Tooley's home in south Austin, CNN affiliate KXAN reported. Police were checking campus buildings for possible explosives left behind, said Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo. Authorities said earlier they were searching for a possible second suspect, but Robert Dahlstrom, chief of staff in the Austin Police Depart, said they now do not believe there is one. "A suspected shooter in PCL library is dead," said an alert posted on the university's emergency website at 10:30 a.m. "If you are off campus, STAY AWAY. If you are on campus, lock doors, do not leave your building. All organized classes for today, September 28, are canceled." The campus had been on lockdown since an alert went out, but spokeswoman Rhonda Weldon said students were allowed to leave, and shuttle buses were to transport students and staff away from the campus. The university canceled all classes for the day. An ambulance was seen just before 9 a.m. in front of the Perry-Castaneda library, CNN affiliate KXAN reported. SWAT teams, armored vehicles and helicopters surrounded the campus. "I extend my sympathy to the family, friends, and classmates of the young student who took his life," said university President Bill Powers, who thanked police for their response to the emergency. "In the days ahead we will attempt to understand his actions and to learn from this tragedy." University of Texas professor Randall Wilhite heard gunshots on his way to class and saw students scrambling to safety. He said he saw a man in a dark suit and a ski mask pulled over his face running toward the direction of the library a little after 8 a.m. Wilhite said the man was carrying what appeared to be an assault rifle and fired it randomly. ||||| Police: Man kills self after shooting at UT Austin AUSTIN, Texas — A gunman opened fire Tuesday inside a University of Texas campus library then fatally shot himself, and police are searching for a possible second suspect, university police said. A man fired an automatic weapon on the sixth floor of the Perry-Castaneda Library early Tuesday, UT police spokeswoman Rhonda Weldon said. "He subsequently shot himself. He is deceased," she said, adding that no one else was reported injured. Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo told a news conference that police also are investigating what he described as a second crime scene outside the library where shots also were fired. Police were patrolling nearby buildings with bomb-sniffing dogs to hunt for the possible second suspect and make sure no explosives had been left behind. "What we're doing right is being methodical to eliminate the second suspect," Acevedo said. No shots were fired by law enforcement, Acevedo said. Senior Robby Reeb told ABCNews.com he was rushing through the campus late for a class when the shooting happened. "I was walking from the business school, and a guy sprinted past me screaming, 'There's a guy with a gun.' I looked up and saw a man in a ski mask, wearing a suit, and carrying an assault rifle. And I called 911." Police and university officials urged students to stay indoors. The university canceled classes for the day. "A suspected shooter in PCL library is dead. Police are searching for possible second shooter. Lock doors, do not leave your building," the university said in an e-mail alert to students and staff. Weldon said there was no report that the possible second suspect may have been armed, but that police are taking all precautions and keeping the campus locked down. Investigators are trying to determine what led to the gunfire at the UT campus at Austin, which is one of the largest in the country with nearly 50,000 students. Law enforcement from campus police, Austin police and the state Department of Public Safety rushed onto campus at the first reports of the shooting. Tank-like armored vehicles were positioned near the library. A DPS helicopter circled the campus overhead. "It's chaos right now," student Micah Geisenberg told CNN. The Perry-Castaneda Library is one of several on the campus and is one of the busiest undergraduate libraries. "The students did their part, they cleared the streets, they cleared the grounds in a very quick manner," Acevedo said. Tuesday's shooting is not the first at the school. On Aug. 1, 1966, Charles Whitman went to the 28th floor observation deck at the UT clock tower in the middle of campus and began shooting at people below. He killed 16 people and wounded nearly three dozen before police killed him about 90 minutes after the siege began. Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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The Perry-Castaneda Library, where the gunman took his own life A man wearing a ski mask and carrying an apparently killed himself in the library of the in , Texas earlier today. The university was placed under lockdown and all classes were canceled as a result of the incident. Nobody else was hurt, but police are still looking for a possible second gunman. Art Acevedo, the chief of Austin police, said that officials are also considering the possibility of explosives left by the suspect. Armored vehicles were seen moving around the campus in response to the event, as well as
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Trusteer detects new Zeus (Zbot) password stealing Trojan by Trusteer, the leading provider of secure browsing services, today announced that a completely new version of the Zeus (Zbot) password stealing Trojan that targets online banking users has already been detected by the Trusteer Rapport service on one in every 3,000 computers it monitors. This is an unprecedented rate of distribution for new financial malware code. Version 1.4 of Zeus, also known as version 2, now targets Firefox as well as Internet Explorer browsers and uses advanced polymorphic techniques to avoid antivirus detection. Trusteer used its Flashlight remote fraud investigation and mitigation service to link Zeus 1.4 with fraud committed against both commercial and consumer banking customers in North America and the United Kingdom. Flashlight was able to collect new Zeus configurations and code samples from infected computers. This new version of Zeus is completely different than versions 1.2 and 1.3. The Internet’s Leading Banking Trojan Zeus is considered the most trusted and robust malware platform for online banking fraud, and has been licensed by numerous criminal organizations to launch targeted attacks against a specific banks’ customers. The new version of Zeus targets the growing population of Firefox users, in addition to Internet Explorer. Previous versions were incapable of exploiting Firefox to commit sophisticated online fraud against banks using strong layers of authentication. However, Zeus 1.4 supports HTML injection and transaction tampering for Firefox, two techniques which are effectively used to bypass strong authentication and transaction signing solutions. “We expect this new version of Zeus to significantly increase fraud losses, since nearly 30 percent of internet users bank online with Firefox and the infection rate for this piece of malware is growing faster than we have ever seen before,” said Amit Klein, CTO of Trusteer and head of the company’s research organization. “Fortunately, the Trusteer Flashlight and Rapport services have enabled us to detect the rapid distribution of Zeus 1.4 early and alert financial institutions. “We are recommending they maintain a layered approach to malware blocking and make sure they have the proper detection, investigation, mitigation, and response tools in place.” Poor Antivirus Detection Rates Zeus, which is also known as Zbot, WSNPOEM, NTOS and PRG, is the most prevalent financial malware on the Internet today. It infects PCs, waits for the user to log onto a list of targeted banks and financial institutions, and then steals their credentials which are sent to a remote server in real time. It can also modify, in a user’s browser, the genuine web pages from a bank’s web servers to ask for personal information such as payment card number and PIN, one time passwords, etc. Antivirus detection of Zeus has a poor track record. In a 2009 report based on information gathered from 3 million desktops in North America and the UK Trusteer found that the majority of Zeus infections occur on antivirus protected machines. Specifically, Trusteer found that among Zeus infected machines 55% had up-to-date Antivirus protection installed. The population of machines infected with older versions of Zeus is enormous — one in every 100 computers according to Trusteer research. Zeus 1.4 was specifically crafted to avoid antivirus detection and uses advanced polymorphic techniques, which make antivirus technologies completely blind to it. Click here to discuss this: Security Forums Related posts to "Trusteer detects new Zeus (Zbot) password stealing Trojan": Speak Your Mind Tell us what you're thinking... and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar! Previous: « StorageCraft upgrades backup & disaster recovery software Next: Cyber-Ark announces tools to stop network snooping Visited 320 times, 5 so far today ||||| What is the difference between ZeuS, ZBOT, and Kneber? These names all relate to the ZeuS botnet which is an established crimeware botnet said to be responsible for other known botnets in the wild. The earliest notable use of the ZeuS Trojan was via the notorious Rock Phish gang, which is known for its easy-to-use phishing page kits. The term ZBOT is the Trend Micro detection name for all malware involved in the massive botnet. The Kneber botnet meanwhile, is a recently coined term pertaining to a specific ZBOT/ZeuS compromise. How does this threat get into users' systems? The threat may arrive as a spammed message or it may be unknowingly downloaded by users via compromised websites. Majority of the ZBOT detections have been found to be targeting bank-related websites. However, recent spam runs have shown an increasing diversity in targets. The list of noteworthy ZBOT variants include TROJ_ZBOT.SVR which was used to spam government agencies, TSPY_ZBOT.JF which targeted AIM users and TSPY_ZBOT.CCB which targets social networking site Facebook. How does it trick users into clicking the link? Spammed email messages typically purport to be from legitimate companies, and more recently from government agencies. ZBOT variants have likewise been found in a spam run that rides on a popular event such as Michael Jackson’s death. What is the primary purpose of the ZeuS botnet? It is primarily designed for data theft or to steal account information from various sites, like online banking sites, social networking sites, ecommerce sites, etc. How does this threat make money for its perpetrators? It generates a list of bank-related websites or financial institutions from which it attempts to steal sensitive online banking information, such as user names and passwords. It then monitors the user’s web browser activity (both HTTP and HTTPS), using the browser window title or address bar URL as the trigger for its attack. This routine risks the exposure of the user’s account information, which may then lead to the unauthorized use of the stolen data. Who is at risk? Users with ZBOT infections who log in to any of the targeted sites are at risk of losing personal information to cybercriminals. What does the malware do with the information it gathers? It sends the gathered information via HTTP POST to remote URLs. This information may then be used by cybercriminals in their malicious activities, such as selling them in underground markets. What makes this malware persistent? In addition to its social engineering tactics and ever-evolving spamming techniques, the ZBOT makes detection difficult because of its rootkit capabilities. Upon installing itself on the affected system, ZBOT creates a folder with attributes set to System and Hidden to prevent users from discovering and removing its components. Furthermore, the ZBOT is capable of disabling the Windows Firewall and injecting itself into processes to become memory-resident. It also terminates itself if certain known firewall processes are found on the system. Also, ZBOT variants figure in daisy-chain downloads involving other malware families such as WALEDAC and FAKEAV. So what can I do to protect my computer from the threat of the ZeuS botnet? It is important that users exercise caution in opening email messages and clicking on URLs. Since the ZBOT malware perpetrators are constantly finding new ways to attack users, users are advised to maintain safe computing practices. Be wary of phishing pages that purport to be legitimate websites, as these are primarily designed to fool unwitting users into handing over their personal information. Clicking on links on emails that come from unknown senders is one of the easiest ways to fall prey to ZBOT attacks. TSPY_ZBOT variants are currently supported by Trend Micro GeneriClean, a feature found in most Trend Micro products. Users need to manually scan the system to trigger this. Information with regard to GenClean can be found on the following link: http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/virusencyclo/default5.asp?VName=TSC_GENCLEAN Solutions supported by the Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ block the spam used by this botnet to infect users via Email reputation. It can detect and prevent the execution malicious files via File reputation. It also protects users from ZBOT variants by blocking access to malicious sites via Web reputation as well as phone home attempts where an infected computer tries to upload stolen data or download additional malware from Command & Control servers. Non-Trend Micro product users can also check their systems using HouseCall, a free tool that identifies and removes all kinds of viruses, Trojans, worms, unwanted browser plug-ins, and other malware from affected systems. They can also use Web Protection Add-On to proactively protect their computer from Web threats and bot-related activity, plus RUBotted can be used to find out if a machine is part of a bot network. Some of our heuristic detections for this are: MAL_ZBOT, MAL_ZBOT-2, MAL_ZBOT-3, MAL_ZBOT-4, MAL_ZBOT-5, MAL_ZBOT-6, and MAL_ZBOT-7. Below you may find some of the more recent notable ZBOT variants so far. ||||| Botnets such as Zeus target those using online banking Zeus, a virus that steals online banking details from infected computer users, is more powerful than ever, warns a web security company. Trusteer says it has spotted the Trojan virus in one of every 3,000 of the 5.5m computers it monitors in the US and UK. Zeus 1.6 can infect people using Firefox and Internet Explorer web browsers, the company claims. The malware steals login information by recording keystrokes when the infected user is on a list of target websites. These websites are usually banks and other financial institutions. The user's data is then sent to a remote server to be used and sold on by cyber-criminals. "We expect this new version of Zeus to significantly increase fraud losses, since nearly 30% of internet users bank online with Firefox and the infection is growing faster than we have ever seen before," said Amit Klein, chief technology officer at Trusteer. DIY virus In March 2010, many parts of the command and control (C&C) system for the Zeus botnet were destroyed when the Kazakhstani ISP that was being used to administer it was cut off. However, it does not take long for malware controllers to spring up elsewhere, and toolkits for assembling botnets are readily available on the black market. "There are plenty of opportunities for people to purchase access to these systems through underground chat rooms," said Dr JD Marsters, from the department of electronics and computer science at the University of Southampton. "It's a game of cat and mouse between anti-virus vendors and botnet developers." Computer users should ensure that their anti-virus software and operating systems are kept up to date, he advised. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| Hi-tech thieves trawl social network sites for information about victims Hi-tech criminals are racking up more than 100 attacks a second on the world's computers, a survey suggests. While most of these attacks cause no trouble, the Symantec report suggests that one attack every 4.5 seconds does affect a PC. The wave of attacks was driven by a steep rise in malicious software in circulation, said the annual report. The number of malware (malicious software) samples that Symantec saw in 2009 was 71% higher than in 2008. Crime family This meant, said Symantec, that 51% of all the viruses, trojans and other malicious programs it has ever seen were logged during 2009. In total, Symantec identified almost 2.9 million items of malicious code during that 12 month period. The steep rise in malware was driven largely by the growing popularity of easy to use toolkits that novice cyber criminals are using to turn out their own malware, said Tony Osborn, a technology manager for the public sector at Symantec. Some of the kits were available for free, said Mr Osborn but others cost a lot of money. One, called Zeus, was available for around $700 (£458) and many had become so successful that their creators now offer telephone support for those who cannot get them to work. STAYING SAFE ONLINE Use security software that can tackle viruses and spyware Use a firewall Apply operating system updates as soon as they become available Be suspicious of unsolicited e-mails bearing attachments Keep your browser up to date During 2009, Symantec say more than 90,000 variants of the Zeus kit and it was responsible for the growth of one of the most prolific malware families during the year. Zeus relies on spam to lure people to websites where victims will be tricked into installing malicious code or which sneaks on to a computer via a known vulnerability. Often, said the report, this can help criminals set up botnets - networks of hijacked home PCs that can be used to send spam or plundered for lucrative personal data. In 2009, Symantec saw almost seven million distinct PCs that were members of botnets. There was one very simple reason that novices bought and used the kits, said Mr Osborn. "It's all about money," he said. Established gangs were also showing no signs of holding back in their attempts to steal saleable information. "Why would they?" he said. "It's easy money and it's very hard to catch people." "It's become a day job for a lot of people," he said. There was evidence, suggests the report, that professional cyber criminals were tuning their tactics to try and get better results. Many now scour social network pages for details about employees inside companies and craft their spam and other messages to capitalise on the details they can gather. The continuing growth of hi-tech crime meant that many developing nations were starting to suffer significant numbers of attacks. Brazil and India were becoming hot spots of cyber crime, said Mr Osborn. This was because, he said, the infrastructure in those nations was rapidly improving as people move to broadband and use the web for more and more of their daily lives. "Those are the places where education and understanding about security are taking a while to catch up," he said. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| Only those running Windows XP have been left without a patch Some of the latest security updates for Windows XP will not be installed on machines infected with a rootkit virus. A rootkit is sneaky malware that buries itself deep inside the Windows operating system to avoid detection. Microsoft said it had taken the action because similar updates issued in February made machines infected with the Alureon rootkit crash endlessly. The latest updates can spot if a system is compromised by the Alureon rootkit and halt installation. Find and fix The latest batch of updates for Windows was released on 16 April and some of them fix vulnerabilities in the core, or kernel, of Windows. This is the same place that rootkits try to take up residence. When Alureon is present it monitors net traffic and plucks out user names, passwords and credit card numbers. It also gives attackers a back door into infected machines. The virus first appeared in 2008 and has been spread via discussion forums, hacked websites and bogus pay-per-click affiliate schemes. FREE ANTI-ROOTKIT TOOLS AVG Avira F-Secure - Blacklight McAfee Panda Sophos Trend Micro Notes for the security patch explained which "abnormal conditions" would prevent XP users applying the updates. "These abnormal conditions on a system could be the result of an infection with a computer virus that modifies some operating system files, which renders the infected computer incompatible with the kernel update," read the statement. By not applying the patch, Microsoft hopes to avoid a repeat of events in February which left many people struggling to get their computer working again. Microsoft also wants to avoid a situation in which people become wary of updates because they provoke a crash. It is not yet clear how many people have been left without the updates. Microsoft urged those who are infected to ensure their machine is cleaned of the rootkit. It recommended using its malware removal tool or using rootkit detectors from other security companies. Many modern security packages have them built in and will find rootkits when a machine is scanned. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| You may also subscribe by email in the sidebar ⇉ Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.You may also subscribe by email in the sidebar ⇉ As a journalist who for almost ten years has sought to explain complex computer security topics to a broad audience, it’s sometimes difficult to be picky when major news publications over-hype an important security story or screw up tiny details: For one thing, Internet security so seldom receives more than surface treatment in the media that the increased attention to the issue often seems to excuse the breathlessness with which news organizations cover what may seem like breaking, exclusive stories. The trouble with that line of thinking is that an over-hyped story tends to lack important context that helps frame the piece in ways that make it more relevant, timely, and actionable, as opposed to just sensational. I say this because several major media outlets, including The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, on Thursday ran somewhat uncritical stories about a discovery by NetWitness, a security firm in Northern Virginia that has spent some time detailing the breadth of infections by a single botnet made up of PCs infected with ZeuS, a password stealing Trojan that lets criminals control the systems from afar. NetWitness found that this particular variant of the botnet, which it dubbed “Kneber,” had invaded more than 2,500 corporations and 75,000 computers worldwide. The Post’s headline: More than 75,000 Computer Systems Hacked in one of the Largest Cyber Attacks, Security Firm Says. From the WSJ: Broad New Hacking Attack Detected: Global Offensive Snagged Corporate, Personal Data at Nearly 2,500 Companies: Operation is Still Running. Yahoo!’s coverage tells us, Scary Global Hacking Offensive Finally Outed. After a day of dodging countless PR people pitching their experts to pile on to the story, I finally resolved to add my two cents when I heard this gem from the PBS Newshour with Jim Lehrer: “A major new case of computer hacking has been uncovered. A virus known as botnet invaded the computers and used them to steal data from commercial and government systems. Among other things, the hackers have gained access to e-mail systems and online banking.” Not to take anything away from NetWitness, whose network forensics software I have used and admire. Also, the company has a fine stable of security researchers, and is headed up by no less than Amit Yoran, a clueful geek who was formerly the top cyber official at the Department of Homeland Security. And NetWitness timed its research masterfully, releasing its findings as it did so soon after news that Google and many other large financial, energy, defense, technology and media firms had been compromised by a stealthy computer attack. The Post’s Ellen Nakashima tells us, “..it is significant…in its scale and in its apparent demonstration that the criminal groups’ sophistication in cyberattacks is approaching that of nation states such as China and Russia.” Sadly, this botnet documented by NetWitness is neither unusual nor new. For the past several years at any given time, the number of distinct ZeuS botnets has hovered in the hundreds. At the moment, there are nearly 700 command-and-control centers online for ZeuS botnets all over the world, according to ZeuStracker, a Web site that keeps tabs on the global threat from ZeuS. True, not every distinct ZeuS botnet has 75,000 infected machines in its thrall, but that’s actually not all that rare, and some have far more systems under their control. Last summer, I wrote about a ZeuS botnet of roughly 100,000 infected systems whose overlords (or enemies) exercised the “kill operating system” feature built into the botnet code, instructing all of the infected computers to render themselves unbootable and for all purposes unusable by either the bad guys or the rightful owners of the machines. Take a peek inside any monster piles of purloined data these botnets turn in each day and chances are you will find similar victims as detailed in the Kneber write-up: Infected computers at dozens of government, military and educational institutions, as well as many of the world’s top corporations. Back in 2007, I wrote a story for The Washington Post’s Security Fix blog called Tracking the Password Thieves, in which I pored over the data stolen by a single botnet that had infected some 3,221 U.S. victims. In just that comparatively tiny sample, I found infected machines at U.S. government systems (Department of Energy), financial institutions (Bank of America), and plenty of Fortune 50 companies, including IBM, Amgen and Merck (the latter was found again in the ZeuS botnet dissected by NetWitness). Incidentally, the name of the password-stealing malware that I tracked in that story three years ago? “WSNPoem,” a pseudonym for the ZeuS Trojan. The first sign that a story might be over-hyped is usually when it gets downplayed by some of the world’s largest security companies, such as McAfee and Symantec. These are companies that critics often accuse of encouraging hysteria over computer security threats so as to drive up sales of their products and services. But both companies today sought to talk people down off the ledges and assure customers that the threat was – while serious – nothing new. “In the world of cybersecurity the ‘kneber’ botnet is, unfortunately, just another botnet. With 75,000 infected machines, Kneber is not even that big, there are much larger botnets,” McAfee said in a written statement. “Kneber is based on the ‘Zeus’ Trojan, malware known to security companies. In our recently released Q4 2009 Threats Report we found that in the last three months of 2009 just under four million newly infected machines joined botnets.” Symantec also downplayed the threat: “Kneber, in reality, is not a new threat at all, but is simply a pseudonym for the infamous and well-known Zeus Trojan. The name Kneber simply refers to a particular group, or herd, of zombie computers, a.k.a. bots, being controlled by one owner. The actual Trojan itself is the same Trojan.Zbot, which also goes by the name Zeus, which has been being observed, analyzed and protected against for some time now.” Perhaps I am a little closer to this particular botnet than most: After all, I have written dozens of stories over the last nine months about the exploits of organized criminals using ZeuS to steal tens of millions of dollars from small- to mid-sized businesses, governments and non-profit organizations. This is just some of the context that would have been nice to see in any of the mainstream press treatment of this research. From where I sit, security stories that lack appropriate context tend to ring hollow, and squander important opportunities to raise awareness on the size, scope and real-world impact of these threats. Tags: botnet, kneber, netwitness, zeus
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A person navigating 's website, through . Trusteer, a web security company, reports that a trojan horse virus called can steal online banking details from infected computers. The virus has infected one out of every 3,000 computers of the 5,500,000 million which the company monitors in the United States and the United Kingdom. The trojan can infect users of Mozilla Firefox and on , and steals login information by recording keystrokes when the machine connects to certain websites, usually banks or other financial institutions. The stolen data is transmitted to a remote server and sold to cyber-criminals. "We expect this new version of Zeus to significantly increase fraud losses, since nearly 30% of Internet users bank online with and the infection is growing faster than we have ever seen before," said Amit Klein, chief technology officer at Trusteer, to BBC. The trojan has also affected ''Wikinews'' users, including Brian McNeil, who is the founder of Wikinewsie, a restricted-access wiki used to collaborate on sensitive news reports. McNeil reported on his userspace: "On Saturday April 17, a Windows-based PC in the house issued a cry for help, the Avira package running on the system had just detected a piece of malware; full scans indicated several known pieces of malware and numerous hidden files. Additional scans revealed that all but one of the USB memory sticks and portable hard drives in the house were infected with something. The Zeus botnet, as it turned out." E-mail accounts for accredited reporters have also been affected.
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LAS VEGAS O.J. Simpson was arrested Sunday and held without bail on charges related to the armed robbery of sports memorabilia in a Las Vegas hotel room, Las Vegas police said Sunday. Prosecutors were planning to charge Simpson with two counts of robbery with use of a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and coercion, said Clark County District Attorney David Roger. A conviction on the most serious charge, robbery with use of a deadly weapon, could bring a sentence of three to 35 years for each count, he said. "He is facing a lot of time," Roger said. Simpson was transferred to a detention center for booking Sunday evening, said Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Capt. James Dillon. "He was very cooperative, there were no issues," Dillon said. A judge ordered Simpson to be held without bail, police said Sunday evening. At least one other person has been arrested and police said Sunday that as many as six people could be arrested in connection with the alleged armed robbery that occurred in a room inside the Palace Station casino-hotel on Thursday. Lead investigator Lt. Clint Nichols said Sunday that Simpson, 60, had played a "substantial role" in the incident and that in earlier interviews with the police, Simpson had provided information that "changed the course of the investigation." Nichols said Simpson was taken into custody at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas hotel where he was staying without incident. Several police officers were seen entering the hotel; a security guard said police took Simpson out a side door shortly after. Earlier Sunday, Las Vegas police seized two firearms and arrested another man allegedly involved in the robbery, authorities said Sunday. Click here to read the FOX411: Author Says He Was Told O.J. Book Was Confession Click here to read Part 2 of today's FOX411: Book Shows How O.J. Killed, or Didn't Kill, Nicole and Ron The man, identified by Las Vegas police as Walter Alexander, 46, of Mesa, Ariz., was arrested Saturday night and charged with two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary with a deadly weapon. Lt. Nichols said Sunday that the two guns seized were not registered to Simpson or Alexander and were not in either man's posession when they were seized. The owner of the guns has not been identified. Nichols said police were "moving in the direction" of arresting the owner of the guns, who was currently out of town. • Click here to watch video. Simpson and Alexander are accused of being among a group of people that went to the room of memorabilia dealers at the Palace Station casino-hotel in Las Vegas on Thursday and seized items. Simpson has said the items belonged to him and that no robbery took place. On Saturday, the memorabilia dealer who notified police of the incident, Alfred Beardsley, of Burbank, Calif., indicated that he was not interested in pursuing the case. "I have no desire to fly back and forth to Las Vegas to prosecute this," he told The Associated Press. "How are they going to have a witness who's on O.J.'s side?" Beardsley said he called police only because the items were valuable and if he had not reported them as stolen he would be "held accountable for all the stuff." Simspon's arrest comes in the midst of controversy surrounding the publication of the book ""If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer," in which Simpson hypothetically describes how he would have killed his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. On Sunday, Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, told Fox News that he hoped these new charges would result in a lengthy prison term for Simpson. "I hope he goes away forever," Goldman said. "I hope he goes to prison for a very long time, where he belongs," he said. Goldman said Simpson had a "monstrous personality" who "believes he is above the law." "I'd like to be there when they find him guilty," Goldman said. Police are still sorting out the details of the alleged robbery. That will include unraveling the contorted relationships between the erstwhile athlete and a cadre of collectors that has profited from his infamy since he was found liable in the deaths of Brown Simpson and Goldman. At least one of the men considered Simpson a close friend. One had been his licensing agent. Another had collected Simpson items for years. But times have changed. In a Saturday phone interview with AP, Simpson declared: "None of these guys are friends of mine." Beardsley was once a Simpson defender and ally but had recently appeared "sympathetic" with the families of people Simpson was accused of killing, an attorney for the family of Ron Goldman said. Another sports collector, Bruce Fromong, once testified for the defense in the civil trial brought by the families of Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson. Now Fromong says Simpson robbed him, along with Beardsley, at gunpoint in the room at the Palace Station casino. Simpson, 60, said he was just trying to retrieve memorabilia, particularly photos of his wife and children. There were no guns, he told The Associated Press. There was no break-in, he said. The man Simpson accused of stealing the items from him is Mike Gilbert, another one-time associate. As Simpson's licensing agent in the late 1990s, Gilbert admitted snatching Simpson's Heisman Trophy and other items from his client's Brentwood home as payment for money he said was owed to him. He later turned the items over to authorities, save the trophy's nameplate. Gilbert swore he'd go to jail before turning the nameplate over to the Goldman family, which was trying to collect on the $33.5 million civil judgment won against Simpson. Gilbert later surrendered it under court order. He apparently remained tight with his client through the ordeal. "It has absolutely not affected our relationship at all," Gilbert said in October 1997. Since then, according to Simpson, their relationship has changed. Simpson told AP he believes Gilbert stole items from a storage locker once held in Simpson's mother's name. Attempts to reach Gilbert by phone were unsuccessful. Simpson, who lives in Miami, said he expected to find the stolen items when he went to an arranged meeting Thursday. The man who arranged the meeting, according to Simpson, was another man who makes a living on the fringes of the celebrity. Thomas Riccio, a well-known memorabilia dealer, made headlines when his auction house, Corona, Calif.-based Universal Rarities, handled the eBay auction of Anna Nicole Smith's handwritten diaries. Simpson said Riccio called him several weeks ago to inform him that people "have a lot of your stuff and they don't want anyone to know they are selling it," Simpson said. Along with the personal photos, Simpson expected to find one item in particular: the suit he was wearing when he was acquitted of murder charges in 1995. It's not clear where they got the suit, but Beardsley, a former real estate agent and longtime Simpson collector, and Fromong had been trying to sell it for several months. They'd recently tried eBay and the celebrity gossip Web site TMZ.com. Goldman family attorney David Cook said Beardsley called him several times with the hopes of arranging a deal. "When I spoke with him, my impression was that he was very sympathetic to the Goldmans," Cook said. That's not the position Beardsley, who once tried to arrange lucrative autograph signings for Simpson, took in 1999, before a major auction of Simpson's sports collectibles, including his Heisman. "It bothers me that I'm putting money in the Goldman and Brown pockets," Beardsley told the AP. "I believe he's not responsible for this crime, and I think there are a lot of people who believe that." It was perhaps such statements that made it hard for Simpson to believe that Beardsley and Fromong were now attempting to profit off his personal items, which he says include the wedding video from Simpson's first marriage. In an interview with TMZ.com, Beardsley noted that during the alleged robbery in the hotel room Simpson appeared surprised the pair were the ones selling the items. "Simpson was saying that 'I liked you, I thought you were a good guy,"' Beardsley said. Very quickly the relationship between the collectors and the celebrity were shifting once again. On Saturday, Beardsley said he had spoken with Simpson since the incident. He called to apologize, Beardsley said. As questions swirled around the curious cast of characters and their tumultuous meeting, media scrutiny and public interest that has dogged the fallen athlete was in full swing. By Saturday afternoon, Simpson's new book, "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer," was the top seller on Amazon.com. None of the men will profit from the book's sales. After a deal for Simpson to publish it fell through, a federal bankruptcy judge awarded the book's rights to the Goldman family. ||||| LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Las Vegas police are questioning football star O.J. Simpson and he is expected to be charged in connection with last week’s alleged armed robbery at a hotel room in the U.S. gambling capital, a top law enforcement official said on Sunday. O.J. Simpson talks with reporters as he arrives for the funeral of attorney Johnnie Cochran, Jr. at West Angeles Cathedral in Los Angeles, in this April 6, 2005 file photo. Las Vegas police arrested former football star O.J. Simpson on Sunday in connection with a hotel room break-in, CNN said. REUTERS/Fred Prouser “We’re arresting him for probable cause,” said the official, who asked not to be named. “He’s at our detective center right now being questioned,” the official told Reuters. “He’s not yet booked into the Clark County Detention Center at this time.” CNN and Fox News reported that Simpson would be arraigned on Monday. Police confirmed that they had arrested another man they believe was with the former star athlete during the alleged break-in. They also said they seized two handguns they believe are related to the incident, which was reported by a sports memorabilia dealer as an armed robbery in his room at the Palace Station Hotel & Casino. Las Vegas Police Lt. Clint Nichols said odds are that Simpson will spend the night in jail. Meanwhile, police are looking for at least two and as many as four other accomplices, he said. Representatives for the Palms and Simpson’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment. ‘DONE NOTHING WRONG’ O.J. Simpson has previously told police and the media that he did nothing wrong in Las Vegas. “I’m not walking around feeling sad or anything. I’ve done nothing wrong,” the former athlete, actor and murder defendant said in an interview published in the Los Angeles Times on Sunday. In 1995, Simpson was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend in what was one of the most sensational court dramas in U.S. history. Simpson told the paper that “golfing buddies and some of their friends” accompanied him to a meeting at the Palace Station Hotel & Casino to help him retrieve sports memorabilia, personal photos and other items he said had been stolen by a former sports agent. Simpson, who is 60 and lives in Miami, Florida, said an auctioneer set up the meeting with the sellers. He said the men in his party were unarmed. “I’m O.J. Simpson. How am I going to think that I’m going to rob somebody and get away with it?” he said. “You’ve got to understand, this ain’t somebody going to steal somebody’s drugs or something like that. This is somebody going to get his private (belongings) back. That’s it. That’s not robbery.” After he was acquitted in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, a civil court jury found Simpson responsible for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million in damages to their families. The former National Football League star, who also appeared in films and commercials, has had other minor brushes with police since 1995. He could not immediately be reached for comment. Simpson’s latest legal flap comes as Simpson’s book “If I Did It,” which includes a hypothetical account of his ex-wife’s murder, was hitting store shelves. ||||| LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- O.J. Simpson will be charged with a total of six counts of robbery, assault, burglary and conspiracy, Las Vegas police announced Sunday. O.J. Simpson was arrested Sunday in relation to an armed robbery investigation. Simpson was arrested at his hotel room at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, where he was staying to attend a friend's wedding, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Capt. James Dillon told reporters. He was expected to be booked Sunday evening on two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count each of armed burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary, Dillon said. Simpson requested an attorney and was still at police headquarters late Sunday afternoon, Dillon said. On Saturday, Las Vegas police arrested Walter Alexander and seized two guns in connection with the incident, a source told CNN earlier Sunday. "I don't know why they arrested him," Simpson told CNN before his own arrest. "I've stayed in contact with the police, and the truth will come out." Simpson already had been questioned during the investigation into several items of sports memorabilia that were taken from collectors in a room at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino. Simpson has said the items belonged to him. Alexander was arrested Saturday night and charged with two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery with a deadly weapon and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, the source said. Alexander, a Nevada resident, was arrested on his way to McCarran International Airport, the source said. During searches Saturday, police recovered two guns they say were used in the alleged robbery, the source said. Simpson, 60, acknowledged that he entered a man's room with a group of friends, one of whom was posing as a potential buyer, after being tipped off that some of his personal items were for sale there. Among the items were things he hadn't seen in years or that had been stolen, he said. They included photographs of his family and himself as a child, and photographs and negatives taken by his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. Simpson said friends helped him carry the items from the room, but no guns were involved and the incident was not a robbery. Watch a report on the latest developments in the probe » On Saturday, Simpson said that he and one of the alleged victims, Alfred Beardsley, spoke on the telephone with each other and agreed the incident had been blown out of proportion. Beardsley confirmed the conversation to celebrity Web site TMZ.com, saying Simpson apologized to him and told him he regretted the incident. The other alleged victim, Bruce Fromong, a sports memorabilia collector, said that two of the men accompanying Simpson pointed guns at the other occupants of the room in what he described as "a home invasion-type robbery." Watch Fromong talk about what happened Fromong testified for Simpson's defense in the 1997 wrongful death trial stemming from a lawsuit filed by the family of Ron Goldman, who was killed in 1994 alongside Simpson's ex-wife. Simpson was acquitted of the murders in 1995, but the jury in the 1997 civil trial found him liable and awarded the Goldmans $33.5 million for their son's wrongful death. Fromong testified that prices for Simpson memorabilia had dropped substantially since the 1995 verdict. His testimony was part of the defense's contention that Simpson could not afford to pay the Goldmans. Also on Friday, Thomas Riccio, a former business associate of Simpson, told KVVU television in Las Vegas that he told Simpson about the sale. Riccio said someone told him last month that he wanted to auction some of Simpson's possessions by placing them on consignment. Riccio added that when he called Simpson to tell him about the planned sale, the former athlete told him the items had been stolen. Riccio said that as he was being shown the items in the hotel room, Simpson entered the room and seized the items. He said there was no break-in and no gun was used. Simpson's ex-wife and Goldman -- a waiter who had gone to her Los Angeles, California, home to return a pair of glasses -- were fatally stabbed outside her townhouse June 12, 1994. A jury found Simpson not guilty of the crimes. Simpson recently wrote a book originally titled "If I Did It" and planned to publish it himself, but a public outcry led to the cancellation of his book deal. A bankruptcy judge subsequently awarded the Goldmans the rights to the book in light of their inability to collect the wrongful death award. They retitled the book "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer," which is in bookstores. E-mail to a friend CNN's Ted Rowlands contributed to this report. All About Nicole Brown Simpson • O.J. Simpson
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Mugshot of O.J. Simpson taken by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on September 16, 2007. O.J. Simpson has been arrested at the Palms Hotel and Casino on charges related to an alleged armed robbery on Thursday. Simpson is accused of taking items from memorabilia dealers at the Palace Station casino-hotel in Las Vegas. Simpson claims that the items belonged to him and were "things he hadn't seen in years or that had been stolen." Simpson denies guns were involved and that the incident was a robbery. The exact charges are currently unknown. Two guns have been confiscated by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, as well as some of the sports memorabilia. Las Vegas police Lt. Nichols said the two guns were not registered to Simpson and were not in his possession when they were seized.
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Shootouts in Mexico leave at least 11 dead PACHUCA, Mexico — Eleven people are dead following a running battle between police and gunmen in the central Mexican city of Pachuca. Hidalgo state police director Donanciano Millan says the dead include two police officers and nine gunmen. He says three state police officers and one city officer were hospitalized after the attacks late Thursday on the outskirts of Pachuca. Millan says police acting on a tip that gunmen were in the area stopped four trucks carrying the assailants, who opened fire and fled. Officers pursued them, and the two groups exchanged gunfire. Police were searching the area for more suspects Friday. Drug violence has killed more than 11,000 people since Mexico launched a national crackdown in 2006. Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ||||| PACHUCA, Mexico - A running battle between police and gunmen has left 12 people dead in this central Mexican city, officials said Friday. The dead included three police officers and nine gunmen, said Hidalgo state Attorney General Jose Alberto Rodriguez. Two state police officers and one city officer remained hospitalized Friday after suffering gunshot wounds in the attacks late Thursday on the outskirts of Pachuca. A state officer, who was also wounded, died Friday at the hospital. Hidalgo state police director Donanciano Millan said officers were acting on a tip that gunmen were in the area when they stopped four trucks carrying the assailants, who opened fire and fled. Officers pursued them, and the two groups exchanged gunfire. After the attacks, police seized assault rifles, grenades, federal police uniforms, handcuffs and 3 kilograms (about 7 pounds) of cocaine. Police were searching the area for more suspects Friday. Elsewhere, gunmen killed a regional police investigator outside his home Thursday night in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, said state police spokesman Arturo Sandoval. Drug violence has killed more than 11,000 people since Mexico launched a national crackdown in 2006. The government says most of the victims have been killed in turf battles with rival cartels fighting for control of lucrative drug routes. ||||| MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- A series of attacks and gunbattles between Mexican drug cartel suspects and police left at least 14 people dead and 22 wounded Thursday night, officials and news reports said. Nine cartel suspects and three police officers died in two ferocious gunbattles in the central Mexican state of Hidalgo, federal official Jose Alberto Rodriguez Calderon said. Another four police were wounded, the government-run Notimex news agency said. El Excelsior newspaper put that figure at 10 agents wounded. Separately, grenade and heavy-weapon attacks on law enforcement installations in two cities in Guanajuato state killed a civilian and a police agent and wounded 18 others, news reports said. The Hidalgo shootouts started when state police searching for several federal agents reported missing found them alive and safe near an auto racetrack in the Mineral de la Reforma municipality, Rodriguez Calderon was quoted as saying in Notimex. Almost immediately after police found the agents, drug suspects nearby started shooting. A simultaneous shootout occurred in the city of La Calera, also in the Mineral de la Reforma municipality, the news agency said. Police were attacked with hand grenades in that confrontation, leaving two officers dead. A third officer died later in a hospital. The nine drug suspects were killed in La Calera, Rodriguez Calderon said. Each firefight lasted 20 minutes. AC360: The war next door This week on "Anderson Cooper 360," Michael Ware reports from Mexico on the gruesome tactics used by drug cartels. Friday: The cartels are branching out into other businesses, including smuggling humans. Friday, 10 p.m. ET see full schedule » Officials confiscated 1.2 million pesos (more than $92,000), 3 kilograms of cocaine (6.6 pounds), six AK-47 assault rifles, an Uzi submachine gun, two hand grenades, more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, four luxury vehicles, 12 cell phones, 11 bullet-proof vests and seven handcuffs, Rodriguez Calderon said. No arrests were made, and one suspect got away, the federal official said. In Guanajuato state, also in central Mexico, gunmen attacked police stations in the cities of Silao and Irapuato, El Correo newspaper reported. In Silao, at least 20 heavily armed hooded men riding in three dark trucks carried out the attacks, the newspaper said. The attackers first launched three grenades against a police station and then fired with AK-47 and R-15 assault rifles, littering the ground with hundreds of spent shells. That attack killed two people. Ten of the wounded were reported to be gravely injured and were transferred to the nearby city of Léon. The assault also damaged 15 vehicles, five of which caught on fire. Thursday's attacks on police installations resembled assaults last month in a half-dozen cities in Michoacan state. Those attacks were attributed to La Familia Michoacana drug cartel, which was accused of torturing and killing 12 off-duty federal agents around the same time and dumping their bodies on a remote road. Federal police have arrested at least 10 members of La Familia, including some top leaders, since the July 13 killings. The killings and the attacks on police installations were among reprisals by La Familia after the federal police captured one of their top leaders, authorities said. An unprecedented wave of violence has washed over Mexico since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the drug cartels shortly after coming into office in December 2006. More than 10,000 people have died in that time span, about 1,000 of them police. All About Mexico • Drug Trafficking
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R-15 semi-automatic rifles similar to the ones used in the shootouts On Thursday, several shootouts occurred in Mexico leaving nine cartel suspects dead, killing seven police officers, and injuring close to 30 others. Following the several gun battles, police seized 1.2 million pesos (more than US$92,000), cocaine, assault rifles, police uniforms, bullet proof vests, handcuffs, hand grenades, and a variety of other military weapons. Federal agents went missing and a search initiated by the state police found them alive near an auto racetrack in the Mineral de la Reforma municipality. Shortly after their discovery a shootout took place. Acting on a tip, police pulled over four trucks near which resulted in a firefight, lasting 20 minutes, after which cartel suspects fled the scene. Over a dozen were left dead and 22 injured including several police agents in Pachuca. The cities of Silao, La Calera and Irapuato in the state of suffered both grenade and artillery shootouts which took the life of one police officer, killed an innocent bystander, and critically injured another 18. The police station in Silao was attacked by hand grenades, AK-47 assault rifles and R-15 semi-automatic rifles; the attacks killed two people and placed ten in the hospital. Nine cartel suspects were killed in the city of La Calera. Another attack Thursday night killed a police investigator in the city of Ciudad Juárez in the state of . Mexican federal police recently arrested top leaders of the La Familia Michoacana drug cartel, making these attacks likely retaliation. A similar ''modus operandi'' was seen where simultaneous shootouts across Mexico occurred targeting police stations in July. The President of Mexico Felipe Calderón, along with US President, Barack Obama, have initiated a crack down on drug gangs. The Mexican Drug War which began in December 2006 has resulted in an estimated 10,000 fatalities, of which about 10% have been police officials.
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Full scorecard - Commentary - Wickets - 3D animation - Partnerships - Wagon wheels - Player v player - Over comparison - Over graphs - Career averages - Match home - Bulletin - Article index (4) - Photo index (21) Twenty20 Int. no. 27 - 8th Match, Group C Kenya v Sri Lanka 2007/08 season Played at (neutral venue), on 14 September 2007 (20-over match) Result Sri Lanka won by 172 runs Sri Lanka innings (20 overs maximum) R M B 4s 6s SR b Odoyo 10 12 11 1 0 90.90 c sub (AO Suji) b Odhiambo 88 65 44 11 4 200.00 b Kamande 30 27 18 5 0 166.66 lbw b Kamande 65 37 27 9 2 240.74 run out (CO Obuya/ Ouma) 5 6 4 1 0 125.00 b Kamande 3 8 4 0 0 75.00 not out 46 10 13 3 5 353.84 not out 1 8 1 0 0 100.00 Extras (lb 2, w 8, nb 2) 12 Total (6 wickets; 20 overs; 90 mins) 260 (13.00 runs per over) Did not bat , , Fall of wickets Bowling O M R W Econ 3 0 14 1 4.66 (1w) 4 0 53 0 13.25 (1nb) 4 0 57 1 14.25 (2w) 4 0 61 0 15.25 4 0 48 3 12.00 (1w) 1 0 25 0 25.00 (1nb, 1w) Kenya innings (target: 261 runs from 20 overs) R M B 4s 6s SR lbw b Vaas 0 1 3 0 0 0.00 run out (Jayasuriya/Wijekoon) 18 61 33 1 0 54.54 b Vaas 5 11 8 1 0 62.50 st Sangakkara b Jayasuriya 16 27 22 0 1 72.72 c Jayawardene b Malinga 4 2 4 0 0 100.00 c & b Malinga 2 2 3 0 0 66.66 st Sangakkara b Dilshan 21 20 25 2 0 84.00 lbw b Wijekoon 4 10 10 0 0 40.00 not out 4 6 4 0 0 100.00 c Jayawardene b Dilshan 3 3 5 0 0 60.00 absent hurt - Extras (lb 1, w 10) 11 Total (all out; 19.3 overs; 76 mins) 88 (4.51 runs per over) Fall of wickets Bowling O M R W Econ 4 1 15 2 3.75 3 0 23 0 7.66 (5w) 3 0 9 1 3.00 3 0 13 2 4.33 (1w) 2 0 11 0 5.50 3 0 12 1 4.00 1.3 0 4 2 2.66 Toss Kenya, who chose to field first Points Twenty20 Int. debuts J Mubarak and G Wijekoon (Sri Lanka) Player of the match ST Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) Umpires (Australia) and (England) TV umpire (England) Match referee (England) Reserve umpire Match notes Sri Lanka innings Sri Lanka: 50 runs in 5.5 overs (37 balls), Extras 4 2nd Wicket: 50 runs in 27 balls (ST Jayasuriya 33, KC Sangakkara 18, Ex 1) Sri Lanka: 100 runs in 9.5 overs (62 balls), Extras 5 ST Jayasuriya: 50 off 30 balls (5 x 4, 2 x 6) 3rd Wicket: 50 runs in 19 balls (ST Jayasuriya 27, DPMD Jayawardene 25, Ex 1) Sri Lanka: 150 runs in 12.4 overs (80 balls), Extras 6 DPMD Jayawardene: 50 off 21 balls (6 x 4, 2 x 6) Sri Lanka: 200 runs in 16.2 overs (105 balls), Extras 12 Sri Lanka: 250 runs in 19.2 overs (123 balls), Extras 12 Innings Break: Sri Lanka - 260/6 in 20.0 overs (J Mubarak 46, G Wijekoon 1) Kenya innings Kenya: 50 runs in 10.3 overs (69 balls), Extras 10 Search for an international scorecard from the match/series archive: ||||| One Day International Series: Sri Lanka v Pakistan 22-03-2006 at Colombo Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 4 wickets Pakistan won the toss and decided to field Sri Lanka Innings 224 all out (49.4 overs) Pakistan Innings 229 for 6 (45.2 overs) Sri Lanka Innings Runs Balls 4s 6s W U Tharanga c Kamran Akmal b Abdul Razzaq 23 43 2 0 C K Kapugedara run out 50 74 7 0 K C Sangakkara c Kamran Akmal b Shahid Afridi 22 27 2 0 D P M D Jayawardene run out 31 56 1 0 K S Lokuarachchi c Mohammad Yousuf b Shahid Afridi 13 18 1 0 R P Arnold st Kamran Akmal b Shahid Afridi 0 2 0 0 T M Dilshan b Shoaib Malik 44 46 4 0 M F Maharoof c Imran Farhat b Mohammad Asif 19 19 3 0 K T G D Prasad b Naved-ul-Hasan 8 11 0 0 M Muralitharan c Rao Iftikhar b Naved-ul-Hasan 2 3 0 0 S L Malinga not out 0 2 0 0 Extras 1nb 4w 2b 5lb 12 Total all out 224 Bowler O M R W Naved-ul-Hasan 7.4 0 40 2 Mohammad Asif 10.0 0 48 1 Rao Iftikhar 9.0 0 40 0 Abdul Razzaq 10.0 1 35 1 Shahid Afridi 10.0 0 37 3 Shoaib Malik 3.0 0 17 1 Fall of wicket 57 W U Tharanga 93 C K Kapugedara 105 K C Sangakkara 131 K S Lokuarachchi 133 R P Arnold 157 D P M D Jayawardene 193 M F Maharoof 216 T M Dilshan 223 M Muralitharan 224 K T G D Prasad Back to top Pakistan Innings Runs Balls 4s 6s Shoaib Malik c C K Kapugedara b M Muralitharan 46 38 9 0 Imran Farhat st K C Sangakkara b T M Dilshan 46 52 8 0 Younis Khan st K C Sangakkara b M Muralitharan 25 46 2 0 Mohammad Yousuf lbw b M F Maharoof 53 73 6 0 Inzamam-ul-Haq b M Muralitharan 12 22 0 0 Abdul Razzaq not out 23 33 1 1 Shahid Afridi c M Muralitharan b K S Lokuarachchi 1 2 0 0 Kamran Akmal not out 9 7 2 0 Extras 1nb 9w 4b 14 Total for 6 229 Bowler O M R W S L Malinga 7.0 0 34 0 M F Maharoof 7.2 1 33 1 K T G D Prasad 5.0 1 33 0 M Muralitharan 10.0 0 58 3 K S Lokuarachchi 10.0 1 47 1 T M Dilshan 6.0 0 20 1 Fall of wicket 61 Shoaib Malik 117 Imran Farhat 137 Younis Khan 177 Inzamam-ul-Haq 207 Mohammad Yousuf 210 Shahid Afridi Back to top Umpires: S J Davis, E A R de Silva Sri Lanka: C K Kapugedara, W U Tharanga, K C Sangakkara, D P M D Jayawardene, R P Arnold, T M Dilshan, M F Maharoof, K S Lokuarachchi, K T G D Prasad, M Muralitharan, S L Malinga Pakistan: Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Naved-ul-Hasan, Rao Iftikhar, Mohammad Asif
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Sri Lanka have beaten Kenya by 172 runs in Group C of the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa. Sanath Jayasuriya scored 88 runs off 44 balls as Sri Lanka raced to 260-6 off 20 overs, the highest total made in a Twenty20 international. Mahela Jayawardene scored 65 runs before falling lbw to Jimmy Kamande, who took 3-48, bowling Kumar Sangakkara for 30 and Tillakaratne Dilshan for just three runs. Jehan Mubarak smashed 46 off 13 balls as Sri Lanka set a formidable target for Kenya. Chaminda Vaas immediately made a breakthrough, dismissing opening batsman Maurice Ouma for a duck. Kenya never recovered, and were reduced to just 88 runs in the 20th over as Sri Lanka dismissed their batsmen cheaply. The win, by 172 runs, is the largest margin of victory in a Twenty20 international. The defeat eliminates Kenya from the tournament. Sri Lanka and New Zealand will advance to the Super 8 stage. '''Toss:''' Kenya won, and chose to field first. '''Fall of wickets:''' 1-19 (Tharanga, 2.6 ov), 2-94 (Sangakkara, 9.3 ov), 3-181 (Jayasuriya, 14.2 ov), 4-194 (Silva, 15.6 ov), 5-212 (Jayawardene, 17.2 ov), 6-215 (Dilshan, 17.6 ov) '''Did not bat:''' C R D Fernando, S L Malinga, W P U J C Vaas '''Fall of wickets:''' 1-0 (Ouma, 0.3 ov), 2-20 (Odhiambo, 2.6 ov), 3-42 (Mishra, 9.1 ov), 4-47 (Tikolo, 10.1 ov), 5-50 (CO Obuya, 10.4 ov), 6-66 (DO Obuya, 14.3 ov), 7-81 (Obanda, 17.2 ov), 8-83 (Kamande, 18.2 ov), 9-88 (Ongondo, 19.3 ov) '''Sri Lanka:''' W U Tharanga, S T Jayasuriya, K C Sangakkara (wkt), D P M D Jayawardene (capt), L P C Silva, T M Dilshan, J Mubarak, G Wijekoon, C R D Fernando, S L Malinga, W P U J C Vaas '''Kenya:''' M A Ouma (wkt), D O Obuya, N Odhiambo, T Mishra, S O Tikolo (capt), C O Obuya, A Obanda, T M Odoyo, J K Kamande, P J Ongondo, L N Onyango '''Man of the Match:''' S T Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) '''Umpires:''' D J Harper (Australia) and N J Llong (England) '''TV Umpire:''' M R Benson (England) '''Match Referee:''' B C Broad (England) '''Reserve Umpire:''' K H Hurter (South Africa)
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Missing iPhone led to employee's suicide By Chen Hong (China Daily) Updated: 2009-07-22 08:11 SHENZHEN: A 25-year-old employee of a leading Taiwanese electronics manufacturer allegedly committed suicide after he was blamed for the disappearance of a sample iPhone mobile phone. Sun Danyong was suspected of stealing a model of the popular Apple mobile phone earlier this month. Sun's company, Foxconn, was licensed to produce the iPhone in one of its factories in Guanlan, Shenzhen, local media reported. Sun, who graduated from the renowned Harbin Institute of Technology last year, was reportedly responsible for the final packing of a shipment of 16 iPhones at his company. One of the phones was found missing when he handed over the products to their receivers from Apple on July 10. Sun reported the incident to his supervisor three days later after he could not find the sample phone. Foxconn's environment and safety department subsequently launched an internal investigation into the case. On July 16, Sun jumped to his death from the 12th floor of a residential building, local media reported. He had his last online chat with former university classmates just three hours before, with his final post seen on a popular Chinese Internet forum. In it, Sun wrote that the investigation over the missing iPhone was "one of the most humiliating experiences" of his life. Sun's girlfriend, who came to visit him just three days before his death, said some colleagues at Foxconn searched his home on the afternoon before his suicide, according to a report by Southern Metropolis Daily. Foxconn spokesman James Lee expressed sorrow and sympathy over Sun's death and apologized to his family yesterday. "His suicide, for whatever reason, in a way reflects a management defect on the part of Foxconn to some extent especially over the troubles faced by our young employees," Lee told China Daily. Lee said the department head who had allegedly mistreated Sun in his handling of the case has been suspended from his job, pending investigations by the police. The police at Bao'an district, where the Foxconn factory is located, said they could not release any details about the case at this stage. Li Jianyong, a lawyer, said the department chief would be subject to criminal charges if his alleged questioning of Sun over the missing phone was found to be violent. Liu Feifei, a registered psychologist, said Sun's suicide reflected his fragility in dealing with problems. "He knew the seriousness of the incident and was frightened to take the responsibility, that's why he chose to kill himself," she said. According to a reliable source, Sun was born in a poor family in Qujing, Yunnan province, and had not fully paid back his loan to his university. ||||| 核心提示：富士康科技集团（深圳市宝安区）年仅25岁的员工孙丹勇，从12楼跳下身亡。此前，公司交由其保管邮寄给苹果公司的16部苹果iphone样机少了一部，孙曾接受公司环安课调查。18日，孙丹勇的大学同学指称，孙在接受调查时遭到非法搜查、拘禁和殴打。 京华时报7月21日报道 7月16日凌晨，富士康科技集团（深圳市宝安区）年仅25岁的员工孙丹勇，从12楼跳下身亡。 此前，公司交由其保管邮寄给苹果公司的16部苹果iPhone样机少了一部，孙曾接受公司环安课调查。18日，孙丹勇的大学同学指称，孙在接受调查时遭到非法搜查、拘禁和殴打。 >>同学 孙遭殴打非法拘禁 毕业于哈工大的孙丹勇年仅25岁，7月16日凌晨3时33分许，从12楼跳楼自杀。7月18日，一位网友自称是孙的同学，发帖指称孙丹勇的死跟富士康在调查整件事情中非常规的手段有关。>>进入相关网帖>> 网帖称，孙丹勇主要负责富士康公司苹果iPhone第四代N90的导入，在给苹果公司寄产品时，一共为16台机台，但客户只收到15台，苹果公司因此怀疑富士康可能泄密。这给富士康带来非常大的压力。因为孙丹勇负责邮寄机台，他摆脱不了嫌疑，所以环安课的便拉他去盘问。其间，孙丹勇曾遭殴打、非法搜查、非法拘禁等。 >>警方 监控拍下自杀过程 据悉，富士康集团安全管理处早已对此事展开调查。一份情况呈报叙述了调查经过。 据富士康提供的孙丹勇自述材料提及，孙丹勇在7月9日从生产线拿到iPhone，清点数量后暂存。7月10日，取机台的人来，孙丹勇打开纸箱让他们确认数量，孙有事不在场，回来后发现少一台，孙怀疑机台丢在产线，但没能找到。随后寻找仍无果，13日下班时上报主管。部门在查找未果后，于15日上报环安课。7月15日，3名富士康员工到孙丹勇租住房屋搜查。 孙跳楼自杀后，警方在孙丹勇的手机中发现他向多名好友发的信息，称因其管理的N90苹果手机丢失，遭到公司怀疑，并被调查和搜查，心里想不通。 据观澜福民派出所参与办理此案的李姓民警介绍，监控录像显示，孙丹勇自杀时间为7月16日凌晨3时33分52秒。孙租住楼楼下的监控摄像头拍下了其跳楼自杀的一幕。对于环安课顾姓课长非常规手段的调查细节，警方表示目前尚无定论，但已经介入调查。 >>富士康 涉事课长已被停职 富士康科技集团行政总经理暨商务长李金明接受采访时说，他代表本人及集团，对员工孙丹勇自杀事件的发生表示痛心和惋惜。 针对网络盛传的富士康某顾姓环保课长在追查产品丢失过程中对孙丹勇采用不适宜手段及做法一事，如搜家、关禁闭等，李金明表示，公司欢迎社会舆论来帮助富士康检讨管理上存在的不足，公司也已开始对大家关注的某些问题展开调查。 目前，公司已对网络中提及的所谓顾姓环保课长给予停职停薪，并交由公安部门进行调查。李金明表示，富士康会尽力与死者家属一道做好死者善后事宜。 (本文来源：京华时报 )
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Sun Danyong, a 25-year-old employee of Foxconn, jumped from the 12th floor of a residential building in Shenzhen, China and died on the spot after he lost a new sample of an iPhone mobile phone and was suspected of stealing it. An iPhone Sun worked with Foxconn, which is one of the factories licensed to produce the iPhone in Guanlan, Bao'an District, Shenzhen, since he graduated from the renowned Harbin Institute of Technology last year. Sun got the iPhones and stored them on July 9. The next day, he found one of the phones missing when he handed over the products to the receivers from Apple. So Sun reported the incident to the supervisor on July 13 after he couldn't find it. Foxconn's environment and safety department made an internal investigation into the case two days later. Before Sun committed suicide, he chatted with his former university classmates and said he suffered from an unlawful search, detention and beatings when he was investigated. At present, the department head who had allegedly mistreated Sun has been suspended from his job and is being investigated by the police.
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By John Micek OK ... ... they told him his district is staying in Montgomery County, right? Nonetheless, state Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, a veteran Republican from suburban Philly, has filed to run in the New Hampshire primary. In a statement, Greenleaf, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, says his Quixotic bid (which really does a disservice to Quixotic bids everywhere) is less about a candidacy than making a statement. Wow ... first Kim Kardashian divorces. Now this. Can the day get any more strange? Stu Greenleaf, candidacy papers ||||| Posted: Tuesday, November 1, 2011 5:55 am | What does state Sen. Stewart J. Greenleaf have in common with Herman Cain, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney? He’s on the ballot in New Hampshire seeking the Republican nomination for president. Greenleaf, whose 12th District represents parts of Bucks and Montgomery counties, is among 44 candidates on the ballot for president in the New Hampshire primary. In a press release Monday, Greenleaf said he placed his name on the New Hampshire ballot not to run for president or make the White House his home, but to put forth ideas to help America find innovative solutions for a brighter future. “Every four years, New Hampshire voters listen, they process, they seek out the best ideas and they elevate those ideas into the national debate,” Greenleaf stated. “We must resolve our national debt not only so our nation survives, but so that we as Americans thrive and prosper once again.” Greenleaf hopes to add to the debate and “stimulate a robust discussion on eliminating our national debt” and making it unconstitutional for any future president or future Congress to pass unbalanced budgets. “My goal is national solvency now and for the future, so that American workers and American businesses can get back to expanding, innovating and prospering again,” he stated in his press release. “I want our still competitive industries to have the chance to compete and I want to ensure that our advanced technologies and new products are not stolen and counterfeited. I want the American worker to have every possible opportunity for employment in this country.” In his four-page plan, Greenleaf estimates America has $127 trillion in assets, such as mineral and timber rights. He said “backing the dollar with the value of federal assets would allow us to print $15 trillion to pay off our debt to foreign creditors and to the Federal Reserve.” He distinguishes that plan from recent monetary printing, which he called “ ‘Monopoly’ money because it isn’t backed by anything of actual value.” Greenleaf’s plan requires a balanced budget amendment, because “we must ensure that (the debt) can never be run up again.” Besides a “debt-free USA,” Greenleaf is calling for: Tariff tweaking: protecting American industries so they can compete with foreign businesses Intellectual property protection: protecting copyrights and patents from piracy and counterfeiting by foreign competitors Relaxed, responsible credit requirements: a careful process designed to free up the large cash reserves banks and industries are sitting on American Citizen Employment Act: require the use of E-Verify to ensure every new hire is a U.S. citizen Greenleaf, 72, is chairman of the state Senate Judiciary Committee and has been the district’s senator since 1979. “Stewart is a very smart guy,” said Terry Madonna, a Pennsylvania political expert and director of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll. “He’s been judicial chairman of the Senate since before the fall of the Roman Empire. He’s a hands-on senator with a good reputation in Harrisburg.” But, Madonna added, “He’s certainly not even on the radar of anyone for the presidency and is clearly not going to be the nominee.” Greenleaf also is vice chairman of the Intergovernmental Operations Committee and a member of Appropriations, Banking and Insurance and Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure committees. Two weeks ago, the state Senate passed Greenleaf’s S.B. 100 legislation, which contains provisions to address prison overcrowding, recidivism and to reduce the high costs of incarceration. According to The Associated Press, it’s relatively cheap and easy to get on the presidential ballot for the New Hampshire primary compared with other states. Candidates must meet basic requirements to be president, fill out a one-page form and pay a $1,000 filing fee. In contrast, there’s a $35,000 filing fee for South Carolina’s Republican ballot. New Hampshire is expected to set a date for its primary on Wednesday. The 44 candidates come from 26 states. The number of candidates on the ballot has fluctuated over the years, depending on whether an incumbent president was running. In 1980, there were 12 candidates, seven Republicans and five Democrats. The all-time high was 1992, when 36 Democrats and 25 Republicans were on the ballot. In 2008, there were 30 candidates, 21 Republicans and nine Democrats. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Gary Weckselblatt: 215-345-3169; email, [email protected]; Twitter, @gweckselblatt ||||| The New Hampshire primary ballot will feature more names than ever this year, and a source sends over a list of all the many candidates – only some of them whom readers will recognize – who had filed as of 4 p.m. today: REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES Ron Paul, Lake Jackson, Texas (mail: 8000 Forbes Place, Ste. 200, Springfield, VA 22151)-filed by representative Fred Karger (155 McAulay Place, Laguna Beach, CA 92651) - filed in person Andy Martin, Chicago, IL (mail: PO Box 1851, New York, NY 10150-1851) - filed by mail Jon Huntsman, Salt Lake City, UT (mail: 1850 Elm St. #2, Manchester, NH 03104) - filed in person Buddy Roemer, Baton Rouge, LA (66 Hanover Street, Manchester, NH) - filed in person Herman Cain, McDonough, GA (PO Box 2158, Stockbridge, GA 30281) - filed by representative Vern Wuensche, Houston, Texas (PO Box 941171, Houston TX 77094-7519) — filed in person Rick Santorum, Great Falls, VA (PO Box 609, Great Falls, VA 22066) - filed in person Mark Callahan, Eugene, OR (P.O. Box 71424, Springfield OR 97475) - filed by mail Mitt Romney, Belmont, MA (585 Commercial Street, Boston, MA 02109) -filed in person Hugh Cort, Birmingham, AL (3461 Spring Valley Court, Birmingham AL35223) - filed by mail L. John Davis, Jr., Grand Junction CO (PO Box 4920, Grand Junction CO 81502-4920 - filed by mail Joe Story, Jacksonville, FL (12012 Flynn Road, Jacksonville FL, 32223) - filed by mail Linden Swift, Plainfield IN (PO Box 203, Plainfield IN 46168) - filed by mail James A. Vestermark, Taylor Mill KY (3157 Taylor Creek Drive, Taylor Mill KY 41015) - filed by mail Jeff Lawman, Derry, NH (35 Manchester Road, 11A-243, Derry NH 03038) - filed in person Joe Robinson, Newton, MA (227 California Street, Newton, MA 02458) - filed in person Keith Drummond, Katy, TX (PO Box 5669, Katy, TX 77491) - filed in person Newt Gingrich, McLean, VA (7410 Windy Hill Court, McLean VA 22102) - filed in person Randy Crow, Kelly, NC (PO Box 11, Kelly NC 28448) - filed in person Michele Bachmann, Stillwater, MN (2550 M Street, NW, Washington DC 20037) - filed by mail Michael J. Meehan, St. Louis, MO (3065 Armona Drive, St. Louis MO 63120) - filed by mail Benjamin Linn, Milford, NH (15 North Street, Milford NH 03055) - filed by mail Christopher V. Hill, Prospect, KY (9462 Brownsboro Rd #164, Louisville KY 40241) - filed in person *Friday, October 28, 2011 - all filings in person Stewart J. Greenleaf, Huntingdon Valley, PA (1555 Terwood Road, Huntingdon Valley PA 19006) Gary Johnson, Canoncito, NM (PO Box 1858, El Prado NM 87529) Rick Perry, Austin TX (PO Box 1708, Austin TX 78767-1708) Timothy Brewer, Dayton, OH (3670 Charlotte Mill, Dayton OH 45418) Kevin Rubash, Wilmette IL (PO Box 142, Kenilworth IL 60043-0142) Bear Betzler, Philadelphia PA (PO Box 0537, Valley Forge PA 19481-0537) DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES Barack Obama, Chicago, IL (PO Box 8102, Chicago, IL 60680) filed by VP Darcy G. Richardson, Jacksonville, FL (7810 Fox Tail Lane, Jacksonville, FL 32219)—- filed by mail Aldous C. Tyler, Madison, WI (PO Box 45568, Madison, WI 53744) - filed by mail Robert B. Jordan, Garden Grove, CA (PO Box 1419, Garden Grove, CA 92842) - filed by mail John D. Haywood, Durham, NC (PO Box 61419, Durham, NC) - filed by mail Bob Greene, Mountain View, CA (433 Sylvan Avenue #1, Mountain View, CA 94041) - filed by mail Craig Freis, Lake Elsinore, California (16519 Badalona Street, Lake Elsinore CA 92530) - filed by mail John Wolfe, Jr., Chattanooga, TN (707 Georgia Ave., Ste. 401, Chattanooga TN 37402) - filed by mail Randall Terry, Purgitsville, WV (101 Cantwell Court, Purgitsville WV 26852) - filed by mail Ed Cowan, Moretown, VT (1151 Stevens Brook Road, Waterbury VT 05676) -filed in person Cornelius Edward O'Connor, West Palm Beach, FL (PO Box 967, Palm Beach FL 33480) - filed by mail Bob Ely, Lake Forest, IL (PO Box 652, Lake Forest, IL 60045) - filed by mail *Friday, October 28, 2011 - all filings in person Edward T. O'Donnell, Jr., Wilmington, DE (2005 Chestnut Street, Vermin Supreme, Rockport, MA (PO Box 2384, Rockport MA 01966)
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State Senator of Pennsylvania registered on Friday to appear on the ballot for the 's . He released a statement yesterday explaining that his goal was not to win the presidency, but "to enter ideas into the great debate that is the 2012 Presidential Election." Greenleaf, 72, has represented the in the Pennsylvania Senate since 1979. His district includes parts of and , populated with approximately 240,000 people. He serves as the chairman of the Judicial Committee and as Vice-chairman of the Intergovernmental Operations Committee. Two weeks ago, he helped pass legislation to reform state prisons. , director of the remarked that "Stewart Greenleaf is a very smart guy...with a good reputation in ." However, he added that Greenleaf is "certainly not even on the radar of anyone for the presidency and is clearly not going to be the nominee." As a presidential candidate, Greenleaf lists two primary objectives for the nation: balance the federal budget by reducing debt; and improve competitiveness in the global economy through "tariff tweaking", protection of , relaxation of regulation, and prevention of the employment of . Greenleaf is one of 44 candidates that will appear on the New Hampshire primary ballot. He filed in person on the deadline along with fellow candidates: former New Mexico and Texas . The filing fee was $1,000. == Sources == * * *
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St. Patrick’s Day is often celebrated with corned beef and cabbage, soda bread and Irish beef stew and then wash it all down with a tall pint of Guinness. Those tried and true recipes are a tradition. But for those of you who really enjoy the green foods, gimmicky cocktails and desserts decorated with four leaf clovers and pots of gold, these are the recipes for you. Fulfill your Pinterest goals with these Instagram-worthy St. Patrick’s Day recipes. ||||| ESPIONAGE CASE FBI: FIU couple spied for Cuba The U.S. government uncovered what it said was a husband-and-wife spy team at Florida International University. The two allegedly spied for Cuba for decades. BY JAY WEAVER AND NOAH BIERMAN A Florida International University professor and his wife, an FIU counselor, were accused Monday of operating as covert agents for Cuba's communist government for decades, using shortwave radios, numerical-code language and computer-encrypted files to send information about Miami's exile community to top Castro intelligence commanders. U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea Simonton expressed such dismay over the alleged espionage-related history of Carlos M. Alvarez, 61, and his wife, Elsa, 55, that she denied them bond before trial on a charge of failing to register with the federal government as foreign agents. Simonton said she believed that the gravity of the charges -- admitted by the couple last summer to the FBI -- their past academic trips to Cuba and their contacts in Fidel Castro's government made them a flight risk if allowed to return to their South Miami home. ''As a practical matter, these are people who admitted they were spying,'' Simonton said. ``They would indeed return to Cuba, rather than face the consequences of their actions here.'' Attorney Steven Chaykin, representing Carlos Alvarez, and lawyer Norman Moscowitz, representing Elsa, said their clients had strong ties to their family and community. The lawyers stressed that the two did not leave the country after admitting their alleged espionage work for the Cuban government months ago. ''There is not a scintilla of evidence . . . that they contemplated leaving'' for Cuba, Moscowitz said, noting that his client is in poor health and has to care for her 12-year-old daughter and elderly parents. Chaykin said neither gave information to Castro intelligence officials that ``in any way endangers the U.S. government or military.'' The indictment, which included no mention of top-secret U.S. government information being disclosed, came months after the couple's confessions because of additional investigative work in the case, interim U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta said. The case of the longtime FIU employees marks the biggest Miami spy-related case since 1998, when five men were charged with infiltrating the exile community and laying the groundwork for the shootdown of four Brothers to the Rescue pilots by the Cuban Air Force in 1996. JAN. 19 ARRAIGNMENT If convicted of one count of not registering as foreign agents, the Alvarezes could face prison sentences of seven to 10 years. An arraignment is set for Jan. 19. They are being detained at the Miami Federal Detention Center. FBI agents arrested Alvarez and his wife Friday at their home, valued at about $750,000, which they had hoped to use for bond. An indictment, returned in late December, was unsealed at their two-hour court hearing Monday, which was attended by the couple's four adult children, FIU President Mitch Maidique, a Catholic priest close to the defendants and numerous reporters. According to an FBI agent and federal prosecutors, the couple transmitted information about Miami's exile community -- including leading groups such as the Cuban American National Foundation and Brothers to the Rescue. They did not send any military or classified information, but they did provide Cuban officials with the identity of an FBI employee who had once been an FIU student of Carlos Alvarez. Carlos Alvarez is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies at FIU who also does psychological screenings of police cadets for the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County police departments. Elsa Alvarez is a psychological counselor at FIU. ''They used their academic positions as covert covers to spy for the Cuban government,'' said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Frazier. ``They were living a lie.'' Frazier said Carlos Alvarez had spied for Cuba since 1977 and Elsa Alvarez since 1982. He said that Elsa, Alvarez's second wife, had been independently spying for the Cuban government before she teamed up with her husband. It was unclear what motivated the two to act as alleged spies for so many years. They were not paid for information they gathered, but Cuba covered their expenses such as travel, lodging and meals, authorities said. Thanks to a tip, the FBI had been monitoring the couple -- Carlos Alvarez used the alias ''David'' and his wife used ''Deborah'' -- for months before each gave separate confessions in June and July to agents about their alleged spying activities. The FBI was assisted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. THE METHODS Frazier said they admitted to using high- and low-tech methods to communicate with Cuba's Directorate of Intelligence and several of its ``handlers.'' Among them: an antenna in their backyard, a shortwave radio, a five-digit code, encrypted computer disks and local post office boxes. Since the early 1990s, the couple traveled to Cuba several times on U.S.-authorized educational trips, bringing along FIU students, Frazier said. He called the trips a ``pretext to do other things.'' The couple also shared information with Cuban intelligence agents in Mexico, South America and the United States, Frazier said. Frazier said the two were so good at their work that the Cuban government gave them commendations in the 1990s. The couple's arrests on Friday came as a federal appellate court in Atlanta plans to hear arguments next month in an unrelated Cuban spy case in which five men were convicted of espionage charges. The entire 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will determine whether pretrial publicity tainted the jury pool. In October, the appellate court threw out a ruling by a three-judge panel that had overturned the 2001 convictions for the so-called Cuban Five on espionage charges. The decision pleased relatives of four Miami exile pilots fatally shot down over international waters in 1996 by the Cuban Air Force in an alleged plot linked to the spy case. ||||| By John-Thor Dahlburg in Miami January 11, 2006 US AUTHORITIES have accused a Florida university professor and his wife of working as Cuban spies for more than 20 years - sending Fidel Castro's intelligence agency encrypted reports about American officials, FBI agents and anti-Castro groups, and attempting to recruit Cuban-Americans as agents. Carlos Alvarez, 61, and Elsa Alvarez, 55, were charged on Monday with acting as agents of a foreign power without registering with the US Government, as is required by law. If convicted, each could be sentenced to 10 years' jail and fined $US250,000 ($334,000). A federal court judge, Andrea Simonton, ordered the pair, who both work at the Florida International University, held without bond. Prosecutors warned that they might try to flee to Cuba, their birthplace, if released. Neither defendant entered a plea, and they are due back in court on Thursday week. The Alvarezes were not charged with the more serious offence of espionage. FBI agents said there was no evidence that the couple provided classified or defence-related information to Cuba. But "whenever information is transmitted by spies to the Government of Cuba, that clearly endangers the United States", said an assistant US attorney, Alexander Acosta. Federal prosecutors said the Alvarezes, arrested on Friday at their South Miami home, used the code names David and Deborah to communicate with Cuba's Directorate of Intelligence. Prosecutors said the couple sent information via shortwave radio, using an encryption system furnished by their spymasters. They also allegedly carried messages to and from Cuba. In statements prosecutors said were tantamount to confessions, Alvarez reportedly admitted working for the Cubans since 1977, and his wife since 1982. They began their alleged spying activities separately, before they married, said an assistant US attorney, Brian Frazier. Alvarez holds a doctorate in clinical psychology. He is identified on the university's website as a specialist in conflict resolution and the construction of ethnic identities. His wife, a social worker, is a part-time co-ordinator of Florida International University's social work training program. Many of the pair's colleagues said on Monday that word of the charges left them stunned. The university president, Modesto Maidique, considered Alvarez a longtime friend, said a spokesman, Mark Riordan. Los Angeles Times
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A Florida college professor and his wife have been indicted on charges that they are illegal foreign agents and passed on non-classified information to Cuba. Florida International University (FIU) education professor Carlos Alvarez, 61, and his wife Elsa, 55, were ordered to be held without bond or bail on Monday. The U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrea Simonton sided with federal prosecution arguments stating the couple would leave their five children and flee to Cuba if granted bail. Neither of the two entered pleas in Miami Federal Court to the charge that they failed to register themselves as agents from a foreign government. The couple are reported to have lived "low-profile lives" in the academic community. Despite strong criticism from friends and colleagues, federal agents say that the Alvarezes have been "secretly spying for the Cuban government for decades, using all their academic background as covers." Citing university policy, FIU put the Alvarezes on administrative leave, with pay Monday, the first day of school for spring semester. Supervisors were asked to relay all questions to FIU's media relations director, Mark Riordan. The Alvarezes were, however, not charged with the more serious crime of espionage, but the indictment does state that they were trained and equipped by Cuba's Directorate of Intelligence and recruited "young people of Cuban heritage" in the U.S. to be spies. The charge carries up to a 10-year prison term and fines up to $250,000.
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News / Press Releases / September 30, 2007 Quotes From Around The League On Favre And The NFL Touchdown Record Packers-Vikings Game Center Packers Authentic Jersey-#4 Favre Home Starting At $179.95 posted 09/30/2007 Dan Marino's videotaped message to Favre after touchdown pass 421 "Hey Brett, it's Dan Marino. I'd like to take a minute to congratulate you on breaking one of the great records in sports. I loved holding the touchdown record for the past 13 years, but if someone was going to break it, I'm glad it was someone like you, who has always competed at the highest level and always played only to win. Over the past 17 years, you've been a credit to the Packers, and to the National Football League and to the sport that we all love so much. Brett, congratulations on touchdown 421!" ** Commissioner Roger Goodell " Brett Favre is one of the greatest players in NFL history. He's so much fun to watch not only because of his talent but also because of his competitive spirit. He is the only player to win three MVP awards and his consecutive games streak at quarterback is a tribute to his toughness and passion for the game. Brett has been a leader on the field and in the community and his long list of accomplishments is truly remarkable. We have been fortunate to be able to watch him play this long and we all look forward to seeing him set many more records." ** Bart Starr "It's a remarkable accomplishment and richly deserved. Brett is a fabulous competitor and personifies leadership by example. I've never seen a more enthusiastic player and leader." ** Mike Holmgren "As proud and amazed as I am of what Brett is and has accomplished on the playing field, the thing that impresses me the most is what kind of a man and leader he has become off the field. I have taken great joy in watching him develop as a person and father over his career." ** Joe Montana "I honestly thought Danny's records might never be broken. What Brett has done is a tremendous accomplishment. Congratulations you old fart!!!" ** Terry Bradshaw " Brett Favre is the best I have ever seen. And I've never said that about anybody. He's simply the best. He's got the strongest arm, athleticism, field presence, leadership, poise and tenaciousness. He plays hurt, he's fun, he's infectious. He has everything I want to see, including the game-time decisions, the strengths, and all the intangibles." ** Steve Young "If you haven't played quarterback in the NFL you truly don't understand just how difficult it is, let alone to be great at it. Throwing one touchdown is hard but to do what Brett has done, come on. You can't give that record enough respect. Couple that with the consecutive games streak and what he has accomplished is beyond imagination. To have one of those records is astronomical and he's got them all. It was an honor to compete against him and an honor to be his friend." ||||| EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) Brett Favre picked a near-perfect way to become the winningest quarterback in NFL history. Favre completed his first 14 passes of the second half and threw three touchdown passes to rally the Green Bay Packers to a 35-13 victory over Eli Manning and the New York Giants on Sunday. The victory was the 149th of Favre's 17-year career and gave him one more than Hall of Famer John Elway. FAVRE TRACKER: Track the Packers QB's pursuit of major records It also gave the Packers their first 2-0 start since they won their first three in 2001. BOX SCORE: Packers 35, Giants 13 The loss was the second straight for the undisciplined and error-prone Giants, something that hasn't happened at the start of a season since 1996 — the year Dan Reeves got fired. Tom Coughlin, who came into the season under pressure to do more than make the playoffs, may now be really under the gun. Favre threw a go-ahead 2-yard touchdown pass to Bubba Franks on the Packers' opening series of the second half. The eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback added TD tosses of 3-yards to Donald Lee and 10 yards to Donald Driver after New York rookie Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Favre finished 29-of-38 for 286 yards, including 18-of-21 for 147 yards in the second half as he constantly exposed the Giants' suspect defense with short passes. Rookie DeShawn Wynn added touchdown runs of 6 and 38 yards for Green Bay. Manning, whose playing status was uncertain all week because of a sprained shoulder, played well, leading New York to scores on three consecutive series bridging the second and third quarters. He threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress and helped set up field goals of 48 and 32 yards by Lawrence Tynes, who also missed a 34-yarder on the opening series of the game. Manning finished 16-of-29 for 211 yards. He threw a costly interception to defensive tackle Corey Williams with 6:35 to play. Backup Jared Lorenzen replaced Manning after Wynn's long touchdown run gave Green Bay a 35-13 lead. Down 10-7 at the half, Favre dominated the second half despite getting little help from his rushing attack. A 42-yard kickoff return by Tramon Williams gave the Packers the ball at their own 49. Favre needed 10 plays to go the 51 yards. He hit fullback Korey Hall for two 10-yard dumpoffs early in the drive and a 17-yarder James Jones before finding the burly Franks for the go-ahead touchdown. Favre completed all five passes on the drive. After Tynes' 32-yard field goal cut the gap to 14-13, Favre engineered an 80-yard drive on which he hit all nine of his passes. None was longer than 19 yards and six were less than 10 yards, including the 3-yarder to Lee on a pass to the right corner of the end zone. Favre iced the game after Bradshaw's fumble on the kickoff was recovered by Tracy White at the New York 22. Five plays later, he found Driver in the back of the end zone for a 28-13 lead. The Giants, who gave up 45 points in a season-opening loss to Dallas, were defenseless in the second half. While Manning played well on offense, New York made a lot of dumb plays. Pro Bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey was called for a delay penalty after a first-down catch at the Packers 16 late in the first half with the score tied at 7. He later dropped a potential first-down pass at the Green Bay 3 just seconds later, forcing Tynes to make a 48-yard field goal and give the Giants a 10-7 lead. Veteran Amani Toomer also had an embarrassing mistake in the third quarter. He was called for a taunting penalty at the Green Bay 8 a couple of plays before New York had to settle for Tynes' second field goal, cutting the Packers lead to 14-13 with 4:22 left in the third quarter. Instead of a third-and-goal at the Green Bay 8, New York was pushed back to the 23. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Brett Favre, who broke the career touchdown record Sunday. Quarterback Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers broke Dan Marino's record for career touchdown passes on Sunday, throwing number 421 to receiver Greg Jennings with 4:56 left in the first quarter. The recordbreaking pass was a 16-yard slant route, and Favre had to throw a bullet to complete it. Though the game was being played at the Metrodome, even the Minnesota Vikings fans stood and applauded as Favre celebrated with his teammates. After the announcement of the record was made, a taped message from Marino played on the Jumbotron. "Hey Brett, it's Dan Marino. I'd like to take a minute to congratulate you on breaking one of the great records in sports. I loved holding the touchdown record for the past 13 years, but if someone was going to break it, I'm glad it was someone like you, who has always competed at the highest level and always played only to win," said Marino. "Over the past 17 years, you've been a credit to the Packers, and to the National Football League and to the sport that we all love so much. Brett, congratulations on touchdown 421!" This historic event came just two weeks after Favre broke John Elway's record for career wins by a quarterback, defeating the New York Giants for win number 149. The Green Bay icon also holds the records for career completions and consecutive games started by a quarterback, which continued on Sunday at 241. Later in the second quarter of today's game, Favre threw the 8,359th pass of his career, eclipsing another of Marino's records. When asked about the record after the game, a subdued Favre said,"It's just a number. Am I proud? Absolutely. I'm more proud of the fact that we won this game...I'm pleased it's over, and I'm honored. To play this long, I think, is a special thing and to achieve this is, uh, very special,". He added that, in his mind, Dan Marino is still the best quarterback of all time.
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California inmate J.C.X. Simon was found dead in his prison cell at San Quentin prison late Thursday night, prison officials said Friday. Simon, 69, was one of four men known as the "Zebra Killers" for a string of racially motivated killings that took place in San Francisco. The four black men were convicted of targeting white victims during a 6-month spree between October 1973 to April 1974 that killed 14 people and wounded seven more. Simon was found unresponsive in his single cell and pronounced dead just before midnight at the prison where he was serving a life sentence. His cause of death is unknown and an autopsy will be performed, according to a release from the prison. Simon was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon. The three other men convicted in the killings are serving life sentences at separate California prisons. SOCIAL — Jillian Sederholm First published March 13 2015, 11:36 PM ||||| J.C.X. Simon -- one of the so-called "Zebra Killers" convicted of multiple murders of white San Franciscans in the 1970s -- has died, prison officials said Friday. Simon, 69, was pronounced dead at San Quentin prison at 11:59 p.m. Thursday after being found unresponsive in his cell, Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials said. The cause of death is unknown pending the results of an autopsy. Simon entered the prison system on March 30, 1976, to serve a life sentence with the possibility of parole. He was convicted in San Francisco County of two counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon. He and three other men -- who were also sentenced to life terms -- were convicted after what was described at the time as "San Francisco's longest criminal trial," with 174 witnesses testifying. In all, 14 people were killed and at least seven were wounded. The suspects were all black and young, and the search for perpetrators unleashed a dragnet that pulled in many innocent men for questioning. U.S. District Judge Alfonso Zirpoli halted the wholesale questioning of African Americans in the racial slayings. In a case brought by the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People and the American Civil Liberties Union, Zirpoli ruled that although the stops might be "logical and practical," they constituted illegal "deprivation of another's constitutional rights." The random killings of whites occurred between 1973 and 1976. The suspects were named for the police radio channel used to try to identify and capture them. The trial relied on testimony from Anthony C. Harris, who allegedly participated in the "hunts" for white victims and turned against the others. Harris testified that the men were an offshoot of the Fruit of Islam called the Death Angels. The Fruit of Islam was the security arm of the Nation of Islam. According to a December 1975 Los Angeles Times report, the Death Angels had a plan to "run all the whites out of San Francisco" and establish the city as the Death Angels headquarters. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 87. They did not know one another, nor did those who were wounded. Still serving life sentences with the possibility of parole are: Larry Green, 63, incarcerated at California State Prison-Solano in Vacaville; Manuel Moore, 70, at Ironwood State Prison in Blythe; and Jessie Lee Cooks, 70, at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. Twitter: @leeromney ||||| J.C.X. Simon, 2012 (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- One of the four men convicted of participating in a string of racially motivated attacks in the mid-1970s that killed 14 people and injured seven in San Francisco was found dead in his San Quentin prison cell, California prison officials said Friday. The body of J.C.X. Simon, 69, was found in his one-man cell shortly before midnight Thursday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said. The cause of death is unknown, and an autopsy is planned. Simon was convicted of two first-degree murder charges in 1976 and was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole, the maximum sentence allowed In California at the time. Simon and three other black men were convicted of participating in a six-month murder spree that targeted white victims in San Francisco. Between October 1976 and April 1974, 14 people were murdered and seven wounded -- including Art Agnos, who would go on to serve as San Francisco's mayor. The killing spree was dubbed the "zebra murders" because of the racial motivations. Then-Mayor Joe Alioto ordered a city-wide dragnet to catch the killers. Police stopped and questioned nearly every young black man they encountered between the ages of 20 and 30 who were six-feet tall or few inches shorter. Those questioned and cleared were given a card to show other officers who detained them. Advertisement The three other men convicted of participating in the killings are all serving life sentences with the possibility of parole at separate California prisons
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Simon died at on Thursday J.C.X Simon, one of the convicted '', has died at the age of 69 in . His death came shortly before midnight on Thursday, with the cause remaining unknown. Simon was convicted alongside three others for the killing spree known as the 'Zebra Killings' in San Francisco in the 1970s. A statement released by prison officials said "The cause of death is unknown pending the results of an autopsy." Simon was found unresponsive in his single person cell. In total fourteen people were killed by Simon and three other assailants, all of whom were black. The murders took place in 1973 and 1974, with all of the victims being white and targeted purely on race. At least seven more victims were injured in the shootings, including future San Francisco mayor . According to Anthony C. Harris, the suspects were part of the 'Death Angels', an offshoot of the . Harris was a key witness in the trial, who was alleged to have taken part in the hunt for white victims. Simon was convicted, and sentenced to life without , in 1976. The charges consisted of two counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and assault with a deadly weapon. The other men convicted for the murders were Larry Green, Manuel Moore, and Jessie Lee Cooks. The three remaining convicts remain incarcerated without possibility of parole. == Sources == * * *
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Google will appeal against an Italian court verdict that found two senior executives and a former employee guilty of breach of privacy in a case involving a video of a disabled boy. David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer, and Peter Fleischer, its global privacy counsel, were yesterday given six-month suspended prison sentences after being found guilty of violating the Italian privacy code. George Reyes, a for-mer executive, was convic-ted on the same charge and given the same sentence. ||||| In a case that could have broad implications for Internet use around the world, an Italian court convicted three Google Inc. executives Wednesday of criminal charges for failing to quickly remove an uploaded video. Officials at the Mountain View company pledged to appeal, saying if the verdict is allowed to stand, "the Web as we know it will cease to exist." Legal experts agreed the case raises troubling questions for all U.S. Internet companies that do business globally. "It absolutely is a threat," said Danny O'Brien, international outreach coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation of San Francisco. "If intermediaries like Google or the person who hosts your Web site can be thrown in jail in any country for the acts of other people and suddenly have a legal obligation to prescreen everything anyone says on their Web site before putting it online, the tools for free speech that everyone uses on the Net would grind to a halt." Judge Oscar Magi found three of Google's executives - global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer, chief legal officer David Drummond and retired Chief Financial Officer George Reyes - guilty of violating Italian privacy laws. In absentia, the executives were handed six-month suspended sentences, although the judge also cleared them, along with a fourth executive, of defamation charges. The case revolves around a video uploaded to Google Video in 2006 showing an autistic boy in Turin being pummeled and insulted by teenage bullies at school. The video was uploaded before Google bought the more popular YouTube. The video drew 5,500 views in the two months before Google Italy pulled it down two hours after being notified by police. The boy's father and an advocacy group for people with Down syndrome complained the video violated privacy protection laws. Prosecutor Alfredo Robledo told the Associated Press the verdict upheld privacy principles and put the rights of individuals ahead of those of businesses. He said the case will force Google and other firms to be held accountable for screening videos hosted on their sites. "This is the big principal affirmed by this verdict," Robledo said. "It is fundamental, because identity is a primary good. If we give that up, anything can happen, and that is not OK." Internet principles In a company blog post, Google vice president and deputy general counsel Matt Sucherman called the ruling "astonishing" because "none of the four Googlers charged had anything to do with this video." The verdict "attacks the very principles of freedom on which the Internet is built," he wrote. The benefits of the Web could disappear if "sites like Blogger, YouTube and indeed every social network and any community bulletin board are held responsible for every single piece of content that is uploaded to them," he said. Support for Google A host of U.S. technology associations jumped to Google's defense. "Most troubling, what happens in Italy is unlikely to stay in Italy," said Leslie Harris, president of the Center for Democracy and Technology. "The Italian court's actions today will surely embolden authoritarian regimes and be used to justify their own efforts to suppress Internet freedom." Ed Black, chief executive of the Computer and Communications Industry, said he believes the ruling will be found inconsistent with European Union laws governing Internet content. But, he added, "this is an example of a bird in the tunnel telling us how easily it could get way out of control. This is not the only instance of countries or governments lashing out rather clumsily with blunt instruments about things they don't like on the Internet." Local distinctions Indeed, firms large enough to have an Internet presence in other countries have faced numerous skirmishes over local distinctions of laws such as copyright and intellectual property. Recently, Google has become embroiled in a dispute with China, saying it will stop censoring search results in that country after attacks on the Gmail accounts of human rights advocates there. For those firms, there are no easy answers, said James Burger, an intellectual property attorney with the Washington, D.C., law firm Dow Lohnes. "I could see Italy arguing we should adopt their law in this instance," Burger said. "There is a larger problem, which is: How do we deal with U.S. companies being slammed abroad for acts that are legal in the United States?" Pressure on Italy Jason Schultz, director of the Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic at UC Berkeley, said it's unclear whether Italian officials will try to apply the ruling more broadly. "There will be a lot of pressure on the Italian government to rethink this shortsighted approach once the Italian citizenry realizes how limiting it will be to only have access to government-approved media," Schultz said. This article appeared on page DC - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle ||||| MILAN - Three Google executives were convicted yesterday of violating Italian privacy laws in a ruling that the company denounced as an “astonishing’’ attack on freedom of expression on the Internet. The case involves online videos showing an autistic boy being bullied by classmates in Turin, which were posted in 2006 on Google Video, an online video-sharing service that Google ran before its acquisition of YouTube. Prosecutors said the videos violated Italian personal privacy protections. They said the clips were removed only after complaints from Vivi Down, a group representing people with Down syndrome, whose name was mentioned in the videos. Google said it will appeal, warning that the verdicts raised questions about the viability of user-generated content platforms like YouTube in Italy and potentially elsewhere in Europe. Video-sharing services generally rely on users to notify them of potentially problematic content, which is then taken down if it violates the terms of service. Screening or editing the contents of user-generated video sites in advance, they say, is impossible because of the volume of material that is posted. Google insists that under European Union law, video-sharing sites are protected from liability for the content of material posted. © Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company. ||||| In late 2006, students at a school in Turin, Italy filmed and then uploaded a video to Google Video that showed them bullying an autistic schoolmate. The video was totally reprehensible and we took it down within hours of being notified by the Italian police. We also worked with the local police to help identify the person responsible for uploading it and she was subsequently sentenced to 10 months community service by a court in Turin, as were several other classmates who were also involved. In these rare but unpleasant cases, that's where our involvement would normally end.But in this instance, a public prosecutor in Milan decided to indict four Google employees —David Drummond, Arvind Desikan, Peter Fleischer and George Reyes (who left the company in 2008). The charges brought against them were criminal defamation and a failure to comply with the Italian privacy code. To be clear, none of the four Googlers charged had anything to do with this video. They did not appear in it, film it, upload it or review it. None of them know the people involved or were even aware of the video's existence until after it was removed.Nevertheless, a judge in Milan today convicted 3 of the 4 defendants — David Drummond, Peter Fleischer and George Reyes — for failure to comply with the Italian privacy code. All 4 were found not guilty of criminal defamation. In essence this ruling means that employees of hosting platforms like Google Video are criminally responsible for content that users upload. We will appeal this astonishing decision because the Google employees on trial had nothing to do with the video in question. Throughout this long process, they have displayed admirable grace and fortitude. It is outrageous that they have been subjected to a trial at all.But we are deeply troubled by this conviction for another equally important reason. It attacks the very principles of freedom on which the Internet is built. Common sense dictates that only the person who films and uploads a video to a hosting platform could take the steps necessary to protect the privacy and obtain the consent of the people they are filming. European Union law was drafted specifically to give hosting providers a safe harbor from liability so long as they remove illegal content once they are notified of its existence. The belief, rightly in our opinion, was that a notice and take down regime of this kind would help creativity flourish and support free speech while protecting personal privacy. If that principle is swept aside and sites like Blogger, YouTube and indeed every social network and any community bulletin board, are held responsible for vetting every single piece of content that is uploaded to them — every piece of text, every photo, every file, every video — then the Web as we know it will cease to exist, and many of the economic, social, political and technological benefits it brings could disappear.These are important points of principle, which is why we and our employees will vigorously appeal this decision.
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Google Headquarters, Mountain View, California An Italian court convicted three Google Inc. executives Wednesday of criminal charges for breach of privacy. , Google's chief legal officer, Peter Fleischer, its global privacy counsel, and , a former executive, were given six-month suspended prison sentences after being found guilty of violating the Italian privacy code. The Google executives were convicted for not removing a video uploaded to in 2006, showing an boy in being beaten and insulted by teenage bullies at school. The video was up for two months, during which it was viewed 5,500 times. Google Italy pulled it down two hours after being notified by police, following complaints by the boy's father and Vivi Down, an Italian organization representing individuals with . The uploader and several of her classemates were sentenced to ten months community service by a Turin court. Prosecutor Alfredo Robledo told the ''Associated Press'' that the decision puts the rights of individuals ahead of those of businesses. "This is the big principal ''sic'' affirmed by this verdict. It is fundamental, because identity is a primary good. If we give that up, anything can happen, and that is not OK", he stated. Vivi Down said it was satisfied with the verdict and maintained that their aim was not to censure freedom of expression but to obtain a judgment on fundamental right to privacy. Matt Sucherman, Google Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, said that "the verdict attacks the very principles of freedom on which the internet is built." He continued that under European law, video-sharing sites are protected from liability for the content of material posted. "If that principle is swept aside and sites ... are held responsible for vetting every single piece of content that is uploaded to them ... then the Web as we know it will cease to exist, and many of the economic, social, political and technological benefits it brings could disappear." He said Google will appeal the decision. , international outreach coordinator for the of San Francisco (an international non-profit digital rights advocacy group), described the decision as a "threat". "If intermediaries like Google or the person who hosts your Web site can be thrown in jail in any country for the acts of other people and suddenly have a legal obligation to prescreen everything anyone says on their Web site before putting it online, the tools for free speech that everyone uses on the Net would grind to a halt", he said.
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Buy AP Photo Reprints KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- Taliban militants attacked police checkpoints ringing a key provincial capital in southern Afghanistan for the second time in a week, sparking a battle in which 18 insurgents were killed, an official said Wednesday. The late Tuesday attack came only two days after hundreds of militants gathered on the horizons of Lashkar Gah for an apparent large-scale assault on the capital of Helmand province. NATO called in fighter aircraft and 60 militants were reported killed. The second attempt on the capital of the world's largest opium producing region would appear to signal the Taliban's interest in disrupting a major government center. Large-scale Taliban attacks on major Afghan towns have been rare since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, and the latest push on Lashkar Gah could be a worrying development for NATO and U.S.-led troops. Fighting typically takes place in small villages and rural areas. Tuesday's battle killed 18 militants and wounded three police, said provincial police chief Assadullah Sherzad. Sherzad said authorities recovered only one militant body and that the others were carried away by fighters. Afghan officials say they rely on intelligence reports to form militant death tolls, but government officials have been known to exaggerate such tolls in past battles. Insurgency-related violence has killed more than 4,800 people - mostly militants - this year, according to an Associated Press count of figures from Western and Afghan officials. In a separate incident, six policemen died after a shootout among officers inside a police checkpoint about 15 miles north of Lashkar Gah, said Daud Ahmadi, the spokesman for the provincial governor. "We are investigating how and why this incident happened," Ahmadi said. He provided no other details. © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy. ||||| HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan –NATO troops in Afghanistan launched their biggest offensive of the war early Saturday, attacking what they call the last Taliban stronghold in a war-scarred southern province. Military officials said the offensive—dubbed Operation Moshtarak— got under way at 2 a.m. (4:30 p.m. ET Friday). By about 8 a.m. (10 p.m. ET Friday) two firefights had erupted between the Taliban and U.S. Marines in Marjah. The offensive turned a main bazaar near the city center into a ghost town after residents were warned to leave the area. NATO forces said they are following a directive not to shoot at civilians, some of whom are still on the streets. "Insurgents who do not accept the government's offer to reintegrate and join the political process will be met with overwhelming force," the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command said in a statement. "However, the strongest of measures will be taken to protect the civilian population." Some of about 15,000 troops from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Afghanistan attacked Taliban targets in and around Marjah, a city of 80,000 to 100,000 where the Taliban has set up a shadow government, coalition military authorities said. "Marjah is the last enemy sanctuary in the Marine area of operations," said Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan commanding general. "This operation is designed to reconnect the people of Marjah with the legitimate government of Afghanistan. We are fully partnered with the Afghan government for this operation, and we have the resources we need to be successful." The Afghan government described the offensive - carried out in central Helmand with the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, ISAF Regional Command (South), and the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team - as "clearing" operations. Moshtarak, a Dari word for "together," symbolizes the fact that combined forces are serving alongside one another. The coalition said its troops expected to confront up to 1,000 entrenched Taliban fighters. It expected foreign Taliban fighters to battle to the death but is prepared for local Taliban members in Marjah to try to escape. “We will follow the enemies and bring them to justice,” said Gen. Mohiyiden Ghori of the Afghan National Army. In the past few days, forces from Afghanistan, Britain and other nations have conducted air and ground operations to prepare for the assault and dropped leaflets in and around Marjah warning residents not to allow the Taliban to enter their homes. The allies had been unusually vocal in describing their plans for the assault. (Related: Why the military publicized operations) “I think there’s a certain strength in the Pashtunwali culture just from laying it out there in saying, ‘Hey, we are coming. Deal with it,’” U.S. Marine Gen. Larry Nicholson has said. Some of the 30,000 additional U.S. troops that President Barack Obama sent to Afghanistan will take part in the fight. The goal is to force the Taliban from Marjah so that people there can live free of Taliban influence and drug traffickers in a province with a major source of the world’s opium. It’s an example of a U.S. strategy to focus on population centers and separate the Taliban from Afghan civilians. (Related: Why Marjah, why now?) “It’s about the security of the population, not fighting down insurgent numbers,” British Gen. Gordon Messenger has said. About 3,000 U.S. Marines are involved in the fight. The advance notice given to residents will help avert civilian casualties, a problem that has hurt the military’s credibility among Afghans. They are also trying to get those Taliban who aren’t hard-core to turn in themselves and their weapons. Reaching the battleground could be one of the biggest challenges for NATO and Afghan troops. It’s a tough terrain hard to cross with tanks. The town of Marjah is surrounded by a deadly ring of roadside bombs, military officials say. They say the Taliban has had months to plant bombs in the ground, most of them homemade mixes of ammonium nitrate, shrapnel fuel, salt or flour. Such bombs have caused about 80 percent of the deaths in past fighting in Helmand province, military officials said. They are detonated remotely or by pressure plates. “This is possibly the largest IED threat NATO has ever faced,” Nicholson has said. Massive armored vehicles, called assault breacher vehicles, were to lead the charge into Marjah, coalition authorities said before the offensive. The tank-like vehicles can destroy roadside bombs. Even with their help, though, military officials have increased staff at the hospital at Camp Bastion, in the capital of Helmand province, in anticipation that roadside bombs would cause casualties. Troops also expect to encounter booby-trapped houses, as well as fierce urban combat. ||||| Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement More than 15,000 American, British and Afghan troops have launched the biggest offensive in Afghanistan since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001. Helicopter-borne forces are attacking the Taliban-held districts of Marjah and Nad Ali in Helmand province in a bid to re-establish government control. Nato says Marjah is home to the biggest community under insurgent control in the south and 400 to 1,000 militants. Many residents fled ahead of Operation Moshtarak - meaning "together" in Dari. Nato had distributed leaflets in the Marjah area warning of the planned offensive in a bid to limit civilian casualties. Villagers said they warned Taliban fighters to leave the area or be killed. We are going to take this place and take it very hard Senior Nato official Conflict reaches critical juncture Details on Operation Moshtarak Despite the warnings, reports from Helmand suggest many civilians remain, while the Taliban has claimed its fighters are ready to resist the assault. It is thought the Taliban will have prepared defences, and planted many improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the routes they expect troops to take. Earlier this week British forces began a "softening up" process, taking part in a Nato ground and air offensive on insurgent positions. On Thursday a British soldier involved in Operation Moshtarak was killed by an IED, and UK Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth has warned that there will be more casualties in the coming days. 'First wave' Operation Moshtarak is being led by the US Marine Corps, but a total of 4,000 British troops are involved on the ground and in support, supported by Danes and Estonians. AT THE SCENE Frank Gardner BBC News Kandahar airbase British forces are taking part on the ground and in the air, amongst a total of 15,000 coalition and Afghan troops. Intelligence reports that some insurgents have decided not to fight, but that others have been laying clusters of improvised explosive devices on the routes they expect troops to take. Senior British and other officers here at this airbase have spent months planning this operation, which they say has been closely co-ordinated with Afghan leaders, both civil and military. The test of its success will not just be on the battlefield today, but in whether it can bring lasting security and good governance to the population of central Helmand. The initial offensive in Marjah, in Nad Ali district, began early on Saturday. More than 4,000 US marines, 1,500 Afghan soldiers and 300 US soldiers moved in by helicopter under cover of night. The assault was preceded by illumination flares, which were fired over the town at about 0200 local time (2130 GMT on Friday ), the Associated Press reported. "The first wave of choppers has landed inside Marjah. The operation has begun," said Capt Joshua Winfrey, commander of Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, which was at the forefront of the attack. For the first time Afghan forces have been at the forefront of planning and will share the burden of the fighting. More than 1,900 Afghan police will provide support after the initial military operations end, and a large team of Afghan administrators have been assembled. "We are in this together. We planned it together; we will fight it together; we will see it through together. Afghans with allies; soldiers with civilians; government with its people," the commander of British forces in Helmand, Brig James Cowan, told his troops on Thursday. "Soon we will clear the Taliban from its safe havens in central Helmand. Where we go, we will stay. Where we stay, we will build." 'Tipping point' A senior Nato official told the BBC that Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai, had approved the start of the offensive on Thursday. Residents of Marjah fear being trapped between troops and militants The official said it was "probably the definitive operation" of the counter-insurgency strategy outlined last year by the commander of both Nato and US forces in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal. "If it goes well, this operation could potentially define the tipping point, the crucial momentum aspect in the counter-insurgency," the official said. "We are going to take this place and take it very hard." The decision to go into Marjah is part of an effort to secure a 320km (200-mile) horseshoe-shaped string of towns that runs along the Helmand River, through Kandahar and on to the Pakistani border. The area holds 85% of the population of Kandahar and Helmand. MARJAH: 'TALIBAN STRONGHOLD' Town and district about 40km (25 miles) south-west of Lashkar Gah Lies in Helmand's 'Green Zone' - an irrigated area of lush vegetation and farmland Last remaining major Taliban stronghold in southern Helmand Area considered a centre for assembling roadside bombs Key supply centre for opium poppies - lucrative revenue source for Taliban Estimates of Taliban numbers range up to 1,000 Population of Marjah town put at 80,000 while the whole of Marjah district is thought to have 125,000 UK forces 'soften up' Taliban targets The BBC's Adam Brookes says the offensive has political importance in Washington because it is by far the largest single operation since President Barack Obama announced a "surge" in December, increasing the number of US troops in the country by 30,000 to nearly 100,000. Marjah, which lies in Helmand's "green zone" - an irrigated area of lush vegetation and farmland - is a hive of Taliban activity and is a centre for cultivation of opium poppies. Once the area is secured, Nato hopes to provide aid and to restore public services in the area. The aim, the alliance says, is to win support among the estimated 125,000 people who live there and prevent the Taliban from regaining control. Operation Moshtarak: Assault in Helmand province Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version
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Leaflets were dropped into Marja in preparation for the attack. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan has launched a large-scale siege of the town of Marja, currently held by Taliban insurgents. The attacking forces consist of Afghan, American, British, and Canadian troops. Operation Moshtarak marks the largest Afghan-ISAF joint offensive to-date. The aim of the operation is to wrest control of the town in Helmand Province from Taliban forces. The operation was announced several days in advance in order to allow the 80,000 civilians in the town an opportunity to leave, or prepare for the siege. Reports indicate over 10,000 citizens subsequently left and the local government is preparing shelter for them in nearby towns. This strategy is hoped to minimise civilian casualties; however, the side-effect is giving Taliban defenders time to prepare. 15,000 troops are involved in the operation, while the Taliban defense is believed to consist of between 1,000 and 2,000 militants. The attack was launched with an initial wave of over 4,000 US Marines, 1,500 from the Afghan Army plus 300 US Army soldiers flying into the city by helicopter at about 2am local time (2130 UTC). Operation Moshtarak is the first major operation in Afghanistan since the United States sent 30,000 reinforcements in late December. If successful, ISAF hopes it may mark a turning point in the conflict in Helmand, as Marja provides a base of operations for key Taliban figures in the province. Upon securing the town, NATO hopes to quickly restore public service and provide alternative livelihoods for the town's opium farmers — a bid to win over the population and prevent Taliban resurgence in the area.
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Sedan flera år driver Wikimedia ett projekt där offentlig konst i hela Sverige görs sökbar på sajten offentligkonst.se. Det är det första sammanhållna projektet i sitt slag och syftar till att ge en konstintresserad allmänhet både överblick och kunskap. På grund av att projektet också publicerar bilder, ligger Wikimedia i rättslig tvist med BUS, Bildkonst Upphovsrätt i Sverige, och nu i veckan beslöt Högsta domstolen att ta upp fallet. Ett offentligt verk får avbildas, men inte återges, menar BUS. Ett offentligt verk är fritt, menar Wikimedia, enligt upphovsrättslagens ”konstverk får avbildas om de stadigvarande är placerade på eller vid allmän plats utomhus”. Offentlig konst är inte bara offentligt finansierad den är också allmän, precis som stadsrummet. Byggnader, träd, fasader, lekplatser, konst – allt ingår i vårt visuella rum. Att från det rummet skära bort just konsten, och belägga fotograferandet av den med spridningsförbud kan möjligen slå mot alla möjliga aktörer – instagramflöden måste upphovsrättssäkras – men mest av allt är det en smygprivatisering av vårt gemensamma. Offentlig konst behöver göras tillgänglig, inte tvärtom. Inget är så osynligt och oförmedlat som ett konstverk i en park. Inga plaketter i världen kan hjälpa det faktum att den offentliga konstens utställningsrum är miljontals hektar stort. Överblicken är nödvändig och en sann kulturgärning. BUS borde sluta skjuta sig själva i foten. ||||| Högsta domstolen prövar om det innebär upphovsrättsintrång att ta en bild på ett offentligt konstverk och lägga ut den på nätet utan tillstånd från konstnären. Bakgrunden är att upphovsrättsorganisationen Bildkonst Upphovsrätt Sverige, BUS, vill kolla om sajten offentligkonst.se bryter mot upphovsrätten då de har en databas med bilder på offentliga konstverk som är fritt tillgänglig för allmänheten, skriver tidningen Journalisten. Sajten själva, som drivs av databasen Wikimedia, hävdar att bilder på konstverk som finns på allmän plats får visas upp för allmänheten och att stöd för detta finns i upphovsrättslagen. Wikimedia Sverige skriver på sin sajt: "En obehaglig sidoeffekt av BUS tolkning är att i stort sett varenda Facebookanvändare och Instagrammare är en brottsling när de laddar upp bilder på byggnader då det är samma text som gäller för byggnader och konstverk i lagen." Nu ska HD alltså pröva om det rör sig om upphovsrättsintrång att publicera bilder på offentlig konst på nätet utan konstnärens tillstånd. ||||| Wikimedia Sverige driver Projektet har drivits Wikimedia tycker att Läs mer: Det hela har – I upphovsrättslagen För i upphovsrättslagen – Att avbilda Men verk som Läs mer: Bilderna som det – Just nu Metadatan är det – I värsta en sajt som heter offentligkonst.se som i grund och botten är vad den heter. En kartbaserad samling bilder på konst som finns i det offentliga rummet – där alla kan se den.med stöd på hundratusentals kronor från Vinnova sedan 2012, och flera kommuner har hjälpt till med listor på sin offentliga konst. Men Bildkonst Upphovsrätt i Sverige (BUS) har invändningar. Redan år 2013 kontaktade de Wikimedia och menade att det krävs tillstånd från upphovsrättsinnehavarna, det vill säga konstnärerna, för att publicera foton av deras konst.de har rätt att publicera bilder på konstverken därför att det i upphovsrättslagen står att “konstverk får avbildas om de stadigvarande är placerade på eller vid allmän plats utomhus”.vandrat hela vägen till Högsta domstolen, som nu meddelat prövningstillstånd. För det finns en viktig knäckfråga. Betyder “avbilda” även att fotografera ett konstverk och lägga upp bilden på internet?använder man två olika uttryck, dels avbilda och dels återge. Vår uppfattning, även enligt gängse experter, är att uttrycken har olika innebörd, säger Erik Forslund, jurist på BUS.står det också att konstverk får återges – men då gäller andra regler, vilket gör att Wikimedia borde ha tillstånd från upphovsrättsinnehavaren. Att fotografera ett konstverk och publicera bilden på internet är inte att “avbilda”, det är att “återge”, menar Erik Forslund.är att fram nya exemplar. När man lägger ut bilder på internet så omfattas det inte av “avbilda”. Det hela faller på sitt eget grepp, för själva idén med att ha två begrepp innebär att man ska ha olika innebörd i dem, säger han.finns i offentliga rum, som på gator och torg kan hamna lite varstans. Ett exempel är Google Maps, där bilder på konstverken som målet gäller har publicerats i streetview-funktionen. Men det är för tidigt att säga att BUS ska gå vidare med upphovsrättskrav även mot andra internetsajter, utöver offentligkonst.se, om de vinner målet.tvistas om är bara en liten del av ett större arbete med att skapa en databas över den offentliga konsten i Sverige och är små – 100 pixlar breda på sajten.finns inget övergripande register, det ligger på kommuner och mindre myndigheter. Vi började bygga en databas och fick stöd av Vinnova. Förutom att vi byggde ett tekniskt api så ville vi visualisera konsten i Sverige och la upp på en karta, säger Jan Ainali, verksamhetschef på Wikimedia Sverige.viktiga på sajten, vilken offentlig konst som finns var och vem som ligger bakom den. Om det visar sig att de inte kan använda bilderna så tar de bort dem. Men på Wikimedia i Sverige är man ändå oroliga för vad en dom som inte går på deras linje skulle kunna innebära.fall blir det svårt att fotografera utomhus överhuvudtaget, då kan var och en råka bryta mot upphovsrätten, säger Jan Ainali. ||||| Anna Troberg är författare, före detta bokförlagschef och partiledare för Piratpartiet. Hennes humoristiska roman "Chefer från helvetet" är publicerad i Sverige, Norge och Finland. Hennes motto är: "Life is pain. Get used to it ... or make it better!" Other posts by Anna Troberg
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The highest court in Sweden, the , agreed on Monday to try the case "''Ö 849-15''" between '''' (BUS, Visual Arts Copyright Society in Sweden) and ''Wikimedia Sverige'' (Wikimedia Sweden). The jurisprudence could result in being effectively overturned in Sweden, requiring websites such as , which is maintained by the Wikimedia Foundation, to delete thousands of images. Not long after ''Wikimedia Sverige'' created the website offentligkonst.se to publish images and metadata about artworks placed in public spaces in Sweden, BUS, a pro-copyright lobby, advocated that it constituted infringement on the artists' copyright. The current lawsuit opposes the interpretation of ''Wikimedia'' — that artwork permanently installed in public space should be subject to the Freedom of Panorama exception that is in effect in Sweden — to that of BUS — that is creation ('''') of images and videos of an artwork in a public space is allowed, their distribution ('''') remains prohibited. , an author and former leader of the which advocates , commented on her , ;Images over which BUS are suing Wikimedia Sverige File:120 DUO.JPG|Thomas Qvarsebo bronze statue ''Duo'', in Stockholm, donated by Eva Bonniers Grants Committee. File:Johan Paalzow Moby Dick.JPG|Johan Paalzow sculpture ''Moby Dick'', in Stockholm. File:Eva Hild Binär.JPG|Eva Hild sculpture ''Binär'', in Stockholm.
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The National Express bus clipped a kerb and rolled over as it entered Newport Pagnell services, Buckinghamshire, at about 1600 BST. There were 33 passengers on the Birmingham to Stansted coach, and 30 of them were hurt, six seriously. Police made the arrest after the driver was cut from the wreckage. The M1 remained open, but the entry to the service station was closed following the crash. The coach hit a lamppost and a tree as it overturned, said a spokesman for Welcome Break, which operates the service area. First aid was given to casualties by staff members, he added. Geoff Bottle, of Milton Keynes fire service, said firefighters had taken 40 minutes to free the trapped coach driver. Some passengers used a skylight to escape from the vehicle. Road and air ambulances took casualties to hospitals in Milton Keynes and Oxford. Kirsty Plummer, a passenger, told BBC news: "I wasn't wearing my seatbelt at first and we were just swerving all over the place and going around corners really fast, so I put my seatbelt on and then just as we did, it come around the corner and crashed into something." Door kicked open Jaiden McClaine, another passenger, said: "As we went round the corner into the services the coach went right up in the air and turned over, passengers were shouting and screaming. "One man kicked open a door and I got out." In a statement, National Express said the coach was the 777 service travelling from Birmingham Digbeth to Stansted Airport, with 33 passengers on board. The coach left Birmingham at 1400 BST to go to Luton Airport and was to due arrive at Stansted Airport at 1755 BST. It had also stopped at Coventry. ||||| Community It’s now easier than ever to connect and chat with others in your local area. You can connect with your community by asking general questions, give area updates and recommendations and even let your community know about local events that are taking place.
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A National Express Coach similar to the one involved in the crash. The driver of a National Express coach has been arrested on suspicion of Drunk Driving and Dangerous Driving after his coach clipped the curb and overturned, hitting a lamp post and tree, at Newport Pagnell services, in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom, at around 16:00 BST. Six of the 33 passengers were seriously injured and another 24 sustained minor injuries on the 777 service carrying holiday makers from Birmingham to London Stansted. First Aid was administered by the staff at the services before the 15 ambulances and 4 air ambulances arrived at the scene. After firefighters arrived at the scene it took them 40 minutes to remove the driver from the wreckage on the entrance slip to the services and the scene remains closed as investigation work continues. It is the second recent incident involving a National Express coach, the previous involving the overturning of a double decker coach which caused the death of three passengers.
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AFM: Sneak Peek at Train and Dark Floors Source: Ryan Rotten November 5, 2007 ShockTillYouDrop.com has been slavishly bringing you the latest news from the American Film Market where we got early looks at films like(review forthcoming),(a worthy entry in Romero's zombie oeuvre) and. And while many genre offerings there unraveled on the big screen, others played out in abbreviated sales reels to entice potential buyers. We schmoozed our way from room to room at the Loews Hotel in Santa Monica and hustled for horror, putting on a tap dance like a dancing monkey before production company reps hoping we'd be rewarded with a peek at the secret arsenal of atrocities they had tucked away for the future.Shock first got on board for eight minutes from Nu Image's, a loose remake (and we meanas a goose) of Roger Spottiswoode'sstarring Jamie Lee Curtis. What we witnessed was a spoiler-filled highlights riff on the film from beginning to end. No fear. Nothing will be ruined here, but we'll say this: If the original 1980 film was a reflection of the slasher film era, this update by Gideon Raff is undoubtedly a hellspawn of our current state of torture-fed horror. Thora Birch is the final girl this time, one in a pack of student athletes traveling abroad who are nailed (split open, carved, etc.) on the rails by some unfriendly passengers of the foreign variety. Torture doesn't appear to be the motive, what we gleaned appeared to fall more in line withand it's focus on organ harvesting, still,-influences ran rampant throughout scenes of large apron-wearing goons making mince meat out of the young 'uns.of money shots (gore, baby, gore!), an unsettling scene of someone having their exposed vertebrae chiseled and not a lick of David Copperfield in sight. We now see why Raff was so quick to dismiss this film as a straight remake If(pictured) was a starring vehicle for the Finnish rock group Lordi, we wouldn't have known it from the five minutes we were privy to. Quite simply, the movie looks awesome and a conscious attempt to not make a shitty horror film with a group of musicians. The set-up we watched was simple: A father visits his ailing autistic daughter in the hospital and wheels her into a full elevator of folks in an attempt to remove her from the facility. When the elevator doors open, however, the hospital is a quiet tomb. But time proves this remaining group is not alone and they're being stalked by a band of monstrous beings - enter Lordi, but again, we barely got to see them in the preview. The atmosphere is thick (reminiscent of the "Silent Hill" games) and the tone is being played straight and sharp as a razor. Don't write this one off yet, fiends! ||||| Remember Me HELLSHOCK "Shadows of the Afterworld" BIGELF "Hex" JAPANISCHE KAMPFHÖRSPIELE "Rauchen und Yoga" ELECTRIC WIZARD "Witchcult Today" VESANIA "Distractive Killusions" Last Updated: December 20, 2007 11:53 PM LORDI: Official 'Dark Floors' Teaser Available - Nov. 5, 2007 "Dark Floors" — the feature film starring the Finnish "monster" metal band LORDI — can be viewed below. The plot summary is as follows: Concerned for her autistic daughter's health, a father sees her removal from the hospital by force as the only option. An elevator breakdown prevents a smooth exit and renders them trapped with others. Yet the incident is only the beginning of a descent into nightmare. As the doors open, the hospital appears mysteriously deserted. When mutilated bodies are found, creatures from a dark world start a frightening attack. It soon becomes clear that the survival of the group may rest solely on the little girl. "Dark Floors" was shot in Finland at a cost of 4.2 million euros (approximately $6 million), according to Screen Daily. The film, which features a largely Finnish cast, will premiere in the country on February 8, 2008. LORDI recently introduced the film at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie was described by the band's lead singer, Mr. Lordi, as a "traditional modern horror" that will feature monsters and "horrific scenes." Mr. Lordi (real name: Tomi Putaansuu) added that the band's latex masks and monstrous costumes were derived from horror films so it was "kind of natural" for them to make their own movie. Twelve images from "Dark Floors" can be found at "Dark Floors" official teaser: "Dark Floors" unofficial teaser: "Behind-the-scenes" footage: (Thanks: psyanide / MonsterDiscoHell.com) The official "teaser" for— the feature film starring the Finnish "monster" metal band— can be viewed below.The plot summary is as follows: Concerned for her autistic daughter's health, a father sees her removal from the hospital by force as the only option. An elevator breakdown prevents a smooth exit and renders them trapped with others. Yet the incident is only the beginning of a descent into nightmare. As the doors open, the hospital appears mysteriously deserted. When mutilated bodies are found, creatures from a dark world start a frightening attack. It soon becomes clear that the survival of the group may rest solely on the little girl.was shot in Finland at a cost of 4.2 million euros (approximately $6 million), according toThe film, which features a largely Finnish cast, will premiere in the country on February 8, 2008.recently introduced the film at theThe movie was described by the band's lead singer,, as a "traditional modern horror" that will feature monsters and "horrific scenes."(real name:) added that the band's latex masks and monstrous costumes were derived from horror films so it was "kind of natural" for them to make their own movie.Twelve images fromcan be found at ShockTillYouDrop.com official teaser:unofficial teaser:"Behind-the-scenes" footage:(Thanks: To report any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, please send an e-mail to [email protected] with pertinent details. Anyone posting such material will be immediately and permanently banned. IP addresses are recorded to aid us in enforcing these conditions. COMMENT | posted by : metalcock 11/5/2007 8:15:19 PM Utter toss. "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park" for a new Millennium COMMENT | posted by : RiotAct666 11/5/2007 8:55:52 PM Looks cool COMMENT | wow posted by : EvilGrouse 11/6/2007 1:04:44 AM Could these guys possibly suck more? Terrible. Just horrible music. COMMENT | Amazing! posted by : phiissik 11/6/2007 1:13:15 AM I can't wait. Looks a lot like Silent Hill. BLABBERMOUTH.NET is run and operated independently of Roadrunner Records. The accuracy of the information contained herein is neither confirmed nor guaranteed by Roadrunner Records, and the views and opinions of authors expressed on these pages do not necessarily state or reflect those of Roadrunner Records or its employees. 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A short trailer for the movie ''Dark Floors'', a horror starring Finnish theatrical hard rock band Lordi, has been released. The film, set in a hospital, follows a group of people left trapped by a broken lift as they are attacked by monsters, and focuses heavily on one particular patient, a little autistic girl. ''Dark Floors'', acted in English by a largely Finnish cast, cost €4.2 million (approximately US$6 million) to make. It will make its full premiere in Finland on February 8, 2008, although advance screenings will begin this year. Lordi recently attended the Cannes Film Festival to promote the movie, where the band's lead vocalist and frontman described it as a "traditional modern horror" and promised "horrific scenes."
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In the past, relations between the two brothers have been tempestuous Noel Gallagher has announced he is quitting rock band Oasis because he can no longer work with his brother Liam. Noel, the group's lead guitarist, made the statement on the band's website. He said a series of rows with his brother led to the decision. The guitarist said: "It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. "People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer." 'Gutted' "Apologies to all the people who bought tickets for the shows in Paris, Konstanz and Milan," he added. Earlier it was announced the band had cancelled their second gig in the space of a week because of "an altercation within the band". Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. They had been expected to play the Rock en Seine festival in Paris, but fans at the concert were told by the support band that Oasis would not be performing. Many of the crowd thought it was a joke - until screens at either side of the stage showed the message "as a result of an altercation within the band, the Oasis gig has been cancelled". Hamish McBain, from music magazine New Musical Express, said despite a long history of falling out between the two brothers, this split has an air of finality. He told the BBC: "The relationship between Noel and Liam has been frosty over the last tour, to say the least, but it's been frosty before. "Noel has left tours before, Liam's not showed up for gigs before, and they've carried on. But this, certainly the way Noel's presented it on the Oasis website, it does feel like it has a degree of finality to it." Oasis fans used Twitter to respond to the news that lead guitarist Noel had quit. 'Worst day ever' PsychedelicAdam posted: "Noel Gallagher leaves Oasis? Gutted, no more Oasis then I guess, they were one of my favourite bands." Wolvolass said: "I feel sick, sooo many good memories and gigs seeing Oasis over the years." It does feel like it has a degree of finality to it Hamish McBain, NME MattGriffin added: "This is the worst day ever." On Sunday the band had also cancelled their headline slot at the V Festival in Essex after Liam was diagnosed with viral laryngitis. They performed in Stafford on Saturday but the singer was advised by doctors not to perform again. Oasis formed in Manchester in 1991, but were originally known as The Rain. Wild lifestyles The group was formed by Liam Gallagher (vocals and tambourine), Paul Arthurs (guitar), Paul McGuigan (bass guitar) and Tony McCarroll (drums, percussion), but were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher (lead guitar and vocals). According to the Belfast Telegraph, by June 2009 Oasis had sold more than 50 million records worldwide. They have had eight UK number-one singles and have amassed 15 NME Awards, five BRIT Awards, nine Q Awards and four MTV Europe Music Awards. In February 2007, Oasis received the BRIT Award for outstanding contribution to music. The Gallagher brothers have featured regularly in tabloid newspapers for their sibling disputes, wild lifestyles and highly-public feud with rival Britpop band Blur. The final line-up consisted of guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell, as well as unofficial drummer Chris Sharrock. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| The Gallaghers (centre) have always patched things up in the past Arguments and cancelled gigs are nothing new for Oasis. For them, spectacular popularity has always gone hand-in-hand with spectacular bust-ups. But neither brother has formally left the band - until now. Noel Gallagher has quit, saying he can no longer work with brother and bandmate Liam. As fans question whether this really is the end, the troubles and triumphs they have shared over the years are recalled below. THE RISE 1991 - The band form with an original line-up of the Gallagher brothers, Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs, Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll, initially under the name Rain. The band form with an original line-up of the Gallagher brothers, Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs, Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll, initially under the name Rain. May 1993 - Discovered by Creation Records owner Alan McGee while playing third on the bill at Glasgow venue King Tut's Wah Wah Hut. He offers them a record deal on the spot. Oasis shot to fame as Britpop took off February 1994 - The world gets the first taste of their bad behaviour when Liam and Guigsy are detained on a ferry for causing mayhem in the bar en route to a gig in Amsterdam. They are immediately deported. - The world gets the first taste of their bad behaviour when Liam and Guigsy are detained on a ferry for causing mayhem in the bar en route to a gig in Amsterdam. They are immediately deported. April - Debut single Supersonic is released. Oasis are at the forefront of Britpop - an explosive time for British guitar music, with bands that dominated the charts and the airwaves. - Debut single Supersonic is released. Oasis are at the forefront of Britpop - an explosive time for British guitar music, with bands that dominated the charts and the airwaves. April - Liam and Noel are at each others' throats during an infamous interview with NME, proving rows are nothing new. The following year, the recording is released on 7" single under the title Wibbling Rivalry. THE BIG TIME September 1994 - Debut album Definitely Maybe reaches number one in UK. - Debut album Definitely Maybe reaches number one in UK. August - A fan jumps on stage and punches Noel in the face, cutting him with his ring, before Noel and Liam hit back. Bottles are thrown as the band abandon the gig, and the crowd smashes the windows of the tour bus as they leave the venue. - A fan jumps on stage and punches Noel in the face, cutting him with his ring, before Noel and Liam hit back. Bottles are thrown as the band abandon the gig, and the crowd smashes the windows of the tour bus as they leave the venue. February 1995 - Oasis are named best British newcomers at the Brit Awards - but arch rivals Blur win four awards, including best British group. - Oasis are named best British newcomers at the Brit Awards - but arch rivals Blur win four awards, including best British group. August - Amid much media hysteria, Oasis release their single Roll With It on the same day that Blur release Country House. In the great Battle of Britpop, Blur score number one and Oasis lose out. The band picked up three Brit Awards in 1996 September - Guigsy, suffering from nervous exhaustion, refuses to go on tour. The band recruit an unknown replacement, Scott McLeod. But he walks out suddenly after just a month, prompting the Gallaghers to scrap the rest of their US dates. Guigsy later returns. - Guigsy, suffering from nervous exhaustion, refuses to go on tour. The band recruit an unknown replacement, Scott McLeod. But he walks out suddenly after just a month, prompting the Gallaghers to scrap the rest of their US dates. Guigsy later returns. February 1996 - Oasis get revenge on Blur at the Brit Awards, winning three gongs, including best group and best album for What's The Story Morning Glory. - Oasis get revenge on Blur at the Brit Awards, winning three gongs, including best group and best album for What's The Story Morning Glory. August - They play to 250,000 people over two nights at Knebworth, now widely seen as the high point of both Britpop and Oasis's fortunes. - They play to 250,000 people over two nights at Knebworth, now widely seen as the high point of both Britpop and Oasis's fortunes. September - At Heathrow Airport, Liam backs out of a US tour 15 minutes before the flight. He says he has to find a new house with wife Patsy Kensit instead of playing to "silly Yanks". The tour starts without him and he flies out later. But relations boil over and two weeks later, Noel cancels the remaining dates. - At Heathrow Airport, Liam backs out of a US tour 15 minutes before the flight. He says he has to find a new house with wife Patsy Kensit instead of playing to "silly Yanks". The tour starts without him and he flies out later. But relations boil over and two weeks later, Noel cancels the remaining dates. August 1997 - Third album Be Here Now sells 663,000 copies in the UK in its first week. It still holds the record for the fastest-selling album. GLOBAL TROUBLES August 1999 - Guigsy and Bonehead leave the band in quick succession. They are replaced by bassist Andy Bell - formerly of indie band Ride - and guitarist Gem Archer, of the group Heavy Stereo. Full story The Gallagher brothers are the only two remaining original band members November 1999 - Liam causes a scare after vanishing for 48 hours - just days before the band start a crucial US tour. Full story - Liam causes a scare after vanishing for 48 hours - just days before the band start a crucial US tour. Full story May 2000 - Noel Gallagher walks out of the group's world tour, blaming a "major disagreement" with Liam, who he says is "a bit of an idiot". He explains: "It's just been made impossible for me to be on the same stage or the same room as him." The other band members play dates without Noel. Full story - Noel Gallagher walks out of the group's world tour, blaming a "major disagreement" with Liam, who he says is "a bit of an idiot". He explains: "It's just been made impossible for me to be on the same stage or the same room as him." The other band members play dates without Noel. Full story July - Oasis - still minus Noel - walk off stage in Switzerland after being pelted with bottles, cans and coins. Noel rejoins the group for a show in Dublin days later. Full story - Oasis - still minus Noel - walk off stage in Switzerland after being pelted with bottles, cans and coins. Noel rejoins the group for a show in Dublin days later. Full story September 2002 - They are forced to scrap several gigs after Noel and Bell suffer minor injuries in a head-on car crash in a taxi in Indianapolis, Indiana. Full story - They are forced to scrap several gigs after Noel and Bell suffer minor injuries in a head-on car crash in a taxi in Indianapolis, Indiana. Full story December 2002 - A German tour is axed after Liam loses two teeth in bar brawl in Munich. Prosecutors say Liam and another unnamed member of the band had large amounts of alcohol and drugs in their blood and Liam is fined fined 50,000 euros (£35,000). Full story THE END? Many new bands cite Oasis as a big influence February 2007 - Oasis receive outstanding contribution honour at the Brit Awards. Full story - Oasis receive outstanding contribution honour at the Brit Awards. Full story October 2008 - Oasis release their seventh album Dig Out Your Soul, which becomes their seventh UK number one. Full story - Oasis release their seventh album Dig Out Your Soul, which becomes their seventh UK number one. Full story August 2009 - Liam tells NME he and his brother rarely speak, do not travel together and only see each other on stage. "He doesn't like me and I don't like him, that's it." Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| Noel Gallagher quit Oasis last night – saying he could no longer be in a band with brother Liam. He wrote on their website: “It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you I quit Oasis tonight. I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.” Noel, left, walked out minutes before the band were due to headline Paris’s Rock en Seine festival after he and Liam, right, had a punch-up. Advertisement - article continues below » Singer Amy Macdonald said on Twitter the brothers had exchanged blows backstage. She wrote: “Liam smashed Noel’s guitar, huuuge fight!” She said the crowd went berserk, adding: “I’ve never heard such loud booing. It was terrifying.” Support band Bloc Party announced Oasis would not be going on as screens flashed up the message: “As a result of an altercation within the band, Oasis has been cancelled.” Fan Ben Clover, 28, moaned: “I was hoping to see the band. Now I am not sure we will ever see them live again.” All the single Ladies..Win tickets to see Beyonce LIVE! ||||| "It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer. "Apologies to all the people who bought tickets for the shows in Paris, Konstanz and Milan."
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Gallagher on stage in 2008 Guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher of the English rock band Oasis announced last night that he had quit the group, saying that he could no longer work with his brother Liam, in the middle of a world tour. He wrote on the band's official website, "It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you I quit Oasis tonight. ''sic'' I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer." This has been interpreted by many as an announcement that the band is to split up. This news comes after a backstage fistfight between the brothers, which singer Amy Macdonald described on her Twitter profile with the text, "Liam smashed Noel’s guitar, huuuge ''sic'' fight!" Oasis cancelled the night's performance, as announced by support act Bloc Party, and screens displayed the message, "As a result of an altercation within the band, the Oasis gig has been cancelled." This announcement was met with booing from the crowd. Alan McGee, who signed Oasis to his Creation Records label, said, "It's obviously the worst fall-out that they've ever had, and they've had some pretty bad ones. This is a pretty serious one. But they love each other, they'll come back together." He predicted that the group would go on to make solo albums, before coming together for "a reunion tour in about five years time."
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Islam Amr Badr died in hospital after being injured (Photo: Al Masry Alyoum) An Egyptian court has sentenced a schoolteacher to six years in jail for beating a pupil to death because he had not done his homework. Maths teacher Haitham Nabeel Abdelhamid, 23, took Islam Amr Badr outside the classroom and hit him violently in the stomach. The 11-year-old boy fainted and later died in hospital of heart failure in the city of Alexandria. The court was told the boy had four broken ribs. Abdelhamid was convicted of manslaughter. He said he only meant to discipline the pupil and did not mean to hurt anyone. The teacher's lawyer was quoted as saying in court: "Hitting [a child] is not banned in schools and my client did not break the law." National outrage Observers say the case has been seen as a shocking reminder of the failings of Egypt's state education system. The incident, at Saad Othman Primary School on the outskirts of Alexandria in October, caused national outrage. Islam's father, Amr Badr Ibrahim, said others should have stood trial with the teacher. "The problem is the teaching and the teachers because they cannot find good teachers," he said. "The minister of education should be the first person to be accused - how can he agree to let such a young man teach children?" In the state education system, young, inexperienced and under-resourced teachers often struggle to control classes of 60 to 100 children. The Egyptian government says it is bringing in education reforms - including new teacher testing. It is also trying to tackle violence in schools and has issued new statements on the prohibition of corporal punishment. ||||| Abdelhamid was convicted of manslaughter after kicking Amr Badr in the stomach [AFP] Abdelhamid was convicted of manslaughter after kicking Amr Badr in the stomach [AFP] Abdelhamid was convicted of manslaughter after kicking Amr Badr in the stomach [AFP] Haitham Nabil Abdel Hamid, the 23-year-old maths teacher, was convicted of manslaughter after kicking 11-year-old Islam Amro Badr in the stomach in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria in October. An Egyptian court has sentenced a teacher to six years in prison for kicking a schoolboy to death after he failed to do his homework, according to a court official. The boy fainted and died shortly after in hospital, with several students saying they saw Abdel Hamid kick Badr. A coroner testified in court that Badr had four broken ribs, Egypt's Al-Masry al-Yom newspaper reported earlier this week, amid emotional scenes in court from the boy's family. The incident has attracted public attention to the failings of Egypt's state education system in which young, inexperienced and under-resourced teachers often struggle to control classes of up to 100 children. The teacher's lawyer was quoted as saying that, "Hitting (a child) is not banned in schools and my client did not break the law." Abdel Hamid said he only meant to discipline his pupil and did not mean to hurt anyone.
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An Egyptian teacher who kicked a schoolboy to death after he failed to complete his homework has been given a six year prison sentence for manslaughter. Islam Amr Badr, the schoolboy, died in a hospital in Alexandria with four broken ribs, according to testimony heard by the court. In response to these allegations, Haitham Nabeel Abdelhamid, the convicted teacher, stated that he was not intending to hurt the child, he was merely intending to discipline him. The lawyer for Abdelhamid also defended his client's actions. He stated that "Hitting children is not banned in schools and my client did not break the law." The Egyptian government has announced new measures and released statements regarding 's eradication in response to this case. Amr Badr Ibrahim, the father of the schoolboy killed, has called for more people than just the teacher to be blamed for the death. "The problem is the teaching and the teachers because they cannot find good teachers," he claimed. "The minister of education should be the first person to be accused - how can he agree to let such a young man teach children?"
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Last Updated: Thursday, 24 February, 2005, 11:52 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version Beckhams celebrate birth of Cruz See David Beckham's reaction to the birth Victoria and David Beckham are celebrating the birth of their third son, whom they have named Cruz. The couple said they were "delighted" after a caesarean section delivery in Madrid at 1040 local time (0940 GMT) on Sunday. The baby weighed 7lb (3.2kg). The Real Madrid and England star said: "He's gorgeous, healthy and his mum is very good so we're a very happy family. He's got Victoria's lips and nose." Cruz means cross in Spanish. First son Brooklyn is now five and Romeo is two. David said the couple had been advised to have the baby delivered a week early but mother and baby were "really well". Medical intervention lasted 30 minutes with no complications whatsoever Dr Vidal Pelaez Hospital Ruber Internacional How many other people are called Cruz? An earlier statement said: "David and Victoria Beckham are delighted to announce the birth of their baby boy Cruz Beckham, born today at 10.40am at the Hospital Ruber Internacional, Madrid." Dr Vidal Pelaez, head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at the hospital, said: "Mother and child are in perfect health. Medical intervention lasted 30 minutes with no complications whatsoever." Cruz is a common surname in Spain and South America, but is an unusual first name, according to Lola Oria, Spanish language tutor at Oxford University. She said Cruz is actually an old-fashioned girl's name, adding: "It is quite a strange thing to do to a little boy." But Cruz Bustamante, who stood against Arnold Schwarzenegger's in the election to be governor of California, is one example of a man named Cruz. Victoria Beckham is thought to want to pursue a fashion career Bookmakers William Hill are offering odds of 100/1 that Cruz Beckham will play for England one day and 1,000/1 that all three boys will get into the England team. News of the pregnancy came months after high-profile reports that David had an affair and rumours that their marriage was in trouble. But the footballer described the stories as "ludicrous". The couple met in 1997 and married in a lavish ceremony at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland four months after Brooklyn's birth in 1999. Victoria had a string of solo hits after the Spice Girls split, most recently reaching number three in the UK with This Groove/Let Your Head Go in January 2004. But in November, she reportedly said she was abandoning her music career to concentrate on fashion designing and motherhood. Your comments: Good luck to the Becks Shirley Wallis, Newport, Shropshire Who cares what they call the little chap? He will want for nothing, but will always NEED the love of his family. Good luck to the Becks, I say. Shirley Wallis, Newport, Shropshire Let's face it, the name was always going to be scrutinised - whatever it had been! It's unusual, but could have been a lot worse! Good luck to them! Lizzie, Suffolk, England Cruz is a fantastic name. I love it. I just wish the Beckham family all the best. Morris, Brussels Who cares if it's usually a girl's name? You get boys called Tracy, Shirley, Lindsay, all traditionally 'girl's names'. And you get girls called Teri, Robin, Charlie, for example. They can call their child whatever they want. And good on them for having the courage to choose something unusual. Vikki, London, UK I think that David and Victoria choose ridiculous Christian names for their children just for the publicity it gives them. They do not spare a thought for their poor kids who have to grow up with silly names. They are not the first! David Bowie saddled his son with the ridiculous name "Zowie" but when he became an adult he changed his name to Joe. Diane Britton, Salford, England It's better than naming a child after a fruit or vegetable Victoria, London The media is making too big of a deal of the chosen name, which isn't just a girls name, it's also a boys name and a common surname as well. Besides it's better than naming a child after a fruit or vegetable! Let the Beckhams name their children what they want and just leave them alone. Victoria, London Wishing them all the best in life. Diana Kambona, Malawi, Southern Africa I'm really glad that the Beckhams have been blessed with another child and I wish them all the best in life. I think people should just respect the name they have chosen and just accept it for once!! Rutendo Hatendi, Harare, Zimbabwe With a name like that, the poor lad will be Cruz-ing for a bruising at school. Unlike his dad, he'll have to learn how to control (Cruz control of course) his temper at an early age - otherwise he'll get Cruz-ified... Morten, Luxembourg I've heard of far worse from everyday mums and dads Jo, Bristol, England I wish them all the very best. It is an unusual name, one I've seen as a surname but not a first name. I've heard of far worse from everyday mums and dads, it's not just celebs who choose strange names for their children. To be honest the baby was never going to have a 'normal' name anyway. Jo, Bristol, England Cruz is a nice name, but big deal! They had another baby and gave it an unusual name, what celebrity doesn't these days? Jenna Aspinall, Warrington, England Cruz is a lovely name for their son. Unusual names are now more popular than ever. I am glad to hear mother and baby are doing well. Hayley Fleet, Liverpool, Merseyside The poor little guy will be picked on at school for having a girl's name! They may have well just called him Mary or Jane. Phil C, London, UK Cruz is a very common first name in El Salvador for both boys and girls. Anne Griffin, Arambala El Salvador I think it is great news and a good name too. Love and best wishes to the whole family. Elizabeth Nickson, Sandbach ,UK I think Cruz is really cool and unique Nazia Sheikh, Southall, London I'm a big fan of the Beckhams and I think their fab! They are such a nice couple and deserve the best. Brooklyn and Romeo are real nice names, and I think Cruz is really cool and unique. All three names couldn't get any better! Nazia Sheikh, Southall, London I am only surprised they didn't name him "Real". This word translated from Spanish to English means - Royal. Enough said. Paul Dawes, The Netherlands Having a ridiculous name won't matter to the boy as when he goes to school it won't be with the ordinary kids. He will no doubt go to a private school, among all the other Fifi Trixibelles, Moon Units, Romeos, and Brooklyns etc. So he won't stand out. Allan Jamieson, East Kilbride, Scotland Who cares what they call their baby! I think it's about time the Beckhams were left alone to get on with things. Julie, London E-mail this to a friend Printable version LINKS TO MORE ENTERTAINMENT STORIES Select Tom Jones leads New Year Honours U2 'tension' over Bono campaigns Mozart clarinet piece tops poll Lost stars in drink-drive hearing Stones 'smash own concert record' Arrests made in J-Lo video case Cruise 'irritates most' say fans No charges for Lohan photographer Poll reveals classical ignorance Sony to settle anti-piracy CD row Blunkett turns tables on Humphrys Deal or No Deal becomes US TV hit Cult novel becomes Russian TV hit Man bailed over Tennyson murder SEE ALSO: The Beckhams in the spotlight 20 Feb 05 | Entertainment Cruz a silly boy? 21 Feb 05 | Funny Old Game Third child on way for Beckhams 29 Aug 04 | UK Beckhams host glitzy christening 23 Dec 04 | UK Beckhams 'sick of untrue stories' 10 Oct 04 | UK TOP ENTERTAINMENT STORIES NOW Tom Jones leads New Year Honours U2 'tension' over Bono campaigns Mozart clarinet piece tops poll Lost stars in drink-drive hearing ||||| Analysis: Why Biden's securities regulator faces climate crackdown challenges With Democrats at the helm, the U.S. securities regulator is pledging to crack down on companies and funds that mislead investors over climate change risks, but that may be easier said than done, more than a dozen attorneys and former agency officials say. ||||| Third son for Beckhams MADRID, Spain (Reuters) -- British pop singer Victoria Beckham, wife of England soccer captain David Beckham, have given birth to their third son, Cruz. The boy was born by Caesarean section a week early at a hospital in Madrid on Sunday, where David Beckham plays for Real Madrid. "We've got a baby boy. His name is Cruz," a beaming David Beckham told reporters. "He is beautiful. He is in there with his brothers now and he is very happy." The Beckhams, Britain's highest-profile celebrity couple, already have two children, Brooklyn, 5, and Romeo, 2. A statement from the hospital said Cruz -- Spanish for "cross" -- was delivered after a 30-minute operation with no complications, weighing 3.22 kg (7 pounds). "It's just a name we liked. We found it hard this time but we came up with a name that we both loved and stuck to it," Beckham said. "He's got Victoria's nose and lips. He's gorgeous so we're very happy." British bookmakers William Hill said they had done a roaring trade as punters betted on what name the Beckhams would choose. "Jose" had been 7-1 favorite, while other choices included the names of Real Madrid teammates such as Zinedine, after French star Zidane, or Ronaldo, after the Brazilian striker. There was no sign of "Cruz" on William Hill's list. The baby was born at 10:40 a.m. (0940 GMT) after doctors at the Ruber clinic asked Victoria to come for an early delivery. Beckham said both mother and child were doing well, although Cruz could remain in hospital for a few more days. The Beckhams' other children were both born at London's exclusive Portland Hospital. Beckham joined Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2003 to become one of the world's highest paid football players. David Beckham present The doctor overseeing the birth, Juan Vidal Pelaez, said Beckham was present during the operation. Malcolm Gillard, a London doctor who delivered Brooklyn, was also there. Although the baby was born earlier than expected, Vidal said it was normal. "The child's weight ... confirms it was not premature and so the child will go home with its mother," he told a news conference. If there were no complications, hospital stays after a Casearean were normally three or four days, he said. Vidal said Victoria Beckham could have a fourth child, but the risks would be greater. The Beckham's relationship came under close scrutiny in 2004 following tabloid allegations that Beckham had had an affair with his personal assistant Rebecca Loos -- a claim the midfielder dismissed as "ludicrous." Victoria, who achieved fame as "Posh Spice" with the pop group Spice Girls, initially refused to relocate to Spain because she wanted to pursue her solo singing career in Britain but later changed her mind. William Hill also offered odds of 100-1 that Beckham's new son will play for England. Asked by reporters whether the child would one day play football for the Spanish or English national side, Beckham replied: "He was born here, but we'll see. England will be the preference, but you never know." Beckham played in Real's 2-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday night which left them seven points adrift of Spanish league leaders Barcelona.
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The Real Madrid midfielder and captain of the England national team David Beckham and his ex-Spice Girl wife Victoria have given birth to a baby son called Cruz Beckham. The baby delivered by Caesarean section in the Hospital Ruber Internacionalon in Madrid, Spain, Spain at 1040 CET. Cruz is the third child of the Beckham clan together with his older brothers Brooklyn and Romeo. He weighed on arrival at 3.2kg (7lb). == Sources == * * *(in Spanish) *
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Teenage bully guilty of school racism A schoolgirl tried to commit suicide after suffering months of abuse from a racist teenager. The 14-year-old mixed-race girl endured chants and racist slurs for more than a term at a secondary school near Lincoln. In what is believed to be an unprecedented case, Lincoln Magistrates Court heard that the 15-year-old boy called her "wog, coon, nigger, gorilla and golliwog" again and again at the school. On January 27 this year the girl took a mixture of stress pills and painkillers before writing a note, telling her family she did not want a "sad funeral". Raymond Wildsmith, prosecuting, told the court that the name-calling had gone on from the end of the summer term in 2008 until January of this year. The 15-year-old boy from a village near Lincoln, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had denied one count of racially aggravated harassment but was convicted after a six-hour trial. Another 15-year-old boy was cleared of the same charge. For more on the case see Wednesday's Echo. ||||| Racist BNP teenager convicted of playground race taunts after pushing girl, 14, to brink of suicide A teenage BNP supporter who drove a classmate to the brink of suicide has been convicted of racial harassment in a landmark legal case The youth, 15, subjected his female victim to months of racist abuse, on one occasion telling her: 'Go back to your own country, you don't belong here.' A court heard the 14-year-old girl - who had already moved schools once to avoid racist abuse - was also called 'wog, c**n, n****r, gorilla and golliwog' by her tormentor. School bullies: Two boys intimidate a teenage girl (picture posed by models) He taunted her with chants of 'white, white, white is right, kick them out, fight, fight, fight' - taken from a film about football hooliganism. But the girl feared reporting the abuse would make him become violent and instead suffered in silence, the court was told. The victim, who has mixed white English and black African heritage, endured the abuse for four months before she attempted suicide in January this year. A source close to the case said the teenager, who, like his victim, cannot be named for legal reasons, was a BNP supporter who had actively tried to enlist other youths. Raymond Wildsmith, prosecuting, told Lincoln Youth Court the insults happened 'again and again and again' - anything up to four times a week. But the girl only revealed her torment after she tried to kill herself. She took a mixture of stress pills and painkillers in January before writing a note telling her family that she did not want a 'sad funeral'. Giving evidence by video link, the girl told a police officer the abuse made her 'want to die'. She added: 'I wanted to die because of everything that was happening at school. 'I thought, "Do I want to do this?" And then I thought, "Yes, I don't want to be here". Last night, her mother described her daughter's tormentor as 'evil'. She said: 'He seemed to mimic everything his father did and became a ringleader of a violent set of boys at the school.' She told how her daughter left a suicide note requesting that nobody wore black at her funeral. She said: 'My world fell apart. I had no idea that there was anything wrong with her. At home she put on a brave face and seemed totally normal.' The teenager was hospitalised and then sectioned in a psychiatric hospital for several weeks. She has been out of school virtually ever since but is due to start at a new school in a different part of the country in September. The mother reported the girl's ordeal to the school and police, but said she had a 'long hard fight to get justice for my daughter'. She added: 'When I first informed the school, they as good as called me a liar. I then had a long battle convincing the police to take this seriously. 'They were desperately slow and interviewed 25 people before they seemed to appreciate the seriousness of it.' The court was told that the girl had only been in the Lincoln area for a year before the abuse started. Her 15-year-old tormentor, who denied the charge, was convicted of racially aggravated harassment. He will be sentenced on August 13. A second 15-year-old was cleared of the same charge. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed it was the first successful prosecution of a schoolchild for racial abuse in the UK. Jaswant Narwal, Chief Crown Prosecutor for Lincolnshire said: 'We would like to thank the victim for her courage in coming forward and strongly encourage other young people in the same situation to report to the police when they have been targets of campaign of racial bullying.' ||||| UK NEWS TEENAGE RACIST BULLY CONVICTED CONVICTED: A boy has been convicted of racially aggravating a pupil/ pic posed by models By Katherine Fenech A BOY aged 15 has been convicted in a landmark case of racially harassing a classmate who was driven to the brink of suicide by his taunts. The 14-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered six months of vile racist abuse at the hands of the bully at her Lincolnshire school. She was forced to endure chants of “White, white, white is right, kick them out, fight, fight, fight.” The bully also told her: “Go back to your own country. You don’t belong here”. The girl’s torment was only revealed after she took a mixture of stress pills and painkillers in January before writing a note to her family saying she did not want a “sad funeral”. In what is believed to be the first prosecution of its kind, the boy was convicted at Lincoln magistrates’ court of racially aggravating a fellow pupil. He will be sentenced next month. After the case, Emma-Jane Cross, of the Beatbullying charity, said: “The outcome of this trial sets a precedent, sending out a message loud and clear to all school bullies: Your taunting will not be tolerated.”
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A 15-year-old schoolboy was found guilty in Lincoln Youth Court in England yesterday of racial harrassment of a 14-year-old schoolgirl. The case is regarded as a landmark case, the first such case of its kind. Raymond Wildsmith, prosecuting, described the events. The boy had for a period of several months taunted the girl with racial epithets including "wog, coon, nigger, gorilla, and golliwog". He had told her to "Go back to your own country. You don’t belong here.", and chanted "White, white, white is right, kick them out, fight, fight, fight." Unidentified sources told the ''Daily Mail'' that the boy had supported the British National Party, and had attempted to enlist other youths as supporters as well. The girl, who was of mixed English and African heritage, had already changed schools once to avoid racial abuse. She initially did not report the abuse at the new school, for fear that the boy would turn violent. The girl's parents first learned of it when she attempted to commit suicide, in January, by taking a combination of stress pills and painkillers. Her suicide note requested that people not wear black at her funeral. She ended up in hospital, and then "sectioned" (involuntarily committed under the provisions of § 4 the Mental Health Act) to a psychiatric institution for several weeks. She will now change schools again. The boy was found guilty after a six-hour trial. He is scheduled for sentencing on August the 13th. Another 15-year-old boy charged with the same offence was found not guilty. Under § 45 and Schedule 2 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 and § 49 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, it is illegal in England and Wales for news reports to identify either of the children involved in the case.
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President Obama will not win the Democratic nomination unanimously after a pro-life activist won 18 percent of the votes in Oklahoma’s primary on Tuesday, ensuring he’ll win delegates to the national nominating convention in September. Mr. Obama won just 57 percent of the vote in Oklahoma, with Randall Terry, the founder of Operation Rescue, and three other candidates each winning significant chunks of votes to limit the incumbent. Mr. Terry’s 18 percent was followed by Jim Rogers, an Oklahoman who was Democrats' Senate nominee in 2010 and who won 14 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s primary — just shy of the 15 percent threshold needed to win delegates. Rounding out the states voting, Darcy G. Richardson won 6 percent and Robert Moulton-Ely, who goes by “Bob Ely,” won 5 percent. Oklahoma is one of the most conservative states in the union and the state’s lone Democratic member of Congress has been critical of Mr. Obama, so it’s not surprising some Democratic voters would seek an alternative to Mr. Obama. The Tulsa World reported that Mr. Terry had run “gruesome” television ads in the state, and vowed to try to use Oklahoma to become a bigger player in Democratic primaries going forward. He has raised $123,400 for his campaign through the end of January. Mr. Ely reported having raised a little more than $13,000, and had debts of nearly $165,000. Ms. Richardson reported having raised $9,520 through the end of last year. In most states Mr. Obama was the only name on the ballot, and protest votes have been rare, though not unheard of. In Vermont, which also held its primary on Tuesday, 1.5 percent of voters chose to write in another candidate rather than select Mr. Obama. According to TheGreenPapers.com, which tracks primary and caucus voting, Mr. Obama has won more than 83 percent of all votes cast in the Democratic primary process in 2012. Among other vote-getters on the Democratic side this year, Republican front-runner Mitt Romney has won nearly 2,000 votes — which is more than five times the number of votes Mr. Obama has won in the GOP’s contests, despite a turnout more than 10 times higher on the Republican side. Rep. Ron Paul has topped Mr. Romney, winning nearly 2,300 votes — good enough for sixth on the Democratic list. Oddly enough, former Sen. Rick Santorum, who has done well among self-identified Democrats who are voting in the GOP’s primary, has not done so well among actual Democrats vote in their own party primaries. He’s the fourth-highest Republican candidate, with only about 300 votes — trailing Mr. Paul, Mr. Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. © Copyright 2012 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission. ||||| President Barack Obama won Tuesday’s Oklahoma Democratic primary, but in a slight embarrassment, antigay, antiabortion campaigner Randall Terry swiped a delegate from him. Randall Terry, Democratic candidate for president on the Oklahoma ballot, distributes literature at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City on March 1, 2012. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki) Mr. Terry, one of two challengers to Mr. Obama, garnered 18% of Tuesdays vote, crossing the 15% bar for earning a delegate to the Democratic nominating convention this summer. Oklahoma had 45 of 50 Democratic delegates in play Tuesday, with the remaining five attending the convention as uncommitted. The voter turnout of 116,000 was the lightest in the states history for a Democratic primary. “There are still Democrats who love innocent babies more than they love the party,” Mr. Terry, who founded the antiabortion group Operation Rescue, told the Tulsa World Tuesday night. Mr. Terry is on the presidential ballot in six states, with the next contest in New Jersey. Mr. Terry has been arrested more than 50 times, the first for chaining himself to a sink in an abortion clinic. In a rambling interview with The Wall Street Journal about his candidacy at the start of the primary season, he emphasized that while Im best known for my opposition to child killing and homosexual marriage, my interests and my passions go far beyond those things, saying he is also a musician and a practical joker. Mr. Terry, whose group is known for displaying grisly images of dead fetuses during public protests, compared himself as candidate to a beaver, the only mammal that sets out deliberately to alter its habitat. Thats what Im going to do, is be the beaver. Ive used the dead baby ads like little sticks and bits of mud and logs to alter the political habitat. Everyone will know what it means to be pro-life when this election cycles over. ||||| Caroline May is a reporter for The Daily Caller. While conservative commentator Ann Coulter has been firmly in GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s corner during the primary season, the ardently pro-life pundit will also be speaking at a fundraising event for a candidate running in the Democratic presidential primary. Randall Terry, a primary challenger to President Barack Obama, however, is not just any Democratic candidate. Terry, a pro-life activist, is running purely to raise awareness about abortion. Coulter explained to The Daily Caller that her participation in the fundraising event is to show “solidarity with the pro-life movement.” If Terry were somehow to beat Obama in the Democratic primary, she said, she “might be torn” between Romney and Terry in the general election. Terry is best known for his graphic advertisements of aborted babies, and for accusing Christians who vote for Obama of “having blood on their hands” due to the president’s support for abortion rights. Terry recently told the Tulsa World that his ads “are designed to suppress votes for Obama. They’re intended to cause nightmares.” Federal Communications Commission rules allow the graphic ads to be shown on television. “We are thrilled to have Miss Coulter’s formidable talents and skills give us a boost in our efforts in Oklahoma,” Terry explained in a statement. “I’m certain the evening will be inspirational and motivational.” Terry is currently campaigning in Oklahoma, and recently purchased ad time for three commercials that focus on the Obama administration’s new contraception mandate. He describes himself as an “extremist candidate,” and says that if he can attract just five or six percent of the vote in Oklahoma it will send a message to the Obama campaign. It would show that “a sizable percentage of voters are willing to defect from a sitting president in their own party, because of his attacks on human life and religious liberty,” said Terry. “That would spell big trouble for the Obama camp in the swing states in the general election.” Coulter will speak on March 3 at the Arrow Heights Baptist Church. The Oklahoma Democratic primary will be held on March 6. Follow Caroline on Twitter
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Randall Terry. President Barack Obama. U.S. Barack Obama was not able to secure all the delegates available at the Oklahoma on . Though Obama finished in first place with 57 percent, anti-abortion activist was able to capture 18 percent of the vote, entitling him to at least one delegate. As a result, Obama may not be unanimously nominated at the in September. Terry said in February, he hoped to win five or six percent. He received a boost when icon agreed to speak at his Oklahoma fundraiser. Additionally, he was able to spread his message through the state with television advertisements depicting aborted fetuses. "There are still Democrats who love innocent babies more than they love the party" said Terry to the ''''; and to the '''', "Everyone will know what it means to be pro-life when this election cycle’s over." According to ''The Wall Street Journal'', he will appear on six more primary ballots, starting with New Jersey. Along with the delegate, Terry also won twelve of Oklahoma's 77 counties. However, he was not the only challenger to win counties; the 2010 nominee for the Democratic Party in Oklahoma, , won three. He finished in third place overall with 14 percent, one percent short of the threshold required to qualify for delegates. Progressive activist was fourth with six percent. The last time an incumbent president was unable to win all the delegates during the presidential primaries was in , when -challenger won delegates in Louisiana and Virginia. The Democratic Party took them away, citing LaRouche's views as "explicitly racist and anti-Semitic, and otherwise utterly contrary to the fundamental beliefs...of the Democratic Party". LaRouche later sued but was unsuccessful. Trav Robertson, interim executive director of the remarked, "In every primary there is a fringe candidate that appears on the ballot and attempts to capture delegates from a sitting president." He cited LaRouche in 1996 as well as , , and who challenged in . On whether Terry would keep the delegate, Robertson declared, "The party is reviewing the election results and will abide by previously established rules regarding the allotment of delegates. No matter what, we know President Obama will win the majority of delegates at this year’s convention."
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Stockton North MP challenges Government Immigration Minister 1 2 next AN angry Teesside MP has challenged the Government Immigration Minister after one of his constituents was imprisoned after being deported back to the Congo. Blaise Kamba, 28, who had been studying at Stockton Riverside College, was deported on Tuesday night - despite fears for his safety. On arrival at the Congolese capital Kinshasa, he was immediately arrested and taken off to a high security stockade. Stockton North MP Frank Cook says he’s appalled over the plight of Blaise, who had been caring for his younger sisters Jeanine, 16, and Leitisha, 19, who have been told they can remain in the UK. They came to Teesside in 2006, after fleeing Congo where Blaise was arrested and his life placed in danger for his political views. In a letter to Immigration Minister Phil Woolas, Mr Cook said Blaise’s plight underlines concerns he and other MPs expressed in a House of Commons Motion calling for deportation to the Congo to be stopped. He also highlighted coverage in the national media on the treatment of people forced to return, including evidence of torture. ||||| The British government is sending refused asylum seekers back home, a Guardian investigation has revealed, despite the fears of human rights campaigners and lawyers that deportees could encounter persecution on their return. The government claims that those forcibly returned will be safe. There are an estimated 10,000 Congolese asylum seekers in the UK, many of whom are at risk of being forcibly removed. The sending back of such people to the Democratic Republic of the Congo was suspended in 2007 but recently resumed. The revelations about the possible torture in Congo came as the government intensified its operation to forcibly remove Congolese nationals from the UK. Last Thursday there was a charter flight carrying 24 Congolese bound for Kinshasa, the first such flight for more than two years. Nsimba Kumbi, 33, a refused asylum seeker, was removed from the UK on 13 March, following detention in the Campsfield immigration removal centre in Oxfordshire. He was then detained in the DRC capital, and taken to the notorious secret police headquarters Kin Mazière, the Kinshasa headquarters of the general directorate of intelligence and special services, where, he says, he was tortured for three weeks. Kumbi says that during his incarceration he was badly beaten, that he received burns and was forced to give a male guard oral sex while his hands were tied behind his back. He says he is now in so much pain he can only move his neck in one direction. The wounds on his back from beatings are gradually drying. He says that nerve damage means he can barely move his fingers. Another Congolese refused asylum seeker, Rabin Waba Muambi, 42, was also removed from the UK on 13 March on a separate flight. He arrived in Kinshasa the following day and was taken to Kin Mazière. Secret entries in the Kin Mazière log book, leaked to the Guardian, confirm the men's detention there. Muambi, who says he was beaten at Kinshasa airport, was later stripped, then continually beaten and forced to lie outside staring at the sun. "The government in Congo views Congolese people deported back home from the UK as enemies," said Muambi. "The guards who beat me kept saying to me: 'You are a spy, give us information, why are you doing this to your country?' I am in a lot of pain from the torture but I'm too scared to go to hospital in case someone recognises me and I get taken back to detention. The guards forced me to drink my own urine and kicked me. They beat me very badly on my knees and made me walk on my knees so they turned black." He was held there until 14 May when a friend paid a bribe that freed him. Kumbi's ordeal began in 2001 when he was studying law at the University of Kinshasa. He was arrested for political activities against the government and detained for more than a year in Camp Tshatshi, as place identified by Amnesty International in 2007 as a site where extra-judicial executions of a large number of detainees took place. He escaped to the UK and claimed asylum in May 2002. Following the rejection of his asylum claim he was detained and removed. He resisted removal and was restrained on the flight. "I was handcuffed and my head was pushed down between my legs. They were beating me for no reason." The escorts handed him over to Congolese immigration officials at the airport in Kinshasa and he was taken to a windowless room. "It was like a store room. The men were wearing military uniforms and they forced me to sign some papers without letting me read them. I had no choice but to sign and hoped that after I signed I'd be released." Instead he was taken to Kin Mazière. "The guards there demanded money. They said: 'You've just come from England, you must have money.' They said I wouldn't be beaten as much if I gave them money but I had nothing to give them. I was taken to a cell and could hear sounds of screaming and crying coming from the other cells." Over three weeks at the centre he says he was tortured by the guards. Following his release he went into hiding. He says he is in urgent need of medical treatment but it is too risky to go to a hospital. Muambi first came to the attention of the Congolese authorities in January 2005 when he was involved in anti-government protests. He was detained and tortured for a month and then escaped to the UK and claimed asylum. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. He belongs to the human rights group Apareco,whose members risk torture in Congo. Rudi Ramdarshan, a human rights lawyer at Trott & Gentry solicitors, said: "The implications of these cases are very worrying. The Home Office's own operational guidance states that if people end up in detention in Congo they are likely to experience inhumane and degrading treatment, in breach of article 3 of the Human Rights Act. The fact that asylum seekers returned to Congo are ending up in detention is unacceptable. "I am calling on Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to launch investigations. The secretary of state should suspend removals while this matter is investigated." Last month Amnesty International submitted a report to the UN highlighting the persistence of torture and ill treatment in detention in Congo. A spokesman for the UK Border Agency confirmed that his department had removed the two men from the UK. "We continue to monitor developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and will take decisions on a case-by-case basis in light of the most current situation. The court of appeal on 3 December 2008 upheld a ruling that failed asylum seekers are not at risk of persecution or ill-treatment on return to Democratic Republic of the Congo simply because they have claimed asylum. "We do not routinely monitor the treatment of individuals once removed from the UK. We would not remove them if we considered them likely to suffer persecution on their return and there is independent oversight by the courts." The spokesman, referring to Kumbi's claims of being beaten by UK escorts, said: "We are committed to ensuring that removals are carried out in the most sensitive way possible, treating those being removed with courtesy and dignity. Any allegations of misconduct are thoroughly investigated and all allegations of abuse are referred to the police." The Congolese embassy was unavailable for comment. ||||| Sisters stay in Stockton as asylum seeker brother is deported previous 1 2 Jeanine attended Thornaby Community School where she achieved GCSEs, and this year she has been taking a course in childcare at Stockton Riverside College. The family has lost the home they were living in and the sisters are now staying with a friend. Supporters in Stockton have organised a petition on Blaise’s behalf and are being backed by Stockton North MP Frank Cook. An Early Day Motion has been tabled in the House of Commons by Rudi Viz MP, calling for deportations to the Congo to be stopped. It has been signed by MPs including Frank Cook, Stockton South MP Dari Taylor, Menzies Campbell, Clare Short, Diane Abbott and Alan Beith. It says people who oppose President Kabila face arrest, torture and extrajudicial execution. It is understood a solicitor is lodging a new appeal on Blaise’s behalf. A letter written by Blaise reads: “I never knew that I could one day run away from my country and claim asylum to save my life and my family. “How would you feel when you lost some of your family’s members and they want to separate you with others? “How would you feel when you have children who are brilliant at school suddenly their future and dreams stopped just like that. “How would you feel to see your brother sent to an unsafe place, which you know that he’s going to be a victim of persecution, torture and death? “I and my sisters we've got no family in the world. Stockton community has become a family to us. “Seeing my sisters enjoying their friends in school and they had built strong relationship in the community, including myself. Please help us.” Leitisha said: “It is not good for him to go back to our country. If he goes back he will go to prison. We are now alone, our brother cared for us and supported us. It is very distressing.” Catherine Ramos, a supporter of the family, said she did not understand why the authorities chose to split the family up. She added: “I have spoken to him and he says he feels very alone. “Leitisha is being pressured to take responsibility for her younger sister. “Blaise has been so strong but he feels he cannot handle any more. He has watched his sisters like a father, proud of how well they are doing and now he is seeing their dreams crash down. They are all very distressed.” A UK Border Agency spokesman said: "Our asylum and immigration system is humane and compassionate and, crucially, there is oversight from the independent courts. Where someone needs our protection, we will grant it and do so proudly. "However, where we and the independent courts have found that the individual has no right to remain in the UK and there are no appeal rights or applications for leave outstanding, we will enforce their removal, having given full consideration to their asylum claim and factors such as any family in the UK. "Returns policy is kept constantly under review, and decisions as to where to affect returns will be taken in the light of the prevailing circumstances." ||||| By Jenny Cuffe BBC World Service Assignment Programme What happens to asylum seekers who are sent home? As part of a BBC World Service investigation, Jenny Cuffe has followed the footsteps of failed asylum seekers sent back from Europe to the Democratic Republic of Congo. What she found raised questions over how European governments are treating those they deport. Malnutrition is widespread in Congolese prisons The woman at the rear of the Air France flight to Kinshasa was still screaming as we taxied down the runway at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Hemmed in by French police officers, she pleaded to be allowed off the aircraft. As the plane took off, her screaming subsided to a low whimpering. This was a failed asylum seeker being sent back forcibly to her country of origin, the DR Congo. Throughout the European Union, there are hundreds of people in a similar situation - nervously waiting a one-way ticket back to the Congolese capital, Kinshasa. Although Africa's bloodiest conflict has cost an estimated four million lives since 1998, many EU countries judge it safe to send failed asylum seekers back. They say that there is a transitional government which plans elections next year. Many asylum seekers, however, claim they will not be safe on return. I wanted to find out the truth. Secret service In a curtained room in down-town Kinshasa, I was introduced to "Simon", a member of the ANR, the Congolese secret service. QUICK GUIDE The war in DR Congo Simon told me that returnees are taken to an office for questioning. Some are asked for a bribe of about $120. But those who "have problems with the government" are detained. "Political dissidents, people who leave the country and go to say bad things about the government," said Simon. "We have to arrest them and show them what they did was not good." Simon said that another task was to identity any asylum seekers with connections to DR Congo's enemies, especially Rwanda. Simon has instructions to pick out those who have a Rwandan name, or even those who look Rwandan. I asked him what happens to these men and women. He became evasive. They are handed over to the authorities. What happens next? He shrugged. "Everything. I cannot say more. Everything." European informants Simon's job relies on information coming back to Kinshasa from DR Congo's embassies in Europe. Dutch authorities are currently investigating whether dossiers which include allegations by Congolese asylum seekers have been passed to Kinshasa. Crucially, Simon's testimony raises questions about the checks made by European authorities. I don't deny there are cases of security agents who are abusing, but there is no policy to do any harm to detainees Vice-President Azarias Ruberwa In a letter last year, the British Ambassador to Kinshasa wrote: "All passengers arriving at Kinshasa are liable to be questioned by DR Congo immigration officials. We have no evidence that returned failed asylum seekers are singled out for adverse treatment." Other European countries take the same view. 'Pierre' was deported from Brussels in April. He had sought asylum and says the scars on his arms are proof that soldiers beat him, having accused him of hiding weapons to use against the President. The softly-spoken graduate told the BBC that on his return he was interrogated for 48 hours, whipped and taken in a jeep to Kinshasa's state prison, Makala. There, he said, the beatings continued. The United Nations has described the regime in DR Congo's prisons as one of rape and torture. If prisoners do not have relatives to bring them food, they may eventually die of starvation, it reports. Pierre says he was able to get out of the jail because a relative raised $900 to buy his release. But he remains in hiding after the guards said they knew where to find him. Human rights lawyer Celestin Nikiana has started to list the prisoners in Makala. He has found two of the prisoners to be former asylum seekers who have been there for more than five years without charge: Alain Londole , who was returned by Belgium, and Willy Ayi-Ansha, sent back by Italy. Mr Nikiana believes there is at least one other asylum seeker, returned from Belgium, being kept in the prison's political wing. Secret jails The UN has also criticised unofficial jails run by DR Congo's national intelligence service. These are said to be places where prisoners are subjected to "cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment and even torture". Human rights campaigners say they have information that one former asylum seeker is being kept in one of these secret centres. Many Congolese have been displaced by war Azaris Ruberwa, vice-president in charge of defence and security, denies returning asylum-seekers are unwelcome. But he added: "There are still some secret services or security services which commit some abuses against the laws of the country. We hope that once the election is organised these problems will all be solved. "I don't deny the fact that there are cases of security agents who are abusing, but I can guarantee that there is no policy from the government here to do any harm to detainees." Although campaigners have warned some people deported from Europe may be put at risk, they have not yet been able to produce convincing evidence. Government checks Under the present arrangements, the legal responsibility to check that returned asylum seekers will be safe rests with individual European governments. And despite plans currently being developed for a common European policy on migration and asylum, there at present no plans to make the European Commission responsible for monitoring what happens when the asylum seekers are sent back. This means that governments like the UK take on trust the good intentions of receiving countries. For its part, however, the Home Office said those who are returned to their home countries are only sent back because it has been "judged safe" for the deportation to take place. "To date, we have not received any objective evidence to support allegations of either systematic or arbitrary detention or ill treatment of returnees," said a spokesman. "The situation in Democratic Republic of Congo, including the treatment of returnees, is kept under review in consultation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other EU countries. "We do not routinely monitor the treatment of returnees to any country. We would not remove them if we considered that they were likely to suffer persecution on their return. "The only people who are removed are those who do not have a well-founded fear of persecution and do not therefore need international protection".
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Frank Cook, Labour Member of Parliament for Stockton North, has criticised the deportation of Blaise Kamba, a failed asylum seeker, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kamba had been in the United Kingdom since 2006; he fled the Democratic Republic of the Congo, because he feared for his life due to his political beliefs. Kamba was deported by the UK Border Agency to Kinshasa, the capital, on Tuesday night. A church group planned to meet Kamba there, but on arrival, he was detained by Congolese authorities and taken to a high security stockade. Cook says "no one knows what his fate will be". Cook, and 42 other MPs, signed an early day motion for an immediate moratorium on deportations to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He has also written to Phil Woolas MP, the British immigration minister, condemning the deportation. In a press release, Mr Cook said: "I... want Mr Woolas to tell me how much evidence he requires before reconsidering a policy which puts a terrible stain on the UK’s human rights record". Cook commented that “it is an outrage that Mr Woolas and his Government colleagues seek to argue that people returning to the Congo are not at risk when the evidence proves otherwise". A 2005 BBC report found that the DRC's secret service, the Agence nationale de renseignements, detain some returning asylum seekers at the airport, in order to "show them what they did was not good". The UK Border Agency told ''The Guardian'' on May 27 that "we continue to monitor developments in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and will take decisions on a case-by-case basis in light of the most current situation. The court of appeal on 3 December 2008 upheld a ruling that failed asylum seekers are not at risk of persecution or ill-treatment on return to Democratic Republic of the Congo simply because they have claimed asylum". Cook commented on this decision, saying that "the risks are very real and very severe". Kamba's two younger sisters, however, remain in the UK.
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The fatal shooting of eight people at day spas in and around Atlanta have intensified fears in Asian-American communities that have been the target of attacks since the onset of the coronavirus. Six of the eight victims were Asian women. The 21-year-old suspect, Robert Aaron Long, has been charged with four counts of murder according to media reports. ||||| ABC News Army Dog Handler Gets 90 Days' Hard Labor Military Jury in Md. Sentences Army Dog Handler to 90 Days' Hard Labor for Actions at Abu Ghraib By DAVID DISHNEAU FORT MEADE, Md. Jun 2, 2006 (AP) A military jury on Friday sentenced Army dog handler Sgt. Santos A. Cardona to 90 days hard labor without confinement, and a reduction in rank. Santos was convicted Thursday of dereliction of duty and aggravated assault for allowing his Belgian shepherd to bark within inches of a prisoner's face. He faced a maximum penalty of 3 1/2 years in prison, a dishonorable discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. It was not clear where Cardona, who was based in Fort Bragg, will serve the sentence. Cardona was reduced in rank to specialist and the court ordered him to forfeit $600 a month in pay for 12 months. Cardona's civilian attorney, Harvey Volzer, told his client, "It wasn't an acquittal, but it was pretty darn good." Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Convicted on the first of June by a military jury for participating in prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, former sergeant Santos Cardona, 32, a dog handler in the United States Army, was today sentenced to ninety days of hard labour and demoted to the rank of specialist. Cardona was charged and convicted on two counts: aggravated assault, for using a Belgian shepherd dog to threaten detainees with actions "likely to produce death or grievous bodily harm," and for dereliction of duty in relation to this act. He was cleared of seven other charges. Cardona faced up to three and a half years in prison on these charges, and despite the conviction his attourney has expressed relief at the sentence. He will not be held in confinement during the term of his sentence.
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BISHKEK, March 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Kyrgyzstan's newly formed interim government is taking measures to restore order in the Central Asian country after two days of unrest that left the government collapsed and three people dead. Kyrgyz opposition leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev in front of the Parliament building in Bishkek March 25. (Xinhua/AFP) With the help of volunteers, helmeted riot police re-emerged Friday night after two days of absence, firing warning shots to disperse crowds of youths gathering around commercial outlets. Bishkek was relatively calm Friday night compared with the chaotic Thursday night when numerous shops and stores were torched, looted or vandalized. Authorities said three people were killed and more than 300 injured in the riot. But unconfirmed reports put the fatalities at six. INTERIM GOVERNMENT SEEKS ORDER Opposition leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev was named acting president and prime minister by the parliament Friday after President Askar Akayev fled the country amid protests of opposition supporters who took the government building Thursday. Bakiyev formed an interim government made up mostly of opposition figures and announced the presidential election would be held in June. The parliament Saturday set June 26 for the presidential elections. Passers by look into the smashed windows of a shop in the center of Kyrgyz capital Bishkek March 25. (Reuters) The newly-appointed ministers include Felix Kulov for security, Rosa Otunbayeva for foreign affairs and Myktybek Abdyldayev, a former chief prosecutor who had been fired Wednesday by Akayev, for the interior portfolio. Kulov said he had remobilized the police force to restore order, and many noncompliant people had already been arrested. But he complained of a shortage of manpower. The law enforcement agencies were reportedly recruiting volunteers to help maintain security in the capital. LACK OF INTERNATIONAL ENDORSEMENT So far, no foreign country has recognized the newly formed leadership, but there are signs that it may have cooperation promises from Russia and the United States. Although describing the regime change in Kyrgyzstan as "illegitimate," Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed hope for cooperation with the Kyrgyz opposition to establish positive relations. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday called for the restoration of law and order in Kyrgyzstan and urged the international community to support the Kyrgyz authorities in their efforts to stop violence. The White House also said it will work with the new Kyrgyz leadership to stage elections there but the US State Department said there was no issue yet of formally recognizing the leadership. While the new authorities sought to end a chaotic situation in Kyrgyzstan, Akayev's whereabouts remain in mystery. (Xinhua/AFP/file) WHEREABOUTS OF AKAYEV UNKNOWN While the new authorities sought to end a chaotic situation in Kyrgyzstan, Akayev's whereabouts remain in mystery. Kyrgyz media reported Akayev said in a statement issued on Friday that he was still the legitimate president and condemned the moves by the opposition as an "anti-constitutional coup." He also denied rumors of his resignation, saying he would return after his "temporary" stay outside the country. Akayev, who had ruled as president of the mountainous country of 5 million since 1990, did not disclose where he is but said he chose to go out of the country in order to avoid bloodshed. There are unconfirmed reports that he had flew to neighboring Kazakhstan after opposition demonstrators stormed the main government building in Bishkek on Thursday. Russia's Interfax news agency reported Saturday Akayev had arrived in Russia, but the Kyrgyz Embassy in Russia did not confirm the information. Enditem ||||| WHEN, in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature... ||||| Kyrgyz Parliament Works to Restore Order Saturday March 26, 2005 9:01 PM AP Photo MOSB116 By KADYR TOKTOGULOV Associated Press Writer BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) - Kyrgyzstan's parliament on Saturday scrambled to restore order to a country gripped by anxiety after the overthrow of the president and said new presidential elections would be held June 26. Police said they had halted rampaging looters after two nights of violent upheaval in the capital. But in a sign of continuing tension, acting leader Kurmanbek Bakiyev changed the location of his first news conference at the last minute, saying he had been threatened with assassination. And in Parliament competing groups met in separate chambers, each claiming to represent the people. President Askar Akayev, who disappeared on Thursday after protesters stormed the presidential and government headquarters in a swelling protest demanding his resignation, had taken refuge in Russia, the Kremlin confirmed on Saturday. The Kremlin press service declined to give details on Akayev's location or when he arrived. Russia has a military base near Bishkek, and there was speculation Akayev initially found safety there; later reports said he had gone to neighboring Kazakhstan. Bakiyev, apparently aiming to placate pro-Akayev forces, said a law granting immunity to the ousted president remained in force. He pledged not to seek vengeance and even found words of praise for the man he had once served as prime minister and later came to vehemently oppose. ``I have no intention of persecuting Askar Akayev. He has done much for democracy and building a sovereign Kyrgyzstan,'' Bakiyev told reporters. ``It's his right to come back or not.'' A semblance of calm returned to the capital during daylight hours Saturday after two nights of looting and sporadic gunfire. Interior Ministry spokesman Nurdin Jangarayev said one person died and 129 were arrested in overnight confrontations, but a deputy interior minister said on television that three people had been killed. Nonetheless, Jangarayev said, ``Everything was normal last night - better than the previous night. We have calmed the people down.'' Iskander Sharshiyev, an opposition leader whose group has been working with police to restore order, said three people he described as ``pillagers'' were killed. Some 2,000 volunteers have joined police in trying to keep order in the capital, where many stores were looted and some burned in the first night's mayhem after Thursday's government collapse. Early Sunday, the central parts of Bishkek appeared far quieter than the previous two nights. Bakiyev, the acting leader, quickly declared himself a likely candidate for the presidency after the date for polls was announced. ``I think I should run in the presidential elections. God willing, I will,'' he said. Bakiyev, who has emerged as the key figure among the disunited anti-Akayev forces, was named acting president and acting prime minister by members of one of two groupings claiming to be the legitimate parliament. His appointment was the work of members of the parliament that had been in session until mid-March. Allegedly fraudulent elections to replace that parliament set off the rising wave of protests against Akayev, who had convened the new parliament early last week. The Supreme Court declared the election results invalid late Thursday, ruling in favor a parliamentarians who had been in power and are now mainly backing Bakiyev. But parliamentarians who won in the now-voided February and March balloting still contend they are the legitimate parliament. Each group held sessions in separate parliamentary chambers Saturday. ``Our opinion is that we should be the legitimate lawmakers because the people have chosen us,'' said Roman Shin, elected in the most recent vote that was struck down by the Supreme Court. He said the former lawmakers who have returned to parliament ``don't want to abandon power.'' ``The revolution was made by (only) 5,000 people,'' he said, referring to the crowd that gathered outside the presidential and government compound before the building was stormed. He said that he and his allies could gather at least five times as many. Meanwhile, there's no sign that Akayev had resigned, and a purported Akayev statement e-mailed to media Friday quoted him as denying reports he had stepped down. That raised the prospect that Akayev could try to organize a counterinsurgency from afar aimed at restoring him to power. On Saturday, news reports said hundreds or even thousands of Akayev supporters were believed to be heading for the capital, but by nightfall they had not materialized. Akayev's departure made Kyrgyzstan the third former Soviet republic in the past 18 months - after Georgia and Ukraine - to see long-entrenched governments widely accused of corruption fall under massive protests. The 60-year-old Akayev had led Kyrgyzstan since 1990, before it gained independence in the Soviet collapse. He was long considered the most democratic leader among the five ex-Soviet Central Asian nations, but he was accused of employing increasingly tough measures against dissent in recent years. Bakiyev said Russian President Vladimir Putin called him Friday night and asked how Russia could help the people of Kyrgyzstan. ``I'm very grateful to him for that,'' he said. He also said U.S. Ambassador Stephen Young was ``one of the first people who came to congratulate me.'' The U.S. Embassy said Young met with Bakiyev on Friday, but did not reveal the nature of their conversation. Both the United States and Russia have military bases in Kyrgyzstan, not far from Bishkek. ||||| Make NewKerala Your Homepage! | Bookmark This Site | Home > World News Posted on 27 March 2005 Kyrgyzstan's future in post-coup uncertain (upi News) By NATALIA ANTELVA BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, March 26 : Kyrgyzstan's acting president, Kurmanbek Bakiev, warned against the threat of the counter-revolution following a night of looting in the capital, Bishkek, Saturday. By NATALIA ANTELVA BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, March 26 : Kyrgyzstan's acting president, Kurmanbek Bakiev, warned against the threat of the counter-revolution following a night of looting in the capital, Bishkek, Saturday. Since the coup that ousted president Askar Akayev earlier in the week, dozens shops have been looted, and at least three people have died in the outbreaks of violence. "People loyal to Akayev are the ones who looted the city.They are trying to destabilize the situation," Bakiev said.Bakiev says the situation is now under control, and mobile units made -- up from young volunteers are patrolling the streets.Felix Kulov, a popular opposition leader, who was until last Friday one a political prisoner of the Akayev's government, is now in charge of the security and interior ministry forces."We are already controlling the situation, and there is no threat of renewed violence," Kulov said.But other officials of the interim government told United Press International that supporters of President Akayev, in his native region of Kemin, are organizing a movement against the new government.There were mass demonstrations in Kemin Saturday, and residents say they plan to march on the capital Bishkek on Sunday and take back control of the government.This crisis was sparkled by the March parliamentary election which the opposition claimed was falsified in favor of Akayev's government. Akayev's son Aydar, and his daughter Bermet, both won seats in the parliament.By the end of March, mass protests that swept the south of the country, had moved to the capital Bishkek.On March 24, crowds stormed the government buildings and Akayev fled with his family.Opposition leader Felix Kulov was released from prison and an interim government was formed.Eyewitnesses say that the pace in which the events unfolded was so fast that hardly anyone had time to realize what had happened."The opposition had no plan.But people just pushed and pushed, and all of a sudden we were inside the presidential office.Next thing we know -- he (Akayev) fled the country," Aziz, a 23-year-old student, said."But it's confusing what happens next.We don't know where Akayev is, we don't know who is taking charge, no one knows what will happen, everyone is scared of instability," Aziz said.The power is currently distributed among Felix Kulov, who is in charge of the army and police and Kurmanbek Bakiev who is serving as interim president.Another opposition leader, Roza Otunbaeva has been appointed as the acting foreign minister. But even the leaders themselves seem to disagree over what happened in the country. "It's a continuation of the Georgian and Ukrainian revolutions," Roza Otunbaeva said "We did it, in Central Asian style.Unfortunately we did not manage to make it as bloodless as it was in Ukraine and Georgia, but we did it," Otunbaeva said. Others are not so certain. "It all happen so fast, we don't even know if we can call it a revolution," Kulov told UPI."We still haven't figured out what happened.People just ran into the White House (the government administration building) and the president fled the country.It was not planned.It was not a revolution.But now we have to take control somehow," Felix Kulev said. According to Kyrgyzstan's interim government, Askar Akayev is currently in Moscow.But in an e-mail sent to Kyrgyz news agencies, he said his absence is temporary and aims at avoiding bloodshed.He also said that he will not resign despite what he called an "anti-constitutional coup." On Saturday, the Kyrgyz parliament voted overwhelmingly for new presidential election to take place on June 26. In the current political chaos that looms over the country, there seems to be little clarity about who will run in it.Analysts predict a struggle for power among the three leaders, which they say could result in further political instability.But many Kyrgyz say they would like to see Kulov take charge of the country.Felix Kulov, former mayor of Bishkek had served as vice-president and minister of Interior in Akayev's government.After he went into opposition in 2000, he was sentenced to four years in prison on corruption and embezzlement charges.His wife and two daughters were granted political asylum in the United States.Kulov was released on Thursday when opposition supporters stormed the presidential administration and President Akayev fled the country.But Saturday he said he will go back to prison after he restores calm in the streets of Bishkek."I am not going to be a disobedient citizen," Kulov told the UPI "The court is now reviewing my case.Unless the court rules otherwise, I will go back to prison until next November.""It's too early to speak about the presidential election.Whether I run or not, I don't know," Kulov said "Such decisions cannot be taken spontaneously. - -- Copyright 2005 by United Press International. 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Hunne''Although the Supreme Court reportedly annulled recent election results on March 24, two rival parliaments have been meeting in the Kyrgyz capital of . The Central Election Commission of Kyrgyzstan voted to endorse the legitimacy of the newly elected and protested parliament on Saturday. Both a pre-election chamber, comprising of an upper and lower house, and a post-election chamber, comprising of single house, met in separate rooms of the parliament building on Saturday. MPs from both parliaments are set to meet and debate how to proceed. Among solutions proposed are keeping both parliaments functioning until the next election. "Our opinion is that we should be the legitimate lawmakers because the people have chosen us," said Roman Shin, who was elected to the new parliament. He said the MPs of the former parliament, which were meeting once again, "don't want to abandon power." "The revolution was made by only 5,000 people," he said, and added that he and his allies could organize at least five times as many. "It all happen so fast, we don't even know if we can call it a revolution," Felix Kulov, newly appointed head of security ministries, told . "We still haven't figured out what happened. People just ran into the White House and the president fled the country. It was not planned. It was not a revolution. But now we have to take control somehow." ===Protesters meet with Bakiyev=== Hundreds of protesters rushed into the Kyrgyz parliament demanding a meeting with acting President on Saturday, according to a RIA Novosti correspondent. They demanded that the newly elected parliament be declared illegitimate. Bakiyev promised that he'd settle the matter within two weeks, and the protesters were reportedly not satisfied by his assurances. Eight of ten members of the Central Election Commission of Kyrgyzstan voted to acknowledge the protested results of the last election as legitimate. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court declared the election results annulled. "The decision of the Supreme Court is illegal as it was made under pressure of the crowd. After the announcement of the registration results the Central Election Commission can hold a session, for instance, tomorrow," a newly elected MP, Alisher Sabirov, told RIA Novosti. On Saturday the upper house of the former parliament said it would preserve its authorities before the June 26 presidential elections and did not acknowledge the new parliament. Leaders of key political structures signed a compromise memorandum on the March 25. The memorandum states that the former parliament will continue to serve until April 14. After that, the new parliament will take over. However, quite a few MPs are doubting the legitimacy of the March 25 memorandum. They are demanding that the former, two-house parliament's tenure be extended. The more radical MPs are demanding that the new parliament, or "imposters," must leave the parliament building. They contend that the memorandum must be revised. The lower house of parliament is also rumored to be discussing the possibility of declaring a state of emergency, behind closed doors. ===Bakiyev appoints new ministers=== SKopp'', who was elected both acting president and prime minister, also appointed new ministers on Friday. Among the newly-appointed ministers are Myktybek Abdyldayev, former chief prosecutor who had been fired by deposed president on Wednesday, as interior minister, Felix Kulov as minister of security, and Rosa Otunbayeva as minister of foreign affairs. The ministers were appointed as acting ministers and thus did not need the approval of the upper house of parliament. The former parliament also scheduled Kyrgyz presidential elections for June 26. This announcement was met by MPs with applause. "I think I should run in the presidential elections. God willing, I will," Bakiyev said. Adding to the uncertainty, deposed president Askar Akayev has said that he has not resigned and intends to return to the country. However, Bakiyev and Kulov both said that there were no grounds for impeaching or persecuting Akayev. "The vote of no confidence takes place in case of high treason or after initiation of criminal proceedings. So far, we have no evidence of either," Kulov said in an interview on national television. "I have no intention of persecuting Askar Akayev. He has done much for democracy and building a sovereign Kyrgyzstan," Bakiyev told reporters. Bakiyev reportedly met with the ambassador to Kyrgyzstan and discussed the situation with Russian President over the telephone. Putin reportedly offered the county Russia's help. Bakiyev appealed to the staff of deposed President Akayev and Prime Minister Tanayev's offices to report back to work. "We must re-establish order in the White House," Bakiyev said.
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Havel's Leaving premieres in London London, Sept 20 (CTK) - Former Czech president Vaclav Havel's latest drama Leaving had its premiere abroad in London's Orange Tree theatre on Friday evening and it met with an enthusiastic reception by the audiences. The drama was directed by the theatre's artistic chief Sam Walters. It was translated by the traditional translator of Czech authors Paul Wilson. Leaving had its world premiere in Prague's Archa theatre in May. Walters who has directed Havel's drama since the end-1970s said Havel has been famous mainly by his off-theatre activities, mainly in politics, that can be a disadvantage for an author, but he is one of the world world playwrights, Walters told CTK. He directed also some of Havel's older dramas in Orange Tree, such as Audience, Unveiling and Protest, and he has markedly promoted his popularity in Britain. Havel will arrive in London to see his drama staged by Orange Tree next Friday only. The theatre will play Havel throughout the autumn. Until mid-December it will offer besides Leaving also Mountain Hotel, Audience, Unveiling and Protest. Havel, a dissident turned president, 71, signatory of the Charter 77 human rights platform, was Czechoslovak president from the fall of the previous regime in late 1989 until mid-1992 and Czech president from 1993 until 2003. ||||| Publikum vděčně reagovalo nejen na vývoj na jevišti, ale i na autorovy komentáře k ději, čtené anglicky ze záznamu. Užíval jsem si to, řekl britský dramatik Tom Stoppard, který patří k Havlovým přátelům. Hru přeložil tradiční překladatel mnoha českých autorů do angličtiny Paul Wilson a hlavní roli kancléře Riegera hrál Geoffrey Bevers. Podle Wilsona je Odcházení (v angličtině Leaving) na rozdíl třeba od hry Vyrozumění méně vázáno na dobu vzniku. Hra má absolutně univerzální téma. "Je to téma člověka, který odchází z politické funkce a má v tom obrovské potíže. Tady ta hra, postkomunistická hra, má myslím daleko větší šance vyznít ve světě," řekl Wilson po premiéře. Světovou premiéru mělo Odcházení v květnu v pražském Divadle Archa v režii Davida Radoka a v českém tisku se setkalo s vesměs pochvalnými recenzemi. "Havel byl známý hlavně svou činností mimo divadlo - životem a politikou - což může být pro autora nevýhoda. Ale je jedním z nejlepších světových dramatiků," prohlásil režisér Walters, který režíruje Havlovy hry už od konce 70. let. Walters režíroval v Orange Tree i britské premiéry starších Havlových her Audience, Vernisáž a Protest a výrazně přispěl k jejich popularitě v Británii. Audienci začalo divadlo zkoušet těsně před zveřejněním prohlášení Charty 77 v lednu 1977. "Odcházení je humorná i smutná hra, je o velkých věcech, o politice, ale i o osobních osudech," řekl Walters. "Ale je to obtížná hra a doufám, že ji nezkazíme. Havel přijede naštěstí až za týden a budeme moci Odcházení několikrát zahrát," dodal s úsměvem. Havel totiž přijede na představení své hry do Londýna až v pátek 26. září. Dodal však své scénické poznámky, jimiž - se svým nezaměnitelným akcentem, jak podotkl Walters - komentuje výkony herců, motivaci postav i vlastní autorské přemítání. Londýnští diváci na ně reagovali přinejmenším stejně spontánně jako na vlastní děj. Wilson pracoval na překladu hry od loňska. "Hrubý překlad jsem měl hotový asi za 14 dní a pak jsem mluvil s lidmi, kteří mi pomáhali, a s Havlem - neznal jsem totiž některé slangové výrazy. To mě dost překvapilo," prohlásil Wilson. V tehdejším Československu žil deset let do svého vyhoštění v roce 1977 a hrál i s rockovou kapelou The Plastic People of the Universe. Překládal do angličtiny knihy Josefa Škvoreckého a Bohumila Hrabala a z Havlových her Žebráckou operu a Vyrozumění, stejně jako řadu jeho knížek, naposledy Stručně, prosím. "Pak Odcházení přečetl Stoppard a měl asi třicet návrhů, aby to bylo jasnější a víc ´anglický´," řekl Kanaďan Wilson. "Byl to proces, který ještě není hotový. Poslouchal jsem místa, která bych ještě zlepšil," dodal po premiéře. Wilsona potěšilo, že jako scénická hudba zazněl i úryvek z "Plastiků". "Bylo to krásný překvapení. Myslím, že i Havel bude mít z toho radost, protože vždy se chtěl, aby se tyhle dva proudy spojily - spojily se v jeho životě a teď i umělecky," řekl Wilson v narážce na to, že Havel se v 70. letech za komunismu angažoval na ochranu pronásledovaných členů The Plastic People. Divadlo Orange Tree věnovalo Havlovi celý podzimní repertoár. Až do poloviny prosince bude uvádět Odcházení a kromě toho se budou hrát i další Havlovy hry Horský hotel, Audience, Vernisáž a Protest.
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The first play written by former Czech president Václav Havel after his presidential retirement saw a great success at its first showing outside of the Czech Republic. ''Leaving'' was staged by the London Orange Tree Theatre starting on September 20. The audience in the sold-out theatre reacted spontaneously to the play’s text and to Havel’s own notes. The playwright commented his play and characters' acts through his pre-recorded words. He was not present at the premiere himself, his visit is expected on Friday, September 26. Václav Havel Geoffrey Bevers played the main role of chancellor who is suffering when leaving politics. The play was translated to English by Canadian writer Paul Wilson and directed by Sam Walters, the artistic leader of the Orange Tree. Wilson knows Czech society and language because he stayed in Prague in the 1970s (he was also member of a famous underground musical group The Plastic People of the Universe). In 1977, he was forced to leave former Czechoslovakia after The Plastic People were disbanded. Wilson has rich experiences from translating Havel’s texts into English; he has translated two more Havel plays. He thinks ''Leaving'' can be the work that can be best accepted outside Czech Republic because of its dateless topic. Director Sam Walters named the play "funny and sad, about big things, about politics, but also about personal fortunes." His company will perform ''Leaving'' till the middle of December and it will add other Havel plays ''Mountain Hotel'', ''Audience'', ''Private View'' and ''Protest''. Havel's ''Leaving'' was first staged in Czech language in Prague May 22, 2008. Havel tried to have the play in the National Theatre, but the premiere took place in the Archa Theatre at the end. The expected participation of Havel's wife Dagmar Havlová was also cancelled.
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Special report: Reconstruction After Earthquake WENCHUAN, Sichuan, June 19 (Xinhua) -- China has finished evacuating 111,476 people from an area near the epicenter of last month's earthquake in Sichuan Province to avoid secondary disasters triggered by heavy rains. In Wenchuan County, 72,000 people were relocated hours before the rain started on Wednesday night. The three-day mass relocation ended at 8 p.m., just two hours before heavy rain began to fall, said the Aba prefectural work team for disaster prevention. "Many old people were crying as they trekked out of our home village," said 51-year-old Chen Mingfeng, a resident of Longxi Village, Wenchuan. Chen and the elderly from her village, numbering about 400, moved out of their homes above a mountain to another village on Monday morning. "We were ready to move at any time. You see, there are rifts on the mountain everywhere," she said. Now Chen and her family live in a tent and get daily rice rations from the local government. Although the public kitchen is still being built, she said she was grateful for all the government had done. Xie Xiaoquan, head of the health bureau of Aba, had to disinfect toilets in the makeshift relocation center every morning and afternoon. "This is an important task," he said. "We won the race with disasters, and we also have to ensure the residents' health." Wu Zegang, deputy Communist Party secretary of Aba, said the risks of floods and geological disasters such as landslides will rise in the approaching main flood season. "The top priority of our relief work is to transfer residents whose lives are endangered by secondary disasters to safer areas," Wu said. Emergency workers have built 2,458 temporary houses and put up 34,000 tents for displaced people. The rest of the relocated residents are from nine counties of Aba prefecture, which governs 13 counties including Wenchuan, the epicenter of the May 12 quake. Aba is inhabited mainly by Tibetans and people of the Qiang ethnic group. In Wenchuan alone, 15,941 people were killed by the quake, which left 7,662 missing and 34,583 injured. ||||| China Floods Kill 171, More Rain Expected Chinese residents make their along flooded street in Sansui, southern Guangdong province, 16 Jun 2008 China has ordered workers and soldiers to strengthen levies in southern China, as forecasters warn that more than 40 rivers are exceeding their warning levels. State meteorologists say more rain is expected in the coming days, where floods have already killed at least 171 people this year. Torrential rains have battered eastern and southern China during the past week, and forced about 1.3 million others to flee their homes. Chinese officials say that while summer flooding has become a regular event, some areas have received record amounts of rainfall. Officials say there is also a forecast of flooding along the Yellow River, which runs through northern China. The prosperous southern province of Guangdong has been the hardest hit in recent days. China's official Xinhua news agency says rains have killed at least 20 people there. Xinhua says the flooding in the Pearl River Delta is the worst in 50 years. Rains in the delta have washed away some roads and submerged farmland across nine provinces. Many areas have been hit by landslides. Television footage shows people rowing boats in towns along the Xijiang River in southern China. Sichuan province, which is still reeling from a May 12 earthquake, also has been affected by the heavy rains. China has ordered workers and soldiers to strengthen levies in southern China, as forecasters warn that more than 40 rivers are exceeding their warning levels.State meteorologists say more rain is expected in the coming days, where floods have already killed at least 171 people this year.Torrential rains have battered eastern and southern China during the past week, and forced about 1.3 million others to flee their homes. Chinese officials say that while summer flooding has become a regular event, some areas have received record amounts of rainfall.Officials say there is also a forecast of flooding along the Yellow River, which runs through northern China.The prosperous southern province of Guangdong has been the hardest hit in recent days. China's official Xinhua news agency says rains have killed at least 20 people there. Xinhua says the flooding in the Pearl River Delta is the worst in 50 years.Rains in the delta have washed away some roads and submerged farmland across nine provinces. Many areas have been hit by landslides.Television footage shows people rowing boats in towns along the Xijiang River in southern China. Sichuan province, which is still reeling from a May 12 earthquake, also has been affected by the heavy rains. Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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Shenzhen Further rain has continued to fall across southern China after the country was devastated by floods earlier this week. The Chinese provinces hit by the flooding are highlighted in red on the above map176 people have been confirmed to have died as a result of the flooding, and around 50 more are officially missing. Xinhua, the state news agency in China, has reported that the flooding in the Pearl River Delta was the worst in the area for over fifty years. The Chinese government says it evacuated 111,476 in the Sichuan Province. In Wenchuan County, 72,000 were relocated. Over the past week some 1.3 million people have reportedly fled their homes. The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) issued a warning on the situation before the first wave of flooding. "Faced with the increasingly severe rain and flood situation, at 16 o’clock of June 12, Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters of Guangxi urgently started level 2 flood control emergency response and required the relevant departments and places to prepare immediately so as to ensure the work of flood control and drought relief," the CMA said in a statement released late last week.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One of the women who tried to assassinate President Ford 32 years ago was released on parole Monday from a federal prison in California, according to a Bureau of Prisons spokesman. Sara Jane Moore looks out a car window as she heads to federal court in this 1975 photo. Sara Jane Moore, 77, was released in the morning from the federal women's prison in Dublin, outside San Francisco, according to Mike Truman of the Bureau of Prisons. There was no immediate comment from the prison facility, where Moore had been Inmate No. 04851180. Officials said she had a recent parole hearing, but they did not know what prompted her release. Nor was it clear what her plans are or where she is headed. The former nurse and mother of five had been trying for 20 years to gain her freedom. Moore was arrested in September 22, 1975, outside the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco after firing a single shot at Ford. A bystander had grabbed Moore's arms just before she fired a .38 caliber revolver and was credited with probably saving the president's life. The bullet missed Ford's head by inches. Seventeen days earlier Ford survived another attempt on his life by Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, in Sacramento, California. Moore pleaded guilty to attempted assassination and was sentenced to life in prison. At the time she had been married and divorced seven times. In recent interviews Moore said she regretted her actions, which she said were motivated by radical revolutionary politics. As an inmate she worked as an accountant in the prison drapery factory. Ford died December 26, 2006, from natural causes. E-mail to a friend All About Gerald Ford • Parole ||||| DUBLIN, Calif. (KCBS/AP) -- Sara Jane Moore, who took a shot at President Ford in a 1975 assassination attempt, was released from prison Monday. Moore, 77, had served about 30 years of a life sentence when she was released from the federal prison in Dublin, east of San Francisco, said Felicia Ponce, a spokeswoman with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Ponce did not know the details of Moore's release. Moore was 40 feet away from Ford outside a hotel in San Francisco when she fired a shot at him on Sept. 22, 1975. As she raised her .38-caliber revolver, Oliver Sipple, a disabled former Marine standing next to her, pushed up her arm as the gun went off, and the bullet flew over Ford's head by several feet. KCBS Archive Audio: KCBS reporter George McManus, Sept. 22, 1975 In recent interviews, Moore said she regretted her actions. ``I am very glad I did not succeed. I know now that I was wrong to try,'' Moore said a year ago in an interview with KGO-TV. Just 17 days before Moore's attempt, Ford had survived the first attempt on his life in Sacramento by Lynette ``Squeaky'' Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson. Moore said she was blinded by her radical political views at the time, convinced that the government had declared war on the left. ``I was functioning, I think, purely on adrenalin and not thinking clearly. I have often said that I had put blinders on and I was only listening to what I wanted to hear,'' she told KGO. Chronicle photographer Gary Fong captured Ford reaction Moore's confusing background - which included five failed marriages, name changes and involvement with political groups like the Symbionese Liberation Army - baffled the public and even her own defense attorney during her trial. ``I never got a satisfactory answer from her as to why she did it,'' said retired federal public defender James F. Hewitt. ``There was just bizarre stuff, and she would never tell anyone anything about her background.'' Ford insisted the two attempts on his life shouldn't prevent him from having contact with the American people. ``If we can't have the opportunity of talking with one another, seeing one another, shaking hands with one another, something has gone wrong in our society. I think it's important that we as a people don't capitulate to the wrong element,'' he said. Ford died a little over a year ago from natural causes. Moore was born Sara Jane Kahn in Charleston, W.Va. She acted in high school plays and dreamed of being a film actress before going through a series of marriages, beginning with nuptials to Marine sergeant Wallace Elvin Anderson in 1949. That marriage ended after less than a month. Moore later married and had three children with an Air Force officer named Sydney Louis Manning, who brought her to California. In 1958, she married and went on to have a child with John Frederick Wilhelm Aalberg, who she said worked in Hollywood. She started using her mother's maiden name, Moore, shortly after marrying Bay Area doctor Willard Carmel. That marriage also ended. In the 1970s, Moore began working for People in Need, a free food ransom arrangement established by millionaire Randy Hearst in return for his daughter Patty, who was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1974. She soon became involved with radical leftists, ex-convicts and other members of San Francisco's counterculture. At this time, Moore became an informant to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Moore has said she fired at Ford because she thought she would be killed once it was disclosed that she was an FBI informant. The agency ended its relationship with her about four months before the shooting. ``I was going to go down anyway,'' she said in a 1982 interview with the San Jose Mercury News. ``And if I was going to go down, I was going to do it my way. If the government was going to kill me, I was going to make some kind of statement.'' Moore was sent to a West Virgina women's prison in 1977. Two years later, she escaped, but was captured several hours later. She was later transferred to a prison in Pleasanton, Calif., before coming to Dublin. In 2000, Moore sued the warden of her federal prison to prevent him from taking keys given to inmates to lock themselves in as a security measure. (clo)
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Sara Jane Moore, 77, who tried to assassinate Former United States President Gerald Ford in 1975 was paroled from prison in California this afternoon. Moore tried to assassinate Ford outside of the St. Francis Hotel in downtown San Francisco on January 15, by firing one shot, which missed because a bystander grabbed Moore's arms just seconds before she fired the gun. The bullet missed hitting Ford in the head by inches. It is not yet known why she was released or what the conditions of her release were. In 2006, Ford died from natural causes. He was 93.
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Obama nominated Gen David Petraeus to command US and Nato forces in Afghanistan [AFP] McChrystal’s departure follows a 30-minute meeting with US president Barack Obama on Wednesday. McChrystal was summoned to Washington after a Rolling Stone article portrayed the general and his aides as dismissive of the Obama administration and its strategy in Afghanistan. General Stanley McChrystal has been relieved of his command of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, the White House announced. Obama nominated Gen David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, to take command of the war in Afghanistan. In a statement to reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Obama said he was not "personally insulted" by McChrystal's comments, but called his conduct unbecoming. "The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general," Obama said in the Rose Garden at the White House. "It undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system." No change to strategy Obama also said that the change in command would not mean significant changes to his war strategy in Afghanistan. Obama sent 30,000 new troops this year, many of whom are engaged in trying to secure Afghanistan's volatile southern promises, and plans to begin withdrawing troops next summer. "This is a change in personnel, not a change in policy," Obama said. McChrystal e-mailed a short statement to reporters shortly after Obama's announcement, calling it a "privilege and honor" to have served as the US and Nato commander in Afghanistan. "I strongly support the president's strategy in Afghanistan, and am deeply committed to our coalition forces, our partner nations and the Afghan people," he wrote. "It was out of respect for this commitment that I tendered my resignation." "Poor judgment" The Rolling Stone article, released on the internet on Tuesday, contained quotes critical of Joseph Biden, the US vice president, and several other high-ranking officials. At one point, McChrystal referred to a leaked memo from Karl Eikenberry, the US ambassador in Kabul, which questioned the competence of the Afghan government. Michael Hastings, author of the Rolling Stone article, talks to Al Jazeera about McChrystal "Here's one that covers his flank for the history books," McChrystal said. "Now if we fail, they can say, 'I told you so.'" McChrystal had already apologised for his remarks: In a statement released on Tuesday, he called his comments "a mistake reflecting poor judgment." A spokesman for Nato, James Appathurai, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that the alliance still had "full confidence" in McChrystal. The Afghan government also took the unusual step of endorsing McChrystal and urging Obama not to remove him from command. "We consider that his work has been very positive, and we are hopeful that the United States will pay attention to the concerns of the people of Afghanistan," said Gen Mohammad Zahir Azimi, a spokesman for the defence ministry. The change of command is the latest bit of bad news in a difficult month for the Nato mission in Afghanistan. Six Nato soldiers were killed in attacks across the country on Wednesday, bringing the death toll for foreign troops in June to 75. ||||| The top US military commander in Afghanistan, Gen Stanley McChrystal, has been dismissed by President Barack Obama over comments made in a magazine. He will be replaced by Gen David Petraeus, who led the "surge" in Iraq. Mr Obama insisted it was "a change in personnel but not a change in policy". In a statement, Gen McChrystal said he was leaving because of a "desire to see the mission succeed". He agreed that his statements in Rolling Stone showed "poor judgement". The announcement that Gen McChrystal was standing down came after he had met Mr Obama at the White House on Wednesday. Mr Obama said he had made the decision as Gen McChrystal had failed to "meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general". He insisted: "I don't make this decision based on any difference in policy with General McChrystal, nor on any personal insult." 'Poor judgement' Afghan President Hamid Karzai had indicated he did not want Gen McChrystal replaced, with a spokesman describing him as the best commander in nine years of US military operations in Afghanistan. Gen McChrystal quickly apologised for the magazine article, The Runaway General, written by Michael Hastings and due out on Friday, extending his "sincerest apology" and saying it showed a lack of integrity. The wide-ranging article quoted Gen McChrystal and his aides openly criticising senior members of the Obama administration. "It was a mistake reflecting poor judgement and should never have happened," he said. At the White House on Wednesday, Gen McChrystal was due to face those he and his aides had criticised at the administration's monthly meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan on Wednesday. The officials included:
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General , the top military commander for the US army in Afghanistan, was dismissed by president Barack Obama Wednesday, over controversial comments he made in an interview with a magazine. Stanley McChrystalDavid PetraeusMcChrystal will be replaced by General . The move was made after McChrystal and the president held a thirty-minute meeting Wednesday to discuss McChrystal's comments to the '''' magazine, in which he was portrayed as dismissive about the administration's handling of the Afghanistan war. In one comment, when asked about vice-president Joe Biden, the general replied with "Are you asking about Vice-President Biden? Who's that?"; in another remark, he mentions an email from the US' special Afghanistan and Pakistan representative, Richard Holbrook, saying: "Oh, not another e-mail from Holbrooke ... I don't even want to open it." One of the McChrystal's aides also described national security adviser James Jones as being a "clown... stuck in 1985". Obama commented that the move was "a change in personnel but not a change in policy". "I believe it is the right decision for our national security. I don't make this decision based on any difference in policy with General McChrystal ... nor do I make this decision out of any sense of personal insult," he said, commenting also: "The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general. It undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system." McChrystal, meanwhile, released a statement regarding the incident: "I strongly support the president's strategy in Afghanistan and am deeply committed to our coalition forces, our partner nations, and the Afghan people. It was out of respect for this commitment — and a desire to see the mission succeed — that I tendered my resignation." The general's assistant who organised the ''Rolling Stone'' interview, Duncan Boothby, also resigned over the article. Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, meanwhile responded to Obama's move, saying he believed McChrystal was the best commander in the nine years since the US began operations in his country. "General McChrystal was an important and trusted partner for the Afghan government and Afghan people and we hoped this wouldn't happen," said , a spokesman for Karzai. "However, this is an internal matter for the US government and we respect the decision of President Obama. We are looking forward to working with General Petraeus, a very experienced soldier, who President Karzai knows well."
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Opposition and government negotiators in Kenya resumed talks Friday, focusing on long-term aspects of the country's crisis. The talks received a boost after the leaders of the government and opposition reached a power- sharing agreement. Correspondent Scott Bobb reports from Nairobi. After breaking the deadlock over power sharing, negotiators for the Kenyan government and opposition began to focus on resolving what are seen as long-term solutions to Kenya's crisis, namely constitutional reform, land distribution and poverty. Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki (L) and opposition chief Raila Odinga sign agreement in Nairobi, 28 Feb 2008 The talks took on a new vitality after President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga signed a power-sharing accord in the presence of chief mediator Kofi Annan, Chairman of the African Union Jakaya Kikwete and the Nairobi diplomatic corps. Mr. Kibaki said he would convene parliament Thursday to begin debate on the constitutional amendments needed to implement the accord. The speaker of parliament, Kenneth Marende, said he does not anticipate any difficulties in passing the constitutional changes. "There must be a bill prepared by the government, a bill which will then be tabled in parliament," said Marende. "After it is tabled in parliament it will then be moved in the normal manner and it will be debated and voted for." Opposition parliament member Ababu Namwamba noted that the Kenyan constitution currently allows parliament to change the constitution with a two-thirds majority vote. He said this should not be difficult to muster given the broad support for the agreement. "The main obstacle will be political brinkmanship and hardliners that may crop up," said Namwamba. "But otherwise, if every side maintains the goodwill that has been demonstrated by the two principals, then I do not foresee any difficulty in the implementation of this deal." The agreement calls for the creation of the post of prime minister who will supervise the ministries and can only be dismissed by a majority vote in parliament. Mr. Odinga is expected to assume this post. The accord also calls for the distribution of ministerial posts according to the relative strength of each party in parliament. The African Union, Britain and the United States welcomed the agreement saying they hope it will bring peace and reconciliation to the country. Kenyans reacted with spontaneous street celebrations in some cities, although some cautioned that similar deals in previous years ended up in failure. One thousand people were killed and several hundred thousand were displaced by violence that erupted after Mr. Kibaki was declared the winner of a presidential election which the opposition says was rigged. ||||| U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, left, makes an speech in front of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki, centre, and opposition leader Raila Odinga, right, after a power-sharing agreement in Nairobi, Kenya, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008 after weeks of bitter negotiations on how to end the country's deadly post election crisis. Both claim to have won the country's Dec. 27 presidential election, which observers say was marred by rigging on both sides. (AP Photo/Khalil Senosi) Details of Kenya Deal Being Worked Out NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Representatives on Friday began working out details of a power-sharing agreement aimed at ending two months of ethnic violence that killed more than 1,000 people after a disputed presidential election. Kenya's feuding politicians shook hands Thursday and smiled for the cameras. But the real test for President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga is whether the reluctant partners can work together to heal a divided nation. Under the agreement, Odinga will become prime minister and have the power to "coordinate and supervise" the government — more authority than Kibaki wanted to yield. The bitterness between them runs deep, however, and both men have traded accusations about inciting violence, stealing the Dec. 27 vote, and destroying the nation. Kofi Annan, the mediator, had to prompt them to shake hands Thursday as the cameras rolled. Still, a deal was signed, and about 500 people marched in celebration Friday in the western town of Kitale. "Finally hope is back, Kenya has been reborn and it is like we are ushering in a new year!" shouted a marcher waving a picture of Odinga. It was unclear when Odinga would take over as prime minister. Kibaki said he is reconvening parliament next Thursday to begin work on the needed constitutional changes. Representatives for the two sides were meeting Friday to work out details and start hashing out some of the longer term reforms. "I expect us to fast-track it so that the country can get on its feet," government negotiator Mutula Kilonzo said. Kibaki and Odinga must try to repair the lives of more than a half-million people who have been displaced from their homes and require food, water and medical care. Kenya's Red Cross says it knows of at least 500 youngsters who were separated from their families. There is also the matter of restoring one of Africa's most promising economies. Kenya, one of the most prosperous and tourist-friendly countries in Africa, has seen up to $1 billion in losses linked to the turmoil. But the most difficult task may be restoring Kenyans' trust in their government. Much of the bloodshed pitted ethnic groups, such as Odinga's Luo tribe, against Kibaki's Kikuyu people, long resented for their domination of the economy and politics. Politicians have been accused of fomenting violence — now the uneasy coalition will have to work together to disarm militia groups. In many regions, the violence broke apart cities and towns where Kenyans had lived together — however uneasily at times — since independence from Britain in 1963. The worst of the violence subsided weeks ago. Still, there were reminders as recently as Thursday of previous chaos. Police fired tear gas to disperse dozens who had gathered outside Kibaki's office to witness the signing. Thursday's agreement came after mounting pressure from leaders in Africa and beyond, including the United States, which issued veiled threats about its future relationship with Kenya's leaders. "The Kenyan coalition government and people can count on our support as they move forward to implement the agreement and reform agenda," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement welcoming the power-sharing deal. European Union the humanitarian chief Louis Michel said Kibaki and Odinga "have shown the wisdom and vision to choose the path of compromise and reconciliation." Both the EU and the United States had said previously that they were reviewing their international aid to Kenya because of the crisis. "This power-sharing deal means that once again Kenya is back on a path of peace and mutual understanding," Michel said. Associated Press writers Tom Maliti and Elizabeth A. Kennedy in Nairobi and Osinde Obare in Kitale contributed to this report. ||||| > Use our pull-down menus to find more stories -- Regions/Countries -- Africa Central Africa East Africa North Africa Southern Africa West Africa --- Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Congo-Brazzaville Congo-Kinshasa Côte d'Ivoire Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland São Tomé and Príncipe Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Western Sahara Zambia Zimbabwe -- Topics -- AGOA AIDS Agribusiness Aid and Assistance Arms and Armies Arts Athletics Automotive Banking Book Reviews Books Business Capital Flows Children Civil War Climate Commodities Company Conflict Construction Consulting Crime Currencies Debt Ecotourism Editorials Education Energy Environment Food and Agriculture From allAfrica's Reporters Games Parks Health Healthcare and Medical Human Rights ICT Infrastructure Investment Labour Latest Legal Affairs Malaria Manufacturing Media Mining Music Music Reviews NEPAD NGO Oceans Olympics Peacekeeping Petroleum Polio Post-Conflict Pregnancy and Childbirth Privatization Refugees Religion Science Soccer Sport Stock Markets Sustainable Development Terrorism Trade Transport Travel Tuberculosis Urban Issues Water Wildlife Women --- Central Africa Business East Africa Business North Africa Business Southern Africa Business West Africa Business --- Asia, Australia, and Africa Europe and Africa International Organisations Latin America and Africa Middle East and Africa U.S., Canada and Africa --- From AllAfrica Photo Essays Special Reports web allafrica.com Enter your search terms Submit search form OR subscribers use AllAfrica's premium search engine Click here to read or make comments on this topic » Kenya: African Solutions to African Problems - Kofi Annan Does It! Email This Page Print This Page Comment on this article View comments Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga have signed an agreement to end the country's post-election crisis. At a ceremony in Nairobi yesterday, the two men put their signatures to a power-sharing deal brokered by ex-UN head Kofi Annan. A coalition government comprising members of the current ruling party and opposition will now be formed. Some 1,500 people died in political violence after Mr Odinga said he was robbed of victory in December's polls. International observers agreed the count was flawed. Violence has mostly receded, but tensions are still running extremely high. Negotiations between the government and Mr Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) lasted more than a month, stalling several times. Discussions centred on the creation of the post of prime minister, likely to be taken by Mr Odinga. Both sides agreed that there should be a prime minister, but had differed on what powers the new post would have. Speaking after the deal was signed, Mr Annan said the division of posts in the new government would reflect the two rival political parties' strengths in parliament. The post-election violence saw thousands of people targeted because they belonged to ethnic groups seen as either pro-government or pro-opposition. About 600,000 people have fled their homes and some have been forced back to their ancestral homelands. Meanwhile, a politician has lodged a legal challenge to the talks, saying they are unconstitutional and do not involve all Kenyans. Antony Kirori, who vied for a parliamentary seat and lost to Mr Odinga, says any resolution would alter the country's governance structure. Ghanaian born Mr. Annan had invested so much of his personal reputation and time in trying to save Kenya, one of sub-Saharan Africa's better stories from joining the ranks of basket cases littering the continent. His success in negotiating this deal is also very good news for other troubled areas that perhaps in Mr. Annan, Africans have a trouble shooter who they can trust to help them out of their knotty post colonial handicaps.
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Opposition and government negotiators in Kenya resumed talks on Friday, focusing on long-term aspects of the country's crisis. The talks received a boost after the leaders of the government and opposition reached a power sharing agreement. After breaking the deadlock over power sharing, negotiators for the Kenyan government and opposition began to focus on resolving what are seen as long-term solutions to Kenya's crisis, namely constitutional reform, land distribution and poverty. The talks took on a new vitality after President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader signed a power sharing accord in the presence of chief mediator Kofi Annan, Chairman of the African Union and the diplomatic corps. Mr. Kibaki said he would convene parliament next Thursday to begin debate on the constitutional amendments needed to implement the accord. The speaker of parliament, , said he does not anticipate any difficulties in passing the constitutional changes. "There must be a bill prepared by the government, a bill which will then be tabled in parliament," said Marende. "After it is tabled in parliament it will then be moved in the normal manner and it will be debated and voted for." Opposition parliament member noted that the Kenyan constitution currently allows parliament to change the constitution with a two-thirds majority vote. He said this should not be difficult to muster given the broad support for the agreement. "The main obstacle will be political brinkmanship and hardliners that may crop up," said Namwamba. "But otherwise, if every side maintains the goodwill that has been demonstrated by the two principals, then I do not foresee any difficulty in the implementation of this deal." The agreement calls for the creation of the post of prime minister who will supervise the ministries and can only be dismissed by a majority vote in parliament. Mr. Odinga is expected to assume this post. The accord also calls for the distribution of ministerial posts according to the relative strength of each party in parliament. The African Union, Britain, and the United States welcomed the agreement saying they hope it will bring peace and reconciliation to the country. Kenyans reacted with spontaneous street celebrations in some cities, although some cautioned that similar deals in previous years ended up in failure. One thousand people were killed and several hundred thousand were displaced by violence that erupted after Mr. Kibaki was declared the winner of a presidential election which the opposition says was rigged.
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Luxembourg, 21st April, 2008 – Skype announced unlimited* calling today to over a third of the world’s population with the launch of its new calling subscriptions. The new subscriptions signal the first time Skype has offered a single, monthly flat rate for international calling to landline numbers in 34 countries. The new subscriptions have no long-term contract. You can make calls whenever you want – at any time of the day, on any day of the week. From today, you can choose from three types of subscription – from unlimited calls to landlines in the country of your choice through to landlines in 34 destination countries worldwide. Stefan Oberg, VP & GM telecoms at Skype said, “This move is a natural step for Skype. Skype was founded on the principle of making free voice and video calls available to people all around the world. And now we’re making it even easier for the Skype community to call their friends and family who are not yet on Skype. Our subscriptions give people an easy, hassle-free choice for how and when they want to catch up with their loved ones.” Oberg continued, “For example if you live in London, for just €2.95 a month, you can call your grandmother in Poland, whenever you like, talk for up to six hours at a time, and not worry about how much it’s costing you. Your grandmother doesn’t need to understand the internet. You just use your Skype subscription to make the call and she just picks up the phone. And if you have friends and family spread over the world, you can reach them all for as little as €8.95 a month. When you combine the free features Skype is known for – from instant messaging to conference calling to video calls – with our subscriptions, it’s hard to find a better alternative.” 309 million people all over the world use Skype in all sorts of ways – whether it’s a weekly video call with a sister in Paris or sending an instant message to a college friend in Tokyo or calling a business contact overseas. To purchase a subscription, simply go to skype.com/go/subscriptions for more details. If you purchase one of the new subscriptions for a 3-month or 12-month period before June 1st 2008, you will receive a further 33% discount. About Skype’s calling subscriptions: Skype users around the world can choose to subscribe to any one of the following calling subscriptions based on their individual calling needs: You will only pay one flat monthly fee. There are no hidden costs or additional connection charges. In parallel with our new subscriptions, Skype continues to offer its Pay As You Go option. Put as little as €10 on your Skype account and you can call whoever you want, whenever you want at very low rates. *Unlimited calling: all calls are subject to Skype’s fair usage policy which is set at 10,000 minutes per month (which equates to more than 5 hours of calling per day). Calls to premium, non-geographic and other special numbers are excluded. About Skype Millions of people every day use Skype software to communicate with others through free voice and video calls, as well as instant messages. Skype’s 309 million registered users have made more than 100 billion minutes worth of free Skype-to-Skype calls. Many people also use SkypeOut™ or one of our global subscriptions to save money when calling landlines and mobiles at home and abroad. No longer bound to the computer, Skype conversations can also be had on a broad range of cordless handsets, mobile devices and other Skype Certified™ hardware. We’ve made it easy for Skype users to list and recommend their favourite local businesses to the rest of the community with SkypeFind. And even when you’re fluent in Skype, there is always more to discover: hundreds of third-party developers have created software plug-ins that make Skype even more useful. All of this makes Skype the leading global internet communications company. Skype is an eBay company (NASDAQ: EBAY), and you can learn more and get Skype at www.skype.com. Access to a broadband Internet connection is required for Skype and all Skype Certified devices and accessories. Skype is not a replacement for your traditional telephone service and cannot be used for emergency calling. Skype, SkypeIn, SkypeOut, Skype Me, Skype Certified, Skypecasts, associated logos and the “S” symbol are trademarks of Skype Limited. ||||| Skype offers unlimited long-distance service from $2.95 Gillian Shaw, Vancouver Sun Published: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Internet long-distance provider Skype announced Monday a flat-rate service that will let users call land lines around the world for only a few dollars a month. For Canadians that translates to $2.95 a month for unlimited long-distance calls to landlines and cellphones across Canada and the United States. The company defines unlimited as 10,000 minutes a month, or the equivalent of five hours of talking each day. For $9.95 a month, Canadians will be able to call people on their landlines in 34 countries, and for $5.95 they can make unlimited calls to landlines in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. It's the latest price offering in an industry where the lucrative profits of long-distance calling have long since disappeared, and where Skype, a pioneer of Internet phone service that is now owned by eBay, is struggling to make money on what has largely been a free service among Internet users. "It's getting to be almost near impossible to make money out of this long-distance business because the margins are so slim and the volumes that you require -- in terms of minutes of calling -- are so great that only the specialists are remaining in the market, Skype being one of them," said Eamon Hoey, a telecommunications consultant with the firm Hoey Associates. "If you look at the telephone companies, they have almost lost total interest in this market. "They are not very competitive with most of what you've got out there, and I think they are just trying to harvest what they have. They're trying to maximize their revenue and their margins within a declining market." Skype, which was acquired by eBay in 2005 in a $2.6-billion US stock and cash deal, has failed to generate revenue to justify the price tag, and caused eBay to take a $1.4-billion charge on its books last fall in relation to the deal. Its announcement Monday marked the first time Skype has offered subscriptions giving users a flat monthly rate for calling landline numbers in 34 countries. The subscriptions come with various options, from unlimited calls to landlines in the country a user chooses, to unlimited calls to landlines in the 34 countries. "This move is a natural step for Skype. Skype was founded on the principle of making free voice and video calls available to people all around the world," said Stefan Oberg, vice president and general manager telecoms at the Luxembourg-based Skype. "And now we're making it even easier for the Skype community to call their friends and family who are not yet on Skype. "Our subscriptions give people an easy, hassle-free choice for how and when they want to catch up with their loved ones," Oberg said in a release announcing the new subscription service. Hoey said Skype's new subscription service isn't likely to impact long-distance rates in Canada. "You get a price decline because somebody in the market has pricing power, and Skype does not have pricing power," he said. "I don't think Skype has the capability within the market, certainly not within the Canadian market, to dictate price."
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Skype "Unlimited" Monthly Service Press Conference in Taiwan. Monday, Luxembourg-based Skype Limited announced a new monthly service plan called "Unlimited". It's expected that the service will bring on different opportunities for mobile users and change style on communications. As of Skype Limited, this "Unlimited" monthly service with no long-term contract is designed for different kind users from 34 countries. There are three main services, "Unlimited Country" for local landline call by user's choice, "Unlimited World" to communicate with 34 countries globally, and exclusivity services for different continents in Europe, Asia, and North America. In a launch press conference in Taiwan yesterday, Robert Lo, Vice President of PChome Online, commented this new service to media in Taiwan and said: "After the WiMAX technology was progressively accepted in public world-wide, the population of Skype will be more improved."
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But officials later said it was for research and would not go into orbit. Experts say if Iran has fired a rocket into space it would cause alarm abroad as it would mean scientists had crossed important technological barriers. Iran has made little secret of its desire to become a space power and already has a satellite in orbit launched by the Russians. The latest launch - if confirmed - comes at a time of mounting tension between Tehran and the West over Iran's controversial nuclear programme. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany are due to meet on Monday to discuss the possibility of more sanctions over the nuclear issue. On Sunday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered another defiant speech insisting there is no going back on Iran's nuclear programme. Iran's potential nuclear military programme, combined with an advanced missile capability, would destabilise the region Sir Richard Dalton, former UK ambassador to Iran One of his deputy foreign ministers, Manouchehr Mohammadi, said they had prepared themselves for any situation arising from the issue, even for war. Meanwhile, foreign ministers from seven Muslim states meeting in Pakistan have called for a diplomatic solution to the "dangerous" stand-off. "It is vital that all issues must be resolved through diplomacy and there must be no resort to use of force," said a statement issued after talks involving ministers from Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Missile technology Iranian TV broke the news of the reported test saying: "The first space rocket has been successfully launched into space." Ahmadinejad has claimed Iran's right to nuclear technology It quoted the head of Iran's aerospace research centre, Mohsen Bahrami, as saying that "the rocket was carrying material intended for research created by the ministries of science and defence". However, Ali Akbar Golrou, executive director of the same facility, was later quoted by Fars news agency as saying the craft launched by was a sub-orbital rocket for scientific research. "What was announced by the head of the research centre was the news of launching this sounding rocket," Mr Golrou said. It would not remain in orbit but could rise to about 150km (94 miles) before a parachute-assisted descent to Earth. No pictures of the reported launch have been shown on Iranian state TV, and no Western countries have confirmed tracking any such test-firing. Some Western diplomats suspect Iran may have backtracked on the announcement when it realised what negative publicity this would bring at a sensitive time, says the BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran. The reports come a day after Iran's Defence Minister spoke of plans to build a satellite launcher and join the space club. Also, an Iranian official quoted in Aviation Week earlier this month said Iran would soon test a new satellite launcher. Britain's former ambassador to Iran, Sir Richard Dalton, told the BBC that, if confirmed, such a launch could destabilise the Middle East. "It is a matter of concern," he said. "Iran's potential nuclear military programme, combined with an advanced missile capability, would destabilise the region, and of course if there were a bomb that could be placed on the end of this missile, it would be in breach of Iran's obligations under the non-proliferation treaty." Military experts believe that if Iran has sent a rocket into space it means scientists have mastered the technology needed to cross the atmospheric barrier. In practice, they say, that means there is no technological block to Iran building longer range missiles now, something that will be of great international concern. In 2005, Iran's Russian-made satellite was put into orbit by a Russian rocket. But shortly afterwards Iranian military officials said they were preparing a satellite launch vehicle of their own, and last month they announced they were ready to test it soon. ||||| Special report: Iran Nuclear Crisis TEHRAN, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Sunday successfully launched its first rocket into space with the purpose of research, the state-run television reported. Mohsen Bahrami, the head of Iran's aerospace research center, was quoted as saying by the TV that "the first space rocket has been successfully launched into space", adding "materials created by the Science and Technology and Defense ministries for research use was on the rocket." Bahrami did not give more details about the range or nature of the rocket and its cargo, only said that the test was in line with international regulations. A top Iranian lawmaker last month had said Iran would soon test-launch its rocket into space, and disclosed that the country wanted to launch more home-made satellites with commercial purpose. Iran in 2005 has launched its first satellite, named Sina-1, in a joint program with Russia, which was described by press as for research and telecommunications usage. Iran's Sunday launch of rocket came at a time of escalating tensions between Tehran and the West as Iran refused to heed the UN Security Council's Feb. 21 deadline to stop its uranium enrichment activities. The U.S.-led West are pressing for wider sanctions on Tehran. The U.S., along with some other Western countries, has been accusing Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under civilian cover. Tehran has rejected such allegations, insisting on its "inalienable right" for peaceful nuclear energy. ||||| Iran announces rocket launch, believed part of commercial satellite project TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran on Sunday said it had successfully tested what it called a rocket that had reached space. The announcement, made on state-run television, was unclear, but appeared to refer to Iran's efforts to launch commercial satellites into orbit. Iran's Science and Technology and Defense ministries built the craft, the state-run television quoted Mohsen Bahrami, the head of Iran's Space Research Center, as saying. Bahrami provided no other details beyond saying that Iran had successfully launched what he called a space rocket or space missile. Iran in the past has announced that it wanted to be able to send its own satellites, including commercial ones, into orbit. But it has revealed little information about the project. In 2005, Iran launched its first such satellite in a joint project with Russia. Iran hopes to launch four more satellites by 2010, the government has said, to increase the number of land and mobile telephone lines to 80 million from 22 million. It also hopes to expand its satellite capabilities to let Internet users to rise to 35 million from 5.5 million in the next five years. Science and Technology Minister Mohammad Soleimani said Sunday that Iran would speed up its space program, the official IRNA news agency reported. "Investment in space is very serious and requires time, but we are trying to speed this up," IRNA quoted Soleimani as saying. Iran requires at least a 12 transponder satellite to enhance its communications and Internet systems. It signed a $132 million deal with a Russian firm to build and launch another telecommunications satellite two years ago. Also in 2005, Iran said its next step would be the launch of a satellite on an indigenous rocket. Iranian officials have said the country has been developing a Shahab-4 missile that will be used to launch a satellite into space. Under a 20-year development plan, Iran has said it hopes to become a base for science and technology in the region. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| Following the contracted launch of the Iranian satellite Sina-1 - conducted by Russia - the launch of the satellite Kavesh (Search) may have been carried out by a converted Shahab-3 missile. However, there is confusion on if this was a proper satellite launch - as claimed - or a sub-orbital launch. Iranian State TV this morning reported that Iran had successfully launched a satellite into space on an Iranian built vehicle, as the opening salvo in their homemade space flight ambitions, as they aim to "join the space club." With the current political tensions between Iran and the West, just how the White House will respond to this will be very interesting, although Iran has previously made no secret about its ambitions. This time, however, it appears the launch occurred without the knowledge of the outside world. According to Mohsen Bahrami, head of the Iranian Aerospace Research Institute, the launch took place, successfully, within the last few weeks, stating 'Iran has successfully launched its first space missile made by Iranian scientists.' Previous ambitions that have been made public by the Iranians have always involved peaceful intentions. Following the Sina-1 launch, Iran made it known that they intended to launch five satellites for national communication needs. There are conflicting reports about the actual launch profile of this vehicle, with wire reports quoting another Iranian official, who claimed the launch was sub-orbital, rising to 94 miles, before falling to earth by parachute. This contradicts Iranian State TV. The launch did provide some clues to Iran's ambitions, with Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar noting that the Iran was planning to build a satellite and launcher system, potentially more advanced than the modification of the Shahab-3 missile. What is clear is Iran now fully intends to join 'the space club.' 'Building a satellite and satellite launcher, as well as (previously) launching the first Iranian satellite called Sina with Russian cooperation, and becoming a member of the space club, are part of the Defense Ministry's plans,' said the Minister. The Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missile is a fully Iranian built single stage vehicle, and has been the subject of concerns, due to the continuing tensions related to Iran's continued defiance of UN resolutions regarding their nuclear ambitions. The vehicle - which is transported by road - has a range of around 800 miles. However, another variant is reported to have a range of 1,200 miles. Should the launch of Kavesh prove an increased capability, concerns will be raised once again on the political playing field. Shahab, which means 'Meteor' or 'Shooting Star' in Farsi, is a derivative of the North Korean 1,000 mile range No-Dong missile. The vehicle is capable of carrying a 1,000 kg warhead.
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Flag of Iran In Iran, the state-controlled TV station has announced that the country for the first time test-fired a space rocket, with scientific equipment aboard. "The first space rocket has been successfully launched into space," the station's website reported. The rocket was later reported not be designed to reach an orbit. Iran claims it reached an altitude of 94 miles and then parachuted home. No images have been released, and no other reports have confirmed the launch. The announcement comes at a time of international tension over Iran's nuclear program. In a speech today, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad compared his country's nuclear program with a train with no brakes and no reverse gear. Manouchehr Mohammadi, a deputy foreign minister, said the country had prepared itself for a standoff over its nuclear activities. Diplomats said that if Iran would possess advanced missile capabilities it would be of concern to the nations who believe Iran is developing nuclear weapons, something Iran denies. The head of the Iranian space center, Mohsen Bahrami, was quoted saying that the scientific material on board came from the science and from the defence ministry. He also said that the test was in line with international regulations on the matter. Although the news would mean a significant breakthrough for Iran's missile technology, the story was only mentioned during one TV broadcast, and not at all by other official Iranian media. Iran has said in the past it wants more satellites to increase its cellular phone and internet capabilities. It also said it hopes to become a center for science and technology in the region. Since 2005, Iran already has one satellite in space, Sinah-1, which was launched in Russia with a Russian rocket. The rocket was described as serving telecommunication and research purposes. Soon after the 2005 launch, Iran announced they would develop their own launcher. Yesterday, the Iranian Defence Minister spoke of Iran's plans for their own satellite launcher, and disclosed his country's desire to join the club of countries with a space program.
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J une 9, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – In a an error reminiscent of the infamous “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline, the Valley News reported that Jeff Stone won the Republican primary for the 36th State Senate seat. That’s because the district spans both Riverside and San Diego Counties---and the chagrined publisher apparently only checked the Riverside results, the conservative blog Flash Report revealed today. In fact, Anderson leads by a hefty total of 6,810 votes with all precincts in both counties counted--though tens of thousands or more absentee and provisional ballots remain to be tallied. Stone, a Riverside County Supervisor, captured 15,042 votes in Riverside compared to incumbent Assemblyman Joel Anderson’s meager 6,201 votes. But in San Diego, where Anderson is widely known, the reverse was true, with Anderson garnering a whopping 25,992 to Stone’s 2,461 votes. Another key difference between the two Counties was that Kenneth Dickson placed second, above Anderson, in Riverside returns. Anderson will face off in November against Democrat Paul Clay, a teacher in Riverside County. ||||| Larry Urdahl on Sunday San Diego: The 2010 Primary Election Contest!!! Matt Munson on Republican Unity? Vince De Vargas on Advice to Asm. Gatto From The Speaker Vince De Vargas on Another 1994? Robert Bosich on Another 1994? Ed Laning on Murder- Suicide in the 59th Assembly District? Dana Reed on Supervisors Upset on Tuesday Matt Rexroad on Supervisors Upset on Tuesday Dana Reed on Supervisors Upset on Tuesday Ken Hunter on It's An Uphill Battle For Biane; Rutherford Looks Good For November Ken Hunter on Arizona Boycott: A Story of Wimps and Wasters Chris Jones on It's An Uphill Battle For Biane; Rutherford Looks Good For November David Frisk on Murder- Suicide in the 59th Assembly District? Rick Dressler on Murder- Suicide in the 59th Assembly District? Barry Jantz on Brandon Powers Named "Rising Star" ||||| Assemblyman Joel Anderson will be the heavy favorite for a state Senate seat in November after winning the Republican primary election in the 36th district Tuesday night. Anderson, R-Alpine, defeated Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone in the strongly Republican district, which includes much of San Diego’s north and east counties, along with portions of Riverside. In the South Bay’s 40th Senate District, Assemblywoman Mary Salas, D-Chula Vista, is locked in a virtual dead heat with former Assemblyman Juan Vargas for the Democratic nomination. Should Anderson prevail in the state Senate race in the fall, he will replace Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta, who is leaving office due to term limits. Whoever wins the tight contest between Salas and Vargas is expected to replace termed out Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny, D-San Diego. The election of Anderson and a Democrat in the 40th state Senate District would not change the balance of power in the Legislature. Most districts were drawn to be either Republican or Democratic strongholds, meaning the party primaries usually determine the eventual winner. Anderson will face Democrat Paul Clay, a teacher from Murrieta who faced no primary competition. The winner between Salas and Vargas will take on Republican Brian Hendry, an educator and businessman from Chula Vista who also ran unopposed. Election results showed Anderson and Stone each secured large leads in their respective home counties, but Anderson won enough votes overall to earn the nomination, 45.18 percent to 26.14 percent with 100 percent of the precincts reporting and about 160,000 absentee and provisional ballots still to be counted. Anderson and his campaign could not be reached for comment Tuesday night. A representative for Stone said the discouraged candidate reacted to the results by saying, “I got into this race to try to make a difference and Sacramento may have won.” During the campaign, Anderson played up his record as an assemblyman, while Stone talked about bringing new ideas to Sacramento as well as his nearly 20 years of experience in elected office in Riverside County. A large fine Anderson paid to the state for campaign finance violations also played into the campaign. The South Bay race between Salas and Vargas featured nearly nonstop attacks via heavy television advertising. As of Wednesday morning, Salas had 51.72 percent of the vote and Vargas had 48.28 percent. Vargas, who served in the 79th Assembly District before Salas, blamed her for the state budget morass and early prisoner releases. Salas frequently depicted Vargas as a tool of insurance and corporate interests, which funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars into independent campaigns on his behalf. Michele Clock: (619) 293-1264; [email protected]. Follow on Twitter at micheleclock ||||| Print Share + Open Legislative Seats Provide Measure Of Drama LOS ANGELES (CBS) ― 1 of 1 Close numSlides of totalImages Voters Tuesday sorted through some of the more colorful candidates for the state Legislature.Los Angeles Democrats chose Assemblyman Kevin De Leon to replace Sen. Gil Cedillo. In another Southern California race, Assemblyman Joel Anderson, R-La Mesa, was the leader to succeed Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta. Both incumbents are termed out after this year.Tuesday's primary was likely to determine November's winner in many of the legislative districts, as voters picked from nearly 340 candidates for 100 state legislative seats.That's because most districts have been drawn to protect the incumbent party.The system also favors officeholders, many of whom were unopposed for re-nomination. Just two incumbent Assembly Democrats and three Assembly Republican officeholders faced primary challenges.Tea party co-founder Nathan Mintz was the only Republican running for an open seat in the 53rd Assembly District held by termed-out Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-Torrance.Mintz, 26, of Redondo Beach, faces a challenge in the general election in the heavily Democratic district. He said he is counting on independent voters and others upset with the government.Two special elections for vacant Southern California legislativeseats were also being decided Tuesday.Democrat Mike Gatto was ahead in Los Angeles County's heavily Democratic 43rd Assembly District.He would serve for the next six months in the seat vacated when former Democratic Assemblyman Paul Krekorian stepped aside after being elected to the Los Angeles City Council. His opponent was Republican Sunder Ramani. The two will meet again in the November election, when they each seek a full term.Republican Assemblyman Bill Emmerson will represent Riverside County's sprawling 37th state Senate District. He fills the seat vacated when former Republican Sen. John Benoit resigned after being appointed to the county Board of Supervisors.Emmerson's Democratic opponent was actor Justin Blake. Emmerson will serve out Benoit's term, which ends in 2012. (© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.) ||||| Print Share + Open Legislative Seats Provide Measure Of Drama LOS ANGELES (CBS) ― 1 of 1 Close numSlides of totalImages Voters Tuesday sorted through some of the more colorful candidates for the state Legislature.Los Angeles Democrats chose Assemblyman Kevin De Leon to replace Sen. Gil Cedillo. In another Southern California race, Assemblyman Joel Anderson, R-La Mesa, was the leader to succeed Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta. Both incumbents are termed out after this year.Tuesday's primary was likely to determine November's winner in many of the legislative districts, as voters picked from nearly 340 candidates for 100 state legislative seats.That's because most districts have been drawn to protect the incumbent party.The system also favors officeholders, many of whom were unopposed for re-nomination. Just two incumbent Assembly Democrats and three Assembly Republican officeholders faced primary challenges.Tea party co-founder Nathan Mintz was the only Republican running for an open seat in the 53rd Assembly District held by termed-out Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-Torrance.Mintz, 26, of Redondo Beach, faces a challenge in the general election in the heavily Democratic district. He said he is counting on independent voters and others upset with the government.Two special elections for vacant Southern California legislativeseats were also being decided Tuesday.Democrat Mike Gatto was ahead in Los Angeles County's heavily Democratic 43rd Assembly District.He would serve for the next six months in the seat vacated when former Democratic Assemblyman Paul Krekorian stepped aside after being elected to the Los Angeles City Council. His opponent was Republican Sunder Ramani. The two will meet again in the November election, when they each seek a full term.Republican Assemblyman Bill Emmerson will represent Riverside County's sprawling 37th state Senate District. He fills the seat vacated when former Republican Sen. John Benoit resigned after being appointed to the county Board of Supervisors.Emmerson's Democratic opponent was actor Justin Blake. Emmerson will serve out Benoit's term, which ends in 2012. (© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.) ||||| June 8, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Voters gave Assemblyman Joel Anderson a victory in his quest for State Senate, despite a campaign finance scandal that has dogged his race. With 38% of precincts counted, Anderson has a hefty 45.33% of the vote, leading Riverside Supervisor Jeff Stone with 24.83%, veteran Kenneth Dickson with 20.16%, and Rev. Greg Stephens with 9.68%. Anderson will run against Democrat Paul Clay, a teacher, in the fall election to fill the vacancy created by retireiment of Senator Dennis Hollingsworth (R-Murrieta) due to term limits. The heavily Republican district spans portions of Riverside and San Diego Counties. ||||| Translate this page Anderson leads Supervisor Stone for 36th Senate race Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 Issue 23, Volume 14. According to the State of California Registrar of Voters, as of 12:55 am Wednesday morning, with 43 percent (268 out of 617) precincts reporting, Joel Anderson is moving ahead with 43 percent of the vote. Supervisor Stone has 27 percent, Ken Dickson 20 percent, and Pastor Stephens 9.6 percent. Paul Clay is the lone contender on the Democratic ticket and has garnered 100 percent of the vote. In November the GOP nominee will square off against the Democratic nominee to fill the seat being vacated by Senator Hollingsworth who was termed out. State Senate District 36 Democratic 43.4% (268/617) Vote Totals Pct. Paul Clay 19,186 100.0% State Senate District 36 Republican Joel Anderson 17,801 43.0% Kenneth Dickson 8,385 20.2% Greg Advertisement [ MyGym Children's Fitness Center ] Stephens 4,011 9.6% Jeff Stone 11,250 27.2% In a race to see who will succeed Senator Dennis Hollingsworth in the 36th Senate race, it appears Assemblyman Joel Anderson has the lead. As of 11:30 pm election night, Assemblyman Anderson, R-La Mesa, has 42 percent of the vote over Supervisor Jeff Stone, R-Temecula's, 27 percent. With 145 of the 617 precincts counted, it is too early to tell concretely, and Murrieta school Trustee Ken Dickson is not far behind Supervisor Stone in the race for the GOP nomination with a respectable 21 percent. The fourth contender, Pastor Greg Stephens, has 10 percent of the vote. The district covers northern and eastern San Diego County, including the towns of Fallbrook, DeLuz, Rainbow, Julian, Ramona, Santee, El Cajon, and Valley Center. Temecula, Murrieta, and Wildomar are included in the Riverside county district portion. 18 comments anonomous Comment #1 | Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010 at 7:53 am I'd like to think that Stone sealed his fate when he went out of his way to trample the peoples' rights to protest peacefully with unneeded legislation. I'm glad for those in Ca. they will be better served by anyone other than a cult apologist. Anonymous Comment #2 | Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010 at 7:53 am The smell of Jeff Stone's fail is so strong, I am enjoying it all the way in Ohio. Anonymous Comment #3 | Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010 at 7:53 am Good-bye Jeff Stone. It looks like being a shameless cult stooge didn't help your career after all. WhyWeProtest Comment #4 | Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010 at 7:54 am Anderson wins state Senate Republican primary.... http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jun/09/anderson-wins-state-senate-republican-primary/ http://www.signonsandiego.com/election/results/primary/ STATE SENATE 36TH DISTRICT - REPUBLICAN [top] GREG STEPHENS - REP 3839 9.65% KENNETH C. DICKSON - REP 7925 19.93% JEFF STONE - REP 9942 25.0% JOEL ANDERSON - REP 18061 45.42% Precincts: 447 Counted: 217 Percentage: 48.5% Tsu Doh Nimh Comment #5 | Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:00 am Remember, Jeff, we'll be there for the rest of your career. Railroading through legislation written by the shyster for that criminal cult was the biggest mistake you ever made. Fed Up with Jeff Comment #6 | Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010 at 11:02 am Hot dog, Jeff bites the dust. He and his smug sister can now move into one of those dumps they rent to seniors in Murrieta Hot Springs. guest Comment #7 | Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010 at 11:04 am now if the temecula valley can rid themselves from this fine piece of political junk. thanks to all the temecula(orange county implants) they appear to finally get the message....he's done nothing for them but clean out their kids college funds. best news for a wonderful morning, as I am glad for me helping get this puke out of our 36th district polotics and beyond. jeff stone you finally been paid back for all you took from the valley people. hope that volunteer job is working for you? hopefully you'll find some other town to bamboozle. best day for temecula reject this guy for now and good bye stoner! theta news Comment #8 | Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010 at 4:19 pm Looks like the good people of Riverside County are well aware of the terrible cult-base and its public stooges. We should all pray for the poor souls locked up behind the barbed wire, motion sensors and guards every time we drive past their creepy faux-scottish compound. Pink Comment #9 | Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010 at 4:32 pm Yeeks sounds creepy.... where is that place? East Riv Co? call me xenu Comment #10 | Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:15 pm Actually, Its called "Golden Era Productions" and it's run by the Church of Scientology's elite, highly secretive "Sea Org" unit in Gilman Hot Springs,CA between Hemet and San Jacinto. Google Jeff Stone and Scientology for the real story. One of the scariest places on earth... JSFOR EXNU Comment #11 | Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:16 pm The only thing Jeff Stone is good for is to keep a door open! A Non Emus Comment #12 | Wednesday, Jun 9, 2010 at 8:16 pm Hooking up with Scientology didn't work for Tom Cruise, and it failed for Jeff Stone, too. Kharma Comment #13 | Thursday, Jun 10, 2010 at 5:41 am Wow, the Kharmic wheel turned more quickly than expected. See ya, Jeff. Did Stone know the Riv Co Supervisor meetings were taped and then posted on the www? If so, he's dumber than he thought we are! If not, he's just dumb... really dumb. What will his sister do for a living now that she can't be paid exorbiant sums for "volunteering" and the campign funds are dried up? Back to hairdressing? ZeroZero Comment #14 | Thursday, Jun 10, 2010 at 11:51 am As an interested observer from "across the pond" , I watched with disbelief as Mr Stone ran roughshod over the genuine and well voiced concerns of his constituents, it seems what goes around , does indeed come around. The lesson here Mr Stone appears to be, mess with the folks who vote for you, and they will gladly return the favour !!! "the red light blinking in the corner of your eye , that's you career dissipation light ,the faster it blinks , the shorter your career" Ed Comment #15 | Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 7:33 am This article has been posted for 5 days. How about getting rid of it ! fallbrook mama Comment #16 | Monday, Jun 14, 2010 at 6:03 pm village news must be on vacation - same stories posted for a week now...snooooze. Sister727 Comment #17 | Wednesday, Jun 23, 2010 at 9:27 pm Snooze my a..!! This guy had it commin anti-sci Comment #18 | Thursday, Jun 24, 2010 at 5:03 pm This is the best news for RivCo (and us folks that are against the abuses of the cult and corruption of govt officials) EVER! I am gonna go party hardy!!!! YIPPEE!!! Good riddance cult shill Stone! Karma is a b****...and we kept telling you so, but you didn`t listen. Article Comments are contributed by our readers, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Valley News staff. The name listed as the author for comments cannot be verified; Comment authors are not guaranteed to be who they claim they are. ||||| Error Sorry, you've reached an article which does not exist or is not currently available. 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An election news report in the U.S. features an error hearkening back to the infamous 1948 "" incident – reporting the wrong candidate won the California state election primary. image created to the incident and reference "" (June 9, 2010) Candidate , a member of the , won the Republican Party primary for the California being vacated by politician Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth, on Tuesday. With 100 percent of the election precincts reporting, Anderson won over 45 percent of the total votes cast in the Republican primary. However, ''The Valley News'', a news publication based in , California, mistakenly reported that Anderson's opponent, Jeff Stone, had won the Republican primary. ''The Valley News'' later deleted its own article and reposted a new one with the correct information about the election results, without . California political journalist reported that the mistake was due to the publisher of ''The Valley News'' only having examined the election results for Riverside, and not the entire election district. The Republican primary won by Anderson encompasses an election district, which includes both , and . Jantz noted, "A new story has now been posted, without a trace of the incorrect report or a correction." He referred to the erroneous article subsequently deleted by the ''Valley Press'' as, "the story that was...and wasn't...and now never existed". The San Diego County publication, ''East County Magazine'', commented on the incident, and characterized it as "an error reminiscent of the infamous 'Dewey Defeats Truman' headline." "Dewey Defeats Truman" was an erroneous front-page headline by the newspaper '''' published November 3, 1948, a day before U.S. President won the against New York . Anderson will be the Republican Party candidate in the November general election for California State Senate. His opponent will be Paul Clay, a Democrat and teacher based in Riverside County. The district primarily consists of registered Republicans.
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 - I. Lewis Libby Jr., the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, told a grand jury that he was authorized by his "superiors" to disclose classified information to reporters about Iraq's weapons capability in June and July 2003, according to a document filed by a federal prosecutor. The document shows that Mr. Libby, known as Scooter, was actively engaged in the Bush administration's public relations effort to rebut complaints that there was little evidence to support the claim that Saddam Hussein possessed or sought weapons of mass destruction, which was used to justify the invasion of Iraq. The document is part of the prosecutors' case against Mr. Libby, who has been indicted on charges that he lied about his role in exposing the identity of a C.I.A. operative to journalists. The prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, said in a letter to Mr. Libby's lawyers last month that Mr. Libby had testified before the grand jury that "he had contacts with reporters in which he disclosed the content of the National Intelligence Estimate ('NIE')," that discussed Iraq's nuclear weapons capability. "We also note that it is our understanding that Mr. Libby testified that he was authorized to disclose information about the NIE to the press by his superiors." ||||| Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff testified that his bosses instructed him to leak information to reporters from a high-level intelligence report that suggested Iraq was trying to obtain weapons of mass destruction, according to court records in the CIA leak case. Cheney was one of the "superiors" I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby said had authorized him to make the disclosures, according to sources familiar with the investigation into Libby's discussions with reporters about CIA operative Valerie Plame. But it is unclear whether Cheney instructed his former top aide to release classified information, because parts of the National Intelligence Estimate were previously declassified. The disclosure in a legal document written by special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald demonstrates one way in which Cheney was involved in responding to public allegations by Plame's husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, that the administration had exaggerated questionable intelligence to justify war with Iraq. In a letter written in January and released in court papers filed by Libby's defense Monday, Fitzgerald wrote that Libby testified that his "superiors" authorized him to disclose information from the National Intelligence Estimate to reporters in the summer of 2003. The National Journal first reported on its Web site yesterday that Cheney had provided the authorization. The intelligence estimate is a classified report prepared by intelligence officers for high-level government officials, and some parts are regularly declassified in a summary and available to the public. Cheney spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride declined to comment on Cheney's role in Libby's discussions of the intelligence estimate, referring calls to Fitzgerald's office. Fitzgerald's spokesman has declined to comment on the prosecutor's investigation and filings. Libby was indicted in October on charges of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements in the course of the investigation. Fitzgerald has been trying to determine since January 2004 whether administration officials knowingly disclosed Plame's identity to reporters to discredit Wilson's allegations, a possible violation of law. Plame's name first appeared in a syndicated column by Robert D. Novak in July 2003, eight days after her husband publicly accused the administration of relying on questionable information about Iraq's weapons program to justify the war. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) said the new information about Libby's testimony exposes a possible hypocrisy within the Bush administration as it seeks to punish those who leak politically embarrassing information about secret CIA prisons and warrantless spying, but encourages leaks that aid the administration's political strategy. "These charges, if true, represent a new low in the already sordid case of partisan interests being placed above national security," Kennedy said in a statement. "The Vice President's vindictiveness in defending the misguided war in Iraq is obvious." Larry Johnson, a former intelligence officer and colleague of Plame's who has been critical of the administration's campaign against Wilson, said the Libby testimony helps prove that top executive branch officials were working to discredit an administration critic. "This was not some rogue operation, but was directed at the highest levels, and specifically by Dick Cheney," Johnson said. "Libby was definitely a man with a mission, but a man who was given a mission."
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According to federal prosecutors, Lewis "Scooter" Libby Jr., the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, told a grand jury that his superiors authorized him to disclose to reporters information from the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate. Portions of the report included still-classified information on Iraqi weapons capability leaked in June and July 2003. Libby's claim of authorization was revealed in a letter by special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald, written January 23 and included in papers filed in court by Libby's defense team on Monday. Although this letter did not say which "superiors" Libby referred to, the National Journal reported on Thursday that their sources said this included his immediate boss, V.P. Cheney. If this is confirmed, it could broaden the scandal. Mr. Libby was obliged to step down after he was indicted on charges that he lied about his role in exposing the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson, a C.I.A. operative, to the journalist Robert Novak in July 2003. Federal prosecutors plan to use the confession to establish that Mr. Libby was part of the Bush administration's public relations campaign to rebut Mr. Wilson's op-ed column in ''The New York Times''. The column stated that there was little evidence to support the administration's claims that Saddam Hussein was pursuing weapons of mass destruction.
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Please Register or Log In The story you requested is available only to registered members Registration is FREE and offers great benefits. Please be aware that your browser must accept cookies in order to successfully login, so that we can identify your account.You may also need to adjust your firewall or browser security to login. ||||| GLENDALE, California (AP) -- A jury cleared a cardiologist and a radiologist Friday of negligence in the diagnosis and treatment of actor John Ritter, who died of a torn aorta in 2003. John Ritter was 54 when he collapsed on the set of his TV show and died at a hosptial. Jurors said the majority believed the cardiologist summoned to the hospital after Ritter was diagnosed with a heart attack had no time to order a chest X-ray that might have found the tear. They also said the radiologist, who gave Ritter a body scan two years earlier, did advise Ritter of coronary problems and to consult other doctors, but his failure to do so did not cause his death. The 9-3 verdict means there is no damage judgment against the doctors, neither of whom were present when the jury reached a decision in the wrongful death lawsuit brought by Ritter's widow and children. Verdicts do not have to be unanimous in civil cases. "I disagree with the jury's decision but I believe in the system and I respect it," said the widow, Amy Yasbeck. "It inspires me even more to find, with these brilliant medical minds, a path to diagnose aortic diseases." Yasbeck said she has started a foundation in her husband's name to work on the condition. Lawyers for Ritter's family claimed Ritter's death resulted in a loss of as much as $67 million in future earnings. Eight other medical personnel and Providence St. Joseph Medical Center previously made settlements with the family totaling $14 million. Neither doctor was present for the verdict, which was reached on the second day of deliberations and was read quickly. Attorneys said Dr. Matthew Lotysch, the radiologist, and Dr. Joseph Lee, the cardiologist, were at work. Attorney Stephen C. Fraser, who represented Lotysch, credited jurors with being sophisticated and intelligent. "The system worked and we're very, very happy that they did the right thing," Fraser said. Defense testimony characterized the aortic dissection as lethal and contended that even with surgery the outcome would have been the same. Learn more about aortic dissections » When he died on September 11, 2003, Ritter was starring in the TV show "8 Simple Rules ... for Dating My Teenage Daughter." He was 54. During the trial, attorneys for the families sought to show that Lee rushed to a faulty diagnosis and failed to have a chest X-ray taken that would have revealed the torn aorta, resulting in surgery that would have saved him. Testimony showed that an X-ray was ordered as soon as Ritter arrived at the emergency room but for unknown reasons it was never done. Lee was called in later in the evening after Ritter was already diagnosed with a heart attack. Defense testimony characterized the aortic dissection as lethal and contended that even with surgery the outcome would have been the same. Lotysch testified he told Ritter he had calcification in three coronary arteries and should consult other doctors. But in a related finding, the jury decided that Ritter's failure to pursue that medical consultation was not a cause of his death. 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 John Ritter ||||| Actor John Ritter is shown at the 29th Annual People's Choice Awards in this, Jan. 12, 2003, file photo in Pasadena, Calif. A California jury on has cleared a cardiologist and a radiologist of negligence in the diagnosis and treatment of actor John Ritter, Friday, March 14, 2008. The 9-3 verdict in the lawsuit brought by Ritter's widow and children resulted in no damage judgments against the doctors. Verdicts do not have to be unanimous in civil cases. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, file) 2 Doctors Cleared in John Ritter's Death GLENDALE, Calif. (AP) — Two doctors were not negligent in the diagnosis and treatment of John Ritter, who died from a torn aorta in 2003, a jury found Friday in a wrongful death lawsuit by the actor's widow and children. The lawsuit claimed that a radiologist failed to spot a purported enlargement of the aorta in a body scan conducted two years before Ritter's death and that there was malpractice by the cardiologist summoned to treat the actor at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a heart attack. The jury voted 9-3 to clear Dr. Joseph Lee, the cardiologist, and Dr. Matthew Lotysch, the radiologist, of the negligence claims. Neither doctor was present for the verdict, which was reached on the second day of deliberations and was read quickly. Attorneys said the doctors were at work. "We felt very strongly that neither Dr. Lotysch nor Dr. Lee did anything wrong in this case," said jury forewoman Adriana Goad, a human resources manager for a mortgage company. She said talks were often heated but the majority was adamant that "we don't believe his life could have been saved." Ritter was 54 when he became ill while working on his hit sitcom "8 Simple Rules ... for Dating My Teenage Daughter" and was taken to the hospital on Sept. 11, 2003. Lawyers for Ritter's widow, Amy Yasbeck, and children claimed Ritter's death resulted in a loss of as much as $67 million in future earnings. Attorneys said Friday that because Ritter would have had expenses such as paying an agent and staff, they were actually seeking about $43 million in damages for the family. Eight other medical personnel and the hospital previously made settlements with the family totaling $14 million. "I disagree with the jury's decision but I believe in the system and I respect it," Yasbeck said. Yasbeck said she believes that bringing the lawsuit has drawn attention to aortic diseases and the fact that "mistakes like this are made every day." "It inspires me even more to find, with these brilliant medical minds, a path to diagnose aortic diseases," Yasbeck said. She said she has started a foundation in her husband's name to work in that area. During the trial, the plaintiffs' attorneys sought to show that Lee rushed to a faulty diagnosis and failed to have a chest X-ray taken that would have revealed the torn aorta, resulting in surgery that would have saved him. Testimony showed that an X-ray was ordered as soon as Ritter arrived at the emergency room but for unknown reasons it was never done. Lee was called in later in the evening after Ritter was already diagnosed with a heart attack. Defense testimony characterized the aortic dissection as lethal and contended that even with surgery the outcome would have been the same. "We all came into this trial liking John Ritter," said Goad, the forewoman. "We all fell in love with John Ritter and his family during the trial. What an amazing man." But she said the deciding factor was the timeline that showed Lee arriving after others had declared Ritter was having a heart attack, and she said the majority was convinced that the doctor had no spare time to take an X-ray and had to act quickly to try to save the actor's life. Juror Bill Boller, a former paramedic, said that when Lee arrived Ritter's "vital signs were already dipping. He had to make a quick decision. He had no time." The decision on Lotysch was so clear it took only 15 minutes, said juror Ann Sood. "My heart cries out for John's family," she said. "But two doctors' lives were at stake here, too." Attorney Stephen C. Fraser, who represented Lotysch, credited jurors with being sophisticated and intelligent. "The system worked and we're very, very happy that they did the right thing," Fraser said. Among the jury's findings was that Ritter was advised by the radiologist after the body scan to follow up with treatment by a physician and that the actor did not do so. The radiologist testified he advised Ritter he had calcification in three coronary arteries and should consult other doctors. But the jury also found that Ritter's failure to pursue that medical consultation was not a cause of his death. A dissenting juror who refused to be identified said she tried to convince others to find the doctors negligent. She said she was impressed with the testimony of Ritter's widow and adult children, calling it "very poignant." "What impressed me was very strong testimony that the doctors missed the diagnosis. I felt they should take responsibility." Fraser said the doctors would have been bankrupted by a verdict of just a few million dollars in damages and he was proud of them for fighting the lawsuit. "They were the only doctors with the courage to stand up and come to court in a celebrity case," he said. ||||| John Ritter's tragic death cannot be blamed on a pair of doctors. So a jury essentially decided Friday in rejecting a wrongful death claim made by the Ritter family. The split, 9-3 verdict in the civil trial in Glendale, California, came after a day or so of deliberations, and weeks of testimony frequently marked by tears from Ritter's famous coworkers, friends and his widow, actress Amy Yasbeck. "We are still convinced these doctors did something inappropriate, but the jury system worked," said Michael Plonsker, an attorney from the Ritters. At issue in the $67 million lawsuit, brought by Yasbeck and Ritter's four children, was whether a radiologist, Dr. Matthew Lotysch, was negligent in a body scan he performed on Ritter in 2001, and whether a cardiologist, Dr. Joseph Lee, was negligent in care he provided for Ritter on the night he died in 2003. The jury found that in the case of Lotysch, the radiologist did his duty, detecting signs of heart disease and advising Ritter to follow up with a doctor. The Ritters had alleged the radiologist failed to detect an enlarged aorta. On the stand, Lotysch said there was nothing to detect—the scan didn't show Ritter had one. Ritter, the amiable, prime-time fixture of Three's Company and much more, died of a torn aorta at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, on Sept. 11, 2003, just hours after falling ill across the street on the set of his sitcom, 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. He was 54. In closing arguments Wednesday, Moses Lebovits, another attorney for the Ritters, summed up the case as being about "the reality that John Ritter did not have to die." Lee's side countered that there was nothing the cardiologist, or anyone, could have done to prevent Ritter's death. The Ritter family had targeted Lee for allegedly mistreating Ritter for a heart attack. Lee's attorney, John McCurdy, argued that by the time the cardiologist came into the picture, the diagnosis had already been made, and Ritter was already "crashing." The trial, which began last month, featured several witnesses whose faces would have been familiar to channel surfers, including Happy Days alum Henry Winkler, who was on Ritter's set the day the actor died; Married...With Children vet Katey Sagal, who played Ritter's wife on 8 Simple Rules...; former Joan of Arcadia star Jason Ritter, who is Ritter's eldest child; and Yasbeck herself, who costarred with Ritter in the Problem Child movies. The Ritter family previously won $14 million in settlements stemming from Ritter's death, including $9 million from Providence Saint Joseph. The $67 million claim centered on the Ritters' contention that the doctors' missteps had deprived a family of a central loved one and a top wage earner. On the stand, Ritter's agent, Jessica Pilch-Samuel, said the actor was headed for an 8 Simple Rules... payday of at least $350,000 per episode.
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John Ritter in 1998 Two doctors who treated actor John Ritter for chest pain in Burbank, California were cleared of a negligence lawsuit on Friday. Ritter was an American television and film actor who died of aortic dissection on 11 September 2003. Ritter's children and widow (Amy Yasbeck) filed a US$67 million lawsuit claiming negligence by the doctors, both at the time Ritter fell ill and at a medical checkup two years earlier where problems with Ritter's aorta could have been spotted. A jury hearing the case at Los Angeles County Superior Court voted 9-3 to dismiss the claims, satisfied that the defendants, Dr. Joseph Lee and Dr. Matthew Lotysch, acted properly during their examination and treatment of Ritter. Ritter's last role was in leading the cast of the television series ''8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter'' whose production was disrupted by his death.
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Forever our blue and yellow flag will fly, the president told crowds Mr Yushchenko then addressed hundreds of thousands of supporters in Kiev's Independence Square. The president, who has pledged to move closer to the West, told the crowd: "Our way to the future is the way of a united Europe." Mr Yushchenko beat Moscow-backed Viktor Yanukovych in a re-run of November's disputed poll. The 26 December repeat run-off was held after the Supreme Court ruled that the original vote - officially won by Mr Yanukovych - had been rigged. The people achieved honest elections, the transfer of power was legitimate. It is a great national victory Viktor Yushchenko, address to parliament Independent election observers said the re-run had been much fairer than earlier rounds. At Sunday's inauguration ceremony, Mr Yushchenko stood hand on heart as the national anthem was played. In taking the presidential oath of office, he said he would defend the unity of Ukraine. 'Orange Kiev' The swearing-in was watched by eight heads of state, along with US Secretary of State Colin Powell. Hundreds of thousands gather in Independence Square on Sunday After meeting Mr Yushchenko, Mr Powell said: "I want to assure you that you will continue to enjoy the full support of the American government and the American people." Russia, which had backed Mr Yanukovych, was represented only by the head of the upper house of its parliament, Sergei Mironov. The date for the inauguration was set only this week after the Supreme Court dismissed a final appeal by Mr Yanukovych against the result. The gathering in Independence Square allowed Mr Yushchenko to thank those who took part in what has been called the Orange Revolution - after the colour of Mr Yushchenko's camp. The president told the massive crowd: "This is a victory of freedom over tyranny. The victory of law over lawlessness." He added: "We are not on the outskirts of Europe, we are at the centre of Europe... Forever our blue and yellow flag will fly." Symbolic oath The bitterly fought election exposed deep splits between south-eastern regions, where support is high for Mr Yanukovych, and western and central Ukraine which largely backs Mr Yushchenko. Viktor Yanukovych kept challenging the election result On the eve of his inauguration, Mr Yushchenko urged Ukrainians to overcome divisions. He was speaking at a ceremony on Saturday marking Ukraine's Unity Day. Mr Yushchenko also took the symbolic oath of hetman, or leader of Cossacks - the historic defenders of Ukraine against foreign oppression. "I am convinced that... our forefathers were also dreaming of seeing a democratic Ukraine with free people," Mr Yushchenko said in front of a crowd of some 200 Cossacks. The day after Sunday's inauguration, Mr Yushchenko is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in what will be his first foreign visit. Later in the week, Mr Yushchenko will also embark on a series of visits to Europe. ||||| U.S. Yahoo News A group of House Democrats is mounting a renewed push to strip J. Edgar Hoover's name off the FBI headquarters in the wake of a powerful new film that highlights one of the bureau's worst abuses under his leadership: a secret, decades-long program known as COINTELPRO that was aimed at discrediting civil rights activists, and which ultimately led to the 1969 killing by law enforcement of Chicago Black Panther leader Fred Hampton. “You take a poll and I would bet 90 percent of the society has no clue what COINTELPRO was,” said Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, who, along with 22 co-sponsors, has reintroduced a bill to remove the longtime FBI director's name from the bureau's headquarters building in Washington, D.C. “This is an ugly part of our past that is not well known.”
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The new Ukranian president Viktor Yushchenko was today sworn into office in 's Independence Square, drawing a line under a bitter dispute between him and opposition candidate . Taking the oath of office, Yushchenko added "This is a victory of freedom over tyranny. The victory of law over lawlessness." Opposition candidate and backed Viktor Yanukovych has challenged the validity of the election rerun on December 26 2004, which saw his victory overruled. As recently as a few days ago, the Supreme Court overruled a final request to delay the ceremony. Mr Yanukovych has stated that he will take his battle to the . In a ceremony watched by eight heads of state, Viktor Yushchenko urged unity between sides and promised deeper integration into the .
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Wikipedia used to spread malicious code A Wikipedia page has been used by hackers in an attempt to spread malicious code. The entry for the W32.Blaster worm in the German version of the popular online encyclopedia was altered to include false information about a new version of the Lovesan/MS Blaster worm, with links to a supposed fix. The fix was actually a piece of malicious code, according to anti-virus vendor Sophos. It's not clear how long the vandalized page was live, but the editors of Wikipedia.de moved quickly to delete the links once they were discovered. However, because Wikipedia archives old versions of articles, the hackers were still able to send links to the archived entry through a mass-mailed e-mail. This e-mail purported to be from Wikipedia, and directed German users to the fraudulent Lovesan/MS Blaster entry. Because the e-mails linked to a legitimate website, they were able to bypass some anti-spam solutions, Sophos reported on Friday. "The good news is that the authorities at Wikipedia quickly identified and edited the article on their site," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "Unfortunately, however, a version of the page remained in the archive, allowing the hackers to send out spam and continue to direct visitors to the malicious code." Wikipedia confirmed that it has now permanently erased all versions of the page, according to German news site Heise Online. Tom Espiner of ZDNet U.K. reported from London. Copyright ©1995-2006 CNET Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission. ||||| The fake page was publicised via a spam e-mail The virus writers created a page on the German Wikipedia that linked to a fake fix for a new version of an old malicious Windows worm. But instead of curing a bug, those installing the fix would be infected by a new Windows virus. The booby-trapped page on the German version of the online encyclopaedia has now been removed. Cleaning up "The very openness of websites like Wikipedia - which allow anyone to edit pages - makes them terrific, but can also make them less trustworthy," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "In this case, the article in question wasn't just misleading, it was downright malicious." The page hijacked by the virus creators was about a new variant of the Windows Blaster worm. This malicious program debuted in 2003 and caught out many PC users. Included on the page was a link to a supposed patch that, once downloaded and installed, would protect against this new version. However, anyone installing this on a Windows machine would infect themselves with a virus. The malicious hackers behind the fake article then sent out a German-language spam e-mail with a message crafted to look like it came from Wikipedia. The message directed people to the booby-trapped page and the fake fix. By piggy-backing on the good name of Wikipedia the message got past e-mail filters that would otherwise have cleaned it up. It is not thought that many people fell victim to the booby-trapped page or downloaded the dangerous file. "The good news is that the authorities at Wikipedia quickly identified and edited the article on their site," said Mr Cluley. Archived versions of the booby-trapped pages have also been deleted.
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The German version of the encyclopedia Wikipedia, has been used in an attempt to spread a "malicious code" which would unleash a virus on to personal computers worldwide. 200px The page titled: "W32.Blaster" (link in German) was edited in a way where a link was placed in the article directing users to a site where an alleged fix for the Lovesan/MS Blaster worm, but the fix turned out to be false and the file was considered "malicious." Computers that were target would receive e-mails from what appeared to be the ''Wikipedia.org'' website telling them to download the fix and including a link to it. "The good news is that the authorities at Wikipedia quickly identified and edited the article on their site," said senior technology consultant at Sophos anti-virus, Graham Cluley. Although the edit has since been reverted or removed, until recently the edit remained in an archived version of the page; eventually, the archived version was also removed. "A version of the page remained in the archive, allowing the hackers to send out spam and continue to direct visitors to the malicious code," added Cluley. It is not known how many computers have been affected by the worm, if any at all. It is also not known when the edit was made and how long it was active on the site before it was deleted. However it appears that it was deleted on October 31, as the page was partially deleted on that day twice, according to log files ( english translation courtesy of google translate).
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Serge Akakpo is said to be one of the players injured in the attack [AFP] Serge Akakpo is said to be one of the players injured in the attack [AFP] Armed men have opened fire on a bus carrying Togo's national football squad to the African Cup of Nations tournaments in Angola, killing the driver and wounding at least two players, officials have said. The attack took place on Friday, shortly after the team passed into the Cabinda region, which is separated from the rest of Angola by a thin strip of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC), which has been fighting for independence for three decades, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was aimed at the team's military escorts. Thomas Dossevi, a Togo striker, told the RMC radio station that the team was "shot at like dogs" by hooded assailants who were "armed to the teeth". "We had just crossed the border ... everything was fine. Then there was a powerful burst of gunfire," he said. "Everyone dived under the seats and the police fired back. It felt like war had broken out. It's shocking." High profile players Gabriel Ameyi, the Togo Football Federation vice-president, said players Obilale Kossi and Serge Akakpo had been wounded in the attack. The Associated Press news agency reported that two team doctors and a journalist travelling with the squad had also been injured. The attack comes just two days before the start of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, the continent's biggest football event. A spokesman for the tournament has said that it will go ahead despite the attack. "Our great concern is for the players, but the championship goes ahead," Souleymane Habuba, a spokesman for the Confederation of African Football, said. The Togo team had been training in Congo and were travelling to Angola by bus ahead of their match against Ghana on Monday. Cabinda is scheduled to host seven matches in the tournament this month. Karthi Gnanasegaram, Al Jazeera's sports correspondent in London, said some high profile players, including captain Emmanuel Adebayor, who plays for the English club, Manchester City, were in the Togo team. "We have spoken to Manchester City. They have told us he is definitely safe and he is unharmed, but he is obviously shaken by what has happened in the last few hours," she said. Antonio Bento Bembe, Angola's minister without porfolio who is in charge of Cabinda affairs, condemned the attack. "This was an act of terrorism that is being dealt with as we speak," Bento Bembe told Reuters. 'Failed security' Guy Momat, an independent Congolese journalist, told Al Jazeera that the FLEC consider the Cabinda region to be a separate entity from the rest of Angola. "We've got oil and timber in Cabinda and for years groups have been trying to take control of them for the profits." Momat said that the unrest had subsided in recent years giving impetus to Angola staging the tournament.FLEC signed a peace deal with Angola's government in 2006, but in recent months has claimed a spate of attacks on the military and foreign oil and construction workers in the province. Keir Radnedge, a leading football author and a former editor of World Soccer magazine, told Al Jazeera that security arrangements in Angola had failed. "The problem with any sports organisation is that they do rely on this moratorium that generally sports teams don't get attacked. Now obviously, that is something that is falling apart." "The situation speaks volumes about the difficulty of trying to protect any number of sports teams when they're travelling. "This is one of the big worries concerning South Africa and the World Cup," he said, referring to the upcoming 2010 football tournament. "This is probably the worst thing that could have happened at the start of the South African World Cup year." Angola as a whole is only just emerging from a 27-year civil war which erupted shortly after it gained independence from Portugal and finally ended in 2002. ||||| Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Gunmen have fired on a bus carrying Togo's football team to the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, wounding players and reportedly killing the driver. The attackers machine-gunned the vehicle after it crossed from the Republic of Congo into Angola's oil-rich territory of Cabinda. Rebels who have been fighting for the region's independence later said they had carried out the attack. The organisers of the tournament, which starts on Sunday, say it will go ahead. The Angolan government called the incident an "act of terrorism". The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (Flec), which said it carried out the attack, has fought for independence for several decades, but entered a ceasefire in 2006. In a statement quoted by Portugal's Lusa news agency, the group said: "This operation is only the start of a series of targeted actions that will continue in all the territory of Cabinda." Togo is due to play its first cup game in Cabinda on Monday. The Confederation of African Football confirmed that the tournament would go ahead as planned, despite the violent attack. Angolan Sports Minister Goncalves Muandumba said security for the competition would be stepped up to guarantee "all the conditions necessary for the success, tranquillity and security of the people and their belongings". 'Under shock' Nine people, including at least two players, were wounded during the shooting, reports said. Central defender Serge Akakpo was among those hurt and back-up goalkeeper Kodjovi Obilale was also reportedly injured. Romanian side FC Vaslui confirmed that Mr Akakpo, who joined the club from French side Auxerre last year, was shot and badly injured in the attack. The 22-year-old was out of danger after being struck by two bullets and being treated by doctors, the club said. The team's communications manager was among those seriously wounded in the shooting. Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor was also on the bus but is unhurt. Speaking to the BBC, he described the incident as "one of the worst experiences of his life". "I'm still under shock," Mr Adebayor said. "I was one of those who carried the injured players into the hospital - that is when I realised what was really going on. All the players, everyone was crying, calling their mums, crying on the phone, saying their last words because they thought they'd be dead." The bus was travelling to Cabinda from the squad's training ground in the Republic of Congo when the shooting happened. "This was an act of terrorism," Cabinda affairs minister Bento Bembe told Reuters news agency. Football's highest governing body, Fifa, said it was troubled by the incident. "Fifa and its president, Joseph S Blatter, are deeply moved by today's incidents which affected Togo's national team, to whom they express their utmost sympathy," the body said in a statement. Competition officials said they had not known that the Togolose team had decided to drive directly to Cabinda. They said they had expected the squad first to fly to the Angolan capital, Luanda, and from there to Cabinda. Shot 'like dogs' The head of the Togolese football federation told AFP news agency that the driver had died. Togo striker Thomas Dossevi told France's RMC radio that several players were "in a bad state" after the attack. CABINDA Oil-rich province cut off from the rest of Angola by DR Congo Flec rebels fought for region's independence Rebels laid down arms in 2006 but some unrest continues Angola had dismissed concerns about staging games there Togo footballers tell of attack "We were machine-gunned, like dogs," he said. "At the border with Angola - machine-gunned! I don't know why. I thought it was some rebels. We were under the seats of the bus for 20 minutes, trying to get away from the bullets." The identities of those injured - who also included team staff - have not yet been confirmed. Togo's first game in the tournament is due to be against Ghana on Monday. But midfielder Alaixys Romao told RMC the team was likely to pull out of the 16-nation cup. "No-one wants to play," he said. "We're not capable of it. "We're thinking first of all about the health of our injured because there was a lot of blood on the ground." Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version
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A bus carrying the football team of the African country of Togo was ambushed by gunmen earlier today, wounding at least two players, as it crossed the border into Angola. Some reports suggested that the driver was killed. The attackers reportedly opened fire on the bus with machine guns as it was travelling though Cabinda. The Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda, a separatist group, soon claimed responsibility for the ambush. Central defender Serge Akakpo and the back-up goalkeeper, Obilale Kossi, was hurt as well, according to Gabriel Ameyi, the Togo Football Federation vice-president. "We had just crossed the border ... everything was fine. Then there was a powerful burst of gunfire. Everyone dived under the seats and the police fired back. It felt like war had broken out. It's shocking," said Thomas Dossevi, a Togo striker, to the RMC radio station. The incident occurs two days before the start of the largest football competition in Africa, the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. The contest's organisers said that Togo's team will still participate in the event despite the ambush; however, midfielder Alaixys Romao commented that his team might have to withdraw. "No-one wants to play. We're not capable of it. We're thinking first of all about the health of our injured because there was a lot of blood on the ground," he said to RMC radio. "If we are still not sure about security then we will be leaving," captain Emmanuel Adebayor, of Manchester City, commented. "It's a football game, it's one of the biggest tournaments in Africa and a lot of people would love to be in our position but I don't think anybody would be prepared to give their life," he said to BBC Afrique. "So I will talk with the team and we will discuss between us and take a group decision that we think is good for our careers, good for our lives and good for our families because at the end of the day it is only football."
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Indonesia defeated by Saudi Arabia at last minute in Asian Cup 15/7/2007 11:32 With nearly 90,000 supporters including the president's attendance and cheering, the Indonesian team played offensive football with full confidence at the very beginning. But at the 14th minute, Saudi Arabia broke the stalemate first. Captain and striker Yasser Al Qahtani received teammate's air pass in the forbidden zone and kicked header just outside the box successfully. With stronger cheering, the Indonesians launched more attacks, and just 6 minutes later, by dint of opponents' misplay, Elie Aiboy, a small forward gave a suddenly blitz kick and bring the two teams at the same score. In the second-half time, the Saudi Arabians at least had 3 times to score, but all missed or destroyed by tough defenders, and the Indonesians also produced a lot of troubles in the front of opponents' goal. When audiences at spot were beginning to cheer the match would end with draw at the last minute, the Saudi Arabians won a freeball at the left corner of forbidden zone. They used a seconded header to suddenly kill Indonesia by substitute Saad Al Harthi. The three Asian Cup champion finally showed their rich experience and roughly won the match to secure their qualification of the second round in this tournament. ||||| Asian Cup: Last gasp winner gives Saudi 2-1 victory over Indonesia JAKARTA, Indonesia: Saudi Arabia substitute Saad Al Harthi scored an injury-time header to beat Indonesia 2-1 in Group D on Saturday, putting the Middle Eastern side on course to reach the quarter finals of the Asian Cup. Saudi Arabia were good value for the victory, dominating the last half hour of the match, but the nature of the defeat was cruel on Indonesia, which had performed doggedly, and the 88,000 fans at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. The result leaves three times winners Saudi Arabia atop the group with 4 points, and have one foot in the quarterfinals. Indonesia, which has three, now need to pick up points against Asian giants South Korea in its final game to progress. "I am very disappointed," said Indonesia coach Ivan Kolev. "In my view, we did enough to gain a point because we played well." Al Harti, who had been on the pitch for less than five minutes, leapt to glance in a header from an angled freekick from the left, prompting jubilation on the Saudi bench. "We took our opportunity and we have the victory," said Saudi coach Helio Cesar dos Anjos. "There were some difficult moments for us, especially with the crowd cheering Indonesia on, but everybody could see we controlled the game for the last 20 minutes." The first real chance of the evening fell to Indonesia when Elie Aiboy missed an open net after Saudi goalkeeper Yasser Al Mosailem spilled a powerful freekick. Saudi Arabia quickly made Indonesia pay for that miss when, on 12 minutes, Ahmed Al Bahri sent a cross from the right where he found Yasser Al Qahtani, who headed powerfully past the sprawling Indonesian keeper Yandri Christian Pitoy. Aiboy made amends for his earlier miss on 19 minutes, running onto a threaded through ball by Budi Sudarsono, coolly rounding the keeper and slotting home the equalizer. The goal was met with volleys of fireworks and red flares by the home fans. As the half drew to a close, Aiboy came within a whisker of his second goal when he cheekily attempted to chip the keeper from a well-worked move following Indonesia's first corner, but the keeper just tipped it over the bar. Sudarsono forced the keeper to make another good save seconds later when he almost headed in from a second corner. Saudi Arabia finished the match strongly. Pitoy pulled off two smart saves to keep the game 1-1. On 78 minutes, the highly impressive Yasser Al Qahtani was one on one with the goalkeeper but guilty of taking one too many touches, allowing Indonesian defender Maman Abdurrahman to make a superb sliding challenge. Elsewhere in Group D, South Korea has one point after drawing with Saudi Arabia, while Bahrain is pointless following its loss to Indonesia. On Sunday, the two teams meet, with Bahrain having to draw or win to stay in the competition.
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Saudi Arabia has scored in injury time to defeat Indonesia 2-1 in their 2007 AFC Asian Cup Group D fixture. Saudi Arabia took the lead after twelve minutes, when Yasser Al-Qahtani headed home a cross from the right hand side of the field by Ahmed Al Bahri. His header was driven low and to the left of the Indonesian goalkeeper Yandri Christian Pitoy, who dived but failed to get his right hand to the ball. Indonesia struck back and levelled eight minutes later, when Elie Aiboy rounded Saudi goalkeeper Yasser Al Mosailem and calmly slotted the ball into the empty net. Elie received a through-ball from Budi Sudarsono and kept his composure, going to the left of the advancing goalkeeper and taking an extra touch before putting the ball into the back of the net. Both goalkeepers made saves to keep their sides level, with Mosailem making two late in the first half to keep Saudi Arabia level at the break. Pitoy made a couple of excellent saves late in the second half, and Indonesian defender Maman Abdurrahman made a precise sliding tackle to stop a one-on-one opportunity for Al Qahtani on seventy-eight minutes. The 88,000 predominantly-Indonesian fans inside the Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta were silenced by a Saad Al-Harthi goal in the ninety-second minute. A swinging free kick from the left hand side saw Al-Harthi leap and head the ball beyond goalkeeper Pitoy's grasp to give Saudi Arabia all three points and the lead of Group D. Korea Republic play Bahrain this afternoon (UTC) in the fourth Group D fixture. In Group C, Uzbekistan has defeat Malaysia 5-0 at the Bukit Jalil Stadium, Kuala Lumpur. It is Malaysia's second consecutive five-goal defeat, after they lost to China 5-1 in their other Group C fixture. Maksim Shatskikh opened the scoring after ten minutes with a back-post header. Timur Kapadze then doubled Uzbekistan's advantage on twenty-nine minutes, before Ulugbek Bakaev converted a penalty kick just before half time to make the score 3-0. After the break, Malaysia dug in and didn't concede again for forty minutes. On eighty-five minutes, Aziz Ibragimov broke through to score. Shatskikh completed his double and the 5-0 result in the eighty-ninth minute The result leaves Uzbekistan on top of Group C on three points, equal with China and Iran. The latter two play each other this afternoon (UTC).
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Images of destruction in Beirut In pictures Mr Egeland, the UN's emergency relief chief, described the destruction as "horrific" as he toured the city. He arrived hours after another Israeli strike on Beirut. Israel also hit Sidon, a port city in the south crammed with refugees, for the first time. In Haifa, two people died as Hezbollah rockets struck the Israeli city. Fifteen people were reportedly injured by the volley of rockets, which struck a house and an industrial zone. Several were injured in rocket attacks on Haifa He says the rocket exploded next to a carriageway, raking passing cars with shrapnel and ball bearings and killing a man in a nearby vehicle. A later barrage of missiles was reported to have injured five people. 'Block after block' Mr Egeland arrived in southern Beirut on Sunday just hours after Israeli strikes on the Hezbollah stronghold. A visibly moved Mr Egeland expressed shock that "block after block" of buildings had been levelled. He appealed for both sides to halt attacks and said UN supplies of humanitarian aid would begin to arrive in the next few days. "But we need safe access," he said. "So far Israel is not giving us access." Israel has said it will lift its blockade on Beirut's port to allow aid through, but with roads, bridges and trucks among Israel's targets, transporting it around the country is difficult. In other developments: UK Foreign Minister Kim Howells is due to meet Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. A day after accusing Israel of targeting "the entire Lebanese nation", he said the British government understood Israel's need to defend itself and criticised Hezbollah for hiding weapons in civilian areas. The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due to leave for the Middle East later on Sunday. Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz said Israel supports the idea of an international peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, and suggested it should be led by Nato. A Nato official said there had been no discussion so far of any Nato role. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Israel had "pushed the button for its own destruction". Syria's information minister said his country would enter the conflict if a major Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon threatened the security of Damascus. An unarmed UN observer was seriously wounded during fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters in the village of Maroun al-Ras, which Israel said it had taken control of on Saturday. The French and German foreign ministers are also in Israel for talks on the crisis. Sidon targeted Israel's bombing campaign continued, with strikes on Beirut and on southern and eastern Lebanon in the early hours of Sunday. HAVE YOUR SAY When one Israeli soldier is kidnapped, the whole world goes crazy, but Israel kidnapped a whole nation Mike Send us your comments One target was the southern port of Sidon, a city not previously targeted by Israel, where 42,000 refugees from the surrounding area have flooded in the hope of safety. The BBC's Roger Hearing in the city reports that a mosque was destroyed in one strike, which hit less than 500m (550 yards) from a hospital. At least four people were injured. While Israel said the mosque was a meeting place for Hezbollah militants, local doctors insisted it was just "a place for prayers". Bombing intensifies The BBC's Jim Muir in the southern city of Tyre reports intense bombardment, with Hezbollah firing missiles from the area and Israel launching air strikes in retaliation. Israeli air strikes hit civilian cars near Tyre Further east, more Israeli air strikes forced engineers to turn back who were trying to repair impassable roads so a UN-escorted aid convoy could get through, our correspondent reports. He says that bombing has intensified in the region since Israel dropped warning leaflets on Friday, and the Israelis are now shooting at almost anything on moving on the roads. At least 364 Lebanese have been killed in the 12 days of violence, many of them civilians, and angry protests condemning Israeli attacks have been held in cities around the world. At least 36 Israelis have been killed, including 17 civilians killed by rockets fired by Hezbollah into Israel. ||||| 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. | ||||| J.C. Penney has need for speed in bankruptcy, lawyer says J.C. Penney Co Inc needs to exit bankruptcy proceedings in just a matter of months to survive the unprecedented financial strain of prolonged store closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lawyer for the iconic U.S. department store chain said during a court hearing on Saturday. ||||| Politics Israel punches into south Lebanon as civilians flee by Nayla Razzouk BEIRUT, July 23, 2006 (AFP) - Israeli troops were holding positions in southern Lebanon Sunday after tanks punched across the border in a new ground incursion against Hezbollah amid mounting concern over the plight of civilians. Striking mobile telephone and television masts, Israel also kept up its devastating air blitz on Lebanon that has killed at least 350 people and displaced over half-a-million in 11 days of military action on the country. General Beni Gantz said Israeli air and ground forces "have more or less completed taking over the village of Marun Al-Ras," close to the Israeli border and strategically located 911 meters (3,000 feet) above sea level. Gantz said Hezbollah forces sustained "many casualties after fierce fighting that lasted a long time." But Lebanese security forces said that Israeli and Hezbollah forces were engaged in street battles in the village, where four Israeli soldiers and several Hezbollah militiamen were killed in battles in recent days. Britain's junior foreign minister openly criticised the Israeli military offensive as "difficult to understand", as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to visit the region after once again rejecting the idea of a ceasefire. "The whole thing has to stop. It's no natural disaster but a man-made crisis. This is a senseless war. It should never have started. It should never have been carried out like it is now," UN relief coordinator Jan Egeland said in Cyprus before heading to Lebanon. But the White House said Saturday it was keeping to its policy on backing Israel's right to self-defense. "We are keeping to our adopted position. Israel has the right to defend herself," a White House spokesman told AFP in response to the incursion. Earlier, around 10 armoured Israeli personnel carriers and bulldozers punched across the border at Avivim, around 35 kilometres (23 miles) from the coast, bypassing an observation post of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon. The army said the incursion was a "pinpoint operation" and insisted it has no plans for a full-scale invasion despite consistently refusing to rule the option out. Israel urged the remaining people living in south Lebanon to leave and also called up thousands of reservists as it massed troops along its northern border. Meanwhile, one employee of the LBCI television station was killed and another wounded in an Israeli air strike on TV transmission towers and mobile telephone masts at Fatqa, in the Kesrwan mountains northeast of Beirut. Transmission towers for Hezbollah's Al-Manar and the privately run New TV, as well as mobile phone networks, were also destroyed in Terbol in northern Lebanon. Mobile telephone networks were down in the north of Lebanon after the strikes while local television transmission for LBCI was cut in the north and in the Kesrwan mountains, although people could still view the channel on satellite. "The Israelis are looking to destroy sound and image in Lebanon -- the last weapons this country has -- after bombarding infrastructure," said Minister for Telecommunications Marwan Hamadeh. Five civilians were killed and scores were wounded on Saturday in Israeli raids on various locations in Lebanon. The worst cross-border fighting in a quarter century has also killed 33 Israelis. Four civilians were wounded early Sunday in an Israeli strike on a building housing a Hezbollah religious centre in the centre of Sidon, the first attack in the heart of the southern city since the start of the offensive. As tit-for-tat strikes continued, Hezbollah militants kept up a defiant stream of rockets onto northern Israel, with police there saying 80 Katyusha rockets landed on Saturday, lightly wounding two people in Carmiel. Britain's junior foreign office minister Kim Howells made London's most unequivocal criticism yet of Israel's military offensive, in stark contrast to the line taken by Washington and his own prime minister. "These are not surgical strikes. It's very difficult to understand the kind of military tactics that are being used," Howells told journalists during a visit to Beirut. "If they are chasing Hezbollah, then go for Hezbollah. You don't go for the entire Lebanese nation." "I very much hope that the Americans understand what's happening to Lebanon -- the destruction of the infrastructure, the death of so many children and so many people," he said. Egeland was due to arrive in Beirut from Cyprus on Sunday, saying he would be "urging and begging" for some 100 million dollars in aid to help a nation already in the throes of a major humanitarian crisis. Israel said it opened a 50-mile-long and five-mile-wide (80 by eight kilometres) safe passage to the Beirut port for ships and aircraft, a humanitarian corridor to allow aid to the Lebanese. Israel's air and sea blockade put Lebanon's only international airport out of action, and the bombing of houses, roads, bridges, factories, warehouses and trucks created scenes reminiscent of the 1975-1990 civil war. But US President George W. Bush maintained his backing for Israel's campaign against Hezbollah as Rice prepared travel to the region on Sunday in search of what she described as a long-term solution. "I believe sovereign nations have the right to defend their people from terrorist attack, and to take the necessary action to prevent those attacks," Bush said in his weekly radio address. Underlining the repercussions of the Lebanon conflict on the whole region, he said Syria was "a primary sponsor" of Hezbollah and has given the Shiite militia Iranian-made weapons. Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mukdad said Syria is ready to open a "dialogue" with the United States to resolve the crisis in Lebanon. Meanwhile thousands of people around the world bashed drums, brandished placards and chanted slogans to demand an end to Israel's offensive in Lebanon, the biggest rally taking place in London. Foreign governments continued to evacuate their citizens, with Britain urging all remaining nationals wanting to leave to gather for the last evacuation ship that left Saturday. The United States is expediting an arms shipment of precision bombs to Israel from an arms deal struck last year amid the Jewish state's ongoing assault, a US official said Saturday. US marines were in Beirut for the first time in 22 years to help move a total of 10,000 American nationals to Cyprus, the main staging point for the massive evacuation. The island is battling to find temporary accommodation and flights for the estimated 70,000 evacuees at the height of its holiday season. Israel is continuing its offensive on the Gaza Strip, where at least 106 people have been killed in two weeks. It aims to retrieve a soldier snatched by Palestinian militants and to stop rocket fire.-AFP Tweet Advertisement Your feedback is important to us! We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article. Disclaimer: Comments submitted by third parties on this site are the sole responsibility of the individual(s) whose content is submitted. The Daily Star accepts no responsibility for the content of comment(s), including, without limitation, any error, omission or inaccuracy therein. Please note that your email address will NOT appear on the site. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus Advertisement FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE Interested in knowing more about this story? Click here ||||| Politics UN says Lebanon in 'major' humanitarian crisis LARNACA, Cyprus, July 22, 2006 (AFP) - UN relief coordinator Jan Egeland said Saturday that Lebanon was suffering a "major" humanitarian crisis and complained of the difficulties of delivering aid to the blockaded country. Egeland, who was in Cyprus on his way to visit Lebanon to launch an emergency aid appeal, also criticised Israel's blistering response to attacks by the Hezbollah militant group as "disproportionate". "We can't get relief into the country in any quantity or distribute it beyond a few points. This is already a very major crisis with more than half a million directly affected," he told reporters. "This number will grow dramatically as the population of south Lebanon has been asked to leave," by the Israeli army. He said the United Nations would be concentrating on setting up humanitarian corridors in the next few days and wanted to use the Cyprus-Beirut shipping route to bring in aid. But he said he also wanted to send aid in by road and by air using Beirut's international airport, which has been shut since the start of the offensive after a succession of Israeli raids. "We are particularly worried about the civilian population in the south so gravely caught in the crossfire," he added. Egeland, who was to be flown to Beirut early Sunday aboard a British military helicopter, said he would be launching an international appeal on Monday "urging and begging" for over 100 million dollars. He also echoed criticism from other UN officials over the Israeli military response, which has already killed over 350 people in Lebanon. The Israeli military response has been "disproportionate, when to my thinking one third of the wounded and killed are women and children, then it clearly goes far beyond responding to armed groups", he said.- AFP Tweet Advertisement Your feedback is important to us! We invite all our readers to share with us their views and comments about this article. Disclaimer: Comments submitted by third parties on this site are the sole responsibility of the individual(s) whose content is submitted. The Daily Star accepts no responsibility for the content of comment(s), including, without limitation, any error, omission or inaccuracy therein. Please note that your email address will NOT appear on the site. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus Advertisement FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE Interested in knowing more about this story? Click here ||||| A UN mediator urged Israel to "extend its full cooperation" to ensure humanitarian access to civilians trapped in the fighting in Lebanon during a UN Security Council meeting Friday, while the US reiterated its rejection of an immediate cease-fire. "It is urgent that the Israeli government extend its full cooperation by immediately ensuring humanitarian access to those in need," Vijay Nambiar, the head of the mediation team sent by UN chief Kofi Annan to the region last week, told the 15-member council during a debate on the explosive situation in the Middle East. Nambiar also echoed Annan's appeal before the council Thursday for a "cessation of hostilities" between Israel and Hizbullah in Lebanon. "This is essential so that captives are protected, humanitarian access is assured, civilian casualties are dramatically reduced, and the political space is opened to negotiate a full and durable cease-fire," he added. Nambiar, who earlier Friday had a 45-minute private meeting in a New York with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, also stressed the need "to develop quickly the elements of a political framework that would pave the way for a full and durable cease-fire." The United States' representative to the United Nations John Bolton said that an unconditional cease-fire "would only allow them [Hizbullah] time to regroup and plan their next wave of kidnappings and attacks against Israel." Bolton said that the US was studying the possibility of the "insertion of an international stabilization force." Bolton also accused Syria and Iran of backing Hizbullah and Hamas with weapons, financing and political support. More than 45 speakers were due to take the floor in the day-long debate that came one day after Annan urged the 15-member council to take "firm action" toward ensuring peace and stability in the Middle East. Jan Egeland, the UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, who announced that he would travel to the region to deal with what he has described as a looming "humanitarian catastrophe" in Lebanon. "The war, the terror, the attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure has to stop in Lebanon, in northern Israel as it has to stop in Gaza. Too many children, women, elderly and other civilians have already lost their lives," Egeland said. Earlier Friday, Israel ruled out an immediate cease-fire with Hizbullah but indicated it was willing to negotiate a solution to the Lebanon crisis with the United Nations and Washington. "It is lamentable that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan thought it necessary to draw a balance between Israel and Hizbullah when the UN itself recognizes that this is a terrorist movement violating its resolutions," Israel's representative to the UN, Dan Gillerman, told Public Radio. - Agencies ||||| BEIRUT: UNIFIL is planning to evacuate civilians from the Lebanese-Israeli border in the coming days, but "the ability to move will depend on the situation on the ground," according to a press release issued by UNIFIL on Friday. A source at the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura said residents trapped in border villages should call the aid station in Marjayoun at 07-830 351 or 07-830 050 for more information, but emphasized that the operation would take time given the number of evacuees and continued Israeli fire. Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in targeted areas is growing worse as the number of displaced passed 900,000 on Friday - with 39,500 in Beirut alone - and rescue workers were prevented from reaching stranded villages with vital supplies. The Higher Relief Committee said it urgently needs food products such as milk, rice, sugar and canned meat; diapers and kitchen tools; medicine such as insulin, painkillers, antibiotics and chlorine to clean water; sterilized gloves; refrigerators to store medicine; tents; electrical generators of 5, 10, 20 and 30 kva; blankets and other necessities. Concerned parties were urged to donate by depositing in the committee's account at the Central Bank. The account number is 760051114. The mayor of the Tyre town of Bergholieh said Friday that thousands of civilians in Tyre were stranded and were in dire need of medical assistance, water and food, while the village of Blida in Marjayoun made a similar plea. "There are people dying because we can't use the roads to deliver medication, and the same is happening with food," said Kasim Chalin from the Red Cross center in Tyre. "People are calling us - women, old people, children - and we can't do anything because the road is closed and bombed out, we're even trying to make roads to go from village to village," he said, adding that at least one paramedic has been wounded and an ambulance damaged by Israeli strikes. Chalin said the Red Cross evacuated 23 patients to Beirut from the Jabal Amal hospital in Tyre on Thursday to make room for more patients, denying reports that the hospital had sustained a direct hit. Health Minister Mohammed Khalifeh confirmed that the Red Cross and the ministry were transferring patients to Beirut and said that 34 patients had been moved. "We have to evacuate casualties to Beirut to Rafik Hariri University Hospital and this has been a big relief for hospitals on the front lines," he said. Khalife also said that hospitals in the South were starting to suffer supply shortages, but that the ministry was able to send a few vital provisions Friday "with great difficulty." The minister seemed wary of fueling panic over the capacity and capability of hospitals in the South, but suggested that their condition could worsen if no progress were made toward a cease-fire. "They [the hospitals] are definitely not working under the best conditions," he said, "We have to press ahead asking the international community to pressure Israel not to target civilians and to allow in supplies." UN relief agencies on Friday called for safe passage for humanitarian supplies, warning that overcrowded refugee centers and hospitals were vulnerable to disease and urging Israel not to attack trucks ready to take in water purification and sanitation supplies. "The key problem is access," said UNICEF spokeswoman Wilvina Belmonte. "Children are bearing the brunt of the hostilities and we have to be allowed to help them get through this crisis." She said one-third of the Lebanese dead so far were children, and they accounted for nearly half of those displaced, especially from the mountain regions where Hizbullah has a strong presence and which have been especially hard-hit. Israel said on Thursday it was trying to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid to Lebanon. The Swiss-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it had sent two trucks early on Friday with supplies to Tyre. - With agencies
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More than half a million people have been displaced in Lebanon as the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continues into its second week. The UN relief coordinator Jan Egeland, who visited Beirut said that a humanitarian crisis was unfolding in the country and outlined planned relief efforts. Efforts are underway to open a safe corridor to allow aid shipments to be sent to Lebanon. The evacuation of foreign nationals from Lebanon continues. Israel launched more air strikes and also a ground incursion into Lebanon, and Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on northern Israel.
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WASHINGTON The press center across the street from the White House was briefly evacuated on Monday after a bomb-sniffing dog prompted a security check of an Israeli vehicle, U.S. officials said. The temporary filing center is around the corner from Blair House, where dignitaries often stay. Security was already tighter because of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's visit from Monday. Secret Service spokesman Darrin Blackford said a dog singled out a vehicle parked on Jackson Place, in front of the press quarters. "Police were called," Blackford said. "The vehicle is part of the delegation that is staying at the Blair House." Nothing was found in the vehicle, the Secret Service said later. Olmert is staying at Blair House in advance of a meeting on Tuesday with President George W. Bush. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky and Andy Sullivan) ||||| WASHINGTON The Secret Secret gave an all-clear and allowed members of the press and other employees back into buildings near the White House who were evacuated Monday after a bomb-sniffing police dog signaled it smelled something suspicious in a minivan. The buildings included were the White House Conference Center and buildings surrounding Blair House — where Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is staying as he prepares for a meeting with President Bush on Tuesday. The vehicle that was being inspected was parked in front of Lafayette Park, across from the White House, and was said to be part of Olmert's delegation. Police shut off traffic on nearby streets as they investigated the situation, which lasted about 90 minutes. Members of the press who were standing outside of the executive mansion were also asked to leave the White House grounds, though staff and President Bush are in the building ahead of a celebration with NCAA winning teams. U.S. officials said D.C. Metro Police were using an abundance of caution in calling in an explosives and ordnance team after what is reportedly a bomb scare. A robot also was expected to inspect the vehicle. Olmert had just arrived in Washington, D.C., for a stay at Blair House, where foreign dignitaries often reside while visiting the president. Olmert is in town for talks with U.S. officials on the recent dissolution of the Palestinian government, and security has been heightened because of his visit. His vehicle motorcade remained outside Blair House while the evacuation occurred. (Story continues below) Advertise Here Advertisements Advertisements Sources told FOX News that the minivan was not part of Olmert's motorcade. The press corps has been working out of the conference center at Jackson Place and H Street, N.W., while its usual space inside the White House is under renovation. ||||| WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Secret Service evacuated the temporary press center across the street from the White House on Monday after a dog got a "suspicious hit" on an Israeli vehicle entering the secured area around the White House, according to a Secret Service spokeswoman. The Israeli vehicle was arriving ahead of Tuesday's meeting between President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The area was given the "all clear" about an hour and 40 minutes after the 2:50 p.m. incident. Secret Service spokeswoman Kim Bruce told CNN the service evacuated the area, including Lafayette Park, Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House and the press center at Jackson Square, "out of an abundance of caution," but the White House itself was not evacuated. "The president's schedule has not been affected," she said. The press is temporarily quartered at Jackson Square during renovations in the White House's West Wing. Because of Olmert's visit, security in the area was already very high. The prime minister will be staying at Blair House, the president's official guest residence across the street from the West Wing and adjacent to Lafayette Park. — CNN's Suzanne Malveaux and Ed Henry contributed to this report ||||| By Matt Spetalnick and Caren Bohan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The press center across the street from the White House was briefly evacuated on Monday after a bomb-sniffing dog prompted a security check of an Israeli vehicle, U.S. officials said. The temporary filing center is around the corner from Blair House, where dignitaries often stay. Security was already tighter because of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's visit from Monday. Secret Service spokesman Darrin Blackford said a dog singled out a vehicle parked on Jackson Place, in front of the press quarters. "Police were called," Blackford said. "The vehicle is part of the delegation that is staying at the Blair House." Nothing was found in the vehicle, the Secret Service said later. Olmert is staying at Blair House in advance of a meeting on Tuesday with President George W. Bush. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky and Andy Sullivan) ||||| Sign-up to receive the weekly top stories, contest and promotion announcements every Tuesday Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of Canada.com Newsletter will soon be in your inbox.
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The front of the White House. A press room across the street of the was evacuated after a bomb sniffing dog had a reaction to a van it was searching. The van was believed to be a transport vehicle for Israeli Prime Minster , but some reports also say that it is not known to whom the van belongs. The evacuated space is where the press gathers before they enter the in the of the White House. It is around the corner from . "Police were called, they are on the scene currently attempting to clear the vehicle. The vehicle is part of the delegation that is staying at the Blair House," said Darrin Blackford, a spokesman for the . Police searched the van using a robot and blocked off streets around the area to vehicle traffic, but at 4:30 p.m. (eastern time), authorities gave the "all-clear" for personnel to be allowed back into the building. The "suspicious" van was parked in front of Lafayette Park. Other areas near the White House were also evacuated including Pennsylvania Avenue, on which the White House is located, and the Jackson Square Press Center, because "of an abundance of caution." Olmert is currently a guest in the Blair House which is located across the street from the White House. Olmert is expected to meet with United States President George W. Bush to discuss the Palestinian government and other issues. It is not known if Olmert was inside the house at the time of the incident. It is not known why the dog reacted to the van, but nothing was found inside it after the Secret Service searched it.
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3 hours, 27 mins ago Fugitive drug lord 'injured' evading police in Mexican mountains Drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is believed to have been injured evading police in the mountains of north-western Mexico, according to officials. 3 hours, 58 mins ago Cologne mayoral candidate stabbed in the neck A leading candidate to be mayor of Cologne has been wounded in a knife attack as she campaigned a day before an election in the western German city. 6 hours, 20 mins ago Police arrest politicians who pardoned themselves after bribery convictions Eleven of the 14 renegade lawmakers who last week created political chaos when one of them granted himself and the others pardons from corruption convictions while the president was abroad have now been arrested. ||||| '); //--> AFX News Limited China investigates 11th human case of bird flu BEIJING (AFX) - China is investigating the cause of its 11th confirmed human bird flu case while pressing on with efforts to stamp out the country's latest outbreak among poultry. A 26-year-old woman, surnamed Lin, from the eastern province of Fujian tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain after being hospitalised with fever and pneumonia on Jan 10, the health ministry said in a statement. 'After medical treatment, the patient's condition is currently stable,' the statement said, according to Agence France-Presse. Bird flu has killed seven people in China. Like most of the other human cases detected in China, no outbreak among animals was detected in Zhangpu county where Lin lived, emphasising the extent of the problem in the country and the inability of authorities to effectively monitor the disease. 'What we've seen in quite a number of other cases in China is that the Ministry of Agriculture has not been able to identify viruses in the animals in that area,' said Julie Hall, a Beijing-based World Health Organisation expert. 'But there certainly have been reports from the health authorities and patients themselves that animals in their areas have been dying and have been sick for some weeks prior to their onset of their illness.' She said the latest bird flu patient was highly likely to have had contact with sick animals, although the WHO was still awaiting information about what caused the disease. 'We're not surprised,' Hall said. 'We believe the virus is endemic in parts of China and certainly endemic in the wild birds. Many poultry flocks in China remain vulnerable to infections.' vy/kma/sst/dk Neither the Subscriber nor AFX News warrants the completeness or accuracy of the Service or the suitability of the Service as a trading aid and neither accepts any liability for losses howsoever incurred. The content on this site, including news, quotes, data and other information, is provided by AFX News and its third party content providers for your personal information only, and neither AFX News nor its third party content providers shall be liable for any errors, inaccuracies or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. 1 of 1 '); //--> News Headlines | More From Forbes.com | Special Reports Subscriptions > ||||| China is inoculating millions of birds to try to stamp out bird flu China's health ministry confirmed on Wednesday that the woman in Fujian had tested positive for the H5N1 strain, the official Xinhua news agency said. The news came on the same day that health authorities reported Africa's first avian cases of bird flu. More than 70 people, mostly in South East Asia, have died of the disease since late 2003. Scientists fear the H5N1 bird flu virus could mutate from a disease that largely affects birds to one that can pass easily between people, leading to a human pandemic. China is seen as potential flashpoint for a human pandemic, because it has the world's largest poultry population. The latest victim was first admitted to hospital with a fever in January, but she was only confirmed to have contracted bird flu on Wednesday. No outbreak among birds has so far been detected near where she lived. But some of the people who have been in contact with her have been placed under observation by local health authorities, according to Xinhua. ||||| Sign-up to receive the weekly top stories, contest and promotion announcements every Tuesday Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of Canada.com Newsletter will soon be in your inbox. ||||| printable version Avian influenza - situation (birds) in Nigeria 8 February 2006 The confirmation of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in domestic birds in northern Nigeria marks the further geographical spread of this virus. Although all evidence to date indicates that the virus does not spread easily from birds to humans, careful monitoring of the situation is warranted. Experience in several other countries has shown how quickly the H5N1 virus can spread and become firmly established in poultry. The ability of this virus to cause rare but severe disease in humans is well documented. At present, the only confirmed H5N1 outbreak is thought to be confined to a large commercial farm, located in Kaduna State in the northern part of the country, where thousands of chickens were kept in battery cages. Investigations are urgently needed to determine whether the outbreak, which began almost a month ago, has spread from the farm to affect household flocks. Poultry deaths in the adjacent province of Kano have been reported, but the cause has not yet been determined. The most immediate public health need is to reduce opportunities for human infections to occur. Investigations of human cases in Asia and elsewhere have identified close contact with diseased or dead household poultry as the most important source of human exposure to the virus. In Nigeria, as in other parts of Africa, most village households maintain free-ranging flocks of poultry as a source of income and food. Close human contact with poultry is extensive. If the virus has spread to household flocks in Nigeria, public information campaigns will be needed to warn populations to avoid high-risk behaviours, including the slaughtering, defeathering, butchering, and preparation for consumption of diseased poultry. WHO is ready to respond to requests from Nigeria for support, including assessment teams and the provision of essential supplies and equipment. Infectious disease staff at WHO’s regional office in Harare, Zimbabwe held an emergency meeting today to assess the situation, plan a response, and evaluate the possible risk to other African countries. A team of experts experienced in the investigation of outbreaks has been placed on standby. No clear information about the source of the Nigerian outbreak is presently available, but the country is known to lie along a flight route for birds migrating from central Asia. Full sequence information about the virus in the Nigerian outbreak is expected later this week. This information will allow comparison with viruses that have caused human cases elsewhere and thus assist in the assessment of risks to human health. Sequence information may also shed some light on the origins of the outbreak.
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Two Indonesian women, 23 and 27, have tested positive for the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. They are in "serious condition but seem to be improving," said Hariadi Wibisono, a senior health ministry official. They are being treated in the designated bird flu hospital, Sulianti Suroso in eastern Jakarta. It is believed that both women had contact with infected poultry. This brings Indonesia's number of confirmed cases of the virus to 25. A 26 year old female farmer in Fujian, China whose surname is ''Lin'', also has the deadly H5N1 virus. She was admitted to the hospital in January, but it was only confirmed on Wednesday that she had the virus. Some of the people that have come in close contact with the woman are under observation by local health officials. Her current condition is reported as stable. This is China's eleventh confirmed case of the virus. Julie Hall of the Beijing-based World Health Organization said that the latest patient was "highly likely to have had contact with sick animals," but the WHO is still waiting for information on how she could have gotten the disease. Some experts believe migrating birds from China's Qinghai Lake nature reserve are spreading the virus; however, there others who believe it's shipments of poultry and poultry products along with poultry manure. As avian influenza confirmed in Nigeria, "We shouldn't assume that is just in Nigeria" said David Nabarro, the United Nations' coordinator for bird flu and pandemic influenza. "The outbreak in Nigeria means we have another central point for the virus to become embedded into the poultry population." About 20 countries have reported outbreaks of the virus in birds which has sickened people who come in contact with the infected birds. If the rate of human infection continues to increase, so does the chance the virus will change into a form easily transmitted by humans.
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Yes, you read that right: things have gotten so weird in the music business that high-profile acts are inserting ads into their song lyrics. The next time you hear a brand mentioned in a song, it could be due to a paid product placement. And unlike magazines, songs are not required to point out which words are part of an advertisement. "I'm writing because we feel you may be a good company to participate in a brand integration campaign within the actual lyrics of one of the worlds most famous recording artists upcoming song/album," begins the opening e-mail in the eventual salvo between the two. A e-mail from the Kluger Agency , which performs such product placements, mistakenly sent to Jeff Crouse of the Anti-Advertising Agency and Double Happiness Jeans, provides a rare glimpse into the secretive market for song lyric product placement. Songs that refer to products and brands have been with us for years, from Simon and Garfunkel singing "Mama don't take my Kodachrome away" to Janis Joplin's plea for a new car in "Mercedes Benz" and beyond. Conscious of the branding value such mentions can bring, some artists have gone so far as to approach companies with offers to include brand and product names in their song lyrics. In the e-mail, Kluger (who has represented Mariah Carey, New Kids on the Blog, Ne-Yo, Fall Out Boy, Method Man, Lady GaGa and Ludacris) explained via e-mail that for the right price, Double Happiness Jeans could find its way into the lyrics in an upcoming Pussycat Dolls song. Crouse posted the e-mail on his blog at the Anti-Advertising Agency, an art project of sorts that's basically the philosophical mirror image of a traditional ad agency. The thing is, Double Happiness Jeans is not your everyday brand -- it's a virtual sweatshop organized by EyeBeam for a display at the Sundance Festival, which involves paying Second Life citizens 90 cents an hour to make real, customized jeans designed in the virtual factory. Crouse and Steve Lambert, his partner at the Anti-Advertising Agency, are probably the last people on earth who Kluger would want to receive this e-mail. Both men spend a fair amount of their time questioning, undermining and criticizing the pervasiveness of materialism and advertising in our culture. "It was hilarious," Lambert told us via telephone, "that he wanted to put Jeff's fake Second Life sweatshop company in a pop song. It's this desperation that advertising has come to because you can't just tell people about your product anymore, because nobody cares. Advertisers have created this situation where they've made themselves obsolete. There's too much advertising out there, so they try to find new ways to cut through the clutter that they've created. And this is one of those ways." Soon after Crouse posted Kluger's e-mail and his own response on the blog, a commenter wrote, "Either a spammer/con-artist is using the name... or (they are) really bad at marketing themselves." Kluger asked Lambert and Crouse via e-mail and telephone a number of times to remove the post and comment. "Will you please remove the post on your blog? Now a new comment was made basically calling us 'morons,'" he wrote in one of the requests. "When I google the blog or my name, the tag line is 'spammer/con-artist' using the name Adam Kluger PR. Obviously, this is not good for business, and more importantly, I'm quite embarrassed." UPDATE: (A representative from Adam Kluger PR contacted wired.com to say that agency was not involved in this issue in any way). Never mind that it was he who first approached them via unsolicited e-mail by using a scraper program that identified them as potential clients for his product placement service. Or that the words he objected to were in readers' comments, not in the original post. Kluger doesn't like the comments and wants them removed from the internet. The Anti-Advertising Agency declined and has already drawn some attention to the practice of selling space in lyrics to advertisers through its blog. "Maybe Ludacris wants to rap about a luxury SUV, and is just looking for the right one," said Lambert. "We'll never know (everything about) how it works, because that takes the mystique out of it, and the mystique is one of the things that they can sell." But thanks to this e-mail, we at least have proof that the phenomenon is real. For his part, Kluger claims that product placement can be done in such a way that artistic integrity is not affected. "We are just financially taking care of the people that should be taken care of," he told us via e-mail. "If an artist like Sheryl Crow has the same target audience as XZY brand, we feel it's nothing but a strong and strategic way to pinpoint a market. "Now, we don't want an artist to write a song specifically to promote a brand, we just feel that if it's a product that's admired by the artist and fits his/her image, we now have the capability of leveling out the playing field and making things financially beneficial for all parties involved. 'Brand-Dropping' is the term that the Kluger Agency coined to describe discreetly advertising by product mentioning in song, and we feel we can make this the way of the future without jeopardizing any artists creative outlet or typical style." Whether because the Anti-Advertising Agency exposed the practice of product placement in lyrics, because Kluger doesn't like being called a moron on the blog's comments section, or both, he says he's going to sue. In an e-mail sent to Lambert, he wrote, "$5500 is what it's going to cost me to have an attorney stick you with a $150,000 judgment for the next 20 years. We've consulted with two different firms. This was written with the intent to hurt our business and we will win, period... We will go after Steve Lambert, AntiAdvertisingAgency.com, and Budget Gallery (where Lambert sells his art). Since you are intentionally damaging our California-based agency, you will have the opportunity to defend yourself in the state of California. If you think I'm bluffing, that's fine with me." Lambert remains unconvinced. "I really don't think there's any way he can win," he told us."I have every right to have that there... Jeff's commentary doesn't say anything about this guy's company, it's just funny. And bloggers aren't responsible for people who write comments -- it would be like holding the New York Times accountable for every letter to the editor ever sent them." Kluger's angry, litigious reaction to his offer being posted indicates that he knows he's doing something a bit shady. Bands like The Pussycat Dolls don't have much integrity to lose, but we were still sort of surprised to find that they sell elements of their songs to the highest bidder. What's next, a song called "My Family And I Enjoy McDonalds-Brand Food Products"? A band called "Exxon/Mobil Greatly Benefits All Aspects of The Glorious Environment"? I appreciate that artists need to embrace a variety of revenue opportunities to make it today, but selling song lyrics seems to go over the line -- assuming there's still such a thing as selling out. See Also: Photo: Thomas Hawk ||||| One of my lifelong dreams has been to turn on top 40 radio and hear some pop tartlet subtly dropping product placements for my fake sweatshop products into their newest hot single. So you can imagine how excited I was when I read this email yesterday from Mr. Kluger, wherein he offered me an oppertunity I just couldn’t pass up. from Adam Kluger to me date Thu, Aug 21, 2008 at 1:17 PM subject RE: Product Placement oppertunity Hi, I’m writing because we feel you may be a good company to participate in a brand integration campaign within the actual lyrics of one of the worlds most famous recording artists upcoming song/album. Lyrics play an important part in the use of music as marketing, Just as a catchy tune could assail your senses, a good “jingle” or cute lyrics could become a part of society for quite some time, imagine your brand name being a part of that. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to make your product a house-hold name. The artists demographic is typically 16-35 and once we get a chance to speak further, i’m sure you’ll be glad we contacted you. (emphasis mine) Get back to me at (949) 379-2008. Best Regards, Adam And my reply: ||||| Our Web Properties EIN Presswire EIN Presswire has a distribution “foot-print” that includes millions of users of our EIN Newsdesk media monitoring services. Further distribution is achieved via RSS, email, partner websites, and social media. EIN Newsdesk Thousands of news sites. Millions of pages. Constantly updating. People can’t visit them all looking for the news but we do. Using a central news hub makes sense. One destination used by millions of people.
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Jeff Crouse. An email accidentally sent to Jeff Crouse of the ''Anti-Advertising Agency'' recently brought the controversial techniques of the advertising firm ''Kluger Agency'' under fire. "I'm writing because we feel you may be a good company to participate in a brand integration campaign within the actual lyrics of one of the worlds most famous recording artists upcoming song/album," the email read, offering to place Jeff Crouse's fake brand, Double Happiness Jeans, into the songs of popular artists. It was posted on his blog along with a reply that mocked Kluger and brought ridicule and criticism against Adam Kugler and his agency. According to Crouse, Kluger emailed him once again to claim it had been an automated email, and later requested that Crouse remove the post and comments criticizing himself and his agency, threatening a $150,000 lawsuit against Crouse for defamation. Kluger Agency is known for advertising brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, Mercedes-Benz, and Nike by inserting the brand names in the songs of popular artists like Mariah Carey, Black Eyed Peas, Fall Out Boy, Pink, Lady GaGa and Ludacris. Kluger, founded in 2006, represents over 170 corporations and focuses on well-known record labels. Kluger and his PR team have come forward defending the advertising techniques, stating that they do not have songs made just for the products in question and do not infringe on artistic integrity. "Now, we don't want an artist to write a song specifically to promote a brand, we just feel that if it's a product that's admired by the artist and fits his/her image, we now have the capability of leveling out the playing field and making things financially beneficial for all parties involved," he was quoted saying to ''Wired''. However, the agency's website shows video examples of its product placement, with brand images and names often being repeated, pointed at, praised, or being the basis of the song. The website also advertises that "a successful 'brand-dropping' campaign will imprint the brand name and product into your market's subconscious".
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Oct. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sought help from other states as wind-fueled fires burned 356,000 acres (142,400 hectares) across Southern California, consuming hundreds of houses, killing two people and uprooting more than a quarter-million more. About 68,500 homes and 2,200 businesses are threatened by fires, and 321,000 residents have fled, Rochelle Jenkins, a spokeswoman for the state's emergency response team, said in an interview today. ``I'm heartbroken to see those things,'' Schwarzenegger said in a news conference after touring burned houses in San Diego. ``These are people that have saved all their lives to pay for those homes. We have to do everything we can to help these people.'' More than 6,000 firefighters backed by helicopters, bulldozers and water-laden aircraft are battling 15 wildfires in seven counties, from San Diego north to Malibu, outside Los Angeles, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. President George W. Bush declared a state of emergency in California, vowed to travel to the area Oct. 25 and sent Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator David Paulison to San Diego today. Dead and Injured Two people have been killed by the wildfires and 45 have been injured, including 16 firefighters, state authorities said. An unidentified civilian died of burns in Santa Clarita in northern Los Angeles county, and Thomas Varshock, 52, was found dead Oct. 21 in the San Diego area. Flames have consumed more than 1,300 homes, 100 businesses and 80 other buildings, damaged another 400 structures, according to the state fire protection agency. The Insurance Information Institute in New York estimated fire damage would total at least $500 million. In San Diego, an estimated 250,000 people were evacuated, jamming roads and highways. Parts of two major freeways from the city, Interstates 15 and 5, were closed yesterday by the fires. Twelve evacuation centers in San Diego house more than 12,000 people, said Tonya Hoover, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry, including Qualcomm Stadium, home of the National Football League's San Diego Chargers franchise. The Chargers moved practices to Arizona for the next three days. Evacuations Hewlett-Packard Co. evacuated employees yesterday from its printer-research facility, one of its largest, in northern San Diego County near Escondido, spokesman Edward Woodward said. San Diego officials said they were so overwhelmed by the size and number of fires that they initially couldn't get an accurate count of how many homes had been destroyed. They fear the fires may be worse than a 2003 blaze that caused $1.1 billion in damage, destroying 4,847 structures. ``We have very dry areas, very hot weather and a lot of wind,'' Schwarzenegger said. ``Those are the perfect storms for a fire.'' Some police and firefighters were diverted from fighting fires, controlling access and traffic to dealing with stubborn homeowners refusing to leave their homes until the last minute, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said. The U.S. Navy asked only ``essential personnel'' to report to work yesterday, and all schools and colleges in San Diego County are closed today. Nothing Like This ``We've never seen anything like this,'' Sanders said yesterday. ``The fires are coming at us from all angles in the worst possible weather conditions.'' About 238 homes were burned in the communities of Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs, in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles television station KTLA said. The fires destroyed nine homes and five businesses in Malibu, where many movie stars have homes, northwest of Los Angeles. Flames consumed at least 35 buildings in Rancho Santa Fe, a northern San Diego residential community ranked by Forbes magazine last year as the second-most-expensive postal code in the nation, based on median home prices. Homeowners in the area, where the average residence sells for $2.5 million, include T. Boone Pickens, chairman of Dallas-based BP Capital LLC; golfer Phil Mickelson; and singer-songwriter Jewel, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Electrical Emergency California power-system operators declared an electricity transmission emergency for a second day after the wildfires disabled wires and required utilities to curtail supplies. The flames are being driven by the so-called Santa Ana winds, which carry hotter-than-normal air from desert areas in the eastern part of the state. Conditions are forecast to continue until tomorrow afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The gusting winds carried embers as far as 2 miles (3 kilometers) to kindle new fires. Temperatures may surpass 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) today. Some areas of Southern California have received little more than an inch (2 centimeters) of rain since Jan. 1. ``The winds are being erratic and changing direction, so it is very challenging for our firefighters,'' Hoover said in a telephone interview. ``We are pooling resources throughout the western United States.'' State Farm Mutual Insurance Co. and Farmers Insurance Group, the largest home insurers in California, face claims from more than 1,500 customers whose homes were damaged or destroyed by wildfires. Rising Numbers ``The numbers keep rising,'' Farmers spokesman Jerry Davies said in a phone interview from Qualcomm Stadium, where thousands of evacuees were sent. The company, a unit of Zurich Financial Services AG, has been approached by more than 800 customers, with the number climbing by about 200 in less than four hours. Lloyd's of London and nontraditional insurers may have higher costs from the California wildfires than companies that protect most homes in the state, including Allstate Corp., because the traditional insurers have avoided fire-prone areas, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. ``The fires are really spreading very rapidly,'' said Neena Saith, an analyst at Risk Management Solutions in London, which models disasters for insurers, in a telephone interview. ``In terms of the numbers of homes damaged, we're looking at it being in the top-five events in California history.'' To contact the reporter on this story: Peter J. Brennan in Los Angeles at [email protected]. To contact the editor responsible for this story: JoAnne Norton at [email protected]. ||||| (CNN) -- A series of wildfires Sunday in Southern California led to evacuations in some areas, and killed at least one person and injured 17 others in San Diego County, according to officials. At least 1,200 acres were scorched Sunday by wildfires in Malibu, California. more photos » Four firefighters and 13 civilians were hurt in the southeastern part of San Diego County, said Roxanne Provaznik, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The Sand Diego County blaze, straddling Highway 94, scorched 14,000 acres by nightfall, fire officials said. At that time, it was just five percent contained. Provaznik said the firefighters were hurt when flames engulfed their fire engine. A second fire in San Diego County near Witch Creek had burned 5,000 acres by Sunday night and was considered zero percent contained, she said. Farther north, at least seven fires burned near Malibu, the beach community that is home to dozens of celebrities. Fires shut down the Malibu section of the Pacific Coast Highway. Watch the fires rage » Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said five single family home and two commercial buildings -- a glass company and Malibu Presbyterian Church -- were destroyed in Malibu. Nine single family homes and five commercial buildings had been damaged, he said of the blaze that consumed 1,200 acres. The department said about 200 homes in the Malibu area were evacuated. Helicopters that were dumping water on the fires were to be grounded at dusk, said Freeman. He said firefighters were in a "good position" to fight the blaze with engine companies after dark. Freeman said the Malibu area fire began around 4:50 a.m. (7:50 a.m. ET) Sunday. As of 5 p.m. (8 p.m. ET) the Malibu fire was not under control, he said. The cause is still under investigation but several downed power lines were found in the area, he said. Freeman's "best projection" is that the fire will last at least two days. "Thousands of homes are going to be threatened at one time or another based on the movement of the fire," said Freeman. Malibu Mayor Pro Tem Pamela Conley Ulich said earlier Sunday, "We are at the mercy of the wind." Hot weather and Santa Ana winds marked the height of traditional wildfire season this weekend, after one of the driest years on record. Noting there have not been any reported injuries in Malibu, Freeman urged residents not to return to their homes to retrieve anything. "We're all scared to death and we have nowhere to go," Susan Nuttall, 51, told The Associated Press as she sat in her black Mercedes in a cul-de-sac after fleeing her condominium near the Pepperdine campus. She was wearing a bathrobe and holding her Chihuahua. View images of the destruction » Flames consumed Malibu's landmark Castle Kashan, a fortress-like hilltop home with turrets and arched windows. Chunks of brick fell from the exterior of the burning structure overlooking the coast. The house was not directly in the fire's path, but powerful winds carried embers to the building, fire inspector Rick Dominguez said. Castle Kashan is owned by Lilly Lawrence, a Malibu philanthropist. Daniel Collins, who has been staying at Castle Kashan for a few months, said he woke to thick smoke and "flames licking the windows." "It was pretty intense," he told CNN. "And we were probably in this house for an hour or so watching this and finally they got us out of there. By the time we left, the castle was engulfed in flames." Collins said he felt safe because there were many firefighters. Once he was helped from the castle, Collins rushed to see if his neighbors were safe and they were, he said. Meanwhile, students at Pepperdine's Malibu campus were told to gather at Firestone Field House, while faculty and staff were gathering at Tyler Campus Center, campus police told CNN. Later the university said students, faculty and staff who relocated to those facilities had been allowed to return to their dorms and on-campus residences. The fire department as of 2 p.m. (5 p.m. ET) listed the following areas as being under mandatory evacuation orders: Montenedo, Malibu Road, Malibu Colony, Pepperdine, Malibu Crest, Serra Retreat and Big Rock. The residential area Malibu Crest and vacation area Sierra Retreat also were evacuated Sunday, Padilla said. Evacuation centers were set up at Zuma Beach and authorities had aerial teams serving as lookouts, and helicopters and fire engines to areas as they became threatened, Dominguez said. Residents of the threatened areas include Dick Van Dyke, Mel Gibson, and Olivia Newton John. Meanwhile, another wind-driven wildfire has burned hundreds of acres of woodland in the Townsend Peak area of California's Angeles National Forest, in the northern section of Los Angeles County, according to U.S. Forest Service spokesman Stanton Florea. Authorities said that fire, near Castaic, had consumed 1,500 acres as of 2 p.m. (5 p.m. ET) Sunday. The fire, which started just before 10 p.m. Saturday (1 a.m. Sunday ET) Saturday, threatens a condor habitat and destroyed an out-building, Florea said. 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 Wildfires • USDA Forest Service ||||| POSTED: 8:34 am CDT October 21, 2007 Wildfires fanned by fierce desert winds forced the evacuations of nearly 250,000 people Monday in San Diego County, including hundreds who were being moved by school bus and ambulance from a hospital and nursing homes. More than a dozen wildfires had engulfed Southern California, killing at least one person, injuring dozens more and threatening scores of structures. A San Diego-area fire official said that the raging wildfires got "dramatically worse" overnight. "[The situation] is worse than many of us could've imagined," said Bill Metcalf, chief of the North County Fire Protection District. "It was a long night. A dangerous night." Metcalf said that one of the major issues that firefighters are dealing with is that residents did not listen to early evacuation orders. "One of issues is that we're not able to do any suppression because resources are being used to do rescues," he said. "People didn't evacuate at all or didn't until it was too late." Another fire in the area prompted officials to order the town of Ramona to be evacuated earlier Monday. Officials said several structures on the edge of town have been burned. One person died in a fire near San Diego. Four firefighters and at least 10 other people were hospitalized. There are nearly a dozen wildfires scorching parts of Southern California. Firefighters in San Diego County are battling about a dozen fires that have burned more than 40,000 acres. Firefighters said Sunday night that they are overwhelmed. In Malibu, about 700 firefighters have been working to protect hundreds of luxury homes in upscale communities. "To try and staff something this big, you cannot predict it," Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Sam Padilla said. Among the structures destroyed by the fire are the landmark Castle Kashan, a fortress-like home with turrets and arched windows. The owner of the home had time to gather some items -- including Elvis Presley's Army fatigues -- before flames engulfed her home. Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. It's believed the fire was sparked by a downed power line.
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Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, California, which is just south of Agua Dulce, California. ===Los Angeles Area:=== Wildfires in Malibu, California, USA have forced the evacuation of the campus of Pepperdine University, as well as several celebrity homes, and more than 250,000 people in San Diego County; after more than 250,000 acres burned in Southern California. High winds and low humidity in the area have only helped to strengthen the fire. Additionally, firefighters are currently having a difficult time getting in to Malibu, as the only road that leads in to the area is the Pacific Coast Highway, which often sees heavy traffic, although it has been closed between Kanan Road and Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Currently, 700 firefighters are working on fighting the blaze. The fire has burned about 4400 acres so far and 15 homes have been lost, however there have been no reported injuries or deaths. The Los Angeles County Fire Department reports the blaze is 15% contained, with 100% containment predicted by Friday, October 26. Location of Malibu, California shown in red Other Los Angeles County wildfires are burning in Agua Dulce (~10,000 acres), Chatsworth, and Castaic. ===San Diego County:=== San Diego, California, USA fires are burning at Witch Creek and at Potrero in San Diego County. The Witch Creek fire, as of 5:50 AM PDT Monday, has burned 8000 acres, and has merged with another fire near the San Diego Wild Animal Park. The city of Ramona, California, USA is under mandatory evacuation and authorities have ordered evacuations in Rancho Bernardo, California, USA and Poway, California, USA as the fires surge west. So far, over 250,000 people have been evacuated in San Diego County. Additional fires are now being reported in Fallbrook, California, USA and San Marcos, California, USA. The San Diego County Office of Emergency Services (OES) advised residents north of state Route 56, south of Del Dios Highway, west of Interstate 15 and east of Interstate 5 to evacuate, as of 8:32 AM PDT Monday. Since Del Dios Highway is a short north-south segment, it is not clear what OES' intended northern boundary was. Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley is opening as an evacuation center. As of 7:32 a.m. PDT Monday, authorities are reporting 18,000 acres burning in San Diego County, with 0% containment. As of 10:16 a.m. PDT Monday, 250,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA was ordered emptied, while dozen of homes were on fire in Ranch Bernardo, California, USA. As of 10:32 a.m. PDT Monday, the CHP advises that Interstate 15 is still closed in both directions between state Route 78 and state Route 56 As of 1:45 p.m. PDT Monday, evacuations were ordered for Scripps Ranch, California, USA, specifically "Everything south of Scripps Poway Parkway, North of MCAS Miramar, East of Interstate 15, West of Highway 67." This evacuation comes almost four years to the day after the Cedar Fire of 2003. ===Orange County:=== In Orange County, a 3800-acre fire is burning in Silverado Canyon. California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency.
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary Contact: 202-282-8010 July 7, 2005 We have been closely monitoring the bombings in London. Our sympathies and condolences go to the victims of this incident and the people of London. We have been in direct communication with officials at the state and local level and with public and private sector transportation officials. We have asked them for increased vigilance and additional security measures for major transit systems. The Department of Homeland Security has stood up the Interagency Incident Management Group to ensure full situational awareness around this incident and in the United States. We do not have any specific intelligence indicating this type of attack is planned in the United States, but we are constantly evaluating both intelligence and our protective measures and will take whatever actions are necessary. We will continue to work closely with British officials as they investigate this incident. ### ||||| ALL AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY ||||| Friday, July 08, 2005 PHOTOS VIDEO PHOTO ESSAYS STORIES BACKGROUND From New York to San Francisco, cities tightened security for local rail and bus lines that carry millions of Americans daily. Stepped-up safeguards included officers armed with machine guns, bomb-sniffing dogs, increased video surveillance and more police at train and bus stations. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff (search) said Thursday that authorities had no evidence of a specific, credible threat against the United States. However, he said, "we feel that, at least in the short term, we should raise the level here because, obviously, we're concerned about the possibility of a copycat attack." The London attacks were well-coordinated, leading to speculation about Al Qaeda (search) involvement, and U.S. officials were trying to determine responsibility. U.S. counterterror officials said they received intelligence last month dating back to 2004 that Al Qaeda was interested in attacking rail systems in Europe and the United States, including derailing trains or crashing trucks into them. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the intelligence is classified, said the report lacked specifics on the date and location of any potential attacks. (Story continues below) ADVERTISEMENTS Advertise Here Security around the Capitol and at foreign embassies in Washington was increased, particularly around the British Embassy. Law enforcement authorities around the country were urged to step up security at United Kingdom diplomatic offices, and the State Department ordered U.S. embassies around the world to review their security arrangements. "We will not yield to these people, will not yield to the terrorists," President Bush said in Gleneagles, Scotland, where he was attending the Group of Eight (search) summit. "We will find them. We will bring them to justice." Signing a condolence book at the British Embassy in Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (search) wrote of Thursday's bombing victims, "They will not have died in vain." At the State Department, a British flag was run up a flagpole outside the diplomatic entrance and then lowered to half-staff by two uniformed guards. For many Americans, the bombings and heightened security revived the tension many had felt after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but which had seemed to recede in recent months. "Everything is kind of vulnerable," said Bill Giel, 53, of Milford, Conn., who was riding a commuter train to work. "I just hope the authorities are doing their job in keeping things secure." "You kind of hold your breath until rush hour is over because of the timing of the one in London," said Paul Dullea, a 37-year-old employee of the Boston Bar Association who rode the commuter rail and subway into Boston from his home in Millis, Mass. About 29 million people in the United States take commuter trains or subways on an average workday, and millions more take buses. The New York City area accounts for about a third of the rail total, followed by Chicago, Washington, Boston and Philadelphia. The West Coast's largest transit system is in San Francisco. The alert marked the seventh time the terror threat advisory level had been raised to orange since it was created in 2002, though, like the last time, it was for specific areas. The alert was last raised in August for financial institutions in Washington, New York and Newark, N.J., in the run-up to the November elections. Recent intelligence has indicated that London was considered a prime target for Islamic extremists, in part because Al Qaeda was having difficulty getting people into the United States, one official said. Two senior U.S. counterterror officials who detailed some of the classified information received in June said it indicated Al Qaeda's intention to replicate last year's Madrid train bombing attack in Europe and the United States. The officials would not specify whether the intelligence came from a person, intercepted communication or other source. But they said the intelligence was not otherwise specific, and was dated back to shortly after the Madrid attacks in March 2004. The officials stressed that the information came as part of a stream of reports indicating Al Qaeda's interest in transit attacks. One of the officials said a federal bulletin was not issued to private, state and local authorities because there wasn't specific information tied to an attack. U.S. officials have long worried that terrorists would try to strike the nation's mass transit system. Authorities are particularly concerned about transit systems in Washington, New York, Boston, Miami and Chicago because of earlier indications of Al Qaeda's interest in those cities, said John Rollins, a former senior Homeland Security intelligence official now with Congressional Research Service. In February, FBI Director Robert Mueller told the Senate Intelligence Committee that U.S. transportation systems "remain a key target." He said last year's attacks on commuter trains in Madrid showed the devastation that a simple, low-tech operation could achieve. U.S. security concerns and resources have focused on commercial airlines since 2001, said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who chairs the Homeland Security Committee. "We tend to always be looking backward at what the last threat or attack was," Collins said. "As soon as we close the gaps in one area, I'm certain the terrorists will exploit in other areas." Security efforts were not being increased at U.S. airports after Thursday's attacks. ||||| July 7 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will raise the terror threat level for public transit systems, while keeping the national threat level unchanged, U.S. Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said. The threat level for transit systems will be raised from ``elevated,'' to ``high,'' he said. ``We are not suggesting that people avoid public transportation systems,'' he said. ``We don't have any specific credible information that an attack is imminent in the U.S.'' The change is in response to terrorist bombings on London's subway system and a bus that killed at least 33 people and injured more than 345 others. A group calling itself the al-Qaeda Organization in Europe claimed responsibility for the attacks, the deadliest on London since World War II. To contact the reporter on this story: Nicholas Johnston in Washington at [email protected]. To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ken Fireman in Washington (1) at [email protected].
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The United States Department of Homeland Security has raised the terror alert level to "orange" for trains in reaction to the bombings of three subway trains and a bus in London. The United States has a five-level terror alert system in which orange is the second-highest level. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff asked citizens for increased vigilance and asked cities to increase their security on their transit systems. "Currently, the United States has no specific, credible information suggesting an imminent attack in the United States," says Chertoff. The United States Coast Guard, part of the Department of Homeland Security, has alerted stations in high-risk areas to stand 24/7 patrols. In Washington, Capitol Hill police announced plans to search buses, tour vans and larger vehicles traveling on the roads leading to the Capitol. In San Francisco today, local police stood guard at Muni and BART stations. Amtrak rail lines released a statement saying that they are stepping up their security around their country-wide stations. Local sheriff dispatches have been seen patrolling even the smallest rail stations.
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Source: ONE News Related News Paedophile case riles rights groups August 27, 2010 A 53-year-old New Zealand man has gone on trial in Cambodia for sexually abusing young girls. Michael John Lines, who also has Australian citizenship, faces charges of procuring a child for prostitution. He was arrested in March at a hotel in the coastal province of Preah Sihanouk. Police accused him of having sex with two underage girls. The closed door trial was adjourned after a day, and the judge said he would give a verdict in the near future. Cambodia has long been a magnet for foreign paedophiles because of poverty and poor law enforcement, however in recent years police and courts have increasingly targeted sex offenders. ||||| No Cookies To use this website, cookies must be enabled in your browser. To enable cookies, follow the instructions for your browser below. Enabling Cookies in Internet Explorer 7, 8 & 9 Open the Internet Browser Click Tools > Internet Options > Privacy > Advanced Check Override automatic cookie handling For First-party Cookies and Third-party Cookies click Accept Click OK and OK Enabling Cookies in Firefox Open the Firefox browser Click Tools > Options > Privacy > Use custom settings for history Check Accept cookies from sites Check Accept third party cookies Select Keep until: they expire Click OK Enabling Cookies in Google Chrome Open the Google Chrome browser Click Tools > Options > Privacy Options > Under the Hood > Content Settings Check Allow local data to be set Uncheck Block third-party cookies from being set Uncheck Clear cookies Close all Enabling Cookies in Mobile Safari (iPhone, iPad)
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Lines was arrested in the province of A man from New Zealand has gone on trial in Cambodia over allegedly having sex with two young girls. 53-year-old Michael John Lines was arrested at a hotel in the province of in March. Lines holds dual citizenship from New Zealand and Australia. The trial took place behind closed doors and lasted a day. Lines was tried on charges of procuring an underage child for sex. Judge Duch Kimsan said he will announce his decision in the near future. In the past few years Cambodian police and the courts have begun to crack down on foreigners who travel to Cambodia seeking sex with young girls from poor areas.
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Firefox 3 downloads smash 5m mark Tom Espiner ZDNet.co.uk Downloads of Mozilla's Firefox 3 web browser have already passed the five million mark, approximately halfway through its 24-hour world-record attempt period. The Mozilla team had aimed to exceed the 1.6 million downloads that Firefox 2 achieved in the first day of its release period, and had hoped for five million downloads for Firefox 3 in its first 24 hours of release, to set a Guinness world record. Approximately 14 hours after its release, Firefox 3 passed the five million download mark. President of Mozilla Europe, Tristan Nitot, told ZDNet.co.uk that he felt as though he was in "a dream". "We have exceeded our wildest expectations," said Nitot. "I'm so proud of the community. Five million downloads in 14 hours is mind boggling. I'm just concerned it's a dream and I'm going to wake up." Nitot said it was difficult to predict what the final number of downloads would be, but that the total could reach eight million. "Europe is just waking up, so we expect a few more million," said Nitot. "I don't know where it will end up, but we could get seven or eight million [downloads]." Mozilla aimed to set a Guinness world record for the total number of downloads of a piece of software in a 24-hour period. As part of its marketing effort, it encouraged users to pledge to download Firefox 3 on its release, and to hold download parties. The release was scheduled to begin at 6pm BST on Tuesday 17 June. However, the release could not begin as planned as Mozilla's servers had problems, which were exacerbated by the number of people wishing to download Firefox 3, according to Mozilla. Nitot said that the main problems had begun before Firefox 3 had been released. "It's true that downloads have exceeded out wildest dreams, but there was a failure even before the sites were open," said Nitot. A Mozilla spokesperson confirmed that there had been problems migrating the servers, but said that the issues were fixed an hour later. "There were a few technical issues migrating the sites and servers, then we went live an hour later," said the spokesperson. A post by Mozilla marketing co-odinator Melissa Shapiro on the Mozilla blog on Tuesday, at the beginning of the release, said that the interest in Firefox 3 had been "overwhelming", and that Mozilla servers were under pressure. "The outpouring of interest and enthusiasm around Firefox 3 has been overwhelming (literally!)," wrote Shapiro at the time of the release. "Our servers are currently feeling the burn and should be back to normal shortly. Download day will officially commence once the site goes live. The 24-hour period will be clocked from that moment." As a consequence of the release being delayed for an hour, Firefox 3's 24-hour world-record download attempt period will end on Wednesday at 7pm BST. Did you find this article useful? 14 out of 14 people found this useful Share this article: ||||| The Firefox web browser is on track to set a record for the number of downloads in one day – although it had to overcome early jitters. The new 3.0 version of Firefox, the second most popular web browser on the market, has already been downloaded by millions of people as its creators attempt to set a world record to mark the relaunch. Plans did not run smoothly, however, as the race hit a roadblock soon after it began at 6pm last night. Servers belonging to Mozilla, the company which makes Firefox, ground to a halt as initial interest overwhelmed the company with traffic. Many potential downloaders were left disappointed, as the Firefox website refused to work or failed to deliver the new program. It was four hours before service was back to normal, taking some of the shine off the stunt, but downloads soon reached rates of up to 14,000 per minute, Mozilla said. The company played down the glitch, with Mozilla vice president Paul Kim saying only that the systems were "quite busy". "We're thrilled with the response to the release," said Kim. "Our systems were quite busy earlier this morning, so individual requests may not have gotten through, but they are all up now and serving a tremendous amount of traffic and downloads." Although the stunt was guaranteed to work – there was previously no such category acknowledged by Guinness World Records – it will still take up to a week for the results to be ratified and officially recognised. The revamped system, which includes improved security and performance features, hopes to build on its initial success and grab more market share from Microsoft's Internet Explorer. According to figures from Net Applications, Firefox is currently used by 18.4% of browsers worldwide, trailing Internet Explorer's 73.8% share of the market, but ahead of Apple's Safari with 6.3%. Progress has been slow since Firefox arrived with a bang in 2004 as the first significant challenger to Microsoft for several years. The complete market domination of Internet Explorer over Firefox's predecessor, Netscape, had previously been a central plank in the US government's antitrust case against the Seattle software giant in the 1990s. ||||| For more information, visit the FAQ. Mozilla Releases Firefox 3 and Redefines the Web Experience Major performance enhancements and revolutionary “Awesome Bar” make Firefox 3 the fastest, smartest, most powerful browser Mozilla has ever released MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. - June 17, 2008 - Mozilla today released Firefox® 3, a major update to its popular and acclaimed free, open source Web browser. Firefox 3 is the culmination of three years of efforts from thousands of developers, security experts, localization and support communities, and testers from around the globe. Available today in approximately 50 languages, Firefox 3 is two to three times faster than its predecessor and offers more than 15,000 improvements, including the revolutionary smart location bar, malware protection, and extensive under the hood work to improve the speed and performance of the browser. “We’re really proud of Firefox 3 and it just shows what a committed, energized global community can do when they work together,” said John Lilly, CEO of Mozilla. What’s New in Firefox 3: The Web is all about innovation, and Firefox 3 sets the pace with dozens of new features to deliver a faster, more secure and customizable Web browsing experience for all. User Experience. The enhancements to Firefox 3 provide the best possible browsing experience on the Web. The new Firefox 3 smart location bar, affectionately known as the “Awesome Bar,” learns as people use it, adapting to user preferences and offering better fitting matches over time. The Firefox 3 Library archives browsing history, bookmarks, and tags, where they can be easily searched and organized. One-click bookmarking and tagging make it easy to remember, search and organize Web sites. The new full-page zoom displays any part of a Web page, up close and readable, in seconds. Performance. Firefox 3 is built on top of the powerful new Gecko 1.9 platform, resulting in a safer, easier to use and more personal product. Firefox 3 now uses less memory while it’s running, and its redesigned page rendering and layout engine means users see Web pages two to three times faster than Firefox 2. Security. Firefox 3 raises the bar for security. The new malware and phishing protection helps protect from viruses, worms, trojans and spyware to keep people safe on the Web. Firefox 3’s one-click site ID information allows users to verify that a site is what it claims to be. Mozilla’s open source process leverages the experience of thousands of security experts around the globe. Customization. Everyone uses the Web differently, and Firefox 3 lets users customize their browser with more than 5,000 add-ons. Firefox Add-ons allow users to manage tasks like participating in online auctions, uploading digital photos, seeing the weather forecasts, and listening to music, all from the convenience of the browser. The new Add-ons Manager helps users to find and install add-ons directly from the browser. For more information about Mozilla Firefox 3 and how it delivers an easier, faster, and safer online experience, visit http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/features. Mozilla Firefox 3 is available now for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X operating systems as a free download from http://www.getfirefox.com. The release of Firefox 3 kicks off Download Day, the Mozilla community’s grassroots campaign to set a brand new Guinness World Record for the greatest number of software downloads in 24 hours. The worldwide community effort begins the minute Firefox 3 is released and will continue for a full day. For more information, please visit http://www.spreadfirefox.com/worldrecord/. Press Contact: Steve Naventi Tel: +1-415-345-4725 Email: [email protected] ||||| Enter your email address and we’ll keep you informed of the latest record developments. We hate spam as much as you do, so we promise not to share your data with anyone. 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Mozilla only will use your email address to confirm your registration, send download reminders to you when Firefox 3 launches, and to let you know the results of our record attempt. We will not share your email address with any other organization or individual. If you would like more information about Mozilla’s privacy policy, please click here. You may contact us for any questions, or if you wish to access and/or correct your information, where appropriate, by emailing us at: [email protected]. Mozilla Corporation, 1981 Landings Drive, Bldg. K, Mountain View, CA ||||| Firefox 3’s First 24 Hours It’s been a very busy 24 hours for Mozilla folks around the world — as our 24 hour initial period draws to a close, I wanted to put a few things into perspective. This is the first post of what will no doubt be many analysis posts, so here are a few things that have happened during the first official day of Firefox 3 life: A little more than 8.3 million downloads (this isn’t our official Guinness number — that will be a little lower as we weed out over counts over the next few weeks) Firefox 3 market share has grown to about 4% worldwide People in around 200 different countries have downloaded, with 16 countries north of 100k copies Top 10 countries so far: US, Germany, Japan, Spain, UK, France, Iran, Italy, Canada, Poland 757 Parties around the world And if you’re interested in what our network has been doing over that time period: 83 terabytes served in total (that works out to nearly 8 1/2 full copies of the US Library of Congress’ print collection or a million copies of the new Coldplay album) At the peak, we were serving 17,000 downloads a minute (283 per second!), and saw sustained download rates in excess of 4,000/minute Our peak mirror throughput during the period was 20 gigabits/sec (a huge thanks goes to everyone who helped to create our unbelievably great mirror network) So a good day’s work by everyone involved. Like everything that’s Mozilla, this involved people far beyond Mountain View, and far beyond the borders of any one company or group. More to come…
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view full size image) Mozilla's new browser Firefox 3.0 has been downloaded over 8 million times in 24 hours. The Mozilla Foundation has encouraged users worldwide to download their latest browser in an attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records, with what is referred to as Download Day 2008. The target of five million downloads was reached long before the 24 hour period was over. The 24 hour download session ended at 18:16 UTC on June 18th, one hour later than the original time of 17:00. This delay is due to technical problems which included the servers being overwhelmed. For a while after the specified launch time, the Firefox website linked to a download for Firefox 2. Over 2.88 million of the downloads were from the European Union; 2.56 million were from the United States. The unofficial, unaudited final number of downloads during the 24 hour marathon was 8,320,331. This figure still needs to be checked by the Guinness Book of Records for validity. If the unofficial figure is accurate, almost 100 copies of the application were downloaded every second. John Lilly, the CEO of Mozilla commented on the release of Firefox 3. “We’re really proud of Firefox 3 and it just shows what a committed, energized global community can do when they work together,” he said.
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Security and conflicts • In 2004 it became obvious that maintaining control over Iraqi territory would require capabilities other than high-intensity warfare and more manpower than in the technology-intensive phase of the war. • Many of the conflicts that continue to produce the greatest number of deaths, casualties and suffering are wars of long duration. Far from soliciting more attention, their long-standing and recurrent nature tend to make them less visible internationally. Although the current international emphasis on the prevention of violent conflict is a positive development, it is worth considering whether the emphasis of policy and research should be directed at addressing the resolution of the world’s longest-standing major armed conflicts. • Much of the current discussion of peace-building is focused on the macro level. What current operational experiences appear to illustrate, however, is that peace-building fails most often at the micro level, in the content and delivery of specific security, rule-of-law, economic, social and political reforms. • Nationally led ‘coalitions of the willing’ of the kind that undertook the military actions in Afghanistan (2002) and Iraq (2003) pose special challenges for parliamentary oversight, since the interstate component of decision making is not carried out through an established, transparent multilateral institutional process. • Military expenditure by states in the Middle East is high and shows a rising trend since 1996. Conventional arms races are unconstrained, but developments related to weapons of mass destruction are the ones that receive international attention. • Since the 1980s, the introduction of a more open economic model in most states of the Latin American and Caribbean region has been accompanied by the growth of new regional structures, the dying out of interstate conflicts and a reduction in intra-state conflicts. Military spending and armaments • In the new security environment, which focuses on insecurity in the South and greater global security interdependence, there is an increasing awareness of the ineffectiveness of military means for addressing threats and challenges to security and a growing recognition of the need for global action. • World military expenditure exceeded $1 trillion in 2004. The USA accounted for 47 per cent of this spending. • The combined arms sales of the top 100 arms-producing companies in 2003 were 25 per cent (in current dollars) higher than in 2002. • China is almost completely dependent on Russia for its arms imports, but its relationship is changing from a recipient of complete weapons to a recipient of components and technology to be used in Chinese weapon platforms. There are indications that China is anxious to gain access to other than Russian technology, partly because that technology is becoming outdated. Non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament • In April 2004 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1540, an instruction to UN member states that they must legislate nationally to introduce effective controls on nuclear, biological and chemical weapon proliferation-sensitive items. The resolution was adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, leaving open the potential use of enforcement measures by the Security Council against states failing to comply with this instruction. • The controversies over the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programmes led to renewed interest in proposals for limiting civil uranium-enrichment and plutonium-reprocessing capabilities on a worldwide basis. • A number of official inquiries into the handling of intelligence concerning Iraq’s weapon programmes, including how it had been interpreted or presented, published reports in 2004. The inquiries found a common theme that pre-war assessments were inaccurate and unsupported by the available evidence. • Since Libya’s policy change it has become clear that it received considerable foreign assistance to procure sensitive nuclear materials, technologies and components as well as documentation related to nuclear weapon design. However, the relatively low technical absorption capacity of its scientific–industrial base meant that these ‘short cuts’ did not bring Libya appreciably closer to achieving a nuclear weapon capability. • The NATO–Russia stalemate over the adapted CFE Treaty has lasted for over five years, but the second wave of NATO enlargement was accomplished despite Russia’s concerns. In Europe, the focus has shifted towards ‘soft’ measures and arrangements, such as confidence- and security-building measures for stricter control of small arms, surplus ammunition and landmines. • International non-proliferation and disarmament assistance (INDA) is becoming a significant element of the wider anti-proliferation effort. To increase the effectiveness of this assistance, the efforts made by the G8 group of industrialized states were redesigned in 2004. Traditionally undertaken as a bilateral effort between the USA and Russia, the functional and geographic scope of INDA programmes is expected to expand in future to include projects in a wider range of countries, cover new types of sensitive material and undertake projects in new countries. • In 2004 the EU reviewed the instruments that have been used to create an effective and modern system for controlling transfers of both conventional weapons and dual-use items. As a result of these reviews. revisions will be made to both the arms and dual-use export control systems of the EU. • Over the years, the law of the sea has been adapted to changed priorities. Today, the general rule of flag-state jurisdiction has yielded to the universal interest of combating the slave trade, piracy and drug trafficking. In future, the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction may also be added to this list. ||||| The US "war on terror" is the main driver behind the spending boost A study by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) found that countries around the world spent $162 on weapons for each person alive. The US alone accounted for 47% of the global total, mainly because of soaring spending on its "global war on terror". Arms companies were benefiting from the demand, with sales at the top 100 firms up 25% in 2003 on the year before. The pace of mega-mergers in the arms trade in recent years had slackened, Sipri said, but had left major military suppliers comparable in size and influence to top multinational corporations. Driven by the US According to the 2005 yearbook published by Sipri, a well-respected think-tank on war and peace studies, the total spending on weapons in 2004 grew 8% to $1.035 trillion - the highest dollar value yet. The main explanation for the current level of... world military spending is the spending on military operations abroad by the US Sipri 2005 yearbook Adjusted for inflation, the figure falls just 6% below the all-time peak of spending in 1987-88, the last gasp of the Cold War. The US was the primary driver behind the 2004 growth as the massive budget allocations on fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and rearmament elsewhere were spent. In all, its extra spending on the "war on terror" between 2002 and 2004 - some $238bn - exceeded the combined military spending of the developing world including China. "The main explanation for the current level of, and trend in, world military spending is the spending on military operations abroad by the US and to a lesser extent its coalition partners," the report said. But other countries too were rearming rapidly, notably in the Middle East. China and India were key recipients of conventional weapons in 2004, Sipri found. Both relied extensively on Russia as a supplier, but were now keen to diversify their spending. Long-running wars The report went beyond military spending to look at trends in military activity and warfare. China is keen to look further afield to boost its forces It identified 19 conflicts which had cost more than 1,000 lives in 2004. All but three - against Al-Qaeda, in Darfur and in Iraq - were more than a decade old, Sipri said. The institute also noted the perception that unilateral action was overtaking multi-nation measures to deal with global security issues. "Many actions of the USA and other 'northern' powers since 2001 seem rather to have polarised attitudes further" in the face of transnational threats," the report said. But it also noted that many other states were seeking to pool sovereignty or work through systems of international regulation - and the limitations the US experienced in working in Iraq without institutional backing. "It would be hasty to assume that the unilateral rather than the multilateral approach to wielding power will shape the globe's future," the report said. ||||| Today's Top News Stories • Report: In U.S., record numbers are plunged into poverty - • VP's plane has minor electrical problem - • Israeli troops raid West Bank city - • Severe storms injure 27 in Arkansas - • Va. lawmakers pass slavery apology - • Add USATODAY.com RSS feeds Report: World military spending tops $1T in 2004 STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) Global military spending in 2004 broke the $1 trillion barrier for the first time since the Cold War, boosted by the U.S. war against terror and the growing defense budgets of India and China, a European think tank said Tuesday. Led by the United States, which accounted for almost half of all military expenditure, the world spent $1.035 trillion on defense, equal to 2.6% of global gross domestic product, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said. Besides its regular defense budget, the United States has allocated $238 billion since 2003 to fight terrorism, according to the report. "These appropriations are now assuming extraordinary proportions," said SIPRI researcher Elisabeth Skons, who co-authored the organization's annual report. Adjusted for inflation, the figure for global military spending in 2004 is only 6% lower than its Cold War peak in 1987-1988, Skons said. Total military expenditure grew 6% in 2004 over the previous year, in line with an average annual increase since 2002, the institute said. South Asia, northern Africa and North America made the largest increases. In Western Europe and Central America, military spending fell. But the report said the figures might be on the low side as countries are increasingly outsourcing services related to armed conflicts, such as military training and providing logistics in combat zones, without classifying them as military expenditures. Such outsourcing has more than doubled in the last 15 years, and was estimated to have reached $100 million during 2004, SIPRI researcher Caroline Holmqvist said. The researchers predicted it would double again from current levels by 2010. "This is a global phenomenon," Holmqvist said, adding it was difficult to provide exact figures. "This is an industry that is not largely regulated." As a region, South Asia saw the biggest rise in military expenditure, largely because India boosted its defense budget by 19% in a move that could provide a "real setback" to the country's attempts at ending a decades-long conflict with neighbor Pakistan, Skons said. "Just a few years ago, it looked like they would be able to reach a peaceful settlement," she said. "Now India has increased (military spending) again." The report is based on official national budgets in most cases, and independent studies for countries like China, where, Skons said, "it's obvious that the official figures are very wrong." The government-funded institute estimated that China increased it defense budget by about 10% in 2004, to $35.4 billion — a figure that is about 70% above the government's official figure, Skons said. Petter Stalenheim, co-author of the report, said India's large increase in military spending might be a way of challenging neighbor China as the supreme power in Asia but there was little sign of a growing arms race between the countries. "Objectively, you can see that both India and China are increasing their military expenses by a rather large percentage," Stalenheim said. "But at the same time, neither one says they're directed toward each other." The report also said China, which traditionally imported military equipment from Russia, is increasingly turning to other countries. "(China) is very much dependent on Russia, and being dependent is not something that any country would like," SIPRI researcher Siemon Wezeman said. "What their wish would be is to become an independent producer of everything they need." However, it may take as long as 50 years for China to catch up with the West in arms production, he said. The United States accounted for 47% of all military expenditure while Britain and France each made up 5% of the total. In all, 15 countries accounted for 82% of the world's total military spending. The arms trade also grew sharply, with the top 100 makers of weapons increasing their combined sales by 25% between 2002 and 2003, the report said. Those companies sold weapons and arms worth $236 billion worldwide in 2003, compared to $188 billion a year earlier. The United States accounted for 63% of all arms sales in 2003, the report said. While conflicts in the Middle East were responsible for much of military spending, the rest of the world is also laying out more on security, the report said. "It's hard to put the United States in the center, or blame everything on the U.S.," said Alyson J.K. Bailes, the think tank's director. "Despite all the ongoing problems, the state of world security is a great deal better than it was in the Cold War," Bailes said. Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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AGM-65 Maverick air-to-surface tactical missile developed in the United States. According to the report, almost half the world's military spending is by the United States. According to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), total world military spending was $1.35 trillion in 2004. The institute says that this is just 6% off the all time record, set in 1987 at the end of the Cold War. However this record could soon be shattered as spending jumped 5% last year alone. In a stark example of the huge amount spent on the military by the United States, SIPRI revealed that almost half of all spending is by the US, $455bn or 47% to be exact. This figure is greater than the ''combined'' spending of the next 32 heaviest spenders. US spending on its armed forces now stands at 3.9% of its GDP, less than the 6% during the Cold War, but more than the 3% reported the previous year. The top five spenders in 2004 were as follows: # United States of America # United Kingdom # France # Japan # China
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James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, always had an impeccable sense of style and occasion. How appropriate then that the man who called himself Soul Brother Number One died on Christmas Day. He died yesterday at the age of 73, after being taken to hospital on Sunday in the US city of Atlanta with pneumonia. Brown was born in Barnwell, South Carolina, on May 3, 1933. Like most blacks of his era he grew up in extreme poverty and worked at menial jobs until, after a brief time in a juvenile detention centre, he formed James Brown with the Famous Flames. The first song he recorded with this up-tempo gospel group was Please, Please, Please, which became an instant hit and sold more than a million copies in 1956. Over a career that lasted 50 years, Brown became one of the most influential popular musicians of the 20th century. His musical contribution was simple. Brown took the gospel music of his childhood and the rhythm'n'blues he heard in the juke joints of Atlanta, Georgia, blended them together, made the gospel very secular, and helped create music we now know as soul and funk. These musical forms came to dominate dance and popular music in the latter half of the 20th century. It was probably enough that Brown was at the centre of this vital part of the evolution of popular music. That would have ensured his place in musical history. But, in recent times, he has been lionised by contemporary rap and hip hop performers and his classic songs - Please, Please, Please; Papa's Got A Brand New Bag; I Got You (I Feel Good); and It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World - have been sampled over and again. They remain vital benchmarks in the history of soul. There had been flat periods in Brown's career, but after the release of Live at the Apollo in 1962 - considered by many to be the greatest live recording in the history of popular music - he was recognised as one of pop music's great iconic figures. This accolade was nurtured by Brown, who had no doubt about his own status and ability. When being interviewed he insisted on being addressed as "Mr Brown" and was known to terminate an interview if a journalist was so familiar as to refer to him as "James". Equally, he constantly, like a musical Muhammad Ali, referred to himself with outrageous hyperbole as Mr Dynamite, the Hardest Working Man in Show Business, the Boss, the Minister of the New New Super Heavy Funk and, most frequently, the Godfather of Soul. ||||| Self-proclaimed Godfather of Soul, singer James Brown was hospitalized over the weekend to treat his severe pneumonia and died on Monday, his agent reported. The cause of death is yet unknown. The African American entertainer was taken to the Emory Crawford Long Hospital on Sunday to get treatment for pneumonia and died early Monday at about 1:45 a.m. His agent, Frank Copsidas, said his old friend, Charles Bobbit was by his side when it happened. Regarding the cause of death, Copsidas said "We really don't know at this point what he died of." "On Friday he had his toy giveaway, which is his annual toy giveaway in Augusta, Georgia. "On Saturday, he went to his dentist up in Atlanta, and his dentist told him something was wrong, and he sent him to a doctor immediately," Copsidas explained. Relatives of the popular funk and soul singer were being informed of the death. In 2004, Brown underwent surgery for treatment of prostate cancer. The treatment was successful, and Brown spent his final years largely on the road, on his "Seven Decades Of Funk World Tour." At the time, he described how he planned to carry on as a performer, saying: "Everyone's got soul, whether it's talking, hip-hop, rap, gospel. "We've gotta just stay with whatever we do. "I don't wanna change, because then I'd have to name myself Sam Smith or Ted Wright or somebody. I'm going to be James Brown." According to his official website, Brown was preparing to return to the road with New Year's weekend shows in New Jersey and New York, which would have kicked off a 2007 tour itinerary booked through August of 2007 at the time of his death. Browns friend of 15 years, Pete Allman, a radio personality in Las Vegas praised the music industrys most hardworking man for his ambition and for motivating him personally and professionally. He was a very positive person. There was no question he was the hardest working man in show business," Allman said. "I remember Mr. Brown as someone who always motivated me, got me reading the Bible." The star who was famous for hits including I Got You (I Feel Good), Papa's Got a Brand New Bag and Living in America, is credited with bringing the word funk into mainstream musical vernacular and influencing a new generation of black music that spawned rap and hip-hop. "He is such an influence, I learned so much from him," Mr Copsidas told the BBC World Service. For the past 50 years, James Brown together with other artists like Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan, brought a major contribution to the music business and is still an inspiration for many other artists. His rapid-footed dancing inspired Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson among others. Songs such as David Bowie's "Fame," Prince's "Kiss," George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" and Sly and the Family Stone's "Sing a Simple Song" were clearly based on Brown's rhythms and vocal style. "James presented obviously the best grooves," rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy once told The Associated Press. "To this day, there has been no one near as funky. No one's coming even close. In 1992, Brown was honored with a Grammy for lifetime achievements and in 1965 or "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (best R&B recording) and for "Living In America" in 1987 (best R&B vocal performance, male.) He was one of the initial artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, along with Presley, Chuck Berry and other founding fathers. During his career, he had more than 119 charting singles and recorded over 50 albums and was one of the first inductees into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame honored during the Hall's opening ceremony in 1986.
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James Brown, often referred to as ''the Godfather of Soul'', died in Atlanta due to congestive heart failure, combined with pneumonia. His death at age 73 was announced by his agent. After his dentist noticed something unusual with him, Brown was told to visit a doctor immediately. He was taken into the hospital yesterday for treatment of his pneumonia until his death at around 1:45 AM (6:45 AM GMT). It is not known whether he received a pneumonia vaccination, as recommended for people of his age. He was born in 1933 and grew up in poverty until he formed James Brown & The Famous Flames. His influence on 20th century music, from funk to hip hop was profound. Before he died, he scheduled a New Year's Eve concert series in New Jersey and New York that would help kick off a 2007 tour.
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Mr Hofmann thought LSD could have uses treating mental illnesses Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who discovered the hallucinogenic drug LSD, has died of a heart attack at his home in Basel at the age of 102. Mr Hofmann first produced LSD in 1938 while researching the medicinal uses of a crop fungus. He accidentally ingested some of the drug and said later: "Everything I saw was distorted as in a warped mirror." He argued for decades that LSD could help treat mental illness, but in the 1960s it became a popular street drug. 'Turn on, tune in, drop out' While working with the drug in the Sandoz pharmaceutical laboratory a few years after first producing it, Mr Hofmann ingested some of the drug through his fingertips. He went home and experienced what he described as visions of "fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colours". The drug was popularised by Harvard professor Timothy Leary who suggested that people "turn on, tune in, drop out". Rock stars and the counter-culture of the 1960s picked up LSD as a wonder drug but horror stories began to emerge of users suffering permanent psychological damage. LSD was made illegal in many countries beginning in the late 1960s. ||||| Internet rumors of his passing have been confirmed for us by a friend of Dr. Hofmann's. Dr. Albert Hofmann died of a heart attack this morning at his home in Basel, Switzerland. Hofmann inadvertently discovered the effects of LSD while researching the substance in 1943. He subsequently self-administered the drug deliberately and produced the first accounts of its powerful psychedelic effects. If you think 102 is old, just imagine how long he might have lived if he never did drugs! Update: The above line is sarcasm. Before posting it, I asked a couple smart people if they thought anyone might misunderstand and we decided it probably wouldn't be a problem. Well, it was, and a few commenters have come away with the incorrect impression that I think Dr. Hofmann would be better off if he never used drugs. This comment explains what I really meant. I won't stop cracking jokes in the blog, but I do apologize for this one. ||||| EPA Albert Hofmann Albert Hofmann, who died on Tuesday aged 102, synthesised lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in 1938 and became the first person in the world to experience a full-blown "acid trip" – that was on April 19 1943, which became known among aficionados as "Bicycle Day" as it was while cycling home from his laboratory that he experienced the most intense symptoms. Hofmann was working as a research chemist at the laboratory of the Sandoz company in Basel, Switzerland, where he was involved in studying the medicinal properties of plants. This eventually led to the study of the alkaloid compounds of ergot, a fungus which forms on rye. In the Middle Ages, ergot was implicated in periodic outbreaks of mass poisonings, producing symptoms in two characteristic forms: one gangrenous (ergotismus gangraenosus) and the other convulsive (ergotismus convulsivus). Popular names such as "mal des ardents", "ignis sacer", "heiliges feuer" and "St Anthony's fire" refer to the gangrenous form of the condition. Hofmann's studies led to many new discoveries, such as Hydergine, a medicament for improving circulation and cerebral function, and Dihydergot, a circulation and blood pressure stabilising medicine. His interest in synthesising LSD initially derived from the hope that it might also be useful as a circulatory and respiratory stimulant. But when his molecule, known as LSD-25, was tested on animals, no interesting effects were observed, though the research notes recorded that the beasts became "restless" during narcosis. The substance was dismissed as of no interest and dropped from Sandoz's research programme. But five years later, acting on some intuition, Hofmann decided to resynthesise LSD. In his autobiography, LSD, My Problem Child (1979), he recalled that in the final stage of the synthesis he was interrupted by some unusual sensations. In a note to the laboratory's director, he reported "a remarkable restlessness, combined with a slight dizziness. At home I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination. In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed, I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colours. After some two hours this condition faded away." Hofmann concluded that he must have accidentally breathed in or ingested some laboratory material and assumed LSD was the cause. To test the theory he waited until the next working day, Monday April 19 1943, and tried again, swallowing 0.25 of a milligram. Forty minutes later, as his laboratory journal recorded, he experienced "dizziness, feeling of anxiety, visual distortions, symptoms of paralysis, desire to laugh". Unable to write any more, he asked his assistant to take him home by bicycle. "On the way home, my condition began to assume threatening forms. Everything in my field of vision wavered and was distorted as if seen in a curved mirror. I also had the sensation of being unable to move from the spot. Nevertheless, my assistant later told me that we had travelled very rapidly." Back home, when a friendly neighbour brought round some milk, he perceived her as a "malevolent, insidious witch" wearing "a lurid mask". After six hours of highs and lows, the effects subsided. Sandoz, keen to make a profit from Hofmann's discovery, gave the new substance the trade name Delysid and began sending samples to psychiatric researchers. By 1965 more than 2,000 papers had been published offering hope for a range of conditions from drug and alcohol addiction to mental illnesses of various kinds. But the fact that the chemical was cheap and easy to make left it open to abuse, and from the late 1950s onwards, promoted by Dr Timothy Leary and others, LSD became the recreational drug of choice for western youth. An outbreak of moral panic, combined with a number of accidents involving people jumping to their deaths off high buildings in the belief that they could fly, led governments around the world to ban LSD. Research also showed that the drug, taken in high doses and in inappropriate settings, often caused panic reactions. For certain individuals, a bad trip could be the trigger for full-blown psychosis. Hofmann was disappointed when his discovery was removed from commercial distribution. He remained convinced that the drug had the potential to counter the psychological problems induced by "materialism, alienation from nature through industrialisation and increasing urbanisation, lack of satisfaction in professional employment in a mechanised, lifeless working world, ennui and purposelessness in wealthy, saturated society, and lack of a religious, nurturing, and meaningful philosophical foundation of life". Albert Hofmann was born at Baden, Switzerland, on January 11 1906, the eldest of four children of a factory toolmaker. Having graduated from Zürich University with a degree in Chemistry in 1929, he took a doctorate on the gastro-intestinal juice of the vineyard snail. After leaving university he went to work for Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, where he researched the medicinal properties of the Mediterranean squill (Scilla maritima) before moving on to the study of Claviceps purpurea (ergot). As a result of the use of LSD as a recreational drug, Sandoz found itself bombarded with demands for information from regulatory bodies, along with demands for statements after accidents, poisonings, criminal acts and so forth from the press. For scientists unaccustomed to the glare of publicity, it became a headache: "I would rather you hadn't discovered LSD," Hofmann's managing director told him. In the end the decision was taken to stop all further production. Hofmann laid some of the blame at the door of Dr Timothy Leary. In his autobiography he described meeting Leary in 1971 in the snack bar at Lausanne railway station. Hofmann began by voicing his regret that Leary's experiments had effectively killed off academic research into LSD and took Leary to task for encouraging its recreational use among young people. Leary was unabashed. "He maintained that I was unjustified in reproaching him for the seduction of immature persons to drug consumption," Hofmann recalled. Leary further insisted that American teenagers "with regard to information and life experience, were comparable to adult Europeans" and were able to make up their own minds. Hofmann continued to work at Sandoz until 1971, when he retired as director of research for the Department of Natural Products. In addition to his discovery of LSD, he was also the first to synthesise psilocybin (the active constituent of "magic mushrooms") in 1958; and he discovered the hallucinogenic principles of Ololiuqui (Morning Glory), lysergic acid amide and lysergic acid hydroxyethylamide. In retirement Hofmann served as a member of the Nobel Prize Committee. He was a Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences, and a member of the International Society of Plant Research and of the American Society of Pharmacognosy. In 1988 the Albert Hofmann Foundation was established "to assemble and maintain an international library and archive devoted to the study of human consciousness and related fields". Albert Hofmann's wife, Anita, died in December. He was also predeceased by one of his four children.
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Hofmann in 2006. , a scientist who discovered and created the drug (LSD) in 1938, has died today at the age 102. ''DRC Net'' reports that Hofmann's died of a in his house located in , Switzerland. After discovering LSD, he set it aside for five years, until April 16, 1943, when Hofmann decided to take another look at it. While re-synthesizing the LSD, he accidentally consumed a small sample and serendipitously discovered its powerful effects. Three days later, on April 19, Hofmann deliberately consumed 250 micrograms of LSD before his bicycle ride home. He is now known as the first person to experience a '' from taking it. Since then, LSD aficionados around the world unofficially proclaimed April 19, 1943 as ''Bicycle Day''. The drug was made illegal in the United States in 1966, and many other countries did the same, after heavy users were suffering permanent psychological damage. Hofmann denounced the illegal use of the drug which became popular in the 1960s, but he was said to be disappointed that further research on theraputic uses was not conducted on it at the time. Hofmann is also credited with the discovery of psilocybin, which is the main hallucinogenic found in Psilocybin mushrooms. He also discovered the make-up of . Hofmann was also on the committee as well as a member of the and several other organizations. Hofmann was born on January 11, 1906. He is survived by his brother Walter, 2 daughters, and 2 sons.
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A Mozambique Airlines plane has crashed in a game park in northeast Namibi, killing all 34 people on board, Namibian police have said. The plane, en route from Mozambique to Angola, went down in remote terrain in the Bwabwata National Park, where Namibia turns into a narrow strip of land sandwiched between Botswana and Angola. "My team on the ground have found the wreckage. No survivors. The plane is totally burned," Willie Bampton, a regional police coordinator in the Kavango region, said on Saturday. Flight TM470 from Maputo, the Mozambican capital, did not land as scheduled in Luanda, the Angolan capital, on Friday afternoon, and the airline initially said the plane might have landed in Rundu, in northern Namibia. It said it coordinated with aviation authorities in Namibia, Botswana and Angola to locate the missing plane. A Namibian police helicopter joined officers on the ground in the search. The plane was carrying 28 passengers, including 10 Mozambicans, nine Angolans, five Portuguese, and one citizen each from France, Brazil and China, said the airline. Six crew members were on board, it said. The area is vast and there are no roads, making it difficult to locate the plane, Bampton was quoted by the Namibian Press Agency as saying. The search was conducted in the Bwabwata National Park in northeastern Namibia. Several thousand people as well as elephants, buffalo and other animals live in the park, which covers 6,100 square kilometres. ||||| WINDHOEK (Reuters) - A Mozambique Airlines plane en route to Angola crashed in a game park in northeast Namibia killing all 34 people on board, Namibian police said on Saturday. Flight TM 470 left Maputo on Friday for the Angolan capital of Luanda with 28 passengers and six crew members on board when it lost contact with air traffic controllers, the national carrier said in a statement. Namibian Police Force Deputy Commissioner Willy Bampton said rescue workers had found burned-out wreckage of the aircraft in the dense bush of Bwabwata National Park, near the borders with Angola and Botswana. "The plane has been completely burned to ashes and there are no survivors," Bampton said. A Bwabwata game ranger at the scene said the plane's black boxes, including the voice recorder, had been located and taken by investigators. "The bodies are scattered all over the place. It's a horrible sight," said the ranger, who identified himself only by his surname, Shinonge. Namibia's aircraft investigation unit launched a helicopter search for the plane on Friday but called it off because of heavy rain, an investigator said, adding the search had resumed on Saturday. The remote, 6,100 sq km (2,300 sq mile) park is home to wildlife including elephants, lions and wild dogs. Mozambican officials said the plane, an Embraer SA 190, went missing on Friday in bad weather and poor visibility. In a statement on its website, Mozambique Airlines listed the nationalities of the passengers on Flight TM470 as 10 Mozambicans, nine Angolans, 5 Portuguese, one French, one Brazilian and one Chinese. The flight left the Mozambican capital of Maputo at 1126 (0426 ET) on Friday and had been due to arrive in Luanda at 1400. (Additional reporting by Pascal Fletcher in Johannesburg and Manuel Mucari in Maputo; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Janet Lawrence) ||||| Press Release (Update: 17:30h) We have received confirmation from the Namibian Civil Aviation Authority that the search party and its inspectors have located and identified the aircraft wreckage at a site in northern Namibia. It is with great sadness and regret that we must confirm the tragic loss of LAM flight TM470. At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew who were on board the aircraft. LAM has established family assistance centres at Maputo and Luanda airports to support the families who are naturally distressed. Flight TM470 was a scheduled service from Maputo to Luanda. It was carrying 28 passengers and six crew members. The passengers comprise citizens of the following countries: Mozambique (10); Angola (9); Portugal (5); France (1); People’s Republic of China (1); Brazil (1). The crew comprises two pilots, three cabin attendants and a technician. LAM has begun informing the families and next-of-kin of the passengers and crew. It has also briefed the Maputo-based Embassy and Consular officials of those countries. A dedicated call centre has been opened for families and loved ones of the missing passengers to call for information. The toll-free hotline number is: ±258 21 468 778/9. We will be publishing regular updates as additional verified information becomes available and the next of kin of the deceased passengers and crew have been notified. LAM has also assembled a response team which has been dispatched to Namibia this afternoon to assist and provide support to the authorities which will investigate this accident. We do not have any information on the circumstances of the accident and we cannot speculate on possible causes as the investigators must be given the time and space to do their work without interference or prejudice. The aircraft was an Embraer 190, registration C9-EMC. The 93-seat aircraft was manufactured in 2012 and was powered by by two General Electric CF34-10 turbofan engines. Since entering service with LAM on 17 November 2012, the aircraft had logged 2 905 flights hours in 1 877 flights. We are also posting updates on our website: www.LAM.co.mz. We would like to thank the Namibian, Angolan, Botswana and South African authorities for their support and the resources they have deployed in the search for our aircraft. For further information contact LAM Corporate Communications on +258827846815/+258825777946. Maputo, 30th of November 2013 ||||| Press-Release: TM470 Maputo - Luanda LAM - Mozambique Airlines, S. A. informs that its flight TM 470 departed from Maputo International Airport at 11:26 hours today, November 29, 2013, to Luanda, the Angolan capital, scheduled to arrive at 14: 10H, local Angola time has not arrived at its destination as scheduled. Information obtained indicates that the flight has landed in a location in Northern Namibia, bordering Angola and Botswana near a place called Rundu. On board flight TM470 were 27 passengers and 6 crew members. Currently LAM, Aeronautical and Airports authorities are establishing contacts with the authorities close to the location in order to confirm this information. LAM will provide updates as more information is obtained For more information contact LAM Corporate Communications, Mr. Norberto Mucopa: 82 7846815 and Mrs. Irina Matos: 825777946 Maputo, 29th of Novembro 2013
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The wreckage of a crashed plane carrying by various reports 33 or 34 occupants has been found in Namibia but none of its passengers or crew survived, police in the country said yesterday. took off from the Mozambique 's at 11:26 (0926 ) Friday and was scheduled to reach in , the capital of Angola, at 14:10 (1310 UTC). The remains of the plane were discovered at in Namibia, close to the borders between Angola and Botswana. police coordinator Willie Bampton reportedly said yesterday: "My team on the ground have found the wreckage. No survivors. The plane is totally burned". A nearby game ranger with the surname Shinonge described bodies being "scattered all over the place", adding, "It's a horrible sight". Shinonge also said investigators managed to find and recover the aircraft's . In the immediate aftermath of the incident, when the aircraft's exact location was unknown, stated: "Information obtained indicates that the flight has landed in a location in Northern Namibia, bordering Angola and Botswana near a place called ." However, the airline later confirmed the plane had in fact crashed. "At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew who were on board the aircraft. LAM has established family assistance centres at Maputo and Luanda airports to support the families who are naturally distressed", a further statement from the company said. Authorities from Namibia, Angola, Botswana, and South Africa were thanked by the airline for their assistance in the search for the plane. The plane reportedly had a crew of six and 27 or 28 passengers. Ten of the passengers were Mozambique nationals, while nine were from Angola and five were from Portugal. One passenger from each of France, Brazil and China were also onboard. The exact cause of the crash is unknown, although officials in Mozambique said weather and visibility were poor on Friday. In a statement, LAM Mozambique Airlines said: "We do not have any information on the circumstances of the accident and we cannot speculate on possible causes as the investigators must be given the time and space to do their work without interference or prejudice." == Sources == * * * *
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TEHRAN (Reuters) - A remote-controlled bomb killed a Tehran University scientist on Tuesday, official media reported, in an attack Iran blamed on the United States and Israel. Iranian officials and state media described professor Massoud Ali-Mohammadi as a nuclear scientist, and Iran’s cabinet said agents of the United States were behind his murder. A State Department official in Washington said charges of U.S. involvement were absurd. Western sources said Ali-Mohammadi, a physics professor, worked closely with Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi and Fereydoun Abbassi-Davani, both subject to U.N. sanctions because of their work on suspected nuclear weapons development. The U.N. nuclear agency is investigating Iran’s nuclear program, which Tehran says is for generating electricity and not for building nuclear bombs as the West suspects. Ali Shirzadian, a spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said Ali-Mohammadi, 50, had not played a role in the activities of the organization, which is at the center of the disputed nuclear program. Shahram Amiri, a university researcher working for the atomic body, disappeared during a pilgrimage to Mecca in June, three months before Iran disclosed the existence of its second uranium enrichment site near the city of Qom. In December, Tehran accused Saudi Arabia of handing Amiri over to the United States. “America’s spying and intelligence agents from one side abduct some Iranian citizens ... and on the other side their treacherous agents kill an Iranian citizen inside the country,” an Iranian cabinet statement said, reported by the semi-official Fars news agency. A list of Ali-Mohammadi’s publications on Tehran University’s website suggested his specialism was theoretical particle physics, not nuclear energy, a Western physics professor said. The bombing -- a rare attack in the Iranian capital -- occurred at a time of heightened tension in the Islamic Republic seven months after a disputed presidential election plunged the oil producer into turmoil. It also coincided with a sensitive juncture in Iran’s row with the West over its nuclear ambitions, with global powers expected to meet in New York on Saturday to discuss possible new sanctions on Tehran over its refusal to halt its atomic work. Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Ministry blamed Israel and the United States. “Signs of the triangle of wickedness by the Zionist regime (Israel), America and their hired agents, are visible in the terrorist act,” it said. “Such terrorist acts and the apparent elimination of the country’s nuclear scientists will definitely not obstruct scientific and technological processes,” it said. White House spokesman Bill Burton said the accusations were absurd. A senior Israeli official said Ali-Mohammadi was not known to have been a significant figure in any military nuclear program. BOOBY-TRAPPED MOTORBIKE English-language Press TV said Ali-Mohammadi was killed in a northern part of the capital by a booby-trapped motorcycle as he was leaving his home. It showed footage of blood stains, broken glass and other debris at the scene, with what appeared to be the dead man in a body bag taken away on a stretcher. Slideshow ( 8 images ) Fars said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had ordered the intelligence and security services to use all their capabilities to find those behind the killing. State broadcaster IRIB described al-Mohammadi as a “committed and revolutionary” professor, suggesting he backed Ahmadinejad’s government. Fars quoted one of his students as saying he had worked with the elite Revolutionary Guards until 2003. But an opposition website, Jaras, said he was an opposition supporter whose name was among hundreds of academics who issued a statement in favor of moderate candidate Mirhossein Mousavi during the campaign for last June’s election. Even if he had worked on Iran’s nuclear program, analysts doubted his death could set back Tehran’s aspirations. Slideshow ( 8 images ) “I have no reason to think that this is part of an Israeli or American strategy to deprive Iran of the brains of the enrichment process,” said Mark Fitzpatrick, chief proliferation analyst at London’s International Institute for Strategic Studies. “There are by now too many scientists and engineers with the requisite expertise”. STRATFOR, a global intelligence firm, said Ali-Mohammadi was unlikely to have been a key figure in nuclear activities since his publishing record pointed to purely academic research. “The relatively high visibility and volume of work in academia suggests that Ali-Mohammadi’s role, if any, in the nuclear program was not very significant,” STRATFOR said in an analysis. “Critical scientists involved in nuclear weapons programs usually are sequestered carefully and provided more security than Ali-Mohammadi was given.” Fars quoted a foreign-based group, the Iran Monarchy Association, as claiming responsibility for Tuesday’s bombing. It did not say how it obtained the statement. Iran has been convulsed by its most serious domestic unrest since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 as protests by opposition supporters against the election result have turned violent. Authorities deny opposition allegations that voting was rigged. (Additional reporting by Mark Heinrich in Vienna; Editing by Janet Lawrence and Mark Trevelyan) Keywords: IRAN BOMB/PROFESSOR For Related News, Double Click on one of these codes: ||||| PARIS A remote-controlled bomb attached to a motorcycle killed an Iranian physics professor outside his home in north Tehran on Tuesday, state media reported. The reports blamed the United States and Israel for the attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. One state broadcaster, IRIB, quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying that “in the initial investigation, signs of the triangle of wickedness by the Zionist regime, America and their hired agents are visible in the terrorist act” against the scientist, Masoud Ali Mohammadi. A State Department spokesman in Washington dismissed the accusation of United States involvement as “absurd.” Two other people were wounded in the blast, which was powerful enough to shatter the windows in a nearby four-story building, mangle window frames and blow a garage door out of its frame. The BBC Persian service reported that the jolt led neighbors to assume that there had been an earthquake. The English-language Press TV said Mr. Ali Mohammadi, 50, taught neutron physics at Tehran University, although he did not seem to have any connections to Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. Two Iranian academics, who would speak only anonymously for fear of official reprisals, said in telephone interviews that he had specialized in particle and theoretical physics. The Web site of Tehran University lists him as a professor of elementary particle physics. A spokesman for Iran’s atomic agency, Ali Shirzadian, told The Associated Press that Mr. Ali Mohammadi had no link with the agency responsible for Iran’s nuclear program. While Press TV called the professor a “staunch supporter of the Islamic Revolution” of 1979, that claim seemed dubious. Ali Moghari, the director of the science department of Tehran University, described Mr. Ali Mohammadi as an “apolitical professor,” the semiofficial Mehr news agency reported. “He was a well-known professor but was not politically active,” he was quoted as saying. There were some indications that he might have been taking a more active role in the opposition that sprang up after the flawed presidential election last June. Mr. Ali Mohammadi was among 240 university professors who signed a letter before the election expressing support for the main opposition candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi. After a brutal crackdown, the authorities late last year broadened efforts to stifle dissent to encompass the educational system, hinting that dissident professors would be purged. A number of hard-line clerics have called for the university humanities curriculums to be further Islamized. But it was not immediately known whether Tuesday’s killing was related to that dispute. Analysts said the Iranian authorities seemed to have been quick to label Mr. Ali Mohammadi a loyalist, possibly as a precursor to renewed, harsh action against their opponents. “This is an old trick,” said a former senior official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. “They did it themselves but blame it on opposition groups so that they can easily begin issuing death sentences for protesters. I think this means there could be more violence against the opposition.” The authorities have already announced plans to try five protesters on a charge of “fighting against God,” which carries a death sentence for those who are convicted. Seven leaders of the minority Bahai religious group were tried Tuesday in Tehran in closed proceedings, the Human Rights Activist News Agency, an opposition Web site, reported. The seven, who have been in jail for more than 20 months, were charged with committing religious offenses and trying to disrupt national unity. Recently, Iranian officials have accused Bahai leaders of fomenting the street demonstrations. Last week, pro-government demonstrators shot at the armored car of Iran’s most outspoken opposition leader, Mehdi Karroubi, his Saham News Web site reported. That attack appeared to reflect growing frustration that the crackdown in recent months had failed to stop the opposition from lashing out at the country’s leaders and staging intermittent protests that brought tens of thousands of demonstrators into the streets. The Web site of Iran’s state television declared the bombing a “terrorist act by counterrevolutionaries and elements of arrogance,” a reference to the United States. Security forces are investigating, The Associated Press quoted the report as saying. Last year, an Iranian nuclear scientist, Shahram Amiri, disappeared during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia; Iran accused the United States of helping to kidnap him. The United States and its Western allies have been pressing Iran to halt its nuclear enrichment program, which Tehran insists is solely for civilian purposes to produce electricity. But the West fears that Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon, which would threaten Israel and upset the regional power balance. Speaking Monday at the start of a nine-day trip across the Pacific, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States and its allies were discussing financial sanctions that would appear to be aimed at Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and other political players if diplomacy fails to overcome the growing tensions with Iran. “It is clear that there is a relatively small group of decision makers inside Iran,” she said. “They are in both political and commercial relationships, and if we can create a sanctions track that targets those who actually make the decisions, we think that is a smarter way to do sanctions.” But, she added, “all that is yet to be decided upon.”
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The main entrance to Tehran University. A remote controlled bomb attached to a motorcycle killed a Tehran University nuclear physics professor, Massoud Ali Mohammadi, near his home in the Iranian capital. According to state run IRIB's website, "Ali-Mohammadi, a nuclear scientist and a committed and revolutionary Tehran University professor, was detonated by a remote control." "As a result of the bomb planted by Zionist (Israeli) and American agents two cars and a motorcycle were severely damaged and the windows in the surrounding residential units were shattered," stated IRIB. "Iran’s police and security bodies are investigating the terrorist case to identify those behind it," Press TV reported on Tuseday. Press TV added that while no one had been arrested yet, a "handprint of Israeli intelligence services" was suspected in the event. Mehdi Mohammadifar, a senior official in the Interior Ministry, said the reason for the bombing was being investigated.
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Oct 24, 2006 Labour has admitted the election spending scandal has hit the party where it hurts: in the polls. The rare concession comes as the party plots its fightback, starting at the upcoming annual conference. The latest ONE News Colmar Brunton poll puts Labour on 36% support, trailing 13 points behind National on 49%. Acting Prime Minister Michael Cullen says clearly the poll reflected the government legislation last week validating the unlawful spend by political parties in the lead up to last year's election. "I'm sure there's been a bit of a hit and that poll was taken right at the time the bill was going to the House...so you'd expect a bit of a hit at that point," says Cullen. Cullen says Colmar Brunton polls are always the worst for Labour and seem to exaggerate National's support. He says there are still two years to go before the next election so there is little point in getting too worried about the polls now. Labour's chance to help settle down the electorate comes with its annual conference this weekend "It's a Clint Eastwod conference, we're emerging from the smoke and feeling good," says Labour Party President Mike Williams. Labour is hoping to wipe the smile off National's face with a conference session on the Exclusive Brethren Fundraising also looms large for Labour - half its $800,000 bill for unlawful campaign spending has already been pledged, although it hasn't been painless "There's a lot of personal things that have to happen...people have to put mortgages on their properties etc...so we're not pushing too hard," says Williams. Labour is expecting a turn out of up to 600 delegates at this weekend's conference. One MP is unlikely to be there. Taito Phillip Field, who is under investigation by the police for his immigration dealings, has been given a clear signal from the party to stay away. ||||| N A T I O N A L N E W S S T O R Y RELATED LINKS Labour slips even further behind Nats 24 October 2006 By TRACY WATKINS There is more grim news for Labour as it prepares for its annual conference this weekend with an $825,000 debt over its head. In a One News-Colmar Brunton poll yesterday, Labour's support had slid 2 points to 36 points. This puts it a massive 13 points behind National the biggest gap since National surged in popularity after leader Don Brash's race relations speech at Orewa in 2004. Prime Minister Helen Clark is also less popular, though she remains ahead of Dr Brash as preferred prime minister. She is on 33 per cent support with Dr Brash on 17. The news is not all good for Dr Brash, however finance spokesman John Key, widely rumoured to be likely to mount a putsch early next year, has risen to 11 per cent support. National's support has remained steady on 49 per cent and the Greens the only other party to break the 5 per cent threshold are steady on 6 per cent. NZ First registered 3 per cent support, up two points, and the Maori Party is on 2 per cent, down one point. ACT and United Future have one per cent support. The poll results are likely to fuel grumblings over perceived failings in Labour's political management in recent months, after the Phillip Field allegations and the election-pledge controversy. Advertisement Advertisement The Field controversy was allowed to drag on for months before Miss Clark suspended him. Mr Field is under police investigation for bribery after a series of claims were made before and after the election about his assistance to a Thai tiler and other immigrants. Labour's handling of the pledge card controversy has also been politically disastrous. Miss Clark and other senior Labour ministers insisted for weeks that the party had done nothing wrong after a leaked report by Auditor-General Kevin Brady identified election spending, including the pledge card, that he said was unlawful. Labour strategist Pete Hodgson added fuel to the fire when he said Labour would not pay the money back. The party has ended up with the worst possible outcome public displeasure has forced it to pay the money back, and legislation validating the election spending was rushed through Parliament to get the issue off the agenda before the end of the year. Labour MPs will contribute about 5 per cent of their salary and the party will fundraise to pay the $825,000 owed. »EMAIL THIS STORY »PRINTABLE VERSION »SUBSCRIBE TO FREE HEADLINES »SUBSCRIBE TO ARCHIVESTUFF
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A poll conducted by Colmar Brunton on behalf of TV One released yesterday, showed that the New Zealand Labour Party had slipped two percent to 36%. The New Zealand National Party is leading with 49%, a gap of 13%. But acting Prime Minister, Michael Cullen, is brushing this poll off saying that the Colmar Brunton polls are always siding for National and there are two years until the next election. The gap is the biggest it has been since the leader, Don Brash, of National made a speech about race relations in 2004 at Orewa which was hugely popular. Cullen said: "Clearly the poll reflected the government legislation last week validating the unlawful spend by political parties in the lead up to last year's election. The poll was taken right at the time the legislation was being passed under urgency through parliament so a hit was expected." However Prime Minister (PM) Helen Clark, is still leading as the preferred PM on 33% and Don Brash on 17%. Finance spokesman for National has been rumoured to take over Brash's job, John Key, has risen to 11%, the biggest support it has ever been. Support for National has not changed on 49%, and the Greens is remaining on six percent. The Greens, National and Labour are the only parties to have broken the five percent threshold required in Mixed Member Proportional (MMP). New Zealand First is up two percent on three percent. Maori Party went down one percent and is now on two percent. Both ACT and United Future are on one percent.
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LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday that there would be pressure to intensify sanctions on Iran if it could not reach a deal with world powers over its disputed nuclear program. "It's very important for the Iranian authorities to understand that the pressure will be there for greater sanctions, for an intensification of sanctions, unless an agreement is reached on these matters," Hague told parliament. (Reporting by Peter Griffiths and Andrew Osborn; Editing by Andrew Osborn) ||||| 1 of 7. European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (R) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrive at a news conference at the end of the Iranian nuclear talks in Geneva November 10, 2013. ABU DHABI/PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday he hoped an agreement to end a dispute over Iran's nuclear program would be completed within months, although Washington was not engaged in a race to seal a deal. Iran and six world powers came close to a preliminary agreement at the weekend during talks in Geneva and decided to resume negotiations on November 20 in their attempt to defuse a decade-old standoff and allay fears of a drift towards a wider Middle East war. "This is not a race to complete just any agreement," Kerry told a news conference during a visit to the United Arab Emirates. However, he added: "Through diplomacy we have an absolute responsibility to pursue an agreement." While saying that a deal with Iran was expected within months, Kerry tried to reassure Washington's Arab allies and Israel that his country would not abandon them. Thumping the podium, Kerry said President Barack Obama had said "that he will continue to defend his friends and allies in this region, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, others, he will defend them against any external attack. "That is the promise of the United States and as I stand here as Secretary of State, as long as I'm Secretary of State, that is also our policy, my policy, representing the President of the United States in executing it." The fact that a deal might be within reach after a decade of increasing confrontation between Iran and Western powers shows the shift in the tone of Tehran's foreign policy since President Hassan Rouhani was elected in June. Rouhani began diplomatic moves towards a nuclear deal in order to ease sanctions that have throttled Iran's vital oil industry and cut it off from the international banking system. MAJOR POWERS But with a breakthrough in Geneva tantalizingly close, divisions within the powers emerged when France declined to endorse the proposal, believing it did not do enough to neutralize the risk of an Iranian atom bomb. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius nonetheless expressed hope on Monday that a deal could be reached, although he said Tehran still had to make an effort on a few points. "We are not far from an agreement with the Iranians, but we are not there yet," he told Europe 1 radio. Some diplomats accused France of grandstanding during the talks at the weekend, which Fabius denied, saying Paris was not isolated but had an independent foreign policy. Kerry denied reports of rifts among the powers and suggested Iran was not ready to accept the plan at that point. The powers were "unified on Saturday when we presented a proposal to the Iranians, and the French signed off on it, we signed off on it, and everybody agreed it was a fair proposal. There was unity, but Iran couldn't take it at that particular moment, they weren't able to accept that particular thing." Fabius said Iran must suspend construction of its Arak heavy-water reactor and halt uranium enrichment to a concentration of 20 percent to win a relaxation of the sanctions, a position long held by Paris. "I am hopeful we will reach a good deal. We want an accord that ensures regional and international stability," Fabius said. "If we don't reach an accord it would be a considerable problem in a few months." JOINT STATEMENT The United Nations nuclear watchdog said it and Iran had signed a joint statement on cooperation to resolve remaining nuclear issues. The technical agreement opens the way for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to visit the Arak site and the Gachin uranium mine, and for measures requested by the agency to be implemented. "The practical measures will be implemented in the next three months, starting from today," IAEA head Yukiya Amano told a news conference in Tehran, broadcast on state television. Iran and the six powers are searching for a preliminary agreement that would cap Iran's nuclear capacity and open up the program to U.N. inspectors. In exchange, they have offered phased, limited and reversible relief from sanctions. Iran, however, wants an early end to oil and banking sanctions. Under discussion is a temporary deal entailing a freeze to higher-grade uranium enrichment - which Iran bills as fuel for a medical research reactor but which is also potential material for bombs - lasting about six months. During that time, Iran and the six powers would negotiate a permanent agreement aimed at ensuring that none of Iran's nuclear activities could be diverted towards bomb-making. Tehran says its nuclear program is entirely peaceful. In an apparent attempt to keep hardliners on side, Rouhani spoke on Sunday of foreign policy "red lines" and vowed not to bow to threats. Israel, which calls Iran's nuclear drive a threat to its existence, condemned the interim deal as it would leave some of Iran's nuclear fuel-making capacity intact, while giving Tehran respite from sanctions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu served notice that Israel would not feel bound by such a deal, unmistakably reiterating a veiled threat to take military action if it deems diplomacy to have failed to restrain Iran's nuclear ambitions. (Additional reporting by Mahmoud Habboush, Marcus George; Writing by Giles Elgood; editing by David Stamp) ||||| Iran's state television says an agreement for expanded monitoring has been reached in talks with the UN nuclear chief in a deal that could boost wider negotiations over Tehran's atomic programme. The broadcaster said the deal was struck on Monday in talks with UN nuclear chief Yukiya Amano. It is a so-called "roadmap'' that will give UN inspectors a broader reach, including access to a heavy water reactor under construction and a key uranium mine. "The practical measures will be implemented in the next three months, starting from today," Aman said in a news conference in Tehran, broadcast on state television. Amano's visit comes after efforts in Geneva over the weekend stalled on ways to ease Western concerns that Iran could one day produce nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful.. The IAEA has complained about restrictions in access at some sites. Clearing the obstacles could be a major step towards a deal between Iran and world powers when negotiations resume next week. French 'hopeful' The French foreign minister said on Monday he was hopeful a deal could be reached with Iran over its nuclear programme, although Tehran still had to make an effort on a few points. "We are not far from an agreement with the Iranians, but we are not there yet," Laurent Fabius told Europe 1 radio. Some diplomats accused France of grandstanding during talks in Geneva at the weekend, something Fabius denied, saying Paris was not isolated but had an independent foreign policy. ||||| You need to enable Javascript to play media on Bloomberg.com Play Iran and United Nations atomic inspectors signed their first accord in six years, giving the monitors broader access to nuclear facilities in the Persian Gulf country. The International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran agreed “to implement practical measures” aiding inspections, agency director Yukiya Amano said at a Tehran briefing broadcast by Iran’s Press TV. Included in the accord is access to Iran’s largest uranium mine, said Ali Akbar Salehi, who heads the Islamic republic’s atomic program. The pact followed three days of talks in Geneva between Iran and world powers that failed to clinch a broader accord to relieve international sanctions on Iran in exchange for Iranian restrictions on its nuclear program. The IAEA’s decade-long investigation into alleged past nuclear-weapons work has underpinned international concerns about a program that has cast the specter of war and proliferation across the Middle East. Iran insists its atomic research is for peaceful uses. “The Iranians have realized that in order to maintain the momentum of political talks” with the group of nations known as the P5+1, “they need to re-energize the technical track with the IAEA,” Ali Vaez, an Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group, said in an e-mailed reply to questions. “The two processes remain as inter-connected as ever, as one cannot get entirely resolved without the other.” Information Sought Details of the agreement will be circulated among the Vienna-based agency’s member states later this month, Amano said. Implementation will start within three months, he said. “This shows Iran’s readiness to demonstrate the needed flexibility to advance toward closing Iran’s nuclear file,” Salehi said. He said the agreement allows inspectors greater access to a heavy-water reactor at Arak. While the IAEA has visited Arak, inspectors have sought additional information on the design of the incomplete project to ensure plutonium cannot be extracted for nuclear weapons. “Access to the design information is critical to resolve outstanding questions about the intended use of the reactor,” said former IAEA inspector Robert Kelley, who led investigations in Iraq. Reactor access, combined with information about its fuel, “could serve to verify that it is not being configured to make weapons-grade plutonium.” ‘On Course’ Concerns over Arak helped to undermine an accord in Geneva, where French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius sought a pause in construction during negotiations. Other top officials, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, had fueled speculation that an agreement was near after unexpectedly attending the discussions. “The real significance of today is that the French objection is not derailing the process,” said Scott Lucas, an Iran specialist at the University of Birmingham in England. “It confirms that despite the holdup” two days ago, “we’re on course to getting an agreement” when the seven nations meet for more talks next week, he said in a phone interview. After the Swiss meetings concluded, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters that the seven nations represented were “on the same wavelength” and “can build on and move forward.” Negotiations resume Nov. 20 in Geneva, giving opponents in Israel, Saudi Arabia and Washington time to lobby against an agreement. A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had no comment on today’s accord. South African Uranium Iran’s deal with the IAEA, which already visits Iran’s 17 declared nuclear facilities, is the first since a June 2007 accord crafted by former IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei. Iran’s Gchine uranium mine, near the Persian Gulf coast city of Bandar Abbas, has undergone expansion since that deal. Existing IAEA agreements with Iran don’t extend to mining operations. Iran has been using about 530 tons of uranium obtained from South Africa in 1982 to fuel its declared enrichment program, centered at the Natanz plant, about 210 kilometers (130 miles) south of Tehran. IAEA inspectors have long sought to establish whether Iran has an alternative fuel source for a nuclear effort running in parallel with the declared program. “Iran’s nuclear program has been constrained for years by a limited amount of uranium purchased abroad,” Kelley said. “Knowing domestic sources more accurately will help the IAEA draw conclusions.” The agreement is seen as a “first step” leading to further cooperation, according to a copy posted on the IAEA website. In addition to the Gchine mine and the Arak reactor, the deal provides the agency with new information on reactor projects and sites designated for power plants. Iran also pledged to clarify whether it plans to build new uranium-enrichment facilities and technologies. To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Tirone in Geneva at [email protected] To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Hertling at [email protected]
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File photo of the UN nuclear chief, Yukiya Amano Iran agreed on Monday to allow the United Nations (UN) increased access to nuclear facilities according to a government announcement on state television. UN monitors will gain access to a heavy water reactor still being built, as well as the largest uranium reactor in Iran. The government announcement also stated that Iran would clarify its plans to build new uranium-enrichment facilities and technologies. According to the UN nuclear chief, , the agreement will be put in place within the next three months. He said that Iran had agreed to "implement practical measures" to aid the UN inspectors. This is the first deal that Iran has made with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since 2007. The announcement came after talks between Iran and world leaders from the United States, France, China, Russia and Germany in Geneva, over the amount of access that the IAEA should have to Iranian nuclear sites. The negotiations stalled, but are set to resume next week. The IAEA has been pushing to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities for a decade, currently having access to only 17. The Iranian government continues to assert that their nuclear program is peaceful, and wants the UN to lift . British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in Parliament on Monday that "It's very important for the Iranian authorities to understand that the pressure will be there for greater sanctions... unless an agreement is reached on these matters." French Foreign Minister acknowledged that the agreement reached on Monday is a good sign for diplomacy, but also said that more work needed to be done. "We are not far from an agreement with the Iranians, but we are not there yet," he said on . == Sources == * * * *
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If you’re the proud owner of a cast-iron pan , then you already know what a good investment it is. Once well-seasoned, it can cook just about anything from pancakes to fried chicken, it can go from stovetop to oven with ease, it’s nearly indestructible, it’s inexpensive and it holds its heat like a dream. But if you’re just using your pan to cook the occasional burger, then you’re missing out; you really can cook pretty much anything in it. ||||| Raul Castro named Cuba's new president HAVANA (AFP) — Cuba marked a historic milestone in its revolution Sunday as Raul Castro took over as president from his brother Fidel, defying the United States with pledges not to abandon the communist path. "Fidel is irreplaceable; the people will continue his work when he is no longer with us physically, though his ideas always will be here," Raul Castro, 76, told lawmakers in his acceptance speech. "I accept the responsibility I have been given with the conviction I have repeated often: there is only one Commander in Chief of the Cuban Revolution: Fidel is Fidel and we all know it well." US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier urged Cuba to move toward "peaceful, democratic change." "We urge the Cuban government to begin a process of peaceful, democratic change by releasing all political prisoners, respecting human rights, and creating a clear pathway towards free and fair elections," Rice said in a statement in Washington. But Raul Castro vowed to be on guard against its powerful northern neighbor the United States, saying "we have taken note of the offensive and openly meddling declarations by the Empire (as Cuba refers to Washington) and some of its closest allies." Ailing Fidel Castro, 81, who announced on Tuesday he was stepping aside after ruling for almost 50 years, was not present as the National Assembly held its landmark session to select a new leader. But newly reelected speaker Ricardo Alarcon announced Sunday to the assembly that Raul -- the only candidate to be put forward -- had been named the new president. Raul Castro then asked lawmakers for permission to consult with his legendary bearded older brother, on "matters of great importance," and lawmakers gave him a swift green light. Also in defiance of US-led calls for democratic change, Fidel Castro this week ruled out any betrayal of the Cuban revolution ahead of Sunday's historic vote. In his Tuesday announcement, the frail communist icon quashed speculation that he would retake the reins of power, which he "temporarily" ceded to defense chief Raul Castro on July 31, 2006, shortly after undergoing surgery. The 614-member assembly on Sunday was also choosing the country's Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, first vice president, five other vice presidents, a party secretary and the 23 members of the Council of State. Jose Ramon Machado, another "old guard" Cuban leader, was selected for Cuba's number-two spot, lawmakers said. Machado, 77, a former health minister, is a founder of the Communist Party and has been chief of party organization since 1990. Meanwhile, Carlos Lage, 56, a rising younger-generation leader seen as having a longshot chance at the presidency, retains his post as one of several vice presidents. With Machado behind him "Raul Castro is signaling that the old guard is still on top," Dan Erikson, an analyst with the Inter-American Dialogue, said in Washington. "Machado Ventura is a longtime insider and party crony (so) Cuba still is not in the process of a major generational transition," Erikson added.. After years in Fidel's charismatic shadow as Cuba's number two and defense minister, Raul Castro faces massive challenges, including dismantling a monolithic leadership; preparing the transition to a newer generation in power; reforming the economy; and resolving domestic problems. With half of Cuba's farmland idle, monthly salaries averaging 15 US dollars, national transportation near collapse; and housing and food in short supply the outlook is not good. Most analysts predict Cuba's upcoming changes will be largely economic. In the 19 months since he took over as temporary leader, Raul Castro has made some timid adjustments in the economy but has promised bigger changes. Raul Castro mentioned in his acceptance speech that he would begin eliminating some simple economic restrictions in coming weeks, but he did not offer details. He has made it clear however that everything will take place "within socialism," and that solutions to the country's problems will come "little by little." ||||| 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. ||||| Raul Castro now has to grapple with Cuba's economic problems Fidel Castro stepped down last week after nearly half a century in charge. Raul has in effect been president since Fidel had major surgery in July 2006. It is understood that he was the only nominee in a vote seen as a formality. The US said Raul Castro's appointment offered potential for change but said its embargo would remain until there was a transition to democracy. "There is a possibility and potential for change in Cuba, but those changes will have to be born inside Cuba," said Assistant Secretary of State Tom Shannon. The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution is unique, Fidel is Fidel, as we all know well, he is irreplaceable Raul Castro Key government figures Raul set for pragmatic course There had been speculation that Raul Castro, aged 76, would name one of Cuba's younger generation of communist leaders as his number two. But he instead opted for one of the original leaders of Cuba's communist revolution, 78-year-old Politburo hardliner Machado Ventura as first vice-president. What this means for the prospects for change remains unclear, the BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says. Economic challenge In an address to the nation, following the behind-closed-doors vote, Raul Castro said the Cuban government would continue to consult Fidel Castro, 81, on major decisions of state - a move backed by the National Assembly deputies. Cubans in Havana discuss the priorities of their next president In pictures Raul Castro paid tribute to his older brother as he accepted the presidency and said that he was accepting the job on the understanding that Fidel Castro would remain as the "commander in chief of the revolution", a title he was given during the 1959 uprising. "The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution is unique, Fidel is Fidel, as we all know well, he is irreplaceable," Raul Castro said. Our correspondent says Raul Castro now has to steer the Caribbean island through un-charted waters in an unpredictable period of economic and political renewal. Before Sunday's session, Raul Castro had suggested implementing major economic reforms and "structural changes". HAVE YOUR SAY The Cuban people need international assistance to uplift the standards of life in all fields. Only a young blood will think in these terms, otherwise the older will continue to act wickedly and selfishly Sailani, Karachi, Pakistan He has also had the advantage of continued economic support from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in the form of millions of barrels of cheap oil, our correspondent adds. Mr Chavez was quick to congratulate Raul Castro on his appointment, leading a standing ovation to the new Cuban president on his weekly television programme in Caracas. "Let's applaud Raul, who is a comrade, a companion, more than the brother of Fidel," Mr Chavez said. Mr Castro said that Venezuela would continue to support the communist state. Letter announcement Fidel Castro, who has ruled Cuba since leading a revolution in 1959, announced his retirement in a letter published on the website of the Cuban Communist Party's newspaper Granma last week. He said he had not stepped down after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in 2006 because he had had a duty to the Cuban people to prepare them for his absence. But retirement, he added, would not stop him from carrying "on fighting like a soldier of ideas", and he promised to continue writing essays entitled Reflections of Comrade Fidel. Though he has not been seen in public for 19 months, the government occasionally releases photographs and pre-edited video of him meeting visiting leaders from around the world.
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Raúl Castro. Today, the National Assembly of People's Power, Cuba's legislative parliament, announced that it had unanimously chosen Raúl Castro, 76, as the new President of Cuba. He will serve for 5 years. The National Assembly, composed of 614 members previously elected in a January 20, 2008 general election, also chose the new First Vice-President, José Ramón Machado Ventura, along with 29 other members of the Council of State, Cuba's executive power. The Assembly has chosen Cuba's Council of State ever since the Socialist Cuban Constitution was approved by 97.7% of voters in a referendum in 1976. This decision comes after Fidel Castro, who ruled as President ever since rising to power in 1959 with the Cuban Revolution, wrote a letter last Tuesday saying that he would not "aspire to or accept... the positions of President of Council of State and Commander in Chief" in today's election for a new President, who also becomes the leader of the Council of State and the Commander in Chief of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces. According to Voice of America, he will still remain First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, the only official party in the Communist state. While Cuban exiles in Miami, who have escaped Cuba and what they consider a dictatorship in search of a better life in the United States, celebrated Fidel's retirement as leader of the country, the Cuban streets of Havana, the country's capital, have remained calm and all has continued as normal. Raúl, who is also Fidel's brother, has been acting president of Cuba since July 31, 2006, when Fidel transferred his presidential power to him after undergoing an emergency intestinal surgery for what is believed to be diverticulitis and was widely expected to be elected President. The United States has said the change from one Castro to another would not bring about significant change in Cuba, calling it a "transfer of authority and power from dictator to dictator light." Before the Assembly meeting, BBC correspondents interviewed Cubans at the Havana Book Fair about what they think the most important task should be for the country's next leader. While many coincided that economical and educational reforms were badly needed, they also stated that Cuba "must keep the same rhythm with the revolution that has already given so much to the people."
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R.I.P. Paul Hester Related Content: Buy CD: Crowded House Recurring Dream by Paul Cashmere Former Split Enz/Crowded House drummer Paul Hester has taken his own life. Peter Green, President of the Split Enz and Crowded House fanclubs broke the news to fans. "Everyone, sitting here in the office trying to figure out what to write, we are a bit messed up at the moment" his letter reads. "Last night, our mate, and Crowded House drummer Paul Hester took his own life." "Over the years Paul has swung the extremes of happiness and sadness, but none of us ever thought this would happen. He loved life too much, and it really seems like a bad dream that we hope we'll wake up from tomorrow." "At the moment we are trying to look after Paul's family, he leaves behind two beautiful girls, so if people could not email us that would be appreciated during this incredibly sad time." "It doesn't seem real, but (sadly) it is." "I'll post more on this later on, we are all just getting our heads around this loss of one of our family." Paul Newell Hester was born in Melbourne on January 8, 1959. His mother Ann was a jazz drummer. Hester joined Split Enz in 1983 fresh from Deckchairs Overboard. He was recruited into the band with a reference from Midnight Oil's Rob Hirst. His first album with The Enz was 'Conflicting Emotions'. He played on the hits 'Message To My Girl' and 'Strait Old Line. When Split Enz broke up one album later after 'See Ya Round', Hester stayed with singer/songwriter Neil Finn and together with bass player Nick Seymour, was a founding member of Crowded House. Crowded House was an international success. 'Don't Dream It's Over' became a major hit in the USA. Hester recently played with Tarmac Adam, a band featuring his Crowded House band-mate Nick Seymour. He also hosted The Music Max Sessions for Australia's cable music news channel Music Max. ||||| DEAR ABBY: I recently realized I have a fair-weather family. My husband got in trouble with the law and is now in a drug treatment facility. This had been hard on me, but I love him. His crime was being in possession of illegal drugs that were intended only for himself. His family has turned their… ||||| Australia's entertainment industry was in mourning today for former Crowded House drummer Paul Hester who hanged himself in a Melbourne park. The 46-year-old father-of-two was found dead at Elsternwick Park in Brighton on Saturday afternoon, after last being seen walking his two dogs on Friday evening. Neil Finn, who formed Crowded House with Hester after they played together in Split Enz, today spoke of his grief at losing one of his best friends.
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, drummer for the popular 1980s band , was found dead in a Melbourne park Saturday. An ambulance service spokeswoman told the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' that ambulance officers arrived at Park on Saturday afternoon. They reported Hester had "attempted suicide" and suffered "strangulation". The 46-year-old-father-of-two was last seen walking his two dogs in the popular suburban park near his home on Friday evening. Hester had a history with bouts of , but seemed to be coping well following eight years of . Friends told the '''', however, that he suffered a recent turmoil in his love life. Firstly, there was the end of his romance with long-time partner and mother of his two daughters, and then a parting last December with New Zealand singer Kashan, whom he planned to wed in May. There appeared to be no indication he was distressed when he left the house to walk his dogs. Hester, from Melbourne, Australia, was a founding member of the internationally popular group Crowded House. Previously, he was in the band with Crowded House leader during the early 1980s. He quit Crowded House in 1994, two years before the band broke up, and became a television personality in Australia with his own prime-time show, then working mostly as a freelance drummer e.g. for Tarmac Adam. He had his own music chat show, ''Hessie's Shed'', on in the late 1990s, and also had a recurring role as Paul the Cook on the children's program ''.'' He also hosted the successful Australian music channel '''''s '''' series.
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President Obama signed into law a repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy Wednesday, fulfilling a campaign promise and marking a historic step forward for gay rights. More Video The law "will strengthen our national security and uphold the ideals our fighting men and women defend," Obama told a cheering crowd of gay and lesbian service members and their supporters in Washington. "No longer will thousands of men and women in uniform be asked to live a lie or look over their shoulder while serving the country they love." "Our people sacrifice a lot for their country, including their lives. None of them should have to sacrifice their integrity as well," he said. "This is the right thing to do for our military, and I believe it is the right thing to do period." The law ends the legal underpinnings for the ban on openly gay troops, but it does not immediately overturn the policy itself. Officials say the 17-year-old ban will remain throughout the military until the president, Defense secretary and Congress certify that the military is prepared to put in place a repeal. Then, a 60-day waiting period begins before the ban is officially removed from the books. "I have spoken to every one of the service chiefs, and they are all committed to implementing this change swiftly and efficiently. We are not going to be dragging our feet to getting this done," Obama said. While some advocates have bristled at the timing, many could not deny the enormity of the moment and said it would be a defining element of Obama's legacy. "Clearly, this is President Obama's Lyndon Johnson moment in history," said Aubrey Sarvis, Army veteran and executive director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. "A measure of dignity has been restored to thousands of service members on active duty, and to over a million gay veterans who served in silence." The move is expected to eventually end ongoing investigations and open the door to thousands of discharged service members to return to the military and resume their careers. "I'm just incredibly proud of our country and of this military that so many service members will be able to serve with dignity and integrity," said Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Feherenbach, 41, the highest-ranking officer investigated under the policy. "It's actually taken a day or two to sink in, because it seemed so unbelievable at the time." While it's unclear how vigorously the ban will be enforced during the interim, Feherenbach said there are already signs officials are aggressively pursuing the change. "I just received an e-mail from my commander, and I understand that the Air Force Chief of Staff has sent out a note that said we're going to do this, we're going to follow the law, we're going to be professionals as we always have and we're going to respect each other," he said. In the weeks ahead the Pentagon is expected to revise policies and regulations to reflect the repeal, and train leaders on how to enforce the rules. More than 2 million service members across the military are also expected to be briefed on what is expected of them and what is not. "The implementation plan lays out an ambitious agenda of things that need to be done," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week. "How long that would take, frankly, I don't know." Among the expected changes is non-discrimination against a military applicant who may volunteer that he or she is gay, opening the door to the return of thousands of service members whose careers were cut short after they were outed on the job. "I just really miss it. I miss the people, the mission, the comraderie. I can't wait to get back in there and finish my career," said Mike Almy, an Air Force Major and 13-year veteran who was discharged four years ago after investigators learned he was gay through personal e-mails. He plans to re-enlist. ||||| President Obama signed the landmark repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy Wednesday morning, handing a major victory to advocates of gay rights and fulfilling a campaign promise to do away with a practice that he has called discriminatory. Casting the repeal in terms of past civil rights struggles, Obama said he was proud to sign a law that "will strengthen our national security and uphold the ideals that our fighting men and women risk their lives to defend." In remarks before signing the repeal, he added: "No longer will our country be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans who are forced to leave the military - regardless of their skills, no matter their bravery or their zeal, no matter their years of exemplary performance - because they happen to be gay. No longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie, or look over their shoulder in order to serve the country that they love." The signing does not immediately implement the repeal but instead begins the process of ending the ban on gays serving openly in the military. The law will not actually change until the Pentagon certifies to Congress that the military has met several conditions, including education and training programs for the troops. "In the coming days, we will begin the process laid out by this law" to implement the repeal, Obama said. Meanwhile, he cautioned, "the old policy remains in effect." But he pledged that all the service chiefs are "committed to implementing this change swiftly and efficiently," and he vowed, "We are not going to be dragging our feet to get this done." Obama quoted Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as saying, "Our people sacrifice a lot for their country, including their lives. None of them should have to sacrifice their integrity as well." Obama continued: "That's why I believe this is the right thing to do for our military. That's why I believe it is the right thing to do, period." He said, "We are not a nation that says 'don't ask, don't tell.' We are a nation that says, 'Out of many, we are one.' " So many people wanted to witness the signing of the bill that the White House held the ceremony in the auditorium of Interior Department headquarters. The guests at the ceremony included Joe Solmonese, head of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights group; Vice President Biden; Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.); and Dan Choi, a former U.S. Army soldier who was discharged under "don't ask, don't tell" and was arrested in November after chaining himself to a White House fence to protest the policy. Several other soldiers who have been discharged from military service because they are gay attended the ceremony as well. Among the guests on the stage with Obama was Eric Alva, a former Marine staff sergeant who lost a leg in Iraq and who, following a medical discharge, has been working for the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell." Another participant was Navy Cmdr. Zoe Dunning, a repeal advocate who fought to remain in the Navy Reserves and ultimately retired in 2007 after 13 years of service as an openly gay officer. ||||| Barack Obama signs gay military law Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Continue reading the main story Related stories US President Barack Obama has signed a landmark law allowing gay people serving in the military to be open about their sexuality. Mr Obama said the law meant that tens of thousands of Americans would no longer be asked to live a lie. He had campaigned to change the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law, overturned by Congress last week. More than 13,000 service members have been dismissed under the policy, enacted in 1993 as a compromise. Opponents argue that the change will damage troop morale at a time of war. But earlier this month, a Pentagon report said that allowing openly gay troops would have little impact on the cohesion of US forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The outgoing Senate and House of Representatives approved the new law last week, with moderate Republicans joining the Democratic majority. Guidelines So many activists were expected at the signing ceremony that the White House booked a larger room for the event. "This is a very good day," Mr Obama said as he introduced the law, surrounded by senior military officials and members of Congress. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote No longer will our country be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans who were forced to leave the military, regardless of their skills, no matter their bravery or their zeal, no matter their years of exemplary performance because they happen to be gay” End Quote Barack Obama US President "This morning I'm proud to sign a law that will bring an end to 'don't ask, don't tell'. "No longer will tens of thousands of Americans be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country that they love." The president said the new law would be good for the armed forces. "The law that I'm about to sign will strengthen national security and uphold ideals that fighting men and women risk their lives to defend," he said. "No longer will our country be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans who were forced to leave the military, regardless of their skills, no matter their bravery or their zeal, no matter their years of exemplary performance because they happen to be gay." But correspondents say that the planned celebration parties by gay rights campaigners and members of the military may be premature. Guidelines need to be finalised on practical questions ranging from how to educate troops to how sexual preference should be handled when army staff are organising sleeping arrangements in military barracks. Those guidelines need to be signed off by President Obama, Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And even once that is complete, the new law will not officially take effect for another 60 days. Until then, the current ban remains in place. However, Mr Obama said there would be no foot-dragging to implement the law. ||||| Supporters of the repeal said it was long past time to end what they saw as an ill-advised practice that cost valuable personnel and forced troops to lie to serve their country. “We righted a wrong,” said Senator Joseph I. Lieberman , the independent from Connecticut who led the effort to end the ban. “Today we’ve done justice.” Before voting on the repeal, the Senate blocked a bill that would have created a path to citizenship for certain illegal immigrants who came to the United States at a young age, completed two years of college or military service and met other requirements including passing a criminal background check. The 55-41 vote in favor of the citizenship bill was five votes short of the number needed to clear the way for final passage of what is known as the Dream Act. The outcome effectively kills it for this year, and its fate beyond that is uncertain since Republicans who will assume control of the House in January oppose the measure and are unlikely to bring it to a vote. The Senate then moved on to the military legislation, engaging in an emotional back and forth over the merits of the measure as advocates for repeal watched from galleries crowded with people interested in the fate of both the military and immigration measures. “I don’t care who you love,” Senator Ron Wyden , Democrat of Oregon , said as the debate opened. “If you love this country enough to risk your life for it, you shouldn’t have to hide who you are.” Mr. Wyden showed up for the Senate vote despite saying earlier that he would be unable to do so because he would be undergoing final tests before his scheduled surgery for prostate cancer on Monday. The vote came in the final days of the 111th Congress as Democrats sought to force through a final few priorities before they turn over control of the House of Representatives to the Republicans in January and see their clout in the Senate diminished. Advertisement Continue reading the main story It represented a significant victory for the White House, Congressional advocates of lifting the ban and activists who have pushed for years to end the Pentagon policy created in 1993 under the Clinton administration as a compromise effort to end the practice of banning gay men and lesbians entirely from military service. Saying it represented an emotional moment for members of the gay community nationwide, activists who supported repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” exchanged hugs outside the Senate chamber after the vote. “Today’s vote means gay and lesbian service members posted all around the world can stand taller knowing that ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ will soon be coming to an end,” said Aubrey Sarvis, an Army veteran and executive director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. The executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay group that challenged the policy in federal court, thanked Republicans senators for participating in a historic vote. The director, R. Clarke Cooper, who is a member of the Army Reserve, said repeal will "finally end a policy which has burdened our armed services for far too long, depriving our nation of the talent, training and hard won battle experience of thousands of patriotic Americans. " A federal judge had ruled the policy unconstitutionial in response to the Log Cabin suit, but that decision had been stayed pending appeal. Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center in California , a research institute at the University of California in Santa Barbara that studies issues surrounding gays and lesbians in the military, said that the vote “ushers in a new era in which the largest employer in the United States treats gays and lesbians like human beings.” In a statement on the group’s website, Mr. Belkin said: “It has long been clear that there is no evidence that lifting the ban will undermine the military, and no reason to fear the transition to inclusive policy. Research shows that moving quickly is one of the keys to a successful transition. If the President and military leadership quickly certify the end of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ they will ensure an orderly transition with minimal disruption." Organizations that opposed repeal of the ban assailed the Republican senators who defied their party majority. 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. The Center for Military Readiness, a group that specializes in social issues in the military and has opposed repeal, said the new legislation “will impose heavy, unnecessary burdens on the backs of military men and women.” It said the Senate majority voted with “needless haste” by not waiting for hearings into a recent Department of Defense study of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Elaine Donnelly, president of the group, said that the Pentagon’s survey indicated that 32 percent of Marines and 21.4 percent of Army combat troops would leave the military sooner than planned if “don’t ask, don’t tell” were repealed. Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, said senators like Scott Brown , a Republican from Massachusetts, “broke trust with the people” by voting on repeal before the federal budget was resolved and “have put the troops at risk during wartime.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story During the debate, Senator John McCain , Republican of Arizona and his party’s presidential candidate in 2008, led the opposition to the repeal and said the vote was a sad day in history. “I hope that when we pass this legislation that we will understand that we are doing great damage,” Mr. McCain said. “And we could possibly and probably, as the commandant of the Marine Corps said, and as I have been told by literally thousands of members of the military, harm the battle effectiveness vital to the survival of our young men and women in the military.” He and other opponents of lifting the ban said the change could harm the unit cohesion that is essential to effective military operations, particularly in combat, and deter some Americans from enlisting or pursuing a career in the military. They noted that despite support for repealing the ban from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , other military commanders have warned that changing the practice would prove disruptive. “This isn’t broke,” Senator James M. Inhofe , Republican of Oklahoma , said about the policy. “It is working very well.” Other Republicans said that while the policy might need to be changed at some point, Congress should not do so when American troops are fighting overseas. “In the middle of a military conflict, is not the time to do it,” said Senator Saxby Chambliss , Republican of Georgia . Only a week ago, the effort to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy seemed to be dead and in danger of fading for at least two years with Republicans about to take control of the House. The provision eliminating the ban was initially included in a broader Pentagon policy bill, and Republican backers of repeal had refused to join in cutting off a filibuster against the underlying bill because of objections over the ability to debate the measure. In a last-ditch effort, Mr. Lieberman and Senator Susan Collins of Maine , a key Republican opponent of the ban, encouraged Democratic Congressional leaders to instead pursue a vote on simply repealing it. The House passed the measure earlier in the week. The repeal will not take effect for at least 60 days while some other procedural steps are taken. In addition, the bill requires the defense secretary to determine that policies are in place to carry out the repeal “consistent with military standards for readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention.” Advertisement Continue reading the main story Because of the uncertainty, Mr. Sarvis appealed to Mr. Gates to suspend any investigations into military personnel or discharge proceedings under the policy to be overturned in the coming months. Mr. Lieberman said the ban undermined the integrity of the military by forcing troops to lie. He said 14,000 members of the armed forces had been forced to leave the ranks under the policy. “What a waste,” he said. The fight erupted in the early days of President Bill Clinton ’s administration and has been a roiling political issue ever since. Mr. Obama endorsed repeal in his own campaign and advocates saw the current Congress as their best opportunity for ending the ban. Dozens of advocates of ending the ban — including one wounded in combat before being forced from the military — watched from the Senate gallery as the debate took place. Senator Carl Levin , the Michigan Democrat who is chairman of the Armed Services Committee, dismissed Republican complaints that Democrats were trying to race through the repeal to satisfy their political supporters. “I’m not here for partisan reasons,” Mr. Levin said. “I’m here because men and women wearing the uniform of the United States who are gay and lesbian have died for this country, because gay and lesbian men and women wearing the uniform of this country have their lives on the line right now.” Senator Harry Reid of Nevada , the majority leader and a crucial proponent of the repeal, noted that some Republicans had indicated they might try to block Senate approval of a nuclear arms treaty with Russia because of their pique over the Senate action on the ban. “How’s that’s for statesmanship?” Mr. Reid said.
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United States Barack Obama has officially repealed the law prohibiting openly people from serving in the U.S. military. Campaigners have praised the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) as a historic advance for gay rights. United States Barack Obama The new law was signed into effect by Obama yesterday morning. DADT, in effect for 17 years, was repealed by the United States Senate on Saturday. The military will cease enforcement of the policy in 60 days time, after the has certified to Congress that it, and the military are ready to implement the new law. "This is a very good day," Obama told a crowd of soldiers and senior military officials. "This morning I'm proud to sign a law that will bring an end to 'don't ask, don't tell'. No longer will tens of thousands of Americans be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country that they love." Obama added that the government would "not drag their feet" and they were "committed to implementing this change swiftly and efficiently." He added the law would strengthen national security and the U.S. military. "No longer will our country be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans who were forced to leave the military, regardless of their skills, no matter their bravery or their zeal, no matter their years of exemplary performance because they happen to be gay," he said. Aubrey Sarvis, the executive director of the , praised the new ruling. "Clearly, this is President Obama's Lyndon Johnson moment in history," he said. "A measure of dignity has been restored to thousands of service members on active duty, and to over a million gay veterans who served in silence." Obama has been an advocate for overturning the ban on gays serving in the military. Under the law, enacted in 1993, over 13,000 members of the U.S. military have been dismissed. Supporters of DADT have said the new ruling will damage the morale of troops. Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain said earlier this month more scrutiny would be needed before the law was repealed. A report by earlier this month concluded most U.S. service personnel do not believe reform of the rules on gays and lesbians serving in the military would affect morale, unit cohesion or military effectiveness. The report found only 30% believed that changing the law would have a negative effect. Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, the highest-ranking officer investigated under the DADT policy, said: "I'm just incredibly proud of our country and of this military that so many service members will be able to serve with dignity and integrity. It's actually taken a day or two to sink in, because it seemed so unbelievable at the time."
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A man armed with a machine gun opened fire in a crowded shopping mall on Saturday, killing six people and wounding 15 before committing suicide, officials and witnesses said. Panicked shoppers ran for cover or hid in shops after the gunman opened fire at random at the mall in the small town of Alphen aan den Rijn, some 30 miles south of Amsterdam. Dressed in camouflage trousers and a bomber jacket, the gunman began shooting in a parking lot before moving inside the mall. Panicked shoppers ran for cover or hid in shops. Children were among the casualties, including an infant who was lightly injured, said Mayor Bas Eenhoorn. Three of the wounded were hospitalized in critical condition. "I saw a woman I know walking at the other side. She wanted to enter a shop when a tall young man approached and shot her in cold blood," witness Marjolein Nieuwland told the ANP news agency. "He walked calmly and shot through the windows of the shop where I was hiding," she said. "I also saw a woman in her motorized wheelchair shot in the head, and at the Albert Heijn (grocery store) there was a young man. Also dead. Later I heard that was the shooter," she said. The rampage ended when the attacker shot himself in the head. "It's too terrible for words, a shock for us all," said Eenhoorn. "Alphen is in mourning." The gunman was identified as 24-year-old Tristan van der Vlis, and it was "all but certain" he acted alone, District Attorney Kitty Nooy said. Afterward, a note was found in the attacker's black Mercedes containing threats that he had planted explosives at three other malls in the city, said Nooy. The malls were evacuated, but no explosives were found. A witness identified as Maart Verbeek told state broadcaster NOS the attacker appeared to be firing randomly. "There was a panic in the mall, a lot of people running," said Verbeek, a pet shop owner. "I see the attacker coming, walking, and I go inside the store ... and I see him going by with a big machine gun." Witness Martine Spruit, a 41-year-old receptionist, told The Associated Press she was shopping at a drug store when she heard bangs and people in the store hid behind shelves, realizing a shooting was taking place. Customers shouted for employees to lock the doors. "Then we heard the shots getting further away, so he was walking back and forth," she said. "Then we thought we'd have a look and there were two people lying dead near the entrance... Then he came back shooting so we locked the door again." Nooy said the shooter was a native Dutchman from Alphen who had previous run-ins with the law, including an illegal weapons possession charge when he was only 17 years old that was later dropped. He lived with his father. He had permits for five guns, including the machine gun, Mayor Eenhoorn said. The exact type of weapon was not identified. Dutch law forbids ownership of most firearms, but makes exceptions for some collectors and hunters. Eenhoorn said prosecutors were investigating whether the permits had been properly granted. Queen Beatrix and Prime Minister Mark Rutte issued statements saying they were shocked and sympathize with the victims and their families. Hours after the shooting, residents continued to gather at the mall, some of whom appeared to be in a daze. "You hear about this sort of thing happening at American schools and you think that's a long way away," said Rob Kuipers, 50, a project manager. "Now it's happened here in the Netherlands." Nooy said there was "no evidence" to support rumors that the gunman was a former soldier or that his mother or father had been among the dead or wounded Saturday. Eenhoorn said both the gunman's mother and father were cooperating with the police investigation. The mother found a suicide note at her son's apartment, but Eenhoorn said it did not offer any explanation for the attack. "The text is a farewell note," Eenhoorn said. "It says that he planned to commit suicide and a number of other things, but doesn't make reference to the terrible things he did." Witnesses said the attacker had long blond hair and wore a black jacket and camouflage pants. A resident who lives near the mall who gave his name as Marijn said the shooting went on for minutes. When he went to see whether friends working at the mall were OK, he saw the assailant lying dead in a grocery store. "There was glass everywhere," the resident said. "He was just shooting everywhere as if it were the Wild West." Images published by the NOS showed the body of the gunman lying near a checkout counter. ||||| Gunman kills six in Netherlands shopping centre Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. A gunman in the Netherlands has killed six people and wounded at least 11 before taking his own life. The killings took place at a busy shopping centre in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn, about 25km (15 miles) south-west of Amsterdam. The mayor of the town said the man opened fire with an automatic weapon and then shot himself. The gunman came from the town, was known to police and "almost certainly operated alone", said a prosecutor. 'Slaughter' Kitty Nooy, from The Hague prosecutor's office, identified the man as 24-year-old Tristan van der Vlis, a member of a shooting club who had a permit to carry five weapons. She said he was native Dutchman from Alphen who had had previous run-ins with the law, including an illegal weapons possession charge that was dropped. Continue reading the main story “ Start Quote People went over to them to help, thinking that they had fainted. When they understood that someone was firing shots, everyone started running” End Quote Mehdi Attha Witness Mayor Bas Eenhoorn called the incident "unprecedented" for the town of about 70,000 people. He said four of the injured were in a critical condition and five had serious wounds. Children were among the casualties, but officials say they are not prepared to say whether they were among the dead or the injured due to privacy reasons. "It's hardly credible that our town could experience such slaughter, and on a day as beautiful as this," he said. Most witnesses said the shooting lasted between 10 and 20 minutes, according to AFP news agency. A shopkeeper in the Ridderhof centre said the gunman appeared to be shooting people at random. "Initially, we thought it was fireworks," 37-year-old Mehdi Attha told AFP. "Then the noises got closer and two people fell to the ground very close to me. "People went over to them to help, thinking that they had fainted. When they understood that someone was firing shots, everyone started running," she added. "I didn't see the shooter, I was just thinking about running." Evacuations Another survivor, an elderly woman, described the killer as "big and dressed in camouflage pants". The incident happened at a busy shopping centre "He moved about without haste, killing in cold blood," she told Dutch broadcaster NOS. Ms Nooy said notes had been found in both Van der Vlis' house and car, but did not reveal their contents. After the shooting, Mayor Eenhoorn ordered the evacuations of three other shopping centre in the town. He did not give a reason for the decision, but Radio Netherlands reported that the note in the attacker's car had said he had planted explosives at the other malls. Queen Beatrix and Prime Minister Mark Rutte issued statements expressing their shock and saying they sympathised with victims and families. A resident told the BBC the shooting was unusual, despite being the second in the area this month. "It's weird that something like this has happened in this neighbourhood. Usually nothing ever happens here. But this is the second shooting in two weeks," said Thomas Aantjes. Two people were killed on 2 April in a shooting in the same district of the town. Officials have not made a link between the two incidents. Send your pictures and videos to [email protected] or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. Read the terms and conditions
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Seven people have been shot dead after a gunman opened fire in a busy shopping mall in the town of , in the Netherlands. Tristan van der Vlis, believed to be a Dutch national who had a criminal record, killed six people and injured numerous others before turning the weapon on himself. Officials have said van der Vlis, 24, who was local to the area and was known to police, used weapons he was legally permitted to own to carry out the attack. Police confirmed he was licensed to own five firearms, and used three in the attack. Unconfirmed reports say he left behind a final letter addressed to his mother. Officers this afternoon searched his house, and confirmed he almost certainly acted alone. The was evacuated and cordoned off after the shooting, amid mass panic. Witnesses described van der Vlis as looking "agitated and distressed" before he opened fire. One witness said: "I saw a woman I know walking at the other side. She wanted to enter a shop when a tall young man approached and shot her in cold blood. He walked calmly and shot through the windows of the shop where I was hiding." Police allegedly arrived before the gunman killed himself. The mayor of Alphen aan den Rijn, , said children may have been among the victims, although it is not clear if any were killed. "It's too terrible for words, a shock for us all," he said. "Under these circumstances, with many people shopping at the Ridderhof today, including parents with children, it's an almost incomprehensible situation." , the prime minister, said he was "horrified" by the shootings. == Sources == * * *
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US endorses UN gay rights text WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Wednesday formally endorsed a U.N. statement calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality, a measure that former President George W. Bush had refused to sign. The move was the administration's latest in reversing Bush-era decisions that have been heavily criticized by human rights and other groups. The United States was the only western nation not to sign onto the declaration when it came up at the U.N. General Assembly in December. "The United States supports the U.N.'s statement on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity and is pleased to join the other 66 U.N. member states who have declared their support of the statement," said State Department spokesman Robert Wood. "The United States is an outspoken defender of human rights and critic of human rights abuses around the world," Wood told reporters. "As such, we join with other supporters of this statement, and we will continue to remind countries of the importance of respecting the human rights of all people in all appropriate international fora." The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that the administration would endorse the statement. Gay rights groups hailed the move. "The administration's leadership on this issue will be a powerful rebuke of an earlier Bush administration position that sought to deny the universal application of human rights protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals," said Mark Bromley of the Council for Global Equality, which promotes equal rights for homosexuals. "This is long past overdue and we are encouraged by the signal it sends that the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people will now be considered human rights," said Rea Carey, the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Human rights groups had criticized the Bush administration when it refused to sign the statement when it was presented at the United Nations on Dec. 19. U.S. officials said then that the U.S. opposed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation but that parts of the declaration raised legal questions that needed further review. According to negotiators, the Bush team had concerns that those sections could commit the federal government on matters that fall under state jurisdiction. In some states, landlords and private employers are allowed to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation; on the federal level, gays are not allowed to serve openly in the military. But Wood said a "careful interagency review" by the Obama administration had concluded that "supporting this statement commits us to no legal obligations." When it was voted on in December, 66 of the U.N.'s 192 member countries signed the nonbinding declaration, which backers called an historic step to push the General Assembly to deal more forthrightly with anti-gay discrimination. It was endorsed by all 27 European Union members as well as Japan, Australia and Mexico. But 70 U.N. members outlaw homosexuality — and in several, homosexual acts can be punished by execution. More than 50 nations, including members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, opposed the declaration. Some Islamic countries said at the time that protecting sexual orientation could lead to "the social normalization and possibly the legalization of deplorable acts" such as pedophilia and incest. The declaration was also opposed by the Vatican. Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ||||| By Sue Pleming WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States, in a reversal of Bush administration policy, has decided to sign on to a U.N. declaration that calls for the decriminalization of homosexuality, the State Department said on Wednesday. State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the Obama administration, which took office eight weeks ago, would now join 66 other U.N. member states who supported a U.N. statement in December that condemned human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. "The United States is an outspoken defender of human rights and critic of human rights abuses around the world," Wood told reporters. "As such, we join with other supporters of this statement, and we will continue to remind countries of the importance of respecting the human rights of all people in all appropriate international fora." Gay rights groups immediately welcomed the move. "The administration's leadership on this issue will be a powerful rebuke of an earlier Bush administration position that sought to deny the universal application of human rights protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals," said Mark Bromley, who chairs the Council for Global Equality. The U.N. General Assembly had been split over the issue of gay rights, with many Muslim countries refusing to sign on to the statement because of opposition to international attempts to legalize homosexuality. A rival statement read out by Syria at the time gathered about 60 signatures from the 192-nation assembly. The United States was the only western state not to sign on to the gay rights document. All European Union member states endorsed it, as did Canada, Australia and Japan. 'NO LEGAL OBLIGATIONS' In a move that angered U.S. gay rights groups, the Bush administration argued that the broad framing of the language in the statement created conflict with U.S. laws. The rationale was that favoring gay rights in a U.N. document might be interpreted as an attempt by the U.S. federal government to override individual states' rights on issues like gay marriage. Pressed on this issue, Wood said a "careful" interagency review by the Obama administration found that signing on to the U.N. document "commits us to no legal obligations." Division in the General Assembly over the U.N. declaration reflects conflicting laws worldwide on the issue. According to the sponsors of the Franco-Dutch text of the document, homosexuality is illegal in 77 countries, seven of which punish it by death. Continued... ||||| UN Statement on "Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity" Robert Wood Acting Department Spokesman, Office of the Spokesman Bureau of Public Affairs Washington, DC The United States supports the UN Statement on “Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity,” and is pleased to join the other 66 UN member states who have declared their support of this Statement that condemns human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity wherever they occur. The United States is an outspoken defender of human rights and critic of human rights abuses around the world. As such, we join with the other supporters of this Statement and we will continue to remind countries of the importance of respecting the human rights of all people in all appropriate international fora. ||||| Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement Several EU states have criticised Pope Benedict for saying that the use of condoms could endanger public health and increase the problem of HIV/Aids. The Pope argued that distribution of condoms aggravated the problem, rather than helping to contain the virus, as he began a visit to Africa this week. France's foreign ministry said condoms were fundamental to prevention. German ministers said it was irresponsible to withhold family planning from the poorest of the poor. The Roman Catholic Church believes marital fidelity and sexual abstinence are the best way to prevent the spread of HIV. Some 22 million people are infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, according to UN figures for 2007. This amounts to about two-thirds of the global total. 'Extremely harmful' French foreign ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier said: "While it is not up to us to pass judgment on Church doctrine, we consider that such comments are a threat to public health policies and the duty to protect human life." The Pope is making matters worse Bert Koenders Dutch development minister Why the Pope opposes condoms In Berlin, German Health Minister Ulla Schmidt and Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul said in a joint statement: "Condoms save lives, in Europe as well as on other continents. "Modern assistance to the developing world today must make access to family planning available to the poorest of the poor - especially the use of condoms. "Anything else would be irresponsible." Dutch Development Minister Bert Koenders said it was "extremely harmful and very serious" that the Pope was "forbidding people from protecting themselves". "There is an enormous stigma surrounding the subject of Aids and Aids sufferers face serious discrimination," he added. "The Pope is making matters worse." 'Increasing the problem' On his way to Cameroon, the Pope said HIV/Aids was "a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which can even increase the problem". Pope's visit raises hopes Can Catholicism help Africa? The solution lay, he said, in a "spiritual and human awakening" and "friendship for those who suffer". Campaigners say condoms are one of the few methods proven to stop the spread of HIV. Rebecca Hodes, of the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa, said the Pope's "opposition to condoms conveys that religious dogma is more important to him than the lives of Africans". On Wednesday, the Pope attended a gathering of more than 30 Cameroonian bishops in the capital, Yaounde. The Pope said Catholicism faced a threat from superstition He told the bishops they had to preserve traditional African families and protect the country's poor. "In the context of globalisation with which we are all familiar, the Church takes a particular interest in those who are most deprived," he said. He said it was the duty of Christians to help to build "a more just world where everyone can live with dignity", the Associated Press reported. The Pope also warned of a threat to the Catholic Church in Cameroon from evangelical movements and from the "growing influence of superstitious forms of religion". Earlier on Wednesday, he held a private meeting with Mr Biya at the presidential palace. The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Yaounde says Mr Biya's consistent electoral victories have been widely condemned as fraudulent. Having spoken out publically against corruption, many Cameroonians will be hoping that the Pope delivered his message in private as well, says our correspondent. Pope Benedict is due to end his visit to Africa with a stop in Angola. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version ||||| By Patrick Worsnip UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly split over the issue of gay rights on Thursday after a European-drafted statement calling for decriminalization of homosexuality prompted an Arab-backed one opposing it. Diplomats said a joint statement initiated by France and the Netherlands gathered 66 signatures in the 192-nation assembly after it was read out by Argentina at a plenary session. A rival statement, read out by Syria, gathered some 60. The two statements remained open for further signatures, the diplomats said. No resolution was drafted on the issue and there was no voting, they added. The division in the General Assembly reflected conflicting laws in the world at large. According to sponsors of the Franco-Dutch text, homosexuality is illegal in 77 countries, seven of which punish it by death. The European Union-backed document, noting that the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was marked this month, said those rights applied equally to all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. It urged states "to take all the necessary measures, in particular legislative or administrative, to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties, in particular executions, arrests or detention." But the opposing document said the statement "delves into matters which fall essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of states" and could lead to "the social normalization, and possibly the legitimization, of many deplorable acts including pedophilia." "We note with concern the attempts to create 'new rights' or 'new standards,' by misinterpreting the Universal Declaration and international treaties to include such notions that were never articulated nor agreed by the general membership," it added. This, it said, could "seriously jeopardize the entire international human rights framework." Muslim countries have for years opposed international attempts to legalize homosexuality. U.S. officials said the United States had not signed either document. They said the broad framing of the language in the statement supporting decriminalization created conflicts with U.S. law, but gave no further details. But Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen told reporters it was a "very special day at the U.N." "For the first time in history a large group of member states speaks out in the General Assembly against discrimination based on sexual orientation," he said. "With today's statement, this is no longer a taboo within the U.N." Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told reporters sponsors of the statement had "cornered" other members by springing the declaration on them. (Editing by David Storey) ||||| Diplomazie Bloccata sul nascere anche la designazione di uno scrittore divorziato e risposato. E gli stop raffreddano Parigi No del Vaticano all' ambasciatore gay Respinta la proposta della Francia, che rimane da un anno senza rappresentante CITTÀ DEL VATICANO - È ormai quasi un anno che la Francia, «la figlia primogenita della Chiesa», non ha un ambasciatore a rappresentarla presso la Santa Sede, una vacanza che non ha precedenti per la sua durata nella storia recente dei rapporti fra Vaticano e Parigi e che è stata prolungata dal rifiuto di un diplomatico omosessuale che convive con il suo compagno. Per due volte la scelta del Quai d' Orsay per Villa Bonaparte, la sede della rappresentanza nel cuore di Roma, è stata respinta. La prima volta la scelta è stata bloccata sul nascere quando è stato fatto presente al presidente Nicolas Sarkozy che lo scrittore Denis Tillinac da lui proposto era sì un fervente cattolico, ma era anche un divorziato risposato, cosa che avrebbe incontrato un' inevitabile bocciatura vaticana. Era caduta nel frattempo l' idea dello stesso Sarkozy d' inviare in Vaticano lo storico Max Gallo. La seconda volta la vicenda si è trasformata in un vero e proprio contrasto, benché rimasto a livelli molto riservati, perché il candidato è stato formalmente proposto nel rispetto di tutte le regole con una comunicazione ufficiale alla Segreteria di Stato vaticana. La risposta è stata un no secco, perché si trattava di un altissimo funzionario del Quai d' Orsay omosessuale dichiarato. Il rifiuto ha naturalmente raffreddato la volontà del Ministero di accelerare la nomina dell' ambasciatore. Anche perché si dice che l' alto funzionario, candidato all' incarico, sia rimasto molto ferito dal rifiuto, dal momento che è un cattolico praticante molto impegnato. Neppure la visita del papa a Parigi è valsa ad accelerare i tempi della nomina del successore dell' ambasciatore Bernard Kesseddjian, morto proprio alla vigilia della visita in Vaticano di Sarkozy. Il compito di accompagnare il pontefice in Francia è stato così affidato al segretario dell' ambasciata Pierre Cochard. Il Figaro Magazine ha seguito la vicenda parlando di vari rifiuti. Tra questi ci sarebbe stato anche quello del segretario generale aggiunto del Quai d' Orsay, Jean-Loup Kuhn-Delforge, che sarebbe stato «bocciato» a causa del suo «profilo personale». Così L' Elysée cerca ancora il candidato giusto. In lizza Stéphane Chmelewsky, un diplomatico che ha organizzato il viaggio del Papa e che è appoggiato da Emmanuelle Mignon (una delle più ascoltate fra i consiglieri personali di Sarkozy). Ma anche Marc Odendall, un uomo d' affari, amministratore d' istituzioni umanitarie, ben introdotto in Vaticano».
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The Obama administration announced on March 18, 2009 that the United States, in a reversal of position, would support the UN declaration on sexual orientation and gender identity. 67 UN member states (green) have signed or say they will sign the Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. 57 UN member states (red) have signed an opposing declaration. The United States will become the 67th signatory to the non-binding document, which was proposed by France and the Netherlands and "condemn the human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity wherever they occur, in particular the use of the death penalty on this ground, extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, the practice of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, arbitrary arrest or detention and deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to health". US State Department Spokesman Robert A. WoodAccepting the proposal, which according to US State Department spokesman Robert Wood "commits us to no legal obligations", would nonetheless be a reversal from the Bush administration's refusal to sign. According to Mark Bromley of the Council for Global Equality, "the administration's leadership on this issue will be a powerful rebuke of an earlier Bush administration position that sought to deny the universal application of human rights protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals". 57 UN member nations, however, including many but not all members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, have signed a counter-declaration introduced by Syria saying that normalization of LGBT rights would lead to "the social normalization, and possibly the legitimization, of many deplorable acts including pedophilia." Vatican City also opposes the resolution but on its introduction made a statement condemning legal discrimination against LGBT persons. Homosexuality or homosexual behavior is illegal in some 70 UN member nations and punishable by death in seven. The United States' adoption of the document comes as the Obama administration faces continued criticism from gay rights advocates on the subject of homosexual individuals serving in the United States military. While Obama has stated he would repeal Bill Clinton's 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" compromise and end restrictions on gays, bisexuals and lesbians serving in the military, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates says that he has had "one brief conversation with the president" on the subject; meanwhile, a US House bill to end the ban is losing its primary sponsor, Ellen Tauscher, to the State Department and no complementary piece of legislation has been introduced to the Senate. France's proposal of the document is one of several instances in the course of the Sarkozy administration where France and the Vatican have been at odds on issues of sexuality. France's foreign ministry, in response to comments by Pope Benedict rejecting the distribution of condoms in Africa to prevent AIDS, led EU member nations in rejecting the Pope's position. In September 2008, France openly affronted the Vatican by appointing an openly gay man, Denis Tillinac, as its ambassador to the Holy See; the Vatican rejected the appointment.
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'There was a big noise, don't know what happened after that': Survivor Rescue workers at site after a passenger plane crashed when it overshot the runway at the Calicut International Airport in Karipur, in Kerala on August 7, 2020. (Reuters Photo) An Air India Express flight overshot and fell 50 metres off the end of the runway at the Kozhikode airport on Friday, breaking into two. At least 20 of the 190 people on board, including both the pilot and the co-pilot, were killed in the crash. A DGCA probe team arrived in Kozhikode along with junior minister of external affairs V Muraleedhran early on Saturday. According to hospital sources, at least 20 of the injured are in a critical condition. Some of the injured have received spinal cord injuries in the impact, they said. ||||| Air India Express flight en route from Dubai skids off runway while landing at Kozhikode: Reports india Updated: Aug 07, 2020 20:48 IST An Air India Express flight with 180 passengers on board en route from Dubai skidded off the runway while landing at Karipur Airport, Kozhikode on Friday evening, news channels reported. The Air India Express flight was about to land at Kerala’s Kozhikode when the accident happened. More reports are awaited. ||||| Air India Express plane crash: Air India plane has crashed at Karipur Airport in Kozhikode. The plane was landing at the airport. As per the images at hand, the plane can be seen in severely damaged condition. It was a Dubai-Kozhikode Air India flight number IX-1344. The cockpit and cabin have suffered extensive damage. Deepak Sathe, the pilot of the plane has died in the crash. It was raining heavily at the time of the accident. The runway that the plane was landing on was not too long. There were 191 people on-board including the flight crew.The crash took place between 7:30 and 7:45 pm on Friday evening. The rescue effort is on. 30-40 people have been admitted to hospital. As the plane crashed, the first 5 rows of seats suffered extensive damage. It is being reported that it is highly unlikely that passengers seated in these rows would survive the crash. LIVE UPDATES: 10:45 pm - 16 people confirmed dead in the accident 10:25 pm - "11 people have died," Kerala DGP tells India TV. Four people are still stuck in the debris. 10:23 pm - 14 dead, 123 injured and 15 seriously injured in Kozhikode plane crash, says ANI 10:08 pm - Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected. Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2020 9:57 pm - "Locals have rushed to the crashsite with their vehicles to volunteer in rescue work," Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan told Rajat Sharma. 9:55 pm - Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan speaks with Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan 9:47 pm - Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan expresses shock over the tragedy. The CM has asked all govt agencies to engage in rescue operations using all government facilities. The CM has deputed AC Moideen, Minister for Local Bodies, to coordinate the rescue operations. AC Moideen has already left for Karipur from thrisur. CM also has deputed an IG of Police to oversee the rescue operation. Fire and Rescue teams of two districts have also been engaged. Health authorities have been instructed to provide all possible medical aid to save the lives of victims. 9:45 pm - The plane was being flowen 9:42 pm - "Shocked at the devastating news of the plane mishap in Kozhikode. Deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who died in this accident. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured," tweeted Rahul Gandhi Shocked at the devastating news of the plane mishap in Kozhikode. Deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who died in this accident. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured. — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 7, 2020 9:42 pm - NDRF teams rushed to Karipur Airport for rescue effort. 9:40 pm - Air India Express Flight No IX 1344 from Dubai to Calicut skidded off the runway. We will keep you updated as and when we receive further updates. Our helplines - 056 546 3903, 0543090572, 0543090572, 0543090575: Consulate General of India, Dubai 9:37 pm - The flight was a Vande Bharat flight 9:30 pm - Two deaths confirmed, number feared to rise. 9:30 pm - 10 infants were onboard the crashed plane. 9:29 pm - Image Source : INDIA TV Image shows two pieces of the aircraft 9:27 pm - Reports of the death of the pilot, co-pilot reported to be in serious condition 9:20 pm - Out of 191 people on board, 174 were passengers. 5 comprised the cabin crew and 2 pilots. 9:15 pm - Aerial image shows two pieces of the aircraft Image Source : INDIA TV Aerial image shows the pieces of the crashed plane 9:00 pm - "Air India Express IX-1344, B737 Dubai to Calicut, person on board 191, visibility 2000 meter, heavy rain, after landing Runway 10, continued running to end of runway and fell down in the valley and broke down in two pieces," said DGCA. (More to follow) Latest India News Fight against Coronavirus: Full coverage ||||| An Air India Express plane with 191 people on board has crashed at an airport in the southern state of Kerala, officials say. The aircraft, en route from Dubai, skidded off the runway and broke in two at Calicut airport upon landing, India's aviation authority said. Rescue operations are under way, with emergency services at the scene. At least two people, including the pilot, have died, the BBC has been told. Several passengers are injured, a spokesman for the airline said. The airline said there were 184 passengers including 10 children, and six crew members, including two pilots, on board flight IX-1344 when it crashed. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the plane fell into a valley and broke in two after skidding off the end of the runway. Images carried by Indian media show the aircraft broken in two pieces. The incident happened at around 19:00 local time (14:30 BST) amid heavy rainfall in the region. There have been flooding and landslides, as India's monsoon season reaches its peak. In May 2010, 158 people died when an Air India Express flight overshot Mangalore airport runway and crashed. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts.
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Yesterday, an passenger flight attempted a landing at at , Kerala in India. The aircraft overshot the around 7:38 pm (1408 ) in the evening and slid off before breaking into at least two pieces. According to authorities, at least a dozen people lost their lives and scores more were injured. This is the aircraft which crashed, as seen in 2008. Air India Express flight 1344 (AXB1344/IX1344) was en-route from Dubai, UAE making its second attempt at a landing at Calicut during rains. The flight was part of the to return Indian nationals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aircraft was a . According to the , Calicut has a , so when the aircraft failed to stop on the runway, it fell into a ditch or gorge. The aircraft broke into two pieces but did not catch fire, according to the . There were 190 people on board, six of them crew members. Civil Aviation Minister said 18 people died. 149 of the survivors have been hospitalized. Hardeep also stated that both of the have been recovered. Among the dead are both the pilot and co-pilot. The said, "The injured persons have been rushed to Kozhikode Medical College and other nearby hospitals. Those admitted are having serious injuries." Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote, "My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. ... Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected."
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Anleitungen Hier findest du hilfreiche Anleitungen zur Reperatur von Haushaltsgeräten, Maschinen und Dingen rund ums Haus. ||||| INTERPOL media release 18 September 2008 Milestone achieved in INTERPOL and ICMP efforts in DNA-assisted identification of Philippines typhoon disaster victims DNA samples are being analysed at the ICMP's laboratory in Sarajevo. Nimal Mahagamage is leading INTERPOL's Incident Response Team in Cebu City. The Disaster Victim Identification teams in Cebu City, made up of experts from the Philippines National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), ICMP and INTERPOL and its member countries from around the world, announced 34 new identifications today – all made utilizing the most modern DNA-matching techniques at the ICMP. The current total of 122 DNA-assisted identifications is more than double the target of 10 per week set by the NBI, INTERPOL and ICMP on August 17 when the first DNA-identified victims were returned to their families. The multi-national identification effort, organized by INTERPOL in tandem with the NBI’s victim recovery process, is one of the most difficult mounted in recent times. The 23,000-ton vessel was also carrying tens of thousands of pounds of commercial insecticide and many bodies still remain trapped inside the wreckage. With fingerprint identification out of the question for most of the victims, and dental records not available, this leaves only DNA as a means of identification, with samples from recovered victims matched to those provided by the missing passengers’ relatives. “To have reached 100 DNA-assisted identifications is a significant milestone in terms of forensic achievements. More importantly it means that families who lost loved ones now have the opportunity to finally lay them to rest,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble. “INTERPOL has provided its full support in this effort from the beginning, and we will remain focused in our commitment to ensure the accurate and dignified identification of those who perished in this tragedy,” added Mr Noble. ICMP Director General Kathryne Bomberger said, “Through our identification efforts, including the use of DNA analysis, ICMP is strongly committed to bringing a sense of closure to all those families who lost loved ones in this tragic event. We will continue to work closely with INTERPOL and the Government of the Philippines in handling this difficult process.” NBI Director Nestor M Mantaring said working closely with INTERPOL and the ICMP has been critical to the ongoing process. “Almost three months have passed since our country was struck by one of the worst typhoons in memory, with ‘Frank’ causing the sinking of the Princess of the Stars with hundreds of passengers and crew on board. The NBI, through its Disaster Victim Identification team, was tasked to identify the victims of this tragedy,” said Director Mantaring. “With help from the INTERPOL, and the ICMP, we have reached the 100th DNA-matched result which led to the identification and release of the bodies to their respective families. We are committed to doing this until the last possible victim is identified and returned to their family,” he concluded. The identification work is painstaking and slow to ensure all identifications are accurate and no errors are made. “It is going to take some time to complete this most difficult task,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Noble. “But we are committed to doing all in our power to identify all of the victims of this tragedy where we have received sufficient identifying information. That is our goal.” ||||| INTERPOL and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) today announced the 122nd victim identification following Typhoon Frank during which an estimated 1,330 people lost their lives, including 820 passengers and crew from the Princess of the Stars ferry.The Disaster Victim Identification teams in Cebu City, made up of experts from the Philippines National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), ICMP and INTERPOL and its member countries from around the world, announced 34 new identifications today - all made utilizing the most modern DNA-matching techniques at the ICMP. The current total of 122 DNA-assisted identifications is more than double the target of 10 per week set by the NBI, INTERPOL and ICMP on August 17 when the first DNA-identified victims were returned to their families. The multi-national identification effort, organized by INTERPOL in tandem with the NBI’s victim recovery process, is one of the most difficult mounted in recent times. The 23,000-ton vessel was also carrying tens of thousands of pounds of commercial insecticide and many bodies still remain trapped inside the wreckage. With fingerprint identification out of the question for most of the victims, and dental records not available, this leaves only DNA as a means of identification, with samples from recovered victims matched to those provided by the missing passengers’ relatives. “To have reached 100 DNA-assisted identifications is a significant milestone in terms of forensic achievements. More importantly it means that families who lost loved ones now have the opportunity to finally lay them to rest,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble. “INTERPOL has provided its full support in this effort from the beginning, and we will remain focused in our commitment to ensure the accurate and dignified identification of those who perished in this tragedy,” added Mr Noble. ICMP Director General Kathryne Bomberger said, “Through our identification efforts, including the use of DNA analysis, ICMP is strongly committed to bringing a sense of closure to all those families who lost loved ones in this tragic event. We will continue to work closely with INTERPOL and the Government of the Philippines in handling this difficult process.” NBI Director Nestor M Mantaring said working closely with INTERPOL and the ICMP has been critical to the ongoing process. “Almost three months have passed since our country was struck by one of the worst typhoons in memory, with ‘Frank’ causing the sinking of the Princess of the Stars with hundreds of passengers and crew on board. The NBI, through its Disaster Victim Identification team, was tasked to identify the victims of this tragedy,” said Director Mantaring “With help from the INTERPOL, and the ICMP, we have reached the 100th DNA-matched result which led to the identification and release of the bodies to their respective families. We are committed to doing this until the last possible victim is identified and returned to their family,” he concluded. The identification work is painstaking and slow to ensure all identifications are accurate and no errors are made. “It is going to take some time to complete this most difficult task,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Noble. “But we are committed to doing all in our power to identify all of the victims of this tragedy where we have received sufficient identifying information. That is our goal.”
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stormed across the Philippine Sea June 21, 2008 capsizing numerous boats, killing hundreds and leaving an estimated 1,330 missing in total including 820 passengers and crew from the ferry. A Requiem Mass held for the first 10 DNA-assisted identifications of victims of the Philippines ferry disasterSince then Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) teams in , Philippines made up of experts from the (NBI), the (ICMP). and INTERPOL have painstakingly matched from recovered bodies to that of blood samples donated by relatives of those still missing. Analysis of DNA in ICMP's Sarajevo lab"The 23,000-ton vessel was also carrying tens of thousands of pounds of commercial insecticide and many bodies still remain trapped inside the wreckage" according to a recent press release from the ICMP. "With fingerprint identification out of the question for most of the victims, and dental records not available, this leaves only DNA as a means of identification, with samples from recovered victims matched to those provided by the missing passengers’ relatives." An NBI-DVI report explains "DNA matches are made by comparing profiles from victims to a database of profiles from their relatives. A minimum of two close relatives are sought for each individual." NBI-DVI has so far collected 1,916 blood samples from relatives of missing victims representing 809 missing persons. These samples are then matched against the 318 DNA samples from recovered bodies received by the ICMP. “Almost three months have passed since our country was struck by one of the worst typhoons in memory, with ‘Frank’ causing the sinking of the Princess of the Stars with hundreds of passengers and crew on board," said NBI Director Nestor M. Mantaring in the press release. "The NBI, through its DVI team, was tasked with identifying the victims of this tragedy. With help from INTERPOL and the ICMP, we have reached the 100th DNA-matched result which led to the identification and release of the bodies to their respective families. "We are committed to doing this until the last possible victim is identified and returned to their family,” he concluded.
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Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Advertisement A car driver has crashed into crowds watching a Dutch royal parade, killing five people, in an attempted attack on the royal family, officials say. The car careered into a monument metres from an open-topped bus carrying Queen Beatrix and members of her family. The royals, who were unharmed, watched in horror as the car ploughed into bystanders in Apeldoorn, about 90km (56 miles) east of Amsterdam. Officials said the 38-year-old driver had suffered life-threatening injuries. We're speechless that something so terrible could have happened Queen Beatrix In pictures: Dutch parade crash Prosecutor Ludo Goossens said the man, who is a Dutch national, would be charged with attempting an attack on the royal family and murder - if he survives. "The man indicated that his action was aimed against the royal family," Mr Goossens told journalists in Apeldoorn. After searching the car and his home, investigators ruled out terrorism as a motive and said it appeared he had acted alone. 'Bewilderment and disbelief' Members of the royal family were shown looking on in horror as the battered car rammed spectators before crashing into the stone monument. In a televised address, Queen Beatrix called the incident shocking, and said everyone would empathise with the victims and their families and friends. The royal family looked horrified as the events unfolded "What began as a great day has ended in a terrible tragedy that has shocked us all deeply," she said. "People who were standing close by, people who saw it happen on television, all those who lived through it, must have looked on with bewilderment and disbelief. "We're speechless that something so terrible could have happened." Cynthia Boll, a photographer at the scene, told the BBC the car was already badly damaged before it slammed into the crowds at high speed. "There were people everywhere, you could definitely see that it was serious because everywhere was blood and shoes ripped off and all the people giving CPR," she said. Other witnesses described people being flung into the air as the car crashed through the throngs who had turned out to see the queen. Officials said two men and two women died at the scene of the incident, while another person died later in hospital. Taken by surprise The crowds were celebrating Queen's Day - a national holiday in the Netherlands when thousands of people take to the streets to mark the queen's official birthday. Hundreds of police officers were on duty in a huge security operation that took months to plan. But the authorities said they were taken completely by surprise when the small black car smashed through a security fence and into the crowd of people. Following the incident, flags were lowered to half mast on government buildings across the country and all planned celebrations were called off. Witnesses said the streets of Apeldoorn were now deserted. Are you in Apeldoorn? Did you witness the incident? Send us your eyewitness accounts using the form below. A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. Send your pictures to [email protected] , text them to +44 7725 100 100 or you have a large file you can upload here . Read the terms and conditions At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. 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 ||||| (CNN) -- Five people were killed Thursday after a man tried to attack the Dutch royal family during a Queen's Day celebration by crashing his car near the royal family's bus, Dutch police said. A car is pictured after crashing into the crowd waiting for the visit of the royal family in Apeldoorn. more photos » Authorities are not releasing the name of the man, but said they have charged him with with trying to attack the royal family. Twelve people were injured in the incident in the Dutch town of Apeldoorn, about 45 miles east of Amsterdam, police spokeswoman Esther Naber told CNN. Crowds had lined the streets to see Queen Beatrix and her family ride by in an open-top bus during the Netherlands' annual holiday. As the bus moved along, a black hatchback zoomed past it. The crowds were behind barriers off the road, but security officials and journalists, including many cameramen, were in the road as the car went by. The car crashed into the low metal railing around a column on the side of the road. The vehicle appeared heavily damaged even before the crash, but the reason for that was unclear. There was no one other than the driver in the car at the time, Naber said. Members of the royal family saw the crash and gasped, then quickly sat down as the bus continued driving. The driver is in the hospital, badly injured, Naber said. He is among the five seriously hurt -- three men and two women. Queen's Day is a national holiday in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba. The tradition started in 1885 and celebrates the birthday of the queen. Although Queen Beatrix's birthday is January 31, she officially celebrates her birthday April 30, according to the Dutch government. Queen's Day is known for its free market all over the country, where anybody is allowed to sell things in the streets. Other activities include children's games and musical performances. Were you there? Send us your video, images The day is marked with the color orange all over the country as a reference to the colors of the royal family, who come from the House of Orange-Nassau. ||||| A car ploughed into the crowd watching the Queen's day parade in Apeldoorn. Two spectators were killed and 23 reported injured, some of them seriously. Reporters on the spot say the car drove at high speed, hitting a number of people that were thrown into the air. The black Suzuki Swift crashed into a monument for Queen Wilhelmina. The driver was taken out of the car in a serious condition. Emergency services are rushing to the spot to provide aid to the victims. Police are dispersing the crowd in the Loolaan area of Apeldoorn. The mayor of Apeldoorn announced shortly after the incident that the festivities in the city have been cancelled. Eye witnesses speculated that the accident may have been an attempted attack on the Royal Family. Others say that the car went off course with a shattered windscreen and that the driver appeared to be slumped motionless over the wheel. The vehicle came to a halt after crashing into a monument (pictured right). The incident occurred minutes after a luxury open-top coach carrying the Royal Family passed the spot (pictured below). The coach briefly stopped and was then accompanied to Het Loo palace by security forces. Queen Beatrix has sent a message expressing her sympathy to the victims. The government information service says the queen and her family are deeply shocked by the incident. Tags: Dutch royals, Queen's day ||||| Van onze redactie gepubliceerd op 30 april 2009 15:30, bijgewerkt op 1 mei 2009 17:06 APELDOORN - Een medewerker van de Koninklijke Marechaussee die donderdag zwaargewond raakte bij het drama van Koninginnedag in Apeldoorn, is vrijdagmiddag aan zijn verwondingen bezweken. Dat heeft de Commandant van de Koninklijke Marechaussee, luitenant-generaal Dick van Putten, bekendgemaakt. Het slachtoffer werkte als chauffeur bij de transportgroep van het Landelijk Opleidings- en Kenniscentrum Koninklijke Marechaussee in Apeldoorn. 7 levens Het drama tijdens de tocht van de koninklijke familie door Apeldoorn heeft nu 7 levens geëist, 5 mannen, onder wie de dader, en 2 vrouwen. Drie van de gewonden zijn kinderen van 16, 15 en 9 jaar. Op een persconferentie donderdagavond meldde het Openbaar Ministerie dat de actie was 'gericht tegen het koninklijke familie'. De dader, de 38-jarige autochtone Nederlander Karst T., is in de nacht van donderdag op vrijdag aan zijn verwondingen overleden. Het strafrechtelijk onderzoek dat tegen hem liep, is inmiddels stopgezet. Zijn huis in Huissen (Gelderland) werd donderdagavond doorzocht. Volgens hoofdofficier van justitie Ludo Goossens woont de verdachte alleen in een 'net uitziende woning'. De dader reed donderdagochtend rond tien voor twaalf op volle snelheid in een zwarte Suzuki Swift door de afzetting op het kruispunt Jachtlaan/Amersfoortseweg/Loolaan/Zwolseweg. Hij miste de open bus waarin de koninklijke familie reed op een tiental meters, en knalde even verderop tegen de gedenknaald voor park Het Loo. Woorden na crash Goossens zei eerder donderdag al op een persconferentie reden te hebben om aan te nemen dat het om een bewuste actie ging. Dat blijkt volgens het Openbaar Ministerie (OM) uit de de woorden die de verdachte uitte vlak na de crash tegenover politieagenten. Er is 'geen enkele indicatie' dat andere personen bij de actie zouden zijn betrokken of dat het om een terreuraanslag zou gaan. Rechercheurs van de Explosieve Opruimingsdienst (EOD) hebben de auto onderzocht. Er zijn geen explosieven in de auto gevonden. Volkskrant-redacteur Remco Meijer was ooggetuige van het drama. Bekijk hier de video met zijn verhaal. Leden van de koninklijke familie in de open bus Koningin Beatrix Kroonprins Willem-Alexander Prinses Máxima Prins Johan Friso Prinses Mabel Prins Constantijn Prinses Laurentien Prinses Margriet Pieter van Vollenhoven Prins Maurits Prinses Marilène Prinses Annette Prins Pieter-Christiaan Prinses Anita Prins Floris Prinses Aimée De bus met de koninklijke familie wordt gevolgd door de persbus De dader heeft geen strafblad, en van hem zijn volgens de hoofdofficier ook 'geen problemen in de sfeer van de geestelijke gezondheidszorg' bekend. De man wordt ervan verdacht dat hij een aanslag probeerde te plegen op leden van het Koninklijk Huis, zegt het OM. Ook wordt hij verdacht van moord danwel doodslag. Mocht hij komen te overlijden, dan is er geen strafzaak meer, zei hoofdofficier Goossens donderdagavond. Hij wilde geen antwoord geven op de vraag of het om een zelfmoordactie ging. De aanslag wordt vanwege het nationale belang onderzocht door de Nationale Recherche, die samenwerkt met de politie van de regio Noord- en Oost-Gelderland. Alleen al de Nationale Recherche heeft 250 man op de zaak gezet. De politie roept getuigen met foto- en filmmateriaal op zich te melden via telefoonnummer 0800-6070. Inmiddels hebben zich 500 mensen op dit nummer gemeld. Vermoedelijke eigenaar auto De politie heeft in de zoektocht naar de achtergronden van de dader huiszoekingen gedaan in Velp (Gelderland) en in Huissen. De verdachte is eerder bij een afzetting door de politie weggestuurd. Hij zou met met hoge snelheid in een zijstraat zijn verdwenen. Volgens de politie is de man vermoedelijk zelfs door twee afzettingen gereden, omdat de weg zelf ook al was afgezet. De auto was al zwaar beschadigd voor hij de gedenknaald ramde. De bestuurder zat lange tijd bekneld in het voertuig en is daarna voor verhoor afgevoerd, meldde de politie. Programma afgelast De koninklijke bus reed meteen door naar het paleis. De rest van het officiële programma voor Koninginnedag, inclusief de historische optocht door Apeldoorn, werd afgelast. Dat maakte de RVD bekend. Beatrix betuigde haar medeleven aan de slachtoffers op televisie. Ook premier Jan Peter Balkenende zei donderdag ‘diep geschokt’ te zijn door ‘de afschuwelijke gebeurtenis’ in Apeldoorn. De vlag op Paleis Het Loo is halfstok gehangen. Op internet is een condoleanceregister geopend. ||||| De auto kwam tot stilstand tegen het monument De Naald, vlakbij de open bus van de koninklijke familie (op de achtergrond). Foto WFA Apeldoorn, 30 april. Tijdens het bezoek van de koninklijke familie aan Apeldoorn is een 38-jarige man in een zwarte auto vandaag tegen twaalf uur in volle vaart door het publiek heen gereden, in een poging de bus van de koninklijke familie te raken. Daarbij zijn vijf doden en twaalf gewonden gevallen. Het Openbaar Ministerie (OM) verdenkt de dader, een autochtone Nederlander, van een poging tot aanslag op leden van het Koninklijk Huis. De dader, die in kritieke toestand in het ziekenhuis ligt en volgens bronnen van de NOS hersendood zou zijn, heeft volgens het OM net na de aanslag toegegeven dat zijn actie was gericht tegen de koninklijke familie. Hij zou niet eerder met politie en justitie in aanraking zijn geweest. De zwarte Suzuki Swift waarmee de aanslag werd gepleegd, reed dwars door een afzetting en een rij publiek heen op het moment dat de koninklijke familie in een bus voorbijkwam. De auto passeerde de bus op zo'n vijftien meter en kwam tot stilstand tegen het hek rond monument De Naald. De voorkant van de auto was op dat moment al ernstig beschadigd. De bus van de koninklijke familie, een gewone stadsbus zonder dak, was net vanuit de Loolaan het kruispunt op gedraaid. De inzittenden konden zien hoe de Suzuki het monument ramde. Koningin Beatrix, kroonprins Willem-Alexander en prinses Máxima sprongen op en de prinses sloeg in verbijstering haar hand voor de mond. Ooggetuigen meldden later dat ze op dat moment vreesden voor een ontploffing – maar die bleef uit. De mensen die in Apeldoorn zijn gedood, zijn drie mannen en twee vrouwen. Dat maakte burgemeester Fred de Graaf van Apeldoorn bekend. De gewonden zijn vijf mannen, vier vrouwen en drie kinderen van zestien, vijftien en negen jaar oud. Het gaat daarbij om kneuzingen, botbreuken, hersen- en schedelletsel. Onder de gewonde slachtoffers zijn vijf familieleden van leden van een Tilburgse drumband, een politieagent en een medewerker van de Koninklijke Marechaussee. Volgens ooggetuigen, onder wie NRC Handelsblad-fotograaf Merlin Daleman, had de man ,,duidelijk de bedoeling” om de bus waarin de koninklijke familie zat te raken. „De auto accelereerde, de chauffeur gaf duidelijk gas”, aldus Daleman, wiens observatie vanmiddag werd gedeeld door andere getuigen. De Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst en burgemeester Fred de Graaf van Apeldoorn meldden ruim een half uur na de crash dat alle festiviteiten werden afgelast. Heeft u beeld van voor of tijdens het drama? NRC wil een reconstructie maken van de situatie ter plekke en kan uw hulp daarbij gebruiken. E-mailen kan naar [email protected] Hulpverleners waren snel ter plekke en werden bijgestaan door omstanders. De Explosieven Opruimingsdienst kwam later op het kruispunt met honden om de auto aan een onderzoek onderwerpen. Enkele ooggetuigen meldden dat ze de auto eerder op de dag al hadden zien rijden op de Amersfoortseweg, die ook uitkomt op hetzelfde kruispunt. Een van hen zei in het Radio 1 Journaal: „De auto werd geblokkeerd door de politie. Toen zag ik de auto een zijstraat nemen. Hij reed als een speer weg. Later hoorde ik dat er een ongeluk was gebeurd. Ik dacht dat kan niet anders dan deze auto zijn. In de auto zat, denk ik, een knul van een jaar of 25, 26.” Na de crash tegen De Naald werd de bestuurder door de brandweer uit de auto gezaagd. Om 12.17 uur werd hij, nadat hij enkele minuten naakt op de grond had gelegen, in de gereedstaande ambulance getild, zonder witte lakens over hem heen, wat doet vermoeden dat hij in elk geval op dat moment nog leefde. De bus met de koninklijke familie was inmiddels doorgereden naar paleis ’t Loo. Koningin Beatrix zei om 12.41 uur dat ze ,,zeer geschokt” was en ,,intens meeleefde met de slachtoffers van het ongeluk”. ||||| ««« previous next »»» Two killed as car crashes close to royal bus (Update 2) At least two people have been killed and 12 injured in a serious incident during the royal family's visit to Apeldoorn to celebrate Queen's Day. TV pictures show a heavily-damaged black car driving through the barriers erected to keep the crowd under control, close to the open bus carrying queen Beatrix and the rest of her family. The car hit several people and ploughed into a fenced-off obelisk. Family members on board the open bus witnessed the incident. Driver injured The driver of the car was cut out and taken to an ambulance on a stretcher. One eyewitness told the Telegraaf someone had fallen out of the car shortly before it hit the pillar. Another said the car appeared to be attempting to drive at the bus. The Telegraaf reports that the royal procession was running late by 20 minutes but that the driver appeared to have followed the royal bus exactly. The rest of the celebrations in Apeldoorn have been cancelled and the royal family will not appear again in public, Nos tv reports. Nos tv said it is difficult to find out more about the incident because the use of mobile phones has been banned. A news conference has been scheduled for later this afternoon. Queen Beatrix has issued a statement saying the family is extremely shocked by the incident and extending her sympathy to the injured. Cancellations In Amsterdam, the Toppers, the headline act at the traditional Radio 538 concert on the Museumplein cancelled their performance 'out of respect to the victims and their families'. According to local tv station At5, it is not clear if the rest of the concert will go ahead. In Rotterdam, all the official festivities for Queen's Day have been cancelled, the Telegraaf reported. For live coverage of events, http://www.nos.nl/journaal24/ For photographs and a video of the incident, click here More to follow Get the DutchNews.nl newsletter in your mailbox: Click here to subscribe Print-version Readers' comments Place your comments:
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Location of Apeldoorn in Gelderland Layout of the incident. Black indicates the path of the car, and purple the path of the coach carrying the royal family. Five people have died and at least 13 are injured after a car plowed into a crowd in front of Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands during celebrations of Queen's Day. At around 11:50 local time a black Suzuki Swift went through barriers erected to separate the onlooking crowd from traffic, subsequently striking a monument. Members of the Dutch royal family watched the incident take place from the open-topped bus. The incident was witnessed by many onlookers and photographers as well by media covering the pageant. "He came out of nowhere and dragged ten to fifteen people. There is blood everywhere and people being resuscitated," a photographer following the parade for ''De Telegraaf'' said. At around 12:00, all official activities in Apeldoorn were cancelled. Other Dutch cities have also cancelled or scaled back activities, such as the Radio 538 concert in Amsterdam and all celebrations in Rotterdam. The mayor of Apeldoorn stated that, "A good day has ended as a drama." Offical Flags throughout the Netherlands have been placed at half-mast. The Queen responded in a video speech and expressed her sympathy for the victims. During a press conference held at 15:45, police reported that the man, who was still conscious but heavily injured after the accident, had told police that it was a deliberate act. It was also reported that the 38-year-old, a Dutch national, had not been in contact with the police until earlier that day when he was stopped at one of the barriers. He has no prior history of psychological problems and there are no indications that any sort of terrorist group was involved. The Queen's Day celebrations, observing the birthday of the Dutch monarch, take place annually on April 30. Citizens of the country traditionally celebrate by holding late-night markets and decorating the streets of the Netherlands in orange bunting, honoring the House of Orange.
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Sensitive government document found on rainy Ottawa street Papers discovered include risk assessment of Environment Canada database This document, marked 'Protected B,' describes ways that intruders could hack into an Environment Canada intelligence and enforcement database called NEMISIS. It was found lying on an Ottawa street corner. (CBC) This document, marked 'Protected B,' describes ways that intruders could hack into an Environment Canada intelligence and enforcement database called NEMISIS. It was found lying on an Ottawa street corner. (CBC) A sensitive government document detailing a classified computer database has been given to the CBC after it was found lying on an Ottawa street in a rain-stained, tire-marked brown envelope. The document is a risk assessment of an Environment Canada classified environmental enforcement database. It details a number of the system's failings and describes exactly how the data could be attacked and corrupted, the CBC's James Cudmore reported. The so-called NEMISIS database is used by officers to track and prosecute polluters and environmental law-breakers. The acronym stood for National Enforcement Management Information System and Intelligence System when it was unveiled in 1999. However, the title page of the mislaid document calls it the National Enforcement and Emergency Management Information System and Intelligence System, adding the words "and Emergency" to the name. The assessment described in detail exactly how the database could be attacked by industrial hackers and organized crime, as well as environmental activists. If someone were able to shut the system down, or hack inside and delete or corrupt the information, officers might not be able to prosecute their cases, which would seriously interfere with the enforcement of the law, the risk assessment said. "NEMISIS is operating at high risk," the analysis determined. The document — spotted by a passer-by on Castlefrank Road in Ottawa's Kanata area — is marked "Protected B" at the top of each of its 131 pages. While documents labelled Protected B are not top-secret, they must be handled with special care for security reasons and not left lying around for just anyone to see, said Christian Rouillard, an expert on public administration and associate professor at the University of Ottawa's school of political studies. 'No justification for losing a document' "It is taken very seriously," Rouillard told CBC News. "There is no justification for losing a document, regardless of its security level, regardless of the classification." Environment Canada spokeswoman Sujata Raisinghani told CBC News the department will look into the incident. "We take document security seriously," she said, but refused to give any more details about how the papers came to be on a road. Although the enforcement database has attracted little public attention, its existence is not a secret. In a report to Parliament in 1999, Environment Canada said: "A new enforcement tool has been put in place. The National Enforcement Management Information System and Intelligence System (NEMISIS) tracks and manages national enforcement activities for the environmental and wildlife legislation enforced by Environment Canada officers. The system provides accurate and timely statistical information and detailed reports on enforcement efforts." The database "is being provided to provinces as part of the sharing of enforcement-related information amongst enforcement agencies," it said. ||||| TheStar.com | Canada | Environment Canada security report found on street Environment Canada security report found on street Aug 15, 2008 06:35 PM THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA–Environment Minister John Baird has asked officials to look into how a government document – detailing how Environment Canada computers could be hacked – wound up on a street corner in Ottawa. However, Baird said the document contained no top secret or classified information. "It's certainly bizarre," he said. "I'm told two things: that it's neither classified nor secret and that it's stuff that could be available under access to information." Still, Baird said his department takes document security seriously and he's asked officials to find out how this 131-page document came to be found by a passerby on a street in a rain-stained, tire-marked, brown envelope. The CBC, which was given the document, reported that it assesses the security of a database used to track and prosecute polluters and environmental law-breakers and details how a hacker could access, attack and corrupt the data. The phrase "Protected B" is at the top of each page. Protected B is the second lowest grade of classified government document. Environment Canada spokesperson Julie Hahn said it applies to letters of complaint, criticism or injury, research or scientific notes and findings before conclusions have been reached and Treasury Board letters, agendas and minutes that do not deal with subjects of national interest. According to a departmental brochure on the handling of sensitive information, Protected B documents are supposed to be stored in ``approved security cabinets" and destroyed using an "approved shredder." They are to be kept in double envelopes, the inner one stamped with a security marking, transmitted only via secure fax machines and discussed only via secure phones. The discovery was reminiscent of a March incident in which a sheaf of blueprints for a new headquarters for the military's counterterrorism unit were found stuffed in the trash on a downtown street. The company which produced the plans said the building project wasn't tagged as a security matter. In May, Maxime Bernier resigned as foreign affairs minister after admitting he'd left classified government documents for more than a month at the home of his former girlfriend, a woman with past ties to criminal biker gangs. No one in government, including Bernier, noticed the papers were missing until the ex-girlfriend returned them. Paul Dewar, an Ottawa New Democrat MP, said the combined security lapses raise serious questions about the government's ability to secure sensitive documents. Dewar said bureaucrats have complained to him that the Conservative government has instituted a policy of classifying almost all documents, to the point that bureaucrats can't even share them with colleagues in the same department. Yet when a document is lost or turns up unexpectedly in public, the government routinely says it wasn't particularly sensitive. "This government is so consumed with control of information and secrecy yet they don't seem to be able to get the fundamentals right," Dewar said. ||||| The high school student had always struggled in class so when he met teacher’s aide Kathy Kitts, he was grateful. She would, he felt, guide him through graduation day.She helped him with his homework, and he trusted her. But a year later, when he turned 15, he said things started to change.“
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A sensitive Environment Canada document was found wet on an Ottawa street by someone who gave it to the CBC today. The 131-page document was found on Castlefrank Road in Kanata, Ontario in a rain-stained, tire-marked brown envelope by a passerby. The document which had the stamp Protected B on every page detailed various security vulnerabilities of the NEMISIS database which is used by officers to track and prosecute environmental law-breakers. If someone were able to shut the system down, or hack inside and delete or corrupt the information, it could affect the prosecution of the lawbreakers. The database was unveiled in 1999 as the National Enforcement Management Information System and Intelligence System. However, on the document, it referred to the database as National Enforcement and Emergency Management Information System and Intelligence System, adding the words "and Emergency" to the name. Protection B documents are the second lowest grade of classified government documents. Environment Canada spokesperson Julie Hahn said they apply to letters of complaint, criticism or injury, research or scientific notes and findings that don`t have any conclusion, and Treasury Board letters, agendas and minutes that don`t deal with subjects of national interest. Environment Minister John Baird has asked government officials how such documents that are supposed to be stored in "approved security cabinets" wound up on the street. "I'm told two things: that it's neither classified nor secret and that it's stuff that could be available under access to information," Baird said. Environment Canada spokeswoman Sujata Raisinghani told CBC News the department will look into the incident. "We take document security seriously," she said, but refused to give any more details about how the papers came to be on a road. Paul Dewar, an Ottawa New Democrat MP, said the combined security lapses raise serious questions about the government's ability to secure sensitive documents. Dewar says that bureaucrats of the Conservative government have complained to him about document security to the point that they can`t share the information with their own colleagues. However, when a government document has been found on the streets, the government then says it wasn't particularly sensitive. "This government is so consumed with control of information and secrecy yet they don't seem to be able to get the fundamentals right," Dewar said. The incident is a reminiscent of two other incidents. In March, a bundle of blueprints for a new headquarters for the military's counterterrorism unit were found stuffed in the trash on a downtown street. In May, Maxime Bernier was forced to resign as Foreign Affairs minister after it became known that he left sensitive documents at the apartment of his then-girlfriend Julie Couillard who had ties to the Hells Angels biker gang.
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The Eden Drive-In reopened Friday evening for a double feature. Although it’s considered a theater and subject to North Carolina’s COVID-19 restrictions, the drive-in received permission from Gov. Roy Cooper’s office to reopen as long as it follows social-distancing guidelines, it said on Facebook. ||||| Medicare | United Seniors Association Sues Tobacco Companies To Recover Medicare Costs, Wall Street Journal Reports [Aug 05, 2005] The United Seniors Association has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Boston against several of the nation's largest tobacco companies, seeking to recover billions of dollars spent by Medicare to treat smoking-related diseases, the Wall Street Journal reports. The case involves a "little-known but recently strengthened provision" of Medicare law that allows someone to sue on behalf of Medicare when it pays medical expenses that another party was legally obligated to cover -- such as when a corporate health plan has agreed to cover the expenses or when a business or other party has injured a Medicare beneficiary and is liable, according to the Journal . The provision exists in part because the government does not have the resources to prosecute every case, the Journal reports. Lawsuit Details The suit names Philip Morris USA, Lorillard Tobacco, the Liggett Group, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and two of its subsidiaries. The lawsuit draws a link between nicotine addiction and smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer and emphysema. It argues that "addiction is the key ... [to] the prolonged use of cigarettes that commonly causes these diseases," and that tobacco companies hid the addictive nature of their products and sought to enhance their addictiveness. According to the suit, "The Medicare beneficiaries who have suffered from or are suffering from diseases attributable to smoking the defendants' cigarettes did not consent to being exposed to the addictive properties of the defendants' cigarettes." The seniors group -- which has supported initiatives backed by the pharmaceutical and energy industries -- says it would like to recover at least $60 billion that it estimates Medicare has spent on treatment for smoking-related diseases in the past five years, the statute of limitations on the law. If the court finds in favor of the group, Medicare would collect the damages and the group would be eligible for an equal amount.
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A U.S. lobbyist group, the , filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in to recover expenses related to tobacco smoking. The suit says there is a link between and smoking-related diseases. The first of its kind lawsuit seeks to recover as much as $60 billion in estimated Medicare expenses outlaid for treatment of and patients. The ''Medicare Secondary Payer Statute'' (MSP) allows someone to sue on behalf of Medicare. The medical expenses that another party was legally obligated to cover, in this case the tobacco companies if they are found liable in court, would be split between parties to the suit and Medicare. The MSP statute was entered in part because the government does not have the resources to prosecute every case under Medicare law. Charles Jarvis, the CEO of the group said, "Our motivation is one of taxpayer protection." He added, "Considering how badly the taxpayers have been injured financially, we believe the responsible parties — the tobacco companies — should be reimbursing the taxpayer to the greatest amount possible under the law." Currently, U.S. employees are taxed by Medicare at 1.45% of their earnings. This payroll tax amount is matched by their employer when paid to the . The lawsuit names , , the , and and two of its subsidiaries as defendants. The United Seniors Association is asking for twice the amount paid by Medicare to treat smoking related illnesses since 1999.
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Reports: Suicide Bomber at US Base in Afghanistan Was al-Qaida Double Agent U.S. media say a suicide bomber who attacked a CIA base in eastern Afghanistan last week was a Jordanian working as an al-Qaida double agent. The reports say current and former Western intelligence officials identified the suicide bomber as Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, a 36-year-old al-Qaida sympathizer from Zarqa, Jordan. U.S. network NBC says Jordanian authorities arrested al-Balawi more than a year ago and later recruited him to infiltrate al-Qaida, believing he had been successfully reformed. The CIA declined to comment on the reports. The bombing last Wednesday at the CIA base in Afghanistan's Khost province killed seven CIA employees and a Jordanian officer. The U.S. military's intelligence chief in Afghanistan has criticized the work of U.S. spy agencies operating there, saying they are "ignorant" and out of touch with the Afghan people. General Michael Flynn says U.S. intelligence efforts have focussed too much on gathering information about insurgent groups in Afghanistan. He says U.S. intelligence has been unable to inform U.S. and NATO forces about the environment in which they operate and the Afghan people whom they seek to persuade. His comments were published in a report issued Monday by a U.S. research institute, the Center for New American Security. The bodies of the seven CIA employees killed in the Khost attack arrived Monday at a U.S. Air Force base in the East Coast state of Delaware. A small, private ceremony was held at the base, attended by friends and family and CIA Director Leon Panetta. The bombing was the second-deadliest attack in the U.S. intelligence agency's history. In a statement, CIA spokesman George Little described the fallen employees as "patriots who courageously served their nation." Jordan's state news agency identified the Jordanian officer killed in the bombing as Sharif Ali bin Zaid. It says he was killed while "performing the sacred duty of Jordanian forces in Afghanistan." NATO says Jordan has seven troops in Afghanistan. NBC News says Bin Zaid was an intelligence agent and a first cousin of Jordan's King Abdullah. Both the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack. Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters. ||||| Video-based look at the start of Operation Strike of the Sword on July 2, 2009. Three Marines talk about the adrenaline rush and the anguish of fighting in Helmand province. The origins of the war, the battles, and struggle for stability. Soldiers are fighting to suppress the Taliban and win over the Afghan people. A look at how narcotics have ravaged Afghanistan and a detox center helping users. Jan. 4: The suicide bomber who killed 7 CIA operatives in Afghanistan last week was a doctor from Jordan who was also an al-Qaida operative. NBC's Richard Engel reports. By Robert Windrem and Richard Engel NBC News The suicide bombing on a CIA base in Afghanistan last week was carried out by a Jordanian doctor who was an al-Qaida double-agent, Western intelligence officials told NBC News. Initial reports said that the attack, which killed seven CIA officers, was carried out by a member of the Afghan National Army. According to Western intelligence officials, the perpetrator was Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, 36, an al-Qaida sympathizer from Zarqa, which is also the hometown of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant Islamist believed responsible for several devastating attacks in Iraq. Al-Balawi was arrested by Jordanian intelligence more than a year ago. He had moderated the main al-Qaida chat forum before his arrest and was known online as Abu Dujanah al-Khurasani. “Abu Dujanah was an active member of jihadi forums,” said Evan Kohlmann, who tracks jihadi Web sites for NBC News. “He was actually an administrator on the now-defunct Al-Hesbah forum, previously al-Qaida's main chat forum.” The Jordanians believed that al-Balawi had been successfully reformed and brought over to the American and Jordanian side. They set him up as an agent and sent him to Afghanistan and Pakistan to infiltrate al-Qaida. His specific mission, according to officials, was to find and meet Ayman al Zawahiri, al-Qaida’s No. 2, also a physician. However, a Taliban spokesman, quoted on the Al-Jazeera Web site, said al-Balawi misled Jordanian and U.S. intelligence services for a year. The spokesman, Al-Hajj Ya'qub, promised to release a video confirming his account of the Afghanistan attack. On martyrdom After he arrived in Afghanistan last year, al-Balawi was interviewed by one of al-Qaida’s main Internet sites, the Vanguards of Khurasan, on the subject of martyrdom. “When you ponder the verses and hadiths that speak about jihad and its graciousness, and then you let your imagination run wild to fly with what Allah has prepared for martyrs, your life become cheap for its purpose, and the extravagant houses and expensive cars and all the decoration of life become very distasteful in your eyes,” he told the interviewer. He added, “They say 'there's love that kills.' And I only see that as truthful in the love for jihad, as this love is either going to kill you in repentance should you choose to sit away from jihad, or will kill you as a martyr for the cause of Allah if you choose to go to Jihad, and the human must choose between these two deaths.” Last week, according to the Western officials, al-Balawi reportedly called his handler to say he needed to meet with the CIA’s team based in Khost, Afghanistan, because he said he had urgent information he needed to relay about Zawahiri. Close relations with Jordanian intelligence His handler was a senior intelligence official, identified in Jordanian press accounts as Sharif Ali bin Zeid. But bin Zeid was not just a Jordanian intelligence officer; he was also a member of the Jordanian royal family and was a first cousin of the king and grandnephew of the first king Abdullah. Bin Zeid’s prominent role offers rare insight into the close partnership between American and Jordanian intelligence officials and how crucial their relationship has become to the overall counterterrorism strategy. "We have a close partnership with the Jordanians on counterterrorism matters," a U.S. official told The Washington Post. "Having suffered serious losses from terrorist attacks on their own soil, they are keenly aware of the significant threat posed by extremists." Jordan's official news agency, Petra, said bin Zeid was killed "on Wednesday evening as a martyr while performing the sacred duty of the Jordanian forces in Afghanistan" and provided no further details about his death. Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera reported that al-Balawi's family refused to speak to the media on instructions from Jordanian security services. Sources close to the family told Al-Jazeera's Web site that Jordanian Intelligence arrested the perpetrator's younger brother and ordered his father not to set up a condolence tent for his son so that it would not turn into a gathering place for jihadist sympathizers. Key base for CIA According to Western officials, bin Zeid, along with the seven CIA officers, were killed when al-Balawi, the formerly trusted informant turned double-agent, detonated his suicide belt at Camp Chapman. Some of the officers had flown in from Kabul for what was thought to be an important meeting. The base was used to direct and coordinate CIA operations and intelligence gathering in Khost, a hotbed of insurgent activity because of its proximity to Pakistan's lawless tribal areas, former CIA officials said. Among the CIA officers killed was the chief of the operation, they said. Video Double agent Jan. 4: NBC's Richard Engel reports on the attack on the CIA base in Afghanistan. Morning Joe Six other people were wounded in what was one of the worst attacks in CIA history. A senior U.S. intelligence official told NBC the CIA is "looking closely at every aspect of the Khost attack." "The agency is determined to continue pursuing aggressive counterterrorism operations. Last week’s attack will be avenged. Some very bad people will eventually have a very bad day,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Qari Hussain, a top militant commander with the Pakistani Taliban who is believed to be a suicide bombing mastermind, said last week that militants had been searching for a way to damage the CIA's ability to launch missile strikes on the Pakistani side of the border. Using remote-controlled aircraft, the U.S. has launched scores of such missile attacks in the tribal regions over the past year and a half, aiming for high-value al-Qaida and other militant targets. The most successful strike, in August, killed former Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud at his father-in-law's home. The Washington Post reported Friday that the CIA base has been at the heart of overseeing this covert program. The newspaper cited two former intelligence officials who have visited Chapman as saying that U.S. personnel there are heavily involved in the selection of al-Qaida and Taliban targets for the drone aircraft strikes. Richard Engel is NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent; Robert Windrem is a senior NBC News Producer. ||||| This article is by Richard A. Oppel Jr., Mark Mazzetti and Souad Mekhennet. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan The suicide bomber who killed seven C.I.A. officers and a Jordanian spy last week was a double agent who was taken onto the base in Afghanistan because the Americans hoped he might be able to deliver top members of Al Qaeda’s network, according to Western government officials. The bomber had been recruited by the Jordanian intelligence service and taken to Afghanistan to infiltrate Al Qaeda by posing as a foreign jihadi, the officials said. But in a deadly turnabout, the supposed informant strapped explosives to his body and blew himself up at a meeting Wednesday at the C.I.A.’s Forward Operating Base Chapman in the southeastern province of Khost. The attack at the C.I.A. base dealt a devastating blow to the spy agency’s operations against militants in the remote mountains of Afghanistan, eliminating an elite team using an informant with strong jihadi credentials. The attack further delayed hope of penetrating Al Qaeda’s upper ranks, and also seemed potent evidence of militants’ ability to strike back against their American pursuers. It could also jeopardize relations between the C.I.A. and the Jordanian spy service, which officials said had vouched for the would-be informant. The Jordanian service, called the General Intelligence Directorate, for years has been one of the C.I.A.’s closest and most useful allies in the Middle East. In a telephone interview, a person associated with the Pakistani Taliban identified the bomber as Humam Khalil Mohammed, a Jordanian physician. Western officials said that Mr. Mohammed had been in a Jordanian prison and that he was recruited by the Jordanian spy service. The bomber was not closely searched because of his perceived value as someone who could lead American forces to senior Qaeda leaders, and because the Jordanian intelligence officer had identified him as a potentially valuable informant, the Western officials said. The Western officials and others who were interviewed spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter. Current and former American officials said Monday that because of Mr. Mohammed’s medical background, he might have been recruited to find the whereabouts of Ayman al-Zawahri, the Egyptian doctor who is Al Qaeda’s second in command. Agency officers had traveled from Kabul, the Afghan capital, to Khost for a meeting with the informant, a sign that the C.I.A. had come to trust the informant and that it was eager to learn what he might have gleaned from operations in the field, according to a former C.I.A. official with experience in Afghanistan. The former official said that the fact that militants could carry out a successful attack using a double agent showed their strength even after a steady barrage of missile strikes fired by C.I.A. drone aircraft. “Double agent operations are really complex,” he said. “The fact that they can pull this off shows that they are not really on the run. They have the ability to kick back and think about these things.” The death of the Jordanian intelligence officer, Capt. Sharif Ali bin Zeid, was reported in recent days by Jordanian officials, but they did not confirm exactly where he was killed or what he was doing in Afghanistan. Jordanian intelligence officials were deeply embarrassed by the attacks because they had taken the informant to the Americans, said one American government official briefed on the events. The official said that the Jordanians had such a good reputation with American intelligence officials that the informant was not screened before entering the compound. Jarret Brachman, author of “Global Jihadism: Theory and Practice” and a consultant to the United States government about terrorism, said in a telephone interview that Mr. Mohammed had used the online persona Abu Dujana al-Khorasani and was an influential jihadi voice on the Web. “He’s one of the most revered authors on the jihadists’ forums,” Mr. Brachman said. “He’s in the top five jihadists. He’s one of the biggest guns out there.” In many of the posts under his online persona, Mr. Mohammed used elusive language filled with references to literature and the Koran to describe his support for violent opposition to the United States-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “When a fighter for God kills a U.S. soldier on the corner of a tank, the supporters of Jihad have killed tens of thousands of Americans through their connection” to the opposition, he wrote in one posting. Mr. Brachman said that Al Fajr Media, which is Al Qaeda’s official media distribution network, conducted an interview with Abu Dujana al-Khorasani published in Al Qaeda’s online magazine, called Vanguards of Khorasan. The name of the bomber was first reported by Al Jazeera, which identified him as Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi. The television network reported that Mr. Balawi was taken to Afghanistan to help track down Mr. Zawahri. The attack was also embarrassing for Jordan’s government, which did not want the depths of its cooperation with the C.I.A. revealed to its own citizens or other Arabs in the region. A statement by the official Jordanian news agency said Captain Zeid was killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday “as he performed his humanitarian duty with the Jordanian contingent of the U.N. peacekeeping forces.” The United States, and the C.I.A. in particular, are deeply unpopular in Jordan, where at least half the population is of Palestinian origin and where Washington’s support for Israel is roundly condemned. King Abdullah II and his government, while working closely with Washington in counterterrorism operations and providing strategic support for operations in Iraq, try to keep that work secret. The Pakistani Taliban had previously said the bomber was someone the C.I.A. had recruited to work with them, who then offered the militants his services as a double agent. The General Intelligence Directorate has received millions of dollars from the C.I.A. since the American invasion of Iraq, where the Jordanian spy agency played a central role in the campaign against Iraqi insurgents. In the past, Jordanian officials have privately criticized American intelligence services, saying they relied too heavily on technology and not enough on agents capable of infiltrating operations. In 2006, the Jordanians were credited with helping to locate and kill Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia. The C.I.A. declined to comment about the circumstances of the bombing in Afghanistan. Current and former American intelligence officials said the C.I.A. base in Khost was used to collect intelligence about militant networks in the border region. The C.I.A. officers on the base used the information to plan strikes against Qaeda and Taliban leaders, along with top operatives of the Haqqani network. United States officials have been applying pressure to the government of Pakistan to drive out the Haqqani network, whose fighters hold sway over parts of Afghanistan, including Paktika, Paktia and Khost Provinces, and are a serious threat to American forces. A second former C.I.A. official said that Mr. Zeid’s presence on the Khost base was a sign that the Jordanian intelligence agency was using a spy to infiltrate militant networks in the region, and most likely to penetrate cells of Arab Qaeda militants. “If the Jordanian intelligence officer had been vouching for this guy, the C.I.A. would definitely have wanted him on the base,” said the former officer. The remains of the seven C.I.A. officers killed in the attack arrived in a military plane on Monday at Dover Air Force Base, where a private ceremony was held. The event was attended by Leon E. Panetta, the C.I.A. director, as well as by family members of the slain officers. ||||| December 31, 2009 CIA Director Leon E. Panetta informed the Agency workforce today that seven of their colleagues were killed and six others were injured on Wednesday at a Forward Operating Base in Khost Province, Afghanistan. The casualties were the result of a terrorist attack. “Those who fell yesterday were far from home and close to the enemy, doing the hard work that must be done to protect our country from terrorism,” Director Panetta said in a message to employees. “We owe them our deepest gratitude, and we pledge to them and their families that we will never cease fighting for the cause to which they dedicated their lives—a safer America.” “Families have been our Agency’s first priority,” Director Panetta added. “Before sharing this information with anyone else, we wanted to be in contact with each of them. This is the most difficult news to bear under any circumstances, but that it comes during the holidays makes it even harder. In coming days and weeks, we will comfort them and honor their loved ones as a family. They are in our thoughts and prayers—now and always.” Due to the sensitivity of their mission and other ongoing operations, neither the names of those killed nor the details of their work are being released at this time. “Yesterday’s tragedy reminds us that the men and women of the CIA put their lives at risk every day to protect this nation,” Director Panetta said. “Throughout our history, the reality is that those who make a real difference often face real danger.” Director Panetta credited US military doctors and nurses with saving the lives of those wounded in the attack. In honor and memory of the dead, he requested that the flags at CIA Headquarters be flown at half-staff. Today President Barack Obama sent the following letter to the officers of CIA: December 31, 2009 To the men and women of the CIA: I write to mark a sad occasion in the history of the CIA and our country. Yesterday, seven Americans in Afghanistan gave their lives in service to their country. Michelle and I have their families, friends and colleagues in our thoughts and prayers. These brave Americans were part of a long line of patriots who have made great sacrifices for their fellow citizens, and for our way of life. The United States would not be able to maintain the freedom and security that we cherish without decades of service from the dedicated men and women of the CIA. You have helped us understand the world as it is, and taken great risks to protect our country. You have served in the shadows, and your sacrifices have sometimes been unknown to your fellow citizens, your friends, and even your families. In recent years, the CIA has been tested as never before. Since our country was attacked on September 11, 2001, you have served on the frontlines in directly confronting the dangers of the 21st century. Because of your service, plots have been disrupted, American lives have been saved, and our Allies and partners have been more secure. Your triumphs and even your names may be unknown to your fellow Americans, but your service is deeply appreciated. Indeed, I know firsthand the excellent quality of your work because I rely on it every day. The men and women who gave their lives in Afghanistan did their duty with courage, honor and excellence, and we must draw strength from the example of their sacrifice. They will take their place on the Memorial Wall at Langley alongside so many other heroes who gave their lives on behalf of their country. And they will live on in the hearts of those who loved them, and in the freedom that they gave their lives to defend. May God bless the memory of those we lost, and may God bless the United States of America. President Barack Obama
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Media in the United States says a suicide bomber who attacked a Central Intelligence Agency base in eastern Afghanistan last week was a Jordanian working as an al-Qaeda double agent. The reports say current and former Western intelligence officials identified the suicide bomber as Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi, a 36-year-old physician and al-Qaeda sympathizer from Zarqa, Jordan. U.S. television network NBC says Jordanian authorities arrested al-Balawi more than a year ago and later recruited him to infiltrate al-Qaeda, believing he had been successfully reformed. Due to his medical background, it is believed his mission was to find and meet Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's second-in-command. The CIA declined to comment on the reports. According to multiple sources, al-Balawi posted online in jihadist forums under the name Abu Dujanah al-Khurasani. One post by him read, "When a fighter for God kills a U.S. soldier on the corner of a tank, the supporters of Jihad have killed tens of thousands of Americans through their connection to the opposition." Jarret Brachman, consultant to the US government on terrorism said in a telephone interview to ''The New York Times'', "He’s one of the most revered authors on the jihadists' forums. He’s in the top five jihadists. He's one of the biggest guns out there." Evan Kohlmann, who tracks jihadi Web sites for NBC News said, "He was actually an administrator on the now-defunct Al-Hesbah forum, previously al-Qaeda's main chat forum." The bombing last Wednesday at the CIA base, known as Forward Operating Base Chapman, in Afghanistan's Khowst province killed seven CIA employees and a Jordanian officer. The U.S. military's intelligence chief in Afghanistan has criticized the work of U.S. intelligence agencies operating there, saying they are "ignorant" and out of touch with the Afghan people. General Michael Flynn says U.S. intelligence efforts have focused too much on gathering information about insurgent groups in Afghanistan. He says U.S. intelligence has been unable to inform U.S. and NATO forces about the environment in which they operate and the Afghan people whom they seek to persuade. His comments were published in a report issued Monday by a U.S. think tank, the Center for a New American Security. The bodies of the seven CIA employees killed in the Khowst attack arrived Monday at a U.S. Air Force base in the East Coast state of Delaware. A small, private ceremony was held at the base, attended by friends and family and CIA Director Leon Panetta. The bombing was the second-deadliest attack in the U.S. intelligence agency's history. In a statement, CIA spokesman George Little described the fallen employees as "patriots who courageously served their nation." In message to employees the day after the bombing, Panetta said, "Those who fell yesterday were far from home and close to the enemy, doing the hard work that must be done to protect our country from terrorism." Jordan's state news agency, Petra, identified the Jordanian officer killed in the bombing as Sharif Ali bin Zaid. It says he was killed while "performing the sacred duty of Jordanian forces in Afghanistan." NATO says Jordan has seven troops in Afghanistan. NBC News says Bin Zaid was an intelligence agent and a first cousin of Jordan's King Abdullah II. Both the Afghan Taliban and Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack.
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