Feds Seize Cocaine Jesus
Man busted after dog sniffs drug in statue at Texas border crossing
MAY 29--Meet Cocaine Jesus. Federal agents last week arrested a Mexican national for allegedly paying a woman to smuggle into the U.S. a statue that was made of a dried cocaine paste. The carefully painted religious icon, pictured below, weighed about six pounds and would have had a street value of about $30,000. The statue was confiscated at a Texas border crossing after a drug-sniffing dog alerted to it during an inspection of a vehicle driven by a Mexican woman. The woman later told agents that she was paid $80 by a man who wanted the statue delivered to him at a Laredo bus station. The man, Bernardino Garcia-Cordova, was arrested when the apparently unwitting female mule identified him for investigators, according to a felony cocaine distribution complaint filed May 27 in U.S. District Court in Laredo. When questioned by agents, the 61-year-old Garcia-Cordova, who is a legal permanent U.S. resident, initially acknowledged that Cocaine Jesus was his, but then claimed he was only helping to smuggle the statue on the behalf of a man known only by the nickname "La Arana," or The Spider. Cocaine Jesus, he claimed, was supposed to be delivered to The Spider in Dallas. (3 pages)
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Pakistani Bomb Scientist Dr. A.Q. Khan: people who were supposed to know knew i
ABC Exclusive: Pakistani Bomb Scientist Breaks Silence
Dr. A.Q. Khan Gives His First Interview to an American Journalist Since Being Placed Under House Arrest in 2004
By BRIAN ROSS
May 30, 2008
Pakistani scientist now says he did not sell knowledge to N. Korea and Iran.
The Pakistani scientist blamed for running a rogue network that sold nuclear secrets to North Korea, Iran and Libya has recanted his confession, telling ABC News the Pakistani government and President Perez Musharraf forced him to be a "scapegoat" for the "national interest."
"I don't stand by that," Dr. A.Q. Khan told ABC News in a 35-minute phone interview from his home in Islamabad, where he has been detained since "confessing" that he ran the nuclear network on his own, without the knowledge of the Pakistani government. The interview will be broadcast Friday on "World News With Charles Gibson."
It was his first interview with an American journalist in a series of telephone interviews he has granted this week, marking the 10th anniversary of Pakistan's first test of a nuclear bomb.
"People were asking a lot of questions, so I said, 'OK. Let me give an answer,'" Khan told ABC News early Friday, Pakistan time.
As to his widely publicized confession, Khan said he was told by Musharraf that it would get the United States "off our backs" and that he was promised he would be quickly pardoned. "Those people who were supposed to know knew it," Khan said about his activities.
If true, it would mean Pakistan lied to the U.S. and the international community about its role in providing nuclear weapons technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya.
A spokesman for the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C. said today the government there hasn't changed its views on Khan despite the claims he makes in the interview, "The government of Pakistan has adequately investigated allegations of nuclear proliferation and considers the AQK affair closed," said a statement from the embassy to ABC News.
A U.S. official said American investigators were also unconvinced of Khan's latest claims. "We have not changed our assessment that A.Q. Khan was a very major and dangerous proliferator. He sold sensitive nuclear equipment and know-how to some genuinely bad actors," the official said.
Khan admitted in the ABC News interview that he had twice traveled to North Korea but denied ever going to Iran or Libya.
Khan said the North Korean nuclear weapons program was "well-advanced" before he arrived, as part of an officially sanctioned trip by his government.
As to Iran, he said he believed it would be a "long time" before that country would be able to test a nuclear weapon.
Dr. A.Q. Khan Gives His First Interview to an American Journalist Since Being Placed Under House Arrest in 2004
By BRIAN ROSS
May 30, 2008
Pakistani scientist now says he did not sell knowledge to N. Korea and Iran.
The Pakistani scientist blamed for running a rogue network that sold nuclear secrets to North Korea, Iran and Libya has recanted his confession, telling ABC News the Pakistani government and President Perez Musharraf forced him to be a "scapegoat" for the "national interest."
"I don't stand by that," Dr. A.Q. Khan told ABC News in a 35-minute phone interview from his home in Islamabad, where he has been detained since "confessing" that he ran the nuclear network on his own, without the knowledge of the Pakistani government. The interview will be broadcast Friday on "World News With Charles Gibson."
It was his first interview with an American journalist in a series of telephone interviews he has granted this week, marking the 10th anniversary of Pakistan's first test of a nuclear bomb.
"People were asking a lot of questions, so I said, 'OK. Let me give an answer,'" Khan told ABC News early Friday, Pakistan time.
As to his widely publicized confession, Khan said he was told by Musharraf that it would get the United States "off our backs" and that he was promised he would be quickly pardoned. "Those people who were supposed to know knew it," Khan said about his activities.
If true, it would mean Pakistan lied to the U.S. and the international community about its role in providing nuclear weapons technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya.
A spokesman for the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C. said today the government there hasn't changed its views on Khan despite the claims he makes in the interview, "The government of Pakistan has adequately investigated allegations of nuclear proliferation and considers the AQK affair closed," said a statement from the embassy to ABC News.
A U.S. official said American investigators were also unconvinced of Khan's latest claims. "We have not changed our assessment that A.Q. Khan was a very major and dangerous proliferator. He sold sensitive nuclear equipment and know-how to some genuinely bad actors," the official said.
Khan admitted in the ABC News interview that he had twice traveled to North Korea but denied ever going to Iran or Libya.
Khan said the North Korean nuclear weapons program was "well-advanced" before he arrived, as part of an officially sanctioned trip by his government.
As to Iran, he said he believed it would be a "long time" before that country would be able to test a nuclear weapon.
Sabarimala flame is man made, admits priest
Friday, May 30, 2008
Sabarimala flame is man made, admits priest
Thiruvananthapuram: After a crackdown on fake godmen now the Left Front government is planning to unravel the mystery behind the celestial light at the hill shrine of Sabarimala. For the first time it admitted that the divine light is a man-made phenomenon, not a miracle.
Temple supreme priest Kandararu Mahewararu was the first to make the confession that there was nothing godly behind the mystery flame that flickers thrice on the Makara Sankranti (Makaram first) day every year sending million of devotees into frenzy.
State Temple Affairs Minister G. Sudhakaran and the Travanore Devasom Board (TDB), which manages the affairs of temple, backed the priest’s contention.
Known as ‘Makara Vilakku’ the light blinks thrice at the forest on top of the Ponnambalamedu, some distance away from the hill temple, on the evening of Makara Sankranti when the three-month seasonal pilgrimage touches its peak. Millions of devotees converge at the hilltop to witness the celestial light.
Though the government and TDB disowned the divine light, former TDB chief Raman Nair claimed that the police and the TDB officials jointly light the fire on the orders of the state government. Now rationalists and others have asked the government to tender an apology for “deceiving million of devotees for years together.” Rationalists had claimed for years that the light was lit by TDB officials.
© Copyright 2008 HT Media Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sabarimala flame is man made, admits priest
Thiruvananthapuram: After a crackdown on fake godmen now the Left Front government is planning to unravel the mystery behind the celestial light at the hill shrine of Sabarimala. For the first time it admitted that the divine light is a man-made phenomenon, not a miracle.
Temple supreme priest Kandararu Mahewararu was the first to make the confession that there was nothing godly behind the mystery flame that flickers thrice on the Makara Sankranti (Makaram first) day every year sending million of devotees into frenzy.
State Temple Affairs Minister G. Sudhakaran and the Travanore Devasom Board (TDB), which manages the affairs of temple, backed the priest’s contention.
Known as ‘Makara Vilakku’ the light blinks thrice at the forest on top of the Ponnambalamedu, some distance away from the hill temple, on the evening of Makara Sankranti when the three-month seasonal pilgrimage touches its peak. Millions of devotees converge at the hilltop to witness the celestial light.
Though the government and TDB disowned the divine light, former TDB chief Raman Nair claimed that the police and the TDB officials jointly light the fire on the orders of the state government. Now rationalists and others have asked the government to tender an apology for “deceiving million of devotees for years together.” Rationalists had claimed for years that the light was lit by TDB officials.
© Copyright 2008 HT Media Ltd. All rights reserved.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Stonehenge: Monument of Death?
Ned Potter reports that Stonehenge Riverside Archaeological Project head, Mike Parker Pearson claims the Stonehenge to be Part of Vast Religious Complex. The archaeologists think that Stones Celebrated Death while the Wood Circle nearby celebrated Life. The 4,500 years old English rock formation would most probably a graveyard.
Parker Pearson and other scientists were excavating the site for the last eight years. Stonehenge was built by Neolithic people in Britain. The archaeologists have discovered evidence of a primitive town two miles away from the circle of Stonehenge.This small township was remarkably large for 2,500 B.C. big enough for more than a thousand people. There were also signs of a second circle made of wood. The two great circles were so close to each other, not far from the river Avon in southern England.
"The two circles have very profound architectural similarities, even if they're made out of different materials," said Julian Thomas of the University of Manchester, who has been working with Parker Pearson.
Parker Pearson thinks that the wooden circle could be a celebration of life and perhaps fertility, while Stonehenge would have been a monument to death or the afterlife. The scientists are of the opinion that the wood and stone structures reflect what materials meant to peoples' lives in those days.
Parkinson said, "Wood is something that doesn't last forever, just as our own lives won't last forever. But stone, that's going to be there for eternity."
Cremated remains of some 240 people have been found in the last 75 years at Stonehenge.
Parker Pearson and other scientists were excavating the site for the last eight years. Stonehenge was built by Neolithic people in Britain. The archaeologists have discovered evidence of a primitive town two miles away from the circle of Stonehenge.This small township was remarkably large for 2,500 B.C. big enough for more than a thousand people. There were also signs of a second circle made of wood. The two great circles were so close to each other, not far from the river Avon in southern England.
"The two circles have very profound architectural similarities, even if they're made out of different materials," said Julian Thomas of the University of Manchester, who has been working with Parker Pearson.
Parker Pearson thinks that the wooden circle could be a celebration of life and perhaps fertility, while Stonehenge would have been a monument to death or the afterlife. The scientists are of the opinion that the wood and stone structures reflect what materials meant to peoples' lives in those days.
Parkinson said, "Wood is something that doesn't last forever, just as our own lives won't last forever. But stone, that's going to be there for eternity."
Cremated remains of some 240 people have been found in the last 75 years at Stonehenge.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Apex court stays proceeding against Uttar Pradesh judge
Apex court stays proceeding against Uttar Pradesh judge
Wed, May 28 10:17 PM
New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) The Supreme Court Wednesday halted a contempt of court proceeding against a judge of Uttar Pradesh lower judiciary at the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court.
While halting the contempt proceedings against Senior Civil Judge Amarjit Varma, a vacation bench comprising Justices C.K. Thakkar and L.S. Panta also issued notice to the registrar general of the high court, asking him to explain why the proceedings against the judge should not be quashed.
A Lucknow-based senior advocate, Prashant Chandra had allegedly managed to have initiated the contempt of court proceedings at the high court on the grounds that the civil judge had not disposed of a lawsuit he had filed within three months as per a high court direction.
Appearing for Varma, advocate Anoop George Chaudhary pointed out to the apex court that Chandra had managed initiation of contempt proceedings of criminal nature against the judge without mandatory permission from the state's advocate general.
The apex court stayed the contempt proceedings after Chaudhary pointed out to it the lack of this important procedural step for initiating criminal contempt of court proceedings against a judge.
Chaudhary told the apex court that Chandra earlier had moved the court of Civil Judge Varma challenging the suspension of his membership from the city's prestigious Golf Club.
Varma, however, dismissed his civil suit, finding it devoid of merit.
At this, Chandra moved the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, challenging Varma's order. The high court, in turn, remitted the matter back to the civil judge, directing him to possibly dispose the matter within three months.
But Judge Varma could not dispose it within the stipulated period.
At this, Chandra again moved the high court, seeking initiation of a civil contempt proceeding against the judge. But the high court dismissed the plea.
At this Chandra moved the high court yet again, this time for initiation of criminal contempt of court proceedings against the judge.
This time around he allegedly also concealed the fact that he had already earlier moved the high court against the civil judge for civil contempt proceedings.
A person is liable to face civil contempt of court proceeding for his inadvertent lapse in obeying the court order, while a person deliberately disobeying a court order is liable to face criminal contempt to court charges.
Wed, May 28 10:17 PM
New Delhi, May 28 (IANS) The Supreme Court Wednesday halted a contempt of court proceeding against a judge of Uttar Pradesh lower judiciary at the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court.
While halting the contempt proceedings against Senior Civil Judge Amarjit Varma, a vacation bench comprising Justices C.K. Thakkar and L.S. Panta also issued notice to the registrar general of the high court, asking him to explain why the proceedings against the judge should not be quashed.
A Lucknow-based senior advocate, Prashant Chandra had allegedly managed to have initiated the contempt of court proceedings at the high court on the grounds that the civil judge had not disposed of a lawsuit he had filed within three months as per a high court direction.
Appearing for Varma, advocate Anoop George Chaudhary pointed out to the apex court that Chandra had managed initiation of contempt proceedings of criminal nature against the judge without mandatory permission from the state's advocate general.
The apex court stayed the contempt proceedings after Chaudhary pointed out to it the lack of this important procedural step for initiating criminal contempt of court proceedings against a judge.
Chaudhary told the apex court that Chandra earlier had moved the court of Civil Judge Varma challenging the suspension of his membership from the city's prestigious Golf Club.
Varma, however, dismissed his civil suit, finding it devoid of merit.
At this, Chandra moved the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, challenging Varma's order. The high court, in turn, remitted the matter back to the civil judge, directing him to possibly dispose the matter within three months.
But Judge Varma could not dispose it within the stipulated period.
At this, Chandra again moved the high court, seeking initiation of a civil contempt proceeding against the judge. But the high court dismissed the plea.
At this Chandra moved the high court yet again, this time for initiation of criminal contempt of court proceedings against the judge.
This time around he allegedly also concealed the fact that he had already earlier moved the high court against the civil judge for civil contempt proceedings.
A person is liable to face civil contempt of court proceeding for his inadvertent lapse in obeying the court order, while a person deliberately disobeying a court order is liable to face criminal contempt to court charges.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
How a Thriving Social Life Can Boost Lifespan
How a Thriving Social Life Can Boost Lifespan
By LINDA GEDDES
May 27, 2008
They say you are only as old as the woman (or man) you feel – now we might be closer to understanding why.
dating
Teen dating can be tough when there are allergies to contend with.
(Ebby May/Riser/Getty Images)
It has been suggested that humans and other vertebrates live longer if they have more social interactions, and now this has been verified – in fruit flies.
Chun-Fang Wu and Hongyu Ruan at the University of Iowa in Iowa City studied fruit flies with a genetic mutation that reduces their lifespan by interfering with an enzyme that mops up dangerous free radicals.
The same enzyme is implicated in age-related diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in humans.
Mutant flies that shared a home with younger flies, or non-mutants, lived longer and were more mobile than those sharing a home with similar-aged flies. They were also more resistant to the effects of extreme physical exertion, heat and oxidative stress.
Impairing the movement or activity of younger flies reduced this effect, suggesting that social interaction with the younger flies through courtship, aggression, or grooming, plays a key role in increasing the lifespan of the older flies. "Social activity is the key," says Wu.
Keeping the flies in the dark, so they could not see each other, also reduced the effect.
The next step is to unravel how these social interactions override the mutant gene at the molecular level. In doing so, Wu hopes to understand how similar interactions could benefit ageing humans.
"This study shows that the lifespan of these flies is plastic and can be conditioned by social interactions, corroborating the notion that human patients of certain age-dependant neurological diseases may be benefited by an appropriate social environment," he says.
However, Wu has studied several genes that influence lifespan in fruit flies, and not all of them can be overridden by social interaction, he says.
Provided by NewScientist.com news service © Reed Business Information
By LINDA GEDDES
May 27, 2008
They say you are only as old as the woman (or man) you feel – now we might be closer to understanding why.
dating
Teen dating can be tough when there are allergies to contend with.
(Ebby May/Riser/Getty Images)
It has been suggested that humans and other vertebrates live longer if they have more social interactions, and now this has been verified – in fruit flies.
Chun-Fang Wu and Hongyu Ruan at the University of Iowa in Iowa City studied fruit flies with a genetic mutation that reduces their lifespan by interfering with an enzyme that mops up dangerous free radicals.
The same enzyme is implicated in age-related diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's in humans.
Mutant flies that shared a home with younger flies, or non-mutants, lived longer and were more mobile than those sharing a home with similar-aged flies. They were also more resistant to the effects of extreme physical exertion, heat and oxidative stress.
Impairing the movement or activity of younger flies reduced this effect, suggesting that social interaction with the younger flies through courtship, aggression, or grooming, plays a key role in increasing the lifespan of the older flies. "Social activity is the key," says Wu.
Keeping the flies in the dark, so they could not see each other, also reduced the effect.
The next step is to unravel how these social interactions override the mutant gene at the molecular level. In doing so, Wu hopes to understand how similar interactions could benefit ageing humans.
"This study shows that the lifespan of these flies is plastic and can be conditioned by social interactions, corroborating the notion that human patients of certain age-dependant neurological diseases may be benefited by an appropriate social environment," he says.
However, Wu has studied several genes that influence lifespan in fruit flies, and not all of them can be overridden by social interaction, he says.
Provided by NewScientist.com news service © Reed Business Information
Delhi Municipal body fined for flooded streets
Blue Star
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Delhi Municipal body fined for flooded streets
New Delhi: In a first of its kind order against a civic agency, the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission on Tuesday slapped a fine of Rs 25 lakh on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for failing to prevent water logging on Delhi’s streets recently during the rain.
Taking cognisance of a series of recent reports in the Hindustan Times, the Commission expressed anger over the fact that every year the MCD “makes tall claims” of cleaning the drains spending crores of rupees. But one heavy downpour was enough to cause water logging and commuters were put to immense hardship with traffic coming to a grinding halt as experienced during the recent rain.
Bringing every citizen under the definition of “consumer” for the first time, a bench of Commission president Justice J.D. Kapoor and member Rumnitta Mittal said “the public is getting services like road, electricity and water after paying tax and therefore they are liable to be compensated for any loss, injury or mental agony owing to deficiency of service”.
The order came on a petition filed by a group of residents of Chittaranjan Park seeking an intervention to put an end to the civic agencies’ “callousness”.
Reacting to the report ‘It is money down the drain-roads clogged as MCD fails in its promise to clear drains’ and ‘Delhi roads cope with traffic nightmare’ in HT dated May 22, 2008, Justice Kapoor said, “We feel constrained to observe that year after year MCD makes tall claims of de-silting of drains but the rain god proves their claim hollow every time”.
“We find the MCD guilty of extreme deficiency of service in not discharging its obligatory functions as a result of which the city is crippled and life paralysed every time it rains,” he said.
© Copyright 2008 HT Media Ltd. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Delhi Municipal body fined for flooded streets
New Delhi: In a first of its kind order against a civic agency, the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission on Tuesday slapped a fine of Rs 25 lakh on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for failing to prevent water logging on Delhi’s streets recently during the rain.
Taking cognisance of a series of recent reports in the Hindustan Times, the Commission expressed anger over the fact that every year the MCD “makes tall claims” of cleaning the drains spending crores of rupees. But one heavy downpour was enough to cause water logging and commuters were put to immense hardship with traffic coming to a grinding halt as experienced during the recent rain.
Bringing every citizen under the definition of “consumer” for the first time, a bench of Commission president Justice J.D. Kapoor and member Rumnitta Mittal said “the public is getting services like road, electricity and water after paying tax and therefore they are liable to be compensated for any loss, injury or mental agony owing to deficiency of service”.
The order came on a petition filed by a group of residents of Chittaranjan Park seeking an intervention to put an end to the civic agencies’ “callousness”.
Reacting to the report ‘It is money down the drain-roads clogged as MCD fails in its promise to clear drains’ and ‘Delhi roads cope with traffic nightmare’ in HT dated May 22, 2008, Justice Kapoor said, “We feel constrained to observe that year after year MCD makes tall claims of de-silting of drains but the rain god proves their claim hollow every time”.
“We find the MCD guilty of extreme deficiency of service in not discharging its obligatory functions as a result of which the city is crippled and life paralysed every time it rains,” he said.
© Copyright 2008 HT Media Ltd. All rights reserved.
King Gyanendra must leave palace: Nepal govt
King Gyanendra must leave palace: Nepal govt
27 May 2008, 1126 hrs IST,REUTERS
KATHMANDU: The Nepali government warned on Tuesday that it could use force to throw unpopular King Gyanendra out of the royal palace if he refuses to leave voluntarily after the 239-year-old monarchy is abolished.
A special assembly elected in April is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Wednesday and formally declare an end to the monarchy, a key part of a 2006 peace deal with Maoist former rebels that ended a decade-long civil war.
"The king must leave the palace immediately and move to the Nirmal Niwas," Peace and Reconstruction Minister Ram Chandra Poudel said, referring to Gyanendra's private home.
"If he does not leave the palace then the government might have to use force to vacate the palace," he said. "This will not be good for him."
There was no immediate comment from the palace. Many Nepalis think that the king will quietly go after the assembly vote. Gyanendra has been living in the Narayanhity royal palace in the heart of Kathmandu since ascending the throne in 2001, but he has made no public statement over his plans.
The government has banned demonstrations around major royal sites and the assembly. But Maoists and other main political parties say they are going to take to the streets on Wednesday to celebrate the monarchy's end.
The government that includes the Maoists took over control of the royal palace after Gyanendra was forced to end his absolute rule following weeks of street protests in 2006.
Anti-monarchy Maoists emerged as the largest party in elections to the 601-member assembly in April.
Authorities posted more police outside the International Convention Centre, the venue of Wednesday's assembly meeting, after a pro-Hindu militant group set off two small bombs outside the building, officials said.
Monday's blasts did not cause any injuries but raised security concerns ahead of the historic meet.
27 May 2008, 1126 hrs IST,REUTERS
KATHMANDU: The Nepali government warned on Tuesday that it could use force to throw unpopular King Gyanendra out of the royal palace if he refuses to leave voluntarily after the 239-year-old monarchy is abolished.
A special assembly elected in April is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Wednesday and formally declare an end to the monarchy, a key part of a 2006 peace deal with Maoist former rebels that ended a decade-long civil war.
"The king must leave the palace immediately and move to the Nirmal Niwas," Peace and Reconstruction Minister Ram Chandra Poudel said, referring to Gyanendra's private home.
"If he does not leave the palace then the government might have to use force to vacate the palace," he said. "This will not be good for him."
There was no immediate comment from the palace. Many Nepalis think that the king will quietly go after the assembly vote. Gyanendra has been living in the Narayanhity royal palace in the heart of Kathmandu since ascending the throne in 2001, but he has made no public statement over his plans.
The government has banned demonstrations around major royal sites and the assembly. But Maoists and other main political parties say they are going to take to the streets on Wednesday to celebrate the monarchy's end.
The government that includes the Maoists took over control of the royal palace after Gyanendra was forced to end his absolute rule following weeks of street protests in 2006.
Anti-monarchy Maoists emerged as the largest party in elections to the 601-member assembly in April.
Authorities posted more police outside the International Convention Centre, the venue of Wednesday's assembly meeting, after a pro-Hindu militant group set off two small bombs outside the building, officials said.
Monday's blasts did not cause any injuries but raised security concerns ahead of the historic meet.
Twin Mix Up: Mistaken Woman Raised as a Twin
Hospital's Double Jeopardy for Twin Mix Up
Woman Raised as a Twin, While Real Twin Raised in Wrong Family
By DANIEL WOOLLS Associated Press Writer
MADRID, Spain May 27, 2008
Spanish twins who were separated at birth through a hospital error -- then reunited as adults through a fluke -- are suing for millions in damages, as is a third woman who grew up thinking, erroneously, that she was one of the twins, a lawyer said Tuesday.
The real twins finally met each other in 2001. The case has been working its way through the courts since 2004. A decision is expected soon on whether the three women deserve damages, said Sebastian Socorro Perdomo, a lawyer for one of the twins.
He would not release the names of any of the women, who are all 35 years old.
Socorro Perdomo said in an interview that his client is seeking $4.7 million from the government of the Canary Islands, where the error occurred in 1973 in the city of Las Palmas. The other two women are also suing, he said.
He said his client was taken out of her crib as her twin sister lay in one right next to her, mistakenly replaced by another baby girl, and ultimately raised by the family of that child.
Related
The other two girls were brought up in the mistaken belief they were twin sisters.
"It does not take a lot of effort to put yourself in the position of any of these people in order to understand the damage that has been done," Socorro Perdomo said.
Of the three, he said his client -- taken away from her twin sister and real family -- is the most devastated. "Since this discovery, her world has turned a bit upside down," he said.
"The first right of any child is the right to their own personal and family identity," he said. "In this case, that right has been violated."
The error emerged a generation later through a chance encounter at a clothing store in Las Palmas.
A friend of Socorro Perdomo's client worked in the shop. When a woman who was the spitting image of that client came in and failed to recognize the employee, the clerk was dumbfounded.
When the dead ringer came by the store a second time, the clerk began to put two and two together and arranged for the women to meet.
DNA tests proved they were identical twins, the lawyer said.
Woman Raised as a Twin, While Real Twin Raised in Wrong Family
By DANIEL WOOLLS Associated Press Writer
MADRID, Spain May 27, 2008
Spanish twins who were separated at birth through a hospital error -- then reunited as adults through a fluke -- are suing for millions in damages, as is a third woman who grew up thinking, erroneously, that she was one of the twins, a lawyer said Tuesday.
The real twins finally met each other in 2001. The case has been working its way through the courts since 2004. A decision is expected soon on whether the three women deserve damages, said Sebastian Socorro Perdomo, a lawyer for one of the twins.
He would not release the names of any of the women, who are all 35 years old.
Socorro Perdomo said in an interview that his client is seeking $4.7 million from the government of the Canary Islands, where the error occurred in 1973 in the city of Las Palmas. The other two women are also suing, he said.
He said his client was taken out of her crib as her twin sister lay in one right next to her, mistakenly replaced by another baby girl, and ultimately raised by the family of that child.
Related
The other two girls were brought up in the mistaken belief they were twin sisters.
"It does not take a lot of effort to put yourself in the position of any of these people in order to understand the damage that has been done," Socorro Perdomo said.
Of the three, he said his client -- taken away from her twin sister and real family -- is the most devastated. "Since this discovery, her world has turned a bit upside down," he said.
"The first right of any child is the right to their own personal and family identity," he said. "In this case, that right has been violated."
The error emerged a generation later through a chance encounter at a clothing store in Las Palmas.
A friend of Socorro Perdomo's client worked in the shop. When a woman who was the spitting image of that client came in and failed to recognize the employee, the clerk was dumbfounded.
When the dead ringer came by the store a second time, the clerk began to put two and two together and arranged for the women to meet.
DNA tests proved they were identical twins, the lawyer said.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Not allowed to watch TV, boy kills self
Not allowed to watch TV, boy kills self
26 May 2008, 0629 hrs IST,TNN
NEW DELHI: Addiction to television, failure to perform in examinations and father's scolding, the normal stuff in a child's life drove a 9-year-old to suicide in Budh Vihar in outer Delhi on Saturday evening.
The victim, Sanjeev Gupta, a resident of Harshved Park had failed in his class IV examinations in a government school where he studied.
According to the police, he suffered from severe myopia. The power of his spectacles in both eyes was -10. "First of all, he had failed in his examinations and then he had such weak eyes. To top it, he was watching TV from a very close distance and his father asked him to study instead. This started the entire argument," said a police official from Sultanpuri police station.
He added that the boy's father, Surinder Gupta, a junk dealer, scolded Sanjeev for performing so badly in his exams and watching TV from a close distance. When the father snatched the remote control from him, Sanjeev took the remote control back and switched on the TV on again. This angered Surinder, who slapped him twice and sent him to his room as a punishment, said a police official. "Sanjeev was so addicted to the TV that he had threatened his parents in the past that if he is not allowed to watch it, he would do something drastic," said a police official.
Later during the day, when Sanjeev's parents had gone out and his 14-year-old sister was taking a bath in the first floor bathroom, he got a rope and hung himself from the staircase railing in the house. His sister discovered his body and alerted her parents who rushed him to nearby Brahmashakti Hospital where he was declared brought dead. His body was later sent to Sanjay Gandhi hospital for a post-mortem.
toireporter@timesgroup.com
26 May 2008, 0629 hrs IST,TNN
NEW DELHI: Addiction to television, failure to perform in examinations and father's scolding, the normal stuff in a child's life drove a 9-year-old to suicide in Budh Vihar in outer Delhi on Saturday evening.
The victim, Sanjeev Gupta, a resident of Harshved Park had failed in his class IV examinations in a government school where he studied.
According to the police, he suffered from severe myopia. The power of his spectacles in both eyes was -10. "First of all, he had failed in his examinations and then he had such weak eyes. To top it, he was watching TV from a very close distance and his father asked him to study instead. This started the entire argument," said a police official from Sultanpuri police station.
He added that the boy's father, Surinder Gupta, a junk dealer, scolded Sanjeev for performing so badly in his exams and watching TV from a close distance. When the father snatched the remote control from him, Sanjeev took the remote control back and switched on the TV on again. This angered Surinder, who slapped him twice and sent him to his room as a punishment, said a police official. "Sanjeev was so addicted to the TV that he had threatened his parents in the past that if he is not allowed to watch it, he would do something drastic," said a police official.
Later during the day, when Sanjeev's parents had gone out and his 14-year-old sister was taking a bath in the first floor bathroom, he got a rope and hung himself from the staircase railing in the house. His sister discovered his body and alerted her parents who rushed him to nearby Brahmashakti Hospital where he was declared brought dead. His body was later sent to Sanjay Gandhi hospital for a post-mortem.
toireporter@timesgroup.com
Near-Death Experience: Velma Thomas comes back to life
Doctor Calls Near-Death Experience a 'Miracle'
Hospital Took Velma Thomas off Life Support -- Then She Woke Up
By GIGI STONE, TRACEY MARX and STEPHANIE DAHLE
May 24, 2008
Velma Thomas' heart stopped beating three times -- and her doctors thought she was dead.
Doctors took Velma Thomas off life support -- and then she woke up.
She was taken by ambulance to a local West Virginia hospital when her heart stopped after experiencing symptoms of a heart attack. For more than 17 hours, Thomas had no measurable brain waves, according to her doctors.
Doctors tried everything to save Thomas' life, even inducing hypothermia in an attempt to lower her body temperature and stimulate the brain.
Her family said their goodbyes and left her side at the hospital to make funeral plans.
But after medical staff took Thomas off life support, she miraculously came back to life.
"I said, 'God, just show me something,'" her nephew, Daniel Pence, told ABC News.
"There were really no signs she had neurological functions," Kevin Eggleston, an internist, told ABC News.
"There was no life there," her son, Tim Thomas, told the Charleston Daily Mail. "Her skin had already started hardening, her hands and toes were curling up."
Family Was Distraught but Hopeful
Family members made the difficult decision to take Thomas, 59, off life support.
"We just prayed and prayed and prayed," Tim Thomas told the Charleston Daily Mail, "and I came to the conclusion she wasn't going to make it. ... I felt a sense of peace that I made the right decision."
After their goodbyes, medical staff took Thomas off her respirator.
"There was no heart beat," Tim Thomas told the Daily Mail.
Family members left the hospital to make funeral arrangements.
That's when they say a miracle happened.
Ten minutes after the medical staff stopped the respirator -- while nurses were removing the tubing -- Velma Thomas woke up.
"She moved her arm, and we thought it was reflexes," Pence told ABC News.
Nurses hurried to call Tim Thomas, who was already a few miles away, on his cell phone.
They told him that his mother was moving and had a heart rate, Tim Thomas told the Daily Mail.
Velma Thomas had moved her arm and foot, then she coughed and moved her eyes. Amazingly, Thomas began speaking. By the time Tim Thomas arrived back at the hospital, his mother had already asked for him.
"She had already asked, 'Where's my son?'" he told the newspaper. "She was off everything."
Her doctors were baffled.
"There are things that physicians and nurses we can't always explain. And I think this is one of those cases," Eggleston told ABC News. (ABCNEWS)
Hospital Took Velma Thomas off Life Support -- Then She Woke Up
By GIGI STONE, TRACEY MARX and STEPHANIE DAHLE
May 24, 2008
Velma Thomas' heart stopped beating three times -- and her doctors thought she was dead.
Doctors took Velma Thomas off life support -- and then she woke up.
She was taken by ambulance to a local West Virginia hospital when her heart stopped after experiencing symptoms of a heart attack. For more than 17 hours, Thomas had no measurable brain waves, according to her doctors.
Doctors tried everything to save Thomas' life, even inducing hypothermia in an attempt to lower her body temperature and stimulate the brain.
Her family said their goodbyes and left her side at the hospital to make funeral plans.
But after medical staff took Thomas off life support, she miraculously came back to life.
"I said, 'God, just show me something,'" her nephew, Daniel Pence, told ABC News.
"There were really no signs she had neurological functions," Kevin Eggleston, an internist, told ABC News.
"There was no life there," her son, Tim Thomas, told the Charleston Daily Mail. "Her skin had already started hardening, her hands and toes were curling up."
Family Was Distraught but Hopeful
Family members made the difficult decision to take Thomas, 59, off life support.
"We just prayed and prayed and prayed," Tim Thomas told the Charleston Daily Mail, "and I came to the conclusion she wasn't going to make it. ... I felt a sense of peace that I made the right decision."
After their goodbyes, medical staff took Thomas off her respirator.
"There was no heart beat," Tim Thomas told the Daily Mail.
Family members left the hospital to make funeral arrangements.
That's when they say a miracle happened.
Ten minutes after the medical staff stopped the respirator -- while nurses were removing the tubing -- Velma Thomas woke up.
"She moved her arm, and we thought it was reflexes," Pence told ABC News.
Nurses hurried to call Tim Thomas, who was already a few miles away, on his cell phone.
They told him that his mother was moving and had a heart rate, Tim Thomas told the Daily Mail.
Velma Thomas had moved her arm and foot, then she coughed and moved her eyes. Amazingly, Thomas began speaking. By the time Tim Thomas arrived back at the hospital, his mother had already asked for him.
"She had already asked, 'Where's my son?'" he told the newspaper. "She was off everything."
Her doctors were baffled.
"There are things that physicians and nurses we can't always explain. And I think this is one of those cases," Eggleston told ABC News. (ABCNEWS)
Saturday, May 24, 2008
German Parents Post Baby on eBay for 1 Euro
German authorities take baby from parents who posted eBay ad offering to sell him for 1 euro
BERLIN May 24, 2008 (AP)
Authorities in southern Germany said Saturday they have taken custody of a 7-month-old boy after his parents posted an ad on eBay offering to sell him for one euro, the equivalent of $1.57.
Peter Hieber, a spokesman for police in the Bavarian town of Krumbach, said the baby was placed in the care of youth services in the southwestern Allgaeu region, although the child's 23-year-old mother insisted the ad was only a joke.
Authorities have launched an investigation into possible child trafficking against the baby's mother and 24-year-old father, neither of whom was identified.
"Offering my nearly new baby for sale, as it has gotten too loud. It is a male baby, nearly 28 inches (70 cm) long and can be used either in a baby carrier or a stroller," police quoted the ad as reading.
No offers were made for the child in the two hours and 30 minutes the ad was posted on Tuesday. EBay later deleted the posting, but assisted police in tracking down the parents.
Several people who saw the ad alerted police.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
German authorities take baby from parents who posted eBay ad offering to sell him for 1 euro
BERLIN May 24, 2008 (AP)
Authorities in southern Germany said Saturday they have taken custody of a 7-month-old boy after his parents posted an ad on eBay offering to sell him for one euro, the equivalent of $1.57.
Peter Hieber, a spokesman for police in the Bavarian town of Krumbach, said the baby was placed in the care of youth services in the southwestern Allgaeu region, although the child's 23-year-old mother insisted the ad was only a joke.
Authorities have launched an investigation into possible child trafficking against the baby's mother and 24-year-old father, neither of whom was identified.
"Offering my nearly new baby for sale, as it has gotten too loud. It is a male baby, nearly 28 inches (70 cm) long and can be used either in a baby carrier or a stroller," police quoted the ad as reading.
No offers were made for the child in the two hours and 30 minutes the ad was posted on Tuesday. EBay later deleted the posting, but assisted police in tracking down the parents.
Several people who saw the ad alerted police.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Appa Sherpa climbs Everest for record-breaking 18th time
'Super Sherpa' climbs Everest for record-breaking 18th time
22 May 2008, 1816 hrs IST,AFP
KATHMANDU: A 48-year-old Nepalese Sherpa broke his own world record on Thursday by conquering Mount Everest for a breathtaking eighteenth time.
Appa Sherpa, who hails from a village at the base of the world's highest peak, topped out in the early hours of the morning, the head of Nepal's Mountaineering Association said.
"Appa Sherpa summitted Everest at 5:45 am (0000 GMT) this morning. He has set the new world record as it is the eighteenth time he has got to the top," Ang Tsering Sherpa said.
"This is another proud moment for the whole mountaineering fraternity." Appa Sherpa, known as one of Nepal's "Super Sherpas" -- hardened local climbers with almost superhuman stamina -- was among 37 climbers taking advantage of the good weather to reach the summit Thursday morning. Twenty-seven others reached the peak Wednesday.
Appa's closest competition -- trailing at 15 ascents -- is 42-year-old Nepalese climber Chhewang Nima.
This spring's other aspiring recordbreakers include 75-year-old adventurer Yuichiro Miura of Japan and 77-year-old Nepalese Min Bahadur Sherchan, who are both vying to become the oldest person to conquer Everest.
Retired Japanese schoolteacher Katsusuke Yanagisawa, 71, set that record last year. The youngest climber was 15-year-old Nepalese Temba Chheri in 2001. Appa Sherpa bagged his first Everest summit in 1990, and has been making the climb into the "death zone" look like child's play ever since.
The communities living around the mountain are essential for commercial expeditions.
They lay out kilometres of ropes and prepare camps, and Appa Sherpa -- who started climbing in 1987 -- was quickly recognised as someone who foreign expeditions wanted on their team.
This year he reached the summit with the Eco Everest expedition, an international team aiming to highlight the effects of global warming in the Himalayas as well as test ecologically sound mountaineering practices.
"He wasn't planning on trying for another summit, but he joined the Eco Everest expedition as he wanted to raise awareness about melting glaciers and the fragility of the mountain environment," Ang Tsering Sherpa said.
Since it was first climbed in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the 8,848-metre (29,028-foot) mountain has been conquered more than 3,000 times.
Last year 557 people -- 254 via Nepal and 303 via Tibet -- reached the highest point on earth, which was a record.
The numbers are expected to be lower this year because of a climbing ban Nepal imposed up to May 11 to allow a protest-free path for the Chinese Olympic torch, which was carried up the northern approach to the mountain from Tibet.
22 May 2008, 1816 hrs IST,AFP
KATHMANDU: A 48-year-old Nepalese Sherpa broke his own world record on Thursday by conquering Mount Everest for a breathtaking eighteenth time.
Appa Sherpa, who hails from a village at the base of the world's highest peak, topped out in the early hours of the morning, the head of Nepal's Mountaineering Association said.
"Appa Sherpa summitted Everest at 5:45 am (0000 GMT) this morning. He has set the new world record as it is the eighteenth time he has got to the top," Ang Tsering Sherpa said.
"This is another proud moment for the whole mountaineering fraternity." Appa Sherpa, known as one of Nepal's "Super Sherpas" -- hardened local climbers with almost superhuman stamina -- was among 37 climbers taking advantage of the good weather to reach the summit Thursday morning. Twenty-seven others reached the peak Wednesday.
Appa's closest competition -- trailing at 15 ascents -- is 42-year-old Nepalese climber Chhewang Nima.
This spring's other aspiring recordbreakers include 75-year-old adventurer Yuichiro Miura of Japan and 77-year-old Nepalese Min Bahadur Sherchan, who are both vying to become the oldest person to conquer Everest.
Retired Japanese schoolteacher Katsusuke Yanagisawa, 71, set that record last year. The youngest climber was 15-year-old Nepalese Temba Chheri in 2001. Appa Sherpa bagged his first Everest summit in 1990, and has been making the climb into the "death zone" look like child's play ever since.
The communities living around the mountain are essential for commercial expeditions.
They lay out kilometres of ropes and prepare camps, and Appa Sherpa -- who started climbing in 1987 -- was quickly recognised as someone who foreign expeditions wanted on their team.
This year he reached the summit with the Eco Everest expedition, an international team aiming to highlight the effects of global warming in the Himalayas as well as test ecologically sound mountaineering practices.
"He wasn't planning on trying for another summit, but he joined the Eco Everest expedition as he wanted to raise awareness about melting glaciers and the fragility of the mountain environment," Ang Tsering Sherpa said.
Since it was first climbed in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the 8,848-metre (29,028-foot) mountain has been conquered more than 3,000 times.
Last year 557 people -- 254 via Nepal and 303 via Tibet -- reached the highest point on earth, which was a record.
The numbers are expected to be lower this year because of a climbing ban Nepal imposed up to May 11 to allow a protest-free path for the Chinese Olympic torch, which was carried up the northern approach to the mountain from Tibet.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Is Google a threat to consumer privacy.?
Michael Gottschalk/AFP/ writes:
Founded in 1998, Google runs the world’s most popular Internet search engine. For hundreds of millions of Web users, an online session starts at the Google search box. It’s a position that has given Google an outsize influence over anyone doing business on the Internet and that has allowed the company to build a hugely profitable and fast-growing online advertising system.
But Google’s ambition far exceeds the confines of Internet search and advertising. The company has an expansive interpretation of its already far-reaching corporate mission: to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. For that, Google has built a powerful network of data centers around the globe in hopes of, among other things, connecting users instantly with high-resolution satellite pictures of every corner of the earth and sky; making the entire text of books, in and out of print, available online; and becoming the leading distributor of online video through YouTube, which it acquired in 2006.
At the same time, Google has taken its advertising system offline, as it tries to capture portions of large ad markets in television, radio and newspapers. It is investing heavily in mobile phone technology to replicate its online success in the wireless world. And it has built an array of online software programs, including e-mail, word processing and spreadsheets that it hopes will become the building blocks of a new computing paradigm — one that, unlike the Microsoft-dominated PC world, will have Google at its center.
Google’s unbounded ambition, as well as what many critics say is a cavalier approach to copyrights, has put it at odds with a growing list of companies in industries ranging from Hollywood to book publishing and from telecommunications to e-commerce. And the company’s appetite for collecting vast amounts of data about its users and their online habits has prompted increasing fears that Google could become a threat to consumer privacy.
Google is known for the quirky corporate culture created by its billionaire co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, which includes a chaotic, campuslike atmosphere at its offices, where workers are pampered with free, chef-prepared food and other amenities. Part of that culture includes a principle that some critics believe will become harder for Google to uphold as it grows in size. That principle: Don’t be evil.-- Miguel Helft, Sept. 14, 2007
Founded in 1998, Google runs the world’s most popular Internet search engine. For hundreds of millions of Web users, an online session starts at the Google search box. It’s a position that has given Google an outsize influence over anyone doing business on the Internet and that has allowed the company to build a hugely profitable and fast-growing online advertising system.
But Google’s ambition far exceeds the confines of Internet search and advertising. The company has an expansive interpretation of its already far-reaching corporate mission: to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. For that, Google has built a powerful network of data centers around the globe in hopes of, among other things, connecting users instantly with high-resolution satellite pictures of every corner of the earth and sky; making the entire text of books, in and out of print, available online; and becoming the leading distributor of online video through YouTube, which it acquired in 2006.
At the same time, Google has taken its advertising system offline, as it tries to capture portions of large ad markets in television, radio and newspapers. It is investing heavily in mobile phone technology to replicate its online success in the wireless world. And it has built an array of online software programs, including e-mail, word processing and spreadsheets that it hopes will become the building blocks of a new computing paradigm — one that, unlike the Microsoft-dominated PC world, will have Google at its center.
Google’s unbounded ambition, as well as what many critics say is a cavalier approach to copyrights, has put it at odds with a growing list of companies in industries ranging from Hollywood to book publishing and from telecommunications to e-commerce. And the company’s appetite for collecting vast amounts of data about its users and their online habits has prompted increasing fears that Google could become a threat to consumer privacy.
Google is known for the quirky corporate culture created by its billionaire co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, which includes a chaotic, campuslike atmosphere at its offices, where workers are pampered with free, chef-prepared food and other amenities. Part of that culture includes a principle that some critics believe will become harder for Google to uphold as it grows in size. That principle: Don’t be evil.-- Miguel Helft, Sept. 14, 2007
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Anti-foreigner violence spreads in South Africa
Anti-foreigner violence spreads in South Africa
By Paul Simao Mon May 19, 3:57 AM ET
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A wave of xenophobic attacks spread through South African townships on Monday and mobs beat foreigners and set some ablaze in scenes reminiscent of apartheid era violence.
Two people were killed and more than two dozen shacks were torched in the Tembisa township near Johannesburg, the South African Broadcasting Corp. said. Police, struggling to restore order, said at least 13 people were killed over the weekend.
Immigrants from African neighbors are accused by many in the townships, among South Africa's poorest areas, of taking jobs and fuelling the high rate of violent crime. Local media report about 20 dead since trouble broke out a week ago.
The unrest is an embarrassment for a country that has vaunted its tolerance since the end of apartheid and an indicator of growing disaffection among South Africa's poor.
President Thabo Mbeki and ruling ANC party leader Jacob Zuma have called for an end to the violence, which threatens a new strain on an economy struggling with rising inflation, power outages and a skills shortage.
Hundreds of immigrants have taken refuge in police stations, churches and government offices.
"At the moment some of the people have been taken to the city hall as a place of safety, but some of them are still running around and do not know where to go," police spokesman Veli Nhlapo told SABC.
Police fired rubber bullets at gangs of youths, who patrolled unruly streets, armed with sticks, rocks and knives. Scores have been arrested in connection with the violence.
South African newspapers carried photos of a man who was set alight by a mob on the weekend. Callers to radio stations urged authorities to impose curfews and bring in the army to restore order in some of the most violent areas.
Among the immigrants are an estimated 3 million Zimbabweans who fled economic collapse at home. The immigrants say they more often the victims of crime than perpetrators.
The Zimbabweans, like others on the continent, have been lured by work in South Africa's mines, farms and homes, and by one of the world's most liberal immigration and refugee policies.
Aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres said the situation in the townships now amounted to a humanitarian crisis.
(Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
By Paul Simao Mon May 19, 3:57 AM ET
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A wave of xenophobic attacks spread through South African townships on Monday and mobs beat foreigners and set some ablaze in scenes reminiscent of apartheid era violence.
Two people were killed and more than two dozen shacks were torched in the Tembisa township near Johannesburg, the South African Broadcasting Corp. said. Police, struggling to restore order, said at least 13 people were killed over the weekend.
Immigrants from African neighbors are accused by many in the townships, among South Africa's poorest areas, of taking jobs and fuelling the high rate of violent crime. Local media report about 20 dead since trouble broke out a week ago.
The unrest is an embarrassment for a country that has vaunted its tolerance since the end of apartheid and an indicator of growing disaffection among South Africa's poor.
President Thabo Mbeki and ruling ANC party leader Jacob Zuma have called for an end to the violence, which threatens a new strain on an economy struggling with rising inflation, power outages and a skills shortage.
Hundreds of immigrants have taken refuge in police stations, churches and government offices.
"At the moment some of the people have been taken to the city hall as a place of safety, but some of them are still running around and do not know where to go," police spokesman Veli Nhlapo told SABC.
Police fired rubber bullets at gangs of youths, who patrolled unruly streets, armed with sticks, rocks and knives. Scores have been arrested in connection with the violence.
South African newspapers carried photos of a man who was set alight by a mob on the weekend. Callers to radio stations urged authorities to impose curfews and bring in the army to restore order in some of the most violent areas.
Among the immigrants are an estimated 3 million Zimbabweans who fled economic collapse at home. The immigrants say they more often the victims of crime than perpetrators.
The Zimbabweans, like others on the continent, have been lured by work in South Africa's mines, farms and homes, and by one of the world's most liberal immigration and refugee policies.
Aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres said the situation in the townships now amounted to a humanitarian crisis.
(Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Changing name to fight atheism
Man asks court to change his name to 'In God We Trust'
May 4 05:52 AM US/Eastern
ZION, Ill. (AP) - Steve Kreuscher wants a judge to allow him to legally change his name. He wants to be known as "In God We Trust."
Kreuscher (CROY'-shir) says the new name would symbolize the help God gave him through tough times.
The 57-year-old man also told the (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald he's worried that atheists may succeed in removing the phrase "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency.
He recalls that the phrase "God Reigns" was removed from the Zion city seal in 1992 after courts deemed it unconstitutional. Zion was founded as a theocracy—by a sect that believed the Earth was flat.
The school bus driver and amateur artist in the northern Chicago suburb says he has filed a petition to change his name in Lake County Circuit Court.
May 4 05:52 AM US/Eastern
ZION, Ill. (AP) - Steve Kreuscher wants a judge to allow him to legally change his name. He wants to be known as "In God We Trust."
Kreuscher (CROY'-shir) says the new name would symbolize the help God gave him through tough times.
The 57-year-old man also told the (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald he's worried that atheists may succeed in removing the phrase "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency.
He recalls that the phrase "God Reigns" was removed from the Zion city seal in 1992 after courts deemed it unconstitutional. Zion was founded as a theocracy—by a sect that believed the Earth was flat.
The school bus driver and amateur artist in the northern Chicago suburb says he has filed a petition to change his name in Lake County Circuit Court.
Einstein on Faith in God: 1954 letter
Belief in God 'childish,' Jews not chosen people: Einstein letter
May 13 08:24 AM US/Eastern
Albert Einstein described belief in God as "childish superstition" and said Jews were not the chosen people, in a letter to be sold in London this week, an auctioneer said Tuesday.
The father of relativity, whose previously known views on religion have been more ambivalent and fuelled much discussion, made the comments in response to a philosopher in 1954.
As a Jew himself, Einstein said he had a great affinity with Jewish people but said they "have no different quality for me than all other people".
"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.
"No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this," he wrote in the letter written on January 3, 1954 to the philosopher Eric Gutkind, cited by The Guardian newspaper.
The German-language letter is being sold Thursday by Bloomsbury Auctions in Mayfair after being in a private collection for more than 50 years, said the auction house's managing director Rupert Powell.
In it, the renowned scientist, who declined an invitation to become Israel's second president, rejected the idea that the Jews are God's chosen people.
"For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions," he said.
"And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people."
And he added: "As far as my experience goes, they are no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them."
Previously the great scientist's comments on religion -- such as "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind" -- have been the subject of much debate, used notably to back up arguments in favour of faith.
Powell said the letter being sold this week gave a clear reflection of Einstein's real thoughts on the subject. "He's fairly unequivocal as to what he's saying. There's no beating about the bush," he told AFP.
Copyright AFP 2008, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium
May 13 08:24 AM US/Eastern
Albert Einstein described belief in God as "childish superstition" and said Jews were not the chosen people, in a letter to be sold in London this week, an auctioneer said Tuesday.
The father of relativity, whose previously known views on religion have been more ambivalent and fuelled much discussion, made the comments in response to a philosopher in 1954.
As a Jew himself, Einstein said he had a great affinity with Jewish people but said they "have no different quality for me than all other people".
"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.
"No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this," he wrote in the letter written on January 3, 1954 to the philosopher Eric Gutkind, cited by The Guardian newspaper.
The German-language letter is being sold Thursday by Bloomsbury Auctions in Mayfair after being in a private collection for more than 50 years, said the auction house's managing director Rupert Powell.
In it, the renowned scientist, who declined an invitation to become Israel's second president, rejected the idea that the Jews are God's chosen people.
"For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions," he said.
"And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people."
And he added: "As far as my experience goes, they are no better than other human groups, although they are protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them."
Previously the great scientist's comments on religion -- such as "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind" -- have been the subject of much debate, used notably to back up arguments in favour of faith.
Powell said the letter being sold this week gave a clear reflection of Einstein's real thoughts on the subject. "He's fairly unequivocal as to what he's saying. There's no beating about the bush," he told AFP.
Copyright AFP 2008, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium
Friday, May 16, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Against offshoring to India
BBC journalists oppose offshoring of programming to India
Thu, May 15 09:49 AM
Journalists from south Asia working in the Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, Tamil, Bengali and Sinhala sections of the BBC World Service in London have launched a campaign to protest against offshoring of programming to the Indian sub-continent.
A series of meetings have been held between the affected journalists and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), which is supporting a union campaign against what is described as a "money-saving adventure" of the BBC management.
The offshoring involves new contracts for the London-based journalists who have been told to accept redundancy or relocate to their countries of origin in south Asia, and accept downgraded pay conditions.
Defending the move, the BBC said it had plans to have around 50 per cent of overall language service staff located closer to their audiences.
Mike Gardner, Head of Media Relations at the BBC World Service, said: "The proposed redeployments of staff to India, Pakistan and Nepal recognise the new media realities in those countries."
He added: "It aims to serve our audiences in the region better; equip those services with the qualities that will be successful in these fiercely competitive media landscapes; and use resources more efficiently."
Gardner said, it was BBC World Service's policy that its language services work closer to the audiences they serve for some time.
However, Indian and other south Asian BBC journalists said that the redeployment would "dismantle a broadcasting service that is the envy of the world". They added that it would affect their working and the lives of their families.
Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the NUJ, said after a meeting with BBC's south Asian journalists on Wednesday evening: "We are committed to opposing these offshoring plans which are ill-founded and put at threat not just jobs but editorial quality, integrity and the future of the world service".
Dear said the plans which would have a fundamental impact on staff and their families were conceived without proper consultation and were in breach of agreements, which should worry staff across all BBC services.
"It is unacceptable that staff should be faced with the kind of choices - offshore or go - the BBC are seeking to impose... We're not against new staff, not against being closer to listeners across the sub-continent. We are against jobs being cut, offshored and outsourced to meet artificial budget restrictions.
"We're not against additional resources and staff - we are against seeking to get work on the cheap," he said.
Gardner noted that there was a rapidly changing media environment and highly competitive market both for radio and on-line in all parts of the world.
"This presents the BBC with new challenges, but also opportunities. It means the BBC can work closer with our local FM partner stations that deliver around one-third of our 183 million listeners a week and allows us to respond more rapidly to changing local media market conditions." According to Arjum Wajid of the BBC Urdu Service, the offshoring process started three years ago when Hindi programming was progressively shifted from Bush House, London, to New Delhi. This included the Hindi online service.
In 2007 end, staff of the Hindi Service was reportedly told that 80 per cent of the programming would be moved to India, while the Urdu Service staff learnt that 50 per cent programming would move to Islamabad.
Thu, May 15 09:49 AM
Journalists from south Asia working in the Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, Tamil, Bengali and Sinhala sections of the BBC World Service in London have launched a campaign to protest against offshoring of programming to the Indian sub-continent.
A series of meetings have been held between the affected journalists and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), which is supporting a union campaign against what is described as a "money-saving adventure" of the BBC management.
The offshoring involves new contracts for the London-based journalists who have been told to accept redundancy or relocate to their countries of origin in south Asia, and accept downgraded pay conditions.
Defending the move, the BBC said it had plans to have around 50 per cent of overall language service staff located closer to their audiences.
Mike Gardner, Head of Media Relations at the BBC World Service, said: "The proposed redeployments of staff to India, Pakistan and Nepal recognise the new media realities in those countries."
He added: "It aims to serve our audiences in the region better; equip those services with the qualities that will be successful in these fiercely competitive media landscapes; and use resources more efficiently."
Gardner said, it was BBC World Service's policy that its language services work closer to the audiences they serve for some time.
However, Indian and other south Asian BBC journalists said that the redeployment would "dismantle a broadcasting service that is the envy of the world". They added that it would affect their working and the lives of their families.
Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the NUJ, said after a meeting with BBC's south Asian journalists on Wednesday evening: "We are committed to opposing these offshoring plans which are ill-founded and put at threat not just jobs but editorial quality, integrity and the future of the world service".
Dear said the plans which would have a fundamental impact on staff and their families were conceived without proper consultation and were in breach of agreements, which should worry staff across all BBC services.
"It is unacceptable that staff should be faced with the kind of choices - offshore or go - the BBC are seeking to impose... We're not against new staff, not against being closer to listeners across the sub-continent. We are against jobs being cut, offshored and outsourced to meet artificial budget restrictions.
"We're not against additional resources and staff - we are against seeking to get work on the cheap," he said.
Gardner noted that there was a rapidly changing media environment and highly competitive market both for radio and on-line in all parts of the world.
"This presents the BBC with new challenges, but also opportunities. It means the BBC can work closer with our local FM partner stations that deliver around one-third of our 183 million listeners a week and allows us to respond more rapidly to changing local media market conditions." According to Arjum Wajid of the BBC Urdu Service, the offshoring process started three years ago when Hindi programming was progressively shifted from Bush House, London, to New Delhi. This included the Hindi online service.
In 2007 end, staff of the Hindi Service was reportedly told that 80 per cent of the programming would be moved to India, while the Urdu Service staff learnt that 50 per cent programming would move to Islamabad.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Shaukat Hussain Guru's plea rejected by Supreme Court
Supreme Court rejects Shaukat plea for release
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to entertain a writ petition filed by Shaukat Hussain Guru for his release. Guru was convicted and sentenced to 10-year imprisonment in the Parliament attack case.
He contended that his continued detention was in violation of his fundamental right.
A Bench consisting of Justices P.P. Naolekar and V.S. Sirpurkar said: “We do not find any ground to entertain the petition under Article 32 of the Constitution [filing a petition directly in the apex court].
“Moreover, for granting the relief prayed for, it is necessary to set aside the judgment delivered by a Division Bench of this court confirmed by dismissal of the review petition as also of the curative petition, which cannot be granted.”
In his petition, Shaukat alleged that though he was not charged under Section 123 of the Indian Penal Code (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war), he was convicted of that offence.
No opportunity
He had no opportunity of being heard on this charge and there was nothing in the charge sheet or in the evidence put to him.
It was argued that the apex court could correct its order if there was miscarriage of justice.
The Bench said: “It is settled law that a judgment of this court cannot be assailed invoking Article 32.
“This court has held that to prevent abuse of its process and to cure a gross miscarriage of justice, it may reconsider its judgment,” subject to the petitioner meeting certain requirements for exercising such a jurisdiction.
Mr. Justice Naolekar, writing the judgment, said the court had already held that the evidence on record justified the conviction of Shaukat under Section 123 of the IPC.
The Bench pointed out that the review petition in which he had taken the same stand was rejected by this court.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to entertain a writ petition filed by Shaukat Hussain Guru for his release. Guru was convicted and sentenced to 10-year imprisonment in the Parliament attack case.
He contended that his continued detention was in violation of his fundamental right.
A Bench consisting of Justices P.P. Naolekar and V.S. Sirpurkar said: “We do not find any ground to entertain the petition under Article 32 of the Constitution [filing a petition directly in the apex court].
“Moreover, for granting the relief prayed for, it is necessary to set aside the judgment delivered by a Division Bench of this court confirmed by dismissal of the review petition as also of the curative petition, which cannot be granted.”
In his petition, Shaukat alleged that though he was not charged under Section 123 of the Indian Penal Code (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war), he was convicted of that offence.
No opportunity
He had no opportunity of being heard on this charge and there was nothing in the charge sheet or in the evidence put to him.
It was argued that the apex court could correct its order if there was miscarriage of justice.
The Bench said: “It is settled law that a judgment of this court cannot be assailed invoking Article 32.
“This court has held that to prevent abuse of its process and to cure a gross miscarriage of justice, it may reconsider its judgment,” subject to the petitioner meeting certain requirements for exercising such a jurisdiction.
Mr. Justice Naolekar, writing the judgment, said the court had already held that the evidence on record justified the conviction of Shaukat under Section 123 of the IPC.
The Bench pointed out that the review petition in which he had taken the same stand was rejected by this court.
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