Mexico's former ruling party distances itself from ex-governor accused of drug links
Wed, 23 May 2012 19:24:14 GMT
Mexico's former ruling party said Wednesday it will suspend the party membership of a former governor accused of accepting millions of dollars in bribes from drug cartels.
Mexico's former ruling party said Wednesday it will suspend the party membership of a former governor accused of accepting millions of dollars in bribes from drug cartels.
The Institutional Revolutionary Party said the former governor of the border state of Tamaulipas, Tomas Yarrington, will be suspended until the accusations are cleared up. The party, known as the PRI, held Mexico's presidency without interruption from 1929 to 2000, and continues to govern most Mexican states.
"The PRI calls upon Mr. Yarrington to fully cooperate with the appropriate authorities to clear up the acts of which he is accused," the party said in a news release. "Mr. Yarrington should face his personal responsibility ... Where illegal acts are proved, the law should be fully applied."
The party in the past has often been accused of protecting governors against charges of corruption and malfeasance, and only two former governors — one of them a PRI member — have been arrested in recent memory.
Yarrington served as governor from 1999 to 2004 in a state considered the home turf of the Gulf cartel.
Yarrington has not been charged with any crime, but U.S. federal prosecutors filed two civil forfeiture cases Tuesday seeking to seize more than $7 million in properties Yarrington or his associates allegedly bought in Texas. U.S. authorities are trying to confiscate a condominium in South Padre Island and a 46-acre property in San Antonio.
Yarrington's lawyer, Joel Androphy, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Yarrington does not own the properties in question and is innocent of the allegations. Androphy suggested that other targets of federal investigations have implicated the ex-governor to improve their own situations.
"Obviously desperate people say desperate things and obviously there are desperate people using his name for some sort of their own personal gain and that is just not true," Androphy said.
Yarrington was mentioned earlier this year in the federal indictment of Antonio Pena Arguelles, who was charged with money laundering in San Antonio. That indictment alleges that leaders of the Gulf and Zetas cartels paid millions to PRI members, including Yarrington.
An affidavit filed in that case said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had obtained ledgers documenting millions of dollars in payments to Yarrington's representatives. It accused Pena of using U.S. bank accounts to funnel millions to Yarrington from leaders of the Gulf and the Zetas. Confidential informants said the money was to buy political influence in Tamaulipas.
Also Wednesday, Mexico's federal Attorney General's Office said it had extradited an alleged top operator for the Beltran Leyva cartel to the United States, to face a federal indictment in a Texas district court on drug trafficking and money laundering charges.
Mexican marines captured suspect Sergio Villarreal Barragan, a presumed leader of the embattled Beltran Leyva cartel and one of the country's most-wanted fugitives, in a raid in the central state of Puebla in September 2010. He was turned over to U.S. authorities Tuesday.
Known as "El Grande," or "The Big One," because of his size, Villarreal Barragan had been a government witness following his arrest, according to an employee of the attorney general's office who was not authorized to speak on the record. The employee said Villarreal Barragan had been one of the witnesses whose testimony was used to detain four high-ranking Mexican army officers, including three generals, on suspicion of aiding the Beltran Leyva cartel.
All of the officers are being held under a form of house arrest and have not yet been charged. The lawyers for two of the generals said their clients are innocent and their rights have been violated during their detention.
British television presenter says Piers Morgan told him how to hack a phone
Wed, 23 May 2012 19:22:25 GMT
A prominent British TV presenter said Wednesday that CNN talk show host Piers Morgan gave him a primer on phone hacking, a revelation that suggests he knew a fair amount about how the shady prac...
A prominent British TV presenter said Wednesday that CNN talk show host Piers Morgan gave him a primer on phone hacking, a revelation that suggests he knew a fair amount about how the shady practice was carried out.
BBC quiz show host and television news presenter Jeremy Paxman told a media ethics inquiry that Morgan delivered his warning over lunch at the headquarters of the Mirror newspaper, which he was then editing, in 2002.
Paxman said that Morgan "turned to me and said, 'Have you got a mobile phone?'"
"I said, 'yes,' and he asked if there was a security setting on the message bit of it. ... I didn't know what he was talking about.
"He then explained the way to get access to people's messages was to go to the factory default setting and press either 0000 or 1234 and that if you didn't put on your own code, (in) his words, 'You're a fool.'"
Paxman testified before Lord Justice Brian Leveson, who is sifting through the fallout of the scandal over unethical and illegal behavior at Rupert Murdoch's News of the World newspaper, which Morgan briefly edited before moving to the Mirror.
Journalists at the now-defunct tabloid routinely hacked phones to get stories, bypassing weak security to illegally eavesdrop on private conversations of politicians, celebrities, sports stars, and other public figures.
The scandal that erupted when the full extent of such practices was exposed last year has rocked Britain's establishment, leading to the arrest of dozens of people and casting a harsh light on relations among the press, politicians, and the police.
Morgan testified before Leveson late last year, suggesting he'd only been aware of phone hacking in general terms.
Quizzed repeatedly about statements he'd made suggesting that many in the British newspaper business were involved in phone hacking, Morgan claimed that he'd merely been repeating gossip he picked off the industry's rumor mill.
"I wasn't aware that it was widely prevalent in any specific form," he said in December, going on to explain that he was unaware of the details of what British journalists nicknamed "the dark arts." The CNN star has repeatedly denied having ever hacked a phone or knowingly run material obtained by phone hacking.
Morgan didn't immediately answer questions about Paxman's testimony sent via email, but he took to Twitter to make light of the development.
"Right — that's the last time I'm inviting Jeremy Paxman to lunch," Morgan wrote. "Ungrateful little wretch."
Links between media and senior politicians are expected to come under scrutiny on Thursday, when the disgraced former aide to Olympics Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Adam Smith, is due to testify before Leveson. Smith resigned after email and text messages published by the inquiry showed him exchanging too-friendly emails with Murdoch lobbyist Frederic Michel, who was pressing Hunt's department to help ease the media mogul's multi-billion pound (dollar) bid for U.K. satellite broadcaster BSkyB.
Michel is also due to testify Thursday. Hunt's most senior civil servant, Jonathan Stephens, is due to testify Friday. Hunt is due to testify separately at a later date.
Pressure mounts on European leaders to solve Greek crisis, boost growth, ensure stability
Wed, 23 May 2012 19:12:47 GMT
Europe's leaders gather in Brussels under mounting pressure to soften their tough-love approach to the weaker economies among them. With Greece locked in political chaos, much bigger Spain warns...
Europe's leaders gather in Brussels under mounting pressure to soften their tough-love approach to the weaker economies among them. With Greece locked in political chaos, much bigger Spain warns it can't keep afloat without help, as stock markets around the world tank over fears the leaders won't have the political will to act.
The summit will have to fight multiple fires: political uncertainty in Greece that could see it renege on commitments made to secure rescue loans; rising borrowing costs in Spain and Italy that could force them to seek bailouts; and sluggish growth across the region exacerbated by budget cuts meant to reassure markets about high debt levels.
"What we need is a decisive plan for Greece, and we need decisive plans to help get the European economies moving," British Prime Minister David Cameron said as he headed into the summit of leaders of the 27 countries that make up the EU, which includes the 17-member eurozone.
"But if we're not going to keep coming back and back to meetings like this we also need to deal with some of the longer-term issues at the heart of running successful single currency, having a bank that gets behind that single currency, having coherent long-term plans to make sure that single currency is coherent," he said.
Leaders have said that everything will be on the table, including a discussion about whether 17 countries that use the euro should borrow money jointly — issuing so-called "eurobonds."
But expectations were low for agreement on concrete measures to boost growth and stability in the eurozone. Europe's main stock indexes plunged more than 2 percent. The euro fell 0.8 percent to $1.2561, its lowest in nearly two years.
On Tuesday, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development became the latest body to warn that the eurozone is at risk of falling into a "severe recession" and suggest that it slow the pace of austerity, or cost-cutting measures, in some countries.
That's exactly what many in Greece are asking for. The country has undertaken massive spending cuts and tax hikes to slash its deficit and rein in its debt — and in exchange for the bailout loans that help keep it paying the bills. But Greece is now in its fifth year of recession, and many argue the country cannot hope for a recovery if it sticks to the deal.
In a recent election, neither of Greece's two main parties, both of which support the bailout deal, fared well. Instead, minor parties that are threatening to renege on those commitments saw their popularity surge. A new round of elections is set for June 17.
It is now a question of who will blink first. If the Greeks pick an anti-bailout government and renege on the terms of the bailout, the country could be forced into a messy exit of the euro. That could irreparably fracture the common currency.
Some European countries are already hinting that Greece should be given better terms. Both the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have said the pace of austerity measures should be slowed in some countries to reduce the risk of severe recession.
European Union leaders are nonetheless presenting a united front and leaving it up to the Greek people to decide their future in Europe.
"Greece has to make an important choice on June 16, and their choice has to be European," French President Francois Hollande said as he headed into Wednesday's meeting. "France wants that the Greeks stay in the eurozone, and the Greeks must respect their commitments. At the same time, the eurozone must show it supports Greece."
That question will no doubt be central to Wednesday's discussions, although little is expected from the meeting — which is technically only meant to set up a summit in late June.
Slow growth and uncertainty over Greece is making things worse for other struggling eurozone countries, like Spain, whose borrowing rates are high — and rising — because of fears that its government finances might be overwhelmed by the costs of rescuing its ailing banking sector.
In a meeting early Wednesday with Hollande, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy warned that his country couldn't continue much longer with its current high borrowing rates. High borrowing rates are at the heart of Europe's crisis and are what caused Greece, Ireland and Portugal to seek bailouts.
"Europe has to come up with an answer," Rajoy said in Paris. "It is a must, because we cannot go on like this for a long time, with large differences when it comes to financing ourselves."
Rajoy suggested the European Central Bank resume some of its emergency measures, such as buying the bonds of weak countries, which has the impact of lowering countries' borrowing rates. The ECB has suspended the purchases because, as an independent body, it does not want to be seen supporting governments directly. Instead, it has given European banks massive amounts of cheap loans to bolster confidence in the financial system.
Leaders will also be addressing ways to buoy growth, like unleashing unused EU funds, increasing the financing of the European Investment Bank, which could then give loans to companies, and issuing "project bonds," debt that would be invested in large infrastructure projects.
Hollande said at his meeting with Rajoy that he will formally propose so-called eurobonds — debt issued jointly by eurozone countries — at Wednesday's summit.
Such bonds would distribute the risk of debt across the whole eurozone. That would mean every country would borrow at the same rate — giving financially weak countries a huge discount over their current rates. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is staunchly opposed to such a move because it would reduce the pressure on heavily indebted governments to heal their finances.
"I believe that they are not a contribution to foster growth in the eurozone because the very similar interest rates which we had over many years, have basically led to grave wrong developments," she said as she headed into Wednesday's meeting.
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Raf Casert in Brussels, Thomas Adamson and Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Geir Moulson and Juergen Baetz in Berlin and Daniel Woolls in Madrid contributed to this report.
Egyptians choose among Islamists and ex-regime figures in first free presidential election
Wed, 23 May 2012 19:09:39 GMT
More than 15 months after autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak's ouster, Egyptians streamed to polling stations Wednesday to freely choose a president for the first time in generations. Waiting hours...
More than 15 months after autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak's ouster, Egyptians streamed to polling stations Wednesday to freely choose a president for the first time in generations. Waiting hours in line, some debated to the last minute over their vote in a historic election pitting old regime figures against ascending Islamists.
A sense of amazement at having a choice in the Arab world's first truly competitive presidential election pervaded the crowds in line. At the same time, voters were fervent with expectations over where a new leader will take a country that has been in turmoil ever since its ruler for nearly 30 years was toppled by mass protests.
Some backed Mubarak-era veterans, believing they can bring stability after months of rising crime, a crumbling economy and bloody riots. Others were horrified by the thought, believing the "feloul" — or "remnants" of the regime — will keep Egypt locked in dictatorship and thwart democracy.
Islamists, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, saw their chance to lead a country where they were repressed for decades and to implement their version of Islamic law. Their critics recoiled, fearing theocracy.
"You can't tell me, 'Vote for this or else you're a sinner!'" Wael Ramadan argued with an Islamist-backer in line at a polling station in the impoverished Cairo neighborhood of Basateen. "We never said that," protested the man. "Yes, you did," Ramadan shot back.
"The revolution changed a lot, for good and bad," Ramadan, a 40-year-old employee at a mobile phone company, said afterward. "The good thing is all this freedom. We are here and putting up with the trouble of waiting in line for electing a president. My vote matters ... Now we want a president who has a vision."
A field of 13 candidates is running in Wednesday and Thursday's voting. The two-day first run is not expected to produce an outright winner, so a runoff between the two top vote-getters will be held June 16-17. The winner will be announced June 21. Around 50 million people are eligible to vote. Turnout so far appeared moderate, and Wednesday's vote was extended another hour.
An Islamist victory will likely mean a greater emphasis on religion in government. The Muslim Brotherhood, which already dominates parliament, says it won't mimic Saudi Arabia and force women to wear veils or implement harsh punishments like amputations. But it says it does want to implement a more moderate version of Islamic law, which liberals fear will mean limitations on many rights.
Many of the candidates have called for amendments in Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel, which remains deeply unpopular. None is likely to dump it, but a victory by any of the Islamist or leftist candidates in the race could mean strained ties with Israel and a stronger stance in support of the Palestinians in the peace process. The candidates from the Mubarak's regime — and, ironically, the Brotherhood, which has already held multiple talks with U.S. officials — are most likely to maintain the alliance with the United States.
The real election battle is between four front-runners.
The main Islamist contenders are Mohammed Morsi of the powerful Brotherhood and Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh, a moderate Islamist whose inclusive platform has won him the support of some liberals, leftists and minority Christians.
The two secular front-runners are both veterans of Mubarak's regime — former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq and former foreign minister Amr Moussa.
A major worry is whether either side will accept victory by the other. Many Islamists have warned of new protests if Shafiq wins, saying his victory could only come from fraud. Some believe the ruling military is determined to see Shafiq, a former air force commander, win.
"Over my dead body will Shafiq or Moussa win. Why not just bring back Mubarak?" said Saleh Zeinhom, a merchant backing Abolfotoh. "I'm certain we'll have a bloodbath after the elections cause the military council won't hand power to anyone but Shafiq."
So far, there were only a few reports of violations of election rules Wednesday, mainly candidates' backers campaigning near polling stations — though observers said it was far less than during parliament voting. In some villages around Cairo on Wednesday, Brotherhood backers were seen whispering Morsi's name to voters in line.
Along with several Egyptian groups, three international monitoring organizations, including the U.S.'s Carter Center, were observing the vote, along with multiple Egyptian groups. Former President Jimmy Carter, the center's head, visited a polling station in the ancient Cairo district of Sayeda Aisha.
The election's winner will face a monumental task. The economy has been sliding. Crime has increased. Labor strikes have proliferated.
And the political turmoil is far from over. The military, which took power after Mubarak's fall on Feb. 11, 2011, has promised to hand authority to the election winner by the end of June. But many fear it will try to maintain considerable political say. The fundamentals of Mubarak's police state remain in place, including the powerful security forces.
"The pressure will continue. We won't sleep. People have finally woken up. Whoever the next president is, we won't leave him alone," said Ahmed Maher of the group April 6, a key architect of the 18-day uprising against Mubarak.
The country must still write a new constitution to define the president's powers. That was supposed to be done already, but was delayed after Islamists tried to dominate the constitution-writing panel, prompting a backlash that scuttled the process for the moment.
The Muslim Brotherhood is hoping for a Morsi victory to cap their political rise, after parliament elections last year gave them nearly half the legislature's seats.
In the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, microbuses run by the Brotherhood ferried women supporters to the polls in the poor neighborhood of Abu Suleiman, one of the group's strongholds. The women, in conservative headscarves or covered head to toe in black robes and veils that hid their faces, filed into the station.
"I want to give the Brotherhood a chance to rule," said Aida Ibrahim, a veteran Brotherhood member helping voters find their station. "If it doesn't work, they will be held accountable," she said.
Some Brotherhood supporters cited the group's years of providing charity to the poor — including reduced-price meat, and free medical care. "Whoever fills the tummy gets the vote," said Naima Badawi, a housewife sitting on her doorstep watching voters in Abu Sir, one of the many farming villages near the Pyramids being sucked into Cairo's urban sprawl.
But some who backed the Brotherhood in the parliament election late last year have since been turned off.
In many places, the argument went right up to the doorsteps of the schools where voting was held. In the village of Ikhsas, outside Cairo, a group of neighbors got into a friendly but frank debate outside the polling station.
"I voted Brotherhood for parliament but I find they are inflexible in their opinions and want to take everything. I can't now find them in the country's top job," Bassem Saber, a 31-year-old accountant dressed in the traditional local robes, told the circle of men. He now backs Abolfotoh, who was ejected from the Brotherhood last year.
Khaled el-Zeini, a Brotherhood backer, said people were being unfair because the military blocked the group's majority in parliament from forming a government.
"We loved them and wanted them but we realized they are all about monopolizing power," Fares Kamel, a local trader, interjected, referring to the Brothers.
The secular young democracy activists behind the anti-Mubarak uprising have been at a loss, with no solid candidate reflecting their views.
In Cairo, 27-year-old Ali Ragab supports a leftist, Hamdeen Sabahi — because the poor "should get a voice" — but he admitted Sabahi didn't stand much of a chance.
He said his father and his father's friends were voting for Shafiq, thinking he will restore security. "I'm afraid Shafiq would mean another Mubarak for 30 more years."
For most of his rule, Mubarak — like his predecessors for the past 60 years — ran unopposed in yes-or-no referendums. Fraud guaranteed ruling party victories in parliamentary elections. Even when Mubarak let challengers oppose him in 2005 elections, he trounced his liberal rival and then jailed him.
Two weeks from now, a court is due to issue its verdict on Mubarak, 84, on trial on charges of complicity in the killing of some 900 protesters during the uprising. He also faces corruption charges, along with his two sons, one-time heir apparent Gamal and wealthy businessman Alaa.
The feeling of choosing at long last was overwhelming for some voters.
Medhat Ibrahim, 58, who suffers from cancer, waited in line at a Cairo poll.
"I might die in a matter of months. So I came for my children, so they can live," he said, breaking into tears. "We want to live better, like human beings."
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Associated Press writer Aya Batrawy contributed to this report from Alexandria, Egypt.
Strike brings to a near halt subway system in Brazil's biggest city
Wed, 23 May 2012 19:07:14 GMT
Subway workers went on strike in Brazil's biggest city on Wednesday, halting a system used daily by more than 4 million people and snarling the city's already difficult traffic.
Subway workers went on strike in Brazil's biggest city on Wednesday, halting a system used daily by more than 4 million people and snarling the city's already difficult traffic.
Ciro Morais, a spokesman for the subway workers union, said 8,000 of the city's nearly 9,000 subway workers walked off their jobs to demand a 20 percent pay hike. The public company in charge of the subway said in a statement it has offered a wage hike of 7 percent.
Morais said a few trains were operating because the company deployed non-striking workers and managers to run some stations.
The Sao Paulo Metro Company said by telephone it did not yet know how many people were affected by the strike, but the city's normally traffic-clogged streets and avenues became even more congested as more people used their cars or rode the city's overcrowded bus transportation system.
Adilanta Fereira, 23, said she lives far away from the restaurant where she works on Sao Paulo's Avenida Paulista in the central part of the city and the strike turned her morning commute into a nightmare.
"Normally I have to take two different buses to get to work and it takes about 90 minutes each way," she said as she handed out fliers on the street for the restaurant where she works. "Today it took three hours, I was late for work, and I have no idea how long it'll take me to get home."
Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse angry subway users who for more than an hour blocked a station to protest the strike. Local news media said two people were briefly detained and one woman was slightly injured when she fell to the ground.
On Tuesday, a labor court ruled that all workers should be at their jobs during rush hours and that at least 85 percent of them had to work during the rest of the day. The court said that failure to obey would result in a daily $50,000 fine against the union. Morais said the fine would not deter workers from remaining on strike.
Public transportation in six other cities has been practically paralyzed for the past week as in separate strike by subway workers, bus drivers and commuter train operators.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visits Russian cattle farm where US cowboys are working
Wed, 23 May 2012 18:54:01 GMT
Russia's prime minister paid a visit Wednesday to a farm that has imported cattle from the United States and also some American cowboys to help the Russians develop their struggling meat industr...
Russia's prime minister paid a visit Wednesday to a farm that has imported cattle from the United States and also some American cowboys to help the Russians develop their struggling meat industry.
Dmitry Medvedev chatted with a couple of the cowboys, including one in a broad-brimmed black hat from the U.S. state of Idaho, who introduced the prime minister to his wife and young son.
Medvedev, the former president, asked the American in English whether he had managed to learn to speak any Russian.
The man, who was not identified in television reports on the visit, said that other than "please" and "thank you," the most important words in his Russian vocabulary were those needed for taking care of the cattle: "open the gate" and "close the gate."
The farm in the southwestern Bryansk region has more than 7,000 head of Aberdeen Angus cattle, many of them imported from the United States. At least four U.S. cowboys work on the farm, where they use American horses to herd the black cattle.
The Miratorg holding company, which operates the farm Medvedev visited and others in the Bryansk region, said it imported 5,500 head of the black cattle from the United States in January. Two previous shipments within the past year came from Australia.
The company also imported 57 American Quarter Horses, the breed used on ranches throughout the United States.
During a meeting at the farm with the Bryansk governor and other officials, Medvedev said Russia was committed to reducing its dependence on imported beef.
Voices of Egyptian voters casting ballots in country's first free presidential election
Wed, 23 May 2012 18:49:25 GMT
Egyptians cast their ballots Wednesday in the first free presidential election in the country's history.
Egyptians cast their ballots Wednesday in the first free presidential election in the country's history. The winner will replace longtime authoritarian President Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in an 18-day uprising last year. Voters in Egypt offered some of their thoughts on the candidates and the election:
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"We came to elect the man who implements Shariah (Islamic law). But I am afraid of liberals, secularists, Christians. I am afraid of their reaction if an Islamist wins. They won't let it go easily. But God be with us." — Um Amdel Rahman, veiled 33-year-old woman voting in middle class Cairo neighborhood of Umraniya.
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"All the election programs are just dreams. The country is going under. We need a president that implements justice and brings back security. Bottom line." — Essam el-Khateeb, a government employee in Cairo who voted for Ahmed Shafiq.
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"I have no money in my pocket. If I had a pound in my wallet, I'd feed my family first. ... I have no candidate in this race. The poor person is always last." — Ismail Ibrahim, 52-year-old unemployed father of two in Alexandria's Abu Suleiman district.
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"My life is very hard. I am a farmer who collects grass for the cows. We don't want a corrupt president who swallows our money but one who lifts the hardship we live under. ... . They (the Muslim Brotherhood) bring medical convoys to treat us, why should I not vote for them." — Souad Abdel-Tawab, farmer in her 60s in poor district of Abu Seer in Giza, explaining why she voted for Mohammed Morsi.
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"God be with the new president. There will be 85 million eyes monitoring him. There will be new rules for everything, whoever the winner is. Even if Mubarak himself won and came back, he can't rule us the same old way. There will be no more theft. If they try, Tahrir Square is there." — Zaki Mohammed, a teacher in his 40s.
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"We must all come out to have democracy. Whoever abstains will regret it later. ... We had the biggest pharaoh of them all (Mubarak). Now we will elect a good man. He will face many problems. God help him." — Ibrahim Ali, 74-year-old who voted for Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh.
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"I voted for the Brotherhood in parliament elections. Now they want to control religious tourism, this is what I got from them. The parliament has failed." — Salah Ali, tourism agent.
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"I want to give the Brotherhood a chance to rule, and if it doesn't work they will be held accountable." — Aida Ibrahim, veiled mother of five and volunteer teacher of the Quran and Arabic. Voted for Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi.
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"For any new face, it will be difficult for them. ... Mubarak's era had its good and bad things. Let us try this one. I prayed to God and asked him what I should do and this is what I got. " — Wafaa Fayez, 36-year-old Cairo housewife, explaining why she voted for Ahmed Shafiq.
Report: Iranian protesters seek return of local singer hiding in Germany
Wed, 23 May 2012 18:43:24 GMT
Iran's official news agency says protesters in front of the German Embassy in Tehran are seeking return of an Iranian-born singer who went into hiding after receiving death threats.
Iran's official news agency says protesters in front of the German Embassy in Tehran are seeking return of an Iranian-born singer who went into hiding after receiving death threats.
Singer Shahin Najafi allegedly insulted a Shiite Muslim saint.
The Wednesday report by IRNA said the protesters also demanded that Germany apologize for hosting the singer, who has lived in Germany since 2005.
They called the singer an apostate.
The threats began after comments by religious authorities in Iran were taken to mean the singer insulted Islam with a song meant to be humorous.
Najafi first contacted German police about the threats May 8. A day later, an anonymous person posting on a Persian-language website put a $100,000 price on his head.
UN: Fukushima workers' deaths not from radiation
Wed, 23 May 2012 18:36:54 GMT
A year after an earthquake and tsunami triggered the Fukushima disaster, a United Nations agency preparing a report on the health effects says none of the six former reactor workers who have died since the catastrophe perished due to the effects of radiation
A year after an earthquake and tsunami triggered the Fukushima disaster, a United Nations agency preparing a report on the health effects says none of the six former reactor workers who have died since the catastrophe perished due to the effects of radiation.
The U.N. Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation said Wednesday that although several workers at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant were irradiated after contamination of their skin "no clinically observable effects have been reported."
UNSCEAR Chairman Wolfgang Weiss said in a statement that the agency is aiming to evaluate irradiation levels for about 2 million people living in Fukushima prefecture at the time of the March 11 reactor accident.
He said UNSCEAR, which plans to report to the U.N. General Assembly next year, also has information about measurements made on the thyroids of over 1,000 children in the region.
The World Health Organization said Wednesday that several areas near the plant had radiation above cancer-causing levels, but most of the nation did not.
In a 124-page report, it added that neighboring countries had levels similar to normal background radiation and for the rest of the world there was some minor exposure through food.
The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency has previously confirmed that radiation levels in some Japanese milk and vegetables reached significantly higher levels than Japan allows for consumption.
Member of new French President Hollande's government convicted of insulting company managers
Wed, 23 May 2012 18:15:37 GMT
A Paris court has convicted a member of new French President Francois Hollande's government for publicly insulting the management of a ferry company, but only fined him 4 euros ($5).
A Paris court has convicted a member of new French President Francois Hollande's government for publicly insulting the management of a ferry company, but only fined him 4 euros ($5).
Arnaud Montebourg, an anti-globalization firebrand and minister for industrial recovery, said in a newspaper interview last year that the directors of cross-Channel ferry operator SeaFrance were "crooks." Loss-making SeaFrance, which had hundreds of employees, halted operations last year.
The Paris court on Wednesday convicted Montebourg of "public insult." The fine will go to four SeaFrance directors.
Montebourg has said his comments did not overstep any bounds, but members of the conservative UMP party called for Montebourg's resignation.
The conviction is an embarrassment for Hollande's new government, which signed an unprecedented ethics charter when it took office last week.
