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LOS ANGELES – A blogger who admitted to leaking part of the Guns N' Roses album "Chinese Democracy" was sentenced to a year of probation on Monday.
U.S. District Magistrate Judge Paul L. Abrams also ordered Kevin Cogill to serve two months of home confinement, subject his computers to government scrutiny and record a public service announcement for the Recording Industry Association of America.
Cogill pleaded guilty earlier this year to one misdemeanor count of copyright infringement for posting nine tracks from the long-awaited Guns 'N Roses album last year.
Cogill apologized for his actions in court Tuesday and said he didn't mean any harm by posting the tracks online.
"I never intended to hurt the artist," Cogill told Abrams. "I intended to promote the artist because I'm a fan."
Abrams noted that Cogill is an artist, and should have known better.
A federal prosecutor pushed for a short prison term to act as a deterrent to others.
"This is the type of case where I believe the court needs to send a strong message," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian.
Too many people think of posting copyrighted work online as a "victimless crime," he said.
Cogill's attorney argued against a prison term, saying his client realized his wrongdoing and had suffered serious repercussions already.
"He did lose his job as a result of this case," defense attorney David Kaloyanides said.
Missakian said after the hearing that while prosecutors hoped Cogill would be incarcerated, the case should serve as a warning to others that the government takes copyright infringement violations seriously.
Abrams said he thought Cogill had learned his lesson, and did not think he would repeat his mistake.
As part of his plea deal, Cogill will have to allow authorities to search or seize his computers.
He will not have to pay any fines or restitution, although authorities at one point calculated the losses from his actions at more than $371,000.
Kaloyanides said after the hearing that arriving at any damage amount was difficult and that sending Cogill to prison could have created a backlash.
"It doesn't help to educate the public of the importance of respecting copyright law when you become too heavy-handed with punishment," Kaloyanides said.
Cogill will have some input into the public service announcement he records for the RIAA, which has used lawsuits to pursue people it suspects of illegally downloading music.
Kaloyanides said he hoped the ads would target fans who upload and download copyrighted works by explaining to them that they're really hurting their favorite bands.
"You need to reach the fans," he said. "He (Cogill) speaks their language."
Diprivan is an anesthetic widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. Also known as Propofol, it's given intravenously and is very unusual to have in a private home.
A Los Angeles Police spokesman, Lt. John Romero, declined to discuss the case. "It's an ongoing investigation," he said.
The cause of Jackson's death has not been determined. Autopsy results are not expected for several weeks.
At the downtown Staples Center, where Jackson's memorial will be held Tuesday morning, Assistant Police Chief Earl Paysinger said anywhere from 250,000 to 700,000 people could try to reach the arena, even though only 17,500 tickets will be available.
City Councilwoman Jan Perry urged people to stay home and watch the memorial on TV. There will not be a funeral procession through the city.
Tickets to Jackson's memorial service will be free. They can be obtained by registering at Staplescenter.com. There will be 11,000 tickets for seats inside Staples Center and 6,500 for seats in the adjacent Nokia Theatre, where fans can watch a simulcast. On Saturday night, 8,750 names will be randomly selected to receive two tickets each.
No details about the memorial service itself were released.
Jackson was known to have suffered from severe insomnia. In the weeks before his death, Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse who was working with the singer, said Jackson pleaded for Diprivan amid the stress of preparing for a massive series of comeback concerts.
Lee said she repeatedly rejected his demands because the drug was unsafe.
Told Friday that Diprivan had been found at Jackson's house, she said, "I did everything I could to warn him against it."
Jackson had trouble sleeping as far back as 1989, said one of his former publicists, Rob Goldstone, who spent a month on the road with Jackson during the "Bad" tour.
"He had very bad nightmares, he found it very difficult to sleep," Goldstone said.
Diprivan, which has a milky appearance, is sometimes nicknamed "milk of amnesia." Last fall, doctors from the Mayo Clinic warned at a conference that in rare cases, Diprivan can trigger an irreversible chain of events leading to heart dysfunction and death.
They said three patients receiving Diprivan to treat severe seizures had suffered cardiac arrest, and two died. The doctors said the clinic stopped using Diprivan to treat such patients because of the danger.
The drug's manufacturer, AstraZeneca PLC, warns that patients using Diprivan should be continuously monitored, and in a tiny number of cases patients using it have suffered cardiac arrest, although it was not clear the drug was to blame.
Authorities are investigating allegations that the 50-year-old Jackson had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. Any criminal charges would depend on whether Jackson had been overly prescribed medications, given drugs inappropriate for his needs, or if doctors knowingly prescribed Jackson medications under an assumed name.
Edward Chernoff, an attorney for Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, said Friday through a spokeswoman that he had agreed with investigators not to comment until information is released through official channels. Murray was in Jackson's rented mansion when the singer went into cardiac arrest in his bedroom on June 25.
Murray has spoken to police and authorities say he is not a suspect. In an earlier interview, Chernoff said Murray never gave or prescribed Jackson the painkillers Demerol or OxyContin, and denied reports suggesting that the doctor gave the pop star drugs that contributed to his death.
Chernoff would not discuss what drugs the doctor administered to Jackson, but said they would have been prescribed in response to a specific complaint.
| Date: | June 1, 2009 Time: 00:15 |
| Location: | Near Fernando de Noronha islands, Atlantic Ocean |
| Operator: | Air France |
| AC Type: | Airbus A330-203 Flight: 447 |
| Reg: | F-GZCP cn: 660 |
| Aboard: | 228 Fatalities: 228 Ground: 0 |
| Route: | Rio de Janeiro - Paris |
| Details: |
The Airbus went missing over the Atlantic Ocean on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, France. The plane departed from Rio de Janeiro-Galeao International Airport at 19:03 LT bound for Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. The last radio contact with the flight was at 01:33 UTC. The aircraft disappeared about 186 miles northeast of Natal, Brazil. The aircraft left CINDACTA III radar coverage at 01:48 UTC, flying normally at FL350. The aircraft reportedly went through a thunderstorm with strong turbulence at 02:00 UTC. At 02:14 UTC an automated message was received indicating a failure of the electrical system. The plane carried 12 crew members and 216 passengers. This ties as the 21st worst accident in aviation history. |
The original architect designed a twisting form he wanted to imitate the Statue of Liberty, with a spire that rose to the deliberate height of 1,776 feet to recognize the year of American independence. Politicians called the tower proof of the country's triumph over terrorism.
Former Gov. George Pataki said visitors to the iconic skyscraper "will know our determination to overcome evil" in a 2003 speech that first gave the Freedom Tower its name.
The tower — still under construction with a projected completion date of 2013 — no longer has the same architect, design or footprint on the 16-acre site. And this week, the owners of ground zero publicly parted ways with the Freedom Tower name, saying it would be more practical to market the tallest building in New York as the former north tower's name, One World Trade Center.
Critics called the name drop an unpatriotic shedding of symbolism by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Some newspaper editorials blasted the agency for years of missed deadlines and changing plans for the site.
"When you've broken your promises on everything else to do with redeveloping ground zero, it's no big deal to discard the name by which the public has come to know the iconic skyscraper at the heart of the plan," the New York Daily News wrote on Friday.
But others privately repeated fears that have plagued the building as negotiations with major corporations to take up space in the tower came and went: that the 102-story Freedom Tower's name could make it more susceptible to future attacks than a symbol of defiance against it.
"The fact is, more than 3 billion dollars of public money is invested in that building and, as a public agency, we have the responsibility to make sure it is completed and that we utilize the best strategy to make certain it is fully occupied," the agency said in a statement Friday.
Agency chairman Anthony Coscia was more critical in remarks Thursday, when the Port Authority announced its first corporate lease at the tower with a Chinese business center.
"As we market the building, we will ensure the building is presented in the best possible way," he said. One World Trade Center is "easiest for people to identify with, and frankly, we've gotten a very interested and warm reception to it."
Several other government offices were located in the original trade center, and the Port Authority is trying to finalize leases with the federal and state governments that would lease half the building. No other corporate tenants have signed on. The Port Authority has agreed to lease space in another tower being built at the site.
Pataki — who named the Freedom Tower in his 2003 speech and continued to refer to it in rebuilding speeches as a symbol of America's ability to come back after Sept. 11, took offense at the loss of the Freedom Tower moniker and its replacement.
"Where One and Two World Trade Center once stood, there will be a memorial with two voids to honor the heroes we lost. In my view, those addresses should never be used again," he said.
The Daily News and New York Post published editorials backing the former governor. But The New York Times on Saturday wrote that Pataki's name for the building became "its burden," and said the Port Authority was "quietly and sensibly" using another name to market the tower to high-profile commercial tenants.
The Port Authority suggested that people could still call the building the Freedom Tower; the name has stuck despite the fact that the agency quietly stopped it on first reference years ago. The agency made One World Trade Center the building's legal name when it took over its construction in 2006, although it also acquired the trademark for the Freedom Tower name.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg — who said Friday he prefers the name Freedom Tower — said the building's true name may be left to the public.
"One of the things is we call things what we want to call them. So Avenue of Americas is a good example. It's Sixth Avenue to most people," the mayor said. "If they name this One World Trade Center, people will still call it the Freedom Tower."
Source: Associated Press
GEORGE TOWN: A coalition of non-governmental organisations has warned the state that the proposed tiger park will have negative implications.
The Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (Mycat), which comprises the Malaysian Nature Society, Traffic Southeast Asia, Wildlife Conservation Society-Malaysia Programme and World Wildlife Fund-Malaysia, said building zoos and wildlife parks always sounded simple and exciting.
"Malaysia already has more than 40 zoos and monitoring them is a huge task for the authorities, who are also holding the responsibility of protecting wildlife in the wild," it said in a statement yesterday.
Mycat stated that some Malaysian zoos had been linked to illegal wildlife trafficking, citing the discovery of four smuggled gorillas at the Taiping Zoo a few years ago.
It also cited the Saleng Zoo in Johor, which was hauled up many times for illegally acquiring endangered species.
Mycat said tiger parks such as the Harbin Siberian Tiger Park and the Guilin Tiger Park in China were actually farms that bred thousands of tigers. They were heavily implicated in the killing and sale of their tigers.
"Thailand's Sri Racha Tiger Park Zoo has also been implicated in illegal wildlife trade."
It said tiger parks such as Corbett, Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Kaziranga and Way Kambas were protected areas in their respective countries.
"It is like our own Taman Negara. These are preserved habitats for tigers and other naturally-occurring wildlife, not private tiger zoos."
Mycat cautioned that feeding one animal would cost about RM30,000 a year.
"What happens if Penang, or the private company executing this project, runs out of money to maintain the tigers?
"Will the state then suggest that the reasonable thing to do would be to trade some of its tigers to keep the park functioning, just as the tiger farms in China are attempting to do?"
Mycat raised another concern: The source of the tigers.
"How many tigers will this park aim to house? Will they be bred, and if so, for what purpose?"
Mycat was puzzled why the state would want to embark on a "difficult, potentially controversial and expensive project like this when it had natural wonders like the Penang State Park, beaches, culture, food and its Unesco World Heritage Status to draw from".
"There have been cases where a country's tourism income has been severely affected because of the response to an ill-thought of action," it said, citing the boycott of Thailand's Tiger Temple following investigations by Care For The Wild, an animal welfare and conservation charity.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had said that the state planned to set up a tiger park on a 40ha plot of land owned by the Penang Island Municipal Council.
A nine-year-old Malaysian boy in Singapore has written a painting application for the Apple iPhone. | |
Lim Ding Wen created the finger painting program, known as Doodle Kids, for his two younger sisters aged three and five. The program allows iPhone owners to draw images on the handset's touch screen using just their fingers. The program has been downloaded more than 4,000 times from Apple's iTunes store in less than two weeks. While most children of his age are painting or drawing with crayons, Lim Ding Wen has been programming. Lim, who is now fluent in six programming languages, first started using a computer when he was two-years-old, discovered programming aged seven, and has since completed more than 20 programming projects. His latest application, Doodle Kids, allows users to draw pictures using their fingers and then clear the screen by shaking the iPhone. "I wrote the program for my younger sisters, who like to draw," said Lim. "But I am happy that people like it." Lim wrote the original application on his computer but has now adapted it for use on an iPhone. He told The Electric New Paper in Singapore that he wrote the application in just a few days in Pascal. Go on my son Writing on his website, Lim's father - Lim Thye Chean - a chief technology officer at a local hi-tech firm, who also writes iPhone applications, was modest about his son's achievements. "Ding Wen is an above average boy with an interest in computers, especially Apple IIGS and Macs, likes to do programming, and that's it. "Doodle Kids is an extremely simple program that can be done by anybody. Everybody can program - if Ding Wen can, so can you," he wrote. Lim Ding Wen is now working on a sci-fi game for the iPhone called Invader Wars and plans to join his school's robotics club. | |
As Obama spells out aims to engage with Iran, the Islamic Republic debates whether to step away from decades of hatred for the 'Great Satan.'
Tehran, Iran - "On that day when the United States of America will praise us, we should mourn," said Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
His words so captured the uncompromising anti-American ideology here that they were painted like a billboard across the old US Embassy wall in Tehran, standing for years as a message of defiance to the West.
Today the quote is gone, recently painted over as if to signify a softening of Iran's hard-line rhetoric. But as President Obama spells out his wish to engage with Iran, is the Islamic Republic – which marks its 30th anniversary next week – really ready to set aside decades of official hatred for the "Great Satan"?
That is the debate now swirling across Iran, where leaders have been sending mixed signals as they anticipate an unprecedented public effort by Washington to reach out to its archrival.
Call for global respect
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Thursday called for a new level of global respect: "Bullying powers should learn how to speak correctly and be polite so Iran's cultured and peace-loving people listen to them," he told a rally in the northeast city of Mashad. "Iranians are logical people … and welcome anyone who offers a solution to problems of the world."
Analysts agree that only Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei can make a final decision on US ties – and justify it to ideologues that have despised America for a generation.
But not all agree that Ayatollah Khamenei can bring himself to do away with such a useful enemy. Last November he said not a day had passed "in which America has had good intentions toward Iran," and that the US-Iran problem is "like a matter of life and death."
"The Leader is a very rational person [and] wants to control the country and respond to reality," says Amir Mohebian, a conservative editor and analyst. "When the US sends a hard signal, the Supreme Leader is very hard. If the US sends a soft signal, he is very soft. We balance ourselves with our partner."
While Iran boasts the most pro-American population in the region, any substantive talks with the US are a big step for a regime that still chants "Death to America" at rallies.
"Some people think this is the time to solve the problem with the US in a balanced way," says Mr. Mohebian. "But others think the hostility against the US after 30 years is a main element of our identity, and if we solve it we will dissolve ourselves."
Mixed signals from Tehran
The mixed signals from Tehran can bolster either view. The firebrand Mr. Ahmadinejad wrote an unprecedented note of congratulations to Mr. Obama just days after the US election, noting high expectations for change. Despite fierce anti-Western rhetoric and verbal attacks against the US, Ahmadinejad has reached out more than any of his predecessors, telling Americans the US could be a "great friend" of Iran.
Tehran, Iran - "On that day when the United States of America will praise us, we should mourn," said Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
His words so captured the uncompromising anti-American ideology here that they were painted like a billboard across the old US Embassy wall in Tehran, standing for years as a message of defiance to the West.
Today the quote is gone, recently painted over as if to signify a softening of Iran's hard-line rhetoric. But as President Obama spells out his wish to engage with Iran, is the Islamic Republic – which marks its 30th anniversary next week – really ready to set aside decades of official hatred for the "Great Satan"?
That is the debate now swirling across Iran, where leaders have been sending mixed signals as they anticipate an unprecedented public effort by Washington to reach out to its archrival.
But this week an official representative of Khamenei said that confronting the "arrogant policies" of the US and Israel were "red lines" for Iran.
"Opposing the Zionist regime and defending oppressed people are among the pillars of the Islamic revolution and Iran and America's relationship will not change because of Obama taking office," said cleric Ali Maboudi, in a Fars News Agency report quoted by Reuters.
American officials are deciding how to approach Iran – and when, considering Ahmadinejad is up for reelection in June – to maximize chances of success on issues from Iran's nuclear ambitions to its regional role. The US has long labeled Iran the "premier state sponsor of terror" for supporting Hezbollah and Hamas and accused it of causing US deaths in Iraq by supporting Shiite militias.
Past efforts have failed, and numerous secret contacts yielded little. Significantly, analysts say Iran still smarts from being included in President Bush's "axis of evil," after giving critical help to the US during and after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan.
"The main issue here is 'What will be the answer?' " says a Western diplomat in Tehran. "The Iranians are very confused. The Americans are still discussing the best strategy, but they know what they want. Here, I am not so sure. Iran has been a revolutionary state for 30 years and needs a crisis, an enemy to survive.
"If the archfoe is not the archfoe, then what?" asks the diplomat. "If Obama were to officially make a request tomorrow, there would be shock here…. They want [to engage] – it's clear – but the question is how to do this without losing face."
Already Ahmadinejad has broken the anti-US taboo and analysts say Iran now has certain expectations in return. State Department officials have been drafting letters to break the ice, and are debating whether the US should reach out before Iran's election. But such a move could give Ahmadinejad a boost over challengers like former President Mohammad Khatami, a reformist who won elections in 1997 and 2001 by a landslide but was still unable to break the US-Iran deadlock.
Window of opportunity before Iranian elections
In Iran, some argue that if the US does not send a message before the Iran election, it will show a US preference in the vote and be seen as meddling. Others point out that only Ahmadinejad has the rightwing gravitas to reassure hard-liners.
A swift American move may produce better results, says Mohebian, with a "short, polite" letter to Ahmadinejad from Obama, thanking him for his note and "hoping to make a new reality."
"But the main letter – to solve the problems – should be sent to the Leader," says Mohebian. This letter should acknowledge past historical grievances – such as the CIA-orchestrated coup in 1953 – and suggest: "It's better to forget the past. The Islamic Republic is a reality. We want a new future," he says.
"After that you will see the situation change – not immediately, but gradually over two years," says Mohebian. During that time, both sides would have to commit to new policies. Khamenei could portray the change as one of strength, not weakness, he says.
But is such a scenario possible? Even those close to ruling circles caution that Iran's reaction will depend upon US actions. And they can't predict how far the Islamic system is willing to budge.
"The first thing Iranian leaders need is to be convinced the US is not after regime change," says a veteran analyst in Tehran. The regime "wants" to engage, though "only someone deep in the religious establishment can do it and Ahmadinejad has the credentials. But he also must keep his revolutionary image and rhetoric."
"I would really like reformists to rule the country – it's better," says this analyst. "But in these crucial issues, they will be crippled if they try rapprochement…. If strange things happen and Ahmadinejad and Khamenei are doing it, they can't stop [hard-line reaction], but can convince them to go along."
Yet there is plenty of room for doubt, says a reformist political scientist in Tehran: "They rule the country based on their opposition to the US. If they change there is no basis for their legitimacy," he says. "Ahmadinejad is very, very interested in resuming negotiations with the US, but the leader does not allow it [because] anyone who does that will be a big hero in Iran."
Source: The Christian Science Monitor
CALGARY, Alberta – A 60-year-old woman in western Canada gave birth to twin boys after undergoing fertility treatments, Canadian national media reported Thursday.
Ranjit Hayer became a mother for the first time on Tuesday at Calgary's Foothills Hospital, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
The Canadian Press news agency said the Calgary Health Region confirmed a 60-year-old woman had given birth.
Hayer told the CBC from her hospital bed that she had tried for decades to conceive naturally and with medical intervention and eventually went to India for fertility treatments.
The broadcaster said she became pregnant with triplets, but one had to be terminated because of medical problems.
Giving birth at that age is rare but not unheard of. Hayer gave birth less than two years after Frieda Birnbaum, 60, of Saddle River, N.J., had twins boys after undergoing in-vitro fertilization.
Still, Hayer's obstetrician, Colin Birch, told CBC that he was initially disbelieving.
"I thought it was a joke because the referral said 60-year-old patient with triplets, and I thought one of my colleagues or somebody's just playing jokes with me or up to mischief and then actually the patient turned up in my office," recalled Birch.
According to the CBC, the Alberta Health Services said the Hayer and babies — born seven weeks prematurely via Caesarean section — were in good condition Thursday.
A growing number of women have turned to fertility treatments in India, where there are relatively lax regulations for such procedures.
Rajo Devi, who claimed to be about 70 years old, gave birth in November to her first child, said Dr. Anurag Bishnoi of India's National Fertility Center in northern Haryana state. However, it was impossible to verify whether Devi is the world's oldest woman to give birth as she has no birth certificate.
In 2006, Carmela Bousada of Spain became what was believed to be the oldest new mother when she delivered twin boys at age 66.
Before that, Romanian citizen Adriana Iliescu gave birth to a baby girl in January 2005, also at 66. Bousada was 130 days older than Iliescu when she gave birth.
Winter tests the patience of many iPhone users.
After all, the device made by Apple Inc., like other gadgets with touch-screen technology, will work only with the touch of an uncovered finger. So if you're wearing gloves, you have a dilemma: Bare your hands to use your beloved devices, or let calls, texts and e-mails go unanswered while you're braving the elements?
A company called 4sight Products Inc. has a solution: $40 gloves that have electrically conductive gold-colored material on the tip of the index finger and thumb. Apple must think it's a good idea as well - it has filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for gloves that would do essentially the same thing. (Apple didn't return a call seeking comment.)
The gloves, sold under the Tavo brand, aren't perfect. But they could be welcomed by people who need to answer a call in the cold.
My first experience with using my iPhone 3G in very cold temperatures was on a visit to Chicago in late December. That presented challenges I usually don't encounter in my warmer home base, Virginia.
It hadn't crossed my mind that I wouldn't be able to answer my phone while wearing gloves, but as the iPhone rang, I tried sliding the button on the touch screen to answer. Unable to get a reaction from the phone, I frantically pulled off one of my gloves, just in time for the call to go to voice mail.
For the rest of the trip, taking off my gloves to use the phone became an unwelcome ritual.
So I took the Tavo gloves when I made my next trip - to the subzero temperatures of Montreal.
Walking along the snow-piled streets in my bomber hat, the last thing I wanted to do was take off my gloves. And for the most part, the gloves allowed me to use my phone with few problems. The gloves have a tactile grip, which makes it easier to hold onto the iPhone.
Handling calls worked best, since the touch-sensitive area of the iPhone screen is larger when you're making phone calls.
But typing proved to be a bigger challenge. While trying to send a text message with the gloves on, I couldn't manipulate the small on-screen keyboard buttons as quickly and as accurately as usual.
Nevertheless, I was certainly glad to have the Tavo gloves when I needed them most. When it's minus 22 degrees, I'd rather not have to choose between missing a call and missing a finger.
Source: sfgate
MOLO, Kenya – An overturned gasoline tanker exploded as hundreds of people were trying to scoop up free fuel, killing at least 111 people and wounding 200 in one of Kenya's deadliest accidents, officials said Sunday.
Hundreds of people were surrounding the overturned truck and blocking a road in the town of Molo on Saturday night when the petrol ignited in a blast that was felt for miles, said Charles Kamau, 22, who ran from his car as flames shot into the air.
"Everybody was screaming and most of them were running with fire on their bodies, they were just running into the bush," he told The Associated Press.
"I just ran to where there was no fire," he said at a Red Cross tent where he was reporting a missing friend Sunday.
Overwhelmed hospitals nearby were packed with victims, including small children, suffering from horrific burns. Many were lying on the floors, hooked up to drips and moaning in pain as doctors tried to save their lives.
Supplies, including body bags and extra medicine, were being sent by helicopter to the region.
Burnt-out cars and charred clothing littered the road where the shell of the tanker stood in Molo, about 105 miles (170 kilometers) outside the capital, Nairobi. Authorities were combing through the scorched forest by the road for any corpses.
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said at a news conference that it appeared that someone's cigarette caused the explosion but police were still investigating.
The Kenya Red Cross said the death toll was 111 but was expected to rise.
"Most of the families will have a hard time because these bodies are charred beyond recognition," said Patrick Nyongesa, the regional manager for the Kenya Red Cross.
Trembling patients were loaded into ambulances Sunday for transfer to burns units.
Similar blasts are common in Nigeria, where people tap gas pipelines to pilfer fuel for cooking or resale on the black market. In 2006, a gasoline blast killed 200 people in Nigeria.
The Kenyan government has been criticized for poor safety regulations recently.
On Wednesday, a massive fire swept through a supermarket in downtown Nairobi, killing at least 25 people.
After the supermarket blaze, the Daily Nation said Nairobi's 3 million people are served by just one fire station situated close to a traffic-choked business district.
The annual Hajj is underway, in which Muslims make the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. This year, it runs from December 7-11.
Update: The crowd is bigger than expected, with up to three million people showing up.
So far, no major problems have developed organisers said, although a record number of people have come from outside Saudi Arabia for the event and media say the total number of participants may reach three million.
Source: google.com
Keep an eye on the media page for this story, as we have some great firsthand photos.
Leaving the tent city of Mina early on Sunday, the pilgrims gathered for a day of reflection and prayer at the foot of Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Muhammad gave his farewell sermon
Source: english.aljazeera.net
For the first time, the authorities have brought in sophisticated United States-built helicopters to guard against possible attack during the world's largest pilgrimage, which has often been blighted by tragedy.
About two million Muslims are expected join the annual ritual, which this year begins on Saturday, including several hundred thousand Saudis and residents of the kingdom and at least 1,6-million from other countries.
In past years fires and deadly stampedes have cast a cloud over the event.
US-made Sikorsky S-92 helicopters fitted with sophisticated technology such as night-vision binoculars are available to security forces for the first time amid the spectre of attacks that have haunted Saudi Arabia in recent years.
ATHENS (Reuters) - Students pelted police with firebombs and stones in Athens on Friday in new clashes that first broke out over the police killing of a teenager.
Students, angry at the shooting incident, low wages and unemployment, attacked police outside the parliament building on a seventh day of violence that has shaken the government. Riot police fired teargas in response.
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis pledged to guarantee the safety of its people and citizens.
"Greece is a safe country," he told a news conference in Brussels
Riots since the December 6 shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos have destroyed hundreds of shops, banks and cars, rattled the conservative government and shaken investor confidence in the 240 billion euro economy ($315 billion) as the global crisis bites.
Even as Karamanlis spoke in Brussels, about 5,000 protesters marched through Athens carrying banners saying: "The state kills" and "The government is guilty of murder."
Source: Reuters
KABUL, Afghanistan – NATO and Afghan forces killed a Taliban commander during a targeted operation just south of Kabul in a province militant fighters have poured into this year, the NATO-led force said Tuesday.
The commander, Mohammad Bobi, had facilitated suicide bombings and had a history of torturing and kidnapping Afghan civilians in the province of Logar, NATO said.
Bobi was given the option of surrendering, but he instead attacked the combined force and was killed during an overnight raid, NATO said. His death was confirmed Tuesday.
Logar province, which is directly south of Kabul province, has seen an influx of Taliban militants this year. Residents there say the government has little or no control in the province outside the provincial capital.
Source:
AIDS hian 1981 atang 2007 thleng khan mihring maktaduai 25 aia tam a that tawh. 2007 kum official lehkha atangin khawvel mihring maktaduai 33 chuangin HIV natna an vei.
| 1988 | Communication |
| 1989 | Youth |
| 1990 | Women and AIDS |
| 1991 | Sharing the Challenge |
| 1992 | Community Commitment |
| 1993 | Act |
| 1994 | AIDS and the Family |
| 1995 | Shared Rights, Shared Responsibilities |
| 1996 | One World. One Hope |
| 1997 | Children Living in a World with AIDS |
| 1998 | Force for Change: World AIDS Campaign With Young People |
| 1999 | Listen, Learn, Live: World AIDS Campaign with Children & Young People |
| 2000 | AIDS: Men Make a Difference |
| 2001 | I care. Do you? |
| 2002 | Stigma and Discrimination |
| 2003 | Stigma and Discrimination |
| 2004 | Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS |
| 2005 | Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise |
| 2006 | Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Accountability |
| 2007 | Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Leadership |
| 2008 | Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise - Lead - Empower - Deliver |
