Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Mid Day International News

Mid Day International News

'Gaddafi son paid Mariah Carey USD 1 mn for singing 4 songs'

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Offering a vivid account of the Gaddafi clan's "lavish spending," US diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks show that one of the sons of the Libyan ruler paid singer Mariah Carey a whopping USD 1 million to sing just four songs at a bash on a Caribbean island.

"All of the (Muammar) Qaddafi children and favorites are supposed to have income streams from the National Oil Company and oil service subsidiaries," according to a cable from 2006 obtained by the whistle-blower website, The New York Times reported.

The report said the WikiLeaks cables gave an account of the Gaddafi clan's "lavish spending, rampant nepotism and bitter rivalries."

Sixty-eight-year-old Gaddafi has come under a great deal of international criticism, in recent days, for a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters demanding an end to his 41-year-rule. The cables showed that his sons spent millions of dollars to engage singers like Mariah Carey, Usher and Beyonce to sing at their banquets, the NYT said.

A "local political observer" in Tripoli told American diplomats that one son, Muatassim's "carousing and extravagance angered some locals, who viewed his activities as impious and embarrassing to the nation." After New Year's Day 2009, Western media had reported that another Gaddafi son Seif had paid Mariah Carey USD 1 million to sing just four songs at a bash on the Caribbean island of St Barts, the NYT noted.

Seif indignantly denied the reports in the newspaper controlled by him, saying the big spender was his brother, Muatassim, also Libya's national security adviser, the paper said, quoting an American diplomatic cable from Tripoli Another brother, Hannibal, had fled London after being accused of physically abusing his wife, Aline.

One of Gaddafi's daughters Ayesha, along with the Libyan leader's second wife Safiya "advised Aline to report to the police that she had been hurt in an 'accident' and not to mention anything about abuse," the cable said.

However, the Qaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation had also sent hundreds of tonnes of aid to earthquake-ravaged Haiti. But now, the protesters want the entire family gone. It was Seif, NYT pointed out, who declared on Monday that Libya faced a civil war and "rivers of blood" if the people did not support his father.

WikiLeaks now selling T-shirts, mugs online to raise funds

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Whistle-blower website WikiLeaks, facing financial troubles in the wake of its founder Julian Assange's legal cases, is now selling merchandise like T-shirts and coffee mugs online to raise money to keep itself afloat.

WikiLeaks has launched an online store that sells everything from T-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, bumper stickers to bags, covers for laptops and iPads, umbrellas, baseball caps and even teddy bears. The website says "all proceedings will go to WikiLeaks operations" and asks people to "keep us strong".

The merchandise has images of Assange as well as the WikiLeaks logos. T-shirts of different sizes are available for men and women. Some shirts show the white-haired Australian dressed as the Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara. Another T-shirt shows Assange gagged with an American flag and has the caption 'The Truth Is Not Treason'. Slogans like 'Viva la Informaci n!', 'Truth Will Out', 'Support Wikileaks', 'Free Assange' and 'Courage Is Contagious' are printed on the items. The range of the merchandise is USD 17 to USD 57.

The site, hosted by German merchandising company Spreadshirt, also offers a 17 per cent discount on purchases of USD 35 or more. Customers can chose from 16 countries to shop the merchandise. The site's legal page states that "the accountability for this online shop in terms of copyright law is: WikiLeaks."

Spreadshirt, which has sold T-shirts for pop groups like the Spice Girls and Boyzone, says WikiLeaks has "better than average" sales potential. "WikiLeaks is an emotional proposition: People love it or hate it. For those that love it and wish to show support for WikiLeaks by wearing a T-shirt, it is a good proposition," the company said.

Trouble for WikiLeaks started ever since the website leaked thousands of classified US documents. WikiLeaks' financial woes grew when Paypal, MasterCard and Visa cut off all processing of donations to the site. According to Assange, the site lost approximately USD 650,000 since this funding was cut off. At its peak, the site was receiving approximately USD 130,000 in daily donations.

Assange's legal bills are also mounting as he fights extradition from the UK to Sweden, where prosecutors want to question him about rape and molestation charges. Assange has not been formally charged with a crime and denies any wrongdoing. To keep his company afloat and manage funds for his legal battles, Assange also inked a USD 1.3 million deal with the US publishing house Alfred Knopf and British publisher Canongate to write his autobiography.

Assange had set up a fund-raising site www.dinnerforfreespeech.com to encourage supporters to hold dinner parties and make donations, in support of him and WikiLeaks.

New Zealand quake: 300 missing, 75 bodies recovered

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Three hundred people are missing and 75 bodies have been recovered from the quake ravaged New Zealand city of Christchurch, local authorities said Wednesday.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said there were now 55 identified bodies at a morgue, which had been set up at local military base. Another 20 bodies had been recovered, but were not yet at the morgue and had yet to be identified.

Parker said it was hoped that many of those 300 missing people would be accounted for over the course of the day.

Search and rescue staff also said many people remain trapped alive inside buildings destroyed by the 6.3-magnitude earthquake Tuesday afternoon.

More than 120 people had already been pulled from collapsed buildings as rescuers worked through the night under floodlights in the rain.

Search efforts are concentrating around 10 buildings, where it is feared more than 100 people could still be trapped. These included a number of Japanese students who had been studying English in Christchurch.

Fifteen people were confirmed alive in one building as rescuers tried to get to them as quickly as possible through tonnes of rubble.

Earlier police said they were having to leave bodies as they concentrated on getting to survivors, some of whom had to have limbs amputated to get them out of rubble.

Prime Minister John Key said Tuesday night that New Zealand faced one of its darkest days.

Key held an emergency cabinet meeting Wednesday and pledged all assistance possible to Christchurch in both the initial aftermath and the long rebuilding programme ahead. He thanked the international community for assistance.

More than 200 patients have been admitted to Christchurch Hospital's emergency department with many more treated at emergency medical stations around the city.

Injuries range from minor cuts to serious spinal injuries with some patients airlifted to Auckland 1,000 km away.

There were now more than 200 search and rescue staff working through the city with another 500 joining them over the next two days as international offers for assistance come in. More than 1,000 armed forces have also been deployed to assist.

The quake struck Tuesday at 12.51 p.m. when office buildings and streets were full of people.

The quake was much shallower and nearer to the city than the 7.1 quake that caused widespread damage in September but resulted in no deaths.

Buildings that stood up to last year's event, including an historic cathedral, collapsed this time.

Electricity, water, sewer and gas lines were disrupted by the quake with fires breaking out in the city overnight.

Most of the city has no water supply and all schools and most businesses were closed with people being urged to stay at home and consider leaving the Christchurch area if possible.

Communication with the area was difficult with phone systems disrupted and there have been appeals for people to stop using mobile phones throughout New Zealand.

Christchurch is New Zealand's second-largest city and home to around 370,000 people.

The quake was felt throughout New Zealand and caused 30 million tonnes of ice to break off from the Tasman Glacier, about 200 km away.

Facebook adds 'civil unions' to relationship status options

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Facebook has added 'civil unions' and 'domestic partnerships' to its list of relationship status options, in a move which has been applauded by equality rights campaigners.

The new options are available for members in the UK, US, Canada, France and Australia.



Previously members could only choose from single, 'in a relationship', engaged, married, 'it's complicated', widowed, separated, divorced and 'in an open relationship'.

Now 'in a civil union' and in a 'domestic partnership', has been added to the options list.

"When millions of Facebook users see these relationship status options, they gain a greater understanding of the legal inequalities faced by loving and committed same-sex couples in so many states today," said Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

A Facebook spokesman said, "This has been a highly requested feature from users. We want to provide options for people to genuinely and authentically reflect their relationships on Facebook."


Did sa honeymoon murder suspect attempt suicide?

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Honeymoon murder suspect Shrien Dewani has been admitted to hospital after apparently trying to kill himself.

Dewani, wanted in South Africa for the killing of his bride Anni (28), took an overdose of tablets before being taken to hospital in Bristol on Sunday.


Shrien Dewani has been accused of killing his wife Anni on their honeymoon

Yesterday it emerged that the 31-year-old care home boss has lost almost two stone and become "very, very fragile" because of stress and depression.

His spokesman, Max Clifford, said, "He was taken to hospital on Sunday afternoon, according to his family, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder which he has been suffering from.

I can't confirm whether there was a suicide bid. He is in a very bad place at the moment, which is not surprising given the tragic case of his wife and all the accusations since. He is in a bad way. He is OK in hospital but when he comes out, will have to have 24-hour medical care at home.

"This hasn't just happened in the last week, it's been building up after Anni's death and obviously what happened would have traumatised anybody. What's happened since has made it worse. We are hoping he will be home soon but he is very, very fragile, both physically and psychologically."

How she died

Anni was shot when a taxi the couple were travelling in was hijacked in the Gugulethu township on the outskirts of Cape Town on November 13.

She was found dead in the back of the abandoned vehicle with a bullet wound to her neck after cabbie Zola Tongo drove the newlyweds to the impoverished area.

He and Dewani were ejected by the hijackers before Anni was driven away and shot.

Dewani is due to appear before court on March 23, with a three-day extradition hearing set for May 3-5.
In a plea bargain, Tongo claimed Dewani offered him 15,000 rand (Rs 1 lakh) for the killing.

The 31-year-old from Bothasig was sentenced to 18 years in jail for murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances and perverting the course of justice.

Dozens still trapped in New Zealand quake

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The death toll in the Christchurch earthquake stood at 65 last night, and there were fears it would exceed 200 as rescue teams in New Zealand's second largest city searched frantically all night for survivors.


A collapsed building lies over parked cars in the aftermath of a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in Christchurch

Up to 200 people were feared trapped in buildings that collapsed as an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck at lunchtime yesterday.

Bystanders described the city as a war zone, with dead bodies lying on streets, buildings demolished, vehicles flattened, roads ruptured, and water and silt earthquake liquefaction swamping the central city.


German man married to nun ordained as priest

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Pope Benedict XVI gave 61-year-old special permission

In a rare move that needed the pope's approval, a Lutheran convert was ordained yesterday as a Catholic priest in Germany and is being allowed to remain married to his wife who has already become a nun.

Harm Klueting (61) was ordained by Archbishop Joachim Cardinal Meisner in a private ceremony at the city's seminary, the Cologne archdiocese said.


Harm Klueting and his wife would not have to take the vow of celibacy

Pope Benedict XVI gave Klueting a special permission to remain married to his wife Edeltraut Klueting, who became a Catholic Carmelite nun in 2004.

The Rev Federico Lombardi, the Vatican's chief spokesman, said the exception is rare but there have been similar cases.

"It doesn't happen every day," he said.

Klueting and his wife were Lutherans when they married in 1977 and both served as Lutheran clerics before converting to Catholicism several years ago. They have two grown children.

The Cologne archdiocese said in a statement that the couple would not have to take the traditional vow of celibacy as long as they remain married a highly unusual move since celibacy is normally a key requirement for Catholic priests.

Lombardi said he didn't have any specific information about the Kluetings.

Klueting is a professor for historical theology at the University of Cologne and teaches Catholic theology at Fribourg University in Switzerland. From now on, he also will provide services as a spiritual counsellor for university students.

The archdiocese published pictures of the ordination ceremony showing Klueting with short gray hair and a beard, wearing a simple white priest vestment as he received his blessings from Meisner, who was wearing a festive yellow embroidered robe and a golden cardinal's hat.

In 1950, Pope Pius XII first allowed clergymen who had converted to Catholicism to remain married, the Cologne diocese said in its statement.

However, each case has to be approved by the pope himself, the statement said, adding that in the past married priests also had been ordained in the German cities of Hamburg and Regensburg.


Posted by Harshad at 7:16 AM

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