Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Mid Day International News

Mid Day International News

Obama campaign returns donations linked to Mexican fugitive

Posted:

US President Barack Obama's election campaign will return some USD 200,000 funding linked to the family of a fugitive Mexican casino magnate, a media report said.

The Chicago-based brothers of Juan Jose Rojas Cardona, known as Pepe, has raised some USD 200,000 for Obama, who is seeking re-election in the November 6 presidential polls, the New York Times reported.

Pepe Cardona jumped bail in Iowa in 1994 and is now seeking a pardon for drug and fraud charges he faces in the United States, it said.

"On the basis of the questions that have been raised, we will return the contributions from these individuals and from any other donors they brought to the campaign," the paper quoted Ben LaBolt, a spokesman for the Obama campaign as saying. Obama campaign officials said most of the money raised by the Cardona brothers came from themselves and other relatives, donations of about USD 200,000.

Last fall, Carlos Cardona and another brother in Chicago, Alberto Rojas Cardona, began raising money for the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee. The money Alberto Cardona raised put him in the upper tiers of fund-raisers known as bundlers, according to a list released last month by the campaign. He and Carlos Cardona each gave the maximum USD 30,800 to the Democratic National Committee, and a lesser amount to a state victory fund. A sister, Leticia Rojas Cardona of Tennessee, donated USD 13,000 to the national committee, and another relative in Illinois gave USD 12,600, records show.

There is no record of Pepe Cardona making a donation, the report said.

According to a leaked US state department cable from 2009, Pepe Cardona - now based in Mexico's Monterrey region - was suspected of orchestrating the murder of a business rival. After the rival's death, Pepe Cardona became the largest operator of casinos -- often used to launder illicit profits -- in the area.

Last year, according to the New York Times, his Chicago-based brothers Carlos and Alberto Rojas Cardona arranged for the former chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, Gordon Fischer, to seek a pardon for Pepe Cardona from the governor.

Maldivian president quits after protests, police revolt

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Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, elected only four years ago, quit under pressure after weeks of protests triggered by a judge's arrest escalated Tuesday with disgruntled policemen throwing their weight behind opposition activists.

A former rights campaigner who had increasingly come under attack for arbitrary rule, Nasheed, 44, announced that he was resigning as he did not want to use force to curb escalating street protests.

The resignation happened only after the army applied pressure on the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader, leading him in the morning to the television office to make his dramatic announcement, media reports said.

"I resign because I am not a person who wishes to rule with the use of power. I believe that if the government were to remain in power, it would require the use of force which would harm many citizens," he said in a statement broadcast on state-run television seized by rogue policemen.

"I resign because I believe that if the government continues to stay in power, it is very likely that we may face foreign influences," he said. "I have made this decision."

Maldivian authorities went out of their way to deny intense speculation that a coup had taken place.

The Maldives High Commission in Colombo said that Vice President Mohammad Waheed was now the acting president. But other reports said he was yet to be sworn in.

Nasheed's whereabouts were not immediately known following his exit. The Maldivian and foreign media reported jubilation on the streets of capital Male as opposition activists celebrated.

Nasheed had run into widespread anger after a senior judge, Abdulla Mohamed, was arrested by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) over a fortnight ago on corruption charges.

The judge was reportedly confined to one of the lesser inhabited islands. The Maldives is made up of about 1,200 mostly small islands, with only 200 inhabited.

Supporters of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, whose three decades long rule ended with Nasheed's 2008 election, control parliament and have organised protests against the judge's internment.

Tension and sporadic violence had been escalating, with the ruling MDP alleging attacks on its supporters and offices by opposition activists not happy with long-time ruler Gayoom's departure.

According to Maldivian media, there was intense speculation Tuesday morning that Nasheed had been taken into custody. Shops and businesses in Male quickly shut down.

In the meantime, officers of the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF), the number ranging from 60 to 600, joined the demonstrations.

Events galloped rapidly thereafter. Opposition protesters and rogue policemen then seized the Maldives National Broadcasting Corp (MNBC) and quickly renamed it Television Maldives (TVM), reports said.

That led a government official to say a coup attempt was underway, causing concern in many capitals, including New Delhi.

The presidency denied Nasheed had resigned, until the president actually stepped down.

The opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) earlier told Sri Lanka's Sunday Leader that most police and army personnel were backing Nasheed's removal.

DQP spokesperson Mohamad Malech Jamal said there were now celebrations in Male.

He said the Male airport and the state broadcaster were under the control of the police and army.

Violence broke out Monday night as the army and police were deployed to break up protesters, opposition figures said.

"About 800 police officers gathered at the Republic Square. Several of them called for the president's resignation," Jamal was quoted as saying.

The Maldivian government earlier appealed for calm.

"The government of Maldives together with all state institutions will work to ensure peace and stability in Male," a statement said.

"Government calls to people to remain calm and support to stabilize the situation," it added.

A tourist haven, the Maldives is made up of several atolls and lies southwest of Sri Lanka. It has a population of about 400,000, most of them Sunni Muslims. The main language is Dhivehi, a Sinhalese dialect.

9-yr-old girl bounces back after 6-organ transplant

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When a rare and relentless tumour devoured six of nine-year-old Alannah Shevenell's main organs, her chances of survival looked slim.

However, thanks to a ground-breaking six-organ transplant at Children's Hospital Boston, she is now set to make a steady recovery.


On the road to recovery: Alannah underwent a 14-and-a-half hour
surgery where doctors removed the tumour from her body

Alannah of Maine received a new oesophagus, liver, stomach, spleen, pancreas and small intestine after losing her own to the myofibroblastic tumour.

Hospital officials say it was the first known oesophageal transplant in the world and the largest number of organs transplanted into a person at one time in New England.

"That tumour was like a monster, It was sticky. It was slimy. It was like an octopus, reaching out and consuming her organs," said Alannah's grandmother Debi Skolas.

The multi-organ transplant was her last hope, but she had to wait a year for a suitable donor. "We needed to remove all the organs because the tumour had grown to basically encircle the blood supply," said Dr Heung Bae Kim, director of the hospital's Paediatric Transplant Center.

Doctors eventually found a donor and Dr Kim led his team through the complicated 14-and-a-half hour surgery.
Alannah is now back at the home she shares with her grandparents, but she will have to have regular check-ups throughout her life.


Queen's sweet 60

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As Queen Elizabeth II completed 60 years on the throne yesterday, she renewed her pledge to serve the country, thanked the public for their support

The Queen yesterday renewed her pledge to serve the country as her Diamond Jubilee celebrations started with a bang in the form of gun salutes in Edinburgh and London.

The 85-year-old monarch usually spends the anniversary of her accession privately to mark the passing of her father George VI.


Party on the streets: Hundreds of people line St John's Wood High
Street in north London as soldiers make their way to Hyde Park where
they fired a 41 gun salute to mark the start of Diamond Jubilee celebrations
for the Queen. pics/afp

But, yesterday she travelled from Sandringham -- which, like much of England, is blanketed with snow -- to King's Lynn to meet local dignitaries and tour the town hall ahead of her visit to nearby Dersingham Infant and Nursery School.

Despite the cold weather, around 150 well wishers gathered outside King's Lynn town hall to catch a glimpse of the monarch who wore a turquoise, grey and white wool dress, coat and matching hat by Angela Kelly. In a statement on the royal website, the queen pledged continued service to her people and extended gratitude for the "wonderful support and encouragement that you have given me and [husband] Prince Philip over these years."

"In this special year as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighbourliness, examples of which I have been fortunate to see throughout my reign," the message said.

In a written message, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron praised the authority and dignity of the queen and her 60 years of service -- which has seen 12 prime ministers come and go.

"Today is a day to pay tribute to the magnificent service of HM the Queen. With experience, dignity and quiet authority she has guided and united our nation and the Commonwealth over six varied decades," his statement said.

The last British monarch to celebrate a diamond jubilee was Queen Elizabeth's great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, in June 1897.

Rs 77-lakh whiskey to honour Queen
A whiskey costing �100,000 (Rs 77 lakh) a bottle has been released to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne. Only 60 bottles of Diamond Jubilee will be released by the Royal Lochnagar Distillery, on the edge of the Queen's Balmoral Estate. Each bottle comes in a hand-crafted decanter finished in casks made of oak from Sandringham. The whiskey is a blend of grain and malt whiskies all dating from 1952.


After Barbie, Iran bans Simpsons dolls

Posted:

Bart Simpson and his family have joined Barbie on a list of dolls to be banned by the Iranian government.

The move against Springfield's favourite cartoon characters is part of a decades-long crackdown on signs of Western culture in the country.



But bizarrely the fictional US superheroes Superman and Spiderman are being allowed on sale because they help 'the oppressed'.

"We don't want to promote this cartoon by importing the toys," said Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults' secretary Mohammad Hossein Farjoo.

He also added that any doll on which genitals are distinguishable, as well as dolls of adults, are also banned.

He added that dolls of Spiderman and Superman were authorised and said, "They help oppressed people and they have a positive stance."


Norway mass killer asks for medal of honour

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A smirking Anders Behring Breivik, man who murdered 77 people, demanded an award for the carnage

The right-wing extremist who has admitted killing 77 people in the worst peacetime massacre that Norway has ever seen told a court yesterday that he deserved a medal of honour for the bloodshed and demanded to be set free.


Smiling Assassin: Anders Behring Breivik, showing no remorse, raises
his arms to a guard as he arrived at the court yesterday and demanded
to be set free. pic/afp

Anders Behring Breivik smirked as he was led in to the Oslo district court, handcuffed and dressed in a dark suit, for his last scheduled detention hearing before the trial starts in April. He stretched out his arms in what his lawyer Geir Lippestad said was "some kind of right-wing extremist greeting".

Reading from prepared remarks, the 32-year-old Norwegian told the court that the July 22 massacre -- carried out with a bomb, a rifle and a handgun -- was a strike against "traitors" he said are embracing immigration to promote "an Islamic colonisation of Norway."

Breivik admitted to setting off the bomb outside the government headquarters in Oslo and opening fire at a youth camp on Utoeya island, but denied criminal responsibility and rejected the authority of the court.
About 100 survivors and relatives of victims watched in disbelief, as Breivik asked to be released, and told the judge he should receive a military honour.

"It wasn't good that he got to say what he wanted to say," said Amel Baltic, a 16-year-old survivor of the Utoeya massacre.

Many survivors have expressed concern that Breivik will use court hearings to draw attention to his extremist views.

Breivik claims he's a commander of a militant organisation aiming to overthrow European governments and replace them with "patriotic" regimes that would deport Muslim immigrants.


Posted by Harshad at 7:40 AM

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