A new way of painting
23 May 2009
Embattled SKorean ex-president jumps to his death
AP – Police officers gather in front of home of former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun located at the
SEOUL, South Korea – Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun — whose hard-won reputation as a corruption fighter was tarnished by bribery allegations that drew in his family and closest associates — jumped to his death Saturday while hiking in the mountains behind his rural home. He was 62.
After leaving his family a suicide note, Roh threw himself off a steep cliff around 6:40 a.m., police and lawyer Moon Jae-in said in the southern port city of Busan.
"I'm indebted to too many people. Too many people are suffering because of me," Roh wrote in the note left on his computer. "Don't be sorry; don't blame anybody. It's destiny." He asked to be cremated and a small gravestone erected in his hometown.
A self-taught lawyer who lifted himself out of poverty to reach the nation's highest office in 2003, Roh had prided himself on being a "clean" politician in a country with a long history of corruption. Recent allegations that he accepted $6 million in bribes from a Seoul businessman were deeply troubling to the ex-leader.
"I have no face to show to the people. I am sorry for disappointing you," an emotional Roh said last month before turning himself over to Seoul prosecutors who grilled him for 13 hours about the allegations.
His suicide — the first in South Korea by an ex-president — stunned the nation. South Koreans nationwide huddled around TV screens watching news broadcasts. Supporters flooded his Web site with condolences.
"I was utterly shocked," said Chun Soon-im, 63, of Seoul. "They say 'hate the sin but not the sinner,' and that's how I feel. The investigation must continue and we must get to the truth, but I cannot help feeling sorry for the man and those left behind."
Roh denied the bribery allegations against him during questioning April 30 and May 1, prosecution spokesman Cho Eun-sok said.
His supporters claimed the probe was politically motivated by conservative opponents.
Roh had acknowledged that local shoe manufacturer Park Yeon-cha gave his wife $1 million, but suggested it was not a bribe. He also said he was aware Park gave $5 million to another relative but said he thought it was an investment. Prosecutors suspect the $6 million was eventually conveyed to Roh.
Several former aides and associates also have been questioned as part of the probe into Park, who was indicted in December on separate bribery and tax evasion charges. Roh's elder brother was sentenced last week to four years in prison in another bribery scandal.
Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han declared the investigation into Roh closed. It was unclear where the probe into family members stands.
President Lee Myung-bak said Roh's "sad and tragic" death was "truly hard to believe," spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said.
Roh, who lived in Bongha, some 280 miles (450 kilometers) south of Seoul, had gone for a walk accompanied by a security guard, Busan police said.
Part way up, Roh hurled himself off a 100-foot (30-meter) -high cliff known as Owl's Rock, suffering multiple injuries, police said. He was rushed to a local hospital before being transferred to Busan National University Hospital, where he was declared dead several hours later.
Later Saturday, mourners wailed as Roh's coffin, draped in dark red, arrived in Bongha. His two children, sobbing, followed the casket to the village community center.
In central Seoul, some 500 people held a quiet candlelight memorial service at a makeshift mourning site, some offering white chrysanthemums, a traditional Korean symbol of grief, and burning incense for Roh.
Roh's death was a tragic end for the son of farmers who never attended college but still managed to pass the country's competitive bar exam in 1975.
He built his reputation defending students accused of sedition under previous military-backed administrations, and once was arrested and his law license suspended for supporting an outlawed labor protest.
His political career took off with his election as a liberal lawmaker to the National Assembly in 1988. Roh's ascension to the presidency came in a surprise 2002 election win on a campaign pledge not to "kowtow" to the United States, which resonated with young voters.
He maintained predecessor President Kim Dae-jung's "sunshine policy" of offering North Korea aid as way to facilitate reconciliation, holding a summit in Pyongyang with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2007, the second such meeting between leaders of the two countries that technically remain at war.
Though criticized as standoffish and confrontational by some, he was praised by others as a candid leader who cared for the underprivileged and fought against corruption. Roh was the first South Korean president with an Internet fan club.
But in 2004, Roh urged voters to support candidates from his Uri Party — a violation of political neutrality laws. He became the first South Korean president impeached over the violation, but was reinstated several months later after a court ruled against the impeachment.
"He shocked us twice: first, by betraying our trust in him as the keeper of justice when it was revealed that he'd received the illegitimate money; now, in showing that he was not even responsible enough to face the consequences of his action," said Kim Hye-jung, 35, of Seoul. "As a supporter of the values he stood for, I feel greatly let down."
Roh is survived by his wife, Kwon Yang-sook, son Roh Gun-ho and daughter Roh Jeong-yeon. Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
___
Associated Press writers Jae-soon Chang, Hyung-jin Kim, Kwang-tae Kim and ShinWoo Kang contributed to this report
After leaving his family a suicide note, Roh threw himself off a steep cliff around 6:40 a.m., police and lawyer Moon Jae-in said in the southern port city of Busan.
"I'm indebted to too many people. Too many people are suffering because of me," Roh wrote in the note left on his computer. "Don't be sorry; don't blame anybody. It's destiny." He asked to be cremated and a small gravestone erected in his hometown.
A self-taught lawyer who lifted himself out of poverty to reach the nation's highest office in 2003, Roh had prided himself on being a "clean" politician in a country with a long history of corruption. Recent allegations that he accepted $6 million in bribes from a Seoul businessman were deeply troubling to the ex-leader.
"I have no face to show to the people. I am sorry for disappointing you," an emotional Roh said last month before turning himself over to Seoul prosecutors who grilled him for 13 hours about the allegations.
His suicide — the first in South Korea by an ex-president — stunned the nation. South Koreans nationwide huddled around TV screens watching news broadcasts. Supporters flooded his Web site with condolences.
"I was utterly shocked," said Chun Soon-im, 63, of Seoul. "They say 'hate the sin but not the sinner,' and that's how I feel. The investigation must continue and we must get to the truth, but I cannot help feeling sorry for the man and those left behind."
Roh denied the bribery allegations against him during questioning April 30 and May 1, prosecution spokesman Cho Eun-sok said.
His supporters claimed the probe was politically motivated by conservative opponents.
Roh had acknowledged that local shoe manufacturer Park Yeon-cha gave his wife $1 million, but suggested it was not a bribe. He also said he was aware Park gave $5 million to another relative but said he thought it was an investment. Prosecutors suspect the $6 million was eventually conveyed to Roh.
Several former aides and associates also have been questioned as part of the probe into Park, who was indicted in December on separate bribery and tax evasion charges. Roh's elder brother was sentenced last week to four years in prison in another bribery scandal.
Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han declared the investigation into Roh closed. It was unclear where the probe into family members stands.
President Lee Myung-bak said Roh's "sad and tragic" death was "truly hard to believe," spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said.
Roh, who lived in Bongha, some 280 miles (450 kilometers) south of Seoul, had gone for a walk accompanied by a security guard, Busan police said.
Part way up, Roh hurled himself off a 100-foot (30-meter) -high cliff known as Owl's Rock, suffering multiple injuries, police said. He was rushed to a local hospital before being transferred to Busan National University Hospital, where he was declared dead several hours later.
Later Saturday, mourners wailed as Roh's coffin, draped in dark red, arrived in Bongha. His two children, sobbing, followed the casket to the village community center.
In central Seoul, some 500 people held a quiet candlelight memorial service at a makeshift mourning site, some offering white chrysanthemums, a traditional Korean symbol of grief, and burning incense for Roh.
Roh's death was a tragic end for the son of farmers who never attended college but still managed to pass the country's competitive bar exam in 1975.
He built his reputation defending students accused of sedition under previous military-backed administrations, and once was arrested and his law license suspended for supporting an outlawed labor protest.
His political career took off with his election as a liberal lawmaker to the National Assembly in 1988. Roh's ascension to the presidency came in a surprise 2002 election win on a campaign pledge not to "kowtow" to the United States, which resonated with young voters.
He maintained predecessor President Kim Dae-jung's "sunshine policy" of offering North Korea aid as way to facilitate reconciliation, holding a summit in Pyongyang with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2007, the second such meeting between leaders of the two countries that technically remain at war.
Though criticized as standoffish and confrontational by some, he was praised by others as a candid leader who cared for the underprivileged and fought against corruption. Roh was the first South Korean president with an Internet fan club.
But in 2004, Roh urged voters to support candidates from his Uri Party — a violation of political neutrality laws. He became the first South Korean president impeached over the violation, but was reinstated several months later after a court ruled against the impeachment.
"He shocked us twice: first, by betraying our trust in him as the keeper of justice when it was revealed that he'd received the illegitimate money; now, in showing that he was not even responsible enough to face the consequences of his action," said Kim Hye-jung, 35, of Seoul. "As a supporter of the values he stood for, I feel greatly let down."
Roh is survived by his wife, Kwon Yang-sook, son Roh Gun-ho and daughter Roh Jeong-yeon. Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
___
Associated Press writers Jae-soon Chang, Hyung-jin Kim, Kwang-tae Kim and ShinWoo Kang contributed to this report
Protesting Tamils Die Hard (23/5/2009)
Following the military defeat of the Tamil Tigers, hundreds of the world's Tamil diaspora are mobilizing for a new phase in their struggle. One of those protests were witnessed in central Sydney streets as about 1000 pro-Tamil demonstrators halted traffic on Saturday, May 23. 
Canada convicts Rwandan of genocide
The UN estimates that more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus died in the genocide [File: AFP]
A court in Canada has found a former Rwandan militia leader guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide for his role in murders, torture and rape during the slaughter of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Desire Munyaneza could face life imprisonment after a Quebec Superior Court convicted him on Friday.
"Desire Munyaneza intentionally killed dozens in Butare and its surroundings that were not directly involved in the conflict, raped several women, and pillaged homes and businesses of people who also had nothing to do with the unrest," Andre Denis, the judge, said.
"As such, you have been found guilty of committing war crimes as defined under Canadian law," he said to the accused.
Munyaneza was the first person to be tried under Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act, which allows residents to be tried for crimes committed abroad.
"Desire Munyaneza intentionally killed dozens in Butare and its surroundings that were not directly involved in the conflict, raped several women, and pillaged homes and businesses of people who also had nothing to do with the unrest," Andre Denis, the judge, said.
"As such, you have been found guilty of committing war crimes as defined under Canadian law," he said to the accused.
Munyaneza was the first person to be tried under Canada's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act, which allows residents to be tried for crimes committed abroad.
Witnesses Munyaneza's two-year trial heard from 66 witnesses in Canada, France, Rwanda and Tanzania.
The court was told that Munyaneza, the son of a wealthy Hutu beer distributor, set up roadblocks in southern Rwanda to select Tutsis and moderate Hutu as victims based on their ethnicity or allegiances.
One man who was imprisoned in Rwanda for his own role in the genocide testified that Munyaneza orchestrated the massacre of between 300 and 400 Tutsis in a church.
"The accused's criminal intent was demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt, as was his culpable violence," Denis wrote in his judgement.The UN estimates that more than 800,000 people were killed during the violence.
"I'm very happy he was found guilty. I want to thank and congratulate Canada," Caesar Gashabeze, a survivor of the genocide, said.
"We have been waiting for this."AppealThe defence said it would appeal the conviction after repeatedly questioning the testimony of witnesses and highlighting the fact that most were unable to identify Munyaneza's prominnent facial scar.
"The evidence did not justify a conviction," Richard Perras, Munyaneza's lawyer, said. Munyaneza was arrested in Toronto in 2005 after seeking asylum in Canada, which Canadian immigration officials rejected.
The court was told that Munyaneza, the son of a wealthy Hutu beer distributor, set up roadblocks in southern Rwanda to select Tutsis and moderate Hutu as victims based on their ethnicity or allegiances.
One man who was imprisoned in Rwanda for his own role in the genocide testified that Munyaneza orchestrated the massacre of between 300 and 400 Tutsis in a church.
"The accused's criminal intent was demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt, as was his culpable violence," Denis wrote in his judgement.The UN estimates that more than 800,000 people were killed during the violence.
"I'm very happy he was found guilty. I want to thank and congratulate Canada," Caesar Gashabeze, a survivor of the genocide, said.
"We have been waiting for this."AppealThe defence said it would appeal the conviction after repeatedly questioning the testimony of witnesses and highlighting the fact that most were unable to identify Munyaneza's prominnent facial scar.
"The evidence did not justify a conviction," Richard Perras, Munyaneza's lawyer, said. Munyaneza was arrested in Toronto in 2005 after seeking asylum in Canada, which Canadian immigration officials rejected.
He had fled to Cameroon after the genocide.The prosecutor said that the case illustrated Canada's commitment to bringing war criminals to justice.
"The case was very challenging as it involved events dating back 15 years in a foreign country, Rwanda," Pascale Ledoux said.
"The case was very challenging as it involved events dating back 15 years in a foreign country, Rwanda," Pascale Ledoux said.
Munyaneza will be sentenced in September.
Source:Al Jazeera and agencies
Scientists in New York unveil “missing link”
Scientists on Tuesday unveiled the well preserved fossilized remains found in Germany of a primate from 47 million years ago that may have been a close relative of the common ancestor of monkeys, apes and people.
Scientists in New York unveil “missing link”
47 million year old fossil linked to human ancestors
Bearing a long tail "Ida" had several human characteristics
NEW YORK (Agencies)
Scientists on Tuesday unveiled the well preserved fossilized remains found in Germany of a primate from 47 million years ago that may have been a close relative of the common ancestor of monkeys, apes and people.The primate, which was two feet (58 cm) from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail, was a female that died before its first birthday,said Norwegian paleontologist Jorn Hurum, who led a team of scientists, who analyzed the fossil in the past two years, said.
It was called Darwinius masillae in honor of Charles Darwin, who advanced the theory of evolution, but nicknamed Ida.
The finding, described Tuesday in a scientific journal, was displayed at a press conference at New York's Natural History Museum, and is due to be the subject of a documentary on the History Channel, BBC and other broadcasters.
Organizers said that scientists led first discovered Ida in 1983 by private collectors who failed to understand her importance -- and split the bones into two lots.
The monkey-like creature was preserved through the ages in Germany's Messel Pit, a crater rich in Eocene Epoch fossils.
Although bearing a long tail, she had several human characteristics, including an opposable thumb, short arms and legs, and forward facing eyes.
She also lacked two key elements of modern lemurs: a grooming claw and a row of lower teeth known as the toothcomb."This is the first link to all humans -- truly a fossil that links world heritage," Hurum said in a statement.
David Attenborough, the renowned British naturalist and broadcaster, said the "little creature is going to show us our connection with all the rest of the mammals."
"The link they would have said until now is missing... it is no longer missing," he said.
Iran's Presidential Race Heats Up
As the Iranian presidential race gets its final touches, supporters of Iran's presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi swarmed to Tehran streets distributing his electoral posters. The June 12 poll will pit incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against Mousavi, Mohsen Rezai and Mehdi Karroubi who were all approved by Iran's powerful 12-member Guardians Council.
(Reuters' photos)
Monks Rally for Myanmar Opposition Leader
Scores of Myanmarese monks took to the streets outside the UN office in the Thai capital Bangkok on Friday, May 22, 2009, calling for ending the trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The trial, which entered its fifth day on Friday, has sparked outrage in the West, and the European Union is considering tougher sanctions against the military government.
(Reuters' photos)
15 May 2009
Rapper T.I. coming to Arkansas _ for prison term
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Rapper T.I. will be coming to Arkansas - to serve a federal prison sentence.
T.I., whose real name is Clifford J. Harris Jr., must report to Forrest City's low-security federal prison by noon on May 26, according to court filings. There, Harris will join 1,500 other inmates as he serves a year-and-one-day prison sentence after pleading guilty in March to federal weapons charges in Atlanta.
The rapper, the self-proclaimed "King of the South," had faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each charge in his three-count indictment.
Harris will be credited for 305 days of home detention he already has served after being charged, so his stay at the Forrest City prison likely will be only two months.
R.D. Weeks, a spokesman for the prison, said Harris likely would be treated like any other prisoner coming into the facility.
"Unless there are custody or security concerns, all incoming inmates are placed in general population," Weeks told The Associated Press.
Weeks said each cell at the prison is double-bunked. Harris also will have the opportunity to use the recreation yard, as well as take part in counseling or participate in the one of the facility's 14 religious groups, Week said.
Harris, 28, was arrested after after trying to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers from undercover federal agents in 2007. That came after Harris' best friend was killed following a post-performance party in Cincinnati in 2006. The rapper has said the bullets that killed his friend were meant for him.
Upon his release, Harris will be on probation for three years. He also must pay a $100,000 fine as part of his sentence.
Harris' sixth album, "Paper Trail," has sold about 2 million copies and the rapper earned a Grammy for the song "Swagga Like Us" that he performed with Jay-Z. Harris wrote the lyrics for the album while awaiting trial.
Violence erupts in Brazil slum
Firefighters battled to put out fires set byangry residents [Bandeirantes TV]
Police in Brazil have increased patrols in one of the nation's biggest slums in the cityof Sao Paulo after violence erupted on Wednesday night following the arrest of three alleged drug dealers.
At least 11 people were reported injured, including a baby, after local residents burned vehicles, threw rocks and blocked key roads in the Penha slum in protest against the arrests, local media said on Thursday.
Images from Bandeirantes TV, a local television station, showed heavily armed riot officers at the scene on Wednesday and firefighters hosing down burnt out vehicles and the tire barricades.
Two of the three drug dealers arrested managed to escape during the riot, a spokesman for Sao Paulo's public safety department told AP news agency.
Luiz Felipe Muffo said on Thursday authorities are investigating whether the city's infamous First Capital Command gang was involved.
The First Capital Command gang reportedly controls most of the drug trade in Sao Paulo's slums.
It was blamed by authorities for a month of violence in 2006 that left 200 people dead, including police, prison guards, suspected criminals, jail inmates and bystanders.
Raids in slums of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro are common but violence in Sao Paulo's slums is relatively rare.
At least 11 people were reported injured, including a baby, after local residents burned vehicles, threw rocks and blocked key roads in the Penha slum in protest against the arrests, local media said on Thursday.
Images from Bandeirantes TV, a local television station, showed heavily armed riot officers at the scene on Wednesday and firefighters hosing down burnt out vehicles and the tire barricades.
Two of the three drug dealers arrested managed to escape during the riot, a spokesman for Sao Paulo's public safety department told AP news agency.
Luiz Felipe Muffo said on Thursday authorities are investigating whether the city's infamous First Capital Command gang was involved.
The First Capital Command gang reportedly controls most of the drug trade in Sao Paulo's slums.
It was blamed by authorities for a month of violence in 2006 that left 200 people dead, including police, prison guards, suspected criminals, jail inmates and bystanders.
Raids in slums of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro are common but violence in Sao Paulo's slums is relatively rare.
Source:Agencies
Polish man hires prostitute to take son's virginity
14-year-old disappointed as prostitute is undercover officer
LONDON (Reuters)
A man who tried to hire a prostitute to take his 14-year-old son's virginity as a present was spared jail by a court on Friday.
A man who tried to hire a prostitute to take his 14-year-old son's virginity as a present was spared jail by a court on Friday.
The Polish national took the boy out in his car and allowed him to pick out the prostitute, who was standing at the side of the road in the red-light district of Nottingham.
But the 42-year-old father was arrested because the teenager had chosen an undercover police officer, Nottingham Crown Court heard.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was handed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, after he admitted a charge of trying to solicit a woman to have sex with a child, the Press Association reported.The court heard that the father, who came to Britain eight years ago, was arrested last July during an undercover operation by the city's vice squad.
Prosecutor Adrian Harris said the man and his son had approached the undercover officer whose code name was Sarah and beckoned her over.He asked "Sarah" how much it would cost for her to have sex with his son and they agreed on a 20 pound (about $30) fee. However, when the car pulled over, the man was arrested by plainclothes police officers.
"The boy said that they had driven past the girl and his dad pointed to her and said 'will she do?'" Harris said.
"He said 'yes' and they had turned round. He said his dad did this because he was still a virgin and he was taking care of that for him."
Judge Jonathan Teare said he would spare the father jail because of his excellent character and that he believed he did not mean any harm to his son."
You have a duty of care to your son and that is to look after his moral welfare, not as you might think to break him in to the ways of sex through a prostitute," he said.
The court was told the boy would continue to live with his father.
Obama restarts Guantanamo trials
Al-Qaeda suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is among those who could face the tribunal [EPA]
Barack Obama, the US president, has said military commissions for al-Qaeda suspects held at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp will be restarted.
Obama said new legal safeguards would be introduced to the system, including a ban on evidence obtained using "cruel, inhuman and degrading interrogation methods".
"These reforms will begin to restore the commissions as a legitimate forum for prosecution, while bringing them in line with the rule of law," Obama said in a statement released on Friday.
Obama suspended the tribunals, which were set up by the administration of George Bush, his predecessor, soon after he took office in January and placed them under review.
The move is likely to affect the five detainees charged with having played key roles in the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has been accused of planning the attacks.
Obama said he would also place restrictions on the use of hearsay evidence, so that the "burden will no longer be on the party who objects to hearsay to disprove its reliability".
Detainees would have expanded rights to choose their own legal representation and basic protections provided for those who refuse to testify, he said.
The US president also said he would work with congress "on additional reforms that will permit commissions to prosecute terrorists effectively and be an avenue, along with federal prosecutions in Article III courts, for administering justice".
'Misguided policy'
Human rights and civil liberties groups were critical of the decision, saying the tribunal system should be scrapped.
"It's disappointing that Obama is seeking to revive rather than end this failed experiment," Jonathan Hafetz, a lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union, said before Obama's announcement.
Human rights and civil liberties groups were critical of the decision, saying the tribunal system should be scrapped.
"It's disappointing that Obama is seeking to revive rather than end this failed experiment," Jonathan Hafetz, a lawyer at the American Civil Liberties Union, said before Obama's announcement.
"There's no detainee at Guantanamo who cannot be tried and shouldn't be tried in the regular federal courts system.
"Even with the proposed modifications, this will not cure the commissions or provide them with legitimacy. This is perpetuating the Bush administration's misguided detention policy."
A total of 13 of the 241 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay are currently in the military tribunal system, which has only convicted three prisoners in eight years.
Obama had been critical of the military tribunal system in the past, describing them in June 2008 as an "enormous failure".
On Friday, he said he had always agreed with them in principle but that the way the Bush administration had set them up was wrong.
"I objected strongly to the Military Commissions Act that was drafted by the Bush administration and passed by congress because it failed to establish a legitimate legal framework and undermined our capability to ensure swift and certain justice against those detainees that we were holding at the time."
The decision to restart the process means trials would have to finish before the Guantanamo facility is closed in January 2010, or the detainees would need to be transferred to the US mainland, where they would have more legal rights.
Obama has come under increasing pressure over the treatment of al-Qaeda suspects after memos written by Bush-era legal officials released last month that argued that tactics including waterboarding, which simulates the sensation drowning, were not torture.
"Even with the proposed modifications, this will not cure the commissions or provide them with legitimacy. This is perpetuating the Bush administration's misguided detention policy."
A total of 13 of the 241 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay are currently in the military tribunal system, which has only convicted three prisoners in eight years.
Obama had been critical of the military tribunal system in the past, describing them in June 2008 as an "enormous failure".
On Friday, he said he had always agreed with them in principle but that the way the Bush administration had set them up was wrong.
"I objected strongly to the Military Commissions Act that was drafted by the Bush administration and passed by congress because it failed to establish a legitimate legal framework and undermined our capability to ensure swift and certain justice against those detainees that we were holding at the time."
The decision to restart the process means trials would have to finish before the Guantanamo facility is closed in January 2010, or the detainees would need to be transferred to the US mainland, where they would have more legal rights.
Obama has come under increasing pressure over the treatment of al-Qaeda suspects after memos written by Bush-era legal officials released last month that argued that tactics including waterboarding, which simulates the sensation drowning, were not torture.
Source:Al Jazeera and agencies
Shuttle snapped up against sun
NASA'S space shuttle Atlantis has been caught in a stunning snap silhouetted against the sun.
The pic — the first ever image taken of a solar transit of a space shuttle and Hubble Space Telescope — was taken by an amateur astronomer from his back garden
In space ... against the orb of the sun
It shows Atlantis several minutes before the craft successfully grappled the telescope.
All alone ... shuttle is ringed
Astronauts aboard the shuttle are now repairing and upgrading Hubble for the last time in a series of spacewalks.
The extraordinary photos were taken by Thierry Legault, an engineer famed for his pictures of space taken in his yard in Paris.
He took his latest image in Florida, 60 miles south of the Kennedy Space Centre.
The extraordinary photos were taken by Thierry Legault, an engineer famed for his pictures of space taken in his yard in Paris.
He took his latest image in Florida, 60 miles south of the Kennedy Space Centre.
14 May 2009
Bangladesh Black Rivers
Like many other rivers in Bangladesh, Buriganga river suffers from the dumping of millions of tons of human and industrial waste which has turned its waters into pitch black. Over the past seven months from November to April, virtually no water but only stinky mucky liquid flows in the gradually narrowing rivers - the Buriganga, Shitalakshya, Turag and Balu - as no governments could stop discharge of liquid waste into them, according to a recent study. (Reuters photos).
Refugee Kids Mark Nakba (14/5/2009)
Dozens of Palestinian children held a march on May 14, 2009, at the Burj al-Barajneh refugee camp in Lebanon’s Beirut to mark Nakba, when Israel was created on the ruins of Palestine in 1948. Palestinians around the world mark Nakba Day on May 15, as a day of mourning for losing their homeland. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, defines as refugees the descendants of Palestinians who fled or were forced out of their homes in 1948.
(Reuters photos).
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