'No doubt' Syria used
chemical arms, says US
Vice-President Joe
Biden
28 August 2013 Last updated at 07:50
US Vice-President Joe Biden has said
there is "no doubt" that the Syrian
government has used chemical
weapons and that it must be held
accountable.
The US has said its military is ready to
launch strikes should President Barack
Obama order an attack, and allies say
they too are ready to act.
The Syrian government has strongly
denied claims it used chemical weapons.
UN weapons inspectors are set to return
to the site of last week's suspected attack
near Damascus on Wednesday.
Their evidence-gathering visit was
delayed by a day after they were fired
on.
The US says it will release its own
intelligence report into the incident at
Ghouta, a suburb of the capital, in the
coming days.
More than 300 people reportedly died
there.
President Obama is said to have made at
least 88 calls to foreign leaders since
Wednesday's suspected attack, and
spoke to UK Prime Minister David
Cameron for the second time on
Tuesday.
Mr Cameron said the world could "not
stand idly by", and French President
Francois Hollande said France was
"ready to punish" whoever was behind
the attack.
The UK's National Security Council is due
to convene on Wednesday to discuss
possible responses, while Parliament is to
be recalled on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov warned that "attempts at a
military solution will lead only to the
further destabilisation" in Syria and the
region.
Mr Lavrov emphasised the need for a
political solution in a phone call to the
joint UN-Arab League envoy to Syria,
Lakhdar Brahimi, the foreign ministry in
Moscow said.
Russia, China and Iran have previously
warned against launching an attack on
the war-ravaged country, where more
than 100,000 people are thought to
have died in two years of fighting.
Stocks have fallen on global markets and
oil prices have shot up amid growing
concern about an impending attack.
No 'regime change'
The US has not yet released its
intelligence report into the alleged
chemical attack, but US officials now say
they are certain the Syrian government
was behind the incident.
Mr Biden is the most senior member of
the Obama administration to blame the
Syrian government for the attack.
In a speech to a veterans' group in
Houston, he said there was "no doubt
who was responsible for this heinous use
of chemical weapons in Syria: the Syrian
regime".
He said that "those who use chemical
weapons against defenceless men,
women, and children... must be held
accountable".
White House spokesman Jay Carney
earlier said it would be "fanciful" to think
anyone else could be responsible - saying
the Syrian regime remained in control of
the country's chemical arsenal and used
the type of rocket that carried the
payload used last Wednesday.
But he insisted there were no plans for
"regime change". Any military campaign
is likely to be limited in scope, with
missile strikes targeting military sites and
no ground troops.
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told
the BBC on Tuesday the US military had
"moved assets in place" so all options
were available to the president.
The head of the UN chemical inspectors
team, Ake Sellstrom, and the UN's
disarmament chief, Angela Kane, left their
hotel in Damascus on Tuesday.
UN chemical weapons inspectors spent
nearly three hours in the suburb of
Muadhamiya in western Damascus on
Monday.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
'No doubt' Syria used chemical arms, says US Vice-President Joe Biden
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Politicien goes for trail in china.
Bo Xilai: Disgraced
politician goes on trial
in China
22 August 2013 Last updated at
07:51
Bo Xilai, the disgraced Chinese
politician once tipped for the
highest office, has gone on trial on
charges of bribery, corruption and
abuse of power.
The former Chongqing Communist
Party leader is accused of accepting
money from two businessmen, the
court said. He has so far denied
one charge.
The abuse of power charge relates
to his wife's role in the murder of a
British businessman, the court said.
Mr Bo's trial is China's most
politically-charged in decades.
Two years ago the 64-year-old high-
flier was seen as a candidate for
promotion to the Politburo Standing
Committee, China's seven-member
top decision-making body.
But in February 2012, as China
prepared for its once-in-a-decade
leadership handover, questions
emerged over the death of the
British businessman, Neil Heywood.
Mr Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, has since
been convicted of Mr Heywood's
murder. Mr Bo faces multiple
charges and is widely expected to
be found guilty.
His downfall was seen as the
biggest political shake-up to hit
China's ruling elite in decades.
'Fairly and justly'
The trial - which started at 08:30
(00:30 GMT) - is taking place at the
Intermediate People's Court in
Jinan, which is in Shandong
province. The court is providing an
account of proceedings on its
official microblog .
"I hope the judge will try this case
fairly and justly according to the
law of the country," Mr Bo
reportedly said.
Five of Mr Bo's relatives are said to
be in court, along with 19
journalists and 84 other people.
Foreign journalists have not been
allowed in.
According to the indictment posted
by the court, Mr Bo is accused of
receiving bribes totalling 21.8m
yuan ($3.56m; £2.28m) from two
Dalian-based businessmen.
The court microblog quoted Mr Bo
as saying about one of the cases:
"That Tang Xiaolin gave me three
bribes - that did not happen. He
asked me to help him sort out
something, and these were all done
according to procedure."
Mr Bo said he had admitted this
"against his will" under
questioning, adding: "What I meant
was that I was willing to take the
legal responsibility but I had no
idea of all these details back then."
The abuse of power charge is
connected to his wife's role in Mr
Heywood's murder and his
treatment of Wang Lijun, his now-
jailed former police chief whose
flight to the US consulate brought
the case out into the open, the
court indictment said.
Bo Xilai - once seen as a top leader
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Barcelona goalkeeper Victor
Valdes has hailed his side's start
to life under new boss Gerardo
Martino.
The Argentine coach took charge
of his first competitive fixture
since taking the reins from Tito
Vilanova on Sunday, as the
Catalan club began the defence
of their La Liga crown with a 7-0
victory against Levante.
And Valdes has expressed delight
with Barca's performance in the
rout, citing their relentless
pressing as key to the win.
"It has been one of the best
starts. You can see the team is
intense, defending much higher
to recover the ball and moving
quickly to the opposition goal. It
was what the coach wanted," he
said.
The 31-year-old also revealed his
belief that Barca have regained
their identity following a difficult
2012-13 campaign in which
Vilanova's health was a constant
source of worry.
"Last year was unusual with the
illness of the coach and certain
aspects could not work because of
what happened with Tito," he
added.
"To begin in this way is good. We
have recovered aspects of the
past and we hope that it will
continue this way."
Valdes went on to discuss Real
Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti's
decision to omit Iker Casillas from
his starting line-up for the
opening game of the season -
with Diego Lopez starting in his
place.
"It surprises me. In the
Confederations Cup we saw how
good and focused he is," he
continued.
"I have seen him make saves that
I did not think possible. For me,
he is the best, but I cannot say
more because it is not my
squad."
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
London (CNN) - British Muslim groups voiced their horror and condemnation
London (CNN) - British Muslim groups voiced their horror and condemnation Thursday over the slaying of a soldier in a London street by attackers who said they were acting to avenge Muslim deaths overseas.
But Muslim commentators also suggested there is more that the country's leaders can do to address issues within the Muslim community, particularly among alienated young men.
Woolwich attack: Latest developments
According to 2011 census figures, Muslims make up the second-largest religious group in Britain, with 2.7 million people. That represents an increase of 1.2 million (from 3% to 5% of the population) since 2001.
The suspected attackers in the Woolwich slaying, who are hospitalized under police guard, claimed to be acting for Islam, but it's not yet clear if they were affiliated with any group.
"The only reasons we killed this man ... is because Muslims are dying daily," said one of the suspects, wielding a cleaver with bloody hands, in video aired by CNN affiliate ITN.
"This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth," he said. "We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone."
The Muslim Council of Britain condemned what it called "a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam."
Read more: London attack mirrors plot to behead Muslim soldier
It urged Muslims and non-Muslims alike "to come together in solidarity to ensure the forces of hatred do not prevail."
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Malawi to take Tanzania dispute to courtdisputed
Malawi to take Tanzania dispute to court
President Joyce Banda has said that Malawi was giving up on mediation efforts and would take to the courts to settle a long dormant border dispute with Tanzania which has been re-activated by prospects of an oil find.
"Our view is that we should eventually go to court. We should not waste time on this (mediation)," Banda told reporters in Lilongwe on Monday after returning from visits to the US and Britain.
She said the mediation bid left to Mozambique's ex-president Joachim Chissano in his capacity as head of a forum of retired leaders from the regional bloc SADC, was "compromised because information submitted by Malawi was leaked to Tanzania"
Is child sponsorship ethical?
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Is child sponsorship ethical?
By Emily Buchanan
BBC world affairs correspondent
3 hours ago
World Vision sponsored children Ulemelero and Davis, both 10, with their sponsors' letters in Malawi
More than nine million children around the world are sponsored by Western donors and a major new report on the work of one aid agency has found that sponsorship does improve children's lives. It has reopened a long and fierce debate over whether this hugely popular form of giving to the poor is either ethical or effective.
There has been very little previous research into whether the $3bn (£2bn) transferred from the rich world to the poor through sponsoring children actually has a measurable impact.
So academics from the University of San Francisco decided to undertake the most wide-ranging study yet in six developing countries - Bolivia, Guatemala, India, Kenya, the Philippines, and Uganda.
They interviewed more than 10,000 adults and looked at the lives of those who had been sponsored as children by the agency, Compassion, and compared them to their peers who hadn't been sponsored.
Dr Bruce Wydick, professor of Economics, was surprised at the findings (recently published in the US Journal of Political Economy): "As a development economist I am used to seeing very modest outcomes from aid programmes, but we were amazed at the size of impacts on kids."
Left behind
The results showed that the sponsored children stayed in school longer than their non-sponsored peers, were more like to have white collar jobs and were more likely to be leaders in their communities and churches.
In Uganda the impact on education was particularly striking. The sponsored children were 42% more likely to finish secondary education than those not part of the programme, and 83% more likely to complete university.
Peace Ruharuza was sponsored as a child in Uganda and now runs a charity helping others
These results don't come as a shock to Peace Ruharuza.
She grew up in rural Uganda, as one of 14 children. As a small child she worked as a domestic helper. At the age of nine, she was chosen to join a Compassion programme and was sponsored by a Canadian family. She now lives in the UK and helps run a charity (Fountain of Peace) for poor children back in Uganda.
She has no doubts that sponsorship gave her the boost she needed: "It gave me a new lease in life, helped me become what I am and to change a generation."
Peace argues that you have to invest in a child if you want to change a community. She says she was also able to help her siblings and the children of friends.
But critics of this form of child sponsorship argue it is unfair and discriminatory; while one child is helped others in the community are left behind.
Most agencies, like World Vision and Plan International, now steer sponsorship money more broadly to development projects like water supply, nutrition or schools.
Originally the San Francisco researchers had hoped to do a comparative study of different agencies' programmes, but for this project only Compassion chose to take part.
Psychological benefit
Justin Byworth, chief executive of World Vision, the biggest child sponsorship charity in the world, said that they did not participate because it's harder to evaluate their projects.
"The way we do sponsorship, everyone in the community benefits equally, so this piece of research wasn't appropriate for us. In 2012 our impact report showed clear reductions in child mortality and malnutrition and improvements in education across sponsorship programmes."
Compassion has often been criticised for proselytising, with its sponsored children being selected by local churches and given an evangelical Christian education. But Dr Wydick found the spiritual aspect of sponsorship might be intrinsic to transforming children's lives.
In a follow up study of children currently being sponsored by Compassion, he found they scored better than their peers on happiness and hopefulness. He argues that building children's self-esteem and aspirations could be as important as providing financial help and schooling.
He said: "'Bringing hope to children is a trite phrase but it actually may be a profound and little researched aspect of development."
For Compassion's CEO, Ian Hamilton, the research vindicates their one-to-one model.
"We've always believed there's a huge psychological benefit for a child to know that someone on the other side of the world really loves and cares about them," he said.
"This research has reinforced that message. Unfortunately all aid has to be selective and we can't help everyone."
But this issue will still be hotly contested, as long as so much money flows into aid agencies from child sponsorship and so many children's lives are affected by it.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Ariel Castro faces rap and kidnap charges in ohio case
Ariel Castro faces rape and kidnap charges in Ohio case
7 minutes ago
The owner of the Ohio house from where three women were rescued this week a decade after they went missing faces four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape, say US prosecutors.
Ariel Castro, 52, will appear in court on Thursday. His brothers Pedro, 54, and Onil, 50, will not be charged.
Amanda Berry, 27, Gina DeJesus, 23 and Michelle Knight, 32, were found in the Cleveland house on Monday.
Cleveland's police chief has said the women were bound with ropes and chains.
Police told a news briefing in the city that more than 200 pieces of evidence had been taken from the home where the three women were held captive.
Police said interviews with the women had given them enough information to charge Ariel Castro.
But prosecutor Victor Perez there was nothing that led police to believe his brothers, Pedro and Onil Castro, "were involved or had any knowledge" of the alleged crime.
Ms Berry, who disappeared in 2003 aged 16, escaped on Monday with the help of a neighbour who heard her screaming and kicking a door while her alleged captor was out of the house.
When police arrived they also found Ms DeJesus, 23, and Ms Knight, 32, in the house.
Ms DeJesus had gone missing aged 14 in 2004, while Ms Knight had disappeared in 2002, aged 20.
Moyes set to take over man-U as united new boss
Moyes set to be named Man Utd boss
8 May 2013 Updated 20:41
Everton boss David Moyes is set to be appointed as the new Manchester United manager, following Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.
An announcement could be made on Thursday.
Ferguson, 71, revealed his decision to step down after nearly 27 years at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Fellow Scot Moyes, 50, who has been in charge at Goodison Park since 2002, held talks with Toffees chairman Bill Kenwright on Wednesday evening.
Moyes is expected to tell the Everton players and staff of his decision to join United at a training ground meeting on Thursday morning.
He could still lead Everton out at Goodison Park against West Ham on Sunday for what would be his final home game in charge.
The former Preston boss was installed as bookmakers' favourite to become the next United boss following a rush of bets over the weekend, even before speculation mounted about Ferguson's retirement.
"He's cut from the same cloth," said former United captain Steve Bruce.
"It wouldn't surprise me if he got the job and I'm sure he would be very successful.
"He's not had huge finances but he has still managed to put an Everton team together that comfortably finishes in the top 10."
Former United assistant manager Steve McClaren also believes Moyes is the right man for the job.
"He's a winner and has a work ethic similar to Sir Alex," the ex-England manager told BBC Radio 5 live. "He's also built a dynasty and legacy at Everton.
"He's waited many years for this opportunity and I hope he gets it."
Former England striker Gary Lineker, who presents the BBC's Match of the Day programme, said Moyes would be a "sensible" appointment.
"It is a great choice for United, but not a great choice for Everton because he will be a great loss to them. It makes the transition easier to get another British and Scottish manager in," said the ex-Toffees forward.
"He (Moyes) is hugely respected within the game and he will instantly get the respect of the players but it's the biggest pair of shoes you can follow. It's intensely difficult and I think the best job at Manchester United is the one after the one after Sir Alex Ferguson because expectations will be so tough.
"It is going to be extraordinarily difficult for the next boss of Manchester United because if it goes wrong the fans will let him know they are missing Sir Alex.
"He will always be judged against someone with phenomenal success, but he will know that anyway. However, you can still see the allure of the job. It is one of the three biggest clubs in the world, so it will always get big names wanting that job."
Former United defender Gary Neville also backed Moyes as a potential successor to Ferguson.
"I don't know if he's going to be appointed, but I would welcome it - it makes sense," Neville, who won eight league titles at United, told Sky Sports.
But former England striker Alan Shearer believes the appointment of Moyes could be a gamble as he has not won a trophy during 11 years in charge at Everton.
"Anyone who has worked with David Moyes says great things about his man-management and his coaching," Shearer told BBC Sport.
"The only thing you would say is that he has not won a trophy at Everton.
"But I suppose anyone who goes into Manchester United is a big gamble because it is going to be one heck of a big pair of shoes to fill."
And former United manager Tommy Docherty said he would "feel sorry" for Moyes should he be appointed.
"If it is David Moyes then I congratulate him and feel sorry for him. How can you follow the impossible?"
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Russia and US agree to hold Syria conference
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Russia and US agree to hold Syria conference
14 minutes ago
John Kerry said the US and Russia shared "common interests" in Syria
Russia and the US have agreed to work towards convening an international conference to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State John Kerry announced it would follow on from an Action Group for Syria meeting in Geneva last June.
Mr Kerry said they would try to "bring both sides to the table".
Relations between Moscow and Washington have been strained in the last two years by differences over Syria.
'Important track'
Mr Kerry held lengthy talks with President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday during his first visit to Moscow since becoming secretary of state.
He told Mr Putin that their two countries shared "some very significant common interests with respect to Syria", including "stability in the region" and "not letting extremists create problems".
"It is my hope that today we will be able to dig into that a little bit, and see if we can find common ground," he added.
He then held further discussions with Mr Lavrov, after which they jointly announced that they would try to organise an international conference on ending the conflict in Syria, if possible before the end of May.
It will try to convince both the Syrian government and opposition to accept a solution based on the core elements of the final communique issued on 30 June 2012, after the UN-backed Action Group for Syria meeting.
The communique called for an immediate cessation of violence and the establishment of a transitional government that could include officials serving under President Bashar al-Assad and members of the opposition.
"We believe that the Geneva communique is the important track to end the bloodshed in Syria," Mr Kerry told a news conference, warning that it must not be a "piece of paper" but rather "the roadmap" for peace.
"The alternative is that there is even more violence," he added. "The alternative is that Syria heads closer to an abyss, if not over the abyss and into chaos."
Mr Lavrov praised the Syrian government for its willingness to discuss a political transition, but criticised the opposition for not having "said a single word yet which would show their commitment".
He also reaffirmed Moscow's belief that the departure of President Assad should not be a condition for peace talks, but insisted he was not trying to keep him in power.
"We are not concerned by the fate of any individual. We are concerned by the fate of the Syrian people," he said.
The BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow says the plan based on the Geneva communique has not worked so far, and even with the redoubling of US and Russian diplomatic efforts there is no guarantee it will now.
After his visit to Russia, Mr Kerry will travel to Rome to meet Italian, Israeli and Jordanian officials to discuss Middle East issues, including the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Monday, May 6, 2013
. Somalia's fight to harness the power of Mogadishu port
.
Somalia's fight to harness the power of Mogadishu port
By Gabriel Gatehouse
BBC News, Mogadishu
6 May 2013 Last updated at 09:29
At the thriving seaport in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, the aroma of lemons drowns out the smell of ship's fuel.
The dried fruits, packed into hundreds of sacks, are being offloaded from trucks and hoisted by crane on to a cargo vessel for export.
The ship will eventually make its way to the Arab Gulf states.
"The pay is poor, but at least there's more work now," says a porter by the name of Alasow, taking a breather from the back-breaking work.
Decades of war and piracy almost destroyed this once-powerful trading hub.
But in recent months, better security has seen the number of ships docking here more than double.
For Somalia, this port represents more than just a return to business.
It could be the engine of the country's economic resurrection.
Exports consist largely of fruit and livestock. Imports are mostly spaghetti and cement, the latter for use in Mogadishu's current building boom.
All of this economic activity is good news for Somalis, from the porters on the quayside to the lorry drivers; from the wholesalers and importers right down to the farmers who grow the lemons.
All of them are making a living.
But even the people who work here say corruption is rife.
"For 20 years we had no government," says Noor Osman, another porter - caked in dust from a morning offloading sacks of cement.
"Now the management and the businessmen are eating into our wages.
"If the president is a proper Muslim, let him do something about it."
Scrutinising the books
Mr Osman's troubles with the payroll are symptomatic of a wider problem.
Somalia does not have an income tax. Most of the federal budget comes from foreign aid.
The port still shows evidence of Somalia's political instability
What little revenue the government does collect comes from here, the port, and to a lesser extent, the airport.
Unfortunately, very little revenue is making its way into government coffers.
Abdirazak Fartaag, former head of the Somali Public Finance Unit, says 75-80% of the funds that are being generated by the port are unaccounted for.
"Nobody really knows where that money goes," he says.
In 2010 Mr Fartaag was asked to investigate the financial management practices of what was then Somalia's Transitional Federal government.
What he found was an almost total lack of accountability.
When he presented his findings the following year he was sacked.
He says he has no reason to believe things have changed since then.
"The international community have a say in this regard.
"To say, 'You know what, since we're paying for this, we need to understand [what you're doing with] the money you generate from the port and the airport and any other sources.'"
Earlier this year the UK proposed setting up a mechanism whereby Britain and other donors would get to scrutinise the books.
It was to be called the Joint Financial Management Board.
Somalia's new government rejected the proposal on the grounds that it would infringe national sovereignty.
'Stop being timid'
Mr Fartaag says the countries that fund the Somali government should demand more accountability.
"Unless the international community demands that, nothing is going to change in my view," he says.
"The Americans and the British should stop being timid about this whole process, they should be a bit forceful."
The port's manager, Abdullahi Ali Noor, denied any suggestions of corruption.
"All the revenues generated here in Mogadishu port, directly will go to the central bank of Somalia," he said.
He said the money was already being used to pay civil servants' salaries and other government expenditure.
Everything from livestock to cement passes through the bustling port
Mr Ali Noor said that revenue currently amounted to around $3.5m (£2.2m) per month - not a large sum with which to run any country, let alone one struggling with the legacy of two decades of war.
The trucks laden with goods rumbling in and out of Mogadishu's port are emblematic of a city rising up from the rubble of war.
Foreign aid is paying for former militiamen to join a fledgling national security force.
Some of them are in evidence at the entrance to the port: Policemen in blue uniforms alongside soldiers in camouflage fatigues.
But old clan loyalties are still strong.
The gun is often still the arbiter here, and he who controls the gates also controls the revenue flows.
Bride among five dead in US stretch limo
Bride among five dead in US stretch limo q
2 hours ago
A newlywed was among five women killed and four injured when a stretch limo turned into a fireball during a bridal party in San Francisco Bay.
Firefighters found five badly burned passengers in the back of the vehicle, which caught light on a major bridge in the city on Saturday night.
Bride Neriza Fojas, 31, was among those who died in the unexplained blaze, her relatives told local media.
The male driver and four other female passengers escaped the vehicle.
The driver was unhurt. One of the women had severe burns while the other three suffered injuries including smoke inhalation, police said.
'Within 90 seconds'
Two of the casualties, a 32-year-old and a 48-year-old, were in a critical condition in hospital on Monday, officials said.
The deceased were so badly burned that medical examiners will try to identify them using dental records.
Aerial footage showed about one-third of the back half of the limousine had been burnt out.
It is still unclear what caused the vehicle to burst into flames on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge at the southern end of San Francisco Bay.
The limo was carrying one more passenger than allowed under the state rules, California Highway Patrol Capt Mike Maskarich said. But he would not comment on whether overcrowding had been a factor in the deaths.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, and the vehicle has not yet been inspected, Capt Maskarich said.
Driver Orville Brown, 46, said one of the passengers had knocked on the partition and complained of smoke in the back of the vehicle.
But he told the San Francisco Chronicle that he initially misheard her, amid loud music from the passengers' compartment, and thought she was asking for permission to smoke.
By the time he realised something was wrong and pulled over, "within maybe 90 seconds", the hired Lincoln Town Car was engulfed in flames, he said.
"I just wish that I could have done more," Mr Brown told the Chronicle. "It's something you never imagine will happen."
The women were reportedly picked up by the limo in the city of Oakland and were being driven across the bridge to Foster City.
They had been on their way to a hotel to celebrate with the husband of the new bride, her sister told the Chronicle.
Neriza Fojas, from Fresno, California, was planning to repeat her marriage vows in the Philippines next month, relatives told the San Jose Mercury News.
San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault was quoted by the Chronicle as saying: "This is one of the most horrific things I've seen in 21 years with this office.
"Looking at it, they were on top of each other and doing what they could to get out."
He said all the women were nurses.
Limo Stop, the firm that operated the vehicle, issued a statement saying it would "do everything possible to investigate and assist authorities in determining the cause of this fire in order to bring forth answers and provide closure to victims and their families".
The San Mateo Fire Department and police are investigating the cause of the blaze.
The coroner said the authorities did not suspect anything criminal occurred.
A deflected Juan Mata strike gave Chelsea a victory at a lacklustre Manchester United which lifts the Blues up to third in the Premier League.
A deflected Juan Mata strike gave Chelsea a victory at a lacklustre Manchester United which lifts the Blues up to third in the Premier League.
Earlier, Oscar's shot for the visitors was palmed on to the post by keeper Anders Lindegaard before United's Robin van Persie glanced a shot just wide.
The match appeared to be petering out when Mata's 87th minute shot went in off Phil Jones and the post.
Moments later, United's Rafael was sent off for kicking David Luiz.
The Brazilian defender was seen smiling on the ground after Rafael's crude challenge as the game ended in the kind of fiery intensity the match had largely lacked.
With victory edging Chelsea a point ahead of Arsenal in the race for the Champions League places, Rafael Benitez's men - who have a game in hand over the Gunners - will be more satisfied by the win than the quality of their performance.
The Blues are three points in front of fifth-placed Tottenham, who they play on Wednesday. If Chelsea win that game it should all but guarantee them a top-four place.
After both of their London rivals had won on Saturday, the pressure was on Chelsea to follow suit in their 65th match of the season.
In what was also their 12th game in 37 days, the visitors quickly took the initiative and created the first threat on goal, with the teasing Mata crossing for the stretching Demba Ba to head over.
Another Mata cross fell to Ba at the far post and, although the Chelsea forward did well to take the ball down on his chest, he could only strike an air shot before United cleared their lines.
There was a lack of zip and urgency about the home side and they almost paid the price when Oscar ran unchallenged at goal before having a shot palmed onto the post by Lindergaard.
Chelsea failed to provide the cutting edge to capitalise on the Old Trafford side's lack of intensity, with Victor Moses sweeping a shot over as the Blues again squandered a promising opening.
United's disciplined and determined defending was their saving grace before they briefly found some attacking rhythm, with Van Persie twice going close just before the break.
The Dutchman latched onto an incisive pass from Ryan Giggs only to glance a shot just wide before Van Persie headed straight at Blues keeper Petr Cech from a Nemanja Vidic cross.
Chelsea responded by trying to increase the pace of the game after the break, although they struggled to prise a way through the United backline as chances were hard to come by at both ends.
However, there was to be late drama.
Chelsea midfielder Ramires tackled Wayne Rooney on the edge of the Blues box before powering forward and passing to Oscar, who laid the ball off for Mata to send a shot in off Jones and the post.
United were angry the challenge by Ramires was not deemed a foul, while Rafael's frustration boiled over into a cynical challenge on Luiz as he incurred his side's first red card of the season.
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson:
"There is always an expectation that we should do better. We expected a better performance. After the goal we had no time to get back in the game.
"It was difficult for players coming in. Chelsea had everything to play for. They [some of our players] haven't played for quite a while. That being said, we should be doing better.
"He [Rafael] retaliates but he [David Luiz] quite clearly elbows him twice then rolls about like a dying swan, and that convinces the referee. He was smiling, it's bad. What kind of professional is that?"
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Bangladesh police break up Islamist protest in Dhaka
Bangladesh police break up Islamist protest in Dhaka
10 minutes ago
At least 10 people have died and more than 60 injured after police and Islamist protesters clashed in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.
Police used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse a Sunday protest organised by the group Hefazat-e Islam.
But there were later running battles throughout Sunday and into Monday in the city's central business district.
Up to half a million Islamists had gathered in the city to call for stronger Islamic policies.
Rioters went on to set fire to shops and vehicles.
'Hang atheists'
Thousands of Islamist activists were seen fleeing the Motijheel area as police moved in to take control of the area, the BBC Bengali service reports.
Early on Monday, a police spokesman said officers had secured the business district and were searching for protesters hiding in nearby buildings.
The area around the city centre's largest mosque had turned into a battleground as police reacted to stone-throwing rioters with tear gas, stun grenades, rubber bullets and truncheons.
Some casualties suffered bullet wounds in the head, hospital sources say.
On Sunday, crowds of protesters blocked main roads, isolating Dhaka from other parts of the country.
Dhaka's Daily Star newspaper reports that the group hired at least 3,000 vehicles, including buses, lorries and minibuses to bring demonstrators into the capital, while others travelled there by train.
Chanting "Allahu Akbar!" ("God is greatest!") and "One point! One demand! Atheists must be hanged", the activists marched down at least six main roads as they headed for Motijheel, AFP news agency reported.
At least 10 people have been killed and more than 60 injured in continuing clashes between police and Islamist activists in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka
The clashes came as hundreds of thousands of Hefazat-e-Islam supporters held a rally in Dhaka to demand a greater focus on Islamic values
The group also rallied in Dhaka last month, calling for the death penalty for those who insult Islam, as well as the imposition of stricter Islamic education
Police used tear gas, rubber bullets and, in this instance, a broken piece of brick against protesters
The government, which describes Bangladesh as a secular democracy, has rejected the demands of the group
Hefazat-e Islam wants greater segregation of men and women, as well as the imposition of stricter Islamic education.
The movement draws its strength from the country's madrassahs, or religious schools.
Its opposition to a national development policy for women has angered women's groups.
The government, which describes Bangladesh as a secular democracy, has rejected Hefazat-e Islam's demand for a new law on blasphemy.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said current legislation was adequate.
Muslims make up nearly 90% of the country's population, with the rest mostly Hindus.
Malaysia vote: PM Najib Razak's Barisan Nasional wins
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Malaysia vote: PM Najib Razak's Barisan Nasional wins
2 hours ago
The ruling National Front coalition has won a simple majority in Malaysia's election, extending its 56-year rule, with two-thirds of seats confirmed.
PM Najib Razak's Barisan Nasional coalition had passed the threshold of 112 seats in the 222-seat parliament, the Election Commission said.
Defeated opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim accused the party of widespread fraud before and during the polls.
Some 80% of registered voters cast ballots, said election officials.
Voters had been faced with returning the ruling party, or choosing Mr Anwar's untested three-party alliance, Pakatan Rakyat.
As the result was confirmed, Mr Najib, 59, urged all Malaysians to accept his coalition's victory.
"The results show a trend of polarisation which worries the government. If it is not addressed, it can create tension or division in the country," he said.
"We have to show to the world that we are a mature democracy."
Fraud claims
With results trickling in overnight, Barisan Nasional had won 127 seats to Pakatan Rakyat's 77 by 03:30 (19:30 GMT), the Associated Press reported.
Earlier, Mr Najib had said he was confident Malaysians would retain his coalition and even return the two-thirds parliamentary majority it lost in the 2008 polls.
Barisan Nasional, while credited with bringing economic development and political stability, has also been tainted by allegations of corruption.
In what was considered a tight race, it had campaigned hard to shore up its base among poorer ethnic Malay neighbourhoods and in rural areas.
But Mr Anwar refused to concede defeat, accusing the authorities of widespread abuses which he said had distorted the result of the election.
"It is an election that we consider fraudulent and the Electoral Commission has failed," he told a news conference after midnight on Monday.
Allegations of election fraud surfaced before the election. Some of those who voted in advance told BBC News that indelible ink on their hands - supposed to last for days and show they had already voted - had easily washed off.
The opposition also accused the government of funding flights for supporters to key states, which the government denied.
Independent pollster Merdeka Center also cited unconfirmed reports of foreign nationals being given ID documents and being allowed to vote.
And the international organisation Human Rights Watch said there had been well-planned attacks against the country's independent media ahead of the polls.
Most traditional media in Malaysia are linked to the governing parties so their opponents rely almost exclusively on the internet to get their message out, correspondents say.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
“I'm a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down.” ― Abraham Lincoln
“I'm a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down.”
― Abraham Lincoln
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
When Male CEOs Have Kids, Employees Make Less Money
At the same time, the CEO pads his own pocket with a wage increase of 4.9 percent. “He has a kid, he thinks immediately, ‘I want more money for my family,’” explains Cristian Dezsö, assistant professor at University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business and co-author of the study. “But it comes at the expense of the employees.”
The study was inspired by a 1991 paper by sociologist Rebecca Warner that linked male politicians’ stances on so-called women’s issues with whether or not they had a daughter. (Not surprisingly, she found that those with daughters were more likely to hold feminist views). “Given my interest in business, when I read that paper I immediately thought, Well, does a daughter influence a CEO’s stance on gender relations in the workplace?” Dezsö says. The answer appears to be yes.
Dezsö and his colleagues focused on Danish companies because of the ease with which they could acquire salary data. “In Denmark, people are issued national ID numbers much like the Social Security numbers in the U.S, and they link that ID to pretty much everything,” he explains. “If I know your number, I can see the company you work for, how much money you make, who is your spouse, your kids, and so on and so forth.”
Dezsö discovered that employees’ wages fall farther if the CEO has a son than if he has a daughter—and they do so at different rates for women than for men. If a chief executive’s firstborn child is a son, female employees’ wages go down by .2 percent and men’s drop by .5 percent. Dezsö is quick to point out that this doesn’t mean women suddenly make more than men—just that the gender pay gap, which exists even in Denmark, narrows slightly. The reason for this might be the executive’s newfound respect for motherhood. “Whenever a CEO has his first kid, he is probably married, and so he sees how hard it is to be a mother … by extension he might sympathize more with women. So the salaries of female employees don’t go down as much as men’s,” he says. When the CEO has a daughter, he’s even more sympathetic—and women’s wages actually go up.
This phenomenon occurs only when executives have their first child. With two or more children, employee’s wages decrease no matter who they are. “Think of it as negative and positive forces working against each other—the CEO wants more money for himself, but he also feels more generous to his employees,” explains Dezsö. “With the first child, positive forces win. With the second or third child, the negative forces win and he just takes more money for himself.”
We were curious to know if these findings hold true for American CEOs as well. (According to Dezsö, the study couldn’t be replicated in the U.S. because privacy laws make it too difficult to procure the relevant information.) While he doesn’t know for sure, he has a hunch. Denmark ranks seventh in the world for gender equality, according to the 2012 Global Gender Gap report, “which means that most people there already hold liberal views of women’s rights,” he says. The U.S., meanwhile, is ranked 22—just above Mozambique. In a more biased society, the economic impact might be even more pronounced.
“If I were to get very cocky, I’d say that what we found in Denmark is a very conservative change in CEOs’ outlooks and maybe we’d find bigger effects in the U.S.” But he doesn’t know for sure. “Until we can collect the right kind of data in the U.S.,” he says, “it cannot be more than speculation.”
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