Woman trapped for 20 days in bathroom

Your Ad Here

Paris woman trapped for 20 days in bathroom

The trapped woman survived on nothing but warm water for 20 days

An elderly woman has survived being trapped in her bathroom in Paris for 20 days, after the door lock jammed.

The room had no window or phone so the 69-year-old was unable to tell anyone but she tapped on pipes during the night, hoping to alert her neighbours.
They thought the noise was DIY work and started a petition to have it stopped.
But a few people realised they had not seen the pensioner recently and called the authorities, who sent in a rescue crew.
Firefighters broke into her second-floor flat in Epinay-sous-Senart and reportedly found her lying on the ground in the bathroom, in a "very weakened" state.
The woman, who has not been named, had survived on warm tap water for almost three weeks.
She is now recovering in hospital.
"You could hear banging sounds, like a hammer, even at night," one neighbour told local media. "But we thought they were doing work at night. We said: 'They are going too far! They are preventing us from sleeping!' If we had known....'"

To watch latest TV episode pls. click the title of the news or open http://www.coloredwindow.blogspot.com

For delicious recipes:  http://www.mykitchenhere.blogspot.com

South Korea to bolster island force

Your Ad Here

South Korea to bolster island force against Pyongyang

South Korea's military force on the border islands will be strengthened and its weapons upgraded

South Korea is to strengthen its military force on five islands close to North Korea, amid tensions over a clash that left four people dead.

It will also review military policy on the use of force, amid concerns it had become "rather passive".
North Korean shelling of a South Korean island on Tuesday killed two civilians and two marines, and prompted an increase in regional tension.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has urged both to exercise "utmost restraint".
North Korea, meanwhile, has threatened further military action if South Korea continues on what it called a "path of military provocation", the North's official KCNA news agency reported.
Pyongyang also blamed the new level of hostilities on the United States - saying the US helped draw up the "illegal" western maritime border between the two Koreas.

Troop increase
The clash two days ago was one of the worst incidents between the two Koreas, who remain technically at war following the 1950-53 Korean War.

The shelling set alight numerous houses on a South Korean island very close to the disputed western maritime border, killed four people and injured several more.

After holding an emergency cabinet meeting, South Korea announced it would dramatically increase its military capability in the area.
"[The government] has decided to sharply increase military force, including ground troops, on the five islands in the Yellow Sea and allocate more of its budget towards dealing with North Korea's asymmetrical threats," the presidential senior public affairs secretary, Hong Sang-pyo, told reporters.
He said the government had also decided to make new rules of engagement "to change the paradigm itself of responding to North Korea's provocation", describing the current rules as "rather passive".
The BBC's Chris Hogg says the cabinet had decided that in the existing rules of engagement there was too much emphasis on preventing a military incident escalating into something worse.
There is now an awareness that this thinking had to change, our correspondent says.
In future the South would implement different levels of response depending on whether the North Koreans attacked the military in the South or civilian targets, the spokesman said.

China role
In the Chinese leadership's first statement on the issue, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, speaking in Moscow, described the situation on the peninsula as "grim and complicated".
"China is firmly committed to maintaining the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and opposes any provocative military acts," he said.
"Relevant sides should maintain the utmost restraint and the global community should do more to relax the tense situation," he said, in a statement issued by the Chinese foreign ministry.
China has been under pressure to use its influence over the North to ease tensions.
Mr Wen repeated his view that six-nation talks on the North's nuclear programme should be resumed as soon as possible, a position shared by North Korea.
South Korea, the US and Japan have said the six-nation talks should not re-start until the North stops uranium enrichment work and apologises for its alleged torpedoing of a South Korean warship in March, at the cost of 46 lives.
A planned visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi to South Korea has also been postponed, it emerged on Thursday. The delay was put down to "scheduling" issues.

To watch latest TV episode pls. click the title of the news or open http://www.coloredwindow.blogspot.com

For delicious recipes:  http://www.mykitchenhere.blogspot.com

North Korea newest attack causes International alarm

Your Ad Here

North Korea attack on island causes international alarm

North Korea's shelling of an island in South Korea near a disputed sea border has drawn international condemnation.

US President Barack Obama said he was "outraged" by the attack on Yeonpyeong island. It was also denounced by Russia, Japan and European countries.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon called it "one of the gravest incidents since the Korean War" and urged restraint on both sides.
South Korea returned fire and threatened missile strikes if there were "further provocations".
South Korea's military had been carrying out an exercise nearby, but it denies opening hostilities by firing towards the North.

Continue reading the main story

Yeonpyeong island

• Lies 3km (2 miles) from disputed Yellow Sea border and 12km from North Korean coast
• Houses military installations, a permanent marine detachment and a small civilian population
• Rich fishing grounds in surrounding waters
• Scene of inter-Korean naval clashes in 1999 and 2002
• In the 2002 exchange of fire, 13 northern sailors and five southern sailors were killed

Two South Korean marines died when dozens of artillery shells landed on the island - most of them hitting a military base. Both soldiers and civilians were wounded.

The South fired back some 80 shells. Casualties on the northern side are unknown.
In Washington, President Obama called South Korea an important ally. "We strongly affirm our commitment to defend South Korea as part of that alliance," he told ABC News.
"We want to make sure all the parties in the region recognise that this is a serious and ongoing threat that needs to be dealt with", Mr Obama said.
He called specifically on China to communicate to North Koreans "that there are a set of international rules they need to abide by".
The US state department vowed to forge a "measured and unified" stance with major powers. The Pentagon said it would co-ordinate its response with the South Korean military.
The US has 28,000 troops stationed in the South.
South Korea's stock marker opened sharply lower on Wednesday, with the benchmark stock index falling 3.3% in the opening minutes of trading.

'Colossal danger'
UN spokesman Farhan Haq said Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was "deeply concerned by the escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula".
"The secretary general condemns the attack and calls for immediate restraint," he added.

The current president of the Security Council, British ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, said he was in touch with other members about what to do next. No country has formally requested an emergency session.
Russia's foreign minister warned of a "colossal danger", and said those behind the attack carried a huge responsibility.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said he had ordered ministers to "make preparations so that we can react firmly, should any unexpected event occur".

Analysis

Jonathan Marcus BBC diplomatic correspondent

---

Nobody needed any reminder of the volatility of the relations between North and South Korea, nor of the sensitivity of their disputed maritime border.
In March, a South Korean warship was sunk by an explosion and an investigation indicated strongly that the North was responsible.
The shelling of Yeonpyeong fits into the same pattern. From the North Korean viewpoint, this is about establishing deterrence over the South and defending its interests.
But it is also a wider demonstration to the world of the North's power and an indication of some kind of political transition.

The EU and the UK also condemned the North, but China - the North's main ally - refused to apportion blame.

A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry said that both countries should "do more to contribute to peace".
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called the incident "an invasion of South Korean territory", and warned that future provocations could be met with "enormous retaliation", including missile strikes on North Korean positions.
North Korea's military command blamed South Korea for the incident.
"The South Korean enemy, despite our repeated warnings, committed reckless military provocations of firing artillery shells into our maritime territory near Yeonpyeong island beginning 1300 (0400 GMT)," the state-run KCNA news agency quoted it as saying.
The North will strike back if South Korea "dares to invade our sea territory by 0.001mm", it warned.

  Continue reading the main story

North Korea: Timeline 2010

26 March: South Korean warship, Cheonan, sinks, killing 46 sailors
20 May: Panel says a North Korean torpedo sank the ship; Pyongyang denies involvement
July-September: South Korea and US hold military exercises; US places more sanctions on Pyongyang
29 September: North holds rare party congress seen as part of father-to-son succession move
29 October: Troops from North and South Korea exchange fire across the land border
12 November: North Korea shows US scientist new - undeclared - uranium enrichment facility

Continue reading the main story

There have been occasional cross-border incidents since the Korean War ended without a peace treaty in 1953, but the latest comes at a time of rising regional tension.

North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-il is thought to be ill and trying to ensure the succession of his youngest son.
The BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says the heir apparent may be trying to build a reputation with the country's hardline military elite - suggesting a period of further provocation towards the South.
On Saturday, it emerged that Pyongyang had shown off what it claimed was a new uranium enrichment facility to an American scientist.
The move prompted the US to rule out the resumption of six-party talks on nuclear disarmament that Pyongyang abandoned two years ago.
The western maritime border, also known as the Northern Limit Line, has been the scene of numerous clashes in the past.
In March, a South Korean warship went down near the border with the loss of 46 lives. International investigators say a North Korean torpedo sank the ship, although Pyongyang has denied any role in the incident. 

The boy who was raised a girl

Your Ad Here

Health Check: The boy who was raised a girl

A tragic accident meant baby Bruce was brought up as Brenda

When anyone has a baby the first question everyone asks is: "Is it a boy or a girl?"

Biologically it is sex hormones, physical appearance and the sex chromosomes - XX for a woman, XY for a man - which dictate whether someone is male or female.
But what happens if you bring up someone who was a boy as a girl?
There was a case just like this in the 1960s, a case which ended in tragedy.
Twins Bruce and Brian Reimer were born in Canada as two perfectly normal boys. But after seven months, both were having difficulty urinating.
Acting on advice, the parents, Janet and Ron, took the boys to the hospital for a circumcision.
The next morning, they received a devastating phone call - Bruce had been involved in an accident.
Doctors had used a cauterizing needle instead of a blade, and the electrical equipment had malfunctioned and the surge in current had completely burned off Bruce's penis.
"I could not comprehend what he was talking about," Janet Reimer remembered.
"I thought they were going to use a knife. I didn't know there was electricity involved."
Brian's operation was cancelled, and the Reimers took their twins home.
 

Ideal experiment
Months passed, and they had no idea what to do until one evening they met a man who would change their lives, and the lives of their twins, forever.
Dr John Money was a psychologist specialising in sex changes.
He believed that it wasn't so much biology that determines whether we are male or female, but how we are raised.

"We just happened to be watching TV," remembers Mrs Reimer.
"Dr Money was on there and he was very charismatic, he seemed highly intelligent and very confident of what he was saying."
Janet wrote to Dr Money, and within a few weeks she'd taken Bruce to see him in Baltimore.
For Dr Money the case provided the ideal experiment.
Here was a child he believed should be brought up as the opposite sex, who even brought his own control group with him - an identical twin.
If it worked this would provide irrefutable evidence that nurture could over-ride biology - and Dr Money genuinely believed that Bruce had a better chance of living a happy life as a woman than as a man without a penis.
 

Lonely girl
And so, when Bruce was 17 months old, he became Brenda. Four months later, on 3 July 1967, the first surgical step was taken - with castration.
Dr Money stressed that, if they wanted the sex change to work, the parents must never let Brenda or her twin brother know that she had been born a boy.
From now on they had a daughter, and every year they would go and visit Dr Money who was keeping track of the twins' progress in what became known as the John/Joan case. Brenda's identity was kept a secret.
"The mother stated her daughter was much neater than her brother and, in contrast with him, disliked to be dirty," Dr Money recorded at one of these yearly meetings.
 

Although, in contrast, he also noted: "The girl had many tomboy traits, such as abundant physical energy, a high level of activity, stubbornness, and being often the dominant one in a girl's group."

By 1975, the children were nine years old, and Dr Money published a paper detailing his observations. The experiment, he said, had been a total success.
"No-one else knows that she is the child whose case they read of in the news media at the time of the accident.
"Her behaviour is so normally that of an active little girl, and so clearly different by contrast from the boyish ways of her twin brother, that it offers nothing to stimulate one's conjectures."
 

Suicidal
Yet by the time Brenda reached puberty at 13, she was feeling suicidal.
"I could see that Brenda wasn't happy as a girl," Janet recalled.
"She was very rebellious. She was very masculine, and I could not persuade her to do anything feminine. Brenda had almost no friends growing up. Everybody ridiculed her, called her cavewoman.
"She was a very lonely, lonely girl."
Faced with their daughter's sadness, Brenda's parents stopped taking her to see Dr Money.
Soon after, they did the one thing Dr Money had warned them against: they told her she had been born a boy.
Within weeks Brenda had chosen to become David.
He had re-constructive surgery and eventually he even married. He couldn't have children himself, but he loved being a stepfather to his wife's three children.
Yet what David did not know was that he had still been immortalised as 'John/Jane' in medical and academic papers about gender reassignment, and that the "success" of Dr Money's theory was affecting other patients with similar gender issues.

"He had no way of knowing that his case had found its way into a wide array of medical and psychological textbooks that were now establishing the protocols for how to treat hermaphrodites and people who lose their penis," said John Colapinto, a journalist for the New York Times who uncovered David's story.
"He could hardly believe that this was out there as a successful case and that it was affecting others like him."
 

Depression
Now well into his thirties, David had become depressed. He'd lost his job and he was separated from his wife.
In the spring of 2002 his brother died from a drug overdose.
Two years later on 4 May 2004, when David was 38, Janet and Ron had a visit from the police. David had committed suicide.
"They asked us to sit down and they said they had some bad news, that David was dead. I just cried."
Cases like "John/Joan" - where an accident had taken place - are very rare. But there are still decisions being made about whether to bring children up as male or female if they suffer from what is called Disorders of Sex Development.

"We now have well-functioning multi-disciplinary teams around the country so that the decision will be taken by a variety of professionals," explained Polly Carmichael from Great Ormond Street Hospital.

"The parents would be much more involved in terms of the decision making process.
In her experience, these decisions have been successful in helping children to grow up to lead a happy and fulfilling life.
"One of the wonderful thing about working with children and their families is that children are amazingly resilient.
"With support, I'm constantly amazed at what children are able to take on and manage."

Artillery clash between South and North Korea

Your Ad Here

Koreas in border artillery clash

South Korea says it has returned fire after North Korea fired dozens of artillery shells at one of its border islands, killing two marines.

The South's military was placed on its highest non-wartime alert after the shells landed on Yeonpyeong island.
Pyongyang accused the South of firing first. The Southern military said it had conducted exercises but shelling was directed away from the North.
This is one of the worst clashes since the Korean War ended, analysts say.
There have been occasional cross-border incidents since the conflict ended without a peace treaty in 1953, but the latest comes at a time of rising regional tension.

Yeonpyeong island

• Lies 3km (2 miles) from disputed Yellow Sea border and 12km from North Korean coast
• Houses military installations, a permanent Marine detachment and a small civilian population
• Rich fishing grounds in surrounding waters
• Scene of inter-Korean naval clashes in 1999 and 2002
• In the 2002 exchange of fire, 13 Northern sailors and five Southern sailors were killed

Continue reading the main story

North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-il is thought to be ill and trying to ensure the succession of his youngest son.

On Saturday, it emerged that North Korea had also shown off what it claimed was a new uranium enrichment facility to an American scientist.
The move prompted the US to rule out the resumption of six-party talks on nuclear disarmament that Pyongyang abandoned two years ago.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called on North Korea to "halt its belligerent action", adding that the US was "firmly committed" to South Korea's defence.
An emergency session of the United Nations Security Council could be held on Tuesday or Wednesday, a French diplomatic source said.

'Unpardonable'
A spokesman for South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korean shells had started falling in the waters off the island of Yeonpyeong at 1434 local time (0534 GMT).

At least 50 landed directly on the island, most hitting a South Korean military base there.
The South's military immediately fired back some 80 shells in self-defence, Col Lee Bung-woo added. At least 16 South Korean marines and three civilians were injured in the clashes.

Analysis

Jonathan Marcus BBC diplomatic correspondent

---

Nobody needed any reminder of the volatility of the relations between North and South Korea, nor of the sensitivity of their disputed maritime border. In March, a South Korean warship was sunk by an explosion and an investigation indicated strongly that the North was responsible.
The shelling of Yeonpyeong fits into the same pattern. From the North Korean viewpoint, this is about establishing deterrence over the South and defending its interests. But it is also a wider demonstration to the world of the North's power and an indication of some kind of political transition.
Quite what is going on in Pyongyang is impossible to say. Nonetheless, there are strong indications that Kim Jong-il has designated his son, Kim Jong-un as his successor. This opens up a period of uncertainty and unpredictability and this kind of incident is exactly what observers most feared.

Continue reading the main story

A resident on the island told the AFP news agency that dozens of houses were damaged by the barrage, while television pictures showed plumes of smoke rising above the island.

"Houses and mountains are on fire and people are evacuating. You can't see very well because of plumes of smoke," a witness on the island told YTN television station. "People are frightened to death."
Local government spokesman Yoon Kwan-seok said the shelling lasted for about an hour and then stopped abruptly.
"The whole of Yeonpyeong island was blacked out following the North Korean attacks," he was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency. "All of the island's 1,600-odd residents were evacuated to shelters."
The South Korean military has also deployed fighter jets to Yeonpyeong, which lies about 3km (1.8 miles) south of the disputed inter-Korean maritime border and 100km (60 miles) west of the Korean Peninsula. It said the "inhumane" attack on civilian areas violated the 1953 armistice halting the Korean War.
Later, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak warned North Korea that his country would "sternly retaliate against any further provocations".
"North Korea's shelling of Yeonpyeong island constitutes a clear armed provocation. Furthermore, its reckless shelling of civilian targets is unpardonable," his office said in a statement.

"North Korean authorities must take responsibility."

But North Korea's supreme military command blamed South Korea for the incident.
"The South Korean enemy, despite our repeated warnings, committed reckless military provocations of firing artillery shells into our maritime territory near Yeonpyeong island beginning 1300 (0400 GMT)," the state-run KCNA news agency quoted it as saying.
The North would "continue to make merciless military attacks with no hesitation if the South Korean enemy dares to invade our sea territory by 0.001mm", it warned.
"It is our military's traditional response to quell provocative actions with a merciless thunderbolt."
It did not say whether North Korea suffered any casualties or damage.
South Korean military officials later said that it had been conducting regular military drills in the sea off Yeonpyeong before the incident, but that no fire was aimed towards North Korea.
"We were conducting usual military drills and our test shots were aimed toward the west, not the north," one official told Reuters news agency.

'Colossal danger'

  
There was more condemnation of North Korea from Russia, EU and the UK, although China - the North's main ally - refused to apportion blame.
A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry said that both countries should "do more to contribute to peace".
"What's imperative now is to restart six-party talks as soon as possible," Hong Lei told a news conference in Beijing.
Japan's Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, said he had ordered ministers to prepare for any eventuality.

Many residents of Yeonpyeong fled the island by ferry after the bombardment

"I ordered them to make preparations so that we can react firmly, should any unexpected event occur," he said after an emergency cabinet meeting in Tokyo. "I ordered them to do their utmost to gather information."
Russia's foreign minister warned of a colossal danger, and said those behind the attack carried a huge responsibility.
The BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says news of the incident has caused concern on international financial markets, with both the Korean won and Japanese yen falling, but there is no sign of panic in the South Korean capital.
The Bank of Korea said it would hold an emergency meeting to assess the possible market impact.
This western maritime border, also known as the Northern Limit Line, has been the scene of numerous clashes in the past.
In March, a South Korean warship went down near the border with the loss of 46 lives. International investigators say a North Korean torpedo sank the ship, although Pyongyang has denied any role in the incident.
Since then relations between the two neighbours have remained tense.

Your Ad Here

Israel passes bill on withdrawal from land

Talks with Palestinians have broken down over the issue of Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem

Israel's parliament has passed a bill setting stringent new conditions before any withdrawal from the Golan Heights or East Jerusalem.

The bill requires a two-thirds majority in the Knesset before any withdrawal could be approved.
Failing that, the proposal would be subject to a national referendum.
Analysts say the move could complicate peace efforts by making it more difficult for any Israeli government to make territorial withdrawals.
The bill - passed by a 65-33 majority - was backed of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said it would prevent "irresponsible agreements".
Likud Party MP Yariv Levin, who proposed the bill, said it was of "the utmost national importance for retaining the unity of the people".
Israel considers the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem to be under its sovereignty, although Syria claims the Golan Heights and the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem.
 

'A mockery'
The Palestinian government in the West Bank condemned the move.
"With the passage of this bill, the Israeli leadership, yet again, is making a mockery of international law," said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.
"Ending the occupation of our land is not and cannot be dependent on any sort of referendum."
Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state.
There was no immediate comment from Syria, which lost the Golan Heights to Israel in the 1967 war.
Damascus wants the land back in return for peace but many Israelis regard the heights - which overlook northern Israel - as a strategic asset.
Israel has occupied the West Bank - including East Jerusalem - since 1967, settling nearly 500,000 Jews in more than 100 settlements. They are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

Stampede in Cambodia killed hundreds

Your Ad Here

Hundreds killed in Cambodian Festival stampede

 

The tragedy occurred during the high point of the Water Festival

At least 339 people been killed in a stampede during festival celebrations in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, Prime Minister Hun Sen has said.

Huge crowds had gathered on a small island for the final day of the Water Festival, one of the main events of the year in Cambodia.
The stampede took place on a bridge, which eyewitnesses said had become overcrowded.
Hundreds more people were injured in the crush.

 

Hun Sen described the stampede as the "biggest tragedy" to hit Cambodia since the mass killings carried out by the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.
He said he had ordered an investigation and declared a national day of mourning for later in the week. He ordered all government ministries to fly the nation's flag at half-mast.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told AFP news agency that more than 400 people had been injured.
"Most of the deaths were as a result of suffocation and internal injuries," he said.
Authorities had estimated that more than two million people would attend the three-day festival.

Panic broke out after a concert on Diamond Island, which followed a boat race on the Tonle Sap river regarded as a highlight of the festivities.
Sean Ngu, an Australian who was visiting family and friends in Cambodia, told the BBC too many people had been on the bridge.
He said some of the victims were electrocuted.
"There were too many people on the bridge and then both ends were pushing," he said.
"This caused a sudden panic. The pushing caused those in the middle to fall to the ground, then [get] crushed.
"Panic started and at least 50 people jumped in the river. People tried to climb on to the bridge, grabbing and pulling [electric] cables which came loose and electrical shock caused more deaths."
Witnesses spoke of bodies littering the area.
Calmette Hospital, Phnom Penh's main medical facility, was filled with dead bodies as well as the injured, some of whom had to be treated in hallways.

Tiny dog to aid Japan police

Your Ad Here

Tiny chihuahua set to join Japan police

Momo will begin her rescue work in January

A chihuahua named Momo (Peach) has passed the exam to become a dog in the police force in western Japan, in what seems to be a first.

The 3kg (6.6lb) dog is set to become part of a search-and-rescue team used for disasters such as earthquakes.

Its small size means it will be able to squeeze into places too narrow for traditional rescue dogs, such as German Shepherds.

Chihuahuas, named after a Mexican state, are the smallest breed of dog.

"It's quite rare for us to have a chihuahua work as a police dog," said a police spokeswoman in Nara, western Japan.

"We would like it to work hard by taking advantage of its small size."

Momo, aged seven, will begin work in January.

Wesley Snipes ordered to jail

Your Ad Here

Actor Wesley Snipes ordered to jail over tax crime

Wesley Snipes is currently preparing to film a movie in Atlanta

Continue reading the main story

• 
  
• 
  

Hollywood star Wesley Snipes has been ordered by a US judge to surrender to authorities to start serving a three-year jail term for tax-related crimes.

Florida Judge William Terrell Hodges rejected a request from Snipes' lawyers to review his sentence and grant a new trial.

In April 2008, Snipes, 48, was found guilty of deliberately failing to file tax returns for 1999, 2000 and 2001.

He then launched an appeal and has been on bail ever since.

The actor, whose films include the Blade trilogy, was cleared of more serious fraud and conspiracy charges.

'Calm and positive'

"The defendant Snipes had a fair trial; he has had a full, fair and thorough review of his conviction and sentence," Judge Hodges wrote in his decision on Friday.

"The time has come for the judgement to be enforced," he said.

It was not immediately clear when and where Snipes had to surrender.

However, his defence attorney Daniel Meachum later said he planned to appeal at the US Supreme Court, the Associated Press reports.

Mr Meachum said that Snipes, who was in Atlanta to film a movie, remained "incredibly calm and positive".

"He wasn't angered. He wasn't bitter."

Snipes' lawyers had argued his 2008 sentence was "unreasonable".

The actor earned more than $37m (£24m) in gross income between 1999 and 2004 but did not file individual federal income tax returns for any of those years, according to official court papers.

Pope's condom comments

Your Ad Here

Pope's condom comments welcomed by campaign groups

The Vatican has long opposed the use of condoms as a form of contraception

Continue reading the main story

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  

Catholic reformers and groups working to combat HIV have welcomed remarks by Pope Benedict that that the use of condoms might not always be wrong.

The Pope said their use might be justified on a case by case basis to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids.

The remarks, due to be published in a book next week, mark a softening of his previously hard line against condoms in the battle against HIV, analysts say.

The Vatican has long opposed condoms as an artificial form of contraception.

This has drawn heavy criticism, particularly from Aids campaigners,who say condoms are one of the few methods proven to stop the spread of HIV.

'Significant shift'

Pope Benedict said during a visit to Cameroon last year that handing out condoms might actually make HIV infection worse, drawing criticism from several EU states.

In his latest comments, however, he said the use of condoms might be justified in exceptional circumstances.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

If the Church has failed to get people to follow its moral values and practice abstinence, they should take the next best step and encourage condom use”

David KamauKETAM

• 
  

This marks a significant shift in his previously implacable opposition to the use of condoms, says the BBC's religious affairs correspondent, Robert Pigott.

UNAIDS, the United Nations programme on HIV/Aids, welcomed the comments as a "significant and positive step forward".

"This move recognizes that responsible sexual behaviour and the use of condoms have important roles in HIV prevention," said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe.

The Kenya Treatment Access Movement (KETAM), which works to combat the spread of HIV, welcomed what it said was the Pope's acceptance of reality that abstinence did not always work.

"It's accepting the reality on the ground," said David Kamau, head of the KETAM. "If the Church has failed to get people to follow its moral values and practice abstinence, they should take the next best step and encourage condom use."

The Catholic reform group We Are Church said the comments showed the Pope was able to learn from experience.

The British gay rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell, told the BBC the Pope's comments were significant but needed "clarification".

'Not a moral solution'

The new book - Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times - is based on a series of interview the Pope gave the German Catholic journalist, Peter Seewald, earlier this year.

When asked whether the Catholic Church was not opposed in principle to the use of condoms, the Pope replied: "She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality."

He gave the example of the use of condoms by male prostitutes as "a first step towards moralisation", even though condoms were "not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection".

Pope Benedict said the "sheer fixation on the condom implies a banalisation of sexuality" where sexuality was no longer an expression of love, "but only a sort of drug that people administer to themselves".

Although Pope Benedict reiterated the Church's fundamental opposition to contraception, and repeated his view that condoms were not the answer to curbing HIV, he added that there was much in the area of sexual ethics that needed to be pondered and expressed in new ways.

Austen Ivereigh, coordinator of the Catholic Voices group, said that while this was the first time the Pope had voiced such an opinion on condoms, it was in line with what Catholic moral theologians have been saying for many years.

"The Church's teaching on contraception predates the discovery of Aids," Mr Ivereigh told the BBC news website.

"The prevalence of HIV raised the question of whether condoms could be used to prevent the transmission of the virus.

"If the intention is to prevent transmission of the virus, rather than prevent contraception, moral theologians would say that was of a different moral order."

But Clifford Longley, who writes for The Tablet, a British Catholic newspaper, said the development was far more significant than a nuanced change in attitude.

He said the "small concession... could easily become a collapse in the whole edifice of Catholic teaching on contraception".

"The implication seems to me to be much vaster than even the Pope anticipates," said Mr Longley.

The Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, published excerpts of the book in its Saturday edition.

Ground Zero workers take pay deal

Your Ad Here

Ground Zero workers exposed to toxic dust take pay deal

Many say they were made sick by dust from the pulverised buildings

Thousands of workers exposed to toxic dust after the 2001 terror attacks in New York have accepted a legal settlement and ceased litigation.

More than 10,000 firefighters, labourers and police who sued the city and dozens of companies will collect a total of at least $625m (£392m).
The workers said they were not properly protected during the rescue and clean-up efforts, with some then falling ill.
Only 520 opted to reject the deal their lawyer described as the "best result".
"This settlement is a fair and just resolution of these claims, protecting those who came to the aid of this city when we needed it most," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.
Under the terms of the deal, more than 95% of plaintiffs would have to accept before it could be ratified.
Paul Napoli, chief lawyer for the plaintiffs, described the settlement as "the best result, given the uncertainty of protracted litigation".
He said additional settlements with other companies could yield a further $100m.
Negotiations on the deal between the Ground Zero workers and an insurance company representing New York City and nearly 140 companies involved in the clean-up and rescue spanned nearly two years.
The individual plaintiffs will receive compensation ranging from $3,250, for those who have not become ill, up to $1m for non-smokers who contracted serious respiratory illnesses within seven months of exposure at the World Trade Center site in 2001 and 2002.
The settlement also provides insurance coverage for certain blood and respiratory cancers contracted by the workers.

Karzai to address Nato

Your Ad Here

Karzai to address Nato over Afghan troop withdrawal

Mr Karzai believes Afghanistan will be ready to handle security by the end of 2014

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is preparing to meet Nato leaders in Lisbon for talks on withdrawing troops from his country by the end of 2014.

A spokesman for Mr Karzai said he and Nato shared the "same strategic interests" but that there were many issues still to be worked out.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is also due to address the summit.
On Friday, the military alliance agreed to develop a joint missile defence shield covering all member states.
The Portugal summit also backed the swift ratification of the Start treaty between the US and Russia, aimed at cutting the nuclear weapon stockpiles of both sides.
Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) has some 130,000 soldiers based in Afghanistan, most of them from the US.
US President Barack Obama said the Isaf mission was "moving to a new phase", and that the target for handing over the overall responsibility for security to the Afghans was still 2014.
Some Nato members have expressed concerns that Afghanistan may not be ready to manage its own security by that time, but Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said the goal is  
 "realistic".

Mr Rasmussen said there would still be a role for Isaf troops in the country in 2015 and onwards, but that would largely be in training Afghan forces.
 

'Clear destination'
Mr Karzai's spokesman and advisor, Ashraf Ghani, said Nato and Kabul had "the same strategic objectives" for the withdrawal - they now needed "to work out a lot of implementation issues" and set milestones for the intervening years.

---

Ohio trio bodies found in hollow tree

Your Ad Here

Bodies of missing Ohio trio found in hollow tree

Matthew Hoffman, 30, is being held on a kidnapping charge

The bodies of three people who vanished a week ago in the US state of Ohio have been found in rubbish bags stuffed in a hollow tree trunk, police said.

The Knox County sheriff is holding an ex-convict, Matthew Hoffman, who led officers to the bodies.

At the weekend, police found the daughter of one of the victims bound and gagged in Hoffman's basement.

The unemployed tree trimmer was being held on kidnapping charges and was the only suspect in the killings.

Tina Herrmann, 32, her 11-year-old son Kody Maynard and 13-year-old daughter Sarah Maynard and her friend Stephanie Sprang, 41, were reported missing on 10 November after Tina Herrmann failed to show up for work at an ice cream stand.

Officers first questioned Hoffman the day after Tina Herrmann failed to show up for work. Police found him sitting in his car by a bike trail near where her vehicle was found

Sarah Maynard was found in the basement of Hoffman's house on Sunday.

"We're inspired by Sarah's bravery," said Knox County Sheriff David Barber, who declined to discuss her ordeal.

Police said Hoffman then provided information that led them to the bodies in a nearby wood. It was not immediately clear how they died.

Hoffman, who served prison time in the state of Colorado for arson and other charges, has not yet entered a plea to the current kidnapping charge.