Indian Schoolgirl Survives on Berries After Tsunami
PORT BLAIR, India (Reuters) - A 10-year-old Indian girl survived for four days alone in the jungle, living off berries and coconuts, after the tsunami swept away her family when it smashed into the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
"She is very much in shock. She says a few words and goes into silence," said federal lawmaker Manoranjan Bakhta, who described the girl's ordeal after helping reunite her with her grandparents Monday.
Schoolgirl Almesh Javed, who is from the Nicobarese tribal group, escaped to a thick forest after she saw her parents and sister washed out to sea when the deadly wave hit their home on Nancowry island a day after Christmas. Bakhta said she had arrived at a local hospital several days later badly bruised and traumatized after walking several miles.
The lawmaker helped locate the girl's grandparents on another island which escaped the killer waves.
"It was very important that she saw some members of her family alive," said Bakhta.
At least 5,000 people are feared to have died in the tropical islands, 1,200 km (750 miles) off India's east coast.
Most of the victims were Nicobarese, the largest tribal group, who were living in villages along the coastline.
They are among the more than 15,000 people either dead or presumed dead in India, whose southern coastline state of Tamil Nadu was one of the areas worst affected by the tsunami.
TWW'S CRAZY NEWS STORIES
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Hotelier Left with Jumbo Tsunami Task
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - When a deadly tsunami struck Sri Lanka's coast late last month, hotel owner Elfriede Wang was left with a heavyweight task -- how to move her elephant.
Wang, a Swiss, met Ranmenike the elephant when she first visited the island in 1986 on the advice of her doctors, who advised her to seek warmer climes during Europe's winters.
"We became good friends," Wang told Reuters Tuesday.
So good, in fact, that when Wang decided to settle permanently in Sri Lanka and opened a hotel in Ahungalla on the southwest coast, she named it Ranmenike and the elephant moved in to a specially built stable at the rear.
On Dec. 26, as the swollen seawaters rose around the hotel walls, Ranmenike started panicking.
"She had a feeling something was going on," said Wang. She was like a wild elephant ... nervous, swinging her trunk and waving her ears."
Wang and the elephant's mahout raced to her stable, and found the water was already about half a meter up Ranmenike's legs.
"We managed to get her out before it rose higher," Wang said. "Then we managed to get her to higher ground and she stayed near a temple for a week."
Wang said 28 people from houses surrounding her hotel were killed by the tsunami.
Over the years Ranmenike has become a popular attraction on the beach, taking tourists for rides and squirting water at local children.
Elephants are native to Sri Lanka, but are usually only seen in National Parks - although tame elephants are also put to work in forests.
Ranmenike herself has now also been put to work. She is helping clear fallen trees, slabs of concrete and other debris that litters the town -- most of it far too heavy to be lifted by people.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - When a deadly tsunami struck Sri Lanka's coast late last month, hotel owner Elfriede Wang was left with a heavyweight task -- how to move her elephant.
Wang, a Swiss, met Ranmenike the elephant when she first visited the island in 1986 on the advice of her doctors, who advised her to seek warmer climes during Europe's winters.
"We became good friends," Wang told Reuters Tuesday.
So good, in fact, that when Wang decided to settle permanently in Sri Lanka and opened a hotel in Ahungalla on the southwest coast, she named it Ranmenike and the elephant moved in to a specially built stable at the rear.
On Dec. 26, as the swollen seawaters rose around the hotel walls, Ranmenike started panicking.
"She had a feeling something was going on," said Wang. She was like a wild elephant ... nervous, swinging her trunk and waving her ears."
Wang and the elephant's mahout raced to her stable, and found the water was already about half a meter up Ranmenike's legs.
"We managed to get her out before it rose higher," Wang said. "Then we managed to get her to higher ground and she stayed near a temple for a week."
Wang said 28 people from houses surrounding her hotel were killed by the tsunami.
Over the years Ranmenike has become a popular attraction on the beach, taking tourists for rides and squirting water at local children.
Elephants are native to Sri Lanka, but are usually only seen in National Parks - although tame elephants are also put to work in forests.
Ranmenike herself has now also been put to work. She is helping clear fallen trees, slabs of concrete and other debris that litters the town -- most of it far too heavy to be lifted by people.
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Jimmy Carter Urged to Give Fish a Chance
ATLANTA (Reuters) - A prominent U.S.-based animal rights group urged former President Jimmy Carter on Monday to give up fishing on the grounds that the activity was inconsistent the Nobel peace laureate's humanitarian efforts.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals made its appeal in a letter faxed to Carter's non-profit Carter Center on Monday. The group said the letter was prompted by Carter's recent appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.
Carter, who served as president from 1977 to 1981 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, told Leno of the pain he suffered when he accidentally hooked himself through the face on a fishing trip.
"We're asking President Carter to think this through and to grant fish peace by leaving them in the water where they belong," PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a press release.
A Carter Center spokesman said the center does not comment on Carter's private correspondence.
ATLANTA (Reuters) - A prominent U.S.-based animal rights group urged former President Jimmy Carter on Monday to give up fishing on the grounds that the activity was inconsistent the Nobel peace laureate's humanitarian efforts.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals made its appeal in a letter faxed to Carter's non-profit Carter Center on Monday. The group said the letter was prompted by Carter's recent appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.
Carter, who served as president from 1977 to 1981 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, told Leno of the pain he suffered when he accidentally hooked himself through the face on a fishing trip.
"We're asking President Carter to think this through and to grant fish peace by leaving them in the water where they belong," PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a press release.
A Carter Center spokesman said the center does not comment on Carter's private correspondence.
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Chinese Couples Chicken Out of Rooster Year Weddings
BEIJING (Reuters) - Couples across China are rushing to get married in the next few days before the Year of the Rooster, chickening out of what they believe to be a jinxed time to tie wed.
This year the lunar cycle begins relatively late, on Feb. 9, which means it will not contain "lichun," the auspicious day that marks the start of spring, earning it the dubious distinction of being a "widow year," or unlucky for wedlock.
Chinese media have reported that marriage registrations are soaring around the country as people scramble to get hitched in the last days of the Year of the Monkey.
"Business is normally low for us this time of year, but this year, in keeping with traditional Chinese beliefs, many people want to get married before the spring festival and we have lots of customers," said Ms. Wang, manager of Beijing's Luowei wedding photo studio.
The phenomenon normally occurs on average about every nine years. The last "widow" year came in 2002 and sparked a similar marriage rush.
"Though the 'widow year' is nonsense, the fact that people try to avoid it reflects their strong desire for a happy marriage," Zhang Youde, a sociologist at Shanghai University, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
Respect of tradition also appears to be an important motivation, as many Chinese are starting to revive centuries-old customs branded "feudalistic" or backwards and all but abandoned during the era of Mao Zedong.
Standing outside the Luowei studio in a tuxedo and puffing on a cigarette, Beijing resident Gui Lu said he and his wife deliberately decided to marry early this month.
"I don't believe in that stuff too much, but I can't say I don't believe at all," Gui said. "It's Chinese tradition. It's something we should uphold."
BEIJING (Reuters) - Couples across China are rushing to get married in the next few days before the Year of the Rooster, chickening out of what they believe to be a jinxed time to tie wed.
This year the lunar cycle begins relatively late, on Feb. 9, which means it will not contain "lichun," the auspicious day that marks the start of spring, earning it the dubious distinction of being a "widow year," or unlucky for wedlock.
Chinese media have reported that marriage registrations are soaring around the country as people scramble to get hitched in the last days of the Year of the Monkey.
"Business is normally low for us this time of year, but this year, in keeping with traditional Chinese beliefs, many people want to get married before the spring festival and we have lots of customers," said Ms. Wang, manager of Beijing's Luowei wedding photo studio.
The phenomenon normally occurs on average about every nine years. The last "widow" year came in 2002 and sparked a similar marriage rush.
"Though the 'widow year' is nonsense, the fact that people try to avoid it reflects their strong desire for a happy marriage," Zhang Youde, a sociologist at Shanghai University, was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
Respect of tradition also appears to be an important motivation, as many Chinese are starting to revive centuries-old customs branded "feudalistic" or backwards and all but abandoned during the era of Mao Zedong.
Standing outside the Luowei studio in a tuxedo and puffing on a cigarette, Beijing resident Gui Lu said he and his wife deliberately decided to marry early this month.
"I don't believe in that stuff too much, but I can't say I don't believe at all," Gui said. "It's Chinese tradition. It's something we should uphold."
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Sing Sing Prison Could Become NY Tourist Draw
NEW YORK (Reuters) - One of America's most notorious prisons, Sing Sing, could do more than lock up dangerous criminals, local officials say.
The institution that saw the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg as spies could become a lucrative tourist attraction, according to Westchester County, N.Y., officials.
Local officials are asking the state's help in funding the start-up of a museum in the prison's old power house, which would be connected by tunnel to an original cell block no longer in use, said Westchester County Planning Commissioner Jerry Mulligan on Monday.
Studies show a museum at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility could lure 150,000 visitors a year, he said, at a start-up cost of about $5 million.
"It's a little bit eerie, but it's just this fascination people have," said Mulligan.
The dark, imposing prison, which today holds about 1,745 inmates, overlooks the Hudson River in Ossining, N.Y., about 30 miles north of New York City.
The saying "up the river" refers to being shipped north to Sing Sing from New York. Inside, the massive stone walls and dim halls made Sing Sing a popular setting for prison movies, including "Angels with Dirty Faces" with James Cagney in 1938.
Bank robber Willie Sutton escaped from Sing Sing in 1932. Hundreds of inmates were executed in the electric chair "Old Sparky" there, including the Rosenbergs in 1953.
Inmates built the original cell block in 1825 and inmates today might be involved in the museum, Mulligan said. However, much of the prison population is held in maximum security.
"That could be an issue," Mulligan said.
Turning the prison into a tourist attraction would be a marked change from days when the town changed its name to Ossining from Sing Sing to distance itself from the prison, and local officials frowned on its public mention.
"It could be the Alcatraz of the east," Mulligan said, referring to the museum at the California prison, no longer in use. "This could trigger a whole wave of tourism."
NEW YORK (Reuters) - One of America's most notorious prisons, Sing Sing, could do more than lock up dangerous criminals, local officials say.
The institution that saw the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg as spies could become a lucrative tourist attraction, according to Westchester County, N.Y., officials.
Local officials are asking the state's help in funding the start-up of a museum in the prison's old power house, which would be connected by tunnel to an original cell block no longer in use, said Westchester County Planning Commissioner Jerry Mulligan on Monday.
Studies show a museum at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility could lure 150,000 visitors a year, he said, at a start-up cost of about $5 million.
"It's a little bit eerie, but it's just this fascination people have," said Mulligan.
The dark, imposing prison, which today holds about 1,745 inmates, overlooks the Hudson River in Ossining, N.Y., about 30 miles north of New York City.
The saying "up the river" refers to being shipped north to Sing Sing from New York. Inside, the massive stone walls and dim halls made Sing Sing a popular setting for prison movies, including "Angels with Dirty Faces" with James Cagney in 1938.
Bank robber Willie Sutton escaped from Sing Sing in 1932. Hundreds of inmates were executed in the electric chair "Old Sparky" there, including the Rosenbergs in 1953.
Inmates built the original cell block in 1825 and inmates today might be involved in the museum, Mulligan said. However, much of the prison population is held in maximum security.
"That could be an issue," Mulligan said.
Turning the prison into a tourist attraction would be a marked change from days when the town changed its name to Ossining from Sing Sing to distance itself from the prison, and local officials frowned on its public mention.
"It could be the Alcatraz of the east," Mulligan said, referring to the museum at the California prison, no longer in use. "This could trigger a whole wave of tourism."
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Cleric Suspect Misses Hearing Due to Long Toe Nails
LONDON (Reuters) - Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri failed to appear before a British court Tuesday, complaining his toe nails were too long and he could not walk.
Abu Hamza, who is also wanted by the United States over 11 alleged offences, was charged by British police last year on 16 counts including one terror-related offence.
He had been due to make an appearance via video-link from the high-security Belmarsh jail in London where he is being held.
"Hamza has physical difficulties. He is unable to walk. He has been perambulating barefoot around the prison," said defense lawyer Peter Hynes.
Prosecutor Adina Ekiel added: "He is complaining that his toe nails are too long."
Britain accuses Hamza -- who lost an eye and both hands in Afghanistan fighting Soviet forces -- of 10 charges of using public meetings to incite his followers to kill non-Muslims.
Four of the charges say he urged the killing of Jews.
He is also charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting behavior with intent to stir up racial hatred, one offence of possessing threatening, abusive or insulting sound recordings, and one charge of possessing a "terrorist" document.
Judge Peter Beaumont adjourned Tuesday's hearing for two weeks and set the trial date for July 4.
The Egyptian-born cleric, a former nightclub security guard, was already being held in a top security jail after being arrested on a U.S. extradition warrant. Tight legal restrictions mean details of the U.S. charges cannot be given.
Abu Hamza was stripped of his British citizenship in 2003 and he was banned from speaking at his Finsbury Park mosque in north London although he continued to preach in the road outside until his arrest.
LONDON (Reuters) - Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri failed to appear before a British court Tuesday, complaining his toe nails were too long and he could not walk.
Abu Hamza, who is also wanted by the United States over 11 alleged offences, was charged by British police last year on 16 counts including one terror-related offence.
He had been due to make an appearance via video-link from the high-security Belmarsh jail in London where he is being held.
"Hamza has physical difficulties. He is unable to walk. He has been perambulating barefoot around the prison," said defense lawyer Peter Hynes.
Prosecutor Adina Ekiel added: "He is complaining that his toe nails are too long."
Britain accuses Hamza -- who lost an eye and both hands in Afghanistan fighting Soviet forces -- of 10 charges of using public meetings to incite his followers to kill non-Muslims.
Four of the charges say he urged the killing of Jews.
He is also charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting behavior with intent to stir up racial hatred, one offence of possessing threatening, abusive or insulting sound recordings, and one charge of possessing a "terrorist" document.
Judge Peter Beaumont adjourned Tuesday's hearing for two weeks and set the trial date for July 4.
The Egyptian-born cleric, a former nightclub security guard, was already being held in a top security jail after being arrested on a U.S. extradition warrant. Tight legal restrictions mean details of the U.S. charges cannot be given.
Abu Hamza was stripped of his British citizenship in 2003 and he was banned from speaking at his Finsbury Park mosque in north London although he continued to preach in the road outside until his arrest.
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Insurer to Fight Flab with Margarine Subsidy
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch health insurer will reimburse policyholders who consume certain cholesterol-reducing margarine, yogurt and milk products in a bid to fight heart disease, it announced on Tuesday.
VGZ, one of the largest health insurers in The Netherlands with about 2.1 million customers, said this was the first time an insurance company would be subsidizing food rather than medicine, and said it hoped to cut drug and hospital costs.
VGZ said policyholders could claim up to a maximum of 40 euros ($54.41) a year to refund purchases of Becel pro-active products, made by Anglo-Dutch consumer products group Unilever NV/Plc, which studies show cut cholesterol.
One in three people in The Netherlands have high levels of cholesterol, the VGZ said in a statement, adding that 120,000 of its policyholders took medication to lower their cholesterol, at a cost of 35 million euros a year to the insurer.
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch health insurer will reimburse policyholders who consume certain cholesterol-reducing margarine, yogurt and milk products in a bid to fight heart disease, it announced on Tuesday.
VGZ, one of the largest health insurers in The Netherlands with about 2.1 million customers, said this was the first time an insurance company would be subsidizing food rather than medicine, and said it hoped to cut drug and hospital costs.
VGZ said policyholders could claim up to a maximum of 40 euros ($54.41) a year to refund purchases of Becel pro-active products, made by Anglo-Dutch consumer products group Unilever NV/Plc, which studies show cut cholesterol.
One in three people in The Netherlands have high levels of cholesterol, the VGZ said in a statement, adding that 120,000 of its policyholders took medication to lower their cholesterol, at a cost of 35 million euros a year to the insurer.
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'Who's Your Daddy?' Draws Low Ratings
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Amid a chorus of protests from child-adoption advocates and sneers from critics, the general reaction of viewers to the controversial Fox special "Who's Your Daddy?" seemed to be "Who Cares?"
The tear-soaked 90-minute special, featuring an attractive young woman picking her biological father from a lineup filled out with impostors, proved to be a ratings flop, according to preliminary figures on Tuesday from Nielsen Media Research.
The Fox show drew a mere 6.3 million viewers, ranking fourth in its Monday night time slot against competing broadcasts on CBS, ABC and NBC. "Daddy" also trailed its Big Three rivals in ratings for its target audience of viewers aged 18 to 49, the group most prized by advertisers.
Critics roundly panned the show as tasteless and exploitative.
It opened with a young woman named T.J., who had been adopted as an infant, being introduced to a panel of eight older men, including her real father. Through three elimination rounds of questioning, the seven pretenders did their best to fool the contestant into thinking they were her true dads.
Impostors stood to win $100,000 if they tricked the adopted girl, who would get the $100,000 herself for a correct pick.
Some reviews noted the staging in a lavish mansion with lots of candles bore a creepy resemblance to such reality dating shows as "The Bachelor" and "Joe Millionaire."
In the end, however, T.J. prevailed. Weeping through much of the program and dressed for the occasion in a slinky black halter gown, she zeroed in on her real birth father.
After granting him forgiveness, she walked away with a cash prize of $100,000.
And in a final twist at show's end, Daddy presented T.J. with her real birth mother, along with three younger daughters he fathered by his marriage to another woman.
Word of the show before it aired sparked a deluge of letters and e-mail correspondence from adoptees, parents and national adoption organizations branding the program's concept offensive and urging Fox to cancel it. They said the show makes light of the sensitive emotions surrounding adoption.
But producers defended their work, saying all involved were willing and informed participants and they had taken care to conduct the program in a tasteful manner. A Fox spokesman, Scott Grogin, said the network also heard from numerous adoptees "who found the show useful and empowering."
"The past 24 hours, on our Web site, we've gotten dozens of requests from adoptees saying if we do decide to do another show they'd love to be a part of it," Grogin said.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Amid a chorus of protests from child-adoption advocates and sneers from critics, the general reaction of viewers to the controversial Fox special "Who's Your Daddy?" seemed to be "Who Cares?"
The tear-soaked 90-minute special, featuring an attractive young woman picking her biological father from a lineup filled out with impostors, proved to be a ratings flop, according to preliminary figures on Tuesday from Nielsen Media Research.
The Fox show drew a mere 6.3 million viewers, ranking fourth in its Monday night time slot against competing broadcasts on CBS, ABC and NBC. "Daddy" also trailed its Big Three rivals in ratings for its target audience of viewers aged 18 to 49, the group most prized by advertisers.
Critics roundly panned the show as tasteless and exploitative.
It opened with a young woman named T.J., who had been adopted as an infant, being introduced to a panel of eight older men, including her real father. Through three elimination rounds of questioning, the seven pretenders did their best to fool the contestant into thinking they were her true dads.
Impostors stood to win $100,000 if they tricked the adopted girl, who would get the $100,000 herself for a correct pick.
Some reviews noted the staging in a lavish mansion with lots of candles bore a creepy resemblance to such reality dating shows as "The Bachelor" and "Joe Millionaire."
In the end, however, T.J. prevailed. Weeping through much of the program and dressed for the occasion in a slinky black halter gown, she zeroed in on her real birth father.
After granting him forgiveness, she walked away with a cash prize of $100,000.
And in a final twist at show's end, Daddy presented T.J. with her real birth mother, along with three younger daughters he fathered by his marriage to another woman.
Word of the show before it aired sparked a deluge of letters and e-mail correspondence from adoptees, parents and national adoption organizations branding the program's concept offensive and urging Fox to cancel it. They said the show makes light of the sensitive emotions surrounding adoption.
But producers defended their work, saying all involved were willing and informed participants and they had taken care to conduct the program in a tasteful manner. A Fox spokesman, Scott Grogin, said the network also heard from numerous adoptees "who found the show useful and empowering."
"The past 24 hours, on our Web site, we've gotten dozens of requests from adoptees saying if we do decide to do another show they'd love to be a part of it," Grogin said.
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Smugglers Hid Heroin in Puppies' Bellies
BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - Colombian drug traffickers surgically hid heroin in puppies' bellies in a plan to evade international customs controls, police said on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off, police found six puppies with scars on their abdomens at a rural property near the city of Medellin in northern Colombia, the Colombian Police said in a news release.
Ultrasound scans revealed bags of liquid heroin hidden inside the living animals. Police said traffickers planned to retrieve the drug once the dogs had passed customs abroad.
"The lust for money leads criminals to commit acts of great cruelty," the police said.
The puppies were recovering after the heroin was removed by veterinarians.
Using animals for smuggling is unusual although drug smugglers often rely on couriers to swallow condoms full of drugs and one Colombian woman was once found with cocaine surgically implanted in her buttocks.
Colombia is the world's largest producer of cocaine and the main supplier of heroin to the United States.
BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - Colombian drug traffickers surgically hid heroin in puppies' bellies in a plan to evade international customs controls, police said on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off, police found six puppies with scars on their abdomens at a rural property near the city of Medellin in northern Colombia, the Colombian Police said in a news release.
Ultrasound scans revealed bags of liquid heroin hidden inside the living animals. Police said traffickers planned to retrieve the drug once the dogs had passed customs abroad.
"The lust for money leads criminals to commit acts of great cruelty," the police said.
The puppies were recovering after the heroin was removed by veterinarians.
Using animals for smuggling is unusual although drug smugglers often rely on couriers to swallow condoms full of drugs and one Colombian woman was once found with cocaine surgically implanted in her buttocks.
Colombia is the world's largest producer of cocaine and the main supplier of heroin to the United States.
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After Sea Ordeal, Survivor Told She's Pregnant
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (Reuters) - An Indonesian woman who was plucked from the sea after clinging to a palm tree for five days in the wake of a devastating tsunami heard Wednesday that she is 18 weeks pregnant with her first child.
"I'm very glad, very happy," 25-year-old Malawati said from her hospital bed in the northern Malaysian island of Penang after doctors gave her the news following medical checks.
The farmer from Indonesia's Aceh province, which was among the worst hit by the Dec. 26 disaster, said she could not wait to share the news with her husband of four years and relatives, although she was not sure how many of them had survived the tsunami.
When the waves swept her out to sea, Malawati clung to a sago palm and lived off its fruit before being rescued by a passing Malaysian tuna-fishing boat last Friday.
"I slipped twice, but managed to hold on," she said. "I saw sharks around me but prayed they wouldn't hurt me."
Malawati said that another woman from her village who had clung to the tree had disappeared after three days at sea.
More than 94,000 Indonesians have been killed in tidal waves that struck the Aceh province in the west of the Indonesian archipelago after a massive undersea earthquake.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (Reuters) - An Indonesian woman who was plucked from the sea after clinging to a palm tree for five days in the wake of a devastating tsunami heard Wednesday that she is 18 weeks pregnant with her first child.
"I'm very glad, very happy," 25-year-old Malawati said from her hospital bed in the northern Malaysian island of Penang after doctors gave her the news following medical checks.
The farmer from Indonesia's Aceh province, which was among the worst hit by the Dec. 26 disaster, said she could not wait to share the news with her husband of four years and relatives, although she was not sure how many of them had survived the tsunami.
When the waves swept her out to sea, Malawati clung to a sago palm and lived off its fruit before being rescued by a passing Malaysian tuna-fishing boat last Friday.
"I slipped twice, but managed to hold on," she said. "I saw sharks around me but prayed they wouldn't hurt me."
Malawati said that another woman from her village who had clung to the tree had disappeared after three days at sea.
More than 94,000 Indonesians have been killed in tidal waves that struck the Aceh province in the west of the Indonesian archipelago after a massive undersea earthquake.
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Mohammed Enters List of Favorite UK Boys' Names
LONDON (Reuters) - Mohammed has joined perennial favorites Jack and Joshua as one of the most popular names given to British boys in 2004, a sign of the country's growing ethnic diversity and a legacy of Muslim immigration decades ago.
The Office of National Statistics said on Thursday Mohammed -- meaning variously "one who is praiseworthy" or "exalted" -- had moved up two places to enter the top 20 for the first time.
"It is all about demographics. There are now more Muslims being born in Britain than previously," said Dr Jamil Sherif of the Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella group of 400 organizations.
"About 40 percent of Muslims here are under 25," he told Reuters. "There are a lot of young families."
Emigration from Asia and Africa surged during the 1960s and 1970s and Britain -- population around 61 million -- is now home to about 1.6 million Muslims.
But despite its increased popularity, the name has a long way to go before it takes the laurels from Jack which has topped the charts for 10 years.
Last year, Joshua was at number two, Thomas at three, James at four and Daniel at five. Since 2000 these names have all been in the top five.
Girls' names saw more change in the top five than boys, but only marginally so.
Emily held the top spot for the second year running as did the number two name, Ellie. Jessica, the third most popular name moved up one place as did Sophie at four.
Chloe, which was top for six years until 2003, dipped to number five while Evie was the highest new entry at 39, up 22 places.
One of the fastest movers in the boys' names was Charlie, which gained nine places to 16, while last year's big climber Alfie dropped nine places to 27 and Spencer slumped 47 places.
LONDON (Reuters) - Mohammed has joined perennial favorites Jack and Joshua as one of the most popular names given to British boys in 2004, a sign of the country's growing ethnic diversity and a legacy of Muslim immigration decades ago.
The Office of National Statistics said on Thursday Mohammed -- meaning variously "one who is praiseworthy" or "exalted" -- had moved up two places to enter the top 20 for the first time.
"It is all about demographics. There are now more Muslims being born in Britain than previously," said Dr Jamil Sherif of the Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella group of 400 organizations.
"About 40 percent of Muslims here are under 25," he told Reuters. "There are a lot of young families."
Emigration from Asia and Africa surged during the 1960s and 1970s and Britain -- population around 61 million -- is now home to about 1.6 million Muslims.
But despite its increased popularity, the name has a long way to go before it takes the laurels from Jack which has topped the charts for 10 years.
Last year, Joshua was at number two, Thomas at three, James at four and Daniel at five. Since 2000 these names have all been in the top five.
Girls' names saw more change in the top five than boys, but only marginally so.
Emily held the top spot for the second year running as did the number two name, Ellie. Jessica, the third most popular name moved up one place as did Sophie at four.
Chloe, which was top for six years until 2003, dipped to number five while Evie was the highest new entry at 39, up 22 places.
One of the fastest movers in the boys' names was Charlie, which gained nine places to 16, while last year's big climber Alfie dropped nine places to 27 and Spencer slumped 47 places.
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AussieMark
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It's a Boy as China Marks 1.3 Billionth Person
BEIJING (Reuters) - China named the first baby born at a Beijing hospital Thursday as the 1.3 billionth person of the world's most populous nation, more than two decades after a one-child policy was introduced to keep its numbers in check.
China's population exploded after the late Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong exhorted the people to multiply in the 1950s to make the country strong. But China put the brakes on growth with the tough one-child rule and is now worried about finding jobs for the masses and caring for the elderly.
The baby boy was born at 12:02 a.m. at the Beijing Hospital of Gynecology and Obstetrics and weighed 3.66 kg (eight lb).
"I am the happiest guy in the world and my boy will be blessed all his life," the official Xinhua news agency quoted the newborn's father, 37-year-old Air China employee Zhang Tong, as saying.
But the birth was not such good news for China's family planners.
"1.3 billion is a vast number. It will put great pressure on the economy, society, resources and the environment," the China Daily quoted Wang Guoqiang, deputy director of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, as saying.
Demographers credited the government's one-child policy for delaying China's population hitting the 1.3 billion mark.
ACCUSATIONS OF FORCED ABORTIONS
But in a rare admission of official flaws, the China Daily said the one-child policy may have gone wrong at times.
"Admittedly, the family planning policy has gone awry in some places," it said in an editorial said without elaborating. "But the policy should continue to be endorsed."
Human rights groups have accused overzealous Chinese family planners of forcing women to abort, in some case in the ninth month of pregnancy, or undergo hysterectomies.
A hefty fine is slapped on urban residents with more than one child. Rural folk and members of ethnic minority groups can have a maximum of two children.
While the rules have helped China curb its birth rate from more than 33 births per 1,000 population in 1970 to less than eight per 1,000 per year three decades later, the country faces new demographic challenges over how to support an aging population.
Demographers say the most immediate issue is not how to support China's graying masses -- which they point out won't hit numbers comparable to Europe's until about 2020 -- but how to employ them.
China is expected to add eight million to its population each year, the U.N. Population Fund says, and has no plans to ease the one-child policy despite concerns of low urban birth rates.
The rules on family size have also created a gender imbalance, with about 117 boys for 100 girls, as a cultural preference for sons prompts couples, usually in rural areas, to abort girls.
The birth rate is highest in the largely rural, impoverished west, while it is lowest in booming Shanghai.
"The government has to deal with the unbalanced structure of the population that is still very large," demographer Zhai Zhenwu said.
At the end of 2003, the total world population stood at 6.27 billion people, according to the World Bank.
India, the world's second-most populous nation, has just over 1 billion people and could overtake China by 2035 if current trends continue, according to India's census office.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China named the first baby born at a Beijing hospital Thursday as the 1.3 billionth person of the world's most populous nation, more than two decades after a one-child policy was introduced to keep its numbers in check.
China's population exploded after the late Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong exhorted the people to multiply in the 1950s to make the country strong. But China put the brakes on growth with the tough one-child rule and is now worried about finding jobs for the masses and caring for the elderly.
The baby boy was born at 12:02 a.m. at the Beijing Hospital of Gynecology and Obstetrics and weighed 3.66 kg (eight lb).
"I am the happiest guy in the world and my boy will be blessed all his life," the official Xinhua news agency quoted the newborn's father, 37-year-old Air China employee Zhang Tong, as saying.
But the birth was not such good news for China's family planners.
"1.3 billion is a vast number. It will put great pressure on the economy, society, resources and the environment," the China Daily quoted Wang Guoqiang, deputy director of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, as saying.
Demographers credited the government's one-child policy for delaying China's population hitting the 1.3 billion mark.
ACCUSATIONS OF FORCED ABORTIONS
But in a rare admission of official flaws, the China Daily said the one-child policy may have gone wrong at times.
"Admittedly, the family planning policy has gone awry in some places," it said in an editorial said without elaborating. "But the policy should continue to be endorsed."
Human rights groups have accused overzealous Chinese family planners of forcing women to abort, in some case in the ninth month of pregnancy, or undergo hysterectomies.
A hefty fine is slapped on urban residents with more than one child. Rural folk and members of ethnic minority groups can have a maximum of two children.
While the rules have helped China curb its birth rate from more than 33 births per 1,000 population in 1970 to less than eight per 1,000 per year three decades later, the country faces new demographic challenges over how to support an aging population.
Demographers say the most immediate issue is not how to support China's graying masses -- which they point out won't hit numbers comparable to Europe's until about 2020 -- but how to employ them.
China is expected to add eight million to its population each year, the U.N. Population Fund says, and has no plans to ease the one-child policy despite concerns of low urban birth rates.
The rules on family size have also created a gender imbalance, with about 117 boys for 100 girls, as a cultural preference for sons prompts couples, usually in rural areas, to abort girls.
The birth rate is highest in the largely rural, impoverished west, while it is lowest in booming Shanghai.
"The government has to deal with the unbalanced structure of the population that is still very large," demographer Zhai Zhenwu said.
At the end of 2003, the total world population stood at 6.27 billion people, according to the World Bank.
India, the world's second-most populous nation, has just over 1 billion people and could overtake China by 2035 if current trends continue, according to India's census office.
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AussieMark
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Appeal by Pretty Woman Star Perplexes Palestinians
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - He's been a prostitute's rich beau, an officer, a gentleman and a gigolo, but Palestinians can't fathom Richard Gere's latest incarnation as a cheerleader for their elections this weekend.
Well known for his vocal support of Tibet's Dalai Lama and celebrated for his captivating good looks, Gere urged Palestinians in a television commercial broadcast ahead of Sunday's poll in the West Bank and Gaza to get out to vote for a new president to succeed Yasser Arafat, who died in November.
"Hi, I'm Richard Gere and I'm speaking for the entire world. We're with you during this election time. It's really important. Get out and vote," Gere said in the advertisement.
But many voters, already struggling with the labyrinthine politics of the West Bank and Gaza, say they have never heard of the actor who swept Debra Winger off her feet as a dashing Navy officer in the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman and were even less interested when they were told he's an American.
"I don't even know who the candidates are other than Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas), let alone this Gere," Gaza soap factory worker Manar an-Najar told Reuters on Wednesday.
"We don't need the Americans' intervention. We know who to elect. Not like them -- they elected a moron."
Arafat's death has stirred international hopes of ending more than four years of Middle East violence. Moderate Fatah faction candidate Mahmoud Abbas is the front-runner to succeed him in the first Palestinian election since 1996.
The Gere spot, sponsored by grassroots Israeli-Palestinian peace lobby One Voice, recalled ads put out by Hollywood notables to support Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry in November's U.S. elections. He lost to President Bush.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - He's been a prostitute's rich beau, an officer, a gentleman and a gigolo, but Palestinians can't fathom Richard Gere's latest incarnation as a cheerleader for their elections this weekend.
Well known for his vocal support of Tibet's Dalai Lama and celebrated for his captivating good looks, Gere urged Palestinians in a television commercial broadcast ahead of Sunday's poll in the West Bank and Gaza to get out to vote for a new president to succeed Yasser Arafat, who died in November.
"Hi, I'm Richard Gere and I'm speaking for the entire world. We're with you during this election time. It's really important. Get out and vote," Gere said in the advertisement.
But many voters, already struggling with the labyrinthine politics of the West Bank and Gaza, say they have never heard of the actor who swept Debra Winger off her feet as a dashing Navy officer in the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman and were even less interested when they were told he's an American.
"I don't even know who the candidates are other than Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas), let alone this Gere," Gaza soap factory worker Manar an-Najar told Reuters on Wednesday.
"We don't need the Americans' intervention. We know who to elect. Not like them -- they elected a moron."
Arafat's death has stirred international hopes of ending more than four years of Middle East violence. Moderate Fatah faction candidate Mahmoud Abbas is the front-runner to succeed him in the first Palestinian election since 1996.
The Gere spot, sponsored by grassroots Israeli-Palestinian peace lobby One Voice, recalled ads put out by Hollywood notables to support Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry in November's U.S. elections. He lost to President Bush.
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AussieMark
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US High Court Justice Reports for Jury Duty
BOSTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer reported for jury duty this week in Massachusetts, where he is a part-time resident, but was not picked for a trial.
Breyer, one of nine justices on the U.S. high court in Washington, walked into the Marlborough, Massachusetts district court house on Tuesday unnoticed, officials said.
Even the Marlborough court's presiding justice, Thomas Sullivan, didn't recognize the tall and balding Breyer before discovering his name on a list of potential jurors, one court official said.
Despite, or perhaps because of, his credentials, Breyer was not chosen for a case. He was called to sit on one jury, but a defense attorney had Breyer excused from the panel.
Breyer, who owns a home in Massachusetts and studied and taught law at Harvard University, said through a Supreme Court spokeswoman he did not view the day of jury duty as a burden. "Jury duty is an important civic duty because juries decide guilt or innocence," spokeswoman Kathy Arberg quoted him as saying.
BOSTON (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer reported for jury duty this week in Massachusetts, where he is a part-time resident, but was not picked for a trial.
Breyer, one of nine justices on the U.S. high court in Washington, walked into the Marlborough, Massachusetts district court house on Tuesday unnoticed, officials said.
Even the Marlborough court's presiding justice, Thomas Sullivan, didn't recognize the tall and balding Breyer before discovering his name on a list of potential jurors, one court official said.
Despite, or perhaps because of, his credentials, Breyer was not chosen for a case. He was called to sit on one jury, but a defense attorney had Breyer excused from the panel.
Breyer, who owns a home in Massachusetts and studied and taught law at Harvard University, said through a Supreme Court spokeswoman he did not view the day of jury duty as a burden. "Jury duty is an important civic duty because juries decide guilt or innocence," spokeswoman Kathy Arberg quoted him as saying.
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AussieMark
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NBC's 'Fear Factor' Sued for Rat-Eating Episode
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Watching contestants eat dead rats on NBC's gross-out stunt show "Fear Factor" so disgusted a Cleveland man that he has sued NBC for $2.5 million, saying he could not stomach what he saw.
In a handwritten four-page lawsuit filed in federal court in Cleveland on Tuesday, paralegal Austin Aitken said, "To have the individuals on the show eat (yes) and drink dead rats was crazy and from a viewer's point of view made me throw-up as well an another in the house at the same time."
His suit added, "NBC is sending the wrong message to its TV watchers that cash can make or have people do just about anything beyond reasoning (sic) and in most cases against their will."
He said the show caused his blood pressure to rise so high that he became dizzy and light-headed, and when he ran away to his room, he bumped his head into the doorway.
In a brief telephone interview with Reuters, Aitken said, "I am not at liberty to discuss the complaint unless it is a paid-interview situation."
A spokesman for "Fear Factor" said the show would have no comment until it sees a copy of the complaint. The spokesman said the program did feature a rat-eating scene in New York's Times Square on Nov. 8.
Over the years, contestants on the program have eaten some weird things, including ground-up spiders and live worms. [/b]
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Watching contestants eat dead rats on NBC's gross-out stunt show "Fear Factor" so disgusted a Cleveland man that he has sued NBC for $2.5 million, saying he could not stomach what he saw.
In a handwritten four-page lawsuit filed in federal court in Cleveland on Tuesday, paralegal Austin Aitken said, "To have the individuals on the show eat (yes) and drink dead rats was crazy and from a viewer's point of view made me throw-up as well an another in the house at the same time."
His suit added, "NBC is sending the wrong message to its TV watchers that cash can make or have people do just about anything beyond reasoning (sic) and in most cases against their will."
He said the show caused his blood pressure to rise so high that he became dizzy and light-headed, and when he ran away to his room, he bumped his head into the doorway.
In a brief telephone interview with Reuters, Aitken said, "I am not at liberty to discuss the complaint unless it is a paid-interview situation."
A spokesman for "Fear Factor" said the show would have no comment until it sees a copy of the complaint. The spokesman said the program did feature a rat-eating scene in New York's Times Square on Nov. 8.
Over the years, contestants on the program have eaten some weird things, including ground-up spiders and live worms. [/b]
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AussieMark
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Man Slams Door, Feels the Pane...
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man, angered by a court decision, was left even more out of pocket when a judge gave him an extra fine for storming out of the court and slamming the door hard, authorities said on Thursday.
"Apparently the panes shook, he slammed it so hard. That displeased the judge," said Wolfgang Ohler, spokesman for the court of appeal in the southwestern town of Zweibruecken.
The man, who had been involved in a property usage dispute with neighbors, had appealed the fine on the grounds the door had slipped out of his hand as he left the courtroom.
But the appeal court rejected the appeal and upheld the judge's view and fine of 200 euros ($265).
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man, angered by a court decision, was left even more out of pocket when a judge gave him an extra fine for storming out of the court and slamming the door hard, authorities said on Thursday.
"Apparently the panes shook, he slammed it so hard. That displeased the judge," said Wolfgang Ohler, spokesman for the court of appeal in the southwestern town of Zweibruecken.
The man, who had been involved in a property usage dispute with neighbors, had appealed the fine on the grounds the door had slipped out of his hand as he left the courtroom.
But the appeal court rejected the appeal and upheld the judge's view and fine of 200 euros ($265).
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AussieMark
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Tortoise Adopts Stray Hippo at Sanctuary
NAIROBI (Reuters) - A 120-year-old giant tortoise living in a Kenyan sanctuary has become inseparable from a baby hippo rescued by game wardens, officials said on Thursday.
The year-old hippo calf christened Owen was rescued last month, suffering from dehydration after being separated from his herd in a river that drains into the Indian Ocean.
"When we released Owen into the enclosure, he lumbered to the tortoise which has a dark gray color similar to grown up hippos," Sabine Baer, rehabilitation and ecosystems manager at the park, told Reuters.
She said the hippo's chances of survival in another herd were very slim, predicting that a dominant male would have killed him.
However, Owen's relationship with the Aldabran tortoise named Mzee, Swahili for old man, may end soon. The sanctuary plans to place Owen with Cleo, a lonely female hippo.
NAIROBI (Reuters) - A 120-year-old giant tortoise living in a Kenyan sanctuary has become inseparable from a baby hippo rescued by game wardens, officials said on Thursday.
The year-old hippo calf christened Owen was rescued last month, suffering from dehydration after being separated from his herd in a river that drains into the Indian Ocean.
"When we released Owen into the enclosure, he lumbered to the tortoise which has a dark gray color similar to grown up hippos," Sabine Baer, rehabilitation and ecosystems manager at the park, told Reuters.
She said the hippo's chances of survival in another herd were very slim, predicting that a dominant male would have killed him.
However, Owen's relationship with the Aldabran tortoise named Mzee, Swahili for old man, may end soon. The sanctuary plans to place Owen with Cleo, a lonely female hippo.
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rainstorm
tropicalweatherwatcher wrote:Jimmy Carter Urged to Give Fish a Chance
ATLANTA (Reuters) - A prominent U.S.-based animal rights group urged former President Jimmy Carter on Monday to give up fishing on the grounds that the activity was inconsistent the Nobel peace laureate's humanitarian efforts.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals made its appeal in a letter faxed to Carter's non-profit Carter Center on Monday. The group said the letter was prompted by Carter's recent appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.
Carter, who served as president from 1977 to 1981 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, told Leno of the pain he suffered when he accidentally hooked himself through the face on a fishing trip.
"We're asking President Carter to think this through and to grant fish peace by leaving them in the water where they belong," PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a press release.
A Carter Center spokesman said the center does not comment on Carter's private correspondence.
those people are lunatics
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TexasStooge
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tropicalweatherwatcher wrote:Man Slams Door, Feels the Pane...
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man, angered by a court decision, was left even more out of pocket when a judge gave him an extra fine for storming out of the court and slamming the door hard, authorities said on Thursday.
"Apparently the panes shook, he slammed it so hard. That displeased the judge," said Wolfgang Ohler, spokesman for the court of appeal in the southwestern town of Zweibruecken.
The man, who had been involved in a property usage dispute with neighbors, had appealed the fine on the grounds the door had slipped out of his hand as he left the courtroom.
But the appeal court rejected the appeal and upheld the judge's view and fine of 200 euros ($265).
Talking about adding insult to injury.
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AussieMark
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Italy's Last World War One Veteran Dies at 110
ROME (Reuters) - Italy lost its last veteran from World War One this week when Carlo Orelli, popularly known as "the last infantryman," died at the age of 110, the government said Tuesday.
Orelli fought as a foot-soldier in the trenches around Trieste which is now part of north-eastern Italy.
As Italy's oldest survivor of the 1914-1918 war, he was a minor celebrity and a book based on his wartime diaries was published last year.
President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi paid tribute to a soldier he said was "living and precious testimony to the sacrifice of the boys who fought ... to make our country great, free and united." Italy joined the war in May 1915 on the side of Britain, France and Russia against Germany and Austria-Hungary with which it had been allied until earlier that year in the so-called Triple Alliance.
ROME (Reuters) - Italy lost its last veteran from World War One this week when Carlo Orelli, popularly known as "the last infantryman," died at the age of 110, the government said Tuesday.
Orelli fought as a foot-soldier in the trenches around Trieste which is now part of north-eastern Italy.
As Italy's oldest survivor of the 1914-1918 war, he was a minor celebrity and a book based on his wartime diaries was published last year.
President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi paid tribute to a soldier he said was "living and precious testimony to the sacrifice of the boys who fought ... to make our country great, free and united." Italy joined the war in May 1915 on the side of Britain, France and Russia against Germany and Austria-Hungary with which it had been allied until earlier that year in the so-called Triple Alliance.
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