The Star Online: World Updates
The Star Online: World Updates |
- Tiny camera reveals inside of ancient Mayan tomb
- Obama touts efforts to advance gay rights
- Gbagbo, Ouattara forces engaged in war crimes -ICC
| Tiny camera reveals inside of ancient Mayan tomb Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:15 PM PDT MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A tiny remote-controlled camera peered inside the tomb of a Mayan ruler that has been sealed for 1,500 years, revealing red frescoes, pottery and pieces of a funerary shroud made of jade and mother of pearl. The tomb was discovered in 1999 inside a pyramid among the ruins of the Mayan city of Palenque in the hills of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. But until now archeologists had not been able to access the vault believed to hold the remains of a Mayan ruler who lived between AD 431 and 550, the National Institute of Anthropologyand History said in a release on Thursday. By dropping the small camera 16 feet (5 meters) deep through a small hole at the top of the pyramid, researchers were able to get the first view of the intact tomb. "The characteristics of the funeral site show that the bones could belong to a sacred ruler from Palenque, probably one of the founders of a dynasty," said archeologist Martha Cuevas. The tomb's walls are painted in a rich red with paintings of Mayan figures. The Mayans flourished between AD 250-900 and Palenque is one of the most important Mayan archeological sites. (Reporting by Rachel Uranga, writing by Cyntia Barrera, editing by Anthony Boadle) Copyright © 2011 Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. | ||
| Obama touts efforts to advance gay rights Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:15 PM PDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday touted his efforts to advance gay rights and promised further progress, but stopped short of declaring his support for legalizing same-sex marriage.
Obama received an enthusiastic reception from gay, lesbian and bisexual supporters at a New York fundraiser, but a few dozen gay rights protesters outside the hotel and a handful of hecklers inside the ballroom where he spoke served as reminders of frustration that he has not done more for their cause. "I believe that gay couples deserve the same legal rights as any other couple in this country," Obama said to applause from a crowd of 600 at the "Gala with the Gay Community" event hosted by actor Neil Patrick Harris, where tickets started at $1,250 a plate. Obama's speech reflected his desire to shore up his support among gay and lesbian voters, a constituency that supported him strongly in the 2008 presidential vote, as he revs up his 2012 re-election bid. But as he seeks to broaden his appeal to a wide base of independent voters, the president is not expected to push any new gay rights initiatives that could alienate social conservatives over the next year. Obama stressed his record on gay issues, including winning repeal of the ban on gays serving openly in the military, his order for the Justice Department to stop defending the law that prohibits federal recognition of same-sex unions and expansion of benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees. But Obama, who said in December his views on marriage for gay couples were "constantly evolving," held to a cautious line on the issue, saying only that it was a matter that should be decided by the states, not the federal government. 'OBAMA, LET MAMA MARRY MAMA' Obama's visit came as lawmakers in the New York state capital, Albany, deliberated on whether to join Washington, D.C., and five states where gay marriage is legal. Several people briefly heckled the president's speech, screaming, "Marriage!" and "Say yes to marriage!" when he described his initiatives on gay rights. About 30 protesters gathered outside the hotel, chanting: "Obama, Obama, let mama marry mama." Louis Flores, 38, said he was "angry and disappointed" that Obama had not done more on gay marriage. "We should all be holding the president to his campaign promise." The U.S. public is nearly evenly split over whether gays and lesbians should be able to marry legally, with 45 percent in favor and 46 percent opposed, according to a Pew Research poll released last month. Younger voters, an important demographic for Obama, are particularly accepting of homosexuality and could react well to initiatives on gay causes. A CNN exit poll showed 4 percent of voters were gay, lesbian or bisexual, and 70 percent of them voted for Obama. Other estimates put gays at 7 percent of overall voters. The gay community is also seen as an influential group in media and Hollywood, and as an important fundraising bloc. Later on Friday, Obama attended an intimate fundraiser for Wall Street and other supporters who paid $35,800 each at a small Upper East Side restaurant, and then spoke to an audience at a screening of the Broadway show "Sister Act," who paid $100 and up to attend the event with actor Whoopi Goldberg. At the restaurant fundraiser, Obama acknowledged he may have a tougher time garnering enthusiasm about his candidacy in 2012 than he did in 2008, joking that his greying hair had made him seem less fresh-faced than the last time around. "Now I'm sort of old news. But the vision hasn't changed, and my enthusiasm and my commitments haven't changed. And I hope yours haven't changed either, because if we're able to work just as hard as we did in 2008, then I think we're going to get through this very difficult time," he said. (Writing by Laura MacInnis and Matt Spetalnick; Additional reporting by Kim Dixon, Paula Rogo, Mark Egan and Michelle Nichols; Editing by Anthony Boadle) Copyright © 2011 Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. | ||
| Gbagbo, Ouattara forces engaged in war crimes -ICC Posted: 23 Jun 2011 06:12 PM PDT THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The world's top war crimes prosecutor said forces loyal to ousted Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo as well as those backing his rival, Alassane Ouattara, committed war crimes in the post-election violence.
Former President Gbagbo refused to cede power to Ouattara following the Nov. 28 election, triggering months of violence and economic havoc in the world's top cocoa-producing country before Gbagbo was captured in April in Abidjan. After lodging a request with International Criminal Court judges on Thursday for approval to start an investigation, prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said at least 3,000 people were killed and 520 people were arbitrarily detained in the violence. There were more than 100 reported cases of rape and the number of unreported cases could be much higher, he added. Moreno-Ocampo, who will send a team to assess the security situation in the Ivory Coast on Monday and to plan for his investigation, said it was not yet clear who was the most responsible for the crimes. "We have to collect the evidence to define who gave the orders to commit the crimes," Moreno-Ocampo said. "After all the violence and suffering in Ivory Coast, justice has to be done." If authorised to open a probe, this would be Moreno-Ocampo's seventh formal investigation; all of them are in Africa. Although Moreno-Ocampo has launched preliminary examinations in 11 countries, from South America to the Middle East and Asia, he has only opened formal probes in Africa, prompting criticism the court is only targeting African crimes. "I am in Africa today, because the most serious crimes under my jurisdiction are today in Africa," Moreno-Ocampo said, defending his actions. "We are working with African leaders, leaders who are struggling to stop violence in Africa." Humans rights groups welcomed the prosecutor's request for an investigation into the Ivory Coast, but said the scope of the request did not go far enough. Alison Smith at No Peace Without Justice urged Moreno-Ocampo and Ouattara to investigate crimes committed by all forces in the Ivory Coast dating back to 2002 when the ICC was set up. "Ivory Coast's own history demonstrates that granting impunity for serious crimes only encourages those crimes to continue, whether by the same perpetrators or others," she said. Moreno-Ocampo said evidence indicated pro-Gbagbo forces allegedly committed crimes against humanity by killing civilians who challenged his decision to stay in power last year. He said once the armed conflict started, both pro-Gbagbo forces and pro-Ouattara forces allegedly committed war crimes. Gbagbo is being detained in northern Ivory Coast, awaiting a domestic trial for alleged economic crimes, although Ouattara also wants him tried in the ICC for crimes against humanity. Yet former rebels loyal to Ouattara were last week still committing abuses such as executions and torture, in which they killed at least 8 people, the U.N. peacekeeping mission said on Thursday. No one from Ouattara's camp has yet been arrested. Although the Ivory Coast is not one of the member countries covered by the ICC, the world's first permanent war crimes court, it has accepted the jurisdiction of the court and Ouattara wrote to Moreno-Ocampo in May asking the ICC to investigate reported abuses. (Reporting by Aaron Gray-Block; editing by Philippa Fletcher) Copyright © 2011 Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online: World Updates To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan