health: Lincoln Tribune

الجمعة، 4 نوفمبر 2011

Lincoln Tribune

U.S. jobless claims drop under 400,000
Pakistani cricketers sentenced to jail in match-fixing case
Israel freezes UNESCO funding over Palestinian membership
Indonesian teacher arrested for sexually abusing six children
More U.S. drone strikes kill at least 3 in Pakistan’s tribal region

Posted: 03 Nov 2011 07:29 PM PDT

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- Initial claims for unemployment insurance in the United States dropped to 397,000 in the week ending October 29, representing a decrease of 9,000 compared to the previous week, the U.S. Labor Department (DOL) reported on Thursday.

The latest DOL report shows the 4-week moving average was 404,500, a decrease of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average of 406,500. In addition, the department revealed that the number of unemployed with unemployment insurance for the week ending October 22 was unchanged compared to the previous week's 2.9 percent rate.

Furthermore, according to the DOL report, there was a decrease of 15,000 in the number of workers who claimed benefits under regular state unemployment programs, totaling 3,683,000 during the week ending October 22, while the 4-week moving average was 3,703,250, a decrease of 10,500 from the preceding week's revised average of 3,713,750.

Meanwhile, the unadjusted, advance number of actual initial claims under state programs totaled 366,923 in the week ending October 29, a decrease of 10,433 from the previous week. There were 421,097 initial claims in the comparable week in 2010.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending October 15 were in Puerto Rico (5.0), Alaska (4.4), Pennsylvania (3.6), Oregon (3.5), California (3.4), New Jersey (3.4), Virgin Islands (3.4), Nevada (3.2), Arkansas (3.1), and Connecticut (3.1).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending October 22 were in California (+7,176), New York (+2,494), Illinois (+2,057), Georgia (+1,642), and Pennsylvania (+1,579) while the largest decreases were in Florida (-2,230), Puerto Rico (-1,393), Washington (-898), Arizona (-735), and Arkansas (-567).

Pakistani cricketers sentenced to jail in match-fixing case

Posted: 03 Nov 2011 07:12 PM PDT

LONDON (BNO NEWS) -- Three suspended Pakistani cricketers and their agent were sentenced to jail by a crown court judge in London on Thursday for fixing part of a test match against England last year, prosecutors said.

On Tuesday, Former Pakistani captain Salman Butt and opening bowler Mohammad Asif were both convicted at London's Southwark Crown Court of conspiracy to cheat after they plotted to deliberately bowl no-balls during a Lord's Test match against England. They were also convicted of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments.

Butt and Asif were charged after allegations about their involvement in spot-fixing appeared in the now defunct News of the World tabloid, owned by Rupert Murdoch, shortly after the Lord's Test. The paper recorded Butt's agent, Mazhar Majeed, saying he could arrange fixing schemes with Pakistani players.

The youngest player on the team, Mohammad Amir, had already admitted to the same charges at an earlier hearing in early September. The three players were responsible for bowling three no balls during the Fourth Test match at Lords in August 2010.

Butt and Asif were jailed for 2.5 years and 1 year respectively, while Amir was jailed for only six months.

Justice Jeremy Cooke said Butt received a harsher sentence than the other two players because he was "responsible for corrupting Amir." "These offenses, regardless of pleas, are so serious that only a sentence of imprisonment will suffice," Judge Jeremy Cooke told the four at London's Southwark Crown Court.

The judge in the case accepted Majeed was involved in the scam and sentenced him to 2 years and 8 months. The court heard he used his influence as agent to some of the players to set up the deceit in return for payment of £150,000 ($239,865) from an undercover journalist posing as a businessman with connections to gambling syndicates.

"This is a case of cheating; pure and simple. The defendants, who are world class cricketers, sought to cheat to enhance their substantial legitimate earnings," Detective Chief Superintendent Matthew Horne said on Tuesday.

Horne recognized it is unusual for the police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and ultimately the courts to get involved in sporting issues to this degree. "But this case demonstrates our collective determination to do so in serious cases where the conduct is clearly criminal."

He added: "It is unlikely such activity would have been exposed without the good work of investigative journalism; and as an investigator I acknowledge the skill involved in such work."

Sally Walsh, Senior Lawyer in the Special Crime and Counter-Terrorism Division of CPS, welcomed the convictions of the three men. "Through their actions they brought shame on the cricketing world, jeopardizing the faith and admiration of cricket fans the world over," she said. "This prosecution shows that match fixing is not just unsportsmanlike but is a serious criminal act."

Israel freezes UNESCO funding over Palestinian membership

Posted: 03 Nov 2011 06:39 PM PDT

JERUSALEM (BNO NEWS) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday announced that Israel will freeze funding to the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO after it voted to grant full membership to Palestine on Monday. The move comes after the U.S. government also cut all funding to the organization.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today (Thursday) ordered that Israel's $2 million-per-annum participation in the budget of UNESCO be frozen, following the organization's decision to accept the Palestinian authority into its ranks," Netanyahu's office said in a statement. "The Prime Minister ordered that the budget be directed to cooperative initiatives towards the same goals in the region."

On Monday, the motion to admit the Palestinians was passed at a UNESCO meeting in Paris with 107 votes in favor of admission, 14 votes against and 52 abstentions. Admission to UNESCO for states which are not members of the United Nations requires a recommendation by the organization's executive committee and a two thirds majority vote in favor by member states.

"Such steps will not advance peace; they will only push it further away. The only way to reach peace is through direct negotiations without preconditions," Prime Minister Netanyahu said.

Among the countries which voted against admission were Israel, the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia and Germany. Brazil, Russia, China, India, South Africa, Belgium and France were among the countries which voted in favor while the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan were among those who abstained.

Hours after the vote took place, the U.S. government said it had been forced to cut all funding to UNESCO because of two U.S. laws passed in the 1990s which ban Washington from financing any UN agency which admits Palestine as a full member. As a result, UNESCO will lose nearly $80 million in annual funding, which represents 22 percent of its budget.

On Tuesday, Netanyahu ordered that the construction of 2,000 housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem be accelerated. The decision came after Netanyahu convened a meeting with eight ministers to discuss possible sanctions against the Palestinian National Authority in response to its UNESCO membership.

The ministers also agreed to suspend the transfer of tax money which Israel collected for the Palestinian Authority in October. Moreover, the eight ministers also decided not to allow any UNESCO missions into Israel and to examine the possibility of revoking the VIP status of senior Palestinian officials which allows them to pass through checkpoints.

The move to admit Palestine to UNESCO is part of a broader campaign by Palestine to get recognition as a state by the United Nations. On September 23, Palestine filed a request for a full UN membership even though the United States is likely to veto this.

About 120 out of 193 countries have currently recognized the State of Palestine and those are seen as possible supporters if the UN General Assembly votes on the issue. If the UN Security Council resolution to recognize Palestine is approved, Palestine would become the 194th member of the United Nations.

Indonesian teacher arrested for sexually abusing six children

Posted: 03 Nov 2011 05:52 PM PDT

MAKASSAR, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- An Indonesian teacher has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing at least six young girls on the island of Sulawesi, local authorities confirmed on Thursday.

Police identified the suspect as 28-year-old Gun who taught physical education at a school in the Luwu Timur sub-district of South Sulawesi province. He allegedly lured several students with candy after exercise classes before blindfolding them and forcing them to perform oral sex on him.

Luwu Timur Police Chief Adjutant Senior Commander Andi Firman told the Jakarta Globe that all of the victims are girls who were 8 years old at the time. Gun began sexually abusing the girls in July, but the alleged assaults were only revealed recently when one of the victims told her parents.

The first victim said that some of her friends were also abused by Gun, triggering authorities to look into the situation. "We demand that he is given a harsh punishment because what he did was immoral," one parent was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Following his arrest, Gun was charged under Indonesia's Child Protection law which could result in a 15-year prison term. The teacher may also face a fine of up to Rp 300 million ($33,430).

More U.S. drone strikes kill at least 3 in Pakistan’s tribal region

Posted: 03 Nov 2011 05:43 PM PDT

MIRANSHAH, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- A series of new U.S. drone strikes killed at least three suspected militants in Pakistan's tribal region on Thursday morning, officials said.

The U.S. drone strikes targeted a compound in the mountainous region of Darpakhel Sarai, just outside Miranshah which is the main town in Pakistan's North Waziristan region. The building was allegedly linked to the Afghan Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network.

Intelligence officials said at least three suspected militants were killed as a result of the airstrike, but other details were not immediately released. It was not known if anyone inside the building survived the airstrikes.

Earlier this week, on Sunday and Monday, at least nine suspected militants were killed when U.S. drones also carried out a series of airstrikes in North Waziristan. The strikes targeted two vehicles and a compound.

Days earlier, on Friday, an estimated 2,000 people gathered and protested against the U.S. drone strikes during a demonstration outside the country's parliament. Angry protesters claimed that the strikes have killed more innocent lives than those of militants.

As of the end of October, more than 70 U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan had killed at least 544 people this year, according to a report by the Conflict Monitoring Center. The report showed that the two deadliest months were March and June when 89 and 117 people were killed, respectively. Some of the deadliest attacks were carried out on July 11 and 12 when four air strikes killed 63 people.

The U.S. considers the Pakistan-Afghan border to be the most dangerous place on Earth. The area is known to be a stronghold of the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network, which is one of the top terrorist organizations and threats to U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

But controversy has surrounded the drone strikes as local residents and officials have blamed them for killing innocent civilians and motivating young men to join the Taliban. Details about the alleged militants are usually not provided, and the U.S. government does not comment on the strikes.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said in its annual report that the U.S. drone strikes were responsible for 957 extra-legal killings in 2010. Since August 2008, there have been over 250 drone attacks which have reportedly killed more than 1,500 people in North and South Waziristan alone.

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الجمعة، 4 نوفمبر 2011

Lincoln Tribune

Lincoln Tribune

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