| Closing Arguments in Bout Trial Under Way Posted: 31 Oct 2011 06:28 PM PDT The trial in New York of an accused Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout, entered its final phase on Monday as the jury heard closing arguments from prosecution and defense attorneys.
Prosecuting attorney Anjan Sahni told jurors they should reach a "simple and inescapable conclusion", that Viktor Bout is guilty of all of the charges against him. The U.S. government says Bout, a former Soviet military officer, is an international arms trafficker. The government charges that he conspired to supply weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, to kill Americans. The United States has listed FARC as a terrorist organization.
During the trial that began three weeks ago, the jury heard testimony from U.S. informants who posed as FARC members. They said that Bout had discussed the sale of arms. Andrew Smulian, who is also charged in the arms conspiracy, testified that Bout was eager to sell weapons to two men who acted as FARC representatives. Smulian, a South African, was arrested with Bout in Thailand in 2008.
During his closing arguments, prosecutor Sahni said Bout had agreed not only to provide weapons and trainers, but also to deliver them to FARC. He said that Bout's wiretapped conversations devastate the defense's claim that this simply was a scam for Bout to sell two old Russian cargo planes to FARC. The prosecutor said Bout was serious about the weapons deal and that the only verdict consistent with the evidence is guilty.
Bout's defense attorney, Albert Dayan, responded in his summation that all that prosecutors have offered in the trial is "speculation, innuendo and conjecture." He said the government's case is based on speculation, not the type of evidence that would allow the jury to find Bout guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, as required by U.S. law. Dayan said Viktor Bout is not an arms dealer, and he asserted that Smulian, a co-conspirator in the case, lied when he testified during the trial.
Pointing to sections of trial transcripts, Dayan argued that Bout never intended to go through with the arms sale, and that he used the deal as a way to sell the two aircraft to FARC. He told the jury that the defense had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and that all Bout wanted to do was sell airplanes.
Dayan later spoke briefly with reporters. "All the information we wanted the jury to know, I believe we have delivered with success and the rest is in their hands. It's for them now time to deliberate, and hopefully they will reach the right and just verdict," he said.
The trial is scheduled to continue on Tuesday with the prosecution's rebuttal and the judge's instructions to the jury. The jury then will begin its deliberations. Bout faces a sentence of up to life in prison, if the jury finds him guilty. 
 |
| Hindu Lawyer, Religion Scholar Oversees Religious Life at USC Posted: 31 Oct 2011 06:24 PM PDT As American universities become increasingly diverse, the job of supporting the spiritual life of students has become more complex. Many universities have chaplains and faith-based clubs, often overseen by a school official called the dean of religious life. The man who fills that post at the University of Southern California is Indian-born lawyer and religion scholar Varun Soni, who says he relishes the challenge.
Varun Soni coordinates the USC chaplain corps of 50 clergymen and women of various faiths, who offer counseling and conduct religious services. Yet he is not ordained himself. He is a lawyer, religion scholar, and entrepreneur who once ran an India-based business that did legal work for American high tech firms. He's also Hindu.
"It is unusual for someone like me to be in a position like this. I'm the first Hindu in American history to be the chief religious or spiritual leader of a university. I'm the only non-Christian currently serving in this capacity," he said.
Soni admits that, like many of his friends of other faiths, he grew up in the United States somewhat disconnected from his religious heritage. His family did celebrate Hindu holidays. "Theologically or scripturally, we didn't know much about our own tradition. And in fact, it wasn't until I got to college that I really began to study Hinduism and Buddhism, that I really began to learn about my own [religious] traditions," he said.
He studied Buddhism in Bodhgaya, India, the place where the Buddha was said to have been enlightened. Soni would later complete a doctorate in religious studies.
He taught law for a time, but since his appointment as USC's primary spiritual leader three years ago, Soni says, he enjoys the chance to interact with students on a more personal level. "When I look and reflect upon my own college career, I realize that the transformative moments in my life that really shaped the trajectory of my life often happened outside the classroom. They happened in conversations with friends, they happen for our students through their fraternity or sorority experiences, through their study abroad experiences, though athletics, through community service," he said.
He says community service projects in low-income neighborhoods bring together students from many religious backgrounds. "What we see is that our generation of students [is] less interested in traditional religious service and doctrine, and more interested in community service and religious experience and engagement and conversation," he said.
He notes that many students today say that they are spiritual, but not religious, and that college chaplains have adapted to the change. "And the way we've addressed this is that we've oriented our office not around God, but around meaning and purpose, and the ultimate questions that students and in fact all of us ask; the questions that connect us as humans: why am I here, what is my purpose, what does it all mean?"
What it means, he suggests, is that members of this so-called Millennial Generation want to find fulfilling work. "Our students aren't just interested in being physicians. They want to be global health practitioners. They're not just interested in being business people. They want to be social entrepreneurs," he said.
Varun Soni says Indian Americans are branching out beyond such professions as medicine, law and engineering. "Now Indian Americans and Hindu Americans who grew up in the United States have so many prominent role models in the public sphere. There are governors and writers and actors and innovators and entrepreneurs, as well as physicians and lawyers and engineers. So I think for Indian Americans growing up today, they can do more things because there's a path," he said.
He says some may even, like him, aspire to become the dean of religion on a university campus. 
 |
| Hindu Lawyer, Religion Scholar Oversees Religious Life at USC Posted: 31 Oct 2011 06:24 PM PDT As American universities become increasingly diverse, the job of supporting the spiritual life of students has become more complex. Many universities have chaplains and faith-based clubs, often overseen by a school official called the dean of religious life. The man who fills that post at the University of Southern California is Indian-born lawyer and religion scholar Varun Soni, who says he relishes the challenge.
Varun Soni coordinates the USC chaplain corps of 50 clergymen and women of various faiths, who offer counseling and conduct religious services. Yet he is not ordained himself. He is a lawyer, religion scholar, and entrepreneur who once ran an India-based business that did legal work for American high tech firms. He's also Hindu.
"It is unusual for someone like me to be in a position like this. I'm the first Hindu in American history to be the chief religious or spiritual leader of a university. I'm the only non-Christian currently serving in this capacity," he said.
Soni admits that, like many of his friends of other faiths, he grew up in the United States somewhat disconnected from his religious heritage. His family did celebrate Hindu holidays. "Theologically or scripturally, we didn't know much about our own tradition. And in fact, it wasn't until I got to college that I really began to study Hinduism and Buddhism, that I really began to learn about my own [religious] traditions," he said.
He studied Buddhism in Bodhgaya, India, the place where the Buddha was said to have been enlightened. Soni would later complete a doctorate in religious studies.
He taught law for a time, but since his appointment as USC's primary spiritual leader three years ago, Soni says, he enjoys the chance to interact with students on a more personal level. "When I look and reflect upon my own college career, I realize that the transformative moments in my life that really shaped the trajectory of my life often happened outside the classroom. They happened in conversations with friends, they happen for our students through their fraternity or sorority experiences, through their study abroad experiences, though athletics, through community service," he said.
He says community service projects in low-income neighborhoods bring together students from many religious backgrounds. "What we see is that our generation of students [is] less interested in traditional religious service and doctrine, and more interested in community service and religious experience and engagement and conversation," he said.
He notes that many students today say that they are spiritual, but not religious, and that college chaplains have adapted to the change. "And the way we've addressed this is that we've oriented our office not around God, but around meaning and purpose, and the ultimate questions that students and in fact all of us ask; the questions that connect us as humans: why am I here, what is my purpose, what does it all mean?"
What it means, he suggests, is that members of this so-called Millennial Generation want to find fulfilling work. "Our students aren't just interested in being physicians. They want to be global health practitioners. They're not just interested in being business people. They want to be social entrepreneurs," he said.
Varun Soni says Indian Americans are branching out beyond such professions as medicine, law and engineering. "Now Indian Americans and Hindu Americans who grew up in the United States have so many prominent role models in the public sphere. There are governors and writers and actors and innovators and entrepreneurs, as well as physicians and lawyers and engineers. So I think for Indian Americans growing up today, they can do more things because there's a path," he said.
He says some may even, like him, aspire to become the dean of religion on a university campus. 
 |
| Strong earthquake strikes northwest China, casualties unknown Posted: 31 Oct 2011 06:22 PM PDT NILKA, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck northwestern China on early Tuesday morning, seismologists said, but it was not immediately known if there were injuries or damage. The 6.0-magnitude earthquake at 8.21 a.m. local time (0021 GMT) was centered about 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) southwest of Nilka, a small city in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It struck about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the China Earthquake Network Center (CENC). It was not immediately known if the earthquake caused damage or if there were casualties, but the United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimated some 255,000 people may have felt strong shaking which could result in moderate damage. It said some 1.4 million others may have felt light to moderate shaking. "The population in this region resides in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist," the USGS said. It added that damage and casualties were possible. Earlier on Tuesday, a moderate 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck about 48 kilometers (29 miles) west-northwest of Guangyuan, a prefecture-level city in China's Sichuan Province which is close to the borders with Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It struck about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) deep. That earthquake, which the USGS measured at 5.5, was strongly felt in the region and prompted residents to flee their homes. The Chinese government said it had launched an emergency response but it was not immediately known if there were casualties, although some damage was reported. Buildings in many regions of China are extremely vulnerable to earthquake shaking, and moderate earthquakes frequently cause serious damage and casualties. In August, at least 26 people were injured when a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, destroying 80 homes. And earlier this year, on March 10, at least 26 people were killed and more than 300 others were injured when a moderate 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in China's Yunnan Province. Before that, on April 14, 2010, nearly 3,000 people were killed and more than 12,000 others were injured when a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck northwest China. (Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.) 
 |
| UN, U.S. congratulate Kyrgyzstan after peaceful elections Posted: 31 Oct 2011 05:32 PM PDT NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations and U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday commended the people of Kyrgyzstan for conducting presidential elections in a peaceful manner on Sunday. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged all political forces in the country to work together to ensure a stable post-electoral period. "[Ban] wishes to assure the people of Kyrgyzstan of the continued support of the United Nations," his spokesman said. The Special Representative for Central Asia, Miroslav Jenca, stressed that the election should contribute to a democratic, secure and prosperous future for all citizens of Kyrgyzstan. Jenca visited the Kyrgyz capital on Sunday and met with President Roza Otunbaeva, Chair of the Central Election Commission Tuigunaly Abdraimov and other officials during a two-day visit. U.S. President Barack Obama also congratulated the people and the government of Kyrgyzstan. "In casting their ballots, the Kyrgyz people have taken an important and courageous step on the path of democracy and demonstrated their commitment to an orderly and open transition of power," he said. Obama added: "The people of Kyrgyzstan will have a partner in the United States as they undertake the hard work of building upon the democratic gains of the past eighteen months and realizing a democratic, prosperous and just future for all Kyrgyz citizens." The presidential poll came a year after the Central Asian country experienced deadly clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks. Hundreds of people were killed and an estimated 375,000 others were displaced. According to early reports, former Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev was in the lead of the polls. Outgoing President Roza Otunbayeva took power after a violent uprising against the regime of Kurmanbek Bakiyev last year. (Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.) 
 |
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق