My sympathies to all involved and touched by this.

It's time to act as a nation to stop the accessibility of weapons. This is simply an outrage. I am sorry, but, it is. It sickens me.

One of the greatest signs of respect we can pay to those that perished in this rampage is to stop the ability of others to commit such a crime. There is no reason for easy access to weapons in this country. There just isn't.

The world reacts...

The World Reacts to Virginia Tech Massacre and Asks Why

...British Prime Minister Tony Blair echoed the concern of world leaders across the globe. "Like everyone," he said, "I am deeply shocked at the loss of innocent lives at the Virginia Tech college. I would like to express on behalf of the British people our profound sadness and to send the American people and of course families of the victims our sympathy and prayers."

Prime Minister Blair refused to be drawn into questioning whether the United States should reconsider its gun laws.

Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying that the queen "was shocked and saddened to hear of the news of the shooting in Virginia." Both the queen and Prince Philip are due to pay a visit to Virginia on May 3-4 as part of their first official trip to America in 16 years. They will commemorate the 400th anniversary of the English settlement at Jamestown.

Speaking at the United Nations in New York, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said, "Can I first say how appalled everyone is by the terrible news from Virginia. Our deepest sympathy and our condolences of course go to that community and to all of those whose families are directly affected...."

...until tomorrow...

Bush 'Central War on Terrorists' has destroyed the Iraqi Homeland

Tell me this makes sense. The Iraqi refugees are in either Jordan or Syria, YET, Bush won't have a dialogue with Syria. What the heck is that already?

Iraq refugee crisis hits "epic proportions"

Amid the daily media reports of suicide bombings, sectarian violence and troop casualties, Iraqi civilians generally get overlooked.

But today the world will be focussing attention on the nearly 4 million people who have been forced to flee their homes since the U.S.-led invasion.

If the number is hard to imagine, then it's a bit like uprooting the population of Paris - twice.
We're now seeing a "migration crisis of epic proportions", according to the International Rescue Committee, a relief agency which works with refugees.

Around half those who have left their homes are living in Syria and Jordan, which are struggling with the burden - the issue is particularly sensitive in Jordan where Iraqis now make up a fifth of the population. (You can't help wondering how a European country might act in a similar situation.) ...

Why are Iraqis opposed to Bush's illegal invasion? Look at this and somehow the people that minister to their flocks are supposed to support this strife. It's not rational to expect that of any people.

2.7 million people living in areas contaminated by mines and unexploded ordinance

1.9 million uprooted internally

4 million food insecure

8 million in urgent need of humanitarian help

That is what the refugees are leaving. What they are going to, and it's amazing to realize are Arab nations that carry the burden for these people without complaints as they struggle with the strife of their own people. Neither Jordan or Syria are wealthy nations. Neither are oil nations either.

A fourth-generation strategic nuclear submarine was launched during a special ceremony at a shipbuilding yard in northern Russia Sunday.

Ice traps seal and fish harvesters

Sealers had to abandon the Dodd & Sons off Newfoundland's northeast coast yesterday. Coast guard icebreakers were attempting to free about 100 immobilized vessels.

Photograph by : Canadian Coast Guard, Canadian Press

The Ottawa Citizen; with files from St. John's Telegram

Published: Thursday, April 19, 2007

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - More than 100 fishing and sealing vessels are stuck in ice off the coast of Newfoundland, forcing some crews to abandon ship, Fisheries Department and coast guard officials said yesterday.

Six coast guard ships and three helicopters are involved in 10 search and rescue operations in the region, with the priority given to an area around Fogo Island in the north. Conditions are so bad, one of the coast guard vessels got stuck.

"Ranging from the Strait of Belle Isle to Cape Bona Vista, there's around 100 vessels stuck in ice," said Brian Penney, superintendent of coast guard operations, adding ice conditions continue to change.

Morning Papers - continued ...

RIA Novosti

Echoes of Virginia tragedy

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Boris Kaimakov) - The Virginia Tech massacre shocked Russia. Not that violence is new to this country, but the number of the cold-blooded killer's victims strikes the most uncaring mind.
No one doubts the killer's madness. But then, it would be too simple to explain the tragedy by insanity alone. Russian online discussions also point to the American way of life and youth mentality.
In their coverage of the university bloodshed, Russian media outlets focus on almost unlimited arms trade in the United States, so the majority of the public is sure that is the root of the evil. True, when just anyone can get a weapon, we Russians have ample reasons to cite an old sinister joke: "He who shoots first laughs best."
The more advanced Russian Internet users, however, take a broader view, blaming tremendous psychological pressure in the U.S. - and in all developed countries, for that matter. Russia is no exception here, though political correctness has not penetrated it that far yet, and social rules are not so stringent.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070418/63905684.html



530 seals die in Kazakh Caspian, weather or oil possible cause

ASTANA, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - The death toll of seals washed ashore on the Caspian in Kazakhstan has risen from 330 to 530, with oil intoxication and the weather considered as possible causes, the emergencies services said.
From March 31 through April 18, a total of 530 dead seals have been found washed up along the seashore between two major oil fields in western Kazakhstan, with 461 of them being baby seals. Officials in Kazakhstan cited weather conditions as a possible reason.
"Until February 20, most of the northeastern Caspian did not freeze..., and on February 21-22 the northern Caspian had a covering of thin ice, ...which melted by March 20, ... and it could have had a negative affect on the baby seals," the Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a news release.
As for pollution, the ministry said examination of the seal's bodies had not revealed any heavy metals or pesticides. "Seawater tests carried out in the area did not reveal any oil products," the news release said.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070419/63968001.html



BUILDING a nuclear power plant in the middle of a body of water is just plain odd. Higher cooling capacity maybe, but, very odd.


Floating NPP will be safer
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Tatyana Sinitsyna) - "This plant has several layers of protection, which means that it will be much safer than its land equivalents," said Sergei Kiriyenko, head of the Federal Agency for Nuclear Power, speaking at a ceremony of laying down the world's first floating nuclear power plant (FNPP).
The plant will be built at the Sevmash shipyard, the core of the Russian Center for Nuclear Shipbuilding, in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk Region.
To add weight to his words, the head of the agency cited the sad tragedy of the nuclear submarine "Kursk," which sank in the Barents Sea in 2000. A powerful explosion de-energized the ship and filled it with water. But the nuclear reactor withstood the shock and shut down automatically, obeying the command of its safety system. After the submarine was raised, specialists found an intact nuclear reactor ready to operate.
There is really hardly a test more devastating and convincing than exposure to an extreme situation. Such power units, which have years of service on warships and ice-breakers, will be used on floating nuclear power plants.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070417/63813162.html



Russian first deputy PM hopes air strike on Iran will be averted
MOSCOW, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's first deputy prime minister said Thursday he hopes the United States will not launch air strikes against Iran and called for unity within the UN Security Council.
The Islamic Republic is under UN sanctions over its failure to halt uranium enrichment, and Washington has refused to rule out a military operation against it as a way of forcing its compliance with the demands of the global community, which fears Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons.
"So far the situation remains within the diplomatic framework and Russia has twice voted. Unity of the UN Security Council exists. The last two resolutions were passed by the Security Council unanimously. And the main thing is to preserve the unity of the Security Council," Sergei Ivanov said in an interview with The Financial Times.
He warned that otherwise Iran could suffer the fate of Iraq, which has been brought to the brink of civil war by a U.S. campaign against the Saddam Hussein regime and subsequent attempts to foster democracy in the country.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070419/63955209.html



Iran will not discuss its uranium enrichment program - diplomat

MOSCOW, April 18 (RIA Novosti) - Iran will not discuss shutting down its uranium enrichment program even if appropriate discussions with six international negotiators are resumed, a high-ranking Iranian diplomat said Wednesday.
The UN Security Council passed a new resolution on Iran March 24 over its refusal to abandon its nuclear program, toughening economic sanctions against the country and accepting the possibility of a military solution to the crisis.
"There is no shutting it down [uranium enrichment]. We believe it is Iran's legitimate right," Gholam Reza Ansari said. "The time has passed."
Earlier, Iranian diplomats said they were ready to consider stopping uranium enrichment if negotiations with five members of the UN Security Council and Germany were resumed.
Ansari also said: "Iran opposes international terrorism and military solutions to current problems."

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070418/63903357.html



Iran says it develops advanced weapons despite sanctions

TEHRAN, April 18 (RIA Novosti) - Iran has mastered the most advanced armaments and military technologies despite sanctions by the West banning arm imports to the Islamic Republic, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at an annual military parade.
Iran has been at the center of international concerns over its nuclear program, which some countries, particularly the United States, suspect is geared toward nuclear weapons development. Tehran has consistently denied the claims, saying it needs nuclear power for civilian purposes.
"Some highbrow powers believed that by imposing sanctions banning armament deliveries to Iran our army would be weakened. But young Iranian scientists have been able to meet the military needs of our armed forces in all areas," Ahmadinejad said on the occasion of Iran's National Army Day.
Ahmadinejad also said Iran stood for peace and stability in the region and in the world, adding that the Islamic Republic's armed forces could repel any external act of aggression.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070418/63859604.html



Strike on Iran: will it harm the environment?
MOSCOW. (Yury Israel and Alexei Ryaboshapko for RIA Novosti) - A potential bombing of Iran might destroy two groups of installations that could cause problems for the regional environment: radioactive depots and other nuclear facilities, and oil industry infrastructure, including wells, refineries and huge tanks.
To start with, we should try to figure out how many nuclear plants Iran has. Judging by publicly available information, it has none. Russian engineers are building the first unit of a nuclear pant in Bushehr on the Persian Gulf coast, but it is still empty because Russia has not supplied it with fissionable materials.
Iran has at least one operating light water pool-type five-megawatt reactor, the Tehran Research Reactor (TRR), which was build by the United States in Tehran in 1967. The TRR used U.S.-supplied highly-enriched (93%) weapons-grade uranium. In 1992, the TRR was modernized to be able to use 20%-enriched uranium. The uranium mass in its core is 5.7 kg.
Argentina supplied Iran with 100 kg of 20%-enriched uranium for the TRR. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitored the reactor's modernization and the transfer of the uranium. Incidentally, if this quantity of uranium is enriched to weapons-grade, it will be more than enough to produce one tiny bomb.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070417/63796133.html


UN Security Council mission could leave for Kosovo, Belgrade next week

MOSCOW, April 18 (RIA Novosti) - A UN Security Council mission could leave for Kosovo and Belgrade next week, Russia's envoy to the UN said during a New York-Moscow TV link at RIA Novosti Wednesday.
The UN Security Council backed Russia's initiative April 13 to send a mission to Kosovo and Belgrade before continuing talks on Kosovo's status.
Kosovo, which has a population of two million, has been a UN protectorate since NATO's 78-day bombing campaign against the former Yugoslavia ended a war between Serb forces and Albanian separatists in 1999.
Vitaly Churkin said: "Members of the UN Security Council are supposed to visit Brussels, and later to hold meetings with top Serbian officials before going on to Pristina, where meetings with the Kosovo leadership will be held."
He said it would be a brief trip and that work on its agenda was underway. He added that it was important to visit Serbian enclaves in Kosovo to verify compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070418/63899661.html



UN administration could quit Kosovo in 120 days - UN mission
BELGRADE, April 11 (RIA Novosti) - The UN administration could leave Kosovo in 120 days, once the UN Security Council adopts a resolution on the Serbian Province, the head of the UN mission said Wednesday.
Joachim Rucker said in an interview with Kontakt Plus radio station in Pristina that UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari's plan, submitted March 26, set out a transition period during which the UN would handover a significant part of their function to a future Kosovo-run administration.
He also said that he personally expected the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution on Kosovo this May.
The problem surrounding the transition period in Kosovo will be discussed Thursday at a special conference in New York, organized by the Rockefeller Foundation and attended by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070411/63497250.html



Serbia govt. irked by U.S. stance on Kosovo independence

BELGRADE, April 17 (RIA Novosti) - The Serbian government has reacted strongly to recent comments by a U.S. administration official concerning independence for Kosovo.
Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, said Monday that if the UN Security Council does not adopt a new resolution on Kosovo granting the province independence, the U.S. would unilaterally support a declaration by Kosovo's Albanian authorities on separation from Serbia.
"The U.S. position, in favor of full independence for Kosovo, which was enunciated by Nicholas Burns, runs counter to UN Security Council Resolution 1244, enshrining Serbia's territorial integrity," the Serbian government said in a statement.
It said any unilateral recognition of Kosovo's independence is a gross violation of the UN Charter.
Serbia is strongly opposed to independence for the province, which is dominated by ethnic Albanians, but the United States and the European Union have expressed support for sovereignty.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070417/63824373.html



Unilateral decision on Kosovo status unacceptable - FM Lavrov
BELGRADE, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - Imposing a unilateral decision on the status of Serbia's breakaway province of Kosovo is unacceptable and talks on the issue should be continued, the Russian foreign minister said Thursday.
Sergei Lavrov is currently on an April 18-19 visit to Serbia, Russia's traditional ally, to discuss a plan proposed by Martti Ahtisaari, the UN envoy for Kosovo who is advocating internationally supervised sovereignty for the province.
"We speak for the continuation of the negotiating process to find a mutually acceptable decision," Sergei Lavrov said following his meeting with Serbian President Boris Tadic.
Lavrov said Moscow completely backs Belgrade's position on the need to observe UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070419/63957563.html



No Yushchenko impeachment talk after court ruling - Rada speaker

STRASBOURG, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - The Ukrainian parliament will not consider the impeachment of President Viktor Yushchenko if the Constitutional Court rules his decision on parliament's dissolution illegal, the Supreme Rada speaker said Thursday.
"If the Constitutional Court decides that the decree [on parliament's dissolution] is unconstitutional, I think the president will abide by this decision, and I believe the parliament will not consider this [the impeachment] issue," Oleksandr Moroz told a news conference in Strasbourg.
Judges said Wednesday it would take about 10 days to assess the legitimacy of the presidential order contested by the legislature, which has continued work since the April 2 presidential decree.
Both Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, locked in a long-running power struggle, have pledged to obey any court decision and have not ruled out a compromise on an election date.
But the opposition led by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Yushchenko's fierce ally in the 2004 protests that swept him to power, urged a non-stop rally Wednesday to demand early polls without waiting for a decision by the court, which she accused of political bias and corruption.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070419/63990192.html



Ukraine's opposition lawmakers threaten to resign

KIEV, April 18 (RIA Novosti) - Members of the opposition Yulia Tymoshenko and pro-presidential Our Ukraine factions tendered their resignations Wednesday, pushing for the dissolution of parliament amid an escalating conflict with the premier-led forces.
"We have just held a faction session, when all those present signed their resignations," said Andriy Shevchenko from Tymoshenko's faction. "This is a political signal so far that there are 150 members of the Supreme Rada who are ready to give up their mandates if need be and thereby give the president additional grounds to dissolve parliament."
The lawmaker added the procedure to finalize the resignations had not been launched so far.
The Constitution says 150 lawmakers have to resign for proceedings to disband the legislature to be launched. The faction led by former Premier Tymoshenko comprises 125 members, and Our Ukraine has 77 seats in the 450-seat Supreme Rada. Eleven members from both factions defected to the majority coalition in late March, triggering a new wave of tensions in the ex-Soviet state.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070418/63902806.html



Rallies at Ukraine Constitutional Court pending poll ruling

KIEV, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - Several thousand protesters gathered near Ukraine's Constitutional Court Thursday on the third day of hearings into the presidential order to disband parliament and call snap elections, which triggered a fresh crisis in the country.
About 4,000 backers of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, whose allies dominate the Supreme Rada, are facing off with some 6,000 supporters of President Viktor Yushchenko, who are demanding the dissolution of the legislature.
The camps are separated by a police cordon and metal fence. No clashes have been reported so far. The court building is also cordoned off by police following pro-presidential protesters blocked the court entrance Wednesday delaying the court session for an hour, and clashes with pro-premier forces.
Judges said Wednesday it would take about 10 days to assess the legitimacy of the presidential order contested by the legislature, which has continued work since the April 2 presidential decree.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070419/63977841.html



Gas cartel looking more attractive
MOSCOW. (Dr. Sergei Kolchin for RIA Novosti) - The sixth Gas Exporting Countries' Forum, which recently ended in Doha, the capital of Qatar, attracted much more attention than previous meetings.
Before it started, there had been numerous signals that a gas analog of OPEC might be set up.
Contrary to expectations, such an organization did not emerge. But the meeting has nevertheless shown that gas exporting countries are gradually realizing the need for coordinated action instead of mere declarations of cooperation.
Iran was the first to stir up trouble, announcing a proposal for "a gas OPEC" at the end of last year. As with any initiative coming from this most eccentric player on the international stage, it naturally caused a nervous response from the United States and the European Union, which saw the future cartel as an attempt to pressure and blackmail gas consuming countries.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070413/63609379.html



OPEC chief expects gas prices to grow, says cheap gas history
ABU-DHABI, April 10 (RIA Novosti) - The current chairman of the international oil cartel, OPEC, further heightened gas consumer concerns Tuesday by saying natural gas prices might rise in the future.
The statement follows a forum of the world's leading gas exporters in Doha Monday, which decided to set up a committee for coordinating gas prices. Experts saw the move as the first step toward an OPEC-style gas cartel.
"The time of cheap gas is a matter of the past," Mohamed Bin Dhaen Al Hamli, also energy minister of the United Arab Emirates, told Qatar's Ash-Sharq newspaper. "Gas prices are approaching oil prices, and are based on ... market demand and supply."
The OPEC president said the forum of gas producers, established in 2001, was a good idea because it helped effective planning in the gas sector. He also said gas consumers' concerns about a possible gas cartel, which some Western officials have called a conspiracy, were understandable. The minister said it posed no threat to importers and called for dialogue between consumers and suppliers.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070410/63401305.html



Russia, Qatar agree on energy cooperation
ABU-DHABI, April 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and Qatar, the world's leading gas producers, agreed to form an energy development committee at the forum of gas exporters in Doha, a local paper said Tuesday.
The agreement was reached at a forum of 14 leading gas exporters in Doha Monday. The committee will be based on Russia's natural gas giant Gazprom [RTS: GAZP] and Qatar's oil company, the Doha-based Ar-Raya newspaper said.
The Qatari energy minister, Abdallah al-Atiyah, said Russia and Qatar "have vast opportunities for cooperation as the world's largest producers of both natural gas and liquefied gas."
Al-Atiyah said he would visit Moscow in June to discuss further cooperation. "We will consider possible joint investment in the development [of energy resources] and the petrochemical industry," he told Ar-Raya.
Qatar's natural gas reserves total 25.9 trillion cubic meters, and Russia's 47.8 trillion.

http://en.rian.ru/business/20070410/63400562.html


Police use tear gas against protesters in Kyrgyz capital - 1

BISHKEK, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - Police have used tear gas and stun grenades against protesters gathered in front of the government building in Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, a RIA Novosti correspondent said Thursday.
Opposition leaders denied responsibility for events taking place on the central square in the capital saying the crowd had refused to obey their orders.
Additional police units arrived at Bishkek's central square as protesters were reported to have thrown stones at the police.
By now, police have cleared Bishkek's central square of protesters, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.
No victims were reported.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070419/63992889.html



Ivanov accuses U.S. of meddling, defends Russia's record

MOSCOW, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's first deputy PM has accused the U.S. of meddling in Moscow's internal affairs, and has defended Russian democracy against attempts by Washington to promote President Bush's freedom agenda.
In an interview with The Financial Times, published Thursday, Sergei Ivanov, one of the Russian government's most senior officials, also defended Russia's democratic credentials and using emotional language described the examples presented to the Russian people as democratic success stories.
"When the State Department publicly says, 'We will disburse money to NGOs,' this is clear interference in our internal affairs," Ivanov said.
In a clear reference to the recent U.S. State Department report "Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The U.S. Record 2006", published last Thursday, which blasted democratic processes in Russia and the current situation with NGOs and rights protection, and was in turn severely criticized by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Ivanov said the developed democracies had even more stringent rules for foreign NGOs than Russia.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070419/63969729.html



Legalizing euthanasia?

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Dmitri Shusharin) - Head of the Federation Council (the upper house of Russian parliament) Committee on Social Policies Valentina Petrenko has reported on the drafting of a bill legalizing euthanasia in Russia.
The column "Opinion and analysis" does not imply much emotion but I don't think I can be totally neutral. Nor can I remain politically correct although I'm supposed to avoid any judgmental reasoning based on my religion. But when I write about euthanasia I cannot forget that I'm a Christian.
Petrenko explained who exactly will make a decision on murder and how this will be done: a patient's application will be reviewed by a special council at a body of executive authority, consisting of doctors, prosecutors, public figures and lawyers. They will study the case for two months and check to make sure the patient is not under any pressure. During this time he or she can change the decision. If not, the patient will be killed.
They have even specified that the patient will die from an overdose of painkillers.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070418/63899823.html



Russia and the IMF: trading places

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti economic commentator Mikhail Khmelev) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank no longer interest Russia as sources of loans.
It stopped listening to their advice long ago. The only thing that still attracts Moscow to these financial institutions is their possible assistance in recovering multibillion-dollar debts from other countries. It was with this purpose that a Russian delegation went to Washington to attend the spring session of the IMF and the World Bank.
There are few people in Russia today who can recall the situation of the mid-1990s, when loans from the IMF and the World Bank were the government's only hope to close the budget gap. At the end of the last decade, after the financial crisis of 1998, Russia's overdue foreign debt was 1.1 times its GDP. At that time, Russian negotiators visited the IMF headquarters with only one goal: to have the country's foreign debt restructured.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070418/63871808.html



Russia tightens food import regulations

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti economic commentator Vasily Zubkov) - Russian veterinary services have recently imposed a number of bans on imported meat, poultry and fish, causing all kinds of accusations - from protectionism to the use of trade for political ends.
But in reality, Russia is merely trying to protect itself against a flow of products unfit for consumption. Exporters of food to Russia have realized that it is no longer a refuse pit for inedible meat from all over the world.
A French colleague who writes on agricultural issues, in particular, on food exports from the European Union to Russia, has asked me recently about the reason behind numerous import bans. Are European foods so bad or are the Russian vets and customs being difficult? The answer is somewhere in between.
First, the EU eastward expansion has lowered quality standards and compliance with veterinary and sanitary standards. There is a huge gap in the agricultural level of the old and young members of the EU. Many agricultural producers are still below European standards. Nobody is saying that the EU's expansion has reduced the quality of food. The problem is that the farmers cannot sell poor quality foods in the competitive European market, and the produce that does not comply with rigid European standards is exported.

http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20070417/63780982.html



Russian Olympic body to spend $5.4 million on team at 2008 Olympics
MOSCOW, April 12 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) plans to spend some $5.4 million on the Russian Olympic team's participation in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, a ROC official said Thursday.
The number of athletes going to the Olympics in China has yet to be finalized as some qualifying events have still not taken place, but at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens the Russian delegation consisted of 1,200 people, including 476 athletes.
Inna Shevelkova, a deputy head of the ROC department for economic policy and finances, said the funds are intended for lodging, transport services, flights, insurance, and other expenses.
"Every [Russian] Olympic athlete will have insurance worth $100,000," Shevelkova said.
She added that about $6 million will come from other sources rather the ROC budget, i.e. through voluntary contributions and contractual payments.
All these figures, Shevelkova said, will be soon sent to the Russian Federal Agency for Physical Culture and Sport for the agency to include them in its budget of expenditures.



Russia listed 16th in FIFA World Ranking; up 7 places
MOSCOW, April 18 (RIA Novosti) - In an April edition of the FIFA World Ranking's list, published Wednesday, Russia occupied 16th position, which is a seven places higher than last month.
The Russian national soccer team, coached by Dutchman Guus Hiddink, gained 47 points against March and now has 901 points, although it only played one game in the given period, when the team defeated Estonia 2-0 as part of the 2008 Euro Cup qualifiers.
The last time, the Russian team entered the top 20 of the FIFA World Rankings, was in August, 2001, and the team also occupied the same position in May, 1998. Russia's top placing in the ranking list was in April and May of 1996, when Russia was in third position.
The new ranking list also saw a change in the number one spot as Italy reclaimed the top spot replacing Argentina who moved into second place.
The top ten ranking of national teams: 1. Italy (1,604 points); 2. Argentina (1,594); 3. Brazil (1,520); 4. France (1,496); 5. Germany (1,493); 6. the Netherlands (1,302); 7. Portugal (1,292); 8. England (1,278); 9. Spain (1,237); 10. Czech Republic (1,169).



Ukraine, Poland to jointly host 2012 European Cup
MOSCOW, April 18 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine and Poland have been chosen as joint hosts for the 2012 European Cup final, UEFA President Michel Platini said Wednesday.
UEFA considered three bids in total Wednesday, and joint bid from Ukraine and Poland won ahead of Italy and another joint bid from Croatia and Hungary.
The selected venues for the final round in Poland are Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw, Wroclaw and Chorzow, while Ukraine has proposed stadiums in Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kiev and Lvov.
Ukrainian president's press service said Viktor Yushchenko was delighted with the decision made by the Union of European Football Associations and added that Ukraine and Poland will be able to host this important sports event at a high level.
"[President] Yushchenko is confident that Euro 2012 will be a wonderful opportunity for Ukrainians and Poles to welcome the best representatives of the European soccer family and to present international fans with an unforgettable sports event," the press service said.
Ukraine and Poland have never hosted soccer events on such a scale.
"Thanks to UEFA, Ukraine and Poland will show millions of fans the beauty and uniqueness of their cities, which have preserved their historic attractiveness, and will confirm Slavic hospitality and high culture," the press service added.



Moscow court bans National Bolsheviks as extremist organization
MOSCOW, April 19 (RIA Novosti) -- The Moscow City Court has declared the controversial National Bolshevik Party (NBP) an extremist organization and banned its activities following a request from prosecutors.
The NBP took part in unsanctioned opposition protests - March of Dissent - at the weekend, demanding the president's resignation and free and fair elections. Police detained 250 and 170 people in Moscow and St. Petersburg respectively.
"The court has ruled to grant the request by the Moscow prosecutor's office and declare extremist the interregional public organization NBP and ban its activity," the court ruling said. NBP has already been banned as a party in June 2005 for failing to get registered.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070419/63990809.html



Abramovich confidently heads Forbes list of richest Russians
MOSCOW, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - A new list of Russia's 100 richest people published by the Forbes Russia magazine placed Roman Abramovich firmly at the top and featured several newcomers, mostly bankers, a respected business daily said Thursday.
Abramovich, 40, who is best known outside Russia as the owner of the Chelsea soccer club, topped the list for a third time with a fortune that increased $0.9 billion to $19.2 billion over the past year, Vedomosti said. The London-based "oligarch" divorced his second wife this year after 16 years of marriage that produced five children. The businessman left his former wife with $300 million and financial support for the children.
Next in line was Oleg Deripaska, owner of the Russky Aluminii (RusAl) aluminum giant and the Basic Element (BasEl) industrial holding. His fortune grew faster than Abramovich's by $7.8 billion to $16.8 billion, pushing him four points higher. "Deripaska is advancing steadily like a tank, launching new projects in the construction and other sectors," said Kirill Vishnepolsky, first deputy editor of Forbes Russia.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070419/63957499.html



U.S. Administration says Russian opposition must have freedom

WASHINGTON, April 16 (RIA Novosti) - The U.S. Administration said the opposition demonstrations held in Moscow and St. Petersburg at the weekend were peaceful protests and urged Russian authorities to provide freedom of expression.
Opposition protests, March of Dissent, were held in Russia's two largest cities over the weekend. Rights groups, oppositionists and journalists have accused Russian police of abusing their power in dispersing the unsanctioned opposition demonstrations. A total of 250 and 170 people were detained respectively.
"It was clearly a peaceful protest," the U.S. State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, said. "It raises questions about whether or not those opposition figures are able to freely express their opinions."
He said the Bush Administration was closely following the situation with the "marches" in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
"In any state where you are having elections, it is imperative that all participants and everybody who has a voice in the political spectrum be able to freely express their point of view without threat of harassment or intimidation," McCormack said.
Russian law enforcement bodies said riot police had reacted adequately and within the law.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20070416/63747254.html


Heat efficiency, hydrogen win energy prize in Russia

MOSCOW, April 18 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian, a Briton, and an Icelander have won Russia's main energy science award this year for heat efficiency and hydrogen energy research, the award commission told RIA Novosti Wednesday.
Global Energy has been awarded on an annual basis since 2003 for theoretical as well as experimental and applied research in energy science. It is focused on energy efficiency, heat saving, alternative energy sources and new power generation technology.
Fedor Mitenkov, the award commission chairman, highlighted the practical focus of Icelandic winner Thorstein Sigfusson's research into hydrogen-powered vehicles.
"Iceland already uses hydrogen energy in the transport sector and plans to switch its fishing fleet to hydrogen propulsion as well," he said.

http://en.rian.ru/science/20070418/63876567.html



Putin vows to bankroll nanotechnology, stresses payoff

MOSCOW, April 18 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian president said Wednesday the state will spare no effort to provide financial support to nanotechnology research programs, but their results should be put to effective use.
"It is an area of activity in which the state is ready to invest on a grand scale. The only question is that this work should be well organized and effective, yielding practical results," Vladimir Putin told a meeting at the Kurchatov Nuclear Research Institute in Moscow.
He said nanotechnology will lay the groundwork for new weapon systems, both offensive and defensive, adding that nanotechnology is already being used in high-tech sectors of industry, medicine, transport, space research, and telecommunications.
Science and Education Minister Andrei Fursenko said his ministry has drafted a nanotechnology development program through 2015 and that it is currently being studied by the Finance Ministry.
He said 1.66 billion rubles [$63.8 million] has already been earmarked for nanotechnology research in 2007 alone.
Fursenko said the Kurchatov institute has been assigned to spearhead the research effort.



Japan develops technology to make human blood vessels from fish

TOKYO, April 11 (RIA Novosti) - A group of researchers on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido have broken new medical ground by developing a way to make human blood vessels using fish as a raw material, a leading Japanese newspaper said Wednesday.
According to the daily Mainichi Shimbun, the scientists devised a technology to produce artificial blood vessels with collagen obtained from salmon skin.
Until now, cows and pigs have mainly been used as donors, but that option carries with it the risk of transmitting mad cow disease and other infections to humans.
The main challenge with fish-sourced collagen has been to raise its heat resistance threshold, initially at plus 15 °C (59 °F), so that it could be used in transplant surgery, specifically to replace damaged vessels in patients with cardiovascular diseases.
Now the top limit has been extended to 55 °C (131 °F), well above the human body's average temperature of 36.6 °C (97.9 °F), Mainichi said.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070411/63460324.html



U.S., Russia sign $719 mln addendum to current ISS agreement

WASHINGTON, April 10 (RIA Novosti) - The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration has signed with Russia a $719 million addendum to the current International Space Station (ISS) agreement, a release from NASA said.
The modification to the agreement was signed Monday in Moscow with the Russian Space Agency and contains provisions for crew and cargo services through 2011.
Under the addendum Russia will deliver to the ISS 15 American astronauts and 5.6 metric tons of cargo.
"The firm-fixed price extension covers crew rotations for 15 [U.S.] crew members, six in 2009, six in 2010 and three in 2011, delivery and the removal of 5.6 metric tons of cargo," the release said.
NASA earlier announced its intentions to gradually reduce U.S. shuttle flights to the ISS as problems with the spacecraft had emerged with the latest launch, involving the shuttle Discovery, taking place last December.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20070410/63398249.html



Teenager dies of bird flu in Egypt, bringing nation's toll to 14

CAIRO, April 11 (RIA Novosti) - A 15-year-old girl has died of bird flu in Egypt, bringing the Arab country's death toll to 14, the Egyptian Health Ministry said Wednesday.
The girl, identified as Marianna Kameel Mikhail, died Tuesday night at a hospital in the capital, Cairo. She was admitted with fever last week, and tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu.
Doctors say the girl had direct contact with farm poultry before being hospitalized.
Egypt is among the countries worst affected by bird flu, with 34 human cases detected there in the past year alone. Fourteen of those infected have died, with twenty others surviving.


The Billings Gazette
(Billings, Montana) - currently snowing

Cho Seung-Hui: The Search For Details
More than a year before the Virginia Tech massacre, Cho Seung-Hui was accused of stalking two female students and was taken to a psychiatric hospital because of fears he was suicidal, authorities said. The disclosure added to the rapidly growing list of warning signs that appeared well before the 23-year-old student shot 32 people to death and committed suicide. Among other things, Cho's twisted, violence-filled writings and sullen, vacant-eyed demeanor had disturbed professors and students so much that he was removed from one English class and was repeatedly urged to get counseling.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/specials/interactives/_national/vtech_gunman/index.html?SITE=MTBIL&SECTION=US


Massacre at Virginia Tech Map and Timeline

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/specials/interactives/_national/vtech_map/index.html?SITE=MTBIL&SECTION=US


Governor signs bill defying U.S. ID law

By The Associated Press
HELENA - Gov. Brian Schweitzer said "no, nope, no way, hell no" Tuesday to national driver's licenses, signing into law a bill supporters say is one of the strongest rejections to the federal plan.The move means the state won't comply with the Real ID Act, a federal law that sets a national standard for driver's licenses and requires states to link their record-keeping systems to national databases.Though several states have either passed or are considering resolutions or bills against the act, Montana is the first state to outright deny its implementation, according to the American Civil Liberties Union."This is the first one saying, 'We're not doing it,' " said Scott Crichton of the Montana ACLU.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/04/18/news/state/54-legiid.txt


The Democrats have a name for their new tax plan. The pay as you go system, called "Pay-Go."

GOP fuming as Senate pushes through tax plan
By CHARLES S. JOHNSON
HELENA - With Republicans fuming, Senate Democrats rammed through a massive tax bill Tuesday to give one-time tax relief to Montanans and pay for ongoing tax breaks by cracking down on out-of-state tax evaders.Senators approved House Bill 833 by a 26-24 vote following a bitter debate that included flashes of anger before the usually genteel Senate. It was a straight party-line vote, except that Republican Sen. John Cobb of Augusta joined Democrats in voting for the bill, while Democratic Sen. Frank Smith of Poplar voted no with Republicans.HB833 faces a final Senate vote today. The much-amended bill then goes back to the Republican-led House, which is expected to reject the Senate changes and send the bill to a joint Senate-House conference committee to work out a final bill.The bill includes Gov. Brian Schweitzer's one-time $400-per-household tax rebate for Montana homeowners and a temporary tax credit for renters. It also would give permanent tax relief of up to $400 a year to households with annual incomes of less than $45,000 a year and permanently exempt from property taxes the first $80,000 worth of business equipment owned by companies.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/04/18/news/state/25-gop.txt



Governor goes to California for fundraiser, TV show
By The Associated Press
HELENA - Gov. Brian Schweitzer flew to California Wednesday to attend a fundraiser and film a television show while lawmakers here continued last-minute negotiations over the session's most important bills.Schweitzer, a Democrat, said he was also going to meet with venture capitalists to promote investment opportunities in the state. He added that no state money is funding the trip and HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," which has scheduled him as a guest for a Friday show, is picking up part of the tab."The state's getting a free ambassador out of the Bill Maher show," Schweitzer said in a telephone interview.At cocktail party at an aquarium on the San Francisco Bay scheduled for Wednesday evening, contributors were suggested to pony up $1,000 to become "rodeo stars" for Schweitzer's re-election campaign, with a "wrangler" designation costing $500 and "cowboy/cowgirl" title set at $100.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/04/18/news/state/28-gov.txt



Masks show students' artistic talents
By BECKY SHAY Of The Gazette Staff
A new exhibit in the Young Artists' Gallery at the Yellowstone Art Museum features fearsome and fun masks created by students from Crow Agency.The exhibit showcases the work of fourth- and fifth-graders who worked with Carol Welch, YAM art instructor and outreach coordinator. They include such works as "King Tut," shaped like the ancient sarcophagus of the Egyptian ruler's face and painted in regal gold and brilliant blue, and "Crow Chief," with feathers and traditional face paint.Each mask is mounted on a black background that brings out the brilliant colors used on the masks, which are listed as clay and mixed media. The art is embellished with such items as feathers, beads, ric rac and black yarn twisted into braids.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/04/19/news/local/20-masks.txt



Utility 're-regulation' bill expected to go to Schweitzer
By MIKE DENNISON Gazette State Bureau
HELENA - The utility "re-regulation" bill, which allows NorthWestern Energy to own electric power plants again and dedicate the power to its Montana customers, cleared another legislative hurdle Wednesday and appears on its way to the governor's desk for his signature.Whether that signature is forthcoming, however, isn't yet known.Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Wednesday he hasn't decided on the issue and wants to see what other energy bills may pass the Legislature before deciding."I'm going to let (these bills) stack up for a few days and decide if they're good public policy, based on other bills that come to me."

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/04/19/news/state/50-legiutility.txt



Water bill headed back to House
By JIM GRANSBERY Of The Gazette Staff
A bill allowing for new water wells in areas of the state that are closed to further claims for surface water rights passed the Senate Wednesday afternoon by a vote of 34-16.House Bill 831 applies to anyone - rancher, farmer, homebuilder - wanting a groundwater permit in the "closed basins."Closed basins are five river basins the Legislature declared closed in 1993 to further surface water rights applications because those streams are already considered over appropriated. That means current water rights claim more water from the rivers than their flow. Until the decadeslong water adjudication process is completed, no one will know whose junior water rights are valid.The basins are the Jefferson, Madison, Upper Gallatin, Upper Clark Fork and the Bitterroot. The Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin rivers form the Missouri River at Three Forks.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/04/19/news/state/52-water.txt



Sheriff's wife denies felony charges
By The Gazette Staff
The wife of a county sheriff has pleaded not guilty to felony charges stemming from an alleged scheme that bilked the state of more than $100,000 in public assistance funds.Lynn Rosenberg, the wife of Wheatland County Sheriff Jim Rosenberg, appeared for arraignment Tuesday in Wheatland County District Court. Rosenberg pleaded not guilty to 14 charges, including nine counts of identity theft, two counts of theft, and one count each of forgery, unauthorized transfer of food stamps and tampering with public records.Judge Randall Spaulding will schedule a trial at a later date. Rosenberg was released pending trial without bond.State authorities allege Rosenberg stole state funds while employed with the state Office of Public Assistance in Harlowton. Rosenberg is accused of setting up phony clients by using the names of former recipients of state assistance.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/04/19/news/state/40-wife.txt



SD2 anticipating increase in state funding
Firm numbers await completion of budget by Legislature
By LAURA TODE Of The Gazette Staff
State school funding projections from the 2007 Legislature are a moving target, with just eight days left in the session. But Billings School District 2 officials are already crunching the numbers on what funding might be coming to the district.House Bill 417 is the primary funding bill that seems to have generated the most support from lawmakers. It would provide a funding increase of about 5.8 percent for Montana schools, a $900 million base increase.If it passes, the bill would be good news in Billings for next year. But the bill's proposed 1.4 percent increase in the second year of the biennium could be a heavy blow.Next year, the high school district is expected to receive a 3.2 percent increase, which pencils out to about $33.3 million. In SD2, the estimated cost of providing coverage for inflation and restoring funding in the high school district is about $34.8 million. State funding will come up short by about $1.5 million.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/04/19/news/local/30-sd2.txt



Holocaust Survivor's Final Act of Heroism
Liviu Librescu, an Israeli engineering and math lecturer at Virginia Tech, was said to have protected his students' lives by blocking the doorway of his classroom from the approaching gunman. Librescu was a Holocaust survivor who taught at the university for 20 years and had an international reputation for his work in aeronautical engineering.

http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_national/vtech_librescu/index.html?SITE=MTBIL&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT



Rock slide near Belfry closes part of highway
Commercial traffic detoured at Cody, Wyo., and Bridger
By RUFFIN PREVOSTGazette Wyoming Bureau
BELFRY - Large boulders falling from an unstable hillside at the site of road construction on Highway 72 will mean a two-month closure, requiring a detour around the site for passenger cars and an alternative route for commercial traffic.The closure will mean less traffic for Belfry businesses that cater to customers coming from Wyoming, and a longer trip for truckers and commercial traffic.The Montana Department of Transportation has already begun diverting commercial traffic at Cody, Wyo., using Highway 14-A, and at Bridger using Highway 310.Passenger vehicles were being directed through the half-mile slide zone Wednesday by flaggers and spotters controlling a single lane of traffic.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/04/19/news/wyoming/20-belfry.txt



Environmental agencies ask BLM to protect Pinedale area
DEQ, EPA say natural gas development poses threats
By The Associated Press
JACKSON - State and federal environmental agencies are asking the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to protect natural resources around Pinedale in the face of increasing natural gas development.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality both have filed comments asking the BLM to tighten oversight of proposed natural gas development on the Pinedale Anticline.The agencies are commenting on a BLM environmental study that considers different alternatives for natural gas production from the Pinedale area in southwestern Wyoming.The study, released in December, analyzes a proposal from energy companies to update a 2000 document that established limits for gas development on the Pinedale Anticline. The original study authorized 700 wells in the area while the new document considers allowing up to 4,399 more wells on more than 12,000 acres. The new document also considers a "no action" alternative.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/04/19/news/wyoming/35-pinedale.txt



Donkey becomes witness in Dallas dispute
AP Photo/RICK GERSHON
DALLAS (AP) -- The first witness in a lawsuit Wednesday between two neighbors was Buddy the donkey, who walked to the bench and stared at the jury, the picture of a gentle, well-mannered creature and not the loud, aggressive animal he had been accused of being.
The donkey was at the center of a dispute between oilman John Cantrell and attorney Gregory Shamoun that began after Cantrell complained about a storage shed Shamoun was building in his backyard in Dallas.
He said Shamoun retaliated by bringing Buddy from his ranch in Midlothian and putting him in the backyard.
Cantrell complained of donkey noise and manure piles.
"They bray a lot any time day or night. You never know when they're going to cut loose," he testified.
Shamoun said Buddy was there to serve as a surrogate mother for a calf named Lucy that needed to be bottle-fed.
Neither jurors nor Buddy had the last say.
The neighbors settled their dispute while jurors deliberated.
Shamoun agreed to buy some of Cantrell's land and Cantrell agreed to withdraw his complaint with the city.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DONKEY_WITNESS?SITE=MTBIL&SECTION=STRANGE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT



Montana Outdoors: Poacher takes heavy, senseless toll
15 antelope shot northwest of Forsyth
By MARK HENCKELMontana Outdoors
Someone went on an illegal shooting spree on Highway 12 between Forsyth and Ingomar last week. In his or her wake, they left 15 dead and dying antelope.The incident likely took place on April 8, Easter Sunday, according to Jack Austin, warden sergeant for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks at Miles City. He'd like to find the poacher."There's a chance it could have happened either late Saturday or early Monday, but we feel it was probably on Easter Sunday," Austin said. "The call came in that there was a bunch of dead antelope. When game warden Todd Anderson got there, a couple of them were still struggling so he had to euthanize them."

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/04/19/features/outdoors/25-mont-outdoors.txt



Gazette Opinion: Keep kids safe, keep families drug-free
Preventing drug abuse prevents child abuse and neglect.Yellowstone County statistics reconfirm the connection between parental drug addiction and harm to their children. Among 109 civil abuse and neglect cases filed by the Yellowstone County Attorney's Office in a year, 60 percent involved neglect because of parental methamphetamine use. Another 10 percent of all cases primarily involved parental alcohol abuse. Parental drug addiction also is a factor in some abuse cases.Julie Pierce, a deputy county attorney who works with the Yellowstone County Family Drug Treatment Court, said the majority of parents in that court are addicted to meth; the rest are addicted to alcohol. This week, the court was working with about 10 families and 20 children. All of the families landed in the treatment court because parents' addictions contributed to child abuse or neglect.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/04/19/opinion/gazette/50-gazetteopinion.txt



Letter: Wolves draw tourists to Wyoming
Wolf recovery in our area has been a howling success! As an old timer (both in terms of longevity and number of years residing in Wyoming) I say, "Great!"Although I ride horses back into the mountains all summer outside my hometown, Dubois, I have yet to encounter a wolf. But I know they are there and it is exciting that the wildness that first drew me to make Wyoming my permanent home over 50 years ago still exists. I regularly go to Yellowstone in late spring to see wolves. So it was not surprising to learn that the economic boon to the states bordering Yellowstone fostered by wolf watchers, like myself, has been significant - a $35 million dollar annual contribution, according to researcher Dr. John Duffield of the University of Montana. I would like to see Dubois tap into this lucrative revenue stream, which would flow mainly during the off-season for other tourist activities. Wolves are more visible in the spring and winter.It saddens me that so much misinformation has been put forth about wolves decimating Wyoming's elk population when the state is currently trying to reduce its elk population by 8,910 from a current estimate of 91,555 animals.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/04/19/opinion/letters/50-wolves.txt



McCain says he backs no gun control
By CALVIN WOODWARD Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain declared Wednesday he believes in "no gun control," making the strongest affirmation of support for gun rights in the GOP field since the Virginia Tech massacre.
The Arizona senator said in Summerville, S.C., that the country needs better ways to identify dangerous people like the gunman who killed 32 people and himself in the Blacksburg, Va., rampage. But he opposed weakening gun rights and, when asked whether ammunition clips sold to the public should be limited in size, said, "I don't think that's necessary at all."
GOP rival Rudy Giuliani, too, voiced his support for the Second Amendment on Wednesday, but not in such absolute terms. Once an advocate of strong federal gun controls, the former New York mayor said "this tragedy does not alter the Second Amendment" while indicating he favors the right of states to pass their own restrictions.
Other candidates in both parties have stayed largely silent on the issue in the immediate aftermath of the killings, except to express their sorrow.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VIRGINIA_TECH_GUN_CONTROL_2008?SITE=MTBIL&SECTION=NATIONAL&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT



New Zealand Herald

Photos: Students shocked by gunman's video
BLACKSBURG, Virginia - Students expressed disgust and disbelief at photos and a rage-filled video diatribe sent to a television network by the gunman who massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech university.
Cho Seung-Hui paused during the bloodbath to post a package with photos of himself brandishing weapons and a video of a hateful, rambling manifesto.
"You forced me into a corner and gave me only one option," Cho said in the video portion of the package that broadcaster NBC News received and turned over to the FBI.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10435003


A look at some of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10434997



Gun shop owner: 'I just sold him the gun'
If Cho Seung-Hui wanted to start a war, he could not have gone to a better place than Roanoke Firearms.
Five weeks ago, the 23-year-old foreign student entered the shop and paid US$571 ($782) with a credit card for a Glock 19 semi-automatic pistol and a box of 50 cartridges.
He provided three different forms of identification and passed an additional security check carried out by the state police. The checks threw up no red flags. The entire transaction took no more than 20 minutes.
"I don't know anything about him. I just sold him the gun," said the store's owner, John Markell, standing behind one of the store's glass display cases full of matt-black weapons. "He had a Virginia driving licence, a chequebook and a Green Card. Everything was legit - he checked out ."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10434961



Buying firearms in Virginia - a simple venture?
Just how easy is it to purchase a weapon in Virginia? Gun laws are relatively lax in the southern states.
Cho Seung-Hui had no trouble obtaining a pistol and cartridges five weeks before his rampage.
We take a look at the Virginian state laws on guns:
1) Any state resident over 18 may buy a firearm if they pass a criminal check against state and federal databases.
2) No more than one handgun may be purchased by a person within a 30-day period. Those with licences can buy more than one gun during this time.
3) The law is broad enough to allow people to buy assault guns and magazines without limit. There is no state restriction on the sale or possession of semiautomatic weapons such as the AK47 and Uzi.
4) In Virginia, and many other states, no permit is required to simply wield a gun in the open. In addition, police chiefs and state sheriffs can give concealed carry permits to anyone with a handgun, allowing them to carry their loaded, concealed gun in public.
5) State law restricts selling or giving handguns to juveniles under 18 but there are no limits on providing rifles, shotguns or even assault weapons - without parental permission - to anyone 12 and over.
6) Buyers are not required to obtain a license, register their weapon or undergo any safety training. Handguns are not required to meet any basic safety standards.
(Source: Virginia State Laws)
- NZHERALD STAFF

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10435017



Bomb threat at University of Minnesota
CHICAGO - Eight buildings at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis were evacuated after a bomb threat, the school's student newspaper reported today.
The Minnesota Daily said on its website that a bomb threat note was found in one building in the early afternoon and that it and other classroom buildings in the vicinity were ordered emptied as a precaution.
It said students were told not to congregate in the area but to return to their residence halls.
- REUTERS



UK and US threaten Sudan with sanctions
LONDON - Britain and the US have threatened the Sudanese government with tough new sanctions over continuing human rights abuse and breaches of United Nations arms embargos in Darfur.
The proposed measures include the imposition of the "no fly" zones, targeted action against the country's leadership and the extension of a weapons ban throughout Sudan.
The announcement by George W Bush and Tony Blair came on the same day that a confidential UN report charged the Sudanese government with supplying weapons into Darfur - violating UN resolutions - on aircrafts disguised with UN logos.
The arms are said to be destined for Janjaweed militia and government troops blamed for an ethnic cleansing campaign which has claimed 200,000 lives and left 2.5million people homeless.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10435032



Suspected Qaeda bombs kill nearly 200 in Baghdad
BAGHDAD - Suspected al Qaeda militants killed nearly 200 people in a wave of car bombings in Baghdad yesterday, including one that was the single deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital since the 2003 US-led invasion.
The bombings were by far the bloodiest in Baghdad since US and Iraqi forces launched a security crackdown two months ago in an attempt to halt the country's slide into sectarian civil war.
One car bomb near a market in the mainly Shi'ite Muslim Sadriya district killed 140 people and wounded 150, police said.
"The street was transformed into a swimming pool of blood," said Ahmed Hameed, a shopkeeper in Sadriya. The bombing was the worst insurgent attack in Baghdad since US forces swept into the city and toppled Saddam Hussein four years ago.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10434990


Teenager admits manslaughter of brother
A teenage boy has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his brother.
The teenager, who was 15-years-old at the time, stabbed his 17-year-old brother in the chest during an alcohol fuelled fight last year.
The teenager pleaded guilty to manslaughter during a scheduled callover at the High Court in Rotorua.
He was remanded on bail into the care of Child Youth and Family until sentencing on June 15.
Justice John Priestley said the case will be difficult to sentence.
- NEWSTALK ZB

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10435033


US, Aussie refugee swap scheme on the high seas
AUSTRALIA: Prime Minister John Howard's agreement with the United States to exchange asylum seekers as part of his "Pacific solution" was met with outrage. The exchange is expected to begin by sending 82 Sri Lankans and eight Burmese - currently detained on Nauru - to the US in return for Cuban refugees interned at Guantanamo Bay.
Their departure would circumvent a likely row with an increasingly impatient Nauru, which said the detainees' claims for refugee status must be settled within six to 12 months - a potential time-bomb for an Australian Government facing election later this year.
The "Pacific solution" was implemented to prevent asylum seekers reaching mainland Australia, and has become increasingly unpopular, adding to a huge swing in voter sentiment against the Government. Recent polls have consistently placed Opposition leader Kevin Rudd comfortably ahead of Howard.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10435055


Bush’s Motto :: If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.

New equipment to be used to foil Baghdad car bombs
11:15AM
Thursday April 19, 2007
NUMANIYA, Iraq - US and Iraqi forces will start using special equipment to foil car bombs in Baghdad, one of the deadliest weapons insurgents are using to carry out sectarian attacks, a top Iraqi commander said yesterday.
Speaking before a wave of car bombs in mainly Shi'ite districts of Baghdad killed 170 people and wounded more than 200, Lieutenant General Abboud Qanbar, the Iraqi commander of a US-backed security crackdown in Baghdad, said:
"The technical apparatus has arrived in Baghdad... They are the means to uncover those explosives ... and will be used shortly in the combat arena." Qanbar did not elaborate on what was the equipment or its specific capabilities.
Yesterday's car bomb attacks were the deadliest in the city since US and Iraqi forces launched a security plan in February aimed at halting the country's slide into all-out civil war.
While the crackdown has reduced murder rates, US commanders say they have had less success in curbing car and suicide bombings, despite discovering several car bomb factories.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10435005


NZ's tsunami warning system 'inconsistent'
Warning systems about possible tsunami heading to New Zealand are not consistent among the country's coastal communities, a natural disasters conference heard yesterday.
Mike O'Leary, operations manager for the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, told the conference that getting warning information down to community level was patchy.
Mr O'Leary was specifically referring to the civil defence emergency management groups which were responsible for disseminating national warnings to local communities.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=68&objectid=10434918


Thai flash floods sweep 35 to death
8:15AM
Monday April 16, 2007
The death toll in flash floods which swept scores of Thai New Year holidaymakers over three waterfalls in the southern province of Trang rose to 35 yesterday, disaster officials said.
Another 30 people are thought to be missing and rescue teams began a second day of searching the area.
The flash floods, triggered by heavy rains, swept over the waterfalls 10km apart in the Bantad Hill Range, the Health Ministry's Relief Centre said.
Most of the victims were swimming below the Sai Roong (Rainbow) and Prai Sawan (Heavenly Forest) falls during a long weekend holiday for the new year Songkran festival, Trang Governor Arnon Manasvanich said.
"The search is continuing but my belief is we might find more bodies of women and children as they couldn't escape in time," he said.
The dead included 13 children - 10 boys and three girls. The waterfalls are a popular holiday destination for local families.
- REUTERS


NZ'ers give $50,000 to Solomon's - World Vision
4:30PM
Tuesday April 17, 2007
Aid agency World Vision has raised $50,000 in public donations following the recent Solomon Islands earthquake and tsunami.
"It's such an awesome response and typical of Kiwis' willingness to give in times of need. Over the weekend, our donations absolutely skyrocketed, and we expect this surge of generosity to continue," Lisa Cescon, World Vision CEO, said.
She said the donations would go toward establishing health and sanitation facilities, rebuilding homes and providing emergency supplies such as blankets, soap, basic cooking utensils and buckets.
An 8.1-magnitude earthquake hit the northwest Solomons on April 2, triggering a tsunami that killed upwards of 40 people and left thousands homeless.
- NZPA


12-year-old survived hours buried under Solomons landslide
5:00AM
Wednesday April 11, 2007
Epakaera Neubery, 12, pictured with his grandmother, says he thought he was going to die in the landslide. Photo / AAP
A 12-year-old boy survived being buried in a landslide on the Solomons island of Ranongga for three hours before being dug out by villagers.
Epakaera Neubery was playing football on a cliff above the shoreline at his village of Mundo when last Monday's earthquake struck causing landslides all around the settlement of 600 people.
The village green slipped away taking Epakaera tens of metres down to the beach, where he was trapped with only his feet showing.
His mother, Lovelyn Neubery, and other villagers searched for three hours before he was found.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=68&objectid=10433522


Logistics biggest challenge for Solomons relief workers
The biggest challenge facing relief workers in the Solomon Island's after last week's earthquake and tsunami is the logistics of transporting aid, Red Cross says.
Speaking from Gizo, the island at the centre of the disaster, international Red Cross field coordinator Andrew MacAlister said, that people lived in scattered villages around the coast on many islands.
The area comprises a large group of islands that are quite spread out. There are very few roads, poor communication and not a lot of large boats, Mr MacAlister said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=68&objectid=10433471


Greek shipwreck fuel could take weeks to pump
ATHENS - The Greek government said today it could take weeks to pump hundreds of tonnes of oil trapped in the tanks of a sunken cruise ship near a Greek island.
Environmentalists have warned of a huge oil slick unless fuel is immediately removed from the tanks of the Sea Diamond, owned by Louis Cruise Lines, which sank on April 6, a day after running aground off the idyllic island of Santorini.
"We are pushing so that the fuel pumping procedure is completed as soon as possible," Merchant Marine Minister Manolis Kefaloyannis said in parliament. "It is the company that will collect the insurance that is responsible for the pumping out."
More than 1500 passengers and crew were evacuated from the Sea Diamond after it hit a reef just metres from the port of Santorini and listed. A French tourist and his daughter are missing and feared drowned. For almost two weeks, vessels have been battling a limited oil spill but fears of a much bigger disaster are growing as about 400 tonnes of fuel oil remain inside the ship.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10434994


Contamination inquiry
7:15AM
Thursday April 19, 2007
Lord Peter Archer heads an inquiry starting today into the deaths of hundreds of Britons infected by tainted blood in the 1970s and 1980s.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10434966


Molten steel bursts through windows in China tragedy
BEIJING - China has detained four people after a horrific accident in which more than 25 tonnes of molten steel engulfed a room where workers were changing shift, killing at least 32, state media said on Thursday.
An industrial ladle was moving into the pouring position at the plant in the northeastern province of Liaoning when it sheared off an iron rail, spewing out its 1500degC contents.
"The liquid metal engulfed the room, bursting through the door and windows and burying the workers," the China Daily said of Wednesday's tragedy at a plant belonging to the Qinghe Special Steel Co Ltd.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10435061


House prices hit new record high
New Zealand house prices hit a new record high last month, ignoring central bank attempts to take some heat out of the market, according to the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ).
On the back of rising house prices in Auckland, the national median price rose 2.5 per cent in March to $343,500, to be 13.7 per cent above a year ago.
The median price in Auckland rose 3 per cent for the month, to $443,000.
National sales rose 17.4 per cent from February to 10,989 houses sold, while days to sell fell to 27 days from 32 days.
Last month, the Reserve Bank raised its benchmark Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 7.50 per cent, to help put the brakes on inflationary pressures which have been driven in part by surging house prices.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10435040



Three dead in Fiji disease outbreak
Three people have died and scores have become ill in outbreaks of typhoid and leptospirosis in Fiji.
Acting director of Public Health in Fiji, Dr Josaia Samuela, said one person had died and 77 people had been confirmed with typhoid since the beginning of the year, most in recent weeks.
There has also been reports of two deaths and 22 confirmed cases of leptospirosis, a bacterial disease.
Samuela said no tourists had been reported ill with typhoid or leptospirosis, and the outbreaks appeared confined to rural areas where visitors were unlikely to go.
Samuela said a 32-year-old school teacher had died over the Easter weekend and several students had come down with typhoid, probably after a carrier contaminated food at a feast.
"There was probably a gathering, a feast, where food and water is shared. It was all of a sudden, when a group of people fell ill," Samuela said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10435035



Faster ACC support for rape victims on its way
Rape victims could soon get quicker support from ACC under a plan to set up a series of one-stop shops for women who've been sexually attacked.
Police and rape survivor groups have criticised the low number of clinics available to perform forensic examinations on victims, meaning they often have to travel a long way to be seen.
They have also criticised the length of time it can take ACC to process claims for financial and other support.
But ACC chief executive Jan White today told a parliamentary inquiry into victims' rights that ACC, in conjunction with police and the Health Ministry, was drawing up a plan that would see about 18 clinics around the country provide a co-ordinated service for sexual attack victims.
At the clinics victims would be able to undergo a forensic examination, receive help from Victim Support and undergo an ACC assessment all at the same time.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10435070



TV producers get bigger slice
Independent producers of television programmes will receive a much bigger share of the proceeds of programme sales under a policy announced by the Government last night.
NZ on Air will retain 25 per cent of programme sales income and the producer will retain 75 per cent until recoupment.
Until now, the income split has been roughly the other way round.
And producers will receive 100 per cent income from any programme receiving less than $200,000 NZ on Air funding, provided the broadcaster contribution takes the full form of a licence fee.
- Staff Reporter, NZPA

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10434978



Huge increase in teens leaving school before 16
Nearly 4000 teenagers have been granted exemptions to leave school before they turn 16, new figures show.
National today revealed a 42 per cent increase in the numbers since 1999 and says it is a worrying trend.
National's education spokesman Katherine Rich said today answers to parliamentary questions showed that 2802 students were granted exemptions in 1999 and this had risen to 3957 in 2006.
"It is worrying that the rate is so high, because leaving school early is linked to poor outcomes later in life," Ms Rich said.
"There are some successful exceptions to the rule, but most students leaving this early will have limited opportunities due to their lack of education."
Ms Rich said Labour when in opposition expressed outrage at 1771 exemptions being granted, saying it was mainly truants who were being exempted to leave school before turning 16.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=35&objectid=10434845



Father denied justice by NZ courts, says UN
The United Nations has slammed the New Zealand legal system for denying justice to a man accused of abusing his children.
The Government now has three months to explain itself to the international body and offer a solution to the man.
Human rights lawyer Tony Ellis took the man's case to the UN's Human Rights Committee saying his client's right to a fair trial had been ignored by the Family and then the Appeal Courts.
The man, who cannot be named due to the ongoing custody dispute, was accused in 2001 by his estranged wife of abusing his two daughters and then, later, abusing his son.
Police investigated for nearly two years, but decided not to prosecute.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10435016



Coke goes after the real, real thing – alcohol
Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola plans to sell an alcoholic range of drinks in New Zealand.
The announcement is worrying alcohol watchdogs, particularly when Coke already has such a huge appeal for the youth market.
Coca-Cola Amatil announced yesterday it wanted to broaden its range into the profitable alcoholic beverages market. It has big ideas, having set its sights on being the third biggest beer maker in Australia in the next five years.
Spirits and alcoholic "ready-to-drinks" were also tipped as probable additions to the range.
The market is currently dominated by Lion Nathan, DB Breweries and Independent Liquor, the "alcopop" specialist founded by the late Michael Erceg that sold for $1.26 billion in December. The sector is highly lucrative, with take-home liquor market worth more than $1 billion.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10434973



DHB investigating leaked 'greedy' doctors letter
9:05AM
Wednesday April 18, 2007
The source of an anonymous letter leaking sensitive details of doctors' pay and accusing them of being greedy is being investigated by Canterbury District Health Board.
The letter claims Canterbury's highest-paid hospital doctor earned more than $300,000 a year.
The author said that while senior doctors received large pay increases over recent years, increases for other health professionals had lagged behind.
The letter was headed "The silent ones have had enough" and was delivered to The Press newspaper last week.
The board yesterday confirmed it was trying to identify who wrote the letter and leaked the accompanying report on hospital doctors' pay scales.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10434812



Why sunbathing (in moderation) is good for you
Twenty minutes' lying in the sun could provide your best chance of avoiding colds and flu, according to new research which demonstrates that vitamin D, not vitamin C, provides the most efficient protection against cold viruses.
Vitamin D is created by the action of sunlight on the skin. The malign consequences have been revealed in a study from the United States which shows that boosting vitamin D may be the most effective way of warding off infections that cause winter colds.
The authors, from Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, New York, who publish their findings in the journal Epidemiology and Infection, say vitamin D stimulates "innate immunity" by activating peptides in the body that attack bacteria, fungi and viruses. "Vitamin D supplementation, particularly with higher doses, may protect against the typical winter cold and flu ... Since there is an epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency in the US, the public health impact of this observation could be great," they write.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10434709

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