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Showing posts with label America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label America. Show all posts

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Activists: Assad Forces Kill 60 in Syria's Homs, Hospitals Overwhelmed - Voice of America

Activists: Assad Forces Kill 60 in Syria's Homs, Hospitals Overwhelmed | Middle East | English /* VOANews.comblankInside VOA|Contact VOA News

February 10, 2012 Activists: Assad Forces Kill 60 in Syria's Homs, Hospitals Overwhelmed Israel Debates Possible Fallout From Attack on Iran Deal Reached in Massive US Foreclosure Case China Shows New Assertiveness as VP Prepares For US Visit US Drone Kills Top Militant in NW Pakistan Select Your LanguageAfan OromoAlbanianAmharicArmenianAzerbaijaniAzeriBanglaBosnianBurmeseCantoneseChineseCreoleCroatianDariEnglish WorldwideFrenchGeorgianGreekHausaIndonesianKhmerKhmer (English)KinyarwandaKirundiKoreanKurdiKurdishLaoLearning EnglishMacedonianMandarinNdebelePashtoPashto - DeewaPersian PortugueseRussian SerbianShonaSomaliSpanishSwahiliThaiTibetanTibetan (English)TigrignaTurkishUkrainian UrduUzbekVietnameseZimbabwe - EnglishNewsProgramsVideoLearning EnglishLive Streams:Latest Newscast|Africa Live|Global Live News USA Africa Americas Asia EuropeMiddle EastIsrael - PalestiniansIranIraqHuman RightsMiddle East In TransitionEconomy and Business Arts and Entertainment EconomyMore TopicsEducationEnvironmentHealthNews AnalysisReligionScience and Technology Web FeaturesSpecial ReportsPhoto GalleriesInteractive YouTubeFacebookTwitter Web ServicesPodcastsRSSMobileNewsletterWebcastsLinks About the USEditorialsRFE/RLRFAPronunciation Guide News|Middle EastMiddle EastRSS FeedsRSS Feed  February 09, 2012Activists: Assad Forces Kill 60 in Syria's Homs, Hospitals Overwhelmed Edward Yeranian| Cairo

Email Print Comments Wounded men are seen in the Sunni Muslim district of Baba Amr in Homs, Syria, February 8, 2012. Photo: Reuters Wounded men are seen in the Sunni Muslim district of Baba Amr in Homs, Syria, February 8, 2012.

Syrian rights activists say government forces have bombarded the rebellious central city of Homs for a sixth day, killing at least 60 people and leaving makeshift hospitals overwhelmed as divided world powers struggled to end the violence.

The activists said Thursday relentless government shelling and rocket strikes on Homs were creating a worsening humanitarian crisis, with rebel-dominated neighborhoods lacking water and electricity and running low on basic supplies. They said the onslaught that began early Saturday has killed hundreds of people, making it the deadliest attack on Homs of the 11-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's autocratic rule.

U.S.-based rights group Human Rights Watch said those responsible for "horrific attacks" on residential neighborhoods "will have to answer for them."

VOA spoke with a Syrian activist in Homs who goes by the alias Abo Emad to conceal his identity. He said Syrian security forces are not letting up on their assault, adding that even walking one block from the building where he is hiding can be deadly.

“Everyday is worse than the day before," he said of the government assault. "More deaths, more casualties, more injured people, more destroying buildings every day.”

Abo Emad said there is very little access to mobile phones or land lines. He added that hospitals are overflowing with injured people and there are not enough doctors or medical supplies to care for the wounded.

Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in London told Alhurra TV that sporadic shelling is affecting parts of Homs, including Khaldiyeh and Bayadah, but that the heaviest onslaught is on the Baba Amr district, where conditions are extremely difficult.

Government forces are focusing on Baba Amr as it has been a center of the opposition.

In an opposition video, Muhammad al Muhammad, a doctor who is treating the wounded in Baba Amr, urged Syrians and the world community to protest the shelling attacks. He pointed to five children who appear to be wounded and called on Syrians to take to the streets to protest.

VOA cannot independently confirm the authenticity of the video's contents.

U.S. President Barack Obama called for an end to "outrageous bloodshed" in Syria in his latest condemnation of Mr. Assad's crackdown on the revolt. He was speaking Thursday after talks with visiting Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti.

Mr. Obama has agreed to work with Washington's European and Arab allies to organize a group of nations known as Friends of Syria to explore ways of further isolating and pressuring the Assad government to stop the violence. Western and Arab nations decided to try to form the group after seeing Russia and China block their efforts to pressure Mr. Assad through the U.N. Security Council.

Moscow and Beijing vetoed a Western and Arab-backed Syria resolution on Saturday, the second time they have done so since October. Both powers said they do not want the Council to take sides in a domestic conflict and create a possible pretext for foreign intervention in Syria.

Video footage from Homs

Arab League foreign ministers were preparing to meet in Cairo on Sunday to discuss their next moves in the crisis. Officials said the ministers will discuss whether to recognize the opposition Syrian National Council as the legitimate representative of Syria and whether to send a joint Arab League-United Nations observer mission to the country.

In other developments Thursday, Libya said it ordered Syria's top envoy and embassy staff to leave the country within 72 hours. Germany also said it is expelling four diplomats from the Syrian Embassy in Berlin after authorities arrested two men suspected of spying on Syrian opposition groups.

Rebel Colonel Riyadh al-Asaad, who heads the loosely-knit Free Syrian Army that is fighting government forces, called the Syrian regime a tyranny and asked for help to defeat it.

Map of Syria neighborhoods

Hilal Khashan, who teaches political science at the American University of Beirut, says the Syrian government is trying to retake Homs in hopes of crushing the popular revolt at a key hub.

"They have been bombarding the city for the past six days," he said. "The bombarding is so heavy that it is clear that it is setting the stage for a ground offensive. The regime has made up its mind on conquering Homs, because they feel that if they conquer Homs, much of the uprising in the country will abate.”

Wire services and VOA reporter JulieAnn McKellogg contributed to this report.

 

Join the conversation on our social journalism site - Middle East Voices. Follow our Middle East reports on Twitter and discuss them on our Facebook page. Related Articles Free Syrian Army (FSA) members in Saqba, a Damascus suburb, February 8, 2012. (Reuters photo) Activists Say Syrian Troops Kill 50 in Homs

They say troops loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attacked Homs with gunfire, rockets and shells

Turkey Wants International Conference on SyriaUN Chief: Arab League Mission to Return to SyriaEmail Print Comments Comments  (9) Sort by: Newest to Oldest | Oldest to Newest Post Your Comment * Required Your Name (Optional)
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Monday, July 11, 2011

At Least 31 Dead in Indian Train Accident - Voice of America

Mangled passenger cars are seen at the site of a train accident near Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh state, July 10, 2011 Mangled passenger cars are seen at the site of a train accident near Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh state, July 10, 2011

Rescuers in northern India are sorting through the wreckage of an express train that derailed, killing at least 31 people and injuring 100 more.

Authorities say the Kalka Mail train was travelling from Howrah to New Delhi Sunday when at least 12 coaches jumped the tracks near Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh state.

The cause of the derailment was not immediately clear.

Officials say the number of casualties is likely to rise as rescuers make their way through the twisted coaches.

India's railway network is one of the largest in the world. Accidents are common, with most blamed on poor maintenance and human error.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.

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Friday, February 4, 2011

Young Patriots Threaten Protests and More in Ivory Coast - Voice of America

Nico Colombant 31 December 2010

Young Patriots are threatening a return to the streets where they have won previous victories for incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo. (File Photo)

So-called Young Patriots who support incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo in Ivory Coast are now threatening street protests against his rival, internationally recognized President Alassane Ouattara.  

Friday, the Young Patriots leader who is now the Youth Minister in the disputed Gbagbo government, Charles Ble Goude, reiterated a warning against Mr. Ouattara and the United Nations. He says if after January first U.N. peacekeepers are still protecting Mr. Ouattara at the Golf Hotel in the main southern city Abidjan, Young Patriots will take their responsibilities in their own hands and liberate the compound.

Ble Goude says he is waiting to see if the peacekeepers will force Mr. Ouattara to leave.  If not, he says, Young Patriots will decide how to proceed.

The former student leader has been on a list of U.N. asset freeze and travel sanctions since 2006 for previously inciting mob violence.

After one of his previous actions several years ago forced international peace mediators to back down on requests they were making, Ble Goude had this to say to VOA. "Now this is a victory. Therefore I asked all the Young Patriots in discipline to leave the streets and to go home. The day I will see or I will feel the danger coming I will ask them to come back in the street again," he said.

Core members of the group include former and current student activists as well as unemployed young men from southern and western ethnic groups.

Stephen Smith, a U.S-based anthropologist who previously worked as a journalist in Ivory Coast says the Young Patriots could give the already worrisome Ivorian crisis a new dimension. "It is the struggle over the streets, it is the struggle of what Ivorians sometimes refer to as being the Ministry of the Street, which means who controls the public space, and if they can bring together the people maybe sometimes by paying but also obviously there are followers. (Mr.) Gbagbo got 45, 46 percent of the vote, so they are people who really stand behind him and if they all come together there can be 100,000, 200,000 people gathering in Abidjan, that intimidates, that makes other people feel that there is no way they will ever get (Mr.) Gbagbo to relinquish power," he said.

The Ivorian constitutional council threw out votes of the November, 28 election, from northern Ivory Coast, which remains under the control of former rebels, giving victory to Mr. Gbagbo.

But the United Nations which helped organize the vote said Mr. Ouattara, who is extremely popular in the north, had won the vote by a wide margin. International bodies are now threatening the use of force against Mr. Gbagbo if he does not leave power.

Daniel Chirot, a U.S.-based sociologist who saw Young Patriots up close during recent research he did in Ivory Coast, says a lot is at stake for their members. "You could see them, their leaders going around in nice cars, with guns, with pretty girls, and benefiting from the situation and they are not going to lie down. For them, if (Mr.) Gbagbo loses power, it is a disaster, because they lose their sources of revenue, their livelihood, and they are armed so it is not just a popular movement," he said.

The Young Patriots deny they are armed.  They say they are fighting for Africa's second independence from outside interference.  Their Ivorian political opponents say they are thugs who ally themselves with militias and mercenaries to create chaos whenever Mr. Gbagbo's power is under threat.  

Mr. Gbagbo's initial election victory in Ivory Coast in 2000 against a former military ruler was also marred by violence and confusion over ballot counting.  Two years later, the northern rebellion began, as did the Young Patriots southern-based movement.

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Thursday, January 20, 2011

US Observes Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Attack - Voice of America

VOA News 07 December 2010

With the USS Arizona memorial in the background, Pearl Harbor survivor Richard Laubert, of Phoenix, Oregon, attends the 69th anniversary ceremony marking the attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 Dec 2010, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii With the USS Arizona memorial in the background, Pearl Harbor survivor Richard Laubert, of Phoenix, Oregon, attends the 69th anniversary ceremony marking the attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 Dec 2010, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

Americans across the United States are holding ceremonies Tuesday to commemorate the 69th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Hundreds of people are estimated to be gathered at Pearl Harbor, where a new visitor's center is to open at the scene of the attack, near the site where the battleship Arizona sank.

On December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft attacked the base just before 8 a.m., Hawaii time. The attack killed more than 2,400 Americans, sank five battleships and drew the United States into World War II.

More than 1,100 sailors died on the Arizona, which still lies at the bottom of the harbor. It is a memorial to what then-U.S. president Franklin Roosevelt described as "a date which will live in infamy."

At the same time as the Hawaii ceremony, the National Park Service in Washington held a wreath-laying ceremony at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

07-12-2010

What's happening at Pearl harbor right now?

07-12-2010

Japanese attack on the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii is makeup by the American.

07-12-2010 Deborah Leigh (USA)

Too bad your article didn't list the other ships and their memorials in the harbor. God bless the Arizona and her crew, but the Utah is still resting on the bottom. Tell the whole story. God bless everyone who was at the Harbor that day!

07-12-2010 (United States of America)

REST IN PEACE. THANKS FOR SERVING OUR COUNTRY. MY FAMILY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THOSE WHO PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE. REST IN PEACE. grateful (free) American

07-12-2010 Anthony Seminara (USA)

GOD BLESS ALL OUR FIGHTING MEN PAST AND PRESENT AND MAY ALL THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED ON REST IN PEACE

07-12-2010 Jack Straw (US of A)

A day worth remembering, one the government could have easily avoided by alerting the base of the incoming Japanese fleet. But then again we wouldn't have gotten involved in World War II if Roosevelt hadn't allowed so many men to die without warning

07-12-2010

Don't you wonder if Iraq will have heir own Pearl Harbor like day when the imperialist U. S. invaded their country?

07-12-2010 Tilomai Tui (Hawaii)

I thank you to those who risk there lives, and may they rest in peace with the Love of God.

07-12-2010 Debbie Barr (Tacoma,wa)

My great-uncle George Scott was at pearlharborthat morning. He was able to fire on the Japanese planes. He was from Bremerton,WA.

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Monday, January 3, 2011

Opposition Mounts to US Plan for Israeli Settlement Freeze - Voice of America

Robert Berger | Jerusalem 21 November 2010

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairing the weekly meeting of his Cabinet (file photo) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairing the weekly meeting of his Cabinet (file photo)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his Cabinet to try to shore up support for a 90-day moratorium on settlement construction in the West Bank that is aimed at reviving Middle East peace talks.

Israel ended a 10-month moratorium in late September, prompting the Palestinians to suspend negotiations.

The United States has offered to sell Israel 20 advanced stealth fighter jets and to block anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations Security Council in exchange for the settlement freeze.

But Mr. Netanyahu is having trouble winning support from his right-wing coalition partners.

Cabinet Minister Eli Yishai said his ultra-Orthodox Shas party opposes the freeze. But he said the party might reconsider, if the U.S. guarantees that it will not demand any further restrictions on settlement construction when the 90-day period expires.

The dovish Labor Party, on the other hand, supports the freeze.

Labor Cabinet Minister Avishai Braverman urged the prime minister to move quickly to get the peace talks back on track.

Outside of the Cabinet meeting, some 2,000 Jewish settlers held a noisy protest against the moratorium.

"We will never allow the Land of Israel to be divided!" said settlement leader Dani Dayan.

Speaking in Cairo, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also rejected the freeze because it only applies to the West Bank.

He said he would not return to peace talks, unless Israel also stops settlement construction in disputed East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians claim as the capital of a future state. Israel says Jerusalem is not a settlement, and it reserves the right to build anywhere in the city.

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Sunday, January 2, 2011

Pope: Condoms Sometimes 'Justified' in Disease Protection - Voice of America

Sabina Castelfranco | Rome 21 November 2010

Pope Benedict XVI (file photo) Pope Benedict XVI (file photo)

Pope Benedict has opened the door on the previously taboo subject of the use of condoms in certain limited cases. In a significant departure from what the Catholic Church has always maintained, the pope now says that, in some cases, using condoms may not always be wrong.

Male prostitutes, for example, could be justified in using them to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Just last year, Pope Benedict angered many around the world when, on a trip to Africa, he said the AIDS problem there could not be resolved by distributing condoms. At that time, he said their use exacerbates the problem.

AIDS prevention advocates welcomed the pope's stance on the issue.

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe called it a "significant and positive step forward."

Rebecca Hodes, deputy director of the AIDS and society research unit in South Africa, says this change of heart could save many lives.

"It will give people more space to protect themselves and to protect their partners, if they are able to use condoms without feeling morally fraught."

The Pope's comments are part of a series of interviews to a German journalist to be published in a new book this Tuesday.

But because he maintains the church's ban on the use of artificial contraception is not in question, Catholic reform groups and AIDS activists want the pope to clarify his comments, and elaborate on exactly which 'exceptional circumstances' would make it okay to use condoms.

On Sunday, Pope Benedict celebrated mass for the new cardinals that have joined the elite group that one day will name his successor.

During the ceremony the pope presented each of the 24 new cardinals from Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the U.S. with their rings.

In his homily, the pope told the cardinals their ministry is a difficult one, and that their service is one of faith that transforms one's whole life.

Cardinals are the pope's closest advisers. It is an elite all-male body with members from every continent in the world. The College of Cardinals now numbers 203, with 121 under the age of 80 and with the right to vote for a future pope.

21-11-2010 subramanian (india)

Every decision taken should be in accordance with the Biblical way of life and the moral lessons inculcated and imbued in us by persons who uphold the Bible and the tenets therein.

21-11-2010 subramanian (india)

Every decision taken should be in accordance with the Biblical way of life and the moral lessons inculcated and imbued in us by persons who uphold the Bible and the tenets therein.

21-11-2010

Do I understand that the pope recoginzes prostitution as a profession ?

21-11-2010 Mr Pradip Swarnakar (India)

For the welfare of the mankind, use of condoms is definitly a safe and hygenic way in the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases mostly HIV. It's quite obvious that not only prostitution regards but condoms play a vital role in prevention of AIDS among married couples who secretly enjoy sex with other partners. So, Pope Benedict should religiously and morally legalise using condoms to protect the mankind from STDs!

21-11-2010 Mr Pradip Swarnakar (India)

For the welfare of the mankind, use of condoms is definitly a safe and hygenic way in the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases mostly HIV. It's quite obvious that not only prostitution regards but condoms play a vital role in prevention of AIDS among married couples who secretly enjoy sex with other partners. So, Pope Benedict should religiously and morally legalise using condoms to protect the mankind from STDs!

21-11-2010 alan (usa)

the pope should stretch a condom over his head

21-11-2010 melts

Saves alot of lives not souls.

21-11-2010

Papa Benedict has made an important decision in the hard reality of The scourge of HIV.The basic position of the Church of abstainence is in reality although unacceptable by many is the only way out of the world's spiral towards disaster

21-11-2010 ToBeOne (USA)

To understand AIDS and condoms one should look at AIDS in condom nations: http://theologyofthebody.blogspot.com/2009/03/will-condoms-really-stop-aids-in-africa.html

21-11-2010 John Frum (Vanuatu)

So the pope is ok with the use of condoms for prostitution, but not for birth control?

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Monday, December 27, 2010

Aung San Suu Kyi Release Sparks Celebration, Caution - Voice of America

VOA | Aung San Suu Kyi Release Sparks Celebration, Caution | News | English/* VOANews.comblankVoice of America ®

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Saturday, 13 November 2010 Latest News: Select Your LanguageAfan OromoAlbanianAmharicArmenianAzerbaijaniAzeriBanglaBosnianBurmeseCantoneseChineseCreoleCroatianDariEnglish WorldwideFrenchGeorgianGreekHausaIndonesianKhmerKhmer (English)KinyarwandaKirundiKoreanKurdiKurdishLaoLearning EnglishMacedonianMandarinNdebelePashtoPashto - DeewaPersian PortugueseRussian SerbianShonaSomaliSpanishSwahiliThaiTibetanTibetan (English)TigrignaTurkishUkrainian UrduUzbekVietnameseZimbabwe - EnglishNewsProgramsVideoLearning EnglishAbout UsLive Streams:Latest Newscast|Africa Live|Global LiveNews USA Africa Americas Asia Europe Middle East Arts and Entertainment EconomyMore TopicsEducationEnvironmentHealthNews AnalysisReligionScience and TechnologySports Web FeaturesSpecial ReportsDigital FrontiersSlide ShowsGoing Green Money In MotionNow You KnowOff the Beaten PathThe LinkInteractive YouTubeFacebookTwitter Web ServicesPodcastsRSSMobileNewsletterWebcastsLinks About the USEditorialsRFE/RLRFAPronunciation Guide NewsNewsRSS FeedsRSS FeedAung San Suu Kyi Release Sparks Celebration, Caution Nico Colombant13 November 2010

Supporters of Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi celebrate outside her home after her release from house arrest in Rangoon, 13 Nov 2010.Photo: APSupporters of Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi celebrate outside her home after her release from house arrest in Rangoon, 13 Nov 2010.

Share ThisDiggFacebookStumbleUponYahoo! Buzzdel.icio.usRelated ArticlesRangoon Diary: Burmese Reunite with Beloved Democracy LeaderActivists, Asia Pacific Governments Welcome Aung San Suu Kyi's ReleaseWorld Leaders Laud Aung San Suu Kyi's FreedomObama: Suu Kyi Source of InspirationBurma's Aung San Suu Kyi Released from House Arrest

Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest in Burma, also known as Myanmar, has sparked worldwide celebrations among supporters of the long-time pro-democracy activist.  But her supporters are also cautious in noting the daughter of Burma's assassinated independence leader, Aung San, has been previously released before being detained again.

Members of the Burmese community in France as well as supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi immediately took to the streets to display their relief.

Aung San Suu Kyi Greets Her Supporters in Rangoon

Mireille Boisson was among the protesters in Paris. "As you can guess, it can only be joy right now. It can only be joy for all of us who have been fighting for so long, for her, for the Burmese population who support her, we are really full of joy. But at the same time we are very cautious. I mean, we rejoice now in the moment and we want her to be safe and we ask the Burmese authorities to guarantee her safety," she said.

In Washington, a lawyer who tries to assist some of the hundreds of pro-democracy Burmese activists who are in jail, Jared Gensler also expressed caution about Aung San Suu Kyi's release. "She has been out three times before and nothing has changed in the country. In fact, in recent years, there has not been any indication from the military regime that it intends to compromise in any way whatsoever by engaging in any sort of dialogue with her," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a statement saying she joined billions of people around the world who are welcoming the release of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

The statement also called on Burma's military leaders to make her release unconditional so she can travel and take part in politics without restriction.

The 65-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi, who led the National League for Democracy to the most votes in 1990 elections which were then ignored, has been under house arrest for most of the past 20 years.

Her release Saturday from her home in Rangoon comes after November elections in which the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party won in a landslide, but opposition parties who decided to compete were able to gain some seats in parliament and in local legislative assemblies.

 

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Thursday, December 16, 2010

Chilean miner thanks America for NY marathon support - Telegraph.co.uk

Mr Peña hobbled his way over the finish line in Central Park at 3.30pm, five hours and 40 minutes after beginning the race in Staten Island.

“I’m not from this country, but I saw posters saying ‘Go Edison!” and 'Go for it Peña!' from people I didn’t even know," he said at the finish line.

"The warmth from the American people is amazing.”

The 34 year-old, who was the 12th man to be raised to the surface in the Phoenix rescue capsule from deep below the Atacama Desert last month, had been dubbed "the runner" for his gruelling subterranean exercise regime.

The fitness fanatic and Elvis Presley enthusiast jogged in his heavy miners' boots for several miles each day of his ordeal through dark uneven tunnels finding his footing by the light of his miner's lamp.

He suffered from a knee injury while in the mine, which made his progress during the marathon extremely painful. Mr Peña, who sported a knee support for the run, was forced to walk the last section of the course, from Manhattan to the finish.

“I cried twice because of the pain in my knees,” he said. “But I didn’t travel this far to give up."

Carrying aloft the Chilean flag, Mr Peña was met at the finish line by his wife, Angélica.

He was invited to participate in the challenge through the streets of Manhattan by organisers, who were inspired by his drive and stamina.

"I could have come just to watch, but I decided to take part, to feel the emotion," he said ahead of Sunday's race.

"I have a strong desire to motivate the others. This is the most important thing for me."

On arrival in New York on Thursday he was a guest on The Late Show hosted by David Letterman, where with gyrating hips and quivering lip the miner won over the audience with his own rendition of Elvis's "Suspicious Minds".

He will visit Graceland, Presley's mansion in Memphis, Tennessee and will make a trip to Las Vegas to see "Viva Elvis," a Cirque du Soleil show, before flying home to Chile.


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Friday, December 10, 2010

Apple iPhone Considered by Bank of America, Citigroup: Report - eWeek

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By: Nicholas Kolakowski
2010-11-06
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Apple?s iPhone is under consideration as a BlackBerry alternative by Bank of America and Citigroup, according to a Nov. 5 Bloomberg report. Unnamed sources suggested that both companies were testing the iPhone?s software security, and that Android was also under consideration as a corporate mobile platform.  

Both banking groups were reluctant to comment on any Apple iPhone or Android action, beyond a spokesperson for Bank of America telling Bloomberg: ?We continuously evaluate new and innovative technologies.? The four- to six-week testing at both companies reportedly involve 1,000 employees. 

Research In Motion?s BlackBerry, with its reputation for security, has long been the smartphone mainstay of many large enterprises.

Apple is making a more concerted push into the enterprise space. ?We?ve seen extraordinary growth from 60 percent to 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies,? Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer said during the company?s Oct. 18 earnings call. He cited companies such as Procter & Gamble that had ?made iPhone available to their employees.? The iPad is also under heavy consideration by large enterprises? CIOs and IT departments.

To boost that enterprise push, Apple has reportedly struck a deal with Unisys to increase its corporate and government footprint. Under the terms of that agreement, Unisys will provide maintenance and support for Apple products in use by those enterprises.

?Most of those organizations are still heavily PC-based,? Gene Zapfel, a managing partner at Unisys, told Bloomberg in an interview published Oct. 25. ?Apple is going to crack the nut and clients are going to start buying a lot more.? Terms of the deal remain undisclosed; reports suggest, though, that Unisys will also begin constructing more Apple apps for government use.

With the rise of consumer-device use in the enterprise space, security and compatibility concerns among IT administrators has also sharply increased. ?Employees and employers both agree?a Device and App Revolution exists although perceptions regarding extent of that revolution differ,? reads a June report prepared by research firm IDC for Unisys. ?Younger employees (iWorkers) are not demanding change ? they are driving it [through] Consensus Usage (IT Shop and Corp liability issues be damned).?

That report also suggested that around 50 percent of workplace devices end up used in both personal and business contexts: ?Data is freely mingled.?

Which may not be the best situation for institutions such as Bank of America and Citigroup?hence the reported testing.




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