Chinese state media: Mine blast kills 74


The death toll from a coal mine blast in northern China climbed Sunday to 74, the state-run media Xinhua News Agency said.

Speaking at the civil rights group’s annual meeting in New York, NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous said that if Sean Delonas is not fired, the group will call for protests of the paper and Fox television affiliates, which are owned by Post parent company News Corp. “There is consensus that if the Post does not … get rid of the journalists who are responsible for this bit of hate speech seeing the light of day, that we will move this from a local, regional issue to a very national issue,” Jealous said. The group also called for the cartoonist’s editor to be fired. Many critics said the cartoon played on historically racist images by appearing to compare Obama, the nation’s first black president, to a chimpanzee that had been shot by police officers.

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The cartoon references the mauling of a Connecticut woman by a chimpanzee who was later shot and killed by police. In its caption, one of the officers says, “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.” Obama had signed the bill the day before the cartoon ran. On its Web site Thursday, the paper offered a qualified apology, saying it was “most certainly not our intent” to express racism, but also accusing some of jumping at a chance to attack a paper they already disliked. Watch reaction to the Post’s apology » “To them, no apology is due,” the paper wrote. “Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon — even if the opportunists seek to make it something else.” But NAACP Chairman Julian Bond said that explanation rings hollow.

“This is tastelessness taken to the extreme,” he said. “For the publication to suggest the only people who object to it are constant critics of the New York Post is beyond ridiculous. “This was an invitation to assassination of the president of the United States and anyone who was not offended by it doesn’t have any sensibilities.”

Terminally-ill reality TV star Jade Goody prepares to wed

Jade Goody pictured with fiance Jack Tweed Saturday. the couple are due to marry Sunday.
British reality TV star Jade Goody made final preparations for her wedding Sunday after being told by doctors last week that her cancer is terminal.

Goody, 27 is scheduled to marry her boyfriend Jack Tweed, 21, in Hatfield Heath, Essex, east of London, UK media report. Goody’s four bridesmaids were seen with the TV star Saturday, wearing plastic bald caps in a show of solidarity at the impact of her chemotherapy treatment. The wedding dress, which media reports say includes a pouch to hold Goody’s medication, has been donated by Harrods owner Mohamed al Fayed. The wedding has attracted massive interest in the UK due to Goody’s high profile, with TV and magazine rights already sold. Goody has two sons, Bobby, five, and Freddie, four, by former boyfriend and TV host Jeff Brazier. Goody, who was initially diagnosed with cervical cancer last summer, has told British media that she wants to leave her children financially secure. Watch Jade Goody’s wedding preparations » In the UK some critics have attacked the decision to sell rights to the media for what may be Goody’s final weeks. But Max Clifford, the couple’s publicist, told ITN: “I think they’ve [the media and Goody] exploited each other. Both have benefitted. In Jane’s own words, she’s loved the last 7 years. They’ve been wonderful. All the people’s she’s met, all the things she’s done.

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“Ironcially, a big part of what she’s doing now is to fund her children’s education. To give them the education she never had.” On Friday the UK’s Ministry of Justice said it would allow Tweed, who was jailed in September 2008 for assault, to spend his wedding night with his bride, the Press Association reported. “We are absolutely thrilled,” the agency reported Clifford as saying. “It will be the dream finish to her dream day, and it makes so much difference. “Our heartfelt thanks from Jade and from Jack for allowing him to stay the evening in these very special circumstances.” Jack Straw, the UK Justice Secretary said: “It is crucial that offenders are treated equally within the rules regardless of the publicity surrounding their case but I was satisfied that it was reasonable to allow this” in comments reported by PA. Tweed, who was released early from jail in January, has to wear a tag and is subject to a 1900 GMT curfew. “We’ll get married if I have to drag her wheeelchair down the aisle,” he told ITN last week. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in comments reported by PA earlier in the week, said: “I think everybody is sad at the tragedy that’s befallen Jade Goody. “Everyone who suffers cancer has the thoughts of me and I think the whole country over what they’ve got to go through.” Watch report on reality TV star Jade Goody » Goody sprung to fame during her first appearance in Big Brother in 2002, before going on to launch a range of her own products and host television shows. But her return to the house in 2007, on the celebrity edition of the show, ended in ignominy, after her taunting of Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty outraged viewers and resulted in more than 40,000 complaints.

However, in August 2008 she accepted an offer to go on the Indian version of Big Brother. But two days into that she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and flew home.

Sisters attend Oscars for four decades

Sandi Stratton (left) and Babe Churchill will attend their 40th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday.
Sandi Stratton wanted to see a Dodgers game. Babe Churchill wanted to go to the Academy Awards. Babe won that small argument — and the decision affected them both for many years to come.

“Sandi didn’t want to come, and now I can’t get her to quit,” Babe, of Escondido, California, said with a laugh. The two sisters have been coming to Los Angeles for the Academy Awards for 39 years. On Sunday, they’ll celebrate their 40th ceremony. On that Tuesday morning in April 1970, they parked their car, walked to the bleachers near the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where the awards were held, at 10 a.m. and sat down. No one else showed up until noon. (The Dodgers, incidentally, got shut out by Gary Nolan and the Cincinnati Reds, 4-0.) Now, the sisters get invitations direct from the Academy to sit in the bleachers on the red carpet at the Kodak Theater. “It’s a tradition,” said Sandi, of Chino, California. “It’s just so much fun, and it’s a getaway for all of us.” Their group includes Sandi’s daughter, Danielle Johnson, of Culver City, California, who has been coming with her mom and aunt every year since she was 19. “The rule was, you can’t go until you’re out of high school and you can pay your own way,” Danielle remembered. They try to keep costs down by staying in an inexpensive hotel and bringing lots of food. For years before the Academy started hand-picking attendees, the family camped out in line — sometimes for up to 10 days. “We don’t laugh as much all year as we do during this week,” Danielle said. “While we were camping out … it was like, this is so boring. I can’t believe I’m doing this. And then when it’s over you’re like, this was the best week of my life.” Sandi and Babe have seen stars like George Clooney, Will Smith and Matt Dillon up close. They’ve also seen Hollywood royalty such as Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. “I’m 79 years old this year,” Babe said with a laugh. “All the old stars are mine. Half of [the celebrities now] I don’t even know anymore.” This year, the two are hoping to catch a glimpse of Brad Pitt. They saw him briefly only one time before when he was dating Gwyneth Paltrow. The sisters are also looking forward to seeing their red carpet friends, especially since they only get to see them once a year. Plus, they know their tradition will continue for years to come. Danielle has two little girls that will be able to attend once they’ve graduated high school and can pay their own way. “They’ll be pushing grandma in a wheelchair,” Sandi said.

Mike Myers, Paris Hilton big ‘winners’ at Razzies


It was a night for neon pink bowties and words like "disaster" and "monstrosity." It was not the night, however, to be Paris Hilton, Mike Myers or Uwe Boll.

The 29th Annual Golden Raspberry Awards honored the worst film achievements of the year in a small theater in Hollywood on February 21. The night opened with a parody of the “Mama Mia” song, “Dancing Queen,” and ended with “Love Guru” being named worst picture. “It wasn’t just the economy that tanked, so did the qualities of the movies being offered,” Razzie founder John Wilson told CNN several weeks before the show. “I would suggest putting away all sharp [instruments] before putting the DVDs in your machine.” Paris Hilton and Mike Myers came out on top — or bottom — for the awards. Hilton earned both the worst actress and worst supporting actress awards for her roles in “Hottie & the Nottie” and “Repo: The Genetic Opera.” She was also awarded worst screen couple for her on-screen time with her co-stars Christine Lakin and Joel David Moore. Razzie host Gretchen Enders said that “Hottie & the Nottie” was “a vanity production in the worst sense… Hilton, who served as executive producer, has no one to blame but herself.” Hilton’s film had a budget of $2 million but only earned about $27,000 at the box office. “Under Obama’s new plan, they wouldn’t even have to pay taxes,” Wilson deadpanned.

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Myers added worst actor to the “Love Guru” worst picture and worst screenplay Razzies. To save anyone else from having to watch it, Wilson shredded a DVD copy of the film on stage. Parody films “Disaster Movie” and “Meet the Spartans,” each nominated in five categories, came away empty-handed. However, that doesn’t mean the Razzie foundation thinks they were worthwhile. “When you invest the kind of money that a mainstream, big-budget star film requires, you want some insurance that your investment is going to come back to you. So… you’re going to do what worked before,” Wilson said. “Financially that may make sense, but in terms of the audience’s enjoyment, surprise or appreciation of what you’re doing, it doesn’t work.” Enter “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” this year’s winner of the worst prequel, remake, rip-off or sequel award. “A fourth installment of a beloved franchise, but this one found itself loved by almost no one,” hosts Katsy Chappell and Josh Thoemke said. The approximately 740 voting members of the Raspberry Foundation also found Pierce Brosnan’s singing voice sorely lacking. His role in “Mama Mia” earned him the worst supporting actor award. “An actor who could not sing, should not sing and arguably did not sing, in a role he should not have accepted,” Razzie hosts Chip Dornell and Kelie McIver said about the former James Bond. But perhaps the biggest “winner” of the night was Uwe Boll. Recipient of the worst director award, the foundation also recognized his lifetime work with the worst career achievement award. Boll is the “worst living director on Earth,” Wilson told CNN. Boll had a sense of humor about his Razzie success. He sent in a video rejection speech from a fake set of Darfur, Sudan, saying the Razzies had ruined his life and he would never be back. The Razzie team is already predicting next year’s nominees. A few to watch out for: “Hannah Montana,” “Friday the 13th” and “Bride Wars,” — the last of which has already grossed more than $50 million. “It’s kind of like watching a train wreck, isn’t it” Wilson said.

Why Catholic Indulgences Are Making a Comeback

Why Catholic Indulgences Are Making a Comeback

It sounds too good to be true. Now, for a limited time — the year of St. Paul, to be specific, which ends in June — say a prayer, pop by a designated church and qualify for an indulgence that deducts time from your scorching sojourn in the cleansing fires of purgatory.

Indulgences have been part of Catholic doctrine since the Crusades. When the Church offered them for sale in the 1500’s — call it mercy for money — religious reformer Martin Luther protested. These days, they can’t be bought. “How does that MasterCard ad go” muses Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “Some things are priceless.”

The pardons have fallen by the wayside in the past few decades, but they’re being revived in conjunction with a new emphasis on the importance of charity in Christian life. Catholicism, with 67 million followers in the U.S., is big on formulaic repetition of the Hail Mary and Our Father variety. But the Vatican is starting to move away from that and toward, according to the church’s Manual of Indulgences, a “greater zeal for the exercise of charity.”

It’s no longer enough to repeat a prescribed number of prayers; you also have to do good such as volunteer at a soup kitchen, help resettle refugees or donate to a worthy cause. Much like many high schoolers have to fulfill a community service requirement, Catholics too are being urged to become do-gooders. “The church’s teaching has evolved,” Walsh says. “Part of indulgences is not just saying special prayers, but also doing good works.”

At the core of indulgences is sin, which can lead to either eternal punishment, i.e., hell, or time spent in purgatory, a place of suffering where imperfections are scrubbed away in preparation for entering heaven. Confession erases eternal punishment, but temporal punishment remains. Plenary, or full, indulgences are the equivalent of a get-out-of-purgatory-free card. Partial indulgences simply shorten your stay.

Mike Aquilina, who attends Holy Child Church outside Pittsburgh, estimates he fulfills the requirements for an indulgence a few times a year by visiting a saintly burial site stateside or St. Peter’s Basilica when he’s in Rome on business. “God doesn’t get anything out of it, the Church doesn’t get anything out of it, but I sure do,” says Aquilina.

Indulgences are a handy marketing tool for the Church, a way of encouraging people to amp up their spiritual life. But figuring out exactly what they are and how they work can be confusing. “It brings people who aren’t Catholic up short,” said David Steinmetz, a professor of the history of Christianity at Duke Divinity School.

The rules can confound even believers. William Damkoehler, an actor from Rhode Island, learned about indulgences as a kid in Catholic school. As an adult, he’s bewildered by them. “It seems like the Church is trying to get business back by offering rebates,” he says.

The essence of plenary, or complete, indulgences is tricky to nail down. They’re granted if you meet specific criteria: go to confession, receive communion, pray for the Pope, visit a particular shrine. How do you know you actually got an indulgence Faith.

If you merit a full pardon, it’s fine to break out the bubbly. But if you drink too much champagne and start a barroom brawl Indulgence revoked, and you’re back to square one. How’s that for an incentive to keep doing good works

India hepatitis death toll reaches 38

Hepatitis-B patient Mahir Husain, center, is comforted at a hospital in Ahmedabad.
The death toll from an outbreak of hepatitis B in India’s western Gujarat state reached 38 on Sunday as authorities prepared to begin a vaccination drive against the disease.

Malayappan Thennarasa, the top administrator of the affected Sabarkantha district, told CNN the toll had climbed to 38 and that shots would be administered free of cost starting Monday. Health officials have recorded 125 cases of the infection in two weeks. Authorities were carrying out raids at medical stores for bogus drugs and recycled syringes. Police have so far arrested five medical practitioners. One of them was charged Sunday with attempted murder. The doctor is accused of reusing syringes, Thennarasa said. Hepatitis B is a contagious liver disease resulting from infection with the hepatitis B virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It usually spreads through blood, semen, or other bodily fluids, often through sexual contact or sharing needles or syringes with an infected person. The disease can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, chronic illness resulting in long-term health problems or death, the CDC said.

73 dead in China mine blast: state media

Hepatitis-B patient Mahir Husain, center, is comforted at The Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, Wednesday.
The death toll from a mine blast in northern China on Sunday climbed to 73, state-run media said.

Five medical practitioners were also arrested for violations, said Malayappan Thennarasan, the top administrator of the state’s Sabarkantha district. One of those arrested is being held for allegedly reusing injection syringes, Thennarasan said. Health authorities have recorded 111 cases of hepatitis B infection in the district over the past two weeks, he added. “Of them, 32 have died,” he said. Health officials have launched an awareness campaign in the district, Thennarasan said this week. Hepatitis B is a contagious liver disease resulting from infection with the hepatitis B virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It usually spreads through blood, semen, or other bodily fluids, often through sexual contact or sharing needles or syringes with an infected person, the CDC says. The disease can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, chronic illness resulting in long-term health problems or death, according to the CDC.

Australia mourns victims of deadly wildfires

Children place flowers on a wreath during a memorial for victims of the bushfires.
Church bells rang throughout Australia on Sunday in remembrance of the victims of last month’s devastating fires that killed 209 people.

In a nationally televised memorial, a somber Prime Minister Kevin Rudd praised the resilience of Australians and offered a message of hope. “As a people, we weep for the lost,” he said. “We tend the injured. We console the suffering. And yet, our work has barely begun.” “(For) what we saw on Black Saturday, what we saw at work was the worst of nature, yet the best of humanity,” he added. Australians throughout the nation laid wreaths, sang and prayed in remembrance of victims. “We are picking up the pieces after the worst disaster in Australia’s history,” said John Brumby, the premier of Victoria, where last month’s fire charred thousands of acres of land. “These fires have united all in grief.” The fires have destroyed more than 1,800 homes and displaced about 7,000 people. At the height of the blazes, about three dozen separate fires were burning.

Seattle man accused of sinking his own yacht

Hepatitis-B patient Mahir Husain, center, is comforted at The Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, Wednesday.
A Seattle man has been charged with insurance fraud for allegedly sinking his own yacht because of "financial pressure and frustration with the maintenance" of the vessel, authorities said.

Five medical practitioners were also arrested for violations, said Malayappan Thennarasan, the top administrator of the state’s Sabarkantha district. One of those arrested is being held for allegedly reusing injection syringes, Thennarasan said. Health authorities have recorded 111 cases of hepatitis B infection in the district over the past two weeks, he added. “Of them, 32 have died,” he said. Health officials have launched an awareness campaign in the district, Thennarasan said this week. Hepatitis B is a contagious liver disease resulting from infection with the hepatitis B virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It usually spreads through blood, semen, or other bodily fluids, often through sexual contact or sharing needles or syringes with an infected person, the CDC says. The disease can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, chronic illness resulting in long-term health problems or death, according to the CDC.

A Surprise Attack by Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers

A Surprise Attack by Sri Lankas Tamil Tigers

The Sri Lankan Army announced with some fanfare two weeks ago that it had destroyed the last air strip used by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , its adversary in a 25-year-long conflict that appears to be coming to an end. However, the Tigers made it clear tonight, with an air attack punching into the heart of the capital, that it’s not over yet.

The assault began at about 11 p.m. local time, when two light aircraft burst into Colombo. One bomb hit the Inland Revenue Department, but the real target may have been the Sri Lankan Air Force building, which is directly behind it. The government of Sri Lanka says that 27 people were injured and two people died; other sources reported that has many as 40 people were injured. Both planes were shot down, one of them crashing down next to Colombo’s international airport, according to the Sri Lankan government.

This is not the first time that the LTTE, which is fighting for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils, has targeted the Sri Lankan Air Force headquarters. On Jan. 1, the same day that the Army announced the capture of Kilinochchi, the Tigers’ de facto capital in northern Sri Lanka, a suicide bomber killed three military personnel in the building, which sits among a cluster of government offices in Colombo’s Fort neighborhood, one of the busiest in the city. This is also not the first time that the LTTE has struck Colombo by air. The Tigers started using aerial bombing as a tactic in March 2007, with an attack on another air force base near the airport.

What all these attacks have in common is their psychological impact. The 2007 air strike established that the LTTE had become the first guerrilla organization in the world to have its own air force. These aren’t fighter planes, however. They are light propeller planes reportedly put together from parts smuggled into the country. But they are enough to carry out small-scale bombing raids. “Even though the government claimed that the Tiger’s air attacks inflicted little damage, the psychological advantage the LTTE has won has served to significantly boost the rebels’ morale and could embolden them to step up attacks,” wrote New Delhi-based defense analyst Animesh Roul on the website International Relations and Security Network. The Jan. 1 suicide bomb, furthermore, showed the world that, even after losing its capital, the LTTE was still capable of striking the government’s capital, hundreds of miles away.

Tonight’s bombing raid came as the world’s media clustered in Colombo to cover what many expected to be the end of a conflict that began in earnest in 1983. The Army contends that it has cornered the LTTE in a shrinking patch of territory around Mullativu on the northeastern coast. With this attack — using a do-it-yourself plane and a couple of bombs — the whole city was plunged into darkness and fear, as tracer bullets and anti-aircraft fire punctured the sky. With two planes down, this might be the last sortie from the Tamil Eelam Air Force; but it may be the beginning of a new phase of guerrilla warfare in Colombo.