Merkel counts cost as minister quits in election year

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BERLIN, Germany: German Chancellor Angela Merkel was left licking her wounds on Sunday after her education minister quit amid a plagiarism scandal, depriving her of a key ally as she gears up for September elections.

Merkel betrayed rare emotion as she accepted "with a very heavy heart" the resignation of Annette Schavan, a personal friend, who quit to fight charges from her former university that she plagiarised her thesis 33 years ago.

Although Merkel enjoys a sizeable lead in the polls and a high level of personal popularity, this is the second body blow in recent weeks after what she termed a "painful" loss in a state election on January 20.

"The year could hardly have started worse for Mrs Merkel," gloated the chief whip of the opposition Social Democratic Party (SPD), Thomas Oppermann.

Nevertheless, the level of alleged plagiarism in Schavan's thesis "Person and Conscience" was thought to be much less than in a similar case two years ago when popular defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg quit.

And even some opposition figures showed some sympathy for Schavan, who has vowed to fight Duesseldorf University's decision to strip her of her doctorate in the courts.

SPD head Sigmar Gabriel said in an interview in the Welt am Sonntag weekly that he valued Schavan as an "honest and competent" minister and he was "extremely sorry" to see her go but he believed it was the right decision.

The media was full of praise for the manner of Schavan's departure, perceived as dignified, and for the way she appeared to put her party and Merkel ahead of her personal ambition.

Addressing her leader and friend as "dear Angela", Schavan said the accusations that she cheated affected her "deeply" and said her priorities had always been "first my country, then my party and then me personally".

Merkel has already survived zu Guttenberg's more damaging resignation; the loss of another defence minister over controversial comments on Afghanistan; and the departure of party ally Christian Wulff as president over a home loan scandal.

Several media reports said the loss of Schavan would not inflict too much damage on Merkel, even in the run-up to elections on September 22.

"Merkel can distinguish between the demands of her office and of friendship. The office demanded a quick, concise decision. Friendship demanded glowing words. She offered... both," said the Berlin-based Tagesspiegel daily.

"That makes Merkel unassailable in this case because no-one could have done it better," added the paper.

The left-leaning Sueddeutsche Zeitung said the resignation "will not harm Merkel".

"Until now, no resignation has been seen by the people as due to her own political failings. There were always individual reasons. That is the art that Merkel has mastered. Everything bounces off her," noted the paper.

"In this case, that is completely right."

The chancellor moved quickly to mitigate the fallout, immediately appointing the 61-year-old Johanna Wanka, a mathematician with wide experience in education, as the new minister.

But the influential Die Zeit weekly noted that things were getting "lonely" around Merkel, as she loses yet another ally from her own conservative ranks amid a loveless relationship with her coalition partner, the Free Democrats.

"With Schavan's resignation, Merkel loses a further faithful ally. There aren't many people around her that can help her," said the paper.

"Like (former chancellor Helmut) Kohl at the end of his long chancellorship, she's standing almost completely on her own. There's hardly anyone left from her Praetorian guard."

- AFP/al



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Conspiracy theory: Was due process flouted to deny Afzal Guru a bid to escape hangman?

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NEW DELHI: Although both have been executed in a hush-hush manner citing security reasons, the dilution of due process was greater in Mohammad Afzal Guru's hanging than in Ajmal Kasab's.

The denial of an opportunity to challenge the President's decision on the mercy petition was more likely to have affected Guru's fate for, unlike Kasab, he was not present at the crime scene when Parliament was attacked and he did not himself kill anybody.

In fact, after Kehar Singh's execution in the Indira Gandhi case, Guru was the only conspirator to have ever been hanged in connection with any high-profile crime. The three conspirators in the Rajiv Gandhi case, although awarded death penalty earlier than Guru, have so far been spared the noose because of a stay from the Madras high court on their execution. The stay came in 2011 on their plea that the death penalty be commuted to life sentence as the President had rejected their mercy petitions after an "inordinate and unexplained" delay.

Had he and his counsel been similarly given an advance notice of the rejection of his mercy petition, Guru too could have exercised his right to challenge the President's decision on the ground of delay, as he had filed his plea more than seven years ago.

Besides, Guru was better placed than Kasab to seek clemency on procedural and substantive grounds. Thanks to his oft-quoted grievance that he did not get a counsel of his choice during the trial, there has been much debate in legal and human rights circles on whether Guru had been given a fair trial.

Another controversial aspect of Guru's conviction is that successive courts had allegedly glossed over his claim that, as a surrendered militant, he had provided logistical support for the attack on Parliament on the instructions of security agencies in Kashmir.

The dilution of due process was also evident from the government's failure to comply with the stipulation of the jail manual to inform Guru's family about the date of the execution. The compromise is more evident in Guru's case because, unlike Kasab, his family members are Indians, who live in Kashmir. The rationale behind this stipulation is to provide the convict a chance to meet his family members for the last time.

In Kasab's case, the government claimed to have sent a communication to Pakistan to inform his family before his hanging. Despite the government's claim to have done the same in Guru's case, his family was in fact delivered with a fait accomppli.

This is the third mercy petition to have been rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee. Saibanna's case highlighted the deviation made in the cases of Kasab and Guru. For, the rejection of Saibanna's plea was made public, giving him scope to challenge it as also to meet his relatives.

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Mars Rover Curiosity Completes First Full Drill

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For the first time in history, humans have drilled a hole into rock on Mars and are collecting the powdered results for analysis, NASA announced Saturday.

After weeks of intensive planning, the Mars rover Curiosity undertook its first full drill on Friday, with NASA receiving images on Saturday showing that the procedure was a success.

Curiosity drilled a hole that is a modest 2.5 inches (6.35 centimeters) deep and .6 inches (1.52 centimeters) wide but that holds the promise of potentially great discoveries. (Watch video of the Mars rover Curiosity.)

"The most advanced planetary robot ever designed now is a fully operating analytical laboratory on Mars," John Grunsfeld, NASA associate administrator for the agency's Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement on Saturday.

"This is the biggest milestone accomplishment for the Curiosity team since the sky-crane landing last August."

Read: Asteroid to Make Closest Flyby in History

The site of the much-anticipated penetration is a flat section of Mars rock that shows signs of having been underwater in its past.

Called Yellowknife Bay, it's the kind of environment where organic materials—the building block of life—might have been deposited and preserved long ago, at a time when Mars was far wetter and warmer than it is today.

The contents of the drilling are now being transferred into the rover's internal collection system, where the samples will be sieved down to size and scoured to minimize the presence of contamination from Earth. (Watch video of Curiosity's "Seven Minutes of Terror.")

Then the sample will be distributed to the two instruments most capable of determining what the rocks contain.

The first is the Sample Analysis on Mars (SAM), which has two ovens that can heat the powdered rock to almost 2000°F (1093°C) and release the rock's elements and compounds in a gaseous form.

The gases will then be analyzed by instruments that can identify precisely what they are, and when they might have been deposited. Scientists are looking for carbon-based organics believed to be essential for any potentially past life on Mars.

Powder will also go to the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) instrument for a related analysis that looks especially at the presence of minerals—especially those that can only be formed in the presence of water.

Louise Jandura, chief engineer for Curiosity's sample system at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said that designing and testing a drill that can grab hold of Martian rock and commence first a percussive shallow drilling and then dig a deeper hole was difficult.

The drill, which is at the end of a 7-foot arm, is capable of about 100 discrete maneuvers.

"To get to the point of making this hole in a rock on Mars, we made eight drills and bored more than 1,200 holes in 20 types of rock on Earth," Jandura said in a statement.

Results from the SAM and CheMin analyses are not expected for several days to weeks.


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LAPD Reopens Case of Suspected Cop-Killer's Firing

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The Los Angeles Police Department announced today it will reopen the case of the firing of Christopher Dorner, but said the decision was not made to "appease" the fugitive former cop suspected of killing three people.


Dorner, a fired and disgruntled former Los Angeles police officer, said in the so-called "manifesto" he released that he was targeting LAPD officials and their families and will keep killing until the truth is known about his case.


"I have no doubt that the law enforcement community will bring to an end the reign of terror perpetrated on our region by Christopher Jordan Dorner and he will be held accountable for his evil actions," LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said in a statement released tonight.


He spoke of the "tremendous strides" the LAPD has made in regaining public trust after numerous scandals, but added: "I am aware of the ghosts of the LAPD's past and one of my biggest concerns is that they will be resurrected by Dorner's allegations of racism within the Department."


To do that, he said, full re-investigation of the case that led to Dorner's firing is necessary.


"I feel we need to also publicly address Dorner's allegations regarding his termination of employment, and to do so I have directed our Professionals Standards Bureau and my Special Assistant for Constitutional Policing to completely review the Dorner complaint of 2007; To include a re-examination of all evidence and a re-interview of witnesses," he said. "We will also investigate any allegations made in his manifesto which were not included in his original complaint.






Irvine Police Department/AP Photo











Christopher Dorner Search: Officials Search for Ex-officer in the Mountains Watch Video









Hundreds of Officers on Hunt for Alleged Cop Killer Watch Video







"I do this not to appease a murderer. I do it to reassure the public that their police department is transparent and fair in all the things we do."


PHOTOS: Former LAPD Officer Suspected in Shootings


As police searched for Dorner today in the San Bernardino Mountains, sources told ABC News that investigators found two AR-15 assault rifles in the burned-out truck Dorner abandoned.


The truck had a broken axle, which may be the reason he decided to set fire to it, the police sources said.


A man identifying himself as Dorner taunted the father of Monica Quan four days after the former LAPD officer allegedly killed her and just 11 hours after he allegedly killed a police officer in Riverside, Calif., according to court documents obtained by ABC News


A man claiming to be Dorner called Randall Quan and told him that that he "should have done a better job of protecting his daughter," according to the documents.


In his 6,000-word "manifesto," Dorner named Randal Quan, a retired LAPD captain and attorney who represented him before a police review board that led to Dorner's dismissal from the force.


"I never had an opportunity to have a family of my own, I'm terminating yours," Dorner wrote, and directed Quan and other officials to "[l]ook your wives/husbands and surviving children directly in the face and tell them the truth as to why your children are dead."


Monica Quan and her fiancé Keith Lawrence were gunned down last Sunday in their car in the parking of their Irvine, Calif., condominium complex. Both were struck with multiple gunshot wounds.


The call, according to court records, was traced to Vancouver, Wash., but law enforcement officials do not believe Dorner was there at the time at the call.


Dorner is believed to have made the call early Thursday afternoon, less than half a day after he is suspected of killing a police officer and wounding two others early that morning, sparking an unprecedented man hunt involving more than a thousand police officers and federal agents spanning hundreds of miles.


FULL COVERAGE: Christopher Jordan Dorner






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India holds showcase to raise awareness on natural heritage

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NEW DELHI: New Delhi is known as a cultural hub, where fairs and festivals of all kinds are held nearly every day.

One such recent event had a special theme: raising awareness of the country's natural heritage.

The 15-day "Green Haat" saw participants from across India showcase a variety of non-timbre forest produce.

Goods on display ranged from wild grains, chillies and spices to medicinal plants, herbal preparations, and honey. Also on display were furniture and accessories made from bamboo and other wild plants.

One of the aims of this initiative, launched by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, was to highlight the traditional knowledge of India's forest communities.

A participant of "Green Haat", only known as Bobby, said: "It's important because the things you get from the hills and jungles aren't available in the cities. Things from the jungles are pure, there's nothing like it in the cities."

Another goal of "Green Haat" was demonstrating how preserving biodiversity could be an important economic activity.

A participant noted that a plant that stops soil erosion in the hilly areas could also be used as a source of fibre to make unique accessories.

Participant Sandip Khandwal said: "Since we found that there are possibilities in making other products from this fibre, Rambans fibre, we started designing and making sheets of this fibre, and then we made bags, folders, caps... clutches also."

For many, the fair was an eye-opener to India's natural heritage.

Some said they did not know enough about the variety of produce that could be sourced from forests, and were glad to learn from those who did.

Anu Kamran, a visitor, said: "(A participant) told me about some plants, which are very beneficial for the heart, and which are also very beneficial for cough and cold, which we can grow in our house, and in our kitchen garden, or even in our pots."

Participants were happy there was a high level of interest in and appreciation for their products.

Bobby said: "A lot of people have come, and we have received a lot of support from them. Many said that what we are doing is a good thing, and the things we were showing them were very nice."

Visitors to the fair were also treated to dramatic presentations on environmental themes, like a street play presented by a group of schoolchildren.

Both visitors and participants have pointed out the importance of fairs like "Green Haat", which bring a side of India not often seen to the heart of the capital city.

- CNA/xq



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Afzal's family communicated through speed post: Home secretary

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NEW DELHI: The family of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru has been informed about his hanging by the Tihar authorities through speed post and the J&K government was taken into confidence before his execution, the Centre said on Saturday.

"They (Tihar jail authorities) intimated the family through speed post, registered post and the DG (Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police) has been told to check with the family whether they got it or not," Union home secretary RK Singh told reporters.

Singh said the J&K government has been taken into confidence before Guru's hanging early Saturday.

In the wake of Afzal Guru's hanging, the Jammu and Kashmir government is taking all necessary preventive measures to maintain peace there but the government is not apprehending any trouble in rest of the country.

"We are not having any apprehension anywhere in the country. In Jammu and Kashmir, the state government is taking steps. We are in touch with them," the home secretary said.

Without giving details, Singh said security has been intensified in some areas.

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Space Pictures This Week: Sun Dragon, Celestial Seagull

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Northeast Shuts Down as Blizzard Batters Millions

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A blizzard of possibly historic proportions battered the Northeast Friday into Saturday, and forecasters feared as much as two feet of snow and strong winds could shut down densely populated cities such as New York and Boston, where cars were ordered off the streets.


State officials declared states of emergencies throughout the region, and utilities estimated more than a half-million customers were without power by late Friday night.


Some wondered if the storm could top Boston's all-time single-storm snowfall record of 27.6 inches, set in 2003.


By 9 p.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service, the storm was spinning off the coast of Long Island, N.Y., and expected to move north-northeastward past New England's coast before its effects tapered off on Saturday afternoon.


"Storm total snowfall accumulations of 1 to 2 feet ... with locally higher amounts are possible across much of the Northeast," the National Weather Service said. "The heaviest snow is forecast to fall across parts of eastern Massachusetts ... Connecticut and Rhode Island where snowfall amounts higher than two feet are possible. In addition to the heavy snowfall ... wind gusts as high as 70 mph are possible ... especially near the coasts."


By 9 p.m. Friday, parts of Connecticut and New York had the highest actual snowfall totals listed by the National Weather Service, with 13 inches measured in Ogdensburg and East Setaukey, N.Y., and Lisbon and North Branford, Conn.


Peak wind gusts included a 71-mph measurement in Buzzards Bay, Mass., the National Weather Service said.


Power outages also were reported across the region. As of 11 p.m. Friday, for instance, approximately 300,000 Massachusetts customers were without power, ABC News station WCVB reported. Utilities also reported approximately 170,000 without power in Rhode Island, 30,000 in Connecticut and nearly 20,000 in New York.


The blizzard conditions came together after a storm from the west joined forces with one from the south to form a nor'easter.










Hurricane Sandy Victims Hit Again, Survivors Prepare for Worst Watch Video









Weather Forecast: Blizzard Headed for Northeast Watch Video





The storm showed the potential for such ferocity that, before it even hit with full force, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon and signed an executive order banning vehicular traffic on roads in his state effective at 4 p.m. ET. It was believed that the last time the state enacted such a ban was during the blizzard of 1978. Violating the ban could result in a penalty of up to a year in jail and a $500 fine.


"[It] could definitely be a historic winter storm for the Northeast," said Adrienne Leptich of the National Weather Service in Upton, N.Y. "We're looking at very strong wind and heavy snow and we're also looking for some coastal flooding."


Airlines began shutting down operations Friday afternoon at major airports in the New York area as well as in Boston, Portland, Maine, Providence, R.I., and other Northeastern airports. By early evening Friday, more than 4,300 flights had been cancelled on Friday and Saturday, according to FlightAware. Airlines hoped to resume flights by Saturday afternoon, though normal schedules were not expected until Sunday.


The snow fell heavily Friday afternoon in New York City. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said clearing the roads was his main concern, and the city readied 1,700 snow plows and 250,000 tons of salt to clear the streets.


New York City was expecting up to 14 inches of snow, which started falling early this morning, though the heaviest amounts were expected to fall at night and into Saturday. Wind gusts of 55 mph were expected in New York City.


"Stay off the city streets. Stay out of your cars and stay at home while the worst of the storm is on us," Bloomberg said Friday.


Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy declared a state of emergency, deploying National Guard troops across the state to assist in rescues and other emergencies. Schools and state courthouses were closed, and all flights after 1:30 p.m. at Bradley Airport, north of Hartford, Conn., were cancelled. The state's largest utility companies planned for the possibility that 30 percent of customers -- more than 400,000 homes and businesses -- would lose power.


Malloy also directed drivers to stay off the state's major highways.


"Please stay off of 95, 91, 84, Merritt Parkway and any other limited-access road in the state," he said Friday evening.


PHOTOS: Northeast Braces for Snowstorm


Boston, Providence, R.I., Hartford, Conn., and other New England cities canceled school today.


"Stay off the streets of our city. Basically, stay home," Boston Mayor Tom Menino warned Thursday.


On Friday, Menino applauded the public's response.


"I'm very pleased with the compliance with the snow emergency," he said. "You drive down some of the roadways, you don't see one car."


Friday evening, Gov. Patrick also applauded the public's cooperation with the statewide vehicle ban, noting the clear roads were helping utility crews get their work done.


"It's been a great, great help and I thank everyone," Patrick said. "I know it's been an imposition."


As of 4:30 p.m. Friday, according to the Department of Defense, 837 National Guard soldiers and airmen under state control had been activated in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York in anticipation of the storm -- 552 in Massachusetts, 235 in Connecticut and 50 in New York. The extra hands were helping with roadways, transportation, making wellness checks on residents and other emergency services.


Beach erosion and coastal flooding was possible from New Jersey to Long Island, N.Y., and into New England coastal areas. It was feared some waves off the coast could reach more than 20 feet.






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Lawmakers divided on Postal Service plan

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Lawmakers wrestled Thursday with how to address Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe’s announcement that the U.S. Postal Service plans to end Saturday mail delivery in August.


Donahoe moved to circumvent Congress’s long-standing resistance to the proposal for five-day delivery, a move the Postal Service thinks will save about $2 billion annually and help ease its financial losses. The agency lost $15.9 billion in the last fiscal year.


The postmaster took advantage of legislators’ own dysfunction over budget matters this week, gambling that lawmakers will not thwart his plan after Congress’s temporary spending measure expires March 27.

The spending plan includes language requiring six-day delivery, but lawmakers have not said whether they will insist on the language in the next spending bill.

It appeared Thursday that the issue was shaping up among lawmakers like the discussions over the automatic spending cuts, known as sequestration, which are set to kick in March 1.

Legislators questioned the legality of Donahoe’s plan and pointed fingers over Congress’s inability last year to achieve comprehensive postal reform, but none outlined a strategy to prevent the Postal Service’s effort.

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said in a statement Thursday that such a drastic policy move requires congressional approval.

“The Postmaster General relied on flawed legal guidance to claim that he can circumvent Congress’s authority,” he said.

Reid also expressed frustration at lawmakers’ failure last year on postal reform. “This unfortunate scenario could have been wholly prevented if the House had passed the Senate’s bipartisan postal reform bill in the last Congress,” he said.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and supported the Senate’s bill last year, said, “The Postal Service’s decision to eliminate Saturday delivery is inconsistent with current law and threatens to further jeopardize its customer base.”

Other Republicans applauded Donahoe.

Rep. Darrel Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which oversees the Postal Service, supports the plan. His office said the Postal Service could legally alter Saturday mail services despite any future provisions Congress might enact to require six-day delivery. “In its announced change, USPS is not eliminating a day of delivery, but rather altering what products are delivered on that day,” a spokesman said.

The Postal Service did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. Although it plans to end Saturday mail delivery, it has said that it will continue delivering packages on Saturdays and that post offices will be open to sell stamps and other materials. Post office boxes will receive mail on Saturdays, but magazines and some newspapers, catalogues and Netflix will not reach homes that day.

Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), who opposes Donahoe’s decision, said in an interview Thursday that he would fight any effort to remove the six-day-delivery requirement from the next spending bill. But he stopped short of saying he would vote against an appropriations bill that does not include the mandate.

“The future of the Postal Service is very important, but it has to be looked at in a broader context,” Sanders said.

Last year, the House and Senate produced competing bills to help staunch the Postal Service’s financial losses. The Senate approved legislation that would have delayed five-day mail delivery for two years while trying out other cost-saving tactics, but the House never voted on the measure. A House bill that would have ended Saturday delivery right away never reached the floor.

House Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers (R-Ky.) said he had no idea what his committee would do about the postal plan.

Said Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.): “I think the problem is the will of the Congress has not been expressed. Congress has not acted, and I think that left a vacuum.”

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Scores missing after ferry sinks in Bangladesh: officials

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DHAKA: Scores of people are missing after a ferry carrying around 100 passengers sank in a river in Bangladesh on Friday, officials said.

"So far we have gathered that the ferry was carrying around 100 people and some have swum to the banks," local police chief Jahangir Hossain told AFP after the accident on the Meghna river in the central district of Munshiganj.

District administrator Saifuddin Badal said that more than 50 people were still unaccounted for.

"We heard around 25 people have swum ashore," he told AFP.

Badal said the boat, named MV Sarosh, was carrying passengers from the capital Dhaka to the southeastern district of Chandpur.

It was not immediately clear what caused the accident but Bangladesh has a history of boating disasters as a result of lax safety standards and frequent overloading of vessels.

Last March 147 people were killed after a passenger vessel sank in the Meghna river after colliding with a cargo ship.

-AFP/fl



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