Venice is selling 13 historic palaces and villas in some of the most sought-after locations on the planet - on the Grand Canal, the Lido and the island of Murano - in an auction that has been greeted with outrage by locals.Part of a broader campaign by the Italian government to exploit its huge legacy of state-owned historical buildings, the sale is likely to raise up to £100 million.The real estate on offer includes the Bonfadini-Vivante palace, famous for its neo-classical frescos, and the Foscari Contarini villa, which overlooks the Grand Canal near the Rialto bridge.There are fears in Venice that the sale will accelerate the 'Disneyfication' of the city, because the villas are most likely to be turned into luxury hotels. 'Venice sells its family jewels', screamed the headline in one local paper.One of the biggest problems facing the city is the exodus of locals in the face of exorbitant property prices and a lack of work. ...
http://observer.guardian.co.uk
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Editor - 00:20:00 03-05-06
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 Gitmo: The Worst of the Worst? A report, based entirely on Defense Department documents, exposes the truth about Guantánamo |
Four years ago, the president was assured by his lawyers in the Justice and Defense departments that, as commander in chief, he had the ultimate power to determine which of our captives in the war on terrorism are "enemy combatants"—and to imprison many of them indefinitely at Guantánamo. Then, after the Abu Ghraib photographs went around the world (recently, even more repellent pictures from that prison have been internationally distributed), Gitmo became a recruiting tool for our enemies, while causing increasing disquiet among our allies. On February 16, a British high court judge, Sir Andrew Collins, emphasized: "America's idea of what is torture is not the same as ours and does not appear to coincide with that of most civilized nations." He was referring to a February 15 report by five independent U.N. special rapporteurs on torture that Guantánamo be closed and its prisoners be tried or released. ...
http://villagevoice.com/news/0610,hentoff,72399,6.html
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Editor - 00:16:00 03-05-06
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| Priests Purify Shrine After U.S. Visit |
Hindu priests who look after the memorial of Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi conducted a purification ceremony at the shrine after a visit from President Bush. But it wasn't the president who offended them, it was the sniffer-dogs who scoured the area ahead of his visit. After the dog visit, the memorial was cleansed with water brought from the Ganges river, which Hindus consider holy, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported Sunday. Bush visited the memorial on Thursday during his three day visit to India. The site, where pacifist icon Gandhi was cremated, is considered sacred and all visitors, including Bush and his wife Laura, removed their shoes before going in. The dogs, flown in from the U.S., were part of the intense security surrounding the president, but the Hindu priests believe they tainted the site. Letting dogs into the memorial also drew sharp protest from Hindu politicians and Gandhi's great grandson, Tushar Gandhi, who called the incident a ``national shame,'' ...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5664035,00.html
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Editor - 00:12:00 03-05-06
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| China pledges help for rural poor |
China's key annual political event has opened, with the government promising to take measures to close the divide between the new rich and numerous poor. Premier Wen Jiabao addressed 3,000 delegates at the National People's Congress in Beijing. He predicted China's economy would grow by 8% this year and by an average of 7.5% over the next four years. He promised extra money for rural areas and farmers, to spread growing wealth to the impoverished countryside. "Building a 'new socialist countryside' is a major historic task," Mr Wen told the conference. As the conference got under way, thousands of security personnel swarmed around Tiananmen Square, which was blocked off to the public. Protesters were prevented from reaching the area and there were reports of at least one arrest, although this could not be independently confirmed. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4775350.stm
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Editor - 00:07:00 03-05-06
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| US army to probe NFL star's death |
The US army is to launch a criminal investigation into the death of a former American football star who was killed in Afghanistan. Pat Tillman gave up his professional contract to join the army after the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US. It took some time for the US military to admit he had been killed by US fire, drawing criticism from his family. The US military has always said his shooting was accidental, but conceded that a criminal inquiry was warranted. "We are obligated to answer the family's questions, as we are with all grieving families," Colonel Joseph Curtin, an Army spokesman said. He said the scope of the investigation had still to be determined. An unnamed army official quoted by Reuters said the inquiry would seek to determine whether one of the troops involved in the shooting committed negligent homicide or another crime. He said "no one soldier" was the subject of the investigation. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4775362.stm
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Editor - 00:03:00 03-05-06
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| Guantanamo Bay: The testimony |
The US defence department has for the first time put the names of detainees to transcripts of tribunals at Guantanamo Bay. But the 6,000 pages of documents released under the Freedom of Information Act do not always name the person attending the tribunal. Many as listed as "detainee". It is not always clear who has been released and who is still held and it could take weeks for the documents to be fully analysed. Here is some of the named evidence given at hearings: Briton who submitted written complaints that military police had sex in front of him as he prayed. Said other guards tried to feed him a "hot plate of pork", which is forbidden in Islam. Said he was misled into praying north, towards the US, rather than Mecca. Repeatedly cited his rights to be called a prisoner-of-war under international law. Was told by a US colonel: "I do not care about international law. I do not want to hear the words international law again." ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4773396.stm
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Editor - 23:54:00 03-04-06
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