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Show D A A4 I I Tbundiy, Marcft 20. 2008 HERALD Y Morning Briefing FAST FACT Greta Garbo's real name was Greta Gustafsson. SouKt ThtBookol Anwwn CVmi;ii'J from I)utly HrruUI wire mtvh The Nation Scientists make detection breakthrough S( icntists detected trai cs of he first organic molecules in the atmosphere ol a planet orf star, a developbiting a ment that may lead to the aridity to uncover the signatures of life on worlds outside our solar system. Using the II untile Space Telescope's infrared camera, a am led by researchers at tl Jet lYopulsion laboratory ii. '.a Canada f hntrklge, Gilif., f. md methane and water in t he atmosphere of a planet orbiting a star o3 light years away. 1 he Jiifiiter-si.eplanet orbits far too close to its parent star in the constellation Vulpec-ul- a for life as we understand it,, the team remitted Wednesday in the journal Nature. But Mark Swain, an specialist who led the research, described the technique they used as "a crucial stepping stone to eventually 1 far-of- r I 4-1 ' A'J-- 'fill, - d exo-plan- characterizing pre-bioti- c mol- ecules on planets where life could exist." Ruling: 'Speak English' signs not discriminatory PHILADELPHIA The ,M0 owner of a famous cheesesteak shop did not discriminate when he posted signs asking customers to speak Lnglish, a city panel ruled Wednesday. In a vote, a Commission on Human Relations panel found that two signs at Geno's Steaks telling customers, "This is America: WHEN ORDERING '('LEASE SPEAK ENGLISH,' " do not violate the city's Fair Practices Ordi- nance. Shop owner Joe Vento has said he posted the signs in October 2005 because of concerns over immigration reform and an increasing number of people in the area who could not order in English. Vento has said he never ' Jr X ii 1 2-- 1 refused service to anyone because they couldn't speak English. But critics argued that the signs discourage customers of certain backgrounds from eating at the shop. Commissioners Roxanne E. Covington and Burt Siegel voted to dismiss the complaint, finding that the sign does not communicate that business will be "refused, withheld or denied." In a dissenting opinion, Commissioner Joseph J. Centeno said he thought the signs did discourage some customers. shot teen in driveway gets 2 to 4 years in prison Man who A RIVERHEAD, N.Y. black father was sentenced to two to four years in prison Wednesday for fatally shooting an intoxicated white teenager during a racially charged confrontation with two carloads of young people at the end of his driveway. war Protesting war The parents of victim Daniel Cicciaro Jr., 17, were irate after learning that John White did not receive the maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. White, 54, was convicted in December of second-degremanslaughter and a weapons ' e charge. "Nice message it sends to society, that as long as you're black and there's a problem at the end of your driveway, you ' can grab an illegal handgun and shoot someone in the face and get away with it," an infuriated Daniel Cicciaro Sr. told reporters while dozens of supporters sobbed nearby. "Well, let's see what happens when Aaron White gets shot, and see how the laws are," Cicciaro said, referring to White's son. Defense attorney Frederick Brewington said Cicciaro's remarks appeared to be a threat and demanded an investigation. Prosecutor Thomas Spota said the matter was referred to police, and the Whites were assigned extra protection at their home. "I've always remained remorseful about this incident," White told the judge. White was led away in handcuffs, but his attorneys immediately filed an appeal and bail was set at $200,000 late Biechele, the former tour Wednesday, said attorney Paul Gianelli. He was expected to manager for the 1980s rock band Great White, pleaded remain jailed overnight. guilty in 2006 to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter Manager who ignited for his part in the fire at The deadly nightclub fire Station nightclub in West War-wicfreed from five-minu- Associated Council clears way Burning falias A falla burns during the traditional Fallas festival in Valencia, Spain, on Wednesday. Every year, the people of Valencia celebrate the ancient Fallas fiesta by burning several figures in the city at midnight on the night of the feast of Saint . for provincial elections Press ' Til , FDA identifies heparin contaminant WASHINGTON The Food and Drug Administration said Bri-od- s, ii . Wednesday that it had identified a mystery ingredient that Daniel Biechele, 31, walked contaminated a type of blood thinner imported from China from the front door of Rhode Island's minimum-securit- y pris- that could have led to as many on into his lawyer's car at mid- as 19 U.S. deaths and hundreds of severe allergic reactions day and was driven away. He did not respond to questions as among frail patients. FDA Deputy Commissioner he got into the vehicle. Janet Woodcock said the His attorney, Thomas said in a statement that contaminant would not have occurred naturally in the many Biechele would not make any steps involved in processing public statements "out of rethe blood thinner heparin. spect for those people most afThat raised the possibility that fected by the fire." a counterfeit drug could be "He was a private citizen blamed in the case. before this tragedy, and he "At this moment, we don't wishes to remain so," Briody SEBASTIAN SCHEINERAssociated Press know whether it was introsaid. disduced declined or to by intentionally Briody has McCain in Israel cuss future plans for Biechele, accident," she said. Officials U.S. Senator John McCain center is escorted by security who married just before restopped short of saying they as he leaves the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in suspected the heparin to be porting to prison, but officials Jerusalem's Old City on Wednesday. Bystanders clapped and in Florida have confirmed counterfeit but indicated they cheered as McCain arrived to place a prayer between the that he would serve his parole were investigating that poscracks of the Western Wall. there. .. sibility., Osama bin CAIRO, Egypt Laden warned Europeans of a "severe" reaction to come, condemning the publication of drawings insulting to the Prophet Muhammad in a new audio message posted late Wednesday. The message, which appeared on a militant Web site statethat has carried ments in the past and bore the logo of the extremist group's media wing, showed a still image of bin Laden aiming with an assault rifle. "The response will be what you see and not what you hear, and let our mothers bereave us if we do not make victorious our messenger of God," said a voice believed to be bin Lad-en'without specifying what action would be taken. The message, bin Laden's first this year, made no mention of the fifth anniversary Wednesday of the U.S.-le- d invasion in Iraq. BUSTAM ANTE ' it sentence. Bin Laden vows 'severe' reaction for Europe r. - prison The CRANSTON', R.I. band manager whose pyrotechnics display sparked a nightclub fire that killed 100 people in 2003 was freed from prison Wednesday after serving less than half of his four-yea- r The Joseph. Associated Press protesters, wearing masks, march in front of the White Hoyse in Washington on Wednesday to mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq. Iraq FERNANDO JOSE LUIS MAGANA Iraq's presidential council dropped its objections Wednesday to a law that helps clear the way for provincial elections that are considered key to reconciling the country's ethnic and religious factions. The unexpected announce- - WORLD ment by the council, made up of the country's president and two vice presidents, follows intense lobbying by U.S. officials volleyball event was to be held enacted a measure deemed anti-gaIn Sydney in 2000, there were protests about the environment and Australian compromises needed to solidify aboriginal rights. But the Beijing Games have a recent drop in violence. generated more heat, in part Tibet protests pressures because of an array of activist groups long critical of China's Olympics sponsors and newer ones policies focused on its economic and BEIJING McDonald's, Coca-Col- a and other sponsors diplomatic clout. paid tens of millions of dollars to link their names with the Using foreign titles in Beijing Olympics. Now they're Germany has risks trying to mollify activists BERLIN Ian Baldwin is pressing for change on Tibet, director of a research institute Darfur and other issues, withat Germany's prestigious Max out angering China. Planck Society and has a PhD. They have expressed conin ecology from Cornell Univercern over Tibet. Some talk privately to Beijing organizers. sity. But the American scholar Samsung Electronics Co. called has run afoul of German police for bandying about his doctoroff a Beijing news conference ate without permission. scheduled for Friday on the He and two other Ameritorch relay. But sponsors insist they should stay out of politics. cans recently received letters "We all have to be careful notifying them that they had about how we talk about this," been charged with the crime of a Nazi-er- a "misuse of a title" said Chris Renner, president law passed in 1939 that was apfor China of sports marketing parently designed to keep forconsulting firm Helios Partners. Its clients include sponeign influence out of German academia. sors Volkswagen AG, computThe law dictates that anyone er maker Lenovo Group and with a doctorate from a formining giant BHP Billiton Ltd. The Olympics almost always eign university must get the Education Ministry's approval attract activists interested in leveraging the popular event to to use the title. Violators face fines and up to a year in jail, publicize their causes. At the 1996 Atlanta Games, although authorities say no one has been imprisoned in the sponsors faced boycott calls after a county where the beach postwar period. to make the power-sharin- g of Pakistani lawmakers are flashier New crop ISLAMABAD, Pakistan SUVs idle outside parliament. Among new female lawmakers, black Muslim veils are out and Gucci bags are in. Civilian rule has returned to Pakistan, and its politicians have come back with bling. Last month's elections ushered into parliament a new crop of business leaders and wealthy elites opposed to President Pervez n Musharraf's rule. The new body is headed by followers of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto secularists who have vowed to fight Islamic extremism. Many are also veterans of a series of civilian governments that nearly bankrupted the country in the 1990s an uneasy reminder of the graft accusations that hounded Bhutto and her husband, nicknamed "Mr. 10 Percent" for alleged kickbacks pocketed while his wife was in office. Eight years after Musharraf took over in a military coup, they're back in power, accessories and all. "It's their cars, their fash-io- a They have all the latest models," said Sana Asad, a Pakistani journalist covering parliament. "They're richer and more secular." Gold-trimm- d one-ma- |