Obama: Main 9/11 plotter will be convicted, executed

President Barack Obama, defending plans to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in a civilian court, predicted the accused Sept. 11 author would be convicted and executed.

And US Attorney General Eric Holder assured lawmakers that prosecutors know "failure is not an option" and that Sheikh Mohammed would not be freed even if acquitted by a jury in New York, a city still scarred by the 2001 attacks.

Obama, speaking to NBC television during a trip to Asia, said that anger and security worries over the planned civilian trial would fall away "when he's convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him."

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.sunstar.com.ph

China is `world's top polluter'

Pollution typically declines during a recession. Not this time. Despite a global economic slump, worldwide carbon dioxide pollution jumped two percent last year, most of the increase coming from China, according to a study published online Tuesday.

"The growth in emissions since 2000 is almost entirely driven by the growth in China," said study lead author Corinne Le Quere of the University of East Anglia. "It's China and India and all the developing countries together."

Man-made greenhouse gas Carbon dioxide emissions, the chief manmade greenhouse gas, come from the burning of coal, oil, natural gas, and also from the production of cement, which is a significant pollution factor in China.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.sunstar.com.ph

China censors block Obama's call to free the Web

President Barack Obama prodded China about Internet censorship and free speech, but the message was not widely heard in China where his words were blocked online and shown on only one regional television channel.

China has more than 250 million Internet users and employs some of the world's tightest controls over what they see.

The country is often criticized for its so-called "Great Firewall of China" -technology designed to prevent unwanted traffic from entering or leaving a network.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.sunstar.com.ph

United Nations summit approves new approach to hunger fight

World leaders at a food summit yesterday rallied around a new strategy to fight global hunger and help poor countries feed themselves, but failed to pledge funds sought by the United Nations.

The summit approved its final declaration during its first hours in a show of broad consensus.

Countries pledged to substantially increase aid to agriculture in developing nations, so that the world's one billion hungry can become more self-sufficient. The summit did not commit to a specific figure of $44 billion a year for agricultural aid that the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says will be necessary in the coming decades.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.sunstar.com.ph

`Bring on Floyd'

One Fan at the MGM grand said it all for everyone.

He had a poster with an "x" and reeled off Pacquiao's victims.

Oscar dela Hoya.

Ricky Hatton.

Miguel Cotto.

Then a warning.

"Floyd Mayweather, you're next."

Just a little after Pacquiao sealed his historic feat seven world titles in seven weight divisions the fans at the MGM also sent a message: "We want Floyd! We want Floyd!" The undefeated Mayweather, who unretired to face Juan Marquez last September has continually belittled Pacquiao and the Pacman's fans made it known--they want him next.

But Pacquiao, isn't taking the bite, yet.

"We will just leave it to our manager," Pacquiao said when he was asked in the post-fight interview of the prospect of facing Mayweather. "Right now, I will have a vacation and spend time with my family."

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.sunstar.com.ph/

After fire razed houses: University of the Philippines to bar use of lot

As if losing their homes to a fire Tuesday night were not enough, more than 250 residents of Barangay Lahug won't be able to rebuild their homes if the property owner makes good its plan to fence off the area.

Lahug Barangay Captain Mary Ann de los Santos received a letter yesterday from the University of the Philippines Visayas Cebu College (UPVCC) seeking the barangay's help in securing its property, upon the recommendation of its committees and in observance of university rules and policies.

The problem, however, is that the property it seeks to secure is within an area that was struck by a fire Tuesday night that left 65 families homeless.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.sunstar.com.ph

Thousands cheer 20 years since collapse of Berlin Wall

Ulrich Sauff and his wife stared at the mammoth domino pieces marking the path where the Berlin Wall once stood and reminisced about life in the barrier's shadow.

"It was like a prison," said Sauff, 73, who lived on the Western side of the wall. "For us `Wessis,' the few kilometers from our old home to our new home (in the East) was unthinkable." The Sauffs were among those who gathered on Monday to celebrate 20 years of unity, marking the day the wall came down.

Cheering crowd Thousands cheered as 1,000 colorfully-decorated dominoes along a mile-long route were top­ pled to symbolize both the moment the wall came crashing down and the resulting fall of communist governments in Eastern Europe.

To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://epaper.sunstar.com.ph