hHonoring victims of human-rights abuses

hHonoring victimsof human-rights abuses
COLUMBUS, Ga. -- Protesters, above, carried mock coffins to honor victims of human rights abuses in Latin America during a demonstration in Columbus, Ga., on Sunday. The protesters, including young parents, veterans, retirees and college students from around the nation, listened to speeches, waved anti-war banners and marched in a solemn funeral procession carrying crosses and coffins to commemorate thousands of alleged victims of military and police abuses in Latin America.
NASA obiter is halfwayto its destination: Mars
LOS ANGELES -- A NASA spacecraft is halfway toward Mars where it is expected to collect more data on the Red Planet than all previous Martian explorations combined. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter successfully fired its six engines for 20 seconds last week to adjust its flight path in anticipation of a March arrival. It will fine-tune its trajectory two more times before it enters orbit around Mars, said Allen Halsell, deputy navigation chief at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. Once in orbit, the 2-ton spacecraft will join a trio of probes currently flying around Mars. The orbiter is loaded with some of the most sophisticated science instruments ever flown into space, including a telescopic camera that can snap the sharpest pictures yet of the planet's rust-colored surface.
Customers file complaintsagainst scooter company
MANTUA TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- A company that sells electric scooters used by senior citizens and people with disabilities is being accused of using high-pressure sales tactics and charging high interest rates. Electric Mobility Corporation, which sells Rascal scooters, signed an agreement in 2002 with the state to treat customers fairly, but has since been the target of at least 358 complaints or requests for refunds in New Jersey alone, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sunday. Consumers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Oregon and Washington have complained to officials as well, the newspaper said. The Inquirer investigation shows that some buyers felt bilked by salespeople who erroneously told them Medicare would pay for the devices. Other complaints allege that salespeople told prospective clients they could try out the scooters, but actually had them sign purchase agreements. An attorney for Electric Mobility of Sewell, N.J., says the company does not exploit, mislead or coerce customers.
Somali pirates releaseoil tanker, official says
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Somali pirates have released an oil tanker that they hijacked a month ago on its way from the United Arab Emirates to South Africa, a maritime official said Sunday. The MT San Carlo is now on its way to South Africa, said Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Program. It was not immediately clear whether a ransom was paid for the release of the Malta-registered vessel and its crew of 24, Mwangura said. Several pirate groups operate along Somalia's 1,880-mile coastline, Africa's longest. The Horn of Africa nation has had no effective government since opposition leaders ousted a dictatorship in 1991 and then turned on one another, leaving the nation of 7 million a patchwork of warlord fiefdoms. On Nov. 5, two boats of pirates attacked a luxury cruise liner. The Seabourn Spirit sped away and no passengers were injured, but one of the 161-person crew was wounded by shrapnel.
Teenager dies of injuriesfrom Jordanian hotel blast
AMMAN, Jordan -- A 19-year-old Jordanian died Sunday from a brain injury suffered in the Nov. 9 suicide bombing at the hotel where he worked, raising the death toll to 60. Ammar Shaker Judeh had been in a coma since an Iraqi suicide bomber blew himself up in the Grand Hyatt, the official Petra news agency said. Petra said Judeh, a waiter, was the eighth Hyatt employee to die in the bombing. The Grand Hyatt was one of three Amman hotels targeted by Al-Qaida's Iraqi suicide bombers. In addition to the three bombers, 60 people died.
Associated Press