Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Homecoming delayed
MIAMI -- A girl born after just under 22 weeks in the womb -- among the shortest gestation periods known for a live birth -- will remain in a hospital a few extra days as a precaution, officials said Tuesday. Amillia Sonja Taylor, born Oct. 24 after just under 22 weeks in the womb, had been expected to be sent home from Baptist Children's Hospital on Tuesday. However, routine tests indicated she was vulnerable to infection, said Dr. Paul Fassbach, who has cared for the baby since shortly after she was born. "She has been fine," Dr. Fassbach said, but doctors are being extra cautious "now that she's going into the world."
Ruling favors filmmaker
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Michael Moore won a round Tuesday in a court battle with the brother of Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols, but the plaintiff's lawyer said she is considering whether to take the case to the Supreme Court. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Ohio sided with a Michigan-based federal judge who in 2005 threw out James Nichols' suit accusing filmmaker Moore of libel and defamation in the Oscar-winning movie "Bowling for Columbine." Nichols, a Michigan soybean farmer, contended that statements in the 2002 film could lead viewers to believe he was involved in the bombing. But a three-judge panel ruled unanimously that U.S. District Judge Paul D. Borman acted properly in rejecting the lawsuit. Borman found that Moore's statements about Nichols were "factual and substantially true."
Attacks on homeless
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- Growing numbers of the nation's homeless are falling victim to savage attacks by thrill-seeking teenagers, according to a report released Tuesday by a national advocacy group. "Incident after incident, you see groups of three or four boys who have been drinking or taking illegal substances doing [the beatings] just for kicks," said Jessica Schuler, policy analyst for the National Coalition for the Homeless. "It's very disheartening." In its annual report "Hate, Violence and Death on Main Street USA," the coalition tracks news accounts of homeless people who were beaten, raped or killed by perpetrators who are housed.
Addressing religious bias
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Justice Department is launching a program to enforce protections against religious discrimination, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced Tuesday. The First Freedom Project would increase education about religious discrimination by holding a series of training seminars throughout the country over coming months, Gonzales told leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention. Gonzales said he also plans to create a Religious Freedom Task Force, which will review policies and religious discrimination cases. He said he doesn't know how much the program will cost. "One of our most cherished freedoms ... is our religious freedom," he said. "It is a fundamental part of our nation's history."
EU targets global warming
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- European Union environment ministers agreed Tuesday on an ambitious target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 in one of the boldest moves yet to contain global warming -- a goal likely to lead to mandatory limits for cars and pollution allowances for airlines. But the goal -- to cut emissions to 20 percent below their 1990 levels -- could put a heavy burden on the EU's newest members, and it was unclear how much of the load wealthier nations would shoulder. The ministers said the target could be pushed up to 30 percent below the 1990 levels if other industrial countries sign on to a global effort. The target, which must be approved at an EU summit next month, is a critical first step in a global warming strategy that must be in place by the time the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
Senator leaves hospital
WASHINGTON -- Two months after his brain hemorrhage, South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson has left a Washington hospital and entered a private rehabilitation facility, his office said Tuesday. A spokeswoman refused to say whether the senator remained in Washington or was moved to a facility in South Dakota, citing family concerns about press scrutiny. The Democrat's Dec. 13 brain hemorrhage and subsequent surgery highlighted his party's tenuous one-seat advantage in the Senate.
Stabilizing Somalia
UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize an African Union force to help stabilize Somalia over the next six months, setting the stage for U.N. peacekeepers to take over the long-term job of bringing peace to the Horn of Africa nation. Somalia has not had a functioning government since clan-based warlords toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 and then turned on each other, sinking the poverty-stricken nation of seven million people into chaos.
Combined dispatches