Justice returns to bench

Justice returns to bench

WASHINGTON — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg returned to the Supreme Court bench Monday with a wide smile and a long list of questions for the lawyers appearing before her, resuming her duties less than three weeks after surgery for pancreatic cancer.

Ginsburg, who will turn 76 next month, smiled broadly as she walked into the courtroom with her eight male colleagues and turned slightly to look directly at reporters who chronicled her Feb. 5 surgery and diagnosis of early-stage cancer.

Justice Ginsburg underwent surgery at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York after a January CT scan revealed a 1-centimeter lesion in her pancreas. That tumor turned out to be benign, but surgeons removed another, smaller tumor and her spleen.

The small tumor was diagnosed as Stage 1 cancer, and doctors said it had not spread to lymph nodes or other parts of her body.

N. Korea announces launch

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea says it is preparing to launch a satellite — in a reference to what neighboring countries believe is an imminent test of a long-range missile.

The North’s space technology agency said today that full-fledged preparations are under way to launch satellite “Kwangmyongsong No. 2” at Hwadae in the country’s northeast, Pyongyang’s clearest reference yet to an approaching launch.

Hwadae is widely believed to be the launch site for the North’s longest-range Taepodong-2 missile.

Restitution for porn victim

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A federal judge on Monday ordered a man convicted of possessing and distributing child pornography to pay about $200,000 in restitution to a woman who was photographed being sexually abused when she was a child.

Senior U.S. District Judge Warren W. Eginton said his ruling was the first in a criminal case in which someone convicted of possessing illegal images — but not creating them — is required to pay restitution.

The case involves Alan Hesketh, a British citizen who was sentenced in October to 78 months in prison for possessing and distributing nearly 2,000 photographs of child pornography.

Pictures of the victim as a child being subjected to sexual abuse turned up in Hesketh’s collection, according to prosecutors.

Vending machine debate

ROME — The mayor of Venice says it’s a good business deal. But bar owners and the media are criticizing his plan to install Coca-Cola vending machines in their world famous city of gondolas, masked street performers and flooded streets.

“Coca-Cola drinks up Venice,” La Stampa newspaper said in its online edition Monday. La Stampa said the five-year deal is worth $2.69 million.

Venice’s City Hall confirmed the report. It said the deal has not been signed yet and that the vending machines would not be installed in or near city landmarks such as St. Mark’s Square or the Rialto Bridge.

But in central Venice, where vending machines are uncommon, the deal envisages 38 of them selling Coke drinks at 14 stops used by water buses, city hall said. Four others will be installed near public restrooms in the Royal Gardens public park, and others inside unspecified buildings.

Teens into volunteering

SEATTLE — American teens are setting an example for their parents through their volunteer work, according to a new poll by Harris Interactive.

The random national telephone survey released this week by the Federal Way-based charity World Vision found that more teens volunteer to support a charitable cause — 56 percent — than have a part-time job — 39 percent.

Parents and guardians said 82 percent of the teens in their lives do something to support charitable causes, including volunteering, recruiting others to a cause, wearing a button or T-shirt or donating money.

Forty-six percent of the adults surveyed said they volunteer their time, but they also take credit for inspiring their children to volunteer.

The Harris Interactive poll was conducted in the United States between Jan. 29 and Feb. 2 among 2,003 adults.

Record price for Matisse

PARIS — A painting by Henri Matisse sold Monday for $41.1 million — a record auction price for a work by the artist — at an art sale from the estate of Yves Saint Laurent, Christie’s said.

The sale came at the start of a three-day Paris auction of art from the collection of the late French fashion designer that some are calling “the sale of the century.”

Combined dispatches