PBS May 12, 2008 MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour
The Supreme Court today allowed apartheid victims in South Africa to sue American corporations. The court declined to intervene when four of the nine justices recused themselves. They own stock or have relatives working in the
affected companies.
More than 50 American companies are accused of violating international law by assisting South Africa's former apartheid government.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/news_summaries/2008/05/summary_12.html
Musicians Dominic Dolor (l. to r.), James Cannings and Peter Antonio jam during a fund-raiser Sunday for Fresh Meadows resident Charles Buckley, who donated a kidney to his brother-in-law, Yuri Poonwah. Photo by Jeremy Walsh
The Fresh Meadows man whose donated kidney saved his brother-in-law's life got a little gift from the community Sunday to help with living expenses.
Charles Buckley sat quietly in the back of the
American Martyrs Church basement in Bayside while a magician, a reggae artist, a soulful keyboardist and a stand-up comedian entertained the crowd that paid to help him get back on his feet.
"When I heard my husband say, 'I've
finally found my perfect match,' I had no idea he would mean my brother," joked Buckley's sister, Flo Michaels, who emceed and sang at the event.
The family raised $3,000 to pay Buckley's rent and other living expenses until he
can go back to work, short of the $8,000 they hoped to bring in.
It wasn't a big, big turnout as we expected, because it was a really nice day outside," Michaels said Tuesday. "It was a lot of work, but it was a labor of love and definitely worth it."
Fresh Meadows Times
By Jeremy Walsh Thursday, July 17, 2008 3:44 PM EDT
BBC NEWS | Africa | Human cost of mining in DR Congo Minerals that produce cell phones etc
They put their guns on my chest and said: 'Don't talk, don't cry, don't complain'… then they started to rape me," she said. The perpetrators were not the feared militia of the FDLR, who are currently the focus of a major military operation in South Kivu. They were from the FARDC - the National Army that now controls this area in eastern DRC.
It is an area carpeted with minerals such as coltan and cassiterite, which are used in the production of consumer durables and gadgets sold in the rich world.
Comment - Colton is mineral used to make cell phones
But people are now beginning to ask: What is the human cost of a mobile phone?
Global electronics and metals giants now face uncomfortable questions: Are they inadvertently fuelling the conflict in eastern Congo? Are they buttressing a market by sourcing supplies from militarised zones (a practice that is not illegal but ethically questionable)?
Read Full Article http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8234583.stm
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