Sunday 17 February 2013
A classic tale of a life made good in America
A journalist's New York reunion with a refugee from Kosovo brings back memories of time spent together in the former war zone in the late 90s.
Gusts of icy wind hustled Fifth Avenue. The outdoor rink in Bryant Park, built over the underground stacks of the grand New York Public Library, was packed with skaters - around and around they went, the artful pirouetting, the amateur clowning.
And headgear of every design - mufflers, beanies, furs, ear-protectors - bobbed along sidewalks as New Yorkers took on the first full-blown blast of winter.
A long overdue reunion made me think of the nearby Statue of Liberty and its famously inscribed assurance, the one that captures the raison d'etre not just of this city but of the entire United States of America: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
In weather as cold as this, any arrivals in New York still have a lot more huddling to do, I thought, as I waited for Adam (not his real name), stamping my feet at a set of traffic lights.
We had not really seen each other for years.
Since 1999, our only encounters had been virtual, via email initially, later Facebook.
But our experience before that had been very real and very intense. We had gone to war together.
Adam is a Kosovar Albanian. I had met him in early 1998, long before Nato military planners had taken Kosovo in their sights, when the first violence broke out between the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), and Yugoslav - that is to say Serbian - forces.
He was a final year medical student with enough English, nous and raw courage to make a fantastic gatekeeper for a foreign correspondent like me.
"Translator or fixer" does not do justice to the role played by Adam. Without him Kosovo would, for me, have remained closed.
We spent a lot of time together that summer.
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Tim Butcher in Kosovo in 1998
He smuggled me into "liberated" territory, we set up camp in Malisevo - the KLA's capital - we met the group's Amazonian women fighters and, with Adam's skill, we dodged checkpoints to reach the ancient holy places of the Serbian Orthodox Church - reliquaries and monasteries manned by bear-like monks with black beards and blacker demeanours.
And when a year later I entered Kosovo with the first Nato ground forces, it was Adam who came to my rescue. His medical skills had seen him deep in the forests stitching up wounded Kosovars and his stories added richly to my understanding.
When the circus of world news moved on, I went with it, leaving Adam behind.
A few years later he, himself, left Kosovo and joined those streaming to New York in search of a new life.
When I spotted him on the other side of Fifth Avenue he was, no surprise, greyer and more portly. Before I could consider too closely what this might make me, we had hugged and made for the warmth of a coffee shop.
There then followed two tender hours of catching up and reminiscing.
"You remember when we were in Malisevo and we watched the first game of the World Cup in that Imam's house?" Adam prompted.
"Brazil were playing but I cannot remember who against," I half remembered.
"Come on, it was Scotland. I thought you were meant to be British." Adam's sharp memory had me blushing.
Eventually, we came around to the issue of how he came to leave his homeland.
"Things got complicated after you left," he said sipping his latte. "I was working with a friend and there was a situation that led to him being shot.
"They tried to kill him but failed. I took to carrying a gun for my own protection. I had to leave for my own security."
And how was it arriving in New York City?
"Well you would be amazed how many Kosovars were already here," he said, smiling.
"Almost all of the 'Italian family restaurants' you see are really owned by Albanians, so I could get plenty of work while I studied for my medical licence.
Adam, right, pictured in Kosovo
"It was difficult at first but who has an easy ride when they arrive in New York? It was worth it because finally my family was able to join me from Pristina.
"Now I work as a psychiatrist in the public health sector over in New Jersey.
"You know what they say about Americans? They are mad enough to keep us shrinks busy forever."
The conversation moved on to those intense days of war almost 15 years back and we did what any member of the journalist tribe does when gathering after many years apart - slagging off the louder mutual acquaintances and wondering what ever happened to the quiet ones.
But as we left the shop and Adam, without even blinking, paid the exorbitant $40 charge for parking his car in Manhattan for only two hours, I thought about the alchemical power of America.
The Adam I had first known had been a quiet, bookish student from the backwoods of the Balkans. Now he was a healthcare professional in one of the most advanced societies on the planet - quite some transformation for someone who simply "yearned to breathe free".
Friday 15 February 2013
Meteorite Shower Hits Russia Injuring Over 900
More than 900 people have been injured after a meteor strike in central Russia, the country's interior ministry said.
Fragments of at least one meteorite - the weight of a double-decker bus - were seen falling from the sky in the Chelyabinsk region at around 9am local time, around 1,500km east of Moscow.
A regional governor said 950 people have been injured. Russia's Ministry of Emergencies said at least 82 children were hurt and 34 adults and 12 children were being treated in hospital. Two people are in intensive care.
Many were hurt by flying glass as windows were blown in. Witnesses described feeling a pressure wave and hearing explosions overhead as the object hurtled to earth.
The Russian Academy of Sciences estimates the meteor weighed about 10 tonnes and entered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of at least 33,000mph (54,000kph) - 15 times the speed of a rifle bullet - and shattered up to 32 miles (50km) above ground.
Meteors typically cause sizeable sonic booms when they enter the atmosphere because they are travelling much faster than the speed of sound.
The defence ministry said it had identified a six metre crater near a lake in this region and has sent soldiers to the site of the impact.
The emergencies ministry said that 20,000 rescue workers had been dispatched to help the injured and locate those needing help.
Resident Anna Pinkus told she saw a bright light outside her window and then heard three explosions.
"It was a very loud sound. After that our windows began to shatter and shiver so it was very terrifying. First we thought it was a plane crash."
Planetary scientist Professor Ian Crawford of Birkbeck University said this was an unusual case as meteorite hits rarely cause any damage.
"Several times a year meteorites are observed to fall on the earth's surface but damage to people or property is very unusual - there are only several recorded cases of buildings being hit by meteorites."
Describing the course of the meteorite he said: "I think it's very likely that it would have been a larger lump of rock that broke up in the earth's atmosphere – this is usually what happens.
"The rock comes in from space and hits the earth's atmosphere. That decelerates it and puts a lot of stress on it. Then it's likely to fragment into lots of pieces."
The local office of the National Emergencies Ministry said in a statement: "A meteorite disintegrated above the Urals (mountain range in central Russia), partially burning up in the lower atmosphere.
"Fragments of the meteorite reached Earth, falling in sparsely populated areas in the Chelyabinsk region."
Many drivers in Russia have video recorders fitted in their cars in case of accidents or disputes with traffic police. Footage from these uploaded to YouTube show the fireball crashing to the ground.
There were reports of traffic in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk grinding to a halt and people seeking shelter in buildings as the fireballs lit up the sky.
The emergencies ministry confirmed the mobile phone network was temporarily cut. Schools were closed for the day across the region after the impact blew out windows.
The meteor hit less than a day before the asteroid 2012 DA14 is to make the closest recorded pass of an asteroid to the Earth - about 17,150 miles (28,000km). But the European Space Agency in a tweet said its experts had determined there was no connection.
The Chelyabinsk region is Russia's industrial heartland, home to many factories and other huge facilities that include a nuclear power plant and the Mayak atomic waste storage and treatment centre.
A spokesman for Rosatom, the Russian nuclear energy state corporation, said that its operations remained unaffected.
"All Rosatom enterprises located in the Urals region - including the Mayak complex - are working as normal," said a Rosatom spokesman.
Thursday 14 February 2013
Disabled Cruise Ship Setback: Tow Line Snaps
A week-long holiday nightmare at sea suffers another setback as a tow line pulling the wayward vessel back to port snaps.
The crippled cruise ship slowly making its way back to land suffered another setback when a tow line snapped, briefly setting the vessel adrift once again.
Passengers on board the Carnival Triumph have described overflowing toilets, sewage backed up in showers, scarce food and people getting sick, bringing the scene into sharper focus after a week at sea.
Passengers were expected to make it to shore Thursday - only to then face an hours-long bus ride or other travel hassles to finally get back home.
Frustrations with the cruise line were simmering on and off the ship, as passengers and their relatives questioned why it has taken so long to get back to dry land after an engine-room fire disabled the ship on Sunday.
“There’s poop and urine all along the floor,” Renee Shanar, of Houston, said from her mobile phone aboard the ship. “The floor is flooded with sewer water … and we had to poop in bags.”
The ship was in sight of the Alabama shore on Thursday afternoon when the tow line broke. Coast Guard crews managed to reconnect the line, but it was still expected to take several hours before the ship makes port in Mobile.
The 14-storey ship – carrying more than 4,200 passengers and crew – still has to negotiate a tricky shipping channel before it can dock. Before the line broke, the ship was travelling about 5 mph (8kph).
Ms Shanar, who is on the ship with her husband, said the couple had a cabin with no windows, so they have been sleeping outside for days. She said food has been distributed on the ninth floor, and some of the elderly have needed younger people to bring it to them.
They were initially only given cold cuts, like turkey and vegetable sandwiches. Then another cruise line dropped off hamburgers and chicken sandwiches, but the line for that fare was nearly four hours long.
“And then people started getting sick from the food,” she said.
The company has disputed the accounts of passengers who describe the ship as filthy, saying employees are doing everything to ensure people are comfortable.
Terry Thornton, senior vice president for Carnival Cruise Lines, said they received an extra generator that allowed them to serve hot food on the ship Wednesday night, and that food services will be fully operational by the time they dock.
When passengers arrive in Alabama, they will be given the option of boarding buses directly to Galveston, Texas, or Houston – a roughly seven-hour drive – or taking a two-hour bus ride to New Orleans, where the company said it booked 1,500 hotel rooms.
Those staying in New Orleans will be flown on Friday to Houston. Carnival said it will cover all the transportation costs.
“I can’t imagine being on that ship this morning and then getting on a bus,” said Kirk Hill, whose 30-year-old daughter, Kalin Christine Hill, is on the cruise. “If I hit land in Mobile, you’d have a hard time getting me on a bus.”
Thelbert Lanier was waiting at the Mobile port for his wife, who sent him a text message from the ship early Thursday.
His wife wrote: “Room smells like an outhouse. Cold water only, toilets haven’t work in 3 1/2 days. Happy Valentines Day!!! I love u & wish I was there.”
Robert Giordano, whose 33-year-old wife Shannon is aboard the cruise liner with a group of friends from Edmond, Oklahoma, said he has yet to speak to someone at Carnival.
All his information has come through pre-recorded phone calls, the most recent one Wednesday when he was told the ship would “probably” arrive in Mobile late on Thursday or early Friday. He found out more, he said, when NBC’s Today show called him.
Mr Giordano said: “That’s the biggest frustration for me now is that the media knows more than the family members do and certainly more than the passengers do on the ship.”
Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said the company has tried to keep families updated and established a free hotline number for friends and relatives. He said about 200 Carnival employees are in Mobile waiting to assist passengers upon their arrival.
The ship left Galveston for a four-day cruise last Thursday. The vessel was about 150 miles (240 km) off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula when an engine room fire knocked out its primarypower source, crippling its water and plumbing systems and leaving it adrift on only backup power.
No one was injured in the fire, but a passenger with a pre-existing medical condition was taken off the ship as a precaution. The National Transportation Safety Board said it has opened an investigation into the cause.
The ship, which had been plagued by other mechanical problems in recent weeks, will be kept for several months.
You Can Bypass the iOS 6.1 Lockcode Screen With This Simple Technique
Let’s just say iOS 6.1 hasn’t been Apple’s finest hour. So far it’s been plagued with connection issues, battery woes, and now it’s totally insecure. You can simply bypass any lockcode on an iPhone using a pretty straightforward sequence of button presses. Oh Apple, what the hell happened here?
I have no idea how one would actually figure this out in the first place, but the instructions are pretty simple not that they’ve gone through all the effort. First you have to pretend to turn the phone off, then make an aborted emergency call, then a quick bit of off button and cancel pressing. That boots you into the full phone app where you can pretty much call or message anyone you like. Or in fact, change someone’s contact details to confuse the hell out of them.
Oscar Pistorius Charged Over Girlfriend Murder
The track star is accused of killing his girlfriend as police confirm previous "allegations of a domestic nature" at his home.
Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, right, leaves the Boshkop police station on February 14 to be taken into police custody, after allegedly shooting dead his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
The world famous Paralympian emerged wearing a grey hooded jacket covering most of his face.
The FHM model was killed in Pistorius' home.
In earlier tweets, Miss Steenkamp's excitement about Valentine's Day with Pistorius was clear.
She had been dating the athlete since November.
Miss Steenkamp grew up in Port Elizabeth, where she studied law, but later moved to Johannesburg after signing a deal with cosmetics company Avon.
Miss Steenkamp was an entrepreneur who had said she was committed to empowering women.
She was due to give an inspirational talk at a school in Johannesburg.
Pistorius poses with a South African national flag after winning gold in the men's 400m T44 at the London 2012 Paralympic Games on September 8, 2012.
Pistorius wins the 200m T44 for Men at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games on September 21, 2004 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece.
Pistorius poses with his artificial leg on Italian TV state channel Rai 1, on January 29, in Rome.
Pistorius arriving at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, where he won an appeal on May 16, 2008.
Pistorius waves as he celebrates winning gold in the final of the 100m T44 during the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games on September 9, 2008.
Miss Steenkamp was one of FHM magazine's 100 Sexiest Women in the World for two consecutive years.
Pistorius poses with his medals during day eight of the IPC Athletics Championships at QEII Park on January 29, 2011 in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Pistorius starts the men's 400m event during the Gugl track and field meeting on August 20, 2012 in Linz.
Pistorius crosses the line to win gold in the men's 400m T44 final at the London 2012 Paralympic Games on September 8, 2012.
Pistorius poses on the podium with his gold medal after winning the men's 400m T44 final.
Pistorius meets fans and signs autographs during the South African Paralympic team arrival on September 11, 2012 in Johannesburg.
Pistorius and Michael Phelps after they both lose their ball during the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on October 5, 2012 in Kingsbarns, Scotland.
Pistorius on the fourth hole during the third round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on October 6, 2012 in St Andrews, Scotland.
Pistorius holds his scroll after receiveing his honorary doctorate from Strathclyde University, Glasgow, on November 12, 2012.
Gallery: Oscar Pistorius Charged With Murder
Paralympic and Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting dead his girlfriend at his home in South Africa.
The body of Reeva Steenkamp, a top South African model, was discovered at the athlete's home in the Silver Woods gated community in eastern Pretoria.
She had been shot four times. A 9mm pistol was found at the scene.
Initial reports in the South African media suggested Miss Steenkamp was apparently shot as she woke him, trying to surprise him on Valentine's Day, and was mistaken for an intruder.
But police later said the shooting was being treated as a murder and that they were "very surprised" by those reports, which they said did not come from them.
Brigadier Denise Beukes confirmed the couple were alone in the house at the time of the shooting and there was no sign of forced entry.
"I can't confirm that it's related to the person that's arrested but I can confirm there has previously been incidents at the home of Mr Oscar Pistorius," she said, saying that there were "allegations of a domestic nature".
"There are witnesses and they have been interviewed this morning," she said. "We are talking about neighbours and people that heard things earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place."
Pistorius was arrested on Thursday morning and taken to hospital for a medical examination.
He emerged from a police station after questioning, flanked by plain-clothed officers and wearing a hooded jacket covering most of his face.
The athlete requested an immediate appearance at Pretoria Magistrate's Court, but prosecutors said this had been delayed until Friday morning to give forensic officers more time.
Police said they would be opposing bail when he appears in court.
The 26-year-old is alleged to have shot his 30-year-old model girlfriend in the head and upper body. She died at the scene.
Paramedics were called to his home between 4am and 5am local time on Thursday.
The couple are believed to have started dating in November.
Her uncle, Mike Steenkamp, told reporters her family was "devastated" that her life had been cut short.
Miss Steenkamp's publicist, Sarit Tomlinson, described her as "the sweetest human being" and "a talented and bright young girl", adding that the couple had a "healthy, fabulous relationship".
Miss Steenkamp, a law graduate from Port Elizabeth who had posed in men's magazine FHM, was active on Twitter the day before.
She tweeted: "What do you have up your sleeve for your love tomorrow??? #getexcited #ValentinesDay"
In response to someone else's plans, she said: "That sounds amazing! Wow that's what it's all about! It should be a day of love for everyone :) may it be blessed!"
She was due to give a talk at a school in Johannesburg just hours after her body was found, and to star in South African reality TV series Tropika Island of Treasure at the weekend, in which celebrities and ordinary people are tasked with daily challenges in remote, exotic locations.
Photos of the model appeared in newspapers at the weekend, when she described Pistorius as an impeccable man who always had her best interests at heart.
The Johannesburg-born athlete, known as the Blade Runner because of the carbon fibre blades he uses on the track, made history in 2012 when he became the first amputee to compete in the Olympics.
In the Paralympics, he won gold in the 400m and another in the 4x400m relay.
Both of his legs were amputated below the knee just before his first birthday because of a congenital condition.
Last year Time Magazine named him as one of the world's 100 most influential people.
Pistorius, like many fellow South Africans, appeared to have serious concerns about his safety, and reportedly kept a revolver at his bedside and a machine gun by his window, as well as a cricket bat and baseball bat behind his bedroom door.
South Africa has some of the world's highest rates of violent crime with an average of nearly 50 people murdered each day. According to statistics, nearly 13 in every 100 people in the country own a gun.
Silver Woods is a high security complex with a three-metre-high wall, electric fence, a guarded entrance and regular patrols.
South Africa's M-Net cable TV channel said it was pulling an advertising campaign featuring Pistorius with immediate effect.
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