As the world turns
•A Moonie moves up
Rob Humenik at get donkey informs of us of a political appoinment in the United States that has its roots in South Korea. A former employee of an excreable excuse for a newspaper has been elevated by George. W. Bush. NBC has the story.
FOR HIS NEW Deputy of U. S. Trade, Bush has selected Josette Shiner, a longtime member of the Unification Church, whose members are sometimes derisively called “The Moonies.” Shiner was also the managing editor for Moon’s Washington Times newspaper.
. . .If appointed, Shiner will have tremendous influence over trade in Africa and Asia, including, of course, [Rev. Sun Myung] Moon’s homeland of Korea, where he has extensive business interests.
Shiner claims to have left the Unification Church, but has never repudiated its bizarre leader.
•Winnie Mandela may go to prison
In South Africa, Winnie Mandela, known as mother of the nation because of her leading role in the fight against apartheid, has been convicted of bank fraud. She and an associate are said to have diverted $120,000 from part of the African National Congress.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the former wife of Nelson Mandela, could be sentenced to 15 years in jail today after being convicted for fraud and theft in a bungled banking scam.
A Pretoria regional court yesterday found South Africa's anti-apartheid campaigner guilty of exploiting her position as head of the African National Congress's women's league to defraud a bank and dozens of ordinary people.
Though popular with the poor, Mandela has often clashed with leaders of the country, including President Thabo Mbeki. She has said the post-apartheid government has not done enough to help the millions of black South Africans living in poverty.
Mandela will be sentenced Monday.
•Toronto remains on SARS list
Canada is involved in a spat with WHO over SARS. While maintaining strong advisories against travel to other countries impacted, the government wants an advisory against travel to a Canadian city lifted.
OTTAWA (CP) — Canada has failed to persuade the World Health Organization to lift its SARS warning against travel to Toronto, despite the personal intervention of Health Minister Anne McLellan.
The [Canadian health] minister said WHO based its decision on outdated information, particularly with respect to the "export" of cases of SARS from Canada.
"The information they are operating on is at least 10 days old," she said.
Dr. Paul Gully, Health Canada's senior director general of population and public health, told a news briefing that the outdated information has to do with cases where people carried the SARS infection from Canada to other countries.
A WHO official said the Canadians seemed to be uninterested in SARS cases once they leave Canada.
The Canadian blogger at the G-Spot, Kim, is incensed.
Is there SARS in Toronto? Yes. Have people died of SARS in Toronto? Yes. Are there many people in quarantine over the outbreak of SARS? Yes. Should we be alarmed and avoid Canada's largest city? No! The World Health Organization warned travelers to stay away from Toronto if at all possible. I can't believe they would go so far as saying that without even being here to see what is going on and to see how the doctors and officials are handling this.
WHO says it has based its decision on the pertinent medical information.
