World/Nation Briefs 6.12.2012
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
MOSCOW (AP) — Tens of thousands of Russians flocked Tuesday to the first massive protest against President Vladimir Putin’s rule since his inauguration, as investigators summoned several key opposition figures for questioning in an apparent bid to defuse the rally just hours its start.
The interrogation session would make it hard, if not impossible, for activist leaders to appear at the rally, and it follows searches of their apartments Monday widely described as a crude attempt by the government to derail the protest.
Leftist politician Sergei Udaltsov snubbed the summons, saying on Twitter that he considers it his duty to lead the protest as one of its organizers. He may now be arrested.
Also called for interrogation were anti-corruption blogger Alexai Navaly, liberal activist Ilya Yashin and TV host Ksenia Sobchak.
Braving a brief thunderstorm, protesters showed up on the iconic Pushkin Square ahead of the planned march and their number grew as they began marching down a tree-lined boulevard to an avenue where the rally is to be held.
———
Up against younger rival, Venezuela’s Chavez exhibits energy as he launches re-election bid
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez sang, danced and gave a marathon speech at the launch of his re-election bid, offering a preview of a campaign in which he is likely to push his limits trying to show Venezuelans he is emerging from cancer’s shadow.
Chavez appeared tired, bloated and pale when he walked into the National Electoral Council to register his candidacy Monday. But later he exuded energy while singing along with a band playing a folk tune, and he seemed in his element as he delivered a fiery speech that lasted nearly three hours.
‘‘We’re just warming up our engines,’’ Chavez said.
Then he took a jab at his rival, saying opposition candidate Henrique Capriles would ‘‘run out of gasoline.’’
The 57-year-old president has limited his recent public appearances after undergoing cancer treatment in Cuba, and he arrived at the elections office riding atop a truck.
———
Commerce Secretary Bryson to take leave of absence after suffering seizure, traffic accidents
WASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary John Bryson said Monday he will take a medical leave of absence to undergo tests and evaluations after suffering a seizure in connection with a succession of traffic accidents in the Los Angeles area.
Bryson informed President Barack Obama that he was taking a medical leave ‘‘so that I can focus all of my attention on resolving the health issues that arose over the weekend,’’ according to a statement released by the department. Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank will serve as acting commerce secretary in Bryson’s absence.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement that Obama’s thoughts were with Bryson and his family.
The 68-year-old former utility executive struck a car stopped for a train — twice — on Saturday afternoon and then rammed into another vehicle with his car a few minutes later. He was found unconscious in his vehicle, and government officials said Monday he had had a seizure, which could play a role in whether he’s charged with felony hit-and-run.
It wasn’t clear whether the medical episode preceded or followed the collisions, but Bryson hasn’t suffered a seizure before, said a department official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secretary’s medical history. Bryson has a ‘‘limited recall of the events,’’ the official said.
———
Australian coroner says dingo took baby in notorious 1980 Outback case where mom once blamed
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australians have overwhelmingly welcomed the final chapter of a mystery that has captivated the nation for 32 years: Did a dingo really take a baby that vanished from an Outback campsite in 1980?
A nation that was once bitterly divided on whether baby Azaria Chamberlain had been dragged away by a wild dog or murdered by her mother now largely agrees that the parents deserve the vindication a coroner’s court provided Tuesday.
A day after Azaria Chamberlain would have turned 32, a coroner found that a dingo had taken her as a 9-week-old baby from a tent near Ayers Rock, the red monolith in the Australian desert now known by its Aboriginal name Uluru. That is what her parents had maintained from the beginning.
The eyes of Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton and her ex-husband, Michael Chamberlain, welled with tears as the findings of the fourth inquest into their daughter’s disappearance were broadcast from a courtroom in the northern city of Darwin to televisions around Australia.
The first inquest in 1981 had also blamed a dingo. But a second inquest a year later charged Chamberlain-Creighton with murder and her husband with being an accessory after the fact. She was convicted and served more than three years in prison before that decision was overturned.
———
Penn State trial opens with first accuser’s account of alleged abuse at Sandusky’s hands
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — The first witness to take the stand against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky said he regretted having kept the alleged sexual abuse a secret, and feels guilty because of the other boys that prosecutors say were victimized after him.
Called Victim 4 in court papers but identified by his name in court, he told jurors Monday that the 68-year-old Sandusky molested him in the locker room showers and in hotels while trying to ensure his silence with gifts and trips. He was the first of as many as eight young men who may take the stand.
The 28-year-old says Sandusky sent him ‘‘creepy love letters’’ and treated him like a son in public, but like a girlfriend in private.
‘‘I’ve spent, you know, so many years burying this in the back of my head forever,’’ he told the jury. ‘‘I thought I was the only person ... then I find out that this has happened over and over and over again, forever, and I feel if I just would have said something back then, they would not have had this happen to them. So I feel responsible for ... other victims.’’
Victim 4 discussed notes from Sandusky as well as a series of contract-like documents in which he promised to reach certain life goals, such as studying or playing sports, in return for which Sandusky would provide him money for his post high school education.
———
Nation’s biggest insurers will keep parts health care law regardless of Supreme Court ruling
Some of the nation’s biggest health insurers will keep some popular parts of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul even if the law fails to survive Supreme Court scrutiny later this month.
UnitedHealth Group, Humana and Aetna all said Monday that they will continue to cover preventive care such as immunizations and screenings without requiring patients to pay a set fee called a co-payment.
They also said they’d still cover adult children up to age 26 through their parents’ insurance plans. Additionally, they all pledged to continue to offer a simple process for patients who want to appeal when their health insurance claims have been denied.
WellPoint, the nation’s second largest insurer behind UnitedHealth, said it will announce its plans after the Supreme Court’s ruling. The company runs Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in several states.
The announcements come after insurers initially fought to block passage of the overhaul, which aims to provide coverage for millions of uninsured people. Challenges from states and other groups opposed to the law, which was passed in 2010, made their way to the Supreme Court. Justices are expected to rule later this month on whether to uphold the law or strike down parts or all of it.
———
NBA Finals questions: Will LeBron get his ring? Will Durant deny him? Who has the edge?
The season started with 30 teams, got whittled down to 16 and now there are two — the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder, set to begin the NBA finals on Tuesday night.
LeBron James in his third finals. Kevin Durant in his first. One superstar set to get his first ring.
It has the makings of a classic. So with Game 1 on tap, here’s 10 questions and answers about this title matchup:
———
WHO’S BETTER, JAMES OR DURANT? Flip a coin. Kevin Durant is a three-time scoring champion. LeBron James is a three-time MVP. And this series probably won’t decide if one individual player is better than the other, either. They’ll be matched up against each other at times in this series, and everyone wants to see the 1-on-1 fireworks. Sounds like the only people not wrapped up in the whole KD vs. LBJ matchup are, well, KD and LBJ. ‘‘It’s the Thunder vs. the Heat,’’ Durant said.
———
LA fans get a taste from the Stanley Cup as Kings give city 1st NHL title
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Move over, Lakers and Dodgers. Step aside, Trojans and Bruins. For now, hockey is King for LA fans.
Los Angeles got its first chance to celebrate a Stanley Cup on Monday night as people decked in black, purple and ear-to-ear grins partied outside Staples Center and across the city following the Kings’ 6-1 victory Monday over the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 to clinch the series.
‘‘It’s a hockey town now!’’ said Kings fan Kate Byrne Haltom, who has long been a hockey fan but didn’t have much company in Southern California.
Lifelong Kings fan Andrew Gonzales, 21, was a bundle of tears and screams in the streets as he reveled with friends on Figueroa Street outside Staples on a night he thought might never come.
‘‘It’s been 14 years I’ve been a fan, I started when I was 6, I’ve been to over 200 games,’’ said Gonzales. ‘‘It’s the happiest day of my life. I could die. Yeeaaah!’’
———
Watch your language! Mass. town approves $20 fine for public cursing; loud profanity targeted
MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Residents in Middleborough have voted to make the foul-mouthed among them pay fines for swearing in public.
At a town meeting Monday night, residents voted 183-50 to approve a proposal from the police chief to impose a $20 fine on public profanity.
Officials insist the proposal was not intended to censor casual or private conversations, but instead to crack down on loud, profanity-laden language used by teens and other young people in the downtown area and public parks.
I’m really happy about it,’’ Mimi Duphily, a store owner and former town selectwoman, said after the vote. ‘‘I’m sure there’s going to be some fallout, but I think what we did was necessary.’’
The measure could raise questions about First Amendment rights, but state law does allow towns to enforce local laws that give police the power to arrest anyone who ‘‘addresses another person with profane or obscene language’’ in a public place.
———
Fans of Justin Bieber crowd onto Mexico City’s centuries-old main plaza for free concert
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Thousands of ‘‘tween’’ girls jammed a vast square with their parents and screamed in unison throughout teen superstar Justin Bieber’s free concert Monday night, an event that was expected to draw 200,000 people to the historic center of Mexico’s capital.
Bieber opened with his hit song ‘‘Baby,’’ while his adoring fans filling the city’s main plaza sang along or shouted ‘‘Justin! Justin! Justin!’’
‘‘Mexico City, there is a lot of people today!’’ Bieber told the crowd. ‘‘Every one of you is my biggest fan.’’
Dressed in white jeans and a gray sweatshirt that he took off to reveal a white T-shirt, the singer wore neon yellow tennis shoes and was accompanied by five dancers in neon colors. Four giant screens showed parts of his music videos to the crowd of mainly girls and their parents, who braved a light, intermittent rain during the concert.
The crowd went wild when Bieber asked a fan onto the stage, gave her a bouquet of flowers and sang ‘‘One Less Lonely Girl’’ into her ear. The girl didn’t stop crying.
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MOSCOW (AP) — Tens of thousands of Russians flocked Tuesday to the first massive protest against President Vladimir Putin’s rule since his inauguration, as investigators summoned several key opposition figures for questioning in an apparent bid to defuse the rally just hours its start.
The interrogation session would make it hard, if not impossible, for activist leaders to appear at the rally, and it follows searches of their apartments Monday widely described as a crude attempt by the government to derail the protest.
Leftist politician Sergei Udaltsov snubbed the summons, saying on Twitter that he considers it his duty to lead the protest as one of its organizers. He may now be arrested.
Also called for interrogation were anti-corruption blogger Alexai Navaly, liberal activist Ilya Yashin and TV host Ksenia Sobchak.
Braving a brief thunderstorm, protesters showed up on the iconic Pushkin Square ahead of the planned march and their number grew as they began marching down a tree-lined boulevard to an avenue where the rally is to be held.
———
Up against younger rival, Venezuela’s Chavez exhibits energy as he launches re-election bid
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez sang, danced and gave a marathon speech at the launch of his re-election bid, offering a preview of a campaign in which he is likely to push his limits trying to show Venezuelans he is emerging from cancer’s shadow.
Chavez appeared tired, bloated and pale when he walked into the National Electoral Council to register his candidacy Monday. But later he exuded energy while singing along with a band playing a folk tune, and he seemed in his element as he delivered a fiery speech that lasted nearly three hours.
‘‘We’re just warming up our engines,’’ Chavez said.
Then he took a jab at his rival, saying opposition candidate Henrique Capriles would ‘‘run out of gasoline.’’
The 57-year-old president has limited his recent public appearances after undergoing cancer treatment in Cuba, and he arrived at the elections office riding atop a truck.
———
Commerce Secretary Bryson to take leave of absence after suffering seizure, traffic accidents
WASHINGTON (AP) — Commerce Secretary John Bryson said Monday he will take a medical leave of absence to undergo tests and evaluations after suffering a seizure in connection with a succession of traffic accidents in the Los Angeles area.
Bryson informed President Barack Obama that he was taking a medical leave ‘‘so that I can focus all of my attention on resolving the health issues that arose over the weekend,’’ according to a statement released by the department. Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank will serve as acting commerce secretary in Bryson’s absence.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a statement that Obama’s thoughts were with Bryson and his family.
The 68-year-old former utility executive struck a car stopped for a train — twice — on Saturday afternoon and then rammed into another vehicle with his car a few minutes later. He was found unconscious in his vehicle, and government officials said Monday he had had a seizure, which could play a role in whether he’s charged with felony hit-and-run.
It wasn’t clear whether the medical episode preceded or followed the collisions, but Bryson hasn’t suffered a seizure before, said a department official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secretary’s medical history. Bryson has a ‘‘limited recall of the events,’’ the official said.
———
Australian coroner says dingo took baby in notorious 1980 Outback case where mom once blamed
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australians have overwhelmingly welcomed the final chapter of a mystery that has captivated the nation for 32 years: Did a dingo really take a baby that vanished from an Outback campsite in 1980?
A nation that was once bitterly divided on whether baby Azaria Chamberlain had been dragged away by a wild dog or murdered by her mother now largely agrees that the parents deserve the vindication a coroner’s court provided Tuesday.
A day after Azaria Chamberlain would have turned 32, a coroner found that a dingo had taken her as a 9-week-old baby from a tent near Ayers Rock, the red monolith in the Australian desert now known by its Aboriginal name Uluru. That is what her parents had maintained from the beginning.
The eyes of Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton and her ex-husband, Michael Chamberlain, welled with tears as the findings of the fourth inquest into their daughter’s disappearance were broadcast from a courtroom in the northern city of Darwin to televisions around Australia.
The first inquest in 1981 had also blamed a dingo. But a second inquest a year later charged Chamberlain-Creighton with murder and her husband with being an accessory after the fact. She was convicted and served more than three years in prison before that decision was overturned.
———
Penn State trial opens with first accuser’s account of alleged abuse at Sandusky’s hands
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — The first witness to take the stand against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky said he regretted having kept the alleged sexual abuse a secret, and feels guilty because of the other boys that prosecutors say were victimized after him.
Called Victim 4 in court papers but identified by his name in court, he told jurors Monday that the 68-year-old Sandusky molested him in the locker room showers and in hotels while trying to ensure his silence with gifts and trips. He was the first of as many as eight young men who may take the stand.
The 28-year-old says Sandusky sent him ‘‘creepy love letters’’ and treated him like a son in public, but like a girlfriend in private.
‘‘I’ve spent, you know, so many years burying this in the back of my head forever,’’ he told the jury. ‘‘I thought I was the only person ... then I find out that this has happened over and over and over again, forever, and I feel if I just would have said something back then, they would not have had this happen to them. So I feel responsible for ... other victims.’’
Victim 4 discussed notes from Sandusky as well as a series of contract-like documents in which he promised to reach certain life goals, such as studying or playing sports, in return for which Sandusky would provide him money for his post high school education.
———
Nation’s biggest insurers will keep parts health care law regardless of Supreme Court ruling
Some of the nation’s biggest health insurers will keep some popular parts of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul even if the law fails to survive Supreme Court scrutiny later this month.
UnitedHealth Group, Humana and Aetna all said Monday that they will continue to cover preventive care such as immunizations and screenings without requiring patients to pay a set fee called a co-payment.
They also said they’d still cover adult children up to age 26 through their parents’ insurance plans. Additionally, they all pledged to continue to offer a simple process for patients who want to appeal when their health insurance claims have been denied.
WellPoint, the nation’s second largest insurer behind UnitedHealth, said it will announce its plans after the Supreme Court’s ruling. The company runs Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in several states.
The announcements come after insurers initially fought to block passage of the overhaul, which aims to provide coverage for millions of uninsured people. Challenges from states and other groups opposed to the law, which was passed in 2010, made their way to the Supreme Court. Justices are expected to rule later this month on whether to uphold the law or strike down parts or all of it.
———
NBA Finals questions: Will LeBron get his ring? Will Durant deny him? Who has the edge?
The season started with 30 teams, got whittled down to 16 and now there are two — the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder, set to begin the NBA finals on Tuesday night.
LeBron James in his third finals. Kevin Durant in his first. One superstar set to get his first ring.
It has the makings of a classic. So with Game 1 on tap, here’s 10 questions and answers about this title matchup:
———
WHO’S BETTER, JAMES OR DURANT? Flip a coin. Kevin Durant is a three-time scoring champion. LeBron James is a three-time MVP. And this series probably won’t decide if one individual player is better than the other, either. They’ll be matched up against each other at times in this series, and everyone wants to see the 1-on-1 fireworks. Sounds like the only people not wrapped up in the whole KD vs. LBJ matchup are, well, KD and LBJ. ‘‘It’s the Thunder vs. the Heat,’’ Durant said.
———
LA fans get a taste from the Stanley Cup as Kings give city 1st NHL title
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Move over, Lakers and Dodgers. Step aside, Trojans and Bruins. For now, hockey is King for LA fans.
Los Angeles got its first chance to celebrate a Stanley Cup on Monday night as people decked in black, purple and ear-to-ear grins partied outside Staples Center and across the city following the Kings’ 6-1 victory Monday over the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 to clinch the series.
‘‘It’s a hockey town now!’’ said Kings fan Kate Byrne Haltom, who has long been a hockey fan but didn’t have much company in Southern California.
Lifelong Kings fan Andrew Gonzales, 21, was a bundle of tears and screams in the streets as he reveled with friends on Figueroa Street outside Staples on a night he thought might never come.
‘‘It’s been 14 years I’ve been a fan, I started when I was 6, I’ve been to over 200 games,’’ said Gonzales. ‘‘It’s the happiest day of my life. I could die. Yeeaaah!’’
———
Watch your language! Mass. town approves $20 fine for public cursing; loud profanity targeted
MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Residents in Middleborough have voted to make the foul-mouthed among them pay fines for swearing in public.
At a town meeting Monday night, residents voted 183-50 to approve a proposal from the police chief to impose a $20 fine on public profanity.
Officials insist the proposal was not intended to censor casual or private conversations, but instead to crack down on loud, profanity-laden language used by teens and other young people in the downtown area and public parks.
I’m really happy about it,’’ Mimi Duphily, a store owner and former town selectwoman, said after the vote. ‘‘I’m sure there’s going to be some fallout, but I think what we did was necessary.’’
The measure could raise questions about First Amendment rights, but state law does allow towns to enforce local laws that give police the power to arrest anyone who ‘‘addresses another person with profane or obscene language’’ in a public place.
———
Fans of Justin Bieber crowd onto Mexico City’s centuries-old main plaza for free concert
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Thousands of ‘‘tween’’ girls jammed a vast square with their parents and screamed in unison throughout teen superstar Justin Bieber’s free concert Monday night, an event that was expected to draw 200,000 people to the historic center of Mexico’s capital.
Bieber opened with his hit song ‘‘Baby,’’ while his adoring fans filling the city’s main plaza sang along or shouted ‘‘Justin! Justin! Justin!’’
‘‘Mexico City, there is a lot of people today!’’ Bieber told the crowd. ‘‘Every one of you is my biggest fan.’’
Dressed in white jeans and a gray sweatshirt that he took off to reveal a white T-shirt, the singer wore neon yellow tennis shoes and was accompanied by five dancers in neon colors. Four giant screens showed parts of his music videos to the crowd of mainly girls and their parents, who braved a light, intermittent rain during the concert.
The crowd went wild when Bieber asked a fan onto the stage, gave her a bouquet of flowers and sang ‘‘One Less Lonely Girl’’ into her ear. The girl didn’t stop crying.
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