06.5.021210_VOA News

February 12, 2010021210.01Warrants Raise Hope for Victims in Guatemalan Massacre Case Brent Latham, Guatemala CityGuatemalan rights advocates are hailing this week's decision by the country's Supreme Court to issue arrest warrants for former members of the military accused of massacring villagers during the country's long and brutal civil war . But lawyers for the victims say bringing those responsible for the massacre to justice remains elusive.humanLawyers for some of Guatemala's mostactive human rights groups say thewarrants for the arrest of 17 formermilitary men is a step in the right directionafter a decade of legal squabbling. The 17are believed responsible for the 1982 DosErres massacre in the northerndepartment of Peten, carried out during one of the bloodiest years of the country's civil war . Benito Morales, a lawyer for the human rights group Rigoberta Menchu Foundation, says the large number of warrants in such a case is unprecedented.Morales says victims' rights organizations are pleased the Guatemalan Courts have finally taken action in the case. But Morales expressed skepticism that the arrest warrants would be followed up with concrete action. He says a number of higher ranking officers named in the case,whose whereabouts were known as of last week, fled their homes inThe Inter American Court of Human Rights judge DiegoGarcia Sayan gestures as he speaks on July 14, 2009 in La Paz, during a session on thecase of the massacre of 250 indigenous people in Dos Erres, Guatemala, inDecember 7, 1982, during the dictatorship (1982-1983) ofEfrain Rios Montt (File Photo)Guatemala City following news of the arrest warrants. He added Guatemalan authorities appear uninterested in their attempts to apprehend the perpetrators.The Guatemalan Supreme Court issued the capture orders, some of which reactivate old warrants issued nearly a decade ago but never acted upon, after the Inter-American Human Rights Court urged action in the case. Some of those sought had been previously indicted ten years ago. But legal maneuvers had stalled any further action, until victims' rights associations took the case to the Inter-American court, which is based in Costa Rica.Edgar Perez, a lawyer for the Guatemala City-based Center for Legal Action on Human Rights, says it was only because of international pressure that relatives of the victims are closer to seeing justice done.Perez says the cases would likely still be stalled in the Guatemalan justice system had the Inter-American court not forced Guatemalan judges into action. He says there are other such cases pending before international courts, and victims' rights advocates hope for similar results.The families of victims of the Dos Erres massacre also expressed hope that the new arrest warrants would lead to justice for their loved ones after nearly three decades of impunity for those responsible. Raul Gomez lived in Dos Erres at the time of the massacre, and though he managed to escape, he lost a number of family members.Gomez says he will consider justice to be done only when those responsible for the killing of his family members have been tried in court. While welcoming the warrants, he and other relatives of the victims say it is outrageous that perpetrators known to be responsible for the slaying of their loved ones have not been apprehended, and continue to live in relative luxury in Guatemala.The remains of more than 200 people, including numerous women and children, were discovered in mass graves around the town of Dos Erres in 1995. Five years later, Guatemalan President Alfonso Portilloadmitted government responsibility for the slayings, leading to the initial legal proceedings against the military members accused of carrying out the killings.021210.02Tymoshenko Refuses to Concede Ukraine Election Defeat Peter Fedynsky, MoscowSpeaking at a meeting of her Cabinet, Ms. Tymoshenko lashed out at Viktor Yanukovych, saying campaign deceptions on his part are becoming clear after the election. She referred to a decision in parliament by Mr. Yanukovych's Regions Party not to raise social spending.Ms. Tymoshenko says people shouldconsider this in all of their future politicaldecisions - that, unfortunately, publicrelations ads about raising socialstandards have, in essence, beenamended by the Regions Party, which didnot vote on the issue.Thursday's Cabinet meeting was devotedto the spring planting season and themining sector.Ms. Tymoshenko spent three full days in isolation after accusing the Yanukovych campaign of fraud soon after exit polls indicated she had lost the election Sunday evening.In Kyiv, the head of the independent Voters Committee of Ukraine, Oleksandr Chernenko, says it is impossible to narrow proof of election fraud to individual ballots and to determine if such cheating swayed the result.Chernenko says any challenge to the election should involve systemic violations that could theoretically influence the result. But he says his Ukraine's Prime Minister YuliaTymoshenko speaks at acabinet meeting during itssitting in Kyiv, Ukraine, 11 Feb2010organization sees no signs of genuine systemic violations that would void the entire election.The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) endorsed Sunday's vote as "an impressive display of democratic elections." The U.S. State Department, citing preliminary conclusions of an honest election by other international observers, welcomed the high turnout, saying it "reflects another step in the consolidation of Ukraine's democracy."A public opinion survey by Kyiv's Horshenin Institute indicates more than 68 percent of Ukrainians trust the results announced by the country's Central Election Commission. About 46 percent believe there were voting irregularities, but less than 14 percent think they influenced the result.On Wednesday, Viktor Yanukovych called on Ms. Tymoshenko to resign as prime minister and to join the opposition. He also urged the current parliamentary coalition to dissolve so that he can begin discussions with various factions about forming a new government.On Tuesday, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev telephoned Mr. Yanukovych with what appears to be a cautious statement. The Kremlin Web site says the Russian leader extended congratulations for completing an election campaign that was highly evaluated by international observers, and on the success Mr. Yanukovych achieved in the presidential election.In an online statement by the leader of Ukraine's Slavic neighbor to the west, Polish President Lech Kaczynski said he has met many times with Mr. Yanukovych and characterized their relations as good. Mr. Kaczynski adds, however, that he cannot say he is happy with Mr. Yanukovych's victory, but that time will tell what the fate of Ukraine will be.021210.03Sierra Leone Working to Attract TouristsFid Thompson, FreetownThe clean white sand, warm ocean and tropical backdrop of the No. 2 River Beach is a short if bumpy ride south of Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown. A well-known secret among expatriots and locals, many feel this beach symbolizes Sierra Leone's tourism trade - little-known, unspoiled, beautiful, and slightly difficult to get to.Jim Dean, an American expat who worksfor a USAID-funded project here, says thisbeach is special."It's kind of an unspoiled area. If you panin on the hills behind us, this is all theWestern reserve, this is what's left of therainforest in this part of Sierra Leone," heexplained. "So all of us who live here and really enjoy this environment would like to see it promoted as an eco-tourismdestination rather than turned intoanother Jamaica with big hotels, restaurants and bars."But for the community association running the nNo 2. River Beach Resort, the weekend crowds from Freetown are only just enough to sustain their business.Daniel Macauley heads the association that has successfully reinvested profit back into the business and into developing the nearby village. High youth unemployment and a beautiful beachside setting prompted the community to set up the resort fifteen years ago. Now the association wants to expand."Our future plans is actually to make sure that this resort becomes an eco-lodge - so that it will be internationally known, people will becoming from outside, that will make more money obviously and it will also be part of means of youth to be employed in this community," he said.A tourist wades in the water ata beach in Sierra LeoneMacauley says United Nations and NGO workers come in smaller numbers these days. So he hopes to attract international tourists to the resort instead.But challenges for Sierra Leone's tourism industry remain significant. Road infrastructure is poor and prices are often relatively high for transport and lodging. There are few charter flights and a return ticket on a commercial airline can cost over $1000.Bimbola Carroll runs a local tour company, Visit Sierra Leone, and an online forum that addresses traveler's concerns about going to Sierra Leone."For tour operators such as myself, I think the biggest challenge undoubtedly is the image that Sierra Leone has outside of the country," said Carroll. "I think during the years of the conflict a lot of negative images came out and it is very difficult to change those opinions that people have held about Sierra Leone."The country's civil war ended almost eight years ago, but many Westerners still associate the country with images of the conflict's violence and brutality. The 2006 Hollywood film Blood Diamond - set during the war - became the reference point for millions of viewers.Though nowhere near the height of the 1980s tourism boom, the Tourist Board says numbers are steadily rising. More than 5,000 people came to Sierra Leone on holiday last year. The first guidebook was published last year and two UK-based tour operators are now organizing trips to Sierra Leone.Caryl Canzius is a tourist visiting from Toronto, Canada. As she watches the sun set over Freetown's Lumely beach, she says Sierra Leone surprised her."I'd say my first impression people here are very kind, the land is beautiful, the beaches are absolutely amazing," she said. "I was one of those people that was a little afraid but now I've been here I've seen that it is quite stable and very safe as well. So pleasantly surprised."Bimbola Carroll says he is confident that in a few years time, Sierra Leone will be back on the tourism map. On the wall behind him, a poster depicting pristine beach advises, "Discover Sierra Leone Before Everyone Else Does".The Tourism Board says tourism currently generates approximately $20 million. As the country moves from post-conflict toinvestor-friendly destination, tourism could have a significant impact on the economy of one of the poorest countries in the world. If only they can convince people to come.021210.04Researchers Discover Stuttering GeneJessica Berman, WashingtonResearchers say the speech impediment appears to stem from a defect in the gene that regulates the way brain cells break down and recycle waste products. This abnormality interferes with the brain's ability to process speech.Stuttering causes sufferers to get stuck repeating or prolonging sounds, syllables or words that interrupt the normal flow of speech.Experts say most children who stutter seem to magically outgrow the disorder.But for people who continue to stutter into adulthood, researcher Dennis Drayna of the US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communicable Disorders says stuttering can be profoundly disabling."I think in some cases it is hardly even viewed as a legitimate disorder," said Drayna. "You know people just dismiss it all the time when in fact it's a clear biological disorder that has very big influences on affected individuals."Stuttering's cause has long been a mystery, but it has frequently beendiagnosed as a psychological problem. Treatments have included strategies to reduce anxiety and stress, and the use of breathing exercises.But stuttering tends to run in families, a fact that prompted Drayna and colleagues to search for a genetic link.They homed in on a single gene, known as GNPTAB, which was defective in 46 members of a large Pakistani family. The abnormal gene also was found in 77 unrelated Pakistanis with the speech impediment.In addition, the researchers found the same dysfunctional gene in a group of American and British stutterers.Drayna says the GNPTAB gene is present in all higher-order animals and contributes to humans' unique ability to communicate."We're not the biggest. We're not the strongest. We're not the fastest. We don't have the best senses of vision or hearing. What it is, is our ability to communicate so we can form groups in communities and do much larger things than we could ever do as individual organisms," he added. "So when you destroy an individual's ability to communicate, you have really destroyed one of the most important aspects that we have as a species."In addition to the abnormal GNPTAB gene, Drayna's research team discovered that several other defective genes associated with GNPTAB were also shared by the stutterers.These genes are involved in a number of inherited metabolic disorders, including Tay Sachs, a rare, incurable and usually fatal disease that causes the destruction of nerve cells in young children.Drayna says therapies to replace enzymes that cause the diseases have been developed to treat half a dozen of these metabolic disorders. He is hopeful there could eventually be a similar treatment for stuttering.But in a published commentary on the research, Simon Fisher, a speechand language researcher at the Wellcome Trust Center for Human Genetics at Oxford University cautions that before researchers can develop a drug therapy for stuttering, they will need to learn much more about the precise biochemical mechanism of the disorder .Fisher notes that not every stutterer in the Drayna study had thedefective gene, meaning there must be a number of other genes tied to stuttering."What we can't say that this is a recessive or a dominant form," said Fisher . "All that we can say is that by carrying this particular variant, you have a greater chance of being a stutterer."An article on the discovery of a gene associated with stuttering, and the commentary by Simon Fisher , are published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.021210.05Obama, Republicans Get Mixed Reviews in Opinion Polls Jim Malone, WashingtonTwo recent surveys - one by ABC Newsand The Washington Post newspaper , theother by the Gallup organization - showPresident Obama's job approval rating at51 percent. Another new poll byQuinnipiac University in Connecticutfound that 45 percent of Americansapprove of the job the president is doing,while 46 percent disapprove.The surveys also show many Americans are losing faith in government and are frustrated at the lack of bipartisan cooperation in Washington - on issues ranging from the economy to health care to national security.The ABC-Washington Post poll found that two-thirds of those surveyedare dissatisfied or angry about the way the government is working. TheUS President Barack Obama (File)Quinnipiac poll found that only 16 percent of those questioned believe the government does what is right, while 27 percent said the government hardly ever does the right thing.President Obama has made more of an effort in recent weeks to reach out to Republicans, so far with mixed results."That is what the American people are demanding of us. I think they are tired of every day being Election Day in Washington. And at this critical time in our country, the people [who] sent us here expect a seriousness of purpose that transcends petty politics," he said.Republicans say they are open to the idea of cooperation, but warn they will go only so far when it comes to issues like taxes, government spending and a larger government role in health care.Republican Representative Jeb Hensarling of Texas says it is now up to Democrats in Washington to listen and change course." We are willing to work with them. But we will continue to stand on principle. We will oppose more reckless Washington spending and we will fight for better solutions that make government live within its means," he added.Public opinion polls show Democrats continue to stand by President Obama while Republicans overwhelmingly oppose his policies. The president's poll numbers have weakened in recent months, in part, because independent voters have become disenchanted with Mr. Obama's health care reform plan and with the overwhelmingly partisan nature of the political debate in Washington.Peter Brown is with the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute."Independent voters are more likely to find calls for bipartisanship appealing. They expect their elected officials to get the job done. Independents, by and large, are much more pragmatic. They want the job done," he said.Neither Republicans nor Democrats in Congress are viewed favorably in the latest polls. But the Republican victory in the recent Senate election in Massachusetts and last year's victories in governor's races in New Jersey and Virginia have Republicans expecting major gains in the midterm congressional elections in November.Democrats have been urging President Obama to draw more attention to Republican blocking tactics toward legislation in Congress that Peter Brown says could become an issue in this year's congressional races."Obviously, the Republicans are doing better vis-à-vis Democrats than they were six months or a year ago," said Brown. "But the public doesn't like politicians who don't do things. So that if the public were to perceive the Republicans as obstructionists, that would be very bad for the Republicans," he said.Despite all of the recent talk about bipartisanship, political experts like Brian Darling of The Heritage Foundation say the focus for both major parties will increasingly shift to the November elections."And as you get closer and closer to Election Day, Republicans and Democrats aren't going to want to work together. They want to start creating campaign themes to show that they're the party that needs to continue in leadership or to change the leadership," said Darling.All of the surveys show that the domestic economy and jobs remain the top issues for voters, and that early support for a bipartisan measure in the Senate aimed at job creation was one of the few concrete signs that Democrats and Republicans are willing to work together, even during an election year.021210.06Massive Aid Effort Underway in HaitiPort-au-Prince, HaitiHundreds of thousands of Haitians are living in ramshackle tent communities. They are seen in small clusters on people's property, andby the thousands in schoolyards and abandoned lots. The tents are made of bed-sheets and sometimes plastic sheeting, and are atemporary refuge for people whose homes were destroyed and others who are afraid to sleep indoors in the wake of the earthquake.Rain early Thursday morning drenchedmost of the tents in Port-au-Prince.A Haitian man named Jerry says he isworried about more rains in comingmonths. By March, the rainy seasonshould arrive. He says he is not the only one. Everyone is worried about the rainy season because rain in Haiti is a big thing. Whenever it rains, there is a lot of damage, and people are scared.Aid organizations have distributed food, water and tents. But it is not enough, and food distribution has been plagued with problems.The aid effort is complicated by two things. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, and the intense earthquake wreaked havoc on Port-au-Prince, the capital city. It killed an estimated 200,000 people or more, and displaced one million.Many Haitians have suffered disabling injuries, and medical workers have come to help from many countries. Doctors aboard the US Navy hospital ship Comfort have saved the lives of hundreds and children and adults.Aid workers are also concerned about the plight of displaced children. Some children find safe haven at international charity centers like SOS Children's Villages International. But there are too few facilities like this one.UNICEF's Kent Page calls the situation a children's emergency. Demonstrators shout "Down with Preval," as anti-riotpolice block their protest from reaching a police post where government ministers havetemporary offices in Port-au-Prince, 11 Feb 2010"Separated children, unaccompanied children, can be vulnerable to people who would exploit them, whether for the child sex trade, whether for domestic servitude, whether just violence or abuse, or whether for illegal trafficking," he said.Many workers have lost their jobs, and business owners likeMarc-Antoine Acra of Acra Industries says some companies may take months to reopen. He hopes that some of his operations may be up and running in a few weeks."Now for the country to be up and running, I would say that's a million dollar question," said Acra.International aid groups say the rebuilding process will take years, but they say it offers the opportunity for Haiti to build a working infrastructure that it never had. They say it will take a coordinated international effort.021210.07Luge World Champion Erin Hamlin Seeks to Upset Germans in VancouverTeresa Sullivan, Washington, DCLast year, Erin Hamlin did something that no American has ever done. She broke the powerhouse Germans' luge winning streak at 99 international victories to win a World Championship on her home track in Lake Placid, New York - the site of the 1980 Olympics. She is the first non-German since 1993 to win a world title.Heading into the 2009 World Championships the Germans had won 19 of the last 20 world titles.Hamlin says that while some of the German racers were devastated and stunned by her victory, others cheered and offered their congratulations."Granted, their team didn't win, but at thesame time they understand this is going tobe great for the sport and brings a newperspective," Hamlin said. "It makes thingsa little bit more interesting."Perhaps with that in mind, Hamlin says shethinks that her gold medal achievement lastyear will be on minds of the German racers in Vancouver ."I don't think that before, they ever really cared to think twice, but now I think they have to reclaim their rightful spot," Hamlin said. "The German women have had that streak for so long, but not having them up there, not having to hear the German [national] anthem again, was awesome."Erin Hamlin finished the 2010 World Cup season in fourth place with two bronze medals. She was behind the top three Germans - Anke Wischnewski, Natalie Geisenberger , and number one Tatjana Huefner who is a two time former world champion and reigning 2006 olympic bronze medalist.All four women are considered medal contenders in Vancouver ,however Germany is favored because it has won seven of the last 10 Olympic gold medals.In late January, Hamlin won the silver medal behind Huefner at the Challenge Cup competition on the Turin Olympic track in Cesana, Italy. Geisenberger was third. The event is for the best 10 luge racers-- or sliders -- from the World Cup standings, with no more than two athletes per nation competing.But every track is different, and Hamlin says speed is what sets Vancouver's Whistler Olympic track apart from others."The technical parts of how it's built, and the elevation drop," Hamlinsaid. "Some of the curves are bigger where you can pick up a lot of Two-time U.S. Olympian Erin Hamlin is the first American woman to win aluge world championshipspeed, and then you get to the bottom and it's just fast."How fast?"We go around right around 90 miles an hour (144 kph), the men 95 (152 kph). And for the Olympics I'm sure it will creep a little faster," Hamlin said.Erin Hamlin is from the town of Remsen in upstate New York, where winter sports are popular. She first started sliding at the age of 12. She says she had to work hard to learn the technical aspects of the sport such as steering, but she liked the challenge, and that is what kept her interested.After her 2009 victory at Lake Placid, a local ice cream shop in Remsen, The Soda Fountain, celebrated Hamlin's gold medal success by naming a dessert after her. The World Champion Erin Hamlin Sundae, consists of vanilla ice cream mixed with Reese's peanut butter cups and Oreo cookies, with hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry on top.Ice cream confections aside, it is conquering a tough course that gives Hamlin a certain satisfaction."When a track challenges you, it makes it that much more fulfilling when you can get to the bottom and feel like that was really good," Hamlin said.And don't forget going fast. Whistler Olympic-track fast. Erin Hamlin aims to slide her way to a sweet medal finish in Vancouver. 021210.08On Revolution Day Iran Says Uranium Further Enriched Elizabeth Arrott, CairoPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said scientists have enriched a batch of uranium to 20 percent, a level needed to make fuel for an Iranian research reactor.The International Atomic Energy Agencywas not able to immediately confirm theannouncement. Iran says IAEA inspectorshave been monitoring the process, which itsays got underway Tuesday.The two-day turnaround is likely to raise doubts among Western engineers, who said Iran would need a substantial reconfiguring of its known processing capabilities. But the timing allowed Mr . Ahmadinejad to add it to the list of Iranian achievements he hailed to massive crowds in Tehran gathered to mark the anniversary.Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for rallies around the country to observe the 31st anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.Some of the pro-government gatherings were used to denounce long-time foes Britain and the United States.Opposition demonstrators tried to hold their own rallies, but there are reports they have been met with tear gas, warning shots and arrests. One pro-reform Web site says the granddaughter of the Republic's founding father , Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, was briefly detained.The government had warned it would not tolerate anycounter-demonstrations, which sprang up after Mr . Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election last year .The Iranian leadership has been criticized internationally for itscrackdown on the opposition, as well as for its nuclear program. The government says the unrest has been fomented by foreign powers, and defends the enrichment as solely for civilian purposes.Western nations are angry Tehran rejected a United Nations deal to In this image made fromvideo provided by Iranian State TV, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejadspeaks at a rally in Tehran, 11 Feb 2010, marking the31st anniversary of Islamic Revolution。