Prime Minister of Barbados David Thompson dies at age 48

The Bajan Prime Minister David Thompson, 48, died this morning at 2:10 am local time after battling pancreatic cancer. It has been reported that his wife, Mara, and their three children were at his bedside when he died. Hours after his death, Deputy Prime Minister Freundel Stuart was sworn in as the island's new Prime Minister.

Thompson was best known for restoring the island's Democratic Labor Party back to parliamentary majority, decentralizing government, strengthening social services and improving the Barbadian economy according to the island's government. His wife was quoted as saying, "Barbados has lost its loyal son and faithful servant before he had the time to realize his lifetime dreams. ... We enjoyed and endured his public service experiences. He was always indebted to the people and the party for affording him the opportunity to see the mountain top" to the Caribbean Broadcasting Cooperation (CBC).

The opposition leader of Barbados was quoted as saying, "There will be times in the life of a nation when circumstances or events have the power to bring out the best in us all. This is one such time."

The Prime Minister of Jamaica and the chair of CARICOM, Bruce Golding, has said that he is deeply saddened by the news and was quoted as saying, "The Caribbean has lost one of its youngest and most vibrant leaders who remained strong, determined and focused to the very end." Golding also commended Thompson for fighting "a brave fight to the very end demonstrating the unconditional love for his country and a commitment to the people of Barbados."

The opposition leader of Barbados, Owen Arthur, is calling the death a "tragic and staggering loss" and described Thompson as "one of the most remarkable Barbadians of his generation and whose whole life from very early was devoted to public service and politics." The Bahamian Prime Minister, Hubert Ingraham, said that he was "deeply saddened" at the loss of his "friend and colleague."

The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad Bissessar, has issued her "deepest condolences" on behalf of her administration and the people of Trinidad.


Fallece primer ministro de Barbados

El primer ministro de Barbados, David Thompson, ha fallecido ayer sábado en su residencia como consecuencia de un cáncer de páncreas en fase terminal. Dicho tumor fue detectado el mes pasado y era difícil de extraer, por lo que se sometió a intensas sesiones de quimoterapia en Estados Unidos.

Thompson nació en Londres en 1961 y asumió la jefatura de gobierno del país caribeño en 2008. Incursionó en la política en 1987, sumándose al Partido Laborista Demócrata tras la muerte del primer ministro Errol Barrow. Se convirtió en líder del partido tras la renuncia del primer ministro Erskine Sandiford, aunque dimitió en 2000; luego en 2006 retoma la presidencia del partido y en 2008 obtiene la victoria en las elecciones parlamentarias, por lo que aseguró la jefatura del gabinete.

Tras la muerte de Thompson, asume el cargo el vice primer ministro y fiscal general Freundel Stuart, quien será el séptimo primer ministro desde la independencia del país.

Varios mandatarios han dado el pésame por el fallecimiento del gobernante barbadense, entre ellos el Secretario General de la OEA, Miguel Insulza; el Secretario General de la ONU, Ban Ki-Moon; y el presidente de Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos.


Prince Rainier III of Monaco has died

His Serene Highness Prince Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi) of the Principality of Monaco has died. Prince Rainier has been prince of the tiny Mediterranean country for almost 56 years.  He was 81 years old.

He died at 0635 local time (0435 UTC) at the Centre Cardio-Thoracique de Monaco with his son Prince Albert by his bedside. He had been hospitalized since March 8, 2005 and his health declined steadily since then. He had been suffering from heart, kidney and lung problems.

Prince Rainier is famed for being the husband of the late Princess Grace (Grace Kelly), and for investing in business at a famous gambling centre. He was on the throne since 1949, making him one of the longest reigning monarchs in Europe.

Prince Rainier is succeeded by Prince Albert II, who has already been serving as regent since March 31.


Fürst Rainier von Monaco ist tot

Monaco, 06.04.2005 – Heute Morgen um 06:35 Uhr ist Fürst Rainer von Monaco im Alter von 81 Jahren in der Herz-Lungen-Klinik Monacos an den Folgen einer Lungenentzündung gestorben.

Fürst Rainier III. residierte seit 1949 und war der dienstälteste Monarch Europas. Bereits am 7. März kam er mit einer schweren Lungenentzündung sowie Herz- und Nierenproblemen ins Krankenhaus in Monaco-Ville.

Er war es, der Monaco zur Metropole des Jetset machte und dem Land den Weg zum wirtschaftlichen Aufschwung bereitete. Die Öffentlichkeit wurde 1956 auf Monaco aufmerksam, als er die Schauspielerin Grace Kelly heiratete. Das Paar hatte drei Kinder: Caroline, Albert II. und Stephanie. Seine Frau Fürstin Gracia Patricia starb 1982 bei einem Autounfall.

Nachfolger und neuer Fürst ist der 47-jährige Albert II. Er hat die Regentschaft bereits vor dem Tod Rainers III. übernommen.


Fallece el príncipe Rainiero III de Mónaco

6 de abril de 2005Mónaco — A los 81 años de edad, falleció el príncipe Rainiero III de Mónaco (Rainiero Luis Enrique Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi), soberano del pequeño principado desde 1949.

Su deceso se produjo a las 06.35 hora local (04.35 UTC) en el Centro Cardio-Torácico de Mónaco, al lado de su hijo, el Príncipe Alberto. Había sido hospitalizado el 8 de marzo por problemas cardiacos, renales y pulmonares, que deterioraron progresivamente su salud desde entonces.

Rainiero, que heredó el trono tras la renuncia de su abuelo Luis II, es famoso por su matrimonio con la actriz estadounidense Grace Kelly, sus inversiones en negocios, que transformarían el pequeño principado en un paraíso fiscal, y el casino de Montecarlo. Antes de su deceso, era el monarca más longevo de Europa y el segundo del mundo, superado únicamente por el rey Bhumibol Adulyadej de Tailandia.

El príncipe Alberto II de Mónaco, que asumió la regencia el 31 de marzo, lo sucederá en el trono.


Il Principe Ranieri III di Monaco è morto questa mattina alle 6.35, sembra per i problemi cardiaci e respiratori che il 7 marzo lo avevano costretto al ricovero. L'ultimo comunicato, in cui si affermava che le sue condizioni erano gravi, ma stazionarie, risale a lunedì scorso. Il Principe aveva 81 anni.

La reggenza era stata assunta dalla settimana scorsa da suo figlio Alberto.


Monako: Zmarł książę Rainier III

Dziś w szpitalu zmarł książę Monako, Rainier III, na tronie od 1949 roku. Cierpiał na niewydolność układu oddechowego i krwionośnego. Książę Rainier służył w armii francuskiej w okresie II wojny światowej. Oficer artylerii, został odznaczony m.in. Legią Honorową, Croix de Guerre, amerykańską Brązową Gwiazdą.

Obowiązki księcia Monako przejął już 30 marca 2005 książę Albert II, syn Rainiera III, znany olimpijczyk pięciu igrzysk zimowych i aktywny działacz sportowy.


Morre príncipe Rainier III de Mônaco

Faleceu nesta quarta-feira, dia 6 de abril de 2005, Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand de Grimaldi, o príncipe Rainier III  de Mônaco,  viúvo da atriz  Grace-Patricia Kelly, que morreu em um acidente automobilístico em 1956.

A causa da morte do príncipe foram complicações cardíacas, pulmonares e fígado. Ele estava internado no hospital desde o início de março.

Segundo relatos de agência de notícias o príncipe de 81 anos de idade faleceu às 6h35 no horário local. Ele iniciou seu reinado em 1949, e era o mais antigo rei da Europa.

O sucessor, segundo a tradição, deve ser agora o príncipe Albert, que já havia assumido as tarefas reais semana passada.

O príncipe tem três filhos: a princesa Caroline,  o príncipe herdeiro Albert II,  e a princesa Stephanie. Suas filhas lhe deram sete netos.


Professional wrestler Eddie Fatu dies age 36

Professional wrestler Eddie Fatu, who wrestled in for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has died at the age of 36. Fatu died of a heart attack while on life support at a Texas hospital. He is reported to have fallen asleep while watching television at home, his wife found him unresponsive several hours later and rushed him to hospital.

Originally from Samoa, Fatu came from the Anoa’i wrestling family and was the cousin of former World Heavyweight wrestling champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. During his career he worked for several companies. His latest stint was with World Wrestling Federation in which he held their Intercontinental championship. During his time he headlined Wrestlemania, the biggest wrestling event of the year and tried for the heavyweight championship.

He was released in June of this year after failing a drug test and refusing to go to rehab. After his release he wrestled in Total Nonstop Action and All Japan.

His former employers, WWE released a statement saying “WWE would like to express its deepest condolences to Mr. Fatu’s family, friends and fans on his tragic passing. Mr. Fatu was under contract with WWE at various time periods and most recently performed under the name "Umaga." Mr. Fatu's contract was terminated on June 11, 2009”.


Luchador Eddie Fatu falleció a la edad de 36 años

El luchador profesional Eddie Fatu, ex-empleado de la World Wrestling Entertainment falleció a la edad de 36 años. Fatu falleció de un ataque al corazón en un hospital en Texas. Su esposa lo encontró inconsciente y lo llevo al hospital horas más tarde.

Era originario de Samoa, Fatu pertenecia a la familia de lucha Anoa'i y era primo del antiguo campeón mundial Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Durante su carrera él trabajo para varias empresas de lucha. Su máximo logro fue ser Campeón Intercontinental.

Eddie fue despedido en junio de este año después de fallar una prueba de dopaje y negarse meterse a rehabilitación. Después de su despido el trabajo en Total Nonstop Action y All Japan.

Los empleados de la WWE lanzaron un comunicado diciendo “La WWE expresa sus más sentidos pésames a la familia del sr. Fatu, amigos y admiradores debido a la trágica muerte de él. Fatu tuvo un contrato con la WWE durante varios periodos y bajo el nombre "Umaga." Su contrato de él con la empresa termino en julio de este año”.


PW Botha, apartheid leader, dead at 90

P.W. Botha, the hardliner who led apartheid-era South Africa for much of the 1980s, died yesterday at the age of 90.

Known as the "Great Crocodile", Botha defied an international effort to force South Africa to give up white minority rule and also free African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela from prison.

Botha led the country first as Prime Minister, then as President, from 1978 until 1989 when a stroke forced him from office.

He presided over a State of Emergency in an attempt to suppress the growing resistance movement to give South Africa's black majority the vote but also introduced some reforms in an attempt to satisfy critics.

"While to many Mr Botha will remain a symbol of apartheid, we also remember him for the steps he took to pave the way towards the eventual peacefully negotiated settlement in our country," said Mandela in a statement.


Afrique du Sud : décès de l'ancien président Pieter Willem Botha

Publié le 1er novembre 2006  Pieter Willem Botha, homme d'État sud-africain, est décédé, mardi 31 octobre 2006 à l'âge de 90 ans, dans sa retraite de Wilderness (province du Cap-Occidental).

M. Botha avait exercé, durant le régime de l'apartheid, les plus hautes fonctions au sein de la République sud-africaine, d'abord comme Premier ministre, du 29 septembre 1978 au 14 septembre 1984 puis, après une réforme consitutionnelle ayant aboli le poste de Premier ministre pour transférer l'essentiel de ses pouvoirs entre les mains du Président de la République (poste jusque-là plutôt « honorifique », comme avant-dernier président de la République du régime d'apartheid, du 5 septembre 1984 au 14 août 1989.

M. Botha était un Afrikaner, né le 12 janvier 1916, dans une famille de fermiers profondément religieux vivant dans l'État libre d'Orange. Il avait épousé, en premières noces, en 1943, Anna Elizabeth Rossouw, dite « Elize », qui lui avait donné cinq enfants, deux garçons et trois filles.

Il avait d'abord étudié le droit au Grey University College de Bloemfontein (aujourd'hui University of the Free State), mais l'avait quitté précocement, en 1936, après sa rencontre décisive avec Daniel François Malan, dirigeant du Parti national purifié de 1934 à 1948 puis Premier ministre et ministre des Affaires étrangères de 1948 à 1954 et théoricien et fondateur du régime d'apartheid.

Cette rencontre marque le début d'une carrière d'homme d'appareil puis d'élu, à partir de 1948 et enfin de membre du gouvernement, à partir de 1958. Il est d'abord organisateur de meetings pour son parti, un peu partout en Afrique du Sud puis, lors de la grande vague nationaliste de 1948 qui marque l'arrivée au pouvoir du Parti national, se fait élire député dans la circonscription de George, dans la province du Cap, où il sera constamment réélu jusqu'à sa retraite.

Ses premières fonctions ministérielles lui sont confiées, en septembre 1958, par le Premier ministre Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd, au poste mineur de secrétaire d'État chargé de l'Intérieur, puis, toujours sous la houlette de M. Verwoerd, comme ministre des Affaires métisses en 1961, ministre des Travaux publics, en 1964 et enfin ministre de la Défense, en 1965.

Après le départ de M. Verwoerd et son remplacement par John Vorster, il est reconduit dans ses fonctions de ministre de la Défense et y restera dans tous les gouvernements dirigés par M. Vorster.

En 1978, M. Vorster, englué dans un scandale politico-financier auquel est également mêlé Connie Mulder, jusque-là pressenti comme son éventuel successeur, accepte de démissionner et se se faire élire à la présidence de La République, poste honorifique à cette époque. Pieter Willem Botha se fait alors élire Premier ministre par les députés, le 29 septembre 1978, et cumule cette fonction, jusqu'en 1980, avec celle de ministre de la Défense, dans le premier gouvernement qu'il forme.

En 1983, M. Botha propose une réforme constitutionnelle qui, outre la suppression du poste de Premier ministre, prévoit un léger assouplissement du régime de l'apartheid, en accordant une représentation des minorités indienne et métisse à côté de la représentation des Blancs, tout en ne reconnaissant toujours aucun droit civique à la majorité noire (72 % de la population, cantonnée dans des bantoustans et dans des townships, dont le plus célèbre est celui de Soweto, près de Johannesburg.

Le 5 septembre 1984, le président de la République en exercice, Marais Viljoen, se retire et Pieter Willem Botha lui succède dans des fonctions aux attributions largement renouvelées, tandis que le poste de Premier ministre est formellement supprimé quelques jours plus tard.

Le « réveil » de la majorité noire, à partir du début des années 1980, conduit M. Botha à déclarer l'état d'urgence en 1986, ce qui ne l'empêchera pas, le 5 juillet 1989, alors qu'il est déjà dans une position de « semi-retraite », de faire brièvement extraire de sa prison Nelson Mandela, dirigeant du Congrès national africain emprisonné depuis 1964 et d'entamer parallèlement une correspondance avec plusieurs autres dirigeants noirs incarcérés.

Le 13 février 1989, Pieter Willem Botha est victime d'un ccident cardio-vasculaire qui le laisse partiellement paralysé. Il est contraint d'accepter de confier l'intérim des pouvoirs du chef de l'État à son ancien ministre Chris Heunis, qui l'exercera durant une centaine de jours avant de tenter, en vain, de se faire élire à la présidence du Parti national avec, comme objectif final, l'accession de plein exercice à la présidence de la République.

Face à un président Botha affaibli par les séquelles de sa congestion cérébrale, c'est finalement Frederik de Klerk qui accède à la présidence du parti, entraînant une forte pression sur le président Botha pour le contraindre à se retirer. La démission officielle de M. Botha intervient le 14 août 1989 et est aussitôt suivi par l'élection de M. de Klerk à la présidence de la République. M. Botha prononce une allocution télévisée pour annoncer son départ, et dénonce à cette occasion diverses manœuvres qui auraient été commises par des membres de son cabinet et par le nouveau président du parti, depuis son accident de santé au mois de février.

Dès lors, Pieter Willem Botha ne cessera de dénoncer les réformes engagées par son successeur, et démissionnera formellement des rangs du Parti national le 6 mai 1990.

Après la disparition de M. Botha, sa veuve (M. Botha s'était remarié en 1998 après le décès de sa première épouse) a publié un communiqué indiquant que son mari ne désirait pas de funérailles nationales et prévoyant l'organisation d'obsèques simples à proximité de son domicile, expliquant que, selon elle, « il n'était pas un homme recherchant les honneurs et la gloire ».

Parmi les communiqués publiés après l'annonce du décès de l'ancien président Botha, on note bien sûr quelques réactions marquant une nette hostilité à l'encontre du disparu, émanant notamment d'anciens membres de l'ANC emprisonnés durant l'ère de l'apartheid, mais il est intéressant de remarquer les réactions de ses deux successeurs noirs (après la transition assurée par M. de Klerk), Nelson Mandela, président de 1994 à 1999, et Thabo Mbeki, président depuis cette date.

M. Mandela, par exemple, a expliqué que, si, « pour beaucoup, il resterait comme un symbole de l'apartheid », il pourrait aussi être vu comme celui qui a « posé les jalons pour préparer les conditions d'un règlement pacifique et négocié » en Afrique du Sud.

Un peu dans la même veine, son successeur, M. Mbeki, a porté au crédit du défunt que « lorsqu'il a réalisé la futilité de la lutter contre ce qui était juste et inexorable », il a, en fonction de sa propre sensibilité, « pris conscience de l'absence d'alternative, pour les Sud-Africains, en dehors de la coexistence ».

L'ancienne députée Helen Suzman, membre du parlement pendant 36 ans et opposante résolue au système de l'apartheid, sans jamais avoir été membre de l'ANC, a estimé pour sa part que si M. Botha, selon elle, « n'était pas très intelligent, il avait suffisamment de bon sens pour comprendre que les changements viendraient, en raison de l'accroissement de la résistance noire et de celui de l'opposition de la communauté internationale ».

Un autre opposant de l'apartheid, n'ayant pas vécu celui-ci de l'intérieur, le Britannique Peter Hain, actuel secrétaire d'État pour l'Irlande du Nord et le Pays de Galles, constate quant à lui que, si M. Botha a rencontré M. Mandela, il n'aurait pas eu « le courage, les capacités ou la vision nécessaires » pour en tirer les conséquences, en raison de son implication dans la « machine de l'apartheid » et conclut que « d'une certaine manière, il a été le premier à reconnaître que le changement était sur les rails, mais sans pouvoir ou vouloir y participer ».

Il faut enfin rappeler le sobriquet dont M. Botha a été progressivement affublé, à partir de son accession au poste de Premier ministre et plus encore après son accession à la présidence de la République : Die Groot Krokodil, en afrikaans (« le Grand Crocodile », en français).


Renowned Indian guru Śrī Satya Sai Baba dies aged 84

Śrī Satya Sai Baba, one of India's most prominent spiritual leaders and revered by millions of followers worldwide, died Sunday in a Puttaparthi hospital, following a cardiac arrest. He was 84 and had been in hospital since last month, suffering from kidney failure and respiratory problems.

Followers and devotees of Śrī Baba considered him to be the manifestation of a "living God" on Earth and believed he had powers of magic, such as being able to pull things from out of thin air.

Former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was one of Śrī Baba's followers, as was international test cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

Worshippers carried Baba's image through the streets of Bangalore and extra police were deployed in his hometown of Puttaparthi. In Delhi, masses gathered in temples and some refused to accept Baba's death.

With an estimated six million followers, Baba saw donations allow for the expansion of his home village to include many temples, a hospital offering free medical care, a university, and an airport. His first permanent facility opened 60 years ago.

Born Sathyanarayana Raju, Baba decided at the age of fourteen that he was the reincarnation of 19th-century guru Sai Baba of Shirdi. The legend runs that Baba was stung by a scorpion and then sang religious chants in a language previously unknown to him. He predicted his death in 2019, as well as a third and final reincarnation in Karnataka state in 2023.

Nobody has been appointed to take over running the trust that promotes the faith, which has over 1,200 centres worldwide. There are fears the family and trust could argue, leading to a government takeover. "If the government has to take over the affairs of Sai Baba's mission that could spell its end," warned one devotee.

"Some people out of their mean-mindedness are trying to tarnish the image of Sai Baba," said Baba in 2000, after allegations of sexual abuse were made against him by young men, claims the BBC highlighted in 2004. "I am not after name and fame. So, I do not lose anything by their false allegations. My glory will go on increasing day by day," Baba added.

Claims that Śrī Baba was a charlatan and allegations of sexual abuse dogged him constantly.  In 1993, six people "died violently in the spiritual leader's private rooms," The Guardian reported. No full explanation has ever been given for the deaths, though speculation of a money dispute has been raised.

In a statement, current Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the death of the guru was an ""irreparable loss" to India, adding, "He was a spiritual leader who inspired millions to lead a moral and meaningful life even as they followed the religion of their choice."

The guru's body is being kept at the hospital amid appeals for his devotees not to flood them to see his body. The public viewing of Śrī Baba's body will take place Monday and Tuesday, and a funeral will follow. There are to be four days of mourning in his home state, Andhra Pradesh, by decree of the state government.


Ο γκουρού Σάθια Σάι Μπάμπα πέθανε σε ηλικία 85 ετών

Ο Ινδός γκουρού Σάθια Σάι Μπάμπα πέθανε εχθές σε ηλικία 85 ετών.

Ο Σάθια Σάι Μπάμπα βρισκόταν για τρείς εβδομάδες σε κρίσιμη κατάσταση στο νοσοκομείο. Ο γκουρού πέθανε στο νοσοκομείο της Πουταπάρθι (νότια Ινδία), «εξαιτίας ανεπαρκείας οργάνων».

Οι ακόλουθοι και οι αφωσιωμένοι στον Σάι Μπάμπα τον θεωρούσαν ως μια εκδήλωση του «ζώντος Θεού επί της γης» και πίστευαν ότι «είχε υπερφυσικές δυνάμεις, όπως να προσελκύει πράγματα από το πουθενά».

Ο Ινδός Πρωθυπουργός Μανμοχάν Σίνγκ δήλωσε ότι «ότι ο θάνατος του Σάθια Σάι Μπάμπα αποτελεί ανεπανόρθωτη απώλεια για τη χώρα. Ήταν πνευματικός ηγέτης που έμπνευσε εκατομμύρια ανθρώπους να οδηγήσουν μια ηθική και ουσιαστική ζωή ακόμη και αν ακολούθησαν τη θρησκεία της επιλογής τους».

Το σώμα του γκουρού θα μείνει στο νοσοκομείο. Οι πιστοί θα μπορέσουν να δούν το σώμα του τη Δευτέρα και τη Τρίτη, και θα ακολουθήσει η τελετή κηδείας του. Στη γεννέτηρα πολιτεία του, Άντρα Πραντές, μετά από απόφαση της κυβέρνησης της πολιτείας το πένθος θα κρατήσει 4 ημέρες.

25 Απριλίου 2011


Sai Baba falleció a los 84 años

24 de abril de 2011Puttaparthi, India —

Sathya Sai Baba, gurú indio, murió hoy a los 84 años en un hospital de la ciudad india de Puttaparthi a causa de un paro cardiorrespiratorio.

Era un gurú popular que se hizo famoso por unas supuestas artes mágicas como materializar objetos de la nada. Lo seguían muchas personas incluso en el extranjero que consideraban a este hombre de cabellera negra larga como un líder espiritual del siglo XX. Además realizó obras de caridad en las últimas dos décadas, creó una fundación con presencia en 126 países y en su país natal creó universidades, hospitales e instituciones de ayuda.

El funeral se llevará a cabo en Puttaparthi, donde se localiza la sede central de su fundación. El primer ministro indio Manmonah Sing expresó sus palabras de condolencias.

El gobierno indio deberá decidir quien encabezará la Fundación Sathya Sai Baba tras la muerte de su creador, el capital económico de la entidad es de aproximadamente cien millones de dólares.


Хиљаде одају почаст Саи Баби

25. април 2011.Путапарти/ Индија  (Бета) - Хиљаде верника продефиловало је у недељу поред посмртних остатака хиндуистичког светитеља Сатје Саи Баба, који је умро у недељу у 84. години.

Саи Бабино тело изложено је у провидном ковчегу у његовом храму у Путапартију, у јужној индијској држави Андра Прадеш. Саи Бабини следбеници чекају у редовима и по врућини да одају почаст свом гуруу.

Јаке полицијске снаге и барикаде задржавају незадовољне следбенике док се политичари и познате личности пре реда поклањају Саи Баби.

Индијски премијер Манмохан Синг изјавио је да ће његова земља оплакати смрт човека који је био „извор инспирације за људе свих исповести“. „Био је духовни вођа који је инспирисао милионе људи да воде користан и моралан живот“, додао је.


இந்திய குரு சத்திய சாயி பாபா காலமானார்

இந்திய ஆன்மீக குரு பகவான் ஸ்ரீ சத்ய சாய்பாபா இன்று ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை காலை உள்ளூர் நேரம் 0740 மணிக்கு புட்டபர்த்தியில் காலமானதாக அதிகாரபூர்வமாக அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதயம் மற்றும் நுரையீரல் ஆகியவை இயங்காமல் போனதால் அவர் உயிரிழந்ததாக அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

84 வயதாகும் பகவான் ஸ்ரீ சத்ய சாய்பாபா உடல் நலக்குறைவு, மூச்சுத் திணறல் காரணமாக சத்ய சாய் மருத்துவ அறிவியல் கழக மருத்துவமனையில் கடந்த மாதம் 28ம் திகதி சேர்க்கப்பட்டு தொடர்ந்து சிகிச்சை பெற்று வந்தார். இவரது உடல் நிலையில் பெரும் அளவில் முன்னேற்றம் எதுவும் ஏற்படவில்லை. இவருக்கு மஞ்சள்காமாலையும், கல்லீரலில் கோளாறு இருந்ததும் கண்டு பிடிக்கப்பட்டது. அமெரிக்காவில் இருந்து வரவழைக்கப்பட்ட மருத்துவ குழுவினர் 24 மணி நேரமும் பாபாவின் உடல் நிலையை கவனித்து வந்தனர். இந்நிலையில் இன்று பாபாவின் உயிர் பிரிந்தது. இச்செய்தியை சத்திய சாயி உயர் மருத்துவ அறிவியல் கழகத்தின் பணிப்பாளர் ஏ. என். சஃபாயா அறிவித்துள்ளார். இவரது மறைவு துயரச்செய்தி கேட்டு உலகம் முழுவதும் உள்ள பாபாவின் பக்தர்கள் லட்சக்கணக்கானவர்கள் புட்டப்பர்த்தி ஆசிரமம் நோக்கி வந்தவண்ணம் உள்ளனர்.

சத்ய சாய்பாபா, 1926ம் ஆண்டு நவம்பர் 23ம் தேதி ஆந்திராவின் புட்டபர்த்தியில் பிறந்தார். பக்தர்கள் சாய்பாபாவை கடவுளின் அவதாரமாகவே பார்க்கின்றனர். இவரது ஆசிரமம் புட்டபர்த்தியில் பிரசாந்தி நிலையம் என அழைக்கப்படுகிறது. இந்த ஆசிரமம் 1948ல் கட்டப்பட்டது. பக்தர்களால் "அவதாரம், கடவுள்' என அழைக்கப்பட்ட சாயிபாபா, லிங்கம், விபூதி, மோதிரம், போன்றவற்றை வரவழைத்து மக்களை ஆச்சர்யப்படுத்தினார். இந்தியாவிலும் வெளிநாடுகளிலும் ஆசிரமங்கள் மூலம் சமூக தொண்டு செய்து வந்தார். இவரது கல்வி நிறுவனங்கள் மாணவர்களுக்கு கல்வியையும், ஒழுக்கத்தையும் போதிக்கிறது. இந்தியாவில் குடியரசுத்தலைவர், பிரதமர், முதல்வர்கள் உள்ளிட்ட பிரபலங்கள் முதல் சாதாரண மக்கள் வரை, தனது அருளுரையால் ஈர்த்துள்ளார். 137 நாடுகளில் சாய்பாபாவுக்கு பக்தர்கள் உள்ளனர்.

சத்ய சாய் அமைப்பு ஏராளமான இலவச கல்வி நிலையங்கள், மருத்துவமனைகள் மற்றும் தொண்டு நிறுவனங்களின் மூலம் சேவை செய்கிறது. உலகளவில் 114 நாடுகளில் 1,200 சத்ய சாய்பாபா மையங்கள் இயங்குகின்றன. சத்தியசாயி மருத்துவ அறிவியல் கல்விக் கழகம் மருத்துவமனையின் உதவியுடன் இதயம் மற்றும் நரம்பு தொடர்பான கொடிய நோயினால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்களுக்கு சிகிச்சை அளிக்கப்படுகிறது. மொத்தம் 52 ஏக்கரில் இம்மருத்துவமனை அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இங்கு 333 படுக்கைகள், 12 அறுவை சிகிச்சை கூடங்கள், ரத்தவங்கிகள், ஆய்வுக்கூடங்கள் உள்ளிட்ட பல வசதிகள் உள்ளன. இங்கு சிகிச்சைக்காக வரும் நோயாளிகளுக்கு முற்றிலும் இலவசமாக சிகிச்சை அளிக்கப்படுகிறது.

1993 சூன் 6 ல் சாய்பாபாவை கொலை செய்ய முயற்சி நடந்தது. இதில் 6 பேர் கொல்லப்பட்டனர். இதனையடுத்து சில சர்ச்சைகளும் எழுந்தன. பாலியல் குற்றச்சாட்டுகளும் முன்வைக்கப்பட்டன. ஆனாலும் இவை எதுவும் நிரூபிக்கப்படவில்லை.

சாயிபாபாவின் உடல் பிரசாந்தி நிலையத்தில் உள்ள சாயி குல்வந்த் மண்டபத்தில் பக்தர்களின் அஞ்சலிக்காக இன்று மாலை 6 மணியிலிருந்து வைக்கப்பட்டிருக்கும் எனவும் புதன்கிழமை காலை சாயி குல்வந்த் மண்டபத்தில் அடக்கம் செய்யப்படும் என்றும் அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இதற்கிடையில், மறைந்த சாயிபாபாவுக்கு அஞ்சலி செலுத்துவதற்காக ஆந்திர ஆளுநர் ஈ.எஸ்.எல்.நரசிம்மன், முதல்வர் கிரன் குமார் ஆகியோர் புட்டபர்த்தி சென்றுள்ளனர்.

ஞாயிறு, ஏப்ரல் 24, 2011


Richard von Weizsäcker, former President of Germany, dies

Richard von Weizsäcker, the President who oversaw German reunification in 1990, was announced to have died yesterday. He was 94.

von Weizsäcker served as a Nazi soldier during World War II, earning promotions and an Iron Cross. He would later describe Germany's defeat as a liberation and encouraged his countrymen to acknowledge their collective past, including the Holocaust. Following a business and law career he turned to politics. He joined the Christian Democratic Union and served as mayor of West Berlin before his 1984 election as President.

The year after, he made a famed speech before West Germany's parliament marking the 40th anniversary of German defeat in the war. "All of us, whether guilty or not, whether young or old, must accept the past. We are all affected by its consequences and liable for it. Anyone who closes his eyes to the past is blind to the present." He also said Allied forces "freed us all from the system of National Socialist tyranny."

Born in Stuttgart in 1920, von Weizsäcker oversaw reunification of West and East Germany in 1990, eleven months after the Berlin Wall fell. In 1989 he was reelected unopposed.  In 1986 he became the first German to address the UK parliament.

Present President Joachim Gauck said von Weizsäcker "stood worldwide for a Germany that had found its way to centre of the democratic family of peoples."

With his father Ernst a defendant at the Nuremberg trials, Richard von Weizsäcker appeared before the court as a lawyer for his father's defence. Ernst von Weizsäcker was a member of the Schutzstaffel, better known simply as the SS, and also worked for the foreign ministry.

"Guilt," according to Richard von Weizsäcker, "like innocence, is always a matter for the individual." He claimed as a military officer he refused to obey "inhumane" orders from more senior Nazis.


Умер экс-президент Германии Рихард фон Вайцзеккер

В субботу, 31 января 2015 года, в Берлине на 95-м году жизни скончался бывший президент Германии барон Рихард Карл фон Вайцзеккер.

Рихард фон Вайцзеккер занимал пост федерального президента Германии в период с 1984 по 1994 годы.

Вайцзеккер широко известен своей речью в бундестаге 8 мая 1985 года, посвящённой 40-й годовщине капитуляции Германии во Второй мировой войне.
В ней он затронул тему искупления, смысл которого, по его мнению, состоит в сохранении памяти о прошлом и извлечении из него необходимых уроков и сказал в частности:

31 января 2015 года


Roman Herzog, former German president, dies aged 82

Roman Herzog, seventh president of Germany, who was in the office from 1994 to 1999, died yesterday in Bad Mergentheim, current president Joachim Gauck confirmed. He was 82.

Born on April 5, 1934 in Landshut, Bavaria, Herzog studied law at Munich University. His father worked in a snuff factory. Herzog joined the Christian Democrats (CDU) in 1970.

Herzog was appointed as Bonn's regional chief representative in 1973 by Rhineland-Palatinate's governor. He served as a judge in the Federal Constitutional Court from 1983 to 1987. He was promoted as the Chief Justice of the federal court in 1987, serving until 1994.

Four years after Germany's re-unification, Herzog was elected as the president of the country in 1994 though he was the second choice candidate of CDU. After the election, Herzog said, "I will try my best to lead this administration in such a way that you will regret not having given me your vote".

Herzog acknowledged Germany's reformation was slow. Germany faced economic crises in the 1990s. The president said, "Pessimism has become a normal mindset in our country. Those who want to delay or prevent major reforms need to be aware that our nation will pay a high price for this."

In 1994, Herzog visited Poland on the 50th anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising.  On August 1, 1994, he sought forgiveness from the Polish people in Warsaw, saying, "I ask for your forgiveness for all that was done to you by Germany". Herzog declared January 27 to be observed as the annual day of remembrance of the victims of the Nazi holocaust. On January 27, 1945, the death camp at Austwitz was liberated.

Herzog is credited with the improvement of Germany after the economic crises and the reformation. In one mid-90s speech he said "Germany needs a jolt to push through it" ((de))German language: Durch Deutschland muss ein Ruck gehen as Germany's economy was at a standstill.

Herzog was succeeded by Johannes Rau in 1999. Upon retirement, Herzog said, "I'm merely retiring from office and not retiring from life". In 2015, he attended the funeral of Richard von Weizsäcker, who served as the president of Germany before Herzog succeeded him. Herzog is survived by his second wife.


Roman Herzog, ehemaliger deutscher Präsident stirbt, 82 Jahre alt

Berlin (Deutschland), 11.01.2017 – Roman Herzog, der siebte Präsident von Deutschland, der von 1994 bis 1999 im Amt war, starb gestern, bestätigte der deutsche Bundespräsident Joachim Gauck.

Geboren am 5. April 1934 in Landshut, Bayern, studierte Herzog an der Universität München Rechtswissenschaften. Sein Vater arbeitete in einer Schnupftabakfabrik. Herzog trat 1970 der Christlich Demokratischen Union (CDU) bei.

Herzog wurde 1973 vom Ministerpräsidenten von Rheinland-Pfalz zum Staatssekretär ernannt. Ab 1983 diente er als Richter im Bundesverfassungsgericht. Er wurde 1987 zum obersten Richter dieses Bundesgerichts befördert.

Vier Jahre nach der Wiedervereinigung Deutschlands wurde Herzog 1994 zum Präsidenten des Landes gewählt, obwohl er der zweite Wahlkandidat der CDU war. Nach der Wahl sagte Herzog: „Ich werde mein Bestes geben, diese Verwaltung so zu führen, dass Sie es nicht bereuen werden, mir nicht Ihr Votum gegeben zu haben.“ Herzog erkannte, dass sich die deutsche Reformation nach der Wiedervereinigung verzögerte. Deutschland stand in den 1990er Jahren mit Wirtschaftskrisen konfrontiert. Der Präsident sagte: „Der Pessimismus ist in unserem Land eine normale Denkweise geworden. Wer große Reformen verzögern oder verhindern will, muss sich bewusst sein, dass unsere Nation dafür einen hohen Preis zahlen wird.“ Im Jahre 1994 besuchte Herzog Polen zum 50. Jahrestag des Warschauer Aufstandes. Am 1. August 1994 suchte er Vergebung des polnischen Volkes in Warschau und sagte: „Ich bitte um Vergebung für alles, was Ihnen von Deutschland angetan wurde“. Herzog erklärte den 27. Januar zum jährlichen Gedenktag für die Opfer des Nazi-Holocausts. Am 27. Januar 1945 wurde das Todeslager in Auschwitz befreit. Herzog wird nach der Wirtschaftskrise und der Reformation die Verbesserung Deutschlands gutgeschrieben. Am 1. April 1998 sagte er, „durch Deutschland muss ein Ruck gehen“, als die deutsche Wirtschaft zum Erliegen kam.

Johannes Rau folgte 1999 Herzog. Im Ruhestand sagte Herzog: „Ich bin nur im Ruhestand aus dem Amt und nicht im Ruhestand aus dem Leben“. Im Jahr 2015 nahm er an der Beerdigung von Richard von Weizsäcker, der als Präsident von Deutschland diente, bevor Herzog ihm folgte. Herzog wird von seiner zweiten Frau überlebt.


Morre aos 82 anos, o ex-presidente da Alemanha, Roman Herzog

Agência Brasil

10 de janeiro de 2017

Morreu nesta terça-feira (10), aos 82 anos, o ex-presidente da Alemanha, Roman Herzog (1994-1999), primeiro chefe de Estado a tomar posse após a reunificação do país (1990).

Nascido em Landshut, no dia 4 de abril de 1934, Herzog era jurista, deu aulas na Universidade Livre de Berlim e comandou a Corte Constitucional alemã entre 1987 e 1994.

O ex-presidente era membro da União Democrata Cristã (CDU), o mesmo partido da chanceler Angela Merkel, e foi um dos principais incentivadores do início de um processo de reformas econômicas na Alemanha. Merkel tentará reeleição ainda em 2017.


Ronnie Lee Gardner executed by Utah firing squad

Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by firing squad in Utah at 0020 local time (0620 UTC) on Friday. His execution was performed by five volunteer riflemen. Gardner would not have seen his executioners due to bright lights during his final words before a bag was placed over his head. The execution was carried out at a prison in Draper, a suburb of Salt Lake City.

This is the first execution by firing squad carried out in the United States since John Albert Taylor on January 26th, 1996.  Taylor was convicted of raping and then murdering an eleven year old girl. Gardener chose his death by firing squad because he murdered with a gun and so stated he would die by the gun. The first man in Utah to be executed by firing squad was Gary Gilmore in 1977 for murdering two people.

In 1985, Gardner was convicted of fatally shooting a lawyer, Michael Burdell, during a failed attempt at escaping a courthouse. This was during his trial for the murder of Melvyn Otterstrom in 1984.

The five volunteers were not informed if they were given a live or blank round to ensure that they did not know if they gave the lethal shot. Gardner was asked if he had any final words and said: "I do not. No." There was then a count-down from five, with the guns being fired on two. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff used the Twitter micro-blogging site to say he had given the go-ahead for execution. "May God grant him the mercy he denied his victims". Friends and family members had gathered outside the prison to hold a vigil with some wearing t-shirts showing his prison number, but none were allowed to view the execution.

In 2004, Utah passed legislation stating that all death-row inmates will be killed by lethal injection, however those sentenced before 2004 are allowed to opt for the death by firing squad, as Gardner did.


Utah: Ronnie Lee Gardner hingerichtet

Salt Lake City (Vereinigte Staaten), 26.06.2010 – Der zum Tode verurteilte Mörder Ronnie Lee Gardner wurde am 18. Juni um 0:20 Uhr Ortszeit (08:20 Uhr MESZ) hingerichtet. Die Exekution wurde durch ein Erschießungskommando ausgeführt. Gardner war der erste Mensch, der in den Vereinigten Staaten seit John Albert Taylor am 26. Januar 1996 durch Erschießung hingerichtet wurde. Der Bundesstaat hatte 2004 seine Gesetzgebung geändert und die Hinrichtung durch Giftspritze verbindlich gemacht. Eine Sonderregelung erlaubt es jedoch Delinquenten, deren Verurteilung vor der Gesetzesänderung 2004 erfolgte, sich für eine Erschießung zu entscheiden.

Gardner war bereits 1985 rechtskräftig verurteilt worden, nachdem der den Rechtsanwalt Michael Burdell auf der Flucht aus dem Gerichtssaal erschossen hatte. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt hielt er sich im Gericht als Angeklagter auf, weil wegen eines zuvor verübten Mordes an Melvyn Otterstrom im Jahr 1984 gegen ihn verhandelt wurde. Als Grund für seine Entscheidung hatte Gardener angegeben, er wolle erschossen werden, weil er mit Schusswaffen gemordet hätte. Unmittelbar vor der Erschießung wurde Gardner gefragt, ob er noch etwas sagen wolle, und er antwortete: „Das tue ich nicht. Nein.“

Das Erschießungskommando in einem Gefängnis in Draper, einem Vorort von Salt Lake City, bestand aus fünf Schützen. Sie wurden nicht darüber informiert, ob die jeweilige Waffe scharf geladen war oder mit einem Blindgänger, sodass keiner von ihnen weiß, wer die tödliche Kugel abgefeuert hat. Die Erschießung erfolgte auf Kommando, als laut von fünf abwärts gezählt wurde – bei Erreichen der Zahl zwei.


Rosa Parks dies at 92

Rosa Parks, the African American woman who served as a catalyst to the American Civil Rights Movement, died of natural causes on Monday night at her home in Detroit, Michigan. She was 92.

Parks was best known for her refusal to yield her seat to a white man who demanded it on a city bus. Her defiance led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama in 1955.

She later worked on the Staff of U.S. Representative John Conyers (D-MI) who called her "a real apostle of the nonviolence movement" in an interview with CNN.

Parks founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development and was politically active until well into her 80s.

She received the two highest civilian awards in the U.S.; the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999.

Parks' health had been in decline in the last decade. She had become more and more reclusive to the public. Parks was confined to a wheelchair and suffered from dementia.


Symbolfigur der US-Bürgerrechtsbewegung, Rosa Parks, gestorben

Detroit (Vereinigte Staaten), 25.10.2005 – Rosa Parks, die afroamerikanische Frau, die als eine der Symbolfiguren der amerikanischen Bürgerrechtsbewegung gilt, starb Montagnacht im Alter von 92 Jahren in ihrem Haus in Detroit.

Parks war in den 1950er Jahren bekannt geworden, weil sie es abgelehnt hatte, ihren Sitzplatz in einem Stadtbus für einen Weißen zu räumen, der sie dazu aufgefordert hatte. Ihre Weigerung führte zu dem legendären „Montgomery Bus Boycott“ im US-Bundesstaat Alabama im Jahre 1955. Wegen ihrer Haltung wurde sie am 1. Dezember 1955 in Montgomery verhaftet.

Später arbeitete sie im Mitarbeiterstab des Demokratischen Abgeordneten John Conyers (Michigan) des Repräsentantenhauses der USA, der sie in einem CNN-Interview einen „wirklichen Apostel der gewaltfreien Bewegung“ nannte.

Rosa Parks gründete das „Rosa und Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development“ (Institut zur Stärkung der Entwicklung der eigenen Persönlichkeit) und war bis weit in die 1980er Jahre hinein politisch aktiv. So arbeitete sie in der NAACP mit, einer Bürgerrechtsorganisation der Afroamerikaner.

Sie wurde wegen ihrer Zivilcourage mit den beiden höchsten zivilen Auszeichnungen der USA bedacht: 1996 mit der Freiheitsmedaille des Präsidenten und mit der „Goldenen Ehrenmedaille des Kongresses“ im Jahre 1999.

Ihr gesundheitlicher Zustand hatte sich im letzten Jahrzehnt zunehmend verschlechtert. Sie hatte sich mehr und mehr aus der Öffentlichkeit zurückgezogen. Parks war auf einen Rollstuhl angewiesen und litt an geistiger Verwirrung.

Hinweis: Bei diesem Artikel handelt es sich um eine Übersetzung des Artikels „Rosa Parks dies at 92“ aus den englischen Wikinews


Décès de Rosa Parks, symbole de la lutte contre la ségrégation raciale

L'afro-américaine Rosa Parks, figure emblématique de la lutte contre la ségrégation raciale aux États-Unis, est morte ce lundi à l'âge de 92 ans dans sa demeure de Detroit (Michigan).

Le 1er décembre 1955, elle refusa de céder sa place à un Blanc dans un bus de Montgomery (Alabama). Son arrestation à la suite de ce geste donera naissance au boycott de la compagnie de bus durant 381 jours et à une campagne de protestation, entamés par le jeune pasteur noir Martin Luther King. Le 13 novembre 1956, la Cour suprême des États-Unis finit par casser les lois ségrégationnistes de Montgomery, les déclarant anticonstitutionnelles.

«Son refus de l'arbitraire raciste en Alabama, à partir de son refus de céder la place à un Blanc dans un bus de Montgomery, enclencha une mobilisation générale les Noirs et des anti-ségrégationnistes. Cette action, finalement couronnée de succès, montra à tous ceux qui oeuvraient pour la pleine reconnaissance des droits civiques aux États-Unis que la mobilisation pouvait payer et faire changer des situations que beaucoup de Noirs pensaient figées.» a déclaré ce mardi SOS Racisme dans un communiqué.

Rosa Parks était atteinte de démence depuis 2004. Elle passa les dernières années de sa vie dans une maison de repos. La date de ses funérailles n'a pour l'instant pas été communiquée publiquement.


Russian geographer Andrey Kapitsa dies aged 80

Andrey Kapitsa, the Russian geographer best known for his part in the discovery of Lake Vostok in Antarctica, has died in Moscow at the age of 80. He participated in four Soviet expeditions to the South Pole during his career.

Kapitsa was born to Physics Nobel Prize laureate Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa in Cambridge, England in 1931. He graduated from the Moscow State University's Faculty of Geography in 1953, and took part in the first of his four expeditions to the South Pole two years later. In 1967, he led the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences on a two year expedition through eastern Africa.

Along with other scientists, Kapitsa is credited with the discovery of Lake Vostok in eastern Antarctica. Lake Vostok, named after the polar research station, lies four kilometres below the ice and is around 15.5 thousand km². It is believed that the lake is home to ancient organisms, which have evolved over time.

Kapitsa's body will lie in state on August 4 in the foyer of the Moscow State University’s Community Centre.


Российский географ Андрей Капица умер в возрасте 80 лет

Андрей Капица, русский географ, известный своим участием в открытии озера Восток в Антарктиде, умер в Москве в возрасте 80 лет. Он участвовал в четырёх советских экспедициях на Южный полюс.

Капица родился в семье лауреата Нобелевской премии по физике Петра Леонидовича Капицы в Кембридже в 1931 году. Окончил географический факультет МГУ в 1953 году, и два года спустя принял участие в своей первой из четырех экспедиций на Южный полюс. В 1967—1968 годах он возглавлял геофизическую экспедицию АН СССР по Восточной Африке.

Наряду с другими учёными, Капице приписывают открытие озера Восток в Восточной Антарктиде. Озеро Восток, названное в честь полярной научно-исследовательской станция, находится в четырёх километрах подо льдом. Его площадь составляет около 15 500 км². Считается, что озеро является домом для древних организмов, эволюция которых проходила изолированно от внешнего мира.

Церемония прощания с учёным состоится в четверг, 4 августа, в фойе ДК Главного здания МГУ.

4 августа 2011 года


Scottish footballer Dave Mackay dies aged 80

Scottish footballer Dave Mackay died in an English hospital on Monday. He was 80.

"Dave was one of the most influential players of his era[...] a superb player who possessed all the technique, passing ability and talent to be the complete footballer", said Tottenham Hotspur, an English team Mackay played for in the late fifties and early sixties.

Mackay's career took him to England after competitive success at Scottish team Hearts, where he was captain. With Hearts he won the Scottish Cup and twice won the Scottish League Cup. He won three FA Cups, one being a 'Double' won in the same year as the English league, with Tottenham Hotspur. He also appeared 22 times playing for the Scottish national side.

In the early seventies Mackay turned his attention to managing, taking the top job at various English and Middle Eastern sides. Derby County won the league under him in 1975. Mackay's management career continued until 1995. He has held the title Footballer of the Year in both Scotland and England.

Late Manchester United player George Best has previously called Mackay the "hardest man I have ever played against". A minute's applause is planned as tribute when Scotland takes on Northern Ireland at home  on March 25.


Futebolista escocês Dave Mackay morre aos 80

O futebolista (ou jogador de futebol) escocês Dave Mackay morreu em um hospital inglês na segunda-feira. Ele tinha 80 anos.

"Dave foi um dos jogadores mais influentes de sua época [...] um jogador soberbo que possuía toda a técnica, passando a competência e talento para ser o futebolista completo", disse o Tottenham Hotspur, uma equipe inglesa Mackay jogou pela final anos cinquenta e início dos anos sessenta.

A carreira de Mackay o levou para a Inglaterra após o sucesso competitivo em equipe escocesa Hearts, onde era capitão. Com Hearts ele ganhou a Scottish Cup e ganhou duas vezes a Scottish League Cup. Ele ganhou três FA Cups, sendo um deles um 'Double' ganhou no mesmo ano em que o campeonato Inglês, com Tottenham Hotspur. Ele também apareceu 22 vezes a jogar pela seleção nacional escocesa.
No início dos anos setenta, Mackay voltou sua atenção para a gestão, tendo o trabalho superior a vários clubes ingleses e do Oriente Médio. Derby County venceu o campeonato sob ele em 1975. A carreira de gestão do Mackay continuou até 1995. Ocupou o título Futebolista do Ano em Escócia e Inglaterra.
Depois, o jogador da Manchester United, George Best foi anteriormente chamado de Mackay o "homem mais difícil que eu já joguei contra". Aplauso de um minuto é planejado como tributo quando Scotland assume Irlanda do Norte em casa  no dia 25 de março.


Senator Ted Kennedy dies at age 77

United States Senator Ted Kennedy, a Democrat from Massachusetts died just before midnight on August 25, 2009, at his home in Hyannis Port at age 77. He was the brother of American President John F. Kennedy and  U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

On May 20, 2008, Kennedy was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and was released from Massachusetts General Hospital on May 21.

He was born Edward Moore Kennedy on February 22, 1932, in Boston. He had been a senator since 1962.

Kennedy is survived by his wife Victoria Reggie Kennedy, three children, two step-children, a sister — Jean Kennedy Smith, many nieces and nephews and several grandchildren.

The Kennedy family released a statement saying, "Edward M. Kennedy — the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply — died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port. We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. He always believed that our best days were still ahead, but it’s hard to imagine any of them without him."

Kennedy was the second-most-senior current member of the Senate, after Democratic President pro tempore Robert Byrd of West Virginia, and the third-longest-serving senator of all time, behind Byrd and Republican Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. Kennedy was known as "The Lion of the Senate," for his long tenure and influence in the Senate. Throughout his career, Kennedy and his staff wrote more then 300 bills that were enacted into law.

Because of Kennedy's death, the Democratic Party has lost their sixty-seat supermajority in the Senate. His successor will be chosen in a special election within 160 days. Prior to his death, Kennedy appealed to Democratic Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and the Massachusetts legislature to change state law regarding Senate vacancies, so that a temporary senator could be appointed pending a special election and a vote in favor of a health-care bill would not potentially be lost.  This law had been changed in 2004 to prevent Republican then-Governor Mitt Romney from appointing a replacement for Democratic Senator John Kerry, had he won the 2004 presidential election.

President Barack Obama said of Kennedy in a press conference, "Over the past several years, I've had the honor to call Teddy a colleague, a counselor, and a friend." He also noted that, "The Kennedy name is synonymous with the Democratic Party.  And at times, Ted was the target of partisan campaign attacks." However, he acknowledged his friendship that went across party lines saying, "But in the United States Senate, I can think of no one who engendered greater respect or affection from members of both sides of the aisle."

One of Kennedy's former Senate colleagues and current Vice President Joe Biden gave an emotional retrospective of Kennedy's life at a U.S. Department of Energy press conference. He, like Obama, remarked upon his cross-aisle friendships in the Senate saying, "Don't you find it remarkable that one of the most partisan, liberal men in the last century serving in the Senate had so many of his — so many of his foes embracing him, because they know he made them bigger, he made them more graceful by the way in which he conducted himself."

Biden also remarked that without Kennedy's help during Biden's 1972 Senate campaign, "I literally would not be standing here were it not for Teddy Kennedy — not figuratively, this is not hyperbole — literally." He also noted how Kennedy stood by his side when Biden lost his wife and daughter in a car accident.

Biden closed by paraphrasing Shakespeare, "I don't think we shall ever see his like again. I think the legacy he left is not just in the landmark legislation he passed, but in how he helped people look at themselves and look at one another."

John Kerry, the now senior Senator from Massachusetts issued a statement saying, "We have known for some time that this day was coming, but nothing makes it easier. We have lost a great light in our lives and our politics, and it will never be the same again." He added, "For almost 25 years, I was privileged to serve as his colleague and share his friendship for which I will always be grateful."

Kennedy's Senate colleague, Majority Leader Harry Reid, said it was "the thrill of my lifetime " to work with a man he called the "patriarch" of the Senate.

Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah — one of Kennedy's fiercest political opponents and closest friends in that chamber of the U.S. Congress — said the Democratic lawmaker will be remembered as "someone who lived and breathed the United States Senate, and the work completed within its chamber."

Nancy Reagan, the wife of the late President Ronald Reagan, called Kennedy "an ally and a dear friend".  Despite the political differences between her husband — a hero of conservative Republicans — and Kennedy — the stalwart liberal Democrat — Mrs. Reagan said she and Kennedy found common ground on the issue of stem-cell research. Mrs. Reagan has become a strong advocate of stem-cell research, which many believe will lead to treatment for illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease, which led to President Reagan's death in 2004.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is married to Kennedy's niece, Maria Shriver, called him "the rock of our family", and a champion of social justice.


Falleció el senador estadounidense Edward Kennedy

A los 77 años de edad falleció este martes por la noche, el senador estadounidense Edward Kennedy, el más joven de los hermanos del asesinado ex-presidente John F. Kennedy y uno de los más influyentes legisladores en la historia de Estados Unidos.

La familia Kennedy informó que el senador Edward Kennedy falleció en la noche de este martes en su casa en el poblado de Hyannis Port, en el estado de Massachusetts.

El senador demócrata sufría desde hace un año de una forma incurable de cáncer cerebral, la enfermedad terminó venciendo al último Kennedy.

Una declaración emitida por la familia, describe a Edward Kennedy como “el pilar central e irreemplazable y la luz alegre de nuestra familia”.

Debido a su enfermedad el legislador no había podido participar de sus labores en el senado estadounidense durante la mayor parte de este año, por lo que se veía forzado a trabajar en uno de los asuntos a los que dedicó su vida como senador, el sistema nacional de salud pública, desde su casa en Hyannis Port.

Kennedy representó al estado de Massachusetts en el senado de Estados Unidos desde el año 1962, cuando fue electo para asumir la banca de su hermano, el presidente John F. Kennedy.

Durante su carrera como senador, se destacó como un fuerte promotor de las causas liberales, incluyendo los derechos civiles, la educación e inmigración, además de los temas de salud pública.

El presidente Barack Obama, a quien el senador Kennedy dio su apoyo la campaña presidencial en el año 2008, recientemente distinguió a su senador aliado con la Medalla Presidencial de la Libertad.

El presidente Barack Obama dijo que el fallecido senador Edward Kennedy fue “el más grande Senador de Estados Unidos de nuestra época”.

En una declaración escrita dada a conocer por la Casa Blanca hace unas horas, Obama dijo que a él y a su esposa les entristece profundamente la muerte del senador Kennedy.

El mandatario estadounidense dijo que siempre apreció el sabio consejo del patriarca legislador cuando ambos cumplieron funciones en el Senado y expresó su gratitud por el crucial apoyo del senador durante la campaña presidencial 2008.

Obama se encuentra de vacaciones con su familia en Martha´s Vineyard, Massachusetts, cerca de la residencia de Kennedy en Hyannis Port, donde falleció el senador.

Nancy Reagan, viuda del ex presidente de Estados Unidos Ronald Reagan, señaló que ella consideraba al fallecido senador “un aliado y un amigo muy querido”.

Nancy Reagan, cuyo fallecido esposo es un héroe para los republicanos conservadores, dijo que, a pesar de sus diferencias políticas con el demócrata liberal, ambos encontraron puntos en común en relación al tema de las investigaciones con células madre.

El líder de la mayoría en el senado, Harry Reid, dijo que trabajar con el legislador de Massachusetts fue lo más emocionante de su vida.

Por su parte, el vicepresidente de Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, dijo que se trataba de una pérdida humana invaluable.

La presidenta de la Cámara de Representantes de Estados Unidos, la también demócrata Nancy Pelosi, dijo que "el pueblo estadounidense ha perdido a un gran patriota, y los Kennedy han perdido a su querido patriarca".

El Gobernador de California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, quien está casado con María Shriver, sobrina de Kennedy, lo llamó “la piedra de nuestra familia”, y un defensor de la justicia social.

La madre de Shriver y hermana mayor de Edward Kennedy, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, falleció recientemente.

El Primer Ministro del Reino Unido, Gordon Brown, encabezó los tributos de parte de los líderes extranjeros, diciendo que Kennedy será recordado en “todos los continentes” como uno de los líderes en el cuidado de salud y educación de los niños.

El Primer Ministro de Australia, Kevin Rudd, dijo que Kennedy fue un gran estadounidense y un gran amigo de Australia quien realizó una contribución extraordinaria al papel de Estados Unidos en el mundo.

El Primer Ministro de Israel, Benjamín Netanyahu, recordó sus 30 años de amistad con Ted Kennedy, calificándolo de “un gran paladín por un mundo mejor” y “gran amigo de Israel”.


Nécrologie : décès du sénateur américain Edward Kennedy

Edward Moore Kennedy, sénateur démocrate du Massachusetts, est décédé dans le courant de la nuit, chez lui, à Hyannis Port, a annoncé sa famille. Il était âgé de 77 ans et souffrait d'un cancer du cerveau.

L'une des figures clé de la politique américaine, celui que l'on surnommait « Ted » Kennedy, était membre d'une dynastie politique. En effet, il était le jeune frère de l'ancien président John Fitzgerald Kennedy, assassiné en 1963. Leur frère, le sénateur Robert Kennedy, a été abattu par Sirhan Sirhan en 1968, à Los Angeles, en Californie, alors qu'il battait campagne pour l'investiture du Parti démocrate.

Le sénateur Kennedy représentait l'État du Massachusetts au Sénat depuis 1962, après avoir remporté le siège qu'occupait le président John F. Kennedy. Toutefois, une série de scandales au début de sa carrière vont le contraindre à renoncer à l'ambition présidentielle, notamment l'affaire de Chappaquiddick, en 1969.

En 1980, M. Kennedy échouera dans la course à l'investiture du Parti démocrate au profit de Jimmy Carter. Mais l'élection présidentielle sera remportée par le républicain Ronald Reagan.

Considéré comme l'un des chefs de file de l'aile libérale du Sénat, le défunt Edward Kennedy s'était illustré en particulier dans la lutte pour les droits civiques, l'éducation, la santé et l'immigration. Il s'était opposé aux guerres du Viêt Nam et d'Irak. Il était demeuré actif au Sénat jusqu'en 2008, lorsque son cancer du cerveau a été détecté.

Bien que malade, il fera une apparition surprise au congrès démocrate, cette année-là, pour endosser la candidature à la présidence de Barack Obama.

Le magazine Time a retenu le sénateur Kennedy parmi son classement des « dix meilleurs sénateurs des États-Unis ». Sa sœur, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, fondatrice des Jeux olympiques spéciaux, est morte il y a deux semaines. Edward Kennedy n'avait pas pu se rendre aux funérailles en raison de sa maladie.


Ted Kennedy è morto

Il senatore americano Ted Kennedy è morto. Aveva 77 anni, ed era gravemente malato dopo che, un anno fa, gli fu diagnosticato un tumore al cervello. Nel 2008 era stato ricoverato a seguito di un ictus, ma accurati controlli avevano constatato la malattia tumorale.

In una dichiarazione della Famiglia Kennedy, riportata dalla CNN, si legge: «Abbiamo perso il centro insostituibile della nostra famiglia e della luce gioiosa della nostra vita, ma l'ispirazione della sua fede, ottimismo e perseveranza vivrà nei nostri cuori per sempre». «Ringraziamo tutti coloro che gli hanno dato assistenza nell'ultimo anno, e tutti quelli che lo hanno accompagnato nella sua incessante marcia per il progresso verso la giustizia».

Ted Kennedy, il secondo senatore per longevità di incarico negli Stati Uniti d'America, era nato nel 1932. Fratello di John Fitzgerald Kennedy e Robert Kennedy, entrambi assassinati (nel '63 il primo, cinque anni dopo il secondo), iniziò la carriera politica nel 1962, quando sostituì il fratello John al Senato, in quanto era stato eletto presidente. Venne rieletto per 7 volte consecutive senatore degli Stati Uniti, nel 2006 vinse con il 69% contro Kenneth Chase e durante tutta la sua carriera fu autore di più di 2.500 proposte di legge.

Poche settimane fa, con una lettera, aveva chiesto al Massachusetts (stato che l'aveva eletto) di emendare la legge sulla rielezione dei senatori per i seggi vacanti, volendo garantire la continuità rappresentativa del suo Partito al Senato di Washington D.C. dopo la sua morte. Tale legge era stata introdotta dallo stesso Kennedy appunto per evitare nomine di successori senza la convocazione di un'elezione suppletiva.

Alle primarie del Partito Democratico per la scelta del candidato alle presidenziali del 4 novembre 2008 aveva dato il suo sostegno a Barack Obama, divenuto poi presidente.


訃報 エドワード・ケネディ上院議員 - ケネディ大統領の弟

朝日新聞・読売新聞によると、米民主党のマサチューセッツ州選出のエドワード・ケネディ上院議員（77歳）が25日深夜(UTC-5)、同州の自宅で死去した。彼は、いずれも暗殺されたジョン・F・ケネディ元大統領及びロバート・ケネディ元司法長官の実弟である。

読売によると、ケネディ上院議員は民主党の重鎮であり、2008年の大統領選挙では、いち早くオバマ現大統領支持を表明し、当選への流れを形作った。2008年に悪性脳腫瘍と診断され、療養中であったが、2009年1月のバラク・オバマ大統領就任式には病を押して出席していた。


Edward Kennedy nie żyje

Zmarł senator Edward Kennedy, młodszy brat zamordowanego w zamachu prezydenta Johna Kennedy'ego.

Edward Kennedy to ostatni z trzech braci jednej z najbardziej wpływowych rodzin amerykańskich. Był jednym z najstarszych i najdłużej sprawujących urząd kongresmenów, podporą lewicowego skrzydła Partii Demokratycznej. Słynął z wielkiego talentu do zawierania umów nawet z najbardziej zagorzałymi przeciwnikami. Działał w komisji zdrowia i pracy. Zajmował się reformą służby zdrowia i edukacją. Śmierć senatora według niektórych to polityczny koniec dynastii Kennedych. W ubiegłym roku zdiagnozowano u niego raka mózgu. Miał 77 lat.


Morre nos Estados Unidos, o senador Edward Kennedy, aos 77 anos

O senador estadunidense Edward Kennedy, irmão do ex-presidente John F. Kennedy e do ex-senador Robert Kennedy, morreu na madrugada desta terça-feira (25), segundo informações da família. Ele tinha 77 anos e foi vítima de um câncer de cérebro.

Sua morte marca o fim de uma dinastia política e representa um duro golpe para os democratas. Kennedy era um dos principais defensores da reforma da saúde, uma das marcas do governo Obama.


Бостон/ САД (Glas Amerike) Америчка јавност опрашта се од сенатора Едварда Кенедија. Пренос посмртних остатака преминулог сенатора Едварда Кенедија до места на коме ће бити сахрањен почео је данас у Масачусетсу. Демократски сенатор Едвард Кенеди умро је у уторак у 78. години, после дуже битке са раком мозга. У Сенату је провео готово пола века.

Чланови породице Кенеди испратили су његово тело из приморског градића Хајанис порта до Бостона, где је ковчег изложен у председничкој библиотеци и музеју посвећеном његовом брату, бившем председнику Џону Кенедију.

Очекује се да ће на хиљаде људи проћи крај затвореног ковчега. Приватна комеморација биће одржана сутра.

У суботу, ковчег са телом преминулог сенатора биће пренет у једну бостонску цркву, где ће током мисе председник Барак Обама одржати опроштајни говор.

Сенатор Кенеди је долазио у ту цркву сваког дана током успешне борбе његове ћерке Каре са раком плућа, 2003. године. У суботу поподне, Кенедијево тело биће пренето до Националног гробља у Арлингтону, недалеко од Вашингтона, где ће бити сахрањено крај гробова његове браће, бившег председника Џона Кенедија и сенатора, који су обојица убијени у одвојеним атентатима.

Ко наслеђује Кенедија у Сенату?

Смрћу Едварда Кенедија, како је истакнуто, окончано је једно доба. Његовом наследнику због тога свакако неће бити лако да га замени. Према закону савезне државе Масачусетс, Кенедијево место у Сенату остаће упражњено најмање до половине јануара. Неколико седмица пре смрти, Кенеди је упутио писмо државним законодавцима, тражећи да се усвоји амандман који би то променио.

Претрес о промени закона вероватно ће бити одржан наредног месеца. Мање од 48 сати од Кенедијеве смтри, већ се спекулише о томе ко би могао да га наследи на Капитол Хилу. Најчешће се помиње име сина покојног Роберта Кенедија, Џозефа, који је био конгресмен од 1987. до ’99. године.

Ванредни избори за попуњавање упражњеног места у Сенату требало би да буду одржани између 18. јануара и другог фебруара.


அமெரிக்க செனட்டர் எட்வர்ட் கென்னடி காலமானார்

அமெரிக்க அரசியலில் பெரும் செல்வாக்குடன் இருக்கும் கென்னடி குடும்பத்தைச் சேர்ந்த ஐக்கிய அமெரிக்க மேலவை உறுப்பினர் (செனட்டர்) டெட் கென்னடி நேற்று நள்ளிரவு, 2009, ஆகஸ்ட் 25 செவ்வாய்க்கிழமை தனது மசாசுச்செட்ஸ் வீட்டில் மரணமானார். மக்களட்சிக் கட்சியைச் சேர்ந்த இவர் இறக்கும் போது வயது 77. இவர் அமெரிக்க ஜனாதிபதிகளில் அதிக செல்வாக்குப் பெற்ற ஜனாதிபதி என்று பெயரெடுத்த ஜோன் எப். கென்னடி, மற்றும் செனட்டர் ராபர்ட் எஃப். கென்னடி ஆகியோரின் சகோதரர் ஆவார்.

அவருக்கு மூளையில் புற்று நோய் இருப்பது மே 20, 2008 இல் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது.

பெப்ரவரி 22, 1932 இல் பிறந்த கென்னடியின் இயற்பெயர் எட்வர்ட் மூர் கென்னடி. மேலவை உறுப்பினராக 1962 ஆம் ஆண்டில் இருந்து இறக்கும் வரை இருந்து வந்தவர். அமெரிக்க வரலாற்றில் அதிக செல்வாக்குடன் நீண்ட காலமாக செனட்டராகப் பணியாற்றிய பெருமை இவருக்குண்டு.

கென்னடி குடும்பத்தில், ஜனாதிபதியாக இருந்த ஜோன் எப். கென்னடி 1963ஆம் ஆண்டு சுட்டுக் கொல்லப்பட்டார். இன்னொரு சகோதரர் ரொபர்ட் கென்னடியும் 1968ஆம் ஆண்டு தேர்தல் பிரசாரத்தின் போது சுட்டுக் கொல்லப்பட்டார். மற்றைய சகோதரர் ஜோசப் கென்னடி இரண்டாம் உலகப் போரின் போது விமானவிபத்தில் இறந்தார்.

கென்னடிக்கு விக்டோரியா ரெஜி கென்னடி என்ற மனைவியும், 5 பிள்ளைகளும், ஜீன் கென்னடி சிமித் என்ற சகோதரியும் உள்ளனர்.

புதன், ஆகத்து 26, 2009


Ted Kennedy hayatını kaybetti

Amerikan siyasetinin etkili isimlerinden olan Demokrat Parti Massachusetts senatörü Ted Kennedy (Edward Moore Kennedy) 77 yaşında hayatını kaybetti. Kennedy'nin ölüm sebebi beyin tümörü olarak belirtildi. Kennedy'nin ölümü Amerika yerel saatiyle sabah saatlerinde ailesi tarafından yapılan açıklama ile duyuruldu.

Kennedy siyasi yaşamına 1962'de Demokratların arasında başlamış ve o tarihten bu yanada araklıksız senatörlük görevini sürdürmüştü. 2003'te Irak Savaşı'na karşı çıkan senatör Demokrat Parti'nin etkin ve kıdemli üyelerindendi. Edward Kennedy 9 kardeşin içinde en küçük olanıydı. Kennedy'e 2008 Mayıs ayında beyin tümörü teshişi konulmuştu.

Ted Kennedy'nin cenaze töreninin 29 Ağustos 2009 tarihinde Boston'da düzenleneceği belirtildi. Aynı gün Amerika yerel saatiyle öğleden sonra Washington'daki askeri Arlington Mezarlığı'na defnedileceği öğrenildi.


Senior al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq killed

A joint military operation by Iraqi and American forces has killed two senior al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq, according to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Malaki and US officials.

The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, and the leader of an affiliate group, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, were killed by Iraqi military forces with assistance from US forces in a night-time attack on a safe house.  According to Prime Minister Malaki, "The attack was carried out by ground forces which surrounded the house, and also through the use of missiles." The two were killed in Thar-Thar, in the province of Salaheddin, 50 miles west of Iraq's capital, Baghdad.

The American commander of military forces in Iraq, General Raymond Odierno, said in a statement that "the death of these terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to al-Qaeda in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency."  In a separate statement, the US said that the two Iraqis were killed in battle after "engaging the security team."  Additionally, two other people were killed—an assistant of al-Masri and the son of al-Baghdadi.

Al-Masri, along with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in 2006, formed the first al-Qaeda cell in Baghdad, which have been responsible for many attacks since the US invasion of the country in 2003.  Al-Baghdadi was the leader of an umbrella group, the Islamic State of Iraq, a group that is partly composed of radical Sunni militant groups.


Irak: giną liderzy Al-Kaidy

W Iraku zabito trzech ważnych terrorystów w tym lidera tamtejszej Al-Kaidy - Abu Ajuba al-Masriego, znanego także jako Abu Hamza al-Muhadżir.

W Iraku prowadzone są wspólne operacje przeciwko Al-Kaidzie sił amerykańskich i irackich. Pod Bagdadem zabito lidera irackiej Al-Kaidy Abu Ajuba al-Masriego i Abu Omara al-Bagdadiego. Natomiast dziś w Mosulu został zabity Ahmad al-Obeidi - dowódca Al-Kaidy w północnym Iraku.

Masri został zabity 19 kwietnia 2010 w wiosce Thar Thar położonej 80 km na zachód od Bagdadu, podczas operacji irackich i amerykańskich sił lądowych. Żołnierze najpierw oblężono dom, a następnie zaatakowali go z pocisków rakietowych. W budynku znaleziono ciała dwóch mężczyzn, którzy ukrywali się w specjalnej jamie. Zginął też przywódca Islamskiego Państwa w Iraku - Abu Omara al-Bagdadi.

Biały Dom określił operację, jako niszczący cios dla sił Al-Kaidy w Iraku. Przyznano, że podczas akcji śmierć poniósł amerykański żołnierz, którego nazwano młodym bohaterem. Zaznaczono, że najważniejszym piorytetem będzie schwytanie bądź zabicie Osamy bin Ladena.

Dziś nad ranem w Mosulu na północy Iraku zmordowano  Ahmada al-Obeidiego w ramach wspólnej operacji iracko-amerykańskiej. Al-Obeidi, był liderem Al-Kaidy w prowincjach Niniwa, Salahaddin i Kirkuk.

Al-Masri był dowódcą Al-Kaidy w Iraku od 13 czerwca 2006, kiedy wybrano go 6 dni po śmierci dotychczasowego lidera Abu Musaba al-Zarkawiego. Za głowę Masriego wyznaczono nagrodę w wysokości 5.000.000 dolarów. Był także odpowiedzialny za ataki i zamachy terrorystyczne na siły koalicji, irackie władze i organy bezpieczeństwa, a przede wszystkim iracką ludność cywilną.

Irackie MSW poinformowało, że lider irackiej Al-Kaidy został zabity 1 maja 2007 w starciach między rebeliantami na północ od Bagdadu, jednak jeszcze wieczorem Organizacja Islamskie Państwo w Iraku zdementowała na swojej witrynie internetowej tę wiadomość.


Seoul city Mayor Park Won-soon found dead, South Korean police confirm

Park Won-soon, the mayor of Seoul, South Korea, was found dead, police reported Friday morning, local time (UTC+0900).  He was reported missing Thursday evening by the police.  Park was 64 years old.

Park Won-soon's body was found at Mount Bukak.  According to initial reports, the police have been investigating the specifics about the cause of his death.

According to local reports, the 64-year-old mayor left his home a quarter before 11 a.m. on Thursday with a backpack.  At about 5:17 p.m. his daughter reported to the police he "left home four–five hours ago after leaving words like a will, with his phone currently off." ((ko))Korean language: 4~5시간 전에 아버지가 유언 같은 말을 남기고 집을 나갔는데 전화기가 꺼져 있다  Park's phone was last active in the north-east region of Seoul in Seongbuk-gu, The Korea Herald reported.

The Seoul government said Park had cancelled his entire Thursday schedule.

A large search operation was launched, involving over 500 police officers and firefighters.

Shortly before Park Won-soon's death, on Wednesday a case was reportedly filed against him by a former secretery concerning sexual harassment, and the police had said they would be investigating the allegations.

Park was elected mayor of the capital city in 2011.  He was re-elected twice, in 2014 and 2018.  His current term was through 2021.


Corea del Sud: trovato morto il sindaco di Seul

Le autorità locali hanno confermato lo scorso venerdì di aver rinvenuto il corpo senza vita di Park Won-soon, sindaco della capitale sudcoreana Seul, sul monte Bugak.

Park, sindaco della città dal 2011, era stato dichiarato scomparso dalla figlia poiché lasciando la propria abitazione pronunciò delle parole che rasentavano quasi un addio, lasciando spazio alla tesi di un possibile suicidio. Il sindaco infatti era stato accusato di aver perpetrato delle molestie sessuali nei confronti di un'ex segretaria.


Singer Aretha Franklin, 'queen of soul', dies aged 76

US soul singer Aretha Franklin died in her Detroit, Michigan home on Thursday morning, her publicist Gwendolyn Quinn stated on behalf of the family.  According to the statement, the official cause of death was pancreatic cancer.

Per the statement, Franklin died at about 9:50 am local time, "surrounded by family and loved ones. In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart. We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds."

Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee on March 25, 1942.  After some time in Buffalo, New York, the family settled in Detroit around 1946.  Her father was a preacher, and Aretha sang solos at his church when she was 10.  Her mother died that year, having left the family four years earlier.  Aretha had her first son before age 13, and recorded gospel music at 14.  She contracted in 1956 to JVB Records, with her father's help, then in 1960 to Columbia Records, and in 1966 to Atlantic Records.  At Atlantic she focused on soul and rhythm and blues (R&B), and was highly successful.  She acquired the nickname "the Queen of Soul" in 1967.  Over the next seven years she was 33 times on the R&B Top Ten list.  One of her signature songs, Respect, won her the Grammy Award for best R&B performance in 1968, and she won best R&B performance every year from then through 1975.  In 1987 she became the first woman in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Franklin's musical career resurged in the 1980s.  Her last number-one hit was a 1987 duet with British singer George Michael, I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me).  Her last public performance was in November of last year, at an Elton John AIDS Foundation event in New York City.  As of June last year, according to Billboard, she was working on an album of collaborations with others, mentioning Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Lionel Richie.

Franklin's career was entwined with the civil rights movement.  Her father's politics brought her in contact with Martin Luther King Jr., with whom she toured in the late 1950s.  Her father was involved in organizing the 1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom with King, and when King was assassinated in 1968, she sang at his funeral.  Respect, and others of her songs, became anthems for the civil rights and feminism movements.  She told Vogue magazine in 2015 she didn't record Respect for a political movement; "Not just me or the civil rights movement or women — it's important to people. And I was asked what recording of mine I'd put in a time capsule, and it was Respect. Because people want respect — even small children, even babies. As people, we deserve respect from one another."

She sang at Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration as President of the United States.  On her death, Barack Obama tweeted, "Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade — our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace."

Aretha Franklin is survived by sons Clarence, Edward, Ted, and Kecalf.


وفاة ملكة موسيقى السول عن عمر ناهز 76 سنة

توفيت مغنية موسيقى السول الأمريكية أريثا فرانكلين في ديترويت بولاية ميشيغان الأمريكية عن عمر ناهز 76 سنة صباح الخميس الماضي، وذلك حسب بيان نشرته مشهرتها الخاص غويندولين كوين بالنيابة عن عائلتها. وحسب نفس البيان فإن المغنية ماتت بعد معاناة مع مرض سرطان البنكرياس.

ونقلت مواقع إخبارية عن البيان قوله أن المغنية وافتها المنية في الساعة 9:50 صباحا بالتوقيت المحلي، "محاطة بأفراد العائلة والأقارب والأحباب. في واحدة من أحلك لحظات حياتنا. لم نجد كلمات مناسبة تعبر عن الألم الذي يسري في قلوبنا، لقد فقدنا أمنا وحجر أساس عائلتنا، فالحب الذي قدمته لأبنائها وأحفادها وأبناء الأعمام والأخوال لم يعرف له حدود".

وولدت أريتا لويز فرانكلين في مدينة ممفيس بولاية تينيسي الأمريكية في الخامس والعشرين من مارس سنة 1942 من أب يمتهن التبشير المسيحي بكنيسة في مدينة ديترويت. وكان أول أداء فردي لها في الكنيسة عندما كانت في سن العاشرة. أنجبت أول أبناءها في سن الثالثة عشرة، وسجلت أول أغنية إنجيلية في الرابعة عشرة من عمرها.

وانتقلت بعدها لتسجيل الأغاني في استديوهات عدة بمساعدة أبيها القس كلارنس فرانكلين، لكن أغانيها لاقت نجاحا بعد إبرامها لعقد مع شركة "أتلانتيك ريكوردس" سنة 1966، حيث ركزت بشكل كبير على أداء أغاني من فئة موسيقى السول و"الإيقاع والبلوز (R&B)". حققت أريثا نجاحا كبيرا في الثمانينات، وكانت أخر أغنية شعبية لها عبارة عن مقطع موسيقي مشترك الأداء مع الفنان البريطاني الراحل جورج ميكاييل تحت عنوان " (I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me" (أعلم أنك كنت تنتظرينني).

وكان آخر أداء مفتوح لها العام الماضي في أحد الأحداث المنظمة لمرضى الإيدز، وحسب مجلة بيلبود في أحد الأعداد الصادرة في يونيو 2017، فقد كانت فرانكين تحضر لألبوم جديد مع ثلاثة فنانين. وأدت أريثا عرضا غنائيا في حفل تتويج الرئيس الأمريكي السابق باراك أوباما سنة 2009. وقال أوباما في تغريدة على تويتر عقب إعلان وفاتها: "ساعدت أريثا في تعريف التجربة الأمريكية. نشعر بتاريخنا في صوتها، وفي كل نبرة منه -قوتنا وألمنا، ظلمتنا ونورنا، بحثنا عن فدائنا واحترامنا الذي اكتسبناه بصعوبة. فلترقد ملكة السول في سلام أبدي".

الأحد 19 أغسطس 2018


Muore Aretha Franklin

Qualche giorno fa era stata data la notizia che fosse gravemente malata. Ieri, invece, la "regina del soul" Aretha Franklin è deceduta nella sua casa di Detroit. Dal 2010 era malata di cancro e le sue apparizioni pubbliche si erano fatte sempre più sporadiche. Aveva 76 anni.


Soulzangeres Aretha Franklin (76) na jaren ziekte overleden

De afgelopen dagen gonsden de geruchten al dat het niet goed ging met de soulzangeres Aretha Franklin. Vandaag overleed ze in haar woning in Detroit. Sinds 2010 kanker bij haar werd geconstateerd, bleef ze toch geregeld optreden. In februari vorig jaar kondigde ze haar terugtreden aan. Ze trad daarna nog wel weer op, zoals in november toen ze de opbrengsten ten goede liet komen van de Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Meer dan twintig keer bereikten haar singles de nummer 1-positie van de Billboard Hot 100. Een grote hit was bijvoorbeeld Respect, dat een stem gaf aan de zwarte bevolking en ook wel het lijflied van de burgerrechtenbeweging genoemd wordt. Met What a fool believes maakte ze in 1980 een comeback toen haar carrière over het hoogtepunt heen leek te zijn. Een bekend duet was I knew you where waiting in 1987 met George Michael die een groot idool was van haar. Van de vele andere bekende nummers zijn Think, Natural woman  en I say a little prayer voor veel fans onvergetelijk.

Bij elkaar ontving ze achttien Grammy Awards, waaronder van 1968 tot 1975  acht maal op rij als Beste vrouwelijke R&B-zangers. Ze was de eerste vrouw die in de Rock and Roll Hall of Fame werd opgenomen. Volgens het muziektijdschrift Rolling Stone was ze de beste zangeres ter wereld.


Умерла Арета Франклин

В четверг, 16 августа 2018 года, в своём доме в Детройте скончалась американская певица, «королева соула» 76-летняя Арета Франклин.

Арета Франклин с 2010 года отчаянно сражалась с раком и несколько дней назад уже попрощалась с родными.

Состояние здоровья певицы резко ухудшилось около года назад.
Приблизительно тогда она стала куда реже появляться на публике.

В начале февраля 2017 года артистка объявила об уходе со сцены.

В последний раз она выступила в ноябре 2017 года на акции фонда по борьбе со СПИДом, организованного Элтоном Джоном.

Певица удостоена 18 премий «Грэмми».
20 альбомов Ареты Франклин входили в первую десятку американских хит-парадов, дюжина синглов продавалась тиражом свыше миллиона экземпляров.

Творчество Франклин охватывало многие направления госпела, джаза, соул, ритм-энд-блюза и рок-н-ролла.

3 января 1987 года она стала первой женщиной, чьё имя было занесено в Зал славы рок-н-ролла.

9 ноября 2005 года Арета Франклин была удостоена Президентской медали Свободы.

В ноябре 2008 года журнал Rolling Stone объявил Арету Франклин величайшей певицей в истории.

16 августа 2018 года


Singer-songwriter Robert Hunter dies, aged 78

On Monday, US singer and lyricist Robert Hunter died at his home in San Rafael, California. His family's announcement of his death specified no cause, but, according to his agent, Hunter had undergone surgery recently. The former lyricist of rock band Grateful Dead was 78.

Hunter composed lyrics for several songs by US psychedelic rock band the Grateful Dead, including many of their biggest hits. He also collaborated with Dead associates Mickey Hart and Bruce Hornsby and artists such as Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, and Jim Lauderdale.

Born Robert Burns in Arroyo Grande, California on June 23, 1941, he took his stepfather's name sometime in his youth and met future Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia when both were in their late teens. The duo formed a brief musical partnership that was interrupted by Garcia joining a bluegrass band and Hunter having personal complications from participation in Project MKUltra, a CIA mind control program to test psychedelic drugs on US citizens.

After Hunter retreated to New Mexico and continued to write songs he would mail to Garcia in the San Francisco Bay Area, Garcia invited him to collaborate in Garcia's new group, the Grateful Dead. Hunter joined the group as a songwriter, providing lyrics to songs such as "Dark Star", "Uncle John's Band", and "Truckin'" throughout the late 1960s and into the 1970s.

He continued as a solo performer, releasing several albums and occasionally touring into the 2010s. He also wrote for other artists, including co-writing several songs on folk rock musician Bob Dylan's 2009 release Together Through Life.

Hunter is survived by wife Maureen.


W wieku 78 lat zmarł Robert Hunter

W wieku 78 lat zmarł Robert Hunter

W poniedziałek w swoi domu w San Rafaelu w Kalifornii zmarł amerykański piosenkarz i autor tekstów Robert Hunter. Były autor tekstów zespołu rockowego Grateful Dead miał 78 lat.

Hunter stworzył teksty kilku piosenek amerykańskiego zespołu rockowego Grateful Dead, w tym do wielu z ich największych przebojów. Współpracował także z Mickeyem Hartem i Bruce’em Hornsbym oraz z takimi artystami jak Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, i Jim Lauderdale.

Hunter urodził się jako Robert Burns w Arroyo Grande 23 czerwca 1941, w wieku nastoletnim przyjął imię swojego przybranego ojca i poznał przyszłego gitarzystę Grateful Dead, Jerry’ego Garcię. Duet utworzył krótkotrwały zespół, którego funkcjonowanie przerwał Garcia, dołączając do zespołu grającego muzykę bluegrass i Hunter mający osobiste problemy po wzięciu udziału w MKUltra, programie kontroli umysłu CIA, mającym na celu przetestowanie psychodelików na obywatelach Stanów Zjednoczonych.

Po tym, jak Hunter powrócił do Nowego Meksyku i pisał piosenki, które następnie wysyłał do Garcii do San Francisco Bay Area, Garcia zaprosił go do współpracy w nowym zespole, Grateful Dead. Hunter dołączył do grupy i zajął się tekstami piosenek, pisząc na przełomie lat 60. i 70. XX wieku słowa do takich utworów jak „Dark Star”, „Uncle John’s Band”, i „Truckin'”.

W późniejszym czasie rozpoczął karierę solową, wydając kilka albumów i koncertując sporadycznie do lat 10. XX wieku. Pisał teksty również dla innych artystów, był też współtwórcą kilku piosenek z albumu „Together Through Life” Boba Dylana z 2009 r.


Sir Edmund Hillary dead at 88

New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary died of a heart attack at the Auckland City Hospital at 9 a.m. NZDT (UTC+13) today. He was 88.

On May 29, 1953, Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to attain the summit of Mount Everest, the tallest peak on earth.

Hillary was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire as well as a Knight of the Order of the Garter, and a charter member of the Order of New Zealand. He was awarded honorary citizenship of Nepal in 2003 for his humanitarian work for the people of Nepal.

Sir Edmund's death has been noted by the placement of flags at half-mast at the New Zealand parliament and at Scott Base in Antarctica.

Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand, said Sir Edmund was not just another New Zealander like he had wanted to believe but, "a colossus."

Ms. Clark said, "He was an heroic figure who not only 'knocked off' Everest but lived a life of determination, humility and generosity."

Queen Elizabeth of the UK said the she was "very saddened" by the death of Sir Edmund.

Hillary was in the hospital at the time of his death but was expected to come home that day according to his family.

"The legendary mountaineer, adventurer, and philanthropist is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived. But most of all he was a quintessential Kiwi. He was ours - from his craggy appearance and laconic style to his directness and honesty. All New Zealanders will deeply mourn his passing," Ms. Clark said.

A state funeral will be held for Hillary following an offer from the New Zealand Government.

He was born Edmund Percival Hillary on July 20, 1919. His first wife, Louise, and one of their three children, Belinda, died in a plane crash in 1975 while helping with Hillary's philanthropic work. Sir Edmund is survived by his second wife, Lady June Mulgrew, and the other children from his first marriage, Peter and Sarah.


Sir Edmund Hillary ist tot

Auckland (Neuseeland), 11.01.2008 – Sir Edmund Hillary ist tot. Der Erstbesteiger des 8.848 Meter hohen Mount Everests starb am Morgen des 11. Januars 2008 (Ortszeit) in Auckland in Neuseeland im Alter von 88 Jahren.

Hillary wurde weltberühmt, als er am 29. Mai 1953 zusammen mit dem Sherpa Tenzing Norgay als erster Mensch den Mount Everest, den höchsten Berg der Erde, erklommen hatte. 1958 leitete er eine Expedition zum Südpol. Später versuchte er, im Himalaya den Yeti zu finden. Nachdem er 1977 den Ganges von Mündung bis Quelle erforscht hatte, traf sich Hillary 1985 zu einer Nordpolreise mit Neil Armstrong. Von 1985 bis 1989 fungierte die Bergsteigerlegende als Botschafter in Indien. Obwohl er in den letzten Jahren wiederholt gesundheitliche Probleme hatte, reiste er noch 2007 an den Südpol, wo er das 50-jährige Jubiläum der von ihm mit eingerichteten Scott Base zelebrierte.

Hillary war ein Kritiker der Kommerzialisierung der Himalaya-Besteigungen. Nachdem ein Neuseeländer 2006 einen halb erfrorenen Engländer sterben lassen hatte, drückte Hillary seine Abscheu über den Mangel an Kameradschaft seines Landsmannes aus. Allgemein sei die Kameradschaft egoistischem Ehrgeiz gewichen.

Die neuseeländische Premierministerin Helen Clark würdigte Hillary als den bekanntesten Neuseeländer, dessen Tod ein großer Verlust sei.


Sir Edmund Hillary kuollut

Ensimmäisenä Mount Everestin valloittajana tunnettu uusiseelantilainen sir Edmund Hillary on kuollut. Hillary valloitti Mount Everestin huipun yhdessä nepalilaisen Tenzing Norgayn kanssa vuonna 1953. 88-vuotiaana menehtyneen Hillaryn kuolemasta ilmoitti Uuden-Seelannin pääministeri Helen Clark.


Sir Edmund Hillary disparaît à l'âge de 88 ans

L'alpiniste néo-zélandais Sir Edmund Hillary est décédé à 9 heures, heure locale, des suites d'un infarctus du myocarde. Il était âgé de 88 ans.

Il s'était illustré, le 29 mai 1953, avec Tenzing Norgay en étant le premier alpiniste à avoir atteint le sommet du Mont Everest, le toit du monde

Il a été nommé chevalier commandeur de l'Ordre de l'Empire britannique et membre de l'Ordre de la Nouvelle-Zélande. Par la suite, il a été nommé citoyen d'honneur du Népal pour ses actions humanitaires envers ses habitants.

Le décès de Sir Edmund a été honoré par la mise en berne du drapeau national du parlement de la Nouvelle-Zélande et de celui de la Scott Base située en Antarctique.

Helen Clark, Premier ministre néo-zélandaise, a déclaré qu'il n'était pas un simple Néo-Zélandais comme il avait voulu le croire, mais « un colosse ». « Il était une figure héroïque qui n'avait pas simplement vaincu l'Everest mais vécut une vie de détermination, d'humilité et de générosité. », a-t-elle ajouté.

La reine Elizabeth II a déclaré qu'elle a été très attristée par la disparition de Sir Edmund.

Des funérailles nationales auront lieu pour Hillary sur décision des autorités locales.


Nuova Zelanda: morto Edmund Hillary, fu il primo a scalare l'Everest

Sir Edmund Hillary, l'alpinista neozelandese che il 29 maggio 1953 salì per primo, insieme al suo sherpa Tenzing Norgay, sulla cima del monte più alto della Terra, l'Everest (8.844 metri), è morto oggi ad Auckland a 88 anni.

Nato nel 1919, Hillary scoprì la sua vocazione di scalatore da ragazzo, quasi per caso: sedicenne, durante una gita scolastica sulle Alpi Neozelandesi scoprì un'inusuale resistenza fisica nella camminata in salita, cosa che lo spinse verso l'alpinismo.

Notato durante una ricognizione in Himalaya nel 1952 dallo scalatore britannico lord Hunt, fu da questi invitato a partecipare alla spedizione del 1953 che lo consegnò alla storia. Con un'altra spedizione britannica fu il terzo uomo della storia nel 1958 a raggiungere il Polo Sud dopo il norvegese Roald Amundsen e il britannico Robert Scott.

La Regina Elisabetta gli conferì quasi subito l'onorificenza di Cavaliere Comandante dell'Ordine dell'Impero Britannico (KBE); nel 1987 il suo Governo gli concesse quella di membro dell'Ordine della Nuova Zelanda (ONZ) e il 23 aprile 1995 fu ammesso nell'Ordine della Giarrettiera (KG); fu l'unico neozelandese ancora in vita a essere raffigurato su una banconota del suo Paese.

La notizia della morte di Sir Edmund Hillary è stata data dal primo ministro neozelandese, la signora Helen Clark, che ha ricordato come egli sia stato il suo concittadino più conosciuto in tutto il mondo; ha inoltre affermato che la sua morte è una grave perdita per la nazione. A Hillary verranno tributati i funerali di Stato.


Sir Edmund Hillary morre aos 88 anos

O montanhista da Nova Zelândia Sir Edmund Hillary morreu de um ataque cardíaco no Auckland City Hospital, às 9 Am NZDT (UTC+13) de hoje. Ele tinha 88 anos.

Em 29 de maio de 1953, Hillary e Tenzing Norgay tornaram-se os primeiros alpinistas a atingirem o cume do Monte Everest, o pico mais alto da Terra.

Hillary foi feito um Cavaleiro Comandante da Ordem do Império Britânico e por um membro da Ordem da Nova Zelândia. Ele foi premiado com a cidadania honorária do Nepal em 2003 por seu trabalho humanitário para o povo do Nepal.

A morte de Sir Edmund tenha sido assinalada pela colocação da bandeira a meia haste na Nova Zelândia e no parlamento Scott Base da Antártica.

Helen Clark, o primeiro-ministro da Nova Zelândia, disse que Sir Edmund não era apenas mais New Zealander como ele tinha quis acreditar, mas "um colosso".

Ms. Clark disse, "Ele era uma figura heróica, que não só "enfentou o subiu o Everest, mas viveu uma vida de determinação, humildade e generosidade."

A rainha Elizabeth do Reino Unido disse que ela estava "muito triste" pela morte de Sir Edmund.

Hillary estava no hospital no momento da sua morte, mas era esperado que fosse para sua casa naquele dia, de acordo com a sua família.

"O lendário montanhista, aventureiro, e filantropo é o mais conhecido New Zealander nunca ter vivido. Mas acima de tudo ele era uma essência Kiwi. Ele era nosso - desde o seu aparecimento estilo de estilo lacônico com perfil de direito e honestidade. Todo Novo Zealanders irá lamentar profundamente o seu falecimento, " disse Ms.Clark.

Um estado funeral de Hillary será realizado na sequência de uma oferta do Governo da Nova Zelândia.

Percival Edmund Hillary nasceu em 20 de julho de 1919. Sua primeira esposa, Louise, e um dos seus três filhos, Belinda, morreu em um acidente de aviação em 1975 enquanto contribuiam com o trabalho filantrópico de Hillary. Sir Edmund sobreviveu ao acidente e teve uma segunda esposa, Lady junho Mulgrew, e as outras crianças a partir de seu primeiro casamento, Peter e Sarah.

*State funeral to be held for Hillary — One News, 11 de janeiro de 2008

*Edward Gay. Everest legend Edmund Hillary dies — New Zealand Herald, 11 de janeiro de 2008

*Associated Press. Everest legend Edmund Hillary dies [inativa] — CNN, 10 de janeiro de 2008. Página visitada em 11 de janeiro de 2008. Arquivada em 11 de janeiro de 2008

*The Race to the Pole [inativa] — TIME Magazine, 12 de setembro de 2003. Página visitada em 11 de janeiro de 2008. Arquivada em 21 de setembro de 2003

*Tributes for Everest 'colossus' — BBC News Online, 10 de janeiro de 2008


Soviet human rights activist Yelena Bonner dies aged 88

Soviet human rights activist Yelena Bonner died of heart failure in Boston, Massachusetts on Saturday at the age of 88, her daughter Tatiana Yankelevich said in a statement. She had been hospitalized since February 21.

Bonner gained fame by smuggling the papers of her late husband,  the nuclear physicist and Russian dissident Andrei Sakharov, out of Siberia and was prominent in her own right for her human rights activism.

Leaders and politicians  paid Bonner tribute. "The world has lost one of the most inspiring and dedicated human rights defenders," said Jerzy Buzek, President of the  European Parliament.

Bonner was born in  Turkmenistan  February 15, 1923 to a family of Communist Party officials; her father was later killed and her mother sent to a gulag in  Joseph Stalin's purges of the late 1930s.

In  1941, she became  a nurse for the Soviet military on the front during World War II. She suffered a severe wound to the chest, and serious head injuries in 1943 from which she nearly lost her sight, and received decorations for valor.  Bonner returned to the front in 1945, advancing with the army to Potsdam. While studying medicine when the war was over, she married a fellow student, Ivan Semyonov and they had a son and a daughter. But as she became increasingly politically active, they lost their common interests and divorced in 1965.

She was an active Soviet dissident  in the 1970s, and a leader of a group that monitored Soviet compliance with the Helsinki Accords. The Washington Post describes her at this time as "[h]eadstrong and sharp-tongued with a no-nonsense voice deepened by years of chain-smoking acrid Russian cigarettes".

Bonner married Sakharov in 1972, whom she had met through her political activities. He  was also fierce critic of the lack of civil liberties and human rights in the Soviet Union, and their tiny Moscow apartment became the meeting place for the Soviet dissident movement in the 1970s. They traveled around Russia together visiting imprisoned dissidents and working for their legal rights.

When Sakharov  won  the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975, she traveled to Oslo to receive it on his behalf as Soviet authorities refused to allow her husband to leave the country.

Sakharove was arrested in 1980 and exiled to  Siberia, and Bonner, Sakharove's sole contact with the outside world, smuggled  his writings to Moscow and ensured that they were published. Soviet authorities conducted campaigns of personal attacks against her, accusing her of being a foreign agent who turned Sakharove against his country. In 1984 she was convicted of "anti-Soviet agitation" and was exiled to Siberia with her husband, both continually  harassed by authorities. She published her memoir in 1986 of the years in exile, described by the Washington Post as partly "a love story of mutual sacrifice."

In 1986  Mikhail Gorbachev allowed the Sakharoves to return to Moscow  where they continued to agitate for human rights and were constantly harassed for their activities.

When the Soviet Union collapsed two years after  Sakharov's death in 1989, Bonner continued her human rights and  political activities. She initially supported President Boris Yeltsin's government and served on his state human rights commission, but became critical of his government at the beginning of the war in Chechnya. She was also critical of Yeltin's successor, Vladimir  Putin, and was the first person to sign a petition against him in March 2010.

As her health deteriorated, she became less active, and she moved to the United States to be with her daughter.

Bonner received the Rafto Prize in 1991 for her promotion of human rights in the former Soviet Union and in contemporary Russia.  She published at least four books and edited her husband's memoirs which were published in 1997.

U.S. State Department's spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in a statement: "We note with profound sadness the death of Yelena Bonner, an extraordinary voice among human rights defenders in the former Soviet Union and the Russian Federation."