Last week, after the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court charged six senior Kenyan officials with orchestrating widespread violence following the 2007 national elections, President Obama rightly called on all Kenya’s leaders to “cooperate fully” with the court.

Similarly, declaring that “there has to be accountability,” Obama called on Sudan to cooperate with the court after it accused President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan of genocide in Darfur in July.

To its credit, this U.S. administration has repeatedly affirmed the centrality of international justice to U.S. foreign policy. But many wonder at the apparent disconnect between American support for justice abroad and Obama’s determination to “look forward not backward” at home.

Resistance to judicial scrutiny of post-9/11 U.S. government abuses, from torture to extraordinary rendition to unlawful surveillance, has made the president’s solemn exhortations to others ring hollow, and it has undercut the credibility of U.S. aspirations to global leadership on human rights.

This month’s WikiLeaks disclosure that the Bush administration pressured Germany not to pursue 13 C.I.A. operatives suspected of involvement in the unlawful 2003-2004 abduction and mistreatment of Khaled el-Masri, a German citizen of Lebanese descent, is yet another reminder that the U.S. must change course. And Masri’s pathbreaking lawsuit before the European Court of Human Rights offers a timely opportunity for Washington to do just that.

As is now well known, Masri was seized by security officers in Macedonia on Dec. 31, 2003, while crossing the border by bus from his home in Germany. He was detained incommunicado for 23 days, during which time he was threatened, interrogated and denied permission to contact a lawyer, a consular officer or his wife. On Jan. 23, 2004, he was handcuffed and blindfolded, driven to Skopje airport and turned over to the C.I.A.

Told he would be medically examined, Masri was instead severely beaten. His clothes were sliced from his body and his underwear forcibly removed. He heard the sound of photographs being taken, he was thrown to the floor, his hands were pulled back and a boot was placed on his back. A firm object was forced into his anus.

With chains attached to his wrists and ankles, Masri was flown to Kabul, Afghanistan, where he was locked up for more than four months in a secret prison known as the “Salt Pit.” During this time, he was beaten and kicked, force-fed following a 27-day-long hunger strike and denied medical care. He was never charged or given access to his family or German representatives.

On May 28, 2004, long after U.S. officials knew they had the wrong man, Masri was flown in a C.I.A.-chartered aircraft to a military airbase in Albania, then driven several hours in a car, dumped on the side of the road and instructed not to look back.

After meeting with Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice in December 2005, German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that the U.S. government had admitted that Masri had been “erroneously taken.” Official inquiries by the Council of Europe, the European Union, and the German Parliament have all pointed to U.S. involvement. Nonetheless, Washington has never publicly acknowledged its role in Masri’s mistreatment.

Instead, senior U.S. officials have persistently denied responsibility and obtained dismissal of Masri’s attempts to secure judicial redress in U.S. courts on the grounds that “state secrets” precluded consideration of his claims.

In 2009, represented by my organization, Masri filed a complaint in Europe’s highest court against Macedonia for its part in the affair. Last month, the court confirmed that this case will go forward.

The Masri case provides the United States a chance to back up President Obama’s accountability rhetoric with substance. Although the U.S. is not a party to the proceedings, it may assist the court by acknowledging that Masri’s rendition was a mistake and providing information about what happened.

There are many good reasons for the U.S. to use the case to signal a new direction. Masri was victim of a practice — extraordinary rendition to torture — that the U.S. has since repudiated.

The European Court is a symbol of another time in which governments recommitted themselves to the rule of law after having gone astray. Most important, we can’t preach justice to others without practicing it ourselves.

James A. Goldston, executive director of the Open Society Justice Initiative, served as coordinator of prosecutions and senior trial attorney in the office of the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court.

A version of this op-ed appeared in print on December 22, 2010, in The International Herald Tribune.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/22/opinion/22iht-edgoldston22.html

Problems with premature ejaculation could all be inherited: Scientists have found a genetic abnormality can affect levels of the chemical in the brain

It can leave men feeling like a failure in the bedroom and wreck even the strongest marriages.

But new research suggests premature ejaculation could be an inherited problem.

Scientists from Finland and Sweden have found men who cannot last long during sex are more likely to have a genetic abnormality that affects levels of a chemical in the brain.

They discovered these men carried a defect in a gene that controls the release of dopamine, a ‘neurotransmitter’ that plays a crucial role in everything from movement and attention span to the brain’s perception of pleasure and reward.

Now they believe drugs that boost dopamine levels in the brain could be a new way of treating a condition that affects one in four men in the UK.

As far back as the 1970s, researchers noted that dopamine-based drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease had an aphrodisiac affect on some patients.

But until now, most experts agreed premature ejaculation was probably linked with psychological issues.

One popular theory is men become conditioned to ejaculate quickly by early sexual behaviour where they do not want to get caught in the act.

Another is that a strict upbringing can leave some men struggling to relax during sex.
Studies show men affected by the problem last an average of just 1.8 minutes during sex, compared with 7.3 minutes in those not affected.

Treatments usually involve relaxation techniques, although doctors do sometimes prescribe anti-depressants to control men’s anxiety.

Scientists have also been developing ‘numbing’ sprays that can make men last longer.

The latest study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, suggests the problem may be passed down through the generations.

Experts studied almost 1,300 men aged between 18 and 45 and quizzed each one on how long they were usually able to last during sex.

They also took saliva samples to test for defects in a dopamine transporter gene, called DAT1.

The results showed that men with a slightly different form of the gene were much more likely to suffer with premature ejaculation.

In a report on their findings scientists said: ‘Previous research suggests a partly hereditary background to premature ejaculation.

‘But the results of this study indicate that drugs directly affecting dopamine levels may be candidates for treatment.’

The Daily Mail-UK

TWO escaped convicts have dodged a huge manhunt – by disguising themselves as SHEEP.

The pair dressed in full sheepskin fleeces, complete with heads, to lie low among farm flocks.

Robbers Maximiliano Pereyra, 25, and Ariel Diaz, 28, stole the sheep hides from a ranch after breaking out of an Argentinian maximum security prison a week ago.

And they have managed to evade the 300 cops on their trail – despite locals seeing them running through fields at night.

A farmworker at La Almeda said: “They were wearing grey clothes but had full sheepskins, including the sheeps’ heads, over their heads and backs.”

Police say spotting the pair among thousands of sheep is “almost impossible”. But one warned: “They can’t pull the wool over our eyes forever.”
-The Sun-UK

Last year American student Natalie Dylan, auctioned off her virginity to fund her master's degree. Photo: BARCROFT MEDIA

The 19-year-old, who has not been named or pictured, said she posted the advert to help pay for her university fees.

The girl, from Northland, in New Zealand’s north island, is only known by her username Unigirl.

She wrote on auction site ineed.co.nz after the auction had finished at NZ$46,000: “I have accepted an offer in excess of $NZ45,000, which is way beyond what I dreamed.”

The student added that the advert had been viewed by more than 30,000 people and had received more than 1200 offers.

She wrote: “Thank you to the more than 30,000 people who viewed my ad and to the more than 1200 offers made.”

In the auction she described herself as attractive, fit and healthy and that she had never been in a sexual relationship.

She wrote: “I have never had a sexual relationship and am still a virgin.

“I am offering my virginity by tender to the highest bidder as long as all personal safety aspects are observed.

“This is my decision made with full awareness of the circumstances and possible consequences.”

She added: “I am fit, healthy and have no medical conditions of any nature.

“I am a keen athlete and have a trim physique.”

The girl has not responded to any media requests for interviews.

Ross MacKenzie, the website proprietor, confirmed it was a legitimate posting.

He also defended the auction saying it was legal and did not offend society in general.

Mr MacKenzie said: Ineed does not place moral judgments on our members, believing in the fundamental rights of the individual.

National police spokesman Jon Neilson said no law appeared to have been breached.

But “we would suggest it’s not a safe practice,” he added.

Bruce Pilbrow of the organisation Parents Inc. told the New Zealand Herald it was “horrifically sad” the woman had to sell herself to meet tuition costs, but sexologist Blair Bishop describing it as “just a novel form of sex work”.

Prostitution is legal in New Zealand in brothels and on the streets, as is offering sexual services in print ads and online.

Catherine Healy, of the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective, urged the teenager to contact her organisation for “practical information” on the realities of sex work.

Last year an American student auctioned her virginity to pay for a masters degree in Family and Marriage therapy.

Natalie Dylan, 22, claimed her offer of a one-night stand had persuaded 10,000 men to bid for sex with her.

Also last year Showgirl and Italian men’s magazine model Raffella Fico, 20, who swore she has never had sex disclosed plan to sell her virginity for one million euros, or £792,000.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/newzealand/7146187/Poor-New-Zealand-student-sells-virginity-to-stranger-for-20000.html

A cow standing on the roof of a house in Blagdon, Somerset Photo: ARCHANT

Neighbour William de Cothi, 17, photographed the animal after he spotted it on the roof about six feet off the ground.

The Sixth Form student said: “I was looking out of my window when I saw the cow.

“At first I thought that it was an illusion and that it was in the background and not really on the roof.

“But after a closer look I could see it was actually on the roof.”

The teenager added: “I have heard cows can jump quite high, so I think that is how it got up there.

“I got my family to come and look later and they laughed. It was absolutely amazing.”

The house owner in Blagdon, Somerset, called police after getting home to find her roof seriously damaged and smashed tiles as she feared a burglar had tried to break in.

Local PC Ray Bradley said: “This was initially recorded on my figures as a burglary so I am glad I can take it off.

“If it wasn’t for the door-to-door enquires and this photo we wouldn’t have found out it was a cow responsible.”

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

An HIV-positive man injected his wife with his own blood while she slept, infecting her with the virus that causes Aids.

It is believed the man wanted to give her the disease so she would start having sex with him again. She told police he also hoped it would prevent her from finding another man and leaving him.

The man, 35, admitted infecting his wife, in the first case of its kind in New Zealand. In other cases, HIV-positive people have infected others through unprotected sex.

The man has been remanded in prison awaiting sentence for wilfully infecting another with a disease, an offence that carries a maximum 14 years’ imprisonment. The pair cannot be identified.

In court documents, the woman, 33, described how her husband twice pricked her with a sewing needle laced with his infected blood as she slept and how she once caught him handling a syringe full of his blood.

In the year before the man pricked his now-estranged wife, the couple had been experiencing relationship problems, in part because of the woman’s refusal to have sex with him, as she feared she would contract the disease.

She had tested negative for the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) on at least four occasions before the year-long abstinence, so police were certain the needle stick had caused her to be infected.

In her evidence, the woman said when she confronted the husband with the diagnosis late last year he admitted dipping a “sewing needle” in his blood and pricking her with it.

“All he said [was] he was sorry. He said: ‘I used needles on you because I wanted you to be the same as me so that you can live with me and you won’t leave me’.”

The man discovered he was HIV-positive during health checks imposed on the family upon arrival in New Zealand in 2004. Tests on the woman and their children showed they were not infected with the virus.

The couple received support from the Auckland Infectious Disease Centre and refugee services, and continued to live together, taking precautions against infecting others. The couple had protected sex for a number of years until 2007, when the woman became too scared of contracting the virus and insisted on abstinence.

The woman told the court: “I just wanted to maintain the relationship for the sake of the children … He insisted on staying and he mentioned that he was not worried about sex … any more. All he wanted [was] to see the children grow with both parents under one roof.”

Then in May last year she discovered a sting-like mark on her left thigh. “After having a shower I put some lotion on myself and I could feel pain on my thigh. When I looked at it, it was turning red like a circle, getting bigger and bigger.”

Later that morning, when she returned home from her nursing studies unexpectedly, she saw her husband in the bedroom with a syringe full of blood.

She said he pushed past her and walked away, refusing to talk about it. She searched the rubbish for evidence of the syringe but found nothing.

Two days later she awoke to a stinging feeling in her leg. “In my sleep I felt a prick on my leg. I got up … and I flicked the blankets … I looked at [the husband] and he was wide awake.”

She asked him if he had pricked her and he said no. Later she found evidence of “blood sprinkles” on their duvet, which she says her husband tried to hide from her.

Concerned by his behaviour, she told him to leave the house. It was only in September, when her doctor suggested a test at a routine check-up, that she found she was HIV-positive.

A nurse who had been caring for the family was present when the woman met her GP to receive the news. In her evidence to the court, the nurse said: “At this meeting [the woman] was beside herself with emotion. [She] could not work out how she had got HIV because she stated that she had not sex with her partner for about a year.”

The following month the nurse returned a phone call from the woman to hear her hysterical.

“The first words she said to me were, ‘He did it’, or something to that effect. [She] was crying and I asked her if I could speak to [the husband]. [He] came to the phone and I asked, ‘Is this true?’ He only replied that he needed to come and see me.”

The nurse and an infectious disease specialist then met the couple.

“During that conversation [the husband] continued to cry and repeated, ‘Please forgive me’.”

Police charged the man in October last year when the pair went to the local police station so the woman could make a formal complaint.

At first he was also charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, but the charge was withdrawn when he pleaded guilty to the other charge earlier this year.

He is due to be sentenced in the Auckland High Court early next year. Simon Harger-Forde of the New Zealand Aids Foundation said the the organisation had never heard of a victim being infected in such a way “and with such intent”.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the deliberate and intentional nature of the HIV transmission that is reported to have occurred in this case.”

He urged New Zealanders to view the case as an isolated incident.

HIGH-PROFILE HIV CASES THIS YEAR

* A man admits pricking his wife with a needle laced with his blood, after the couple stopped having sex because he was HIV-positive.

* Train driver Glenn Mills accused of infecting seven people with HIV and attempting to infect another seven through unprotected sex; he died in prison last week while charges were before the courts.

* A man was sentenced to 312 years in prison after infecting his girlfriend with HIV via unprotected sex. He repeatedly told her he did not have the disease.

Source: www.stuff.co.nz

By Jessica Best

Chris Morone, 18, the Welsh teen who died after contracting a mysterious disease in Kenya

A NEWPORT teenager struck down by a mystery illness while he was on a trip to Kenya has died.

Chris Morrone, 18, died at the University of Hospital Wales, Cardiff, on Thursday night, after doctors battled for months find out what was making him ill.

The St Julians Comprehensive pupil fell ill in August while on a trip to Kenya with 39 other young people as part of a month-long summer scheme run by Adventure Alternative.

The group had flown out to the African country on July 21, and spent two weeks helping to build a school in Nairobi, before climbing Mount Kenya and going on safari in Kenya’s Meru National Park.

But during the safari, Chris began to complain of chest pains and had trouble breathing. On August 9 he was rushed to Nairobi Hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit. Doctors said he was in a critical condition, and despite tests the cause of his illness remained unclear.

Chris’ parents John and Anne-Marie flew out to be at his bedside while their son underwent several operations including surgery to remove part of his lung which had become gangrenous, and another to repair a collapsed lung.

After a month in the Kenyan capital, Chris was judged stable enough to be flown back to the UK where he was admitted to Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital.

But after 10 days, his condition worsened again and he was was moved to the University of Wales Hospital. He was kept on a ventilator in intensive care for a month, but doctors remained baffled by what was making him ill.

Chris’s aunt Jill Campbell told the Argus in October staff at the hospital were trying to bring him off the ventilator, but said doctors might never be able to tell them the cause of Chris’ condition.

He died at around 8.30pm on Thursday night.

During Chris’ illness his family said they had been overwhelmed by support from family and friends, with more than £10,000 raised in less than a month to help Chris’ parents while they were out in Nairobi.

Source: www.southwalesangus.co.uk