Dutch become first to legalize euthanasia
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — The Netherlands became the first country to legalize euthanasia Monday, finally putting into law a practice that has been tolerated for two decades.
The Dutch parliament sparked controversy last April when it voted to make such a law, with many opponents drawing parallels with Nazi Germany.
But Dutch doctors will have to adhere to strict guidelines or be liable for prosecution. Terminally ill patients must face a future of unbearable and interminable suffering. Additionally, they must thoughtfully consider and then voluntarily request to die.
Both patient and doctor must be convinced there is no other solution. Another physician must also be consulted and the patient’s life must be ended in a medically appropriate way,.
Fast-food chain imports lean beef
McDonald’s is joining Burger King, Wendy’s and other fast-food chains in importing beef from Australia and New Zealand due to a shortage of U.S. beef considered lean enough and cheap enough for its burgers.
McDonald’s is currently trying out the imported beef in about 400 of its 13,000 U.S. stores, all in the Southeastern United States. McDonald’s officials say that customers won’t know the difference.
Hamburger chains typically make their patties by mixing lean beef composed of no more than 10 percent fat.
The resulting product is similar in fat content to the ground beef typically sold in supermarkets.
Australia and New Zealand have plenty of lean beef because their cattle are fattened for market on grass, not the grain fed to U.S. cattle. Grain-fed cattle make for juicier steaks because they are higher in fat.
Three year old runs over neighbor with car
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — While mowing his lawn Saturday, Terry Mattsen was hit and pinned underneath a runaway car with a 3-year-old boy behind the wheel.
The 51-year-old taxi driver reportedly got bored watching a cricket match on television and opted instead to mow his lawn.
Next door, the 3 year old had climbed into the car and knocked it out of gear. The car rolled down a steep driveway and struck Mattsen, who was knocked out and pinned beneath the car. He was freed by firefighters by using airbags, and escaped serious injury.
Mattsen reported he had no hard feelings toward the youngster, nor his family, who had just moved in.
Public schools accept new roles in society
STRATFORD, Conn. — As many non-traditional clubs are being accepted into public schools, such as the Gay-Straight Alliance at Stratford High School, the growing trend of these gay-straight clubs has established a firmer ground in other institutions.
Gay-straight alliances, or GSAs, first appeared in Massachusetts in 1989 and have spread rapidly coast to coast in recent years. About 1,000 of America’s 26,000 high schools now have them, according to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.
Major earthquake shakes Taiwan
TAIPEI, Taiwan — A huge earthquake hit Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday afternoon, measuring 6.8 in the Richter Scale and killing five people while injuring more than 200 civilians.
Television footage showed two cranes tumbling down from the 60th floor of construction site, bringing steel beams and chunks of cement down with them. A five-story apartment building in central Taipei collapsed killing five tenants.
Police identified the victims as two crane operators and three other construction workers. Dozens of other workers, many of them from Thailand, escaped safely, witnesses told the Associated Press.
Prince Charles pays tribute to grandmother
LONDON, England — Since the death of his grandmother on Saturday, Britain’s Prince Charles has been paying tribute to the 101-year-old Queen Mother inside his Highgrove home.
On Friday, the coffin bearing the Queen Mother will be transferred to Westminster Hall where she will lie in state until her funeral on Tuesday in London.
“Her departure has left an irreplaceable chasm in countless lives but, thank God, we are all the richer for the sheer joy and her presence and everything she stood for,” Prince Charles said.
Royals and world leaders are expected to fly to London for the funeral.
Captain drowns during drug bust near Aruba
TAMPA, Fla. — The captain of a ship carrying a ton of cocaine drowned late last month when he jumped overboard while handcuffed.
Military aircraft spotted the Liv, a 187-foot freighter, off Aruba in the southern Caribbean during last month’s drug smuggling investigation “Operation Panama Express.”
The captain, Kelly Nikinor Diosio Ceballos, jumped over the side of the ship after it was seized and was pulled from the water within five minutes, but could not be revived.
Nine others aboard the ship will face charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. They come from Ecuador, Jamaica, Peru, Columbia, Panama and Guyana.
More than 185 people were arrested and 120 tons of cocaine was seized during the drug smuggling investigation focusing on the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean.
Government supports cyber defenders
MONTEREY, Calif. — The United States government announced plans recently to train an elite corps of computer security experts to guard against cyberterrorism.
To safeguard against cyberterrorism, the first few students will be awarded scholarships to study computer security in return for working at least two years at a federal agency after graduation.
Only about 180 students over four years will get scholarships from the first round of federal grants awarded last May to six universities. More schools will be added this year, increasing the corps by 120 students.
Catholic church to pay $1.2 million settlement
ORANGE, Calif. — A 37-year-old woman who alleges she was impregnated by a Catholic priest when she was 16 will receive a $1.2 million settlement from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange and the Los Angeles Archdiocese.
Lori Haigh said she was sexually abused by Father John Lenihan, beginning at age 14.
After becoming pregnant, Haigh said Lenihan told her to have an abortion, which she did.
Haigh also alleged that attempts to report the alleged abuse went unheeded by another priest, who inappropriately touched and kissed her when she went to him seeking guidance as a teenager.
The church’s settlement with Haigh was the second high-profile settlement the dioceses has paid in eight months to a victim of priestly abuse.
April 04, 2002