Daniel Pearl confirmed dead
The death of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was confirmed by videotape. Pearl, 38, was abducted in Karachi, Pakistan on Jan. 23. His wife, seven-month pregnant Mariane Pearl appealed to the Pakistan government to fight terrorism.
It is believed that there were a dozen or more people involved in the abduction. The search continues for Pearl’s body and his abductors.
Crematory faces criminal charges
A crematory in LaFayetter, Ga. is facing criminal charges for theft by deception. Ray Brent Marsh, the operator of the Tri-State Crematory, allegedly accepting money for cremations that were never preformed.
On the crematory grounds, 339 bodies have been found. Only 70 have been identified. Authorities anticipate that it will be late summer before the bodies are identified. Only three or four acres of the grounds have been searched. It is estimated that the grounds are eight acres.
Catholic priest apologizes for sexual abuse
Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua issued a statement that apologized for the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests. The announcement was made just days after the Philadelphia Archdiocese announced the dismissal of several area priests for sexual abuse of minors.
Just last week in Boston, a former priest was sentenced to nine to 10 years in prison for committing more than 100 acts of abuse against minors.
Boston’s Cardinal Bernard Law has been charged by critics with protecting priests known to have engaged in past sexual abuse of children. In response, the Boston Archdiocese suspended nine priests and gave authorities the names of 80 priests involved in sexual abuse of minors. These abuses occurred over several decades.
After the dismissal of the Philadelphia priests, the Archdiocese believes that they have no sexual abusers left that they know of.
Afghanistan training new army
Afghanistan’s new national army is off to a slow start. Two hundred of the 600 recruits found their way to the nation’s capital for training. Trainees are having difficulty getting to the capital due to transportation issues caused by the weather.
Recruits were selected by the interim governments.
Afghanistan has not had a national army since 1979. It was broken up during Soviet intervention.
The 600 recruits will make up the first batallion, which will most likely stay in the capital and become a force to protect the president.
Divorce illegal in Chile
Chile remains the only western democracy, besides the small island state of Malta where divorce is illegal. The only way for a couple to separate in Chile is to have their marriage annulled by a judge. The fight for divorce has been going on for almost a century. A divorce law is in the works but is facing opposition from the church and conservative politicians.
