Today in history(页 1) - 中西杂谈 - 英语论坛-英语麦当劳 English learners' Forum

2006-3-9 11:36 woaini06

Today in history

1954: US tests massive hydrogen bomb in Bikini
The US has produced the biggest ever man-made explosion so far in the Pacific archipelago of Bikini, part of the Marshall Islands.
It is believed the hydrogen bomb was up to 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.
It was so violent that it overwhelmed the measuring instruments, indicating that the bomb was much more powerful than scientists had anticipated.
The bomb was the equivalent of 20m tons of TNT.
One of the atolls has been totally vaporised, disappearing into a gigantic mushroom cloud that spread at least 100 miles wide and dropping back to the sea in the form of radioactive fall-out.
The Atomic Energy Commission announced this was the first in a series of tests to be carried out in the area.
Tests first began in Bikini in 1946 after the natives were moved to the island of Rongerik, then to Ujelan a year later and to Kili on 1949.
This is the second H-bomb test in the area.
A 10.4 megaton bomb was exploded on 1 November 1952 at Enewatak, west of Bikini.
It destroyed one island and left a crater 175 feet deep.
It was hundreds of times more powerful than that used over Hiroshima.
Unlike that device which tapped energy by splitting atomic nuclei, the Enewetak weapon forced together nuclei of hydrogen to unleash an even greater destructive force.

2006-3-9 11:37 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
1950: Communist spy jailed for 14 years</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The A top nuclear scientist has been jailed for fourteen years at the Old Bailey for spying for the Soviet Union.
Klaus Emil Julius Fuchs, 38, a civil servant from Harwell in Berkshire, pleaded guilty to four offences under the Official Secrets Act.
German-born Fuchs, who fled his home country to escape Nazi persecution in 1933, had come to be regarded as one of Britain's top atomic scientists.
But beneath the facade was a committed Communist who had been passing secrets to the Russians for most of the past decade.
He was convicted on four counts of disclosing atom secrets "calculated to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy" - in England in 1943 and 1947 and in the United States in 1944 and 1945.
The Attorney General, Sir Hartley Shawcross KC, who opened the case for the prosecution, said Fuchs had undoubtedly passed information to the Soviets on many more than four occasions even though he was on trial for four specific offences.
His motivation, said Mr Shawcross, was his "unswerving devotion to Communism".
Fuchs, who until his arrest last month was employed as senior principal scientific officer at the Harwell Atomic Research Establishment, arrived in Britain from Germany, via France, in 1933.
When France was invaded by the Germans in 1940, Fuchs was interned and deported to Canada.
He was released in 1942 and was head-hunted by Birmingham University to carry out atomic research.
It was at this stage he made contact with the Soviets and began regularly passing information relating to atomic energy, the court was told.
 Between 1944 and 1946 he worked in the American Atomic Research department in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where he was involved in the construction of the first atomic bomb.
The court was told that it was information from the Americans which first led British detectives to suspect Fuchs of espionage .
Defending, Mr Derek Curtis-Bennett, KC, said it was at about this time that his client had started "having doubts about the Russian policy" and began to "see the light".
He added the first three offences had in fact been committed when Russia was an ally of Britain and therefore information passed could not have been regarded as prejudicial to the interests of the state.
Passing sentence, Lord Chief Justice Lord Goddard said: "You have betrayed the hospitality and protection given to you by this country with the grossest treachery."

2006-3-9 11:37 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1969: Concorde flies for the first time</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
The supersonic airliner, Concorde, has made a "faultless" maiden flight.
The Anglo-French plane took off from Toulouse and was in the air for just 27 minutes before the pilot made the decision to land.
The first pilot, Andre Turcat, said on his return to the airport: "Finally the big bird flies, and I can say now that it flies pretty well."
The test flight reached 10,000ft (3,000m), but Concorde's speed never rose above 300mph (480kph). The plane will eventually fly at a speed of 1,300mph (2,080kph).
Mr Turcat, his co-pilot and two engineers taxied to the end of the runway at about 1530GMT. Strong winds meant the test flight was in doubt for much of the day.
Two previous test flights had to be abandoned because of poor weather conditions.
Concorde sped down the runway and there was a spontaneous burst of applause from watching reporters and cameramen as the wheels lifted off the ground.
The noise from the four Olympus 593 engines, built jointly by the Bristol division of Rolls Royce and the French Snecma organisation, drowned out any noise from the crowd.
Less than half-an-hour later, the aircraft was brought back down to earth using a braking parachute and reverse thrust.
The crew emerged at the top of the steps, led by Mr Turcat, who gave the thumbs up signal with each hand.
The first British test pilot, Brian Trubshaw, who watched today's flight from the news stand, said, "I was terribly impressed by the way the whole flight was conducted. It was most professional and I would like to congratulate Andre on the way he handled this performance."
The British government has so far invested ?55m in the project. It is hoped Concorde will begin flying commercially in 1973, when it will cut the flying time between London and New York from seven hours 40 minutes to three hours 25 minutes.

2006-3-9 11:38 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
1970: Ian Smith declares Rhodesia a republic</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The The Prime Minister of Rhodesia, Ian Smith, has declared his country a republic, cutting its last link with the British Crown.
The new Rhodesian Republic, came into being at 2301BST yesterday, unrecognised by the rest of the world and barely noticed by Rhodesians themselves.
Mr Smith signed a proclamation officially dissolving the current parliament and introducing a new Republican Constitution.
The ceremony took place at Government House, until last year the official residence of Sir Humphrey Gibbs and his predecessors as governor and representative of the British Crown.
The creation of the republic breaks an 80-year-old link with the British monarchy - but has been widely anticipated since Mr Smith unilaterally declared the country independent of Britain four years ago.
Since then, Rhodesia has left the Commonwealth and been subject to tough international sanctions.
Mr Smith said: "Today is not such a tremendous day for us Rhodesians. Our Independence Day is the great day.
"Rhodesia did not want to seize independence from Britain. It was forced upon us."
The real question now is whether a Rhodesian republic will gain any international recognition.
The chairman of Mr Smith's Rhodesian Front party, Ralph Nielson, said: "We have cut our ties as to whether or not a republic is going to make all that difference, I sincerely believe it will, particularly in the eyes of the rest of the world.
"I believe various things are going to flow, improved trade and without a doubt, in time, diplomatic recognition."
The British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, has already made clear his Labour government will not recognise the new regime in Rhodesia.
The United States has also indicated it will not recognise Smith's republic "under any circumstances".

2006-3-9 11:38 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1974: Turkish jet crashes killing 345</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
A Turkish Airlines DC10 has crashed near Paris killing all 345 people on board.
The plane was on a regular flight from Ankara to London via Paris. It came down just minutes after take-off at 1235 GMT, scything a mile-long trail through the forest of Ermenonville.
Among the victims were 200 passengers, many of them British, who had been transferred from British Airways flights cancelled because of a strike by engineers at London airport.
No-one was killed on the ground, although the forest is popular with walkers.
Only blackened stumps of trees remained where the pilot had probably attempted a crash landing. Bits of clothing and other wreckage from the plane were strewn across the whole area.
Hundreds of rescue workers, from the Red Cross, Protection Civile as well as fire and ambulance crews, were on the scene within half an hour.
But there was no-one to be rescued. All that remained to be done was to collect the bodies and take them to the church of St Pierre at Senlis.
From there, soldiers transferred the bodies onto army vehicles during the night to be driven to the medical centre in Paris, where they will be examined by forensic scientists.
Eyewitnesses in the nearby village of St Pathu said they heard an explosion and saw flames coming from the plane long before it plunged into the forest.
Some bodies were found close to the village, about six miles from the crash site, which also suggests the plane may have exploded in mid-air.
Crash investigators looking for clues to the world's worst air disaster to date will start by studying the jet's engines. They are also looking for the black box flight recorder.
The possibility of sabotage has not been discounted.
Among the victims were 17 members of Bury St Edmunds rugby club, returning from a trip to Paris.

2006-3-9 11:39 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
1982: Queen opens Barbican Centre</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The The Queen has opened the new ?53m Barbican Centre for Arts and Conferences in the City of London.
The centre, which has been 15 years in the making, is the largest arts centre in western Europe and covers five-and-a-half acres of Cripplegate, which was destroyed by Nazi bombers in World War II.
The new multi-million pound building will provide a new home for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Both have performed inaugural concerts for the Queen this evening.
The centre also houses a concert hall for 2,000 people, two theatres, a cinema, a library, a conference centre and several galleries.
'Wonder of the modern world'
The Queen was welcomed by the administrator of the centre, Henry Wrong.
She officially opened As she unveiled a plaque commemorating the opening of the Barbican, the Queen said: "What has been created here must be one of the wonders of the modern world."
More than 3,500 people arrived for the opening night celebrations which culminated in a spectacular fireworks display over the centre's lake.
Plans for a new arts centre at the Barbican were originally given the go-ahead in 1971 when it was proposed that construction would cost ?7m and would take six years to complete.

2006-3-9 11:39 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1972: Nixon makes historic visit to China</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
The American President Richard Nixon has arrived in China at the start of a week-long summit aimed at ending 20 years of frosty relations between the two countries.
His visit began with an unexpected audience with Chairman Mao Zedong at the leader's home. Few details have been released, but officials said the one-hour meeting involved a "serious and frank discussion".
After a modest reception at Peking airport, the president was formally welcomed at a lavish banquet held in the Great Hall of the People and hosted by Prime Minister Chou En-lai.
Mr Chou described Mr Nixon's long journey to China as a "positive move" responding to the wishes of the peoples of both countries.
He hinted at the years of tension between China and the United States - largely due to American support for nationalists in Taiwan - and credited both governments for "common efforts" to open the gate to better contacts at last.
The president responded positively. "There is no reason for us to be enemies," he said. "Neither of us seeks the territory of the other; neither of us seeks domination over the other; neither of us seeks to stretch out our hands and rule the world."
Using one of Mao's own quotations, Mr Nixon said it was time to seize the day and seize the hour "for our two peoples to rise to the heights of greatness which can build a new and better world".
There followed an elaborate round of toasts, in which the 800 guests at the banquet wandered from table to table clinking thimble-sized glasses containing Chinese firewater.
Commentators said the elaborate banquet was in marked contrast to the coolness of the president's reception at the airport.
This historic visit was engineered by the president's national security adviser, Dr Henry Kissinger, during two visits to China last year. It is part of a policy of rapprochement aimed at restoring diplomatic relations between the two sides.

2006-3-9 11:40 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
2001: Ban follows foot-and-mouth outbreak</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The The European Commission has banned all British milk, meat and livestock exports following the UK's first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease for 20 years.
The ban - which will run until 1 March - follows yesterday's revelation of a foot-and-mouth outbreak at an abattoir near Brentwood, Essex.
A routine inspection at Cheale Meats abattoir in Essex diagnosed the virus in 28 pigs.
Chief veterinary officer Jim Scudamore said all 300 animals at Cheale Meats would be slaughtered immediately.
The National Farmer's Union has said a second suspected case has been discovered in Gloucestershire.
Five-mile animal movement exclusion zones have been placed around the Essex abattoir and the site in Gloucestershire, which is thought to be somewhere between Woodchester and Nailsworth.
The British government is considering imposing its own ban on the export of all livestock, meat and milk from the UK.
This is the latest blow to Britain's already beleaguered farmers following last year's outbreak of swine fever, which led to the slaughter of 12,000 pigs and a temporary ban on the export of live pigs and pig semen.
Agriculture Secretary Nick Brown said: "If we can get on top of this and get back to a disease-free status quickly then hopefully the damage can be minimised.
"But if it goes on for some time the damage could be substantial."
Shadow agriculture minister Tim Yeo criticised the government for not doing enough to prevent the outbreak.
"British farmers cannot survive another round of dithering from MAFF like that which took place in the autumn over classical swine fever," he said.
"The government should have acted sooner to prevent the risk of this disease entering Britain through sub-standard meat imports."
Foot-and-mouth is a highly infectious viral disease that can affect cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. Symptoms include blisters in the mouth causing increased salivation and lameness.
Animals do not actually die from the disease but stop gaining weight and dairy cattle produce less milk.
The last major outbreak in Britain was in 1967, while the most recent outbreak in the European Union happened in Greece last year.

2006-3-9 11:41 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1997: Dolly the sheep cloned by scientists</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
Scientists in Scotland have announced the birth of the world's first successfully cloned mammal, Dolly the sheep.
Dolly, who was created at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, was actually born on 5 July 1996 although her arrival has only just been revealed.
Dolly is the first mammal to have been successfully cloned from an adult cell. Previous clonings have been from embryo cells.
The sheep's birth has been heralded as one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs of the decade although it is likely to spark ethical controversy.
Scientists in Scotland cloned a ewe by inserting DNA from a single sheep cell into an egg and implanted it in a surrogate mother.
They now have a healthy seven-month-old sheep - Dolly - who is an exact genetic duplicate of the animal from which the single cell was taken.
DNA tests have revealed that Dolly is identical to the ewe who donated the udder cell and is unrelated to the surrogate mother.
Embryologist Dr Ian Wilmut, from the Roslin Institute, said: "It will enable us to study genetic diseases for which there is presently no cure and track down the mechanisms that are involved."
The research, published in Nature magazine, follows the Edinburgh team's success in cloning sheep embryos. Last year they produced two identical sheep, which were clones of an original embryo.
The company which has bought the rights to the research, PPL Therapeutics, said Dolly would help to improve understanding of ageing and genetics and lead to the production of cheaper medicines.
US President Bill Clinton has set up a special task force to investigate cloning in order to examine the legal and ethical implications.

2006-3-9 11:41 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
1986: Filipino coup leaders tell Marcos to go</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The Two senior members of the Philippines government have taken refuge in the defence ministry building in the capital, Manila, after denouncing President Ferdinand Marcos.
Yesterday, Defence Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and chief of staff Lieutenant-General Fidel Ramos accused the president of planning to arrest leaders of the opposition.
They called on ministers and army officers to help them topple Marcos and then took over Camp Aguinaldo, the defence ministry.
Speaking from Camp Aguinaldo, Mr Enrile told the press Mrs Aquino had won the election and Marcos should step down.
"We had no plans to stage a coup d'etat. But we are going to defend ourselves from an imminent assault," Mr Enrile said.
Lt-Gen Ramos told American TV all 13 regional army commanders had pledged their support for a coup, while Marcos claimed he had control of "99% of the military".
Heavily armed troops have surrounded the building and President Marcos has said the situation is "under control".
He also accused the two men of conspiring to assassinate him and his wife, Imelda, and demanded their surrender.
In elections held on 7 February, the main opposition party, led by Corazon Aquino, and President Marcos both claimed victory.
The US has attempted to mediate by sending US special envoy Philip Habib who reports back to President Reagan later today.
Mrs Aquino, widow of Benigno Aquino assassinated on his return from exile three years ago by Marcos supporters, rejected Mr Habib's proposal last week for a power-sharing government.
Mrs Aquino has accused the president of stealing power and called for a one-day general strike next week and a boycott of businesses owned by the Marcos entourage .
The head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines, Cardinal Jaime Sin, is also demanding an uprising.
He has called on the people to support Mr Enrile - despite the fact that he helped Marcos impose martial law in 1972 - and Lt-Gen Ramos.
"If such a government does not of itself freely correct the evil it has inflicted on the people then it is our serious moral obligation as a people to make it do so," he said.
"The way indicated to us now is the way of non-violent struggle for justice."

2006-3-9 11:42 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1991: US bombers strike civilians in Baghdad</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
Hundreds of Iraqi civilians have been killed and wounded in Baghdad by American bombers. Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz said: "This was a criminal, pre-meditated, planned attack against civilians."
Local reports say two laser-guided precision bombs hit an air-raid shelter in the middle class district of Amiriya, five miles from the centre of the Iraqi capital.
So far 235 bodies have been recovered, 12 hours after the attacks at 0445 GMT and 0450 GMT.
Continuing fires and intense heat in the bunker complex - which includes a school, mosque and supermarket - have hampered rescue efforts and 300 people are still thought to be trapped inside.
Many of the victims are thought to be women and children. White House spokesperson Martin Fitzwater said the loss of civilian life was "truly tragic", but described the bunker as a well-known military target.
"We don't know why civilians were at this location. We do know that Saddam Hussein does not share our sanctity for human life," he continued.
One American intelligence officer said the bunker had been transmitting military signals until the moment the bombs hit.
Another US spokesperson in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, suggested Saddam had deliberately created a human shield - a tactic he has used before - to inflame international opinion against allied air strikes.
The Baghdad shelter manager said: We didn't have a single military man in the shelter. It is allocated to civilians."
According to intelligence sources the shelter was built during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s with a 10 to 15-foot thick concrete ceiling, reinforced with steel, designed to withstand electro-magnetic pulses from a thermo-nuclear blast.
Both sides are investigating the incident - caught on camera by US planes.
Tariq Aziz has called on the UN - meeting tonight - to condemn the "hideous crime". A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar expressed dismay at such a large loss of civilian life.

2006-3-9 11:42 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
1961: Ex-Congo PM declared dead</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The Officials in the Congolese province of Katanga have declared former Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba dead.
According to a statement by the interior minister, Mr Lumumba was killed by villagers trying to take him into custody.
In an official broadcast three days ago the Katanga Government announced Mr Lumumba, 36, had escaped from Kolatey prison farm in the west of the breakaway province.
They offered a reward of ?,000 for his recapture and a further ?00 for his accomplices, Maurice Mpolo - Minister of Youth - and Joseph Okito - former Vice-President of the Senate.
UN representatives claimed that report was covering up the fact Mr Lumumba - rumoured to have communist sympathies - had already been shot.
The authorities in Katanga refused to allow the United Nations Conciliation Commission to visit Mr Lumumba when they were in the capital, Elisabethville, recently.
President Moise Tshombe said the disappearances were "none of the United Nations' business".
The Secretary General of the UN, Dag Hammarskjold, intervened two weeks ago to ensure Mr Lumumba - the first democratically-elected leader of the newly-independent central African republic - would get a fair trial.
The former prime minister was indicted with incitement to murder, over the deaths of 1,000 Baluba people in the province of Kasai.
He was arrested in December by army leader Colonel Joseph Mobutu - who went on to take power - after being deposed in September by President Kasavubu.
The president had Mr Lumumba moved from Thysville prison, near Leopoldville to the Belgian-backed province of Katanga - known for its hostility to Mr Lumumba - claiming he would be more secure there.
Reports of Mr Lumumba and his associates being severely beaten by Belgian-led guards at Elisabethville airport have been widely circulated in the international media.
President Tshombe has denied these claims, but they have been supported by Swedish officers at the airport.

2006-3-9 11:43 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1984: British ice couple score Olympic gold</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have been crowned the Olympic ice skating champions after scooping gold in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
More than 24 million people watched the British couple score maximum points at the Zetra Stadium for their slow, sensuous free dance performance of Ravel's Bolero.
It was an overwhelming St Valentine's Day victory for the duo in an event traditionally dominated by Soviet skaters.
The couple from Nottingham received a standing ovation from the 8,500 spectators in the arena and flowers rained onto the ice after they completed their stirring four-minute performance.
They scored 12 out of 18 possible sixes for their free dance and the maximum possible of nine sixes for artistic impression. Torvill smiled as the gold medal was hung around her neck and Dean had to fight back tears as he stood on the Olympic podium to receive his award.
"Tonight we reached the pinnacle. I don't remember the performance at all. It just happened," Dean said.
"But I think it was the most emotional performance we have ever given. What just happened out there - getting the medals - that is what we've worked for so hard for so long."
Torvill added: "I just don't believe it. I don't think we'll get to bed tonight at all. I just want to say hello and thank the people of Nottingham."
Natalya Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin, from the Soviet Union took the silver medal while the American skaters Judy Blumberg and Michael Seibert picked up the bronze.
Princess Anne, who has been in the front row for all their Olympic performances, congratulated the pair on their victory.
The Queen also sent a telegramme commending the British couple on their outstanding achievement.
Throughout the Olympics they have picked up three sixes for the first time in the tournament's history and another four for their Original Set Pattern Dance which, with their gold finish, gives them a career total of 107 perfect marks, more than any previous skaters.
Torvill and Dean now have only their world championship to defend before starting a lucrative professional career.

2006-3-9 11:43 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
1945: Thousands of bombs shower Dresden</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The British and US bombers have dropped hundreds of thousands of explosives on the German city of Dresden.
The city is reported to be a vital command centre for the German defence against Soviet forces approaching from the east.
Last night, 800 RAF Bomber Command planes let loose 650,000 incendiaries and 8,000-lbs high explosives and hundreds of 4,000-lbs bombs in two waves of attack. They faced very little anti-aircraft fire.
As soon as one part of the city was alight, the bombers went for another until the whole of Dresden was ablaze. "There were fires everywhere with a terrific concentration in the centre of the city," said one Pathfinder pilot.
RAF crew reported smoke rising to a height of 15,000 ft (4,572 m).
This was followed by another attack in daylight by 311 US heavy bombers.
The Americans sent 450 B-17 Flying Fortress long-range bombers which arrived at 1230 local time. The pilots witnessed fires still blazing from the night before.
The same number of bombers flew to the city of Chemnitz, south-west of Dresden, to attack railways and factories and yet more attacked Magdeburg.
A major road bridge across the Rhine at Wesel was also hit.
The Times newspaper reports 19 German planes destroyed along with 98 locomotives and 185 railway cars.
Dresden is regarded by the Allies as the centre of its rail network linking eastern and southern Germany with Berlin, Prague and Vienna.
Last night, the RAF also hit oil plants at Nuremberg, Bonn and Dortmund.
Fighter Command Spitfires also pinpointed V weapons sites in the Netherlands that have launched hundreds of flying bombs against England in the last year.

2006-3-9 11:44 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1974: Newspaper heiress kidnapped</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
The daughter of the millionaire American publisher, Randolph Hearst, has been kidnapped.
Patty Hearst, aged 19, was with her fianc? Steven Weed, in her flat in Berkeley, California, at 2100 local time yesterday (0500 GMT) when there was a knock on the door.
When Miss Hearst answered it, two men and a woman burst in to the room.
In a violent exchange, Mr Weed was forced to lie on the floor, and then hit on the head repeatedly with a wine bottle and tied up.
A neighbour who heard the commotion and tried to help was also tied up and beaten.
The kidnappers carried Miss Hearst off, kicking and screaming, and put her in the boot of a white car.
Another car was also used, and as they sped off down the street they fired several shots at people in the street, although nobody was injured.
Police said no ransom demand had yet been made, although this is thought the most likely motive for the kidnapping.
Miss Hearst is an heiress to the multi-million dollar Hearst publishing empire, founded by her grandfather, William Randolph Hearst.
Mr Hearst senior was a flamboyant newspaper proprietor whose career inspired Orson Welles in making his film, Citizen Kane.
He built the spectacular and whimsical castle on the 127-acre family estate in San Simeon, California, from the proceeds of his empire, which includes popular magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and Harper's Bazaar.
The company also publishes newspapers in a number of major American cities, including the San Francisco Examiner. Its president is Patty Hearst's father, Randolph Hearst.
Mr Hearst was in Washington when the kidnap took place, but left immediately for California on hearing the news.

2006-3-9 11:44 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
1953: Sweet news ends rationing</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The Children across the country have been emptying out their piggy-banks and heading straight for the nearest sweet-shop as the first unrationed sweets went on sale today.
Toffee apples were the biggest sellers, with sticks of nougat and liquorice strips also disappearing fast.
One firm in Clapham Common gave 800 children 150lbs of lollipops during their midday break from school; and a London factory opened its doors to hand out free sweets to all comers.
Adults joined in the sugar frenzy, with men in the City queuing up in their lunch breaks to buy boiled sweets and to enjoy the luxury of being able to buy 2lb boxes of chocolates to take home for the weekend.
Stocks 'sufficient' The government and manufacturers have been quick to reassure the public that there would be no repeat of the first attempt to de-ration sweets, in April 1949, when demand far outstripped supply and they were put back on ration after just four months.
This time, the Minister of Food, Major Gwilym Lloyd-George, has told the House of Commons that he has no doubt that stocks are sufficient. He has ordered a one-off allocation of extra sugar to manufacturers to help them meet the anticipated surge in demand.
Sugar itself, though, still remains rationed, and manufacturers say the Ministry of Food should have freed sugar supplies as well as those of sweets and chocolate.
As it is, they will have to make enough sweets to meet the demand of a de-rationed market, but with only 54% of the sugar supplies they had before the war.
However, overall the industry gave a warm welcome to the news. "We are very glad about it," said a spokesman for the Cocoa, Chocolate and Confectionery Alliance. "We will do all we can to make it work."
So far, despite the heavy sales, there have been no signs of panic buying, even though there are already shortages of the most popular brands.
One reason may be that the price of confectionery has nearly doubled during the war, and many have not been taking up their full 6oz ration.
Sweet coupons, though, will be with us for some time yet: it takes so long to print all 50m ration books that next year's have been designed already, sweet ration and all.

2006-3-9 11:45 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1992: Cannibal killer jailed for life</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer has been sentenced to life in prison by a court in Wisconsin for murdering and dismembering 15 young men and boys.
Dahmer, 31, was unable to convince the jury that his cannibalism and necrophilia were the result of madness.
He was given 15 consecutive life sentences and will never be eligible for parole.
Dahmer's trial, which ended in Milwaukee on Saturday night (15 February), included some of the most gruesome evidence ever heard in a US courtroom.
It also became a test case of the insanity defence seldom used in America.
He has escaped the death sentence because Wisconsin is one of the few states which does not have capital punishment.
After sentence was passed, Dahmer read a statement to the court. In a calm voice he said: "I never wanted freedom. Frankly, I wanted death for myself. I knew I was sick or evil or both.
"Doctors have told me about my sickness and now I have some peace. I know how much harm I have caused. I feel so bad for what I did to those poor families."
Victims' families were in court and some lashed out at the bullet-proof screen, which was all that separated them from the man described by his own lawyer as "a steamrolling, killing machine".
Rita Isbell, sister of victim Errol Lindsey, lunged at Dahmer screaming: "You are Satan. I want to kill you."
Tears rolled down the face of Donald Bradehof, brother of another victim, as he said: "We lost the baby of our family - I hope you go to hell."
Dahmer tended to prey on young gay black men. The court was told how he drugged them with sleeping pills and practised crude lobotomies on the brains of three of them. Various body parts were found in his flat.
His lawyers argued he suffered from necrophilia, a compulsive desire to have sex with corpses. But the prosecution claimed Dahmer had chosen his victims carefully and had not intended to kill them all.
There has been criticism of the Milwaukee police for failing to realise there was a serial killer operating in the city.

2006-3-9 11:45 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
1959: Turkish leader involved in fatal crash</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes has survived an air crash near London that killed 12 people.
Mr Menderes was on his way to the British capital for talks on Cyprus with the British, Greek and Cypriot premiers when his Viscount jet crashed in Jordan's Wood, near Newdigate in Surrey.
Only 10 of the 22 passengers and crew on board the Turkish Government aircraft survived and two were critically injured.
An official from the Ministry of Civil Aviation said it was the worst crash he had seen.
Turkish press secretary Sefik Penmen told an impromptu conference at London Clinic: "The Prime Minister's condition is quite satisfactory and a bulletin will be issued at 1000 tomorrow. He is feeling quite alright, though he is very sorry about what has happened to his friends."
The plane - from Istanbul - was diverted from Gatwick Airport because of fog and was due to arrive at London Airport at 1600 GMT when it went missing off the radar.
Local resident Margaret Bailey, a trained nurse, was one of the first on the scene - three miles along the flight path from Gatwick - shortly after 1700 GMT.
At about that time the plane carrying Greek Prime Minister Constantin Karamanlis landed at Gatwick without incident.
The Turkish jet lost its wings and had its engines torn off as it ploughed 300 yards through the wood and landed upside down with trees embedded in the mangled fuselage and burst into flames.
Three divisions from Surrey Fire Brigade put out the resulting fires although their efforts were hampered by thick fog.
After receiving first aid at Mrs Bailey's farmhouse, 200 yards away, Mr Menderes was taken to hospital in London 90 minutes later.
Other casualties are being treated at hospitals in East Grinstead, Redhill and Dorking.
The Queen and Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus have sent messages of sympathy.

2006-3-9 11:46 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1962: American spaceman rounds the world</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
The first American to orbit the Earth has landed safely in the Atlantic Ocean.
Marine Lieutenant John Glenn, 40, travelled about 81,000 miles (more than 130,000km) as he circled the globe three times at more than 17,000 mph (27,000kph).
Colonel Glenn controlled nearly two of the orbits himself after reporting "minor difficulties" with the automatic altitude control system as he completed the third circuit - the maximum anticipated.
Messages from the astronaut were transmitted by radio stations across the United States and United Kingdom and his progress was monitored by 18 ground stations around the world.
As he re-entered the atmosphere after his four-hour and 56-minute journey Colonel Glenn said: "Boy, that was a real fireball."
His spacecraft, Friendship Seven, landed at 2040 GMT 240 miles north-west of Puerto Rico, where it was picked up by the US destroyer Noa.
Altogether, 24 American ships were ready to pick up the astronaut and his craft from various locations across the globe.
The capsule was launched from the flaming Atlas rocket at 1447 GMT from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
President Kennedy followed the mission on television and telephoned the astronaut afterwards.
"We are really proud of you. You did a wonderful job," he said.
The Queen and British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, also cabled their congratulations.
Technical problems had delayed the mission 10 times - a total of 61 days.
The US has spent over ?42m on the man-in-space programme so far and Nasa has planned another three manned orbital flights this year.
The US Earth orbit took place 10 months and 10 days after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space, making one circulation of the globe.

2006-3-9 11:46 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
1993: Two boys charged with toddler's murder</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The Two 10-year-old boys have been charged with the abduction and murder of two-year-old James Bulger in Liverpool.
The toddler went missing from the Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle last Friday and his body was found on a railway embankment less than three miles away two days later, on 14 February.
The two suspects were arrested two days ago and are being held at different police stations with their mothers and lawyers.
When they appear before South Sefton Magistrates Court - a quarter of a mile from where James was abducted - tomorrow, they will be among the youngest people to face murder charges in the British courts.
Other members of the boys' families have been moved to secret addresses to protect them from possible reprisals.
Police issued a statement saying the pair had also been charged - at 1840GMT - with the attempted abduction of another two-year-old and were being held in police detention under section 59 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.
It looks likely they will be remanded into some form of care or custody before the case is tried by a judge and jury at crown court.
Officers are consulting the local council over the welfare of the boys.
Bulger family solicitor Sean Sexton said: "The family are of course relieved at the progress that has been made. They are still trying to come to terms with the situation."
"We should like to thank the police and public for their support," he continued, asking for the privacy of the family to be respected and saying there would be no further statement.
Hundreds of flowers have been heaped around the entrance to the shopping centre where James was last seen, on security video, being led away.
And over ?,000 of public donations has been collected and given to the Bulger family.
The 35,000 people at Liverpool Football Club's Anfield ground stood for a minute's silence before the game against Ipswich Town today.

2006-3-9 11:47 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1997: China's reformist Deng Xiaoping dies</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
China's paramount leader Deng Xiaoping has died at the age of 92.
He had been suffering from failing health for several years and was last seen in public three years ago.
The country's official news agency said his death was the result of advanced stages of Parkinson's Disease complicated by a lung infection and that he had failed to respond to emergency treatment.
Chinese radio's shortwave English language service praised his "outstanding" leadership as a "great Marxist and the true architect of China's socialist reforms and modernisation".
A funeral committee has been announced, to be headed by Jiang Zemin, which regional experts say makes him the most likely candidate to gain the leadership.
Meanwhile Tiananmen Square the symbolic heart of China and the communist party is reported to be peaceful, with no sign of extra security.
The BBC's Beijing Correspondent Humphrey Hawksley said that given Deng Xiaoping's stated disregard for the "cult of the personality" it was unlikely there would be any grand state funerals.
Humphrey Hawksley said: "Deng wished to hand over rule to a collective leadership of modern thinking technocrats and not a god-king that China has traditionally been accustomed to."
International reaction to the news has been complimentary about the dead dictator and his contribution to the world economy.
US Secretary of State Madeline Albright said he was "an historic figure" and that the US would continue to pursue a "multi-faceted relationship with China", based on issues of trade, the environment and human rights.
The UK's Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind expressed his hope economic and political reforms would gather speed, not only for China but to protect Hong Kong's future.

2006-3-9 11:47 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
1978: Egyptian forces die in Cyprus gunfight</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The At least ten Egyptian commandos have been killed in a late-night gun battle with Greek Cypriot soldiers at Larnaca airport, Cyprus.
Egyptian troops and Cypriot forces exchanged fire as the fate of hostages and their abductors aboard a Cypriot airliner lay in the balance.
The Cypriot Government says it was in the process of solving the hostage crisis when the Egyptians launched their own assault on the airliner.
Egypt has blamed Cyprus for the bloodshed and said their special forces helped save the hostages and capture the terrorists.
The crisis began yesterday when the editor of a prominent Egyptian newspaper and friend of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Youssef Sebai, was assassinated at the Nicosia Hilton by two gunmen.
Negotiators then agreed to allow the killers to leave Cyprus with 11 hostages including Egyptians, in a Cypriot Airlines DC8.
However, the plane was forced to return to the island after other states refused to allow it to land.
The Cypriot Government said they then permitted an Egyptian military C-130 Hercules to fly into Larnaca, but gave strict instructions to the Egyptians not to interfere.
Egyptian commandos then launched an all-out assault on the DC8 even as Cypriot negotiations had apparently secured the hostage-takers' surrender.
BBC reporter John Bierman described how the Cypriots opened fire on the Egyptian anti-terror unit resulting in a 50-minute fight between the two sides.
He said President Kyprianou and other senior Cypriot officials observing events were forced to retreat from the airport control tower after it was hit by bullets.
An attempt by one Cypriot officer to order Egyptian soldiers already lying in their firing positions to surrender was described as an act of "insane bravery".
Most of the commandos were forced to seek cover in a nearby empty airliner after their Hercules was destroyed by a shell.
The crisis appears to have ended after the Cypriot National Guard overpowered the Egyptian commandos and the DC8's crew persuaded the gunmen to give up their weapons.
Wounded Egyptian commandos and Cypriots were rushed to Larnaka hospital.

2006-3-9 11:48 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1954: McCarthy hunts 'army Communists'</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
The Secretary of the US army has ordered two generals, subpoenaed by anti-Communist senator Joseph McCarthy, to ignore the summons.
The move by Robert T Stevens came on the first day of the hearings into communist activity in the US army.
Mr Stevens said he would speak on behalf of the army provided the session was in public.
His announcement came after a former army major summonsed by Senator McCarthy - head of the Senate's Permanent Investigations sub-committee - refused to answer questions.
Irving Peress, now a dentist, took advantage of the Fifth Amendment in the US' Constitution - the right to avoid self-incrimination - to justify his silence.
Mr Peress cited his honourable discharge from the army as proof of his "honest and loyal service" to his country.
Senator McCarthy has accused Mr Peress of communist activities at an army camp and has demanded that army authorities revoke his honourable discharge and court martial him.
The Wisconsin senator has also called for a list of all officers and civilians who had anything to do with Mr Peress' promotion and honourable discharge.
"Either the army will give the names of men coddling Communists or we will take it before the Senate," he said.
However, Mr Steven's stand makes it unlikely a list will be forthcoming.
It is a rare challenge to the controversial senator who was virtually unknown before he took up the cause of rooting out Communists four years ago.
In a speech in West Virginia in February 1950 Mr McCarthy claimed to have the names of 205 "card-carrying Communists" in the State Department.
However, he later scaled down the list to 57 and was willing to name only four of them.
His critics say he has never produced real evidence to back up his claims and accuse him of "witch hunts" which have often destroyed the careers of those accused.
But in March 1951 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted for passing atomic secrets to the Russians and this helped fuel popular support for his campaign.
Joseph McCarthy's committee works parallel to the House of Representatives' Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).
In 1947 the HUAC's high-profile investigation of the entertainment industry led to prison sentences for 10 Hollywood writers and directors who refused to answer questions and "blacklisting" for hundreds more.

2006-3-9 11:48 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
1969: Lulu ties knot with Bee Gee</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The Hundreds of people have clamoured to see the marriage of popstars Lulu and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees in a Buckinghamshire church.
Lulu, 20, had hoped to keep her wedding plans secret but around 1,000 people - mostly women and girls - filled the grounds of St James' Church in Gerrards Cross.
Several children were hurt as the crowd - that had waited for an hour - surged forward when Lulu arrived in her green Rolls Royce, 20 minutes late.
Wearing a long, white, mink-trimmed coat with fur hood and a white, silk mini-dress, Lulu - born Marie McDonald McLaughlin - begged onlookers to let her through, saying, "Please let me in, please let me in."
As police formed a cordon to allow the bride to reach the church, Maurice Gibb - also wearing white - waited inside with his best man, twin brother Robin, who was married only three months ago.
The third Gibb brother, Barry, arrived 10 minutes later, after earlier objecting to the wedding saying the couple was too young.
The Bee Gees and the bride were the only celebrities at the small, family wedding.
After a half-hour service - presided over by Reverend Gordon Harrison - the newlyweds were trapped in the church for another 10 minutes until a path had been cleared to their waiting car.
They spent a few minutes at the 19-year-old groom's parents' house in Gerrards Cross before travelling to London for their reception.
After a one-day honeymoon Lulu plans to return to work on her BBC television series.
She says she wants to cut down on her work-load to concentrate on her family and wants lots of children.
The daughter of a Glaswegian butcher, Lulu has already enjoyed a successful singing career for five years - beginning with number one single, Shout.
She will represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in March.

2006-3-9 11:49 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1959: Castro sworn in as Cuban PM</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro has become the country's youngest ever premier.
At the age of 32, he has been sworn in as Prime Minister in the Cabinet Room of the Presidential Palace in Havana.
Dr Castro led the resistance against the seven-year military rule of President Fulgeneio Batista and commanded the 26 July Army - a 10,000 strong guerrilla force - that drove the old regime into exile on New Year's Day.
But this is the first time he has assumed administrative responsibilities within the new, provisional government.
Cuban newspaper 'Revolution' - regarded as the voice-piece of the 26 July Army - explained his appointment is to solve the problem of "a dispersal of power", as many workers and industries have observed Castro's pronouncements and not the government's since the revolution.
According to the newspaper, "now the government, the revolution and the people will take the same path." Dr Castro was on leave from his previous post as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces when Dr Jose Miro Cordoba - prime minister since 5 January - and his cabinet resigned, without explanation, two days ago.
As well as his supporters, a hoard of Cuban and foreign media witnessed Fidel Castro being sworn into office wearing his olive-green rebel army fatigues and sporting his trademark square cap and beard.
He told them: "We have great plans and we suffer when we cannot put these into effect rapidly, but technical preparations take time."
He also denied he had any interest in taking over as president, saying legal moves to lower the age of eligibility for the post last week were the initiative of the incumbent president Manuel Urrutia Lleo.
President Urrutia and Prime Minister Castro are old allies and are expected to work together to achieve revolutionary aims of economic reform and improved living standards for all Cubans.

2006-3-9 11:49 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
2001: Serbs killed in Kosovo pilgrimage</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The A bomb attack on a bus convoy that was carrying more than 250 Serbs to a religious ceremony in Kosovo, has claimed the lives of at least seven people, including women and children, and injured more than 40.
Ethnic Albanian extremists, who are trying to drive Serbs out of Kosovo, have been blamed for the attack.
It took place near the town of Podujevo in northern Kosovo, 40km (25 miles) north-east of the capital Pristina.
The remote-controlled bomb was detonated 400m from the road at around noon, hitting the first of five buses which had just crossed the border into Kosovo from the city of Nis in Serbia.
'Ethnic cleansing'
Gorica Stjepanovic, 24, who survived the attack with eye injuries, said: "All of a sudden, everything burst, the bus seemed to have fallen apart.
"Blood was dripping from the roof. When I managed to get out, parts of bodies were everywhere."
The group of Serbs, who moved to Serbia fearing ethnic Albanian attacks, were travelling to the village of Gracanica in Kosovo to visit family graves.
The Orthodox Day of the Dead - 17 February - is when Serbs remember their dead.
The attack has sparked violent protests from the victims' relatives in Gracanica, who have blocked the main road into Pristina and set vehicles on fire.
The convoy was accompanied by five Swedish armoured vehicles which were unaffected.
Leaders of Kosovo's Albanian majority condemned the latest attack and said it was a serious blow to attempts to build peace.
Nato called the killings "premeditated murder".
Its Secretary General George Robertson said: "Nato did not conduct its air campaign in order to see ethnic cleansing by one group replaced by the ethnic attacks and intimidation of another."
The Yugoslav Government also condemned the attack and has declared a day of national mourning for the victims.
Earlier this week United Nations police came under attack in the town of Strpce after a Serbian man died while travelling in a UN convoy.

2006-3-9 11:50 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1994: Art thieves snatch Scream</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
Thieves have stolen one of the world's best-known paintings from a gallery in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.
Two men took just 50 seconds to climb a ladder, smash through a window of the National Art Museum in Oslo and cut The Scream, by Edvard Munch, from the wall with wire cutters.
The cutters were left behind along with a short ladder as the men fled with the painting. The entire incident was filmed by security cameras.
The director of the museum, Knut Berg, said, "It is impossible to estimate the value of the painting.
"But it is Norway's most valuable, Munch's most renowned, and it would be impossible to sell."
The museum's alarm went off at 0630 local time (0530 GMT) and a security guard immediately alerted police, who arrived within minutes.
Police officers are searching for a Mercedes car thought to have been used as a getaway vehicle.
The painting was in the gallery as the highlight of a Norwegian Culture Festival staged in connection with the Winter Olympics which start today in Lillehammer.
There is widespread speculation that the theft may have some connection with the Games, possibly as a publicity stunt by campaigners. Art experts believe the painting is so well-known that it is unsaleable.
The museum is facing strong criticism over its security after it was revealed that the masterpiece had been moved from the more secure first floor to the ground floor for the exhibition. It is believed to have been uninsured.
The stolen painting is regarded as the most important of the four versions Edvard Munch painted of The Scream, and was created in 1893 as part of his Frieze of Life series in which sickness, death, anxiety and love are central themes.
The haunting depiction of a skull-like face wide-mouthed in agony and despair before a blood-red sunset has become an icon of human anguish across the world.
Several other Munch paintings have recently been stolen: six years ago, another well-known masterpiece, The Vampire, was stolen from the Munch Museum in Oslo, but was later recovered, as was a lithograph , Madonna, which disappeared in 1990.
Another painting, Portrait Study, was taken from the National Art Museum last August and is still missing.

2006-3-9 11:50 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
1999: Scientists highlight hazards of GM food</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The A group of international scientists has reinforced warnings genetically modified food may be damaging to health.
The 20 independent scientists have signed a memorandum in support of Arpad Pusztai who was forced to retire last year over his revelations about the effects of biologically altered potatoes on laboratory rats. An expert on plant toxins, Dr Pusztai was suspended by the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen and did not have his annual contract renewed after he publicised his findings on British television.
Former president of the British Society of Allergy and Environmental Medicine Ronald Finn said: "Dr Pusztai's results at the very least raise the suspicion that genetically modified potatoes may damage the immune system."
He continued: "You can imagine a doomsday scenario. If the immune system of the population was weakened, then the mortality would be increased many, many times."
Dr Pustzai, 68, found the internal organs and immune systems of rats was altered by the presence of an additional gene - responsible for the production of the plant toxin lectin - in the potatoes.
A researcher at the department of pathology at Aberdeen University, Stanley Ewen, has just released details of his own experiments indicating rats fed on GM - or transgenic - potatoes absorbed lectin into their intestines.
Mr Ewen explained: "It may be that in GM food a drug-delivery system has been created, delivering something you didn't want to."
The director of the Rowett Institute, Philip James, has defended his decision to suspend Dr Pusztai saying he had become "muddled" over key aspects of the potato experiments.
He denied he had come under political pressure to dismiss the controversial scientist.
Prime Minister Tony Blair has rejected calls for a moratorium on GM food saying there is a rigorous regulatory process before they reach supermarket shelves in the UK.

2006-3-9 11:51 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>1990: Freedom for Nelson Mandela</TD></TR></TABLE>
England have
Leading anti-apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela has been freed from prison in South Africa after 27 years.
His release follows the relaxation of apartheid laws - including lifting the ban on leading black rights party the African National Congress (ANC) - by South African President FW de Klerk.
Mr Mandela appeared at the gates of Victor-Verster Prison in Paarl at 1614 local time - an hour late - with his wife Winnie.
Holding her hand and dressed in a light brown suit and tie he smiled at the ecstatic crowds and punched the air in a victory salute before taking a silver BMW sedan to Cape Town, 40 miles away.
Doctors treated over a hundred people as police clashed with youths looting shops in various cities and townships and several people were reported shot dead.
Mr Mandela, the deputy-president of the ANC, appeared on the balcony of Cape Town's City Hall to speak to the 50,000 people assembled outside at 2000 local time.
He acknowledged Mr de Klerk was a man of integrity, but said: "Our struggle has reached a decisive moment. Our march to freedom is irreversible."
"Now is the time to intensify the struggle on all fronts. To relax now would be a mistake which future generations would not forgive," he continued.
As he addressed the crowd South African state television broadcast a profile of Mr Mandela - including a BBC interview from 1961 - which was the first time he had been shown speaking on TV.
Now 71, the lawyer from the Transkei homeland was convicted of treason and sabotage in June 1964 and sentenced to life imprisonment.
He spent most of his sentence on Robben Island, off Cape Town, doing hard labour.
Since the 1980s he has refused numerous offers for early release from the government in Pretoria because of the conditions attached.

2006-3-9 11:51 woaini06

<TABLE cellSpacing=9 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=left border=0>

<TR>
<TD class=e14b>
1979: Victory for Khomeini as army steps aside</TD></TR></TABLE>Artificially 1969: The Supporters of the Ayatollah Khomeini appear to be in control of the Iranian capital, Tehran, tonight.
Only 10 days since Khomeini's triumphant return to Iran from exile in Paris, the army has returned to barracks and given up the fight to defend the old regime.
Prime Minister Shahpour Bakhtiar, brought in by the Shah only last month in an effort to win back popular support, has resigned and disappeared.
Iran radio is reporting rumours he has committed suicide after his home in North Tehran was attacked and burned down.
Abandoned tanks
Civilian demonstators have again been on the streets today, seizing control of police and fire stations, forcing the officers to flee and arming themselves with the weapons they found inside.
Khomeini set the country on a collision course five days ago when he established a provisional government under Mehdi Bazargan and called on people to demonstrate their support for an Islamic regime.
Ten people died in a battle for one police station today. In total the death toll is now put at 200 with 700 injured.
Demonstrators have taken control of the airport and radio and television station, where staff who had been on strike in support of the Ayatollah returned immediately and began broadcasting news about the takeover of the country.
Elsewhere protesters have set fire to barricades across the streets, even in the heart of the main shopping and business districts of the city.
Abandoned tanks have been left behind after soldiers previously loyal to the Shah have switched allegiances.
Foreign embassies have been raided for their weapons.
The only remaining resistance came from soldiers of the elite Imperial Guard, who were defending their headquarters in the north of the city at Lavizan and at two royal palaces.
An announcement on television said the three bases had been surrounded by revolutionary forces and negotiations were under way for their surrender.
Although there was no official announcement from Dr Bakhtiar of his resignation, the news has been repeatedly broadcast by the media.
There had been rumours of a possible military coup. But a meeting of senior generals this afternoon acknowledged this would split the army and cause serious bloodshed.
They put out a statement at 1400 local time ordering troops to return to their garrisons in order to prevent further bloodshed and anarchy .

页: [1] 2

查看完整版本: Today in history