The Green Lantern panel - Comic-Con

By SimoneMitchell on Jul 25 2010, 02:43PM

I have a confession to make. I've never really understood why people got excited about Ryan Reynolds. I always thought he was a bit .... meh.

But if you, like me, are slightly iffy on Mister Scarlett Johannson, you would have been won over by his performance at Comic-Con this morning. I guarantee it.

On-stage with fellow cast members Blake Lively (Carol Ferris), Peter Saarsgard (Hector Hammond) and Mark Strong (Sinestro), Reynolds was utterly charming and quick witted.

Having spent almost a year working exclusively on this movie, Reynolds has had plenty of time to become familiar with the much-loved comic material. He explained that the thing that drew him to the character of Hal Jordan was that he's "one of those cocky characters that I've always loved - he's the guy that can swing a punch, drink a beer and kiss the girl all at the same time".

For those not familiar with the backbone of this Green Lantern movie, it tells the origin story of Hal Jordan, a guy who is struggling with his own personal demons after witnessing his father die in a grizzly plane crash when he was a child.

In a weird choice of career path the grown-up Hal has followed in his father's footsteps and has also trained as a test-pilot.

While working at Ferris Aviation with his best friend (and love interest) Carol Ferris (Lively), he is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe.

Here's the first look at Reynolds as The Green Lantern (as seen on the cover of Entertainment Weekly recently):


The hard-core DC fans have made no secret about their fears regarding Reynolds taking on the beloved Hal Jordan role. But this morning he truly seemed to have won them over, with grown men hooting and hollering his name.

The icing on the cake was when an alarmingly adorable little boy dressed head to toe in Green Lantern gear got up to ask Reynolds about reciting The Green Lantern oath.

Reynolds, who was clearly taken with the little whipper snapper said "Okay ... I'm going to recite the oath for you".

He did so, and the little lad's jaw almost hit the floor. In fact, I'm confident a little bit of wee probably came out.

** THIS JUST IN - I FOUND SOME FOOTAGE **

Not content with making his day in this fashion, Reynolds then signed a copy of the comic for the tiny fan and met with him and his father backstage afterwards.

Excuse the dirty AP watermark, but this is Reynolds and young Connor backstage:



What a dude.

The older comic fans also seemed pretty impressed with the first trailer that was shown during the panel.

The trailer starts off with a green glowing ball on the screen and a voice-over that says:

"Welcome inhabitants of sector 2814. The Guardians have chosen you as candidates for enlistment but before you can be recruited, you must be tested. The light you see before you is controlled by your will. Focus on the light. If you will it, it will be. Now, focus."

The ball throbs and expands and launches into a fast and furious few minutes of hard-core action - exactly what we'd expect from director Martin Campbell.

In fact, one of the most promising things about this flick is that it's directed by Campbell, he of Casino Royale fame. The action scenes in the trailer looked particularly powerful (and at this stage the trailer hasn't even been rendered in 3D).

"Martin likes his fighting up close and dirty", explains Reynolds. "As he himself says, it should be like a knife-fight in a phone booth".

Having said all that, the no-nonsense English director seems to be suitably enthralled by The Green Lantern concept, and has clearly put a lot of thought into the themes and emotion of the film, not just the bangs and whistles.

When asked what makes this movie different from the other (better recognised) super hero franchises out there, Campbell explained that The Green Lantern will have a special intergalactic element that we've not yet seen in a movie of this kind. "It will be part super hero movie, part space opera", he explained.

We'll have to wait until mid-next year in Australia to see whether Campbell's first foray into the superhero genre is a cracking success. But looking at the trailer today, we just may have something to get excited about.

www.thevine.com.au

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World's fastest electric car makes Vancouver pit stop

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Toby Schulz, right, drives the Racing Green Endurance electric car with Clemens Lorf along for the ride in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday July 16, 2010. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

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The Canadian Press

Date: Sun. Jul. 18 2010 8:21 AM ET

VANCOUVER — The bugs are "disgusting" and the police have been pesky, but overall a team of students from Imperial College London are having the adventure of a lifetime showing off one of the world's fastest electric cars.

The Racing Green Endurance team left Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, on July 4 bound for Argentina on a 26,000-kilometre trip to generate some excitement about electric cars.

The sleek, low-slung vehicle looks better suited to a race track than the bumpy highway between Alaska and British Columbia. There's no top or windshield, leaving only a helmet between the driver and the bugs.

Andy Hadland, the team's public relations director, said he was thankful for the head gear after his first turn behind the wheel.

"After every trip you're wiping off the helmet. It's kind of red, yellow, brown, it's a little disgusting actually."

The team has also been pulled over several times by police officers who were both curious and suspicious.

"What makes you think you can drive a car like this legally in Canada?" Hadland said, dropping his British accent to imitate the officers who have pulled them over.

He said once they satisfy the officers' curiosity and show them the car is insured for the road, they've been allowed to move on.

Other than being surrounded by a herd of bison early one morning and one blown fuse in the vehicle, the trip has been uneventful, Hadland said during a short pit stop in Vancouver on Friday.

Yet, to his surprise, the journey has been tiring.

"I knew it would be hard work, but it's not as much of a holiday as I expected," he said, still smiling.

The 400-horsepower vehicle can reach speeds of up to 200 km/h and will go more than 400 kilometres on one charge, but takes eight hours to recharge from completely empty.

Its two electric motors in the rear of the car are powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries that account for almost half of the total 1,180 kilograms of the fibreglass vehicle.

The goal is to drive 26,000 kilometres, through 14 countries in 84 days with the hope of convincing the public that electric vehicles aren't the highway pariahs they once were.

"Part of what they want do is change this perception of electric cars as being slow kind of grandma's car," said Lorne Burns, of KPMG, the company sponsoring the team's journey. "This is anything but Grandma's car. This thing's fast, it's cool."

Even though Hadland, who isn't overly tall, has to fold himself into the vehicle's tiny interior when it's his turn to drive, he said there are few drawbacks to the vehicle.

It's fun to drive, cheap to run, there are no emissions, and the air is cleaner, he said.

"You've got 100 per cent torque, 100 per cent of the time. That means you've always got full power whenever you want to put your foot down," he said.

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Don't demonize the SUV, says Ford

Steve Forbes, Forbes.com

Date: Friday Jul. 16, 2010 10:07 AM ET

William Clay Ford Jr. tells Steve Forbes about the future he's envisioning for the sports utility vehicle.

---

Steve Forbes: So what's the future of the SUV?

William Clay Ford Jr.: Well, I think the SUV has become demonized in some circles. But if you think again about applying technology to SUV, our hybrid Escape SUV gets tremendous mileage. And so, I think, once the customers understand that SUVs not only give you space, but you can get really good fuel economy, then, I think it's fine. So go back to, if we are the fuel economy leader in every single segment that we play in and that's our goal and we're there already in several segments, then I think we'll be fine.

And I think that people won't feel like they have to make these trade-offs between, "Gee, I really want, you know, an SUV, but I think I've got to get a small car, because I've got to get gas mileage." We can provide gas mileage and range to the SUVs as well.

Forbes: Now, talking about smaller cars, lighter cars, lighter materials. What does that mean for safety? Because, as you know, almost half the crashes are single vehicle, hitting something, or --

Ford: Well, there are a lot of high-strength materials out there that we're working with. You can take weight out of a car and truck and still make it very strong. And that's what we're doing. We're playing around with a lot of different materials to both lighten the vehicle and strengthen the vehicle.

And so I think that's a trend you're going to continue to see, and you don't have to give up anything, in terms of safety. In fact, if you look at the safety technology that's in vehicles today, I mean, it's so much greater than it was five years ago, whether it's side air bags, air curtains, inflatable rear seatbelts. Even the structures themselves are made with more high-strength material. So that's something that we're very cognizant of. And that's just passive safety. I look at safety as there's active and passive.

Passive is how do you survive a crash. Active is accident avoidance. And so that's real-time information to you, as a driver, and to your car, to the wheels of a car that will get you out of a bad situation. And that's improving every year, too. So I really think that the safety aspect is something that we don't need to worry inordinately about as we start to shift the smaller cars.

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Ford will offer hybrid at same price as gas model

The Associated Press

Date: Thursday Jul. 22, 2010 3:11 PM ET

DEARBORN, Mich. — For the first time, a North American automaker plans to sell a hybrid car for the same, lower price as its gas-powered counterpart, removing at least one obstacle for drivers who want a greener ride.

At a little more than US$35,000, the 2011 Lincoln MKZ sedan won't be cheap, but the decision by Ford to match the prices of the two styles could lead competitors to follow suit with future models.

The hybrid MKZ, debuting this fall and running on both gas and electric power, will be a bargain after factoring in savings at the pump. It gets more than double the mileage of the traditional version in city driving.

While automakers won't reveal what they spend to install a hybrid system in a car, the final product usually costs several thousand dollars more than a gas-powered version of the same car.

The Lexus HS 250h, the MKZ's closest competitor, costs about $2,500 more than the Lexus IS, a similar, small, gas-powered sedan. Ford charges $8,840 more for the hybrid version of its Ford Escape SUV.

The MKZ can still make money even if Lincoln doesn't charge more for the hybrid, said Erich Merkle, president of the consulting company Autoconomy.com. Luxury cars are sold at a significant premium, he said, ensuring a profit for Ford.

Lincoln can also borrow the hybrid system from the Ford Fusion, its corporate twin, and save on development costs.

"Conventional wisdom is that the hybrid should be priced higher, but there's not really anything to say that a hybrid has to command a higher price," Merkle said.

Besides, Ford had to keep the price down, said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst for Edmunds.com. If it had sold for more than $40,000, it would have faced tougher competition from luxury cars like the Mercedes E-Class or the Audi A6, she said.

"It's going to take moves like this one to break into the luxury market," she said.

Other automakers may not try to match Lincoln's move if it is limited to the MKZ, but they will have to take notice if Lincoln uses the same strategy with future hybrid models, said Aaron Bragman, an analyst with IHS Automotive.

John Felice, Lincoln's marketing manager, said pricing strategy is an opportunity to get buyers interested in the Lincoln brand. Even after a complete revamp of its cars in the past few years, Lincoln still lags behind other luxury brands. Lincoln sales were up 7.5 per cent in the first six months of this year, compared with 17 per cent industrywide.

Lincoln is also trying to make up for the sales it is losing by phasing out its Mercury brand, which includes two hybrids.

The MKZ is one of most popular Lincoln models, but its sales have fallen 5 per cent so far this year.

The MKZ will get 41 mpg in the city and 36 on the highway. That beats the Lexus HS 250h, which gets 35 mpg in the city and 34 on the highway. The gasoline version of the Lincoln MKZ gets 18 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway.

The new hybrid system isn't the Lincoln MKZ's only nod to the environment. Its wood trim comes from well-managed forests, while the leather seats use a chromium-free tanning process that makes them easier to recycle, Ford said.

Lincoln MKZ buyers are not eligible for federal tax credits for alternative-fuel vehicles. Federal law limits the credits to the first 60,000 buyers of a company's hybrids, and Ford hit that number on March 31.

Ford is the first U.S. automaker to offer a hybrid and conventional version of a car at the same price. Industry analysts say they are unaware of a foreign automaker doing it, either.

Even if Ford were to lose money on the MKZ hybrid, it would probably be willing to make the trade in exchange for marketing value for the Lincoln brand, said Bruze Belzowski, assistant research scientist at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

"Lincoln might say, 'We're going to take a hit on this,"' Belzowski said. "They may say something like 'We're willing to take a hit on this because the marketing value is going to outweigh the cost."'

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#NEWS : Canada set to impose new sanctions against Iran

Robert Fife, Ottawa Bureau Chief

Date: Sunday Jul. 25, 2010 10:06 PM ET

CTV News has learned Canada will impose another round of harsh sanctions against Iran aimed at curtailing its nuclear weapons program and tightening the financial screws on the Iranian regime.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon has called a news conference for 11 a.m. Monday to make the announcement.

Senior officials say cabinet approved the additional sanctions on July 22.

Among the measures, Canada will ban any new Canadian investments in Iran's energy sector and any exports that could in any way assist Iran's nuclear sector.

It also bans Iranian financial institutions from setting up in Canada and forbids Canadian financial institutions from purchasing any Iran debt.

One official said the new sanctions "are meant not just for Iran but as a warning also to other nations with nuclear ambitions."

These sanctions are similar to a package of measures adopted by the U.S. Congress and European Union.

U.S. President Barack Obama signed a bill imposing harsh sanctions on Iran on Friday that includes cutting off Iran's access to refined petroleum imports, including gasoline and jet fuel and bans U.S. banks from doing business with foreign banks that provide services to the Revolutionary Guards.

The U.S. bill also denies companies that supply Iran with refined petroleum products access to American markets.

The new unilateral sanctions imposed by Canada and the U.S. come on top of the sanctions approved by the UN Security Council in June, in an attempt to force Tehran to abandon its nuclear program. Canada has already adopted the UN sanctions.

Other countries are also expected to announce the new tougher sanctions over the coming days, officials say.

www.ctv.ca/CTVNews

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Gritar socorro en varios idiomas

La policía rescata a una mujer por unas escaleras.- AFP

Un vídeo muestra a gente asustada que trata de salir del embudo formado en los dos túneles - Los asistentes expresan su ira en las redes sociales

ANNA-MARIA HOLLAIN - Madrid - 26/07/2010

Vota

"Solamente queremos salir", "socorro, socorro" en varios idiomas y gritos cada vez más angustiados. Es lo que se escucha en un vídeo de la catástrofe grabado con la cámara del móvil y colgado ayer en YouTube por Gerrit Goltz, un joven de 18 años que vivió la tragedia. En las imágenes, se puede ver cómo la gente se empuja desesperadamente e intenta levantar la cabeza y los brazos, para evitar caerse, para poder respirar y para que, quizá, alguien les coja de la mano y les suba a la escalera de emergencia que tienen a pocos metros de distancia. Los golpes y atropellos de la masa hacen que la grabación dé saltos frenéticos.

Alemania

A FONDO

Capital:

Berlín.

Gobierno:

República Federal.

Población:

82,369,552 (est. 2008)

"La gente intentó entrar por todas partes, tirando vallas", dice Devin

"Estábamos allí con 12 amigos y solo dos horas después nos hemos reencontrado. Una de nuestras amigas se rompió el pie, si no la hubiera ayudado un amigo, podría haber sido peor", escribió ayer Gerrit. "Por favor, mandad el vídeo a la fiscalía o entregádselo a la policía", pidió un usuario en el portal de vídeos. "¿Qué acaba de decir el jefe de la policía en conferencia de prensa? ¡Que no lo calificaría como pánico colectivo! Me pregunto si estos han perdido el sentido de la realidad", se alteró otro.

"Estoy pensando en mandar el vídeo a la fiscalía de Duisburgo. Y mis amigos y yo también nos estamos planteando denunciar a los organizadores. Fue algo inimaginable", dice Gerrit en conversación telefónica con este periódico. "No puedo decir cuándo exactamente empezó a llegar la policía, pero, en mi opinión, tardó demasiado", destaca.

El enfado con las autoridades que descartaron que la falta de escapatoria, de espacio y aire causara un ambiente de terror fue el tono general de los comentarios en las redes sociales y de los testimonios recogidos ayer por EL PAÍS.

"Mi amigo y yo logramos salir del embudo cinco minutos antes de la catástrofe y 10 minutos más tarde, vimos las primeras ambulancias", contó Devin Scheerer, de 19 años. "Decidimos irnos porque nos dimos cuenta de que la atmósfera empezaba a contagiarse del pánico. Los primeros se cayeron al suelo aunque al principio, por suerte, aún les pudimos ayudar a levantarse". Devin confirma la sensación de agobio. "Estábamos prácticamente encerrados allí, en el espacio entre los dos túneles, y comentamos entre los amigos que la cosa acabaría mal si la policía no abría más salidas porque, por esa misma vía, unos querían salir y otros entrar". Hasta que estalló el caos. "La gente intentó entrar al festival desde todas partes para escuchar el concierto final: tiraron abajo vallas y corrieron por la autovía, que estaba cerrada al tráfico. Entonces, la policía incluso empezó a usar spray de pimienta. Los agentes habían formado cadenas delante de ambos túneles, para que ya no entrara gente, así que les pedimos que nos dejaran salir por lo menos por un lado, pero ellos mismos no sabían qué hacer. Estaban superados por las circunstancias. Tuvimos suerte porque la muchedumbre nos arrastró otra vez hacia el recinto", afirmó el joven.

En la página de condolencias de la red social Facebook, que ya cuenta con más de 11.000 seguidores de todo el mundo, un mensaje de Jennifer Hoppe dejaba comprender la sensación de shock de los que siguieron durante horas con la fiesta puesto que nadie les informó de la tragedia. También la rabia e incomprensión: muchos habrían preferido enterarse antes. "Llegamos a Duisburgo hacia las 14.30 y fuimos directamente al escenario central. Estuvimos de fiesta y hacia las once de la noche nos dimos cuenta de que ya no llegaban más dj's. Estábamos esperando a ATB y David Guetta, pero no se presentaron. Por los altavoces solo anunciaron que la fiesta se había terminado, pero no por qué. No logramos contactar con nadie a través del móvil ya que la red se había caído; recibimos los sms de amigos mucho más tarde", explicó Jennifer a EL PAÍS.

Manuel Grammann, de 30 años, acudió a la rueda de prensa ofrecida al mediodía en el Ayuntamiento de Duisburgo para entender mejor cómo se pudo producir el siniestro. Pero las explicaciones del gabinete de crisis no le sirvieron para aclarar sus dudas. "Yo también organizo eventos como conciertos y siempre te exigen que haya al menos cuatro entradas y salidas. Algo que, en este caso, no se cumplió. Además, los 1.000 auxiliares extras de los que hablan los organizadores eran en parte estudiantes, no estaban preparados para prestar atención sanitaria. Y si el recinto no estaba lleno, ¿por qué ya no dejaron entrar a más gente?".

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Firma para salvar a Ashtiani

Irán: Mujer en riesgo de ser ejecutada por adulterio

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. Fuente: Iran Human Rights www.iranhr.net

¡Actualización! Durante los últimos días y posiblemente debido a la presión internacional se han sucedido una serie de declaraciones por parte de miembros del gobierno iraní con informaciones contradictorias sobre la situación legal de Sakineh Mohammadi, y la posibilidad o no de que sea lapidada. Es necesario que las autoridades iraníes aclaren de manera oficial a sus hijos y abogados cual es la condición jurídica actual de Sakineh Mohammadi. Mientras tanto, no se puede descartar que Sakineh Mohammadi sea lapidada en cualquier momento.

Además, el hijo de Sakineh, Sajjad Qaderzadeh, fue citado en la Prisión Central de Tabriz, y se cree que ha sido interrogado por funcionarios del Ministerio de Información, que posiblemente le han amenazado para que no conceda más entrevistas sobre el caso de su madre.

Tu firma sigue siendo importante.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, madre de dos hijos, está presa desde 2005. En mayo de 2006 fue condenada a recibir 99 latigazos por mantener una "relación ilícita" con dos hombres. Con posterioridad, fue declarada culpable de tener una "relación extramatrimonial" y condenada a morir por lapidación.

En el juicio, dos de los cinco jueces del tribunal la declararon inocente, señalando que ya había sufrido una condena de flagelación y que no había pruebas suficientes de adulterio contra ella. Sin embargo, los otros tres, incluido el presidente del tribunal, la declararon culpable basándose en el “conocimiento del juez”, un principio de la legislación iraní que permite a los jueces adoptar una decisión en relación con la culpabilidad del acusado, aun en ausencia de pruebas claras o concluyentes.

El Tribunal Supremo confirmó la condena de muerte el 27 de mayo de 2007. Su indulto pende de la decisión de la Comisión de Amnistía e Indulto, que ya se lo ha negado dos veces. El gobierno iraní hizo público un comunicado el 8 de julio en el que informaba de que Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani no sería lapidada; posteriormente, el 13 de julio el Ministro de Exteriores de Irán, Manucher Mottaki, desmintió estas afirmaciones atribuyéndolas a “propaganda occidental”. Ante esta situación, es necesario que las autoridades iraníes aclaren a sus hijos y abogados cual es la condición jurídica actual de Sakineh Mohammadi.Hasta que tanto ella como su abogado hayan recibido una notificación oficial, estas declaraciones contradictorias no permiten descartar que Sakineh Mohammadi pueda ser lapidada.

El 14 de julio, Sajjad Qaderzadeh, hijo de Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, fue citado en la Prisión Central de Tabriz, y se cree que ha sido interrogado por funcionarios del Ministerio de Información, que posiblemente le han amenazado para que no conceda más entrevistas sobre el caso de su madre.

¡Actúa!

Rellena tus datos para que enviemos un mensaje en tu nombre ( leer ) al Líder de la República Islámica, Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei (el mensaje enviado contendrá tu nombre, apellidos y correo electrónico).

Iran: Prevent Woman’s Execution for Adultery

Judiciary Should End Stoning as a Punishment and Halt All Executions

July 7, 2010

More Coverage:

More Human Rights Watch reporting on Iran

Death by stoning is always cruel and inhuman, and it is especially abhorrent in cases where judges rely on their own hunches instead of evidence to proclaim a defendant guilty. Iran should immediately put a stop to this execution – and all executions.

Nadya Khalife, Middle East women’s rights researcher

(London) – The Iranian judiciary should halt plans to execute a woman convicted of adultery, Human Rights Watch said today. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 43 year-old mother of two who was previously punished with flogging for having an “illicit relationship,” faces imminent death by stoning after a second court convicted her of adultery during marriage.

On May 15, 2006, a criminal court in East Azerbaijan province found Ashtiani guilty of having an “illicit relationship” with two men following the death of her husband. She was sentenced to flogging and was given 99 lashes. In September 2006, during the murder trial of a man accused of killing Ashtiani’s husband, another court reopened an adultery case based on events that allegedly took place before her husband died and eventually convicted her of “adultery while being married.” During the trial, Ashtiani retracted a confession she had made during a pretrial interrogation, alleging that she had been forced to make the confession under duress. She has continued to deny the adultery charge.

“Death by stoning is always cruel and inhuman, and it is especially abhorrent in cases where judges rely on their own hunches instead of evidence to proclaim a defendant guilty,” said Nadya Khalife, Middle East women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Iran should immediately put a stop to this execution – and all executions.”

Under Iran’s penal code, adultery is a “crime against God” for both men and women. It is punishable by 100 lashes for unmarried men and women, but married offenders are sentenced to death by stoning. Cases of adultery must be proven either by a repeated confession by the defendant or by the testimony of witnesses – four men or three men and two women.

However, Iran’s penal code also allows judges in hodud (morality) crimes such as adultery to use their own “knowledge” to determine whether an accused is guilty in the absence of direct evidence.

Ashtiani’s lawyer, Mohammad Mostafaei, said in a recent posting on his blog, Modafe’, that two of the five judges found Ashtiani not guilty during the second trial. The three remaining judges found her guilty of adultery on the basis of their own “knowledge.” Ashtiani was convicted by a majority of votes.

The Supreme Court confirmed Ashtiani’s death sentence on May 27, 2007. She has exhausted the legal appeals process and the judiciary has denied her repeated requests for clemency.

Mostafaei issued a statement on his blog several days ago indicating that he fears his client could be executed at any moment. She is being held in Tabriz prison.

Human Rights Watch opposes capital punishment in all circumstances because of its cruel, inhumane, and irreversible nature. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a party, requires even those states that have not yet abolished the death penalty to restrict it to the “most serious crimes.” The United Nations General Assembly has called upon all states to introduce a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

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"NA FORMA DA LEI" Morte de Nazaré movimenta o penúltimo capítulo

A morte de Nazaré (Flávia Pyramo) surpreende a delegada Gabriela (Luana Piovani) no penúltimo capítulo de Na Forma da Lei, “Olho por olho”, que vai ao ar dia 27 de julho. A empregada da mansão do senador Viegas (Luis Melo) e mãe do neto dele é assassinada depois de ajudar a policial nas investigações em torno dos negócios da família. Quando presencia Maurício (Márcio Garcia) fazendo o reconhecimento do corpo, Gabriela tem um acesso de raiva e, ao mesmo tempo, a certeza de que se trata de mais um crime encomendado pelo filho do senador.

* Assista aos vídeos de ‘Na Forma da Lei’

* Bastidores: O encontro irreverente de Ana Paula Arósio e Samuel de Assis

* Fique por dentro da trama do seriado Na Forma da Lei

O advogado Dr. Mourão (José Wilker) se vê em perigo ao ter dificuldades de defender seu cliente Maurício das acusações empreendidas pela promotora Ana Beatriz (Ana Paula Arósio) com a ajuda de Gabriela, do juiz Célio (Leonardo Machado), do repórter Ademir (Samuel de Assis) e do advogado Edgar (Henri Castelli). Indiciado como cúmplice dos Viegas e ameaçado por Maurício, Mourão decide se mudar para o exterior e deixa a cargo do filho a responsabilidade de assumir o escritório. Edgar, entretanto, insiste que não irá defender os interesses da família do senador, pelo contrário, irá usar o prestígio do sobrenome para derrubá-la.

Ainda neste episódio, Ana Beatriz e Célio fazem a alegria do Dr. José Pedro (Paulo José) ao anunciarem que estão vivendo um romance. O renomado advogado e avô do juiz diz que ficaria muito satisfeito se o casal lhe desse um bisneto.

Na Forma da Lei tem autoria de Antônio Calmon, com colaboração de Leandra Pires e Guilherme Vasconcellos, e direção de núcleo de Wolf Maya, com direção de Emerson Muzelli e Miguel Rodrigues. O sétimo episódio do seriado, “Olho por olho”, vai ao ar na terça-feira, dia 27 de julho,

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Iran stoning case lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei's relatives arrested

The lawyer defending Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani himself faces re-arrest as his wife and brother-in-law are held by Iran authorities

• Saeed Kamali Dehghan
• The Guardian, Monday 26 July 2010
• 
  

The lawyer of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, who faced death by stoning, now faces re-arrest and his wife and brother-in-law have also been held by Iran's authorities. Photograph: AP

Authorities in Iran have issued an arrest warrant for an acclaimed Iranian lawyer and arrested his wife and brother-in-law over his involvement in the case of a woman sentenced to death by stoning.

Lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei's office in Tehran was ransacked, and he was interrogated in Evin prison for four hours on Saturday over his human rights activities and involvement in the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the 43-year-old mother of two who was convicted of adultery and whose plight in Iran has drawn international attention since her children launched a campaign for her release almost a month ago.

Mostafaei called Sakineh's stoning sentence "a bogus conviction" and "absolutely illegal" in an interview with the Guardian earlier this month.

He was released, then called back for further questioning before being set free. Authorities then issued an arrest warrant.

When they were unable to find him the authorities arrested his wife, Fereshteh Halimi and her brother Farhad Halimi to try to force him to surrender. However, it is still unclear whether Mostafaei has been arrested or he has managed to evade officials.

"It is ridiculous that they [officials] have taken Mostafaei's family as ransom, they have somehow taken them hostage. This confirms what Sakineh's son wrote in his public letter, that there's no justice in Iran," said Mina Ahadi, a human rights activist for Iran Committee against Stoning (ICAS), based in Germany who spoke to Mostafaei after he was interrogated.

"Mohammadi Ashtiani's sentence is not Mostafaei's first stoning case, he has defended many others against execution by stoning but it was Sakineh's story which took world attention and made the Iranian authorities angry," she said.

Mostafaei initially wrote an open letter about Sakineh's death by stoning after her sentence was handed down. He then tried to publicise her case by giving interviews to international media and helping her children launch the campaign for their mother's release.

Unlike his well-known Iranian colleagues Shirin Ebadi, a peace Nobel laureate and Shadi Sadr, a winner of Human Rights Defenders Tulip awards 2009 who were forced to leave Iran, Mostafaei was still working inside Iran although he was arrested for a while last year.

"Mostafaei is not a normal lawyer, he is also a human rights activist and he has represented several stoning cases and juvenile offenders in Iran," said Soheila Vahdati, an Iranian activist who is based in California.

"Mostafaei writes regularly for Iranian media and his blog and his role in making Iranians aware of the human rights abuses in Iran has made it difficult for the Iranian regime to tolerate him anymore," she said.

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Clima de descontração nas gravações de 'Passione'

Nas duas fotos acima, Reynaldo Gianecchini e Rodrigo Lombardi encarnaram bem os seus personagens em “Passione”, os arqui-inimigos Fred e Mauro. Mas assim que o diretor grita “corta”, determinando o fim da gravação, Giane e Lombardi caem na gargalhada, mostrando que o clima nos bastidores é o melhor possível.

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Cemitérios têm m² mais caro que apartamento

É o que se verifica em pelo menos nove deles espalhados por diferentes bairros de São Paulo
25 de julho de 2010 | 0h 00

Felipe Oda / JORNAL DA TARDE - O Estado de S.Paulo

É caro viver em São Paulo. Morrer também. A "lógica" da valorização imobiliária, em que o preço cobrado é o que o mercado está disposto a pagar, prova isso. O metro quadrado de nove cemitérios da capital é tão ou mais caro do que o de casas e apartamentos em seus bairros.

Quem pretende comprar um terreno ou jazigo no Cemitério Parque dos Girassóis, em Parelheiros, na zona sul, por exemplo, começa pagando R$ 9.403 pelo metro quadrado e pode chegar a R$ 25 mil, se quiser adicionais, como ossário ou maior número de gavetas. O metro quadrado em um imóvel da vizinhança custa quatro vezes menos.

À procura de apartamento na região do Morumbi, na zona sul, onde estão três dos cemitérios mais caros da cidade, os recém-casados Andréia e Renato Malta, ambos de 26 anos, se surpreenderam mais com o valor dos jazigos do que com o dos imóveis. "É estranho imaginar que os nossos futuros vizinhos, que nem podem aproveitar a estrutura do local, pagaram mais do que nós", disse Malta.

Ali, os Cemitérios Gethsêmani e Morumby refletem a valorização imobiliária do seu entorno: o preço do metro quadrado varia de R$ 2 mil a R$ 9.300. Isso é a lógica do mercado imobiliário, na visão do urbanista Renato Cymbalista. "Os cemitérios privados são um tipo específico de produção do solo imobiliário, que responde à lei de oferta e demanda, ou seja, o preço é o que o mercado se dispõe a pagar."

No caso dos cemitérios públicos, os valores são atribuídos também ao seu prestígio, afirma o geógrafo Eduardo Rezende, da Associação Brasileira de Estudos Cemiteriais (Abec). "Alguns abrigam famílias célebres da cidade ou personalidades, como o Araçá, o São Paulo e do Morumby", afirma. Pagar mais por esses locais tem a ver com a busca pela diferenciação. "Mesmo depois da morte, o ser humano quer ter ou manter o status", diz.

É o que faz ser tão caro o jazigo no Cemitério da Quarta Parada, na Água Rasa, zona leste, que é público. O metro quadrado ali custa cerca de R$ 3.173, enquanto o dos imóveis vizinhos, R$ 2.672. "Podemos pensar em mudar de ramo", ironiza o corretor de imóveis Lauro Münggen.

Também na zona leste, vizinhos do Cemitério do Carmo, em Itaquera, estranharam o fato de o metro quadrado dos imóveis, em média R$ 2 mil, de acordo com a Empresa Brasileira de Patrimônio (Embraesp), custar menos do que o do cemitério, em torno de R$ 3.700. "Pagar mais para comprar um jazigo do que uma casa? Bem estranho. Nunca soube disso! E o que o cemitério tem para custar tanto?", questiona a dona de casa Eulália Figueira, de 45 anos.

A resposta, mais uma vez, inspira-se nos recursos imobiliários para a valorização: enquanto os imóveis se valem de infraestrutura, como playground, espaço gourmet e segurança, os cemitérios também se valorizam com os serviços que oferecem - capela, fraldário, ambulatório.

Hoje, quatro cemitérios na cidade oferecem jazigos gratuitos. De acordo com o Serviço Funerário da Prefeitura de São Paulo, na Vila Formosa, Vila Nova Cachoeirinha, D. Bosco e São Luís, a única taxa cobrada é de R$ 59, pelo sepultamento.

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Massive Leak of Documents Show Faltering Afghan War, Duplicity by Pakistan

The whistleblower website WikiLeaks has given three news organizations a trove of over 90,000 records of events and intelligence reports covering six years that provide a grim assessment of the U.S. war in Afghanistan, portray a Taliban insurgency that has gained in strength, and suggests that Pakistan's spy service has met with the Taliban in secret strategy sessions to organize resistance to the American effort.

One of the news organizations, the British Guardian newspaper, called the disclosures one of the biggest leaks in U.S. military history. The New York Times and the German weekly Der Spiegel were the other news organizations to receive the documents.

The Times, which published them online Sunday, said the documents "are a daily diary of an American-led force often starved for resources and attention as it struggled against an insurgency that grew larger, better coordinated and more deadly each year" and "detail why, after the United States has spent almost $300 billion on the war in Afghanistan, the Taliban are stronger than at any time since 2001."

The Times also said that Pakistan, which gets more than $1 billion a year in U.S. military aid to combat the insurgents, has allowed representatives of its spy agency, the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) to meet directly with the Taliban "in secret strategy sessions to organize networks of militant groups that fight against American soldiers in Afghanistan, and even hatch plots to assassinate Afghan leaders.

In its story, the Guardian assessed the Pakistan disclosures with some skepticism: "For all their eye-popping details, the intelligence files, which are mostly collated by junior officers relying on informants and Afghan officials, fail to provide a convincing smoking gun for ISI complicity. Most of the reports are vague, filled with incongruent detail, or crudely fabricated. The same characters – famous Taliban commanders, well-known ISI officials – and scenarios repeatedly pop up. And few of the events predicted in the reports subsequently occurred."

The leak drew a sharp response from the White House.

National Security Adviser James Jones said in a statement, "The United States strongly condemns the disclosure of classified information by individuals and organizations which could put the lives of Americans and our partners at risk, and threaten our national security."

"Wikileaks made no effort to contact us about these documents – the United States government learned from news organizations that these documents would be posted," the statement said. "These irresponsible leaks will not impact our ongoing commitment to deepen our partnerships with Afghanistan and Pakistan; to defeat our common enemies; and to support the aspirations of the Afghan and Pakistani people."

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A polícia que nada prova

Por que os policiais encarregados dos casos rumorosos falam muito, investigam pouco e dificultam a ação da justiça

Antonio Carlos Prado e Wilson Aquino

TUDO EM VÃO
No fórum, Bruno fica calado, mas sai sorrindo. A polícia foi procurar ossos nas
paredes das casas dos suspeitos. Achou só o óbvio: tijolos e cimento

NOVELA
Mizael (de gravata) é o único acusado pela morte da advogada Mércia. Foi incriminado pelo vigia Evandro da Silva (camisa azul),
quando interrogado pelo delegado Antonio Olim: dois meses de investigação e nenhuma prova

De duas, uma: ou o goleiro Bruno é o mais burro e sovina dos assassinos ou a polícia de Minas Gerais está tomando um “frango”. Para prevalecer a hipótese da idiotice e do pão-durismo tem de ser verdadeira a versão da polícia de que uma súcia de nove pessoas, Bruno no comando, se deu ao trabalho de sequestrar, torturar, matar, esquartejar e desossar a indefesa Eliza Samudio porque ela reivindicava pensão alimentícia e reconhecimento da paternidade de seu filho. Se até aqui a história já é mirabolante, vira filme de sessão da meia-noite e assombro midiático quando a polícia soma o detalhe de que os assassinos atiraram os seus restos mortais a uma matilha de rottweilers. Há também a crença de que a moça foi emparedada, embora paredes tenham sido quebradas, radares para detecção de ossos utilizados e, surpreendentemente, nelas se encontraram, adivinhem... tijolos. Qualquer jogador minimamente inteligente e famoso recorreria à Justiça no embate da pensão tentando empurrá-la às calendas, até porque abrir o coração na hora de engravidar amantes e fechar o bolso quando os filhos nascem não é novidade no campo do futebol. Da sovinice e da burrice ao ato de trucidar alguém existe uma distância imensurável, mas pode mesmo ter sido esse o único motivo do crime. A polícia deveria, porém, investigar em outra direção: não estariam os suspeitos envolvidos com tráfico, uma vez que a atrocidade cometida é o modus operandi de traficantes ao eliminarem seus desafetos?

Vale considerar então a segunda tese, a da polícia “frangueira”: Bruno e sua turma podem ser os bárbaros assassinos de Eliza Samudio, e lá se vão quase dois meses que a moça sumiu, sequestrada no Rio de Janeiro e transportada para Minas Gerais. Há nove pessoas presas, há delegados e delegadas sob holofotes falando diuturnamente, há diariamente improdutivos interrogatórios e há uma justa indignação popular. Mas não há, até agora, uma única prova concreta, técnica e científica contra os acusados. Em São Paulo, no mesmo pé está a investigação sobre a morte da advogada Mércia Nakashima, com a polícia reiterando a cada hora que o matador é seu ex-namorado, o também advogado Mizael Bispo Souza. Até a sua prisão temporária e preventiva já foi pedida e a Justiça não a concedeu. Nem poderia. Não há uma prova real contra Mizael. Tanto ele quanto Bruno e seus amigos e amantes podem estar envolvidos nos assassinatos até a medula. O que se lamenta, entretanto, é a lerdeza da polícia na produção e apresentação de provas factuais – e mesmo que essas provas sejam apresentadas já, nesse instante, num piscar de olhos, ainda assim a demora em fazê-lo, até a quinta-feira 22, em nada desmente o título desta reportagem: “A polícia que nada prova”.

“Há policiais que metem uma coisa na cabeça, em seus gabinetes, e só investigam na direção dessa coisa. A realidade tem de se adequar ao que eles pensam e isso tem tudo para dar errado”, diz a professora de direito penal, de direito processual penal e coordenadora de pós-graduação em perícia criminal da Faculdade Damásio de Jesus, Roselle Soglio. “Se fizeram com Eliza a barbaridade que a polícia afirma, isso tem de ser investigado como uma rede de traficantes. É o tráfico que mata dessa forma.” Juntamente ao fato de a polícia investigar os casos Bruno e Mizael “de dentro para fora”, lamentavelmente se enraíza no Brasil o estrelismo de algumas autoridades que falam demais durante o inquérito – e isso ajuda culpados a se precaverem, leva a pré-julgamento de inocentes e confunde a sociedade. “Não há mais inquérito policial como prevê a lei. O que existe são investigações públicas”, diz o advogado Adriano Salles Vanni, um dos mais conceituados criminalistas do País. Também a discordar da ampla divulgação das investigações (estardalhaço que tromba com o artigo 20 do Código de Processo Penal), o criminalista Nélio Andrade afirma: “Esse delegado (Edson Moreira, chefe do Departamento de Investigações de Homicídios da Polícia de Minas Gerais) tem de calar a boca.” A rigor, quanto mais a polícia fala, e menos prova, mais ela fica refém de suas declarações e se desmoraliza quando carece de se desdizer. Ao mesmo tempo, dá chance para que testemunhas e investigados mudem seus depoimentos num infinito vaivém. Nos casos em questão, a polícia ouviu muito, falou muito, mas provou pouco.

O menor J., por exemplo, que na quinta-feira 22 depôs em juízo, mudou seis vezes a sua versão na fase de inquérito para o sequestro e morte de Eliza (ficará três anos internado pelo crime de cárcere privado). Foi J. quem introduziu rottweilers no enredo, mas já antes da audiência o seu advogado adiantava que a história dos cachorros era “delírio do adolescente” e que a polícia “colocara palavras em sua boca”. Bruno também foi à audiência, manteve perante o juiz o silêncio sepulcral dos interrogatórios anteriores e saiu rindo do fórum. Ao contrário dele, quem disparou a falar, e sempre mudando as versões, foi a ex-namorada Fernanda de Castro, uma das mulheres que tomaram conta do filhinho de Eliza: a) disse que não estivera em nenhum motel junto com Bruno, no trajeto Rio de Janeiro-Belo Horizonte, quando Eliza foi sequestrada; b) disse que estivera apenas com Bruno nesse motel e que não vira o suspeito Luiz Henrique Romão, o “Macarrão” (tem tatuada nas costas declaração de amor ao ex-goleiro); c) voltou atrás e disse que vira “Macarrão” no motel. Também Dayanne Souza, ex-mulher do ex-jogador, atordoou os responsáveis pelo inquérito: eles vinham cravando publicamente que Eliza fora assassinada no dia 9 de junho. Pois Dayanne garantiu que esteve com ela no dia 10 e os policiais tiveram de refazer todas as contas. Ou seja: resultado zero.

“A polícia mete uma coisa na cabeça e só investiga nessa direção”
Roselle Soglio, professora de direito processual pena

“A prova técnica é decisiva”, diz o perito Mauro Ricart, chefe em duas gestões da Polícia Científica do Rio de Janeiro. “As investigações deveriam acompanhar o trabalho da perícia, e não a perícia ficar a reboque daquilo que os delegados falam. Dessa forma, todos falham”, diz Roselle. No inquérito de Bruno, há duas lacunas que qualquer perito debutante tira de letra: encontraram mancha de sangue de Eliza no Range Rover de Bruno, e pararam aí. É óbvio que é só verificar em laboratório se essa mancha é contemporânea ao desaparecimento de Eliza e muita coisa seria provada. Outro ponto: a polícia ficou martelando que os investigados não quiseram ceder material biológico para exame de DNA. Mas será que com tantas buscas em todas as casas não deu para recolher uma escova de dentes, um pente, um fio de cabelo, uma cueca, uma calcinha e, dessas peças, extrair material biológico? Quanto à investigação que cerca Mizael, a situação é pior: policiais disseram que havia cristais de terra no calçado do suspeito compatíveis com cristais de terra da margem da lagoa em que o carro de Mércia foi jogado no interior de São Paulo. É uma prova bisonha. Quantos cristais iguais a esses não existem em todo o Brasil? Houve uma falha mais grave ainda que expõe o pecado original de nove entre dez investigações no Brasil: a preservação do local do crime. Um caso emblemático é o assassinato do coronel Ubiratan Guimarães, em São Paulo, quando 28 pessoas estiveram nos 25 metros quadrados do cenário do crime (a sala de seu apartamento). A mesma contaminação de provas se deu no carro de Mércia, deixando dúvidas pendentes: segundo a polícia, ele foi mergulhado de frente. Então como foi retirado também de frente? O certo é que a seis metros de profundidade o automóvel “capotou” e ficou com as rodas para o alto. Os vidros estavam semiabertos mas, nessa posição, eles passaram a ser obstáculos para a saída do corpo de Mércia porque, com a entrada da água, ele subiu e ficou junto ao piso, agora voltado para cima. Como então o corpo foi encontrado fora do automóvel? É por isso que o veículo deve ter sido virado antes de ser trazido à superfície: adeus rigor científico. Finalmente, muito se falou que o carro tinha de secar para que se colhessem digitais. Absurdo: o Brasil leva o mérito de ser o país que desenvolveu reagentes para colher digitais em superfícies completamente molhadas.

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