Another 17 orphans have sued Fairfield University and affiliated religious and charitable organizations for negligence over sexual abuse they say they suffered while living in a Haitian orphanage founded and operated by a celebrated alumnus of the Connecticut school who later was prosecuted as a pedophile.
Three additional suits were filed last year containing similar allegations of negligence arising from the abuse of destitute street children who were admitted to Project Pierre Toussaint, a school and orphanage in Cap Haitien founded by Fairfield University graduate Douglas Perlitz.
Perlitz was sentenced in 2010 to more than 19 years in prison for abusing boys at the non-profit orphanage and school, which was largely sponsored by private donations from individuals and groups with ties to the university.
Perlitz's prosecutors said he threatened to expel residents of his orphanage if they refused to submit to his sexual attacks.
Lawyers for the boys filing the new group of 17 suits said Perlitz served as director of Project Pierre Toussaint "under the auspices of Fairfield University, the Society of Jesus of New England (Jesuits), the Haiti Fund, Inc., and many other individuals, including Father Paul Carrier and Hope Carter, then a member of the Board of Directors of the Haiti Fund, Inc."
Parties to the suits were not immediately available to discuss them.
SACRAMENTO, CA -- On January 1, 2011, a law passed by the California State Legislature and signed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger went into effect that removed criminal penalties for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, making the violation a civil citation similar to a parking ticket. Supporters of the law argued that it would remove some of the financial burden associated with arresting people for marijuana possession, while lessening the damage done by having a criminal record. Advocates now eagerly await the release of arrest data, as well as state expenditures on marijuana enforcement and prosecution, to determine if the state is adequately following the law.
?Serious unintended consequences have surfaced as a result of this mischaracterization [marijuana possession being a misdemeanor as opposed to a civil infraction],? said Sen. Mark Leno, the bill?s sponsor, during debate on the bill in 2010. ?As the number of misdemeanor marijuana possession arrests have surged in recent years, reaching 61,388 in 2008, the burden[s] placed on the courts by these low level offenses are just too much to bear at a time when resources are shrinking and caseloads are growing. Defendants may demand an entire jury trial ? including the costs of jury selection, defense, and court time ? for a penalty of only $100."
If California has effectively implemented this law, arrests for marijuana possession should be much lower than in 2010, as should the amount of resources spent on arresting and prosecuting marijuana violations. Conclusive data has not yet been made available.
"We welcome the one year anniversary of the full decriminalization of possession of up to 28.5 grams of marijuana in California and view this legislative victory as much needed change,? said Robert Capecchi, a legislative analyst at the Marijuana Policy Project. ?In 2009, the clearance rate for violent crimes committed in California was a mere 43.7%. By removing non-violent possession of a small amount of marijuana from the criminal realm, California law enforcement is better able to focus their limited resources on policing and prosecuting crimes of violence, as well as those committed against private property. However, the Marijuana Policy Project fully understands that the brave men and women of California law enforcement will be much better equipped to keep the citizens of the Golden State secure in their persons and property once the state removes its prohibition on marijuana and taxes and regulates the substance like alcohol."
LONDON (Reuters) ? The euro was under pressure and safe-haven assets in demand on Friday on signs that fallout from the euro zone's debt crisis is hitting its banks, but hopes U.S. jobs data later in the day would brighten the economic outlook lifted stocks.
The euro was down slightly on the day versus the dollar at $1.2776, having dropped as low as $1.2763, its weakest since September 2010 It was also a 16-month lows against the British pound and near an 11-year low versus the yen.
"There is a general tendency to sell the euro on any rallies," said Ankita Dudani, currency strategist at RBS.
"Even if we get a strong non-farm payrolls print it would be supportive for risk sentiment but not so for euro/dollar," he said.
Fears over the outlook for the single currency region's banks have grown since Italy's UniCredit (CRDI.MI) was forced to offer deep price discounts to sell new shares to shore up its crisis ravaged balance sheet.
UniCredit stock has fallen around 30 percent in the previous two sessions and opened on Friday down about 5 percent, while the STOXX Europe 600 banking index (.SX7P) has dropped about 5 percent in the same period.
The FTSEurofirst 300 (.FTEU3) index of top European shares rose nearly 0.5 percent in low volumes ahead of the U.S. jobs data. Banking stock rose 0.15 percent.
Non-farm payrolls data due later on Friday is expected to show 150,000 jobs were added in December. If the figures come in as expected, near-term market sentiment could tip to positive.
Those hopes were given a boost on Thursday when weekly data showed U.S. private-sector hiring surged in December and claims for unemployment benefits fell.
Euro-denominated assets are also being undermined by deep-rooted concerns about a possible default by the region's strugglers, notably Greece, expectations for credit downgrades of top-rated euro zone economies including France and worries over whether highly-indebted countries such as Italy and Spain can successfully refinance maturing debts.
Little relief was in sight with next week's Italian and Spanish government bond sales likely to keep the market on edge and the euro under pressure, market players said. Yields on both countries' bonds rose on Friday.
"Europe's still the main determinant," said Simon Burge, portfolio manager at ATI Asset Management in Sydney. "It comes down to seeing some bottoming in these global growth expectations, which I don't know if we've seen yet."
As the vulnerable euro and the European shares whetted appetite for safe-haven assets, gold was on course for its best week in a month at around $1,620 an ounce.
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Geithner to discuss Iran in China, Japan visit
USA-TREASURY-CHINA:Geithner to discuss Iran in China, Japan visit
By Margaret Chadbourn
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will travel to China and Japan next week to discuss U.S. sanctions on Iran and the state of the global economy with top government officials, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.
Geithner will meet with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan on Tuesday and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday.
He will travel to Japan on Thursday to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and Finance Minister Jun Azumi.
Geithner's trip is the latest step in an accelerating U.S. effort to reduce Iran's oil revenue and try to force the country to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons program. At the same time, the Obama administration wants to avoid a spike in crude prices that could threaten the global economy.
The Treasury Department said Geithner would "discuss our continued coordination with international partners in the region to increase pressure on the government of Iran, including financial measures targeting the central bank of Iran."
President Barack Obama on Saturday signed into law new sanctions against financial institutions dealing with Iran's central bank, the main conduit for the country's oil revenues.
China, the No. 1 customer for Iran's oil, is unlikely to be swayed by the new U.S. law, analysts have said. China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday restated Beijing's opposition to the U.S.-led push for unilateral sanctions on Iran.
In addition to the U.S. effort to tighten the financial screws, Iran faces the prospect of an outright European Union embargo on its oil. EU diplomats said on Wednesday that a preliminary agreement to ban imports of Iranian crude had been reached, and oil prices rose on the news.
Iran has warned it could choke off crude shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a transit point for 40 percent of the world's oil, if sanctions were imposed. Many market participants, however, say the chance Iran will follow through with its threat is remote, and security analysts question whether it has the capability to shut the Strait.
A U.S. Treasury official said the Obama administration supported the EU proposal, adding that a phased-in effort to curtail use of Iranian crude could cut Tehran's revenues without disrupting oil markets.
During his trip to Asia, Geithner also will discuss policies to promote global economic growth and efforts to support a level playing field for global trade, the Treasury said.
The United States contends an undervalued yuan currency has given China a competitive trade edge, but the Obama administration, in a semi-annual report on currency practices last week, declined to name China a currency manipulator.
In the report, it said a faster appreciation of the Chinese yuan was needed. It also chided Japan for stepping into the currency market to stem the yen's rise.
(Editing by Tim Ahmann and Andrea Ricci)
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"Two police officers and two villagers got injured and several villagers were taken away by the police, but I don't know how many," Ma said.
One Taoshan local who was away when the violence occurred, said his relatives had told him over the telephone that on December 30 an official had shouted "(the mosque) is illegal" and ordered the armed police to tear it down.
"Clashes happened and more than 100 people went missing," Jin Haitao told AFP. He said many villagers' injuries were caused by police using high-pressure water cannon to disperse those trying to stop destruction of the mosque.
"Now, I can't reach anyone there," Jin said, speaking from north China's Hebei province near Beijing.
The Hong Kong-based rights group said in a fax that Muslims from Ningxia and the neighbouring province of Gansu had donated money to build the mosque.
Jin said it was first built in 1987 and refurbished last year.
China's communist government monitors religious activity closely and must approve the building of all mosques, churches and other places of worship as a way to prevent their becoming centres for anti-government organising.
China in recent years has seen several outbreaks of ethnic violence involving Muslims, mostly as the mainly Muslim Uighurs of the northwest Xinjiang region bridle under what they regard as government oppression and the unwanted immigration of majority ethnic Han Chinese.
The week between Christmas and New Year's saw record iOS and Android app downloads of 1.2 billion, while the two platforms saw a total of 20 million device activations during the so-called "power week," making it their largest week ever, according to a new analysis.
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