Journalist in Trouble forAbusing Obama

Tatiana Limanova, an award-winning Russian journalist, is in trouble for making an obscene gesture after mentioning the name of Barack Obama, US president, in a live television newscast. She has been taken off the air for making a sign regarded as an insult to the US president.

Limanova, a host of a news show on the REN-TV private channel, waved her middle finger when presenting a story about the APEC summit in the United States, a moment after mentioning Obama. After the gesture, the video went viral on the internet, with many viewers speculating the gesture was intended to be an insult to the US president, who met his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, during the summit. Limanova thought she was reading the news off-screen by the time she raised a finger.

Relations between Russia and the United States have been strained recently over US plans to deploy a missile defence shield in Europe. The incident occurred on REN-TV which is broadcast across Russia and the former Soviet Union. It is owned by Yuri Kovalchuk, a business tycoon, believed to be close to Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister. The channel is widely regarded as a relatively free and unbiased one in a country where the government has a tight grip on much of the media.

Man on Hunger Strike Over Heating Subsidy

As more economies in Europe continue to suffer depression, Florin Cazacu, a Romanian mayor, has begun a hunger strike to protest cuts in  heating subsidies, an austerity measure by the government. Cazacu said 10,000 residents in the central Romanian town of Brad were facing low temperatures at home because three million lei  or $925, 200 has been removed from the state budget meant to subsidise the town’s expenses on heating. “People are suffering from cold, this is why I began this protest. I took an oath to do everything in my power and competence for the sake of the inhabitants,” he said.

Few years before Nicolae Ceausescu, the communist leader, was overthrown in 1989, the government had cut down heating subsidies to enable it repay foreign debts.  Living standards have since risen sharply, but winters remain tough for many Romanians. Last year, the country introduced tougher austerity measures including salary cuts and a rise in value-added tax, VAT.

Temperature in winter falls as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) in the region around Brad, which has a total population of 17,000. “I will stay on hunger strike for as long as it takes and will give up the protest only if the government grants us the necessary funds.”

Crude Cosmetic Surgery Tactics

As the Miami police intensify investigation into the injection of super glue and flat-tyre repair materials into the buttocks of a woman in a botched illegal cosmetic surgery, more victims of the heinous act are coming forward.

In the cause of the investigation, Oneal Ron Morris, 30, has been arrested by Miami Gardens police and charged with causing bodily injury and practising healthcare without a licence. According to the charge, Morris, acting without a required medical practitioner’s licence in May 2010, injected substances into the buttocks of a female client to improve their shape and cosmetic appearance. He was allegedly paid $700 for his service to the client.

Jennifer Hirst, Florida department of health deputy press secretary, said that initial laboratory analysis conducted by medical personnel showed that the foreign substances injected into the victim consisted of a host of household and automotive products including superglue, mineral oil and Fix-a-Flat-a tire repair material. To her, the treatment resulted in life-threatening injuries for the victim, who was not named.

As a result of the national and international media attention that Morris’ arrest received, several other possible victims have come forward, alleging that Morris performed similar procedures on them that also resulted in life-threatening injuries.

Stolen Money Returned 71 Years After

More than 60 years after stealing money in a Sears Store in downtown Seattle, USA, an elderly man has repaid the cash with interest. The theft took place in the late 1940s. The man hand-delivered an envelope on Monday, November 28, addressed to Sears manager. Inside were a note and a $100 bill. The note states that the man stole $20 to $30 from a cash register many years ago and wanted to pay back $100.

MaGary Lorentson, manager, Sear Store, said that the man’s conscience must have been troubling him for the past 60 years. Store security cameras recorded the man, but Sears officials said they don’t know who he is and they won’t release the video. The store plans to put the money toward helping needy families in the holiday season.