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Everest legend Edmund Hillary dies

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Sir Edmund Hillary, the unassuming beekeeper who conquered Mount Everest to win renown as one of the 20th century’s greatest adventurers, has died, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark announced Friday. He was 88.

The gangling New Zealander devoted much of his life to aiding the mountain people of Nepal and took his fame in stride, preferring to be called Ed and considering himself just an ordinary beekeeper.

Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities. In reality, he was a colossus. He was an heroic figure who not only ‘knocked off’ Everest but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity, Clark said in a statement.

The legendary mountaineer, adventurer, and philanthropist is the best-known New Zealander ever to have lived, she said.

Hillary’s life was marked by grand achievements, high adventure, discovery, excitement — and by his personal humility. Humble to the point that he only admitted being the first man atop Everest long after the death of climbing companion Norgay.
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Annan takes on Kenya peace role

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) — Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan will take over mediation efforts in the dispute over Kenya’s presidential elections, a U.S. diplomat told CNN Thursday.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Jendayi Frazer said she hoped Annan would take over sooner rather than later, and that the United States continues to urge dialogue under the auspices of Kofi Annan.

The African Union’s chairman, Ghanaian President John Kufuor, arrived in Kenya earlier this week to help resolve the dispute between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga.

Although he spoke separately with both leaders in closed-door meetings, he was unable to bring them together for direct talks, Frazer said Thursday. Kufuor left Kenya Thursday without a resolution to the dispute.

But Frazer said it would be too strong to describe the talks as having collapsed, noting that Kufuor was able to negotiate an agreement in principle from both sides, which included a commitment to non-violence.

The news followed Kibaki’s swearing-in of a partial Cabinet in Nairobi on Thursday, a move that Odinga’s party, Orange Democratic Movement, dislikes because the president is choosing a government before the current political crisis is settled.

Kibaki said he swore in the 17 officials to keep the government running, but didn’t fill all the posts because of the political negotiations.

Of the 17 officials sworn in, all are members of Kibaki’s group and another opposition party. None are affiliated with Odinga’s party.

Frazer, who is in the country until Thursday night, characterized the swearing-in as worrying, and said the timing was suspect.

However, U.S. State Department spokesman Scott McCormack indicated Wednesday Washington was satisfied with Kibaki’s explanation.

Kibaki clarified … that this was in fact, not meant as a fait accompli, but was intended just keep the government up and running while there was some negotiated political settlement through the crisis, McCormack said at a press briefing.

Violence began Kenya after accusations of voting irregularities in the December 27 presidential elections, and was further enflamed when official results three days later showed incumbent Kibaki the winner over Odinga, whose backers believe the election was rigged.

Hundreds of people have died in the unrest, and hundreds of thousands have left their homes to avoid the violence. Odinga is contesting the results through the courts.

On Thursday, CNN’s Paula Newton saw a small demonstration that was broken up when police shot tear gas into the crowds to disperse the crowd.

Hundreds of people fearing new violence have fled western Kenya despite a plea by Kibaki to refugees not to abandon their homes.

Kibaki made his first trip to a trouble spot on Wednesday, addressing more than 1,000 refugees in western Kenya, many of whom had fled blazing homes, pursued by rock-throwing mobs wielding machetes and bows and arrows.

Do not be afraid. The government will protect you. Nobody is going to be chased from where they live, Kibaki said in the community of Burnt Forest, according to The Associated Press.

Those who have been inciting people and brought this mayhem will be brought to justice. He indicated he would not consider demands for a new election or vote recount.

The election is finished and anybody who thinks they can turn it around should know that it’s not possible and it will never be possible, he said.
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$2,500 car brings transport to India’s masses

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s Tata Motors has unveiled its much-anticipated $2,500 car, an ultra-cheap price tag that suddenly brings car ownership into the reach of tens of millions of people.

While the price has created a buzz, critics say the vehicle, called the Tata Nano, will lead to possibly millions more cars hitting already clogged Indian roads, adding to mounting air and noise pollution problems.

Others have said that Tata will have to sacrifice quality and safety standards to meet the target price.

Company chairman Ratan Tata has said the car will be the least polluting car in India and will meet necessary safety standards.

Chief U.N. climate scientist Rajendra Pachauri, who shared last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, said last month that he was having nightmares about the prospect of the low-cost car.

Introducing the car at an auto show in New Delhi, Tata said the Nano would pass domestic and European emission standards and would average about 50 miles per gallon.

Doctor Pachauri need not have nightmares, said chairman Tata said on Thursday. For us it’s a milestone, and I hope we can make a contribution to the country.

To introduce the Nano, Tata drove onto stage in a white model of the car with the lights flashing, his head nearly touching the car’s roof.

The diminutive Nano is a compact four-door with a snub nose and a sloping roof. The car can sit four people, or five if they squeeze.

The Nano is spare, with many features shaved off: there is no radio, air-conditioning or passenger-side mirror, and only one windshield wiper.

Tata said the company would introduce deluxe models at higher prices that have more features.

Dealers will sell the basic model for 100,000 rupees — $2,500 — but customers will pay slightly more than that due to taxes and other charges.

The company has said it expects the car to revolutionize the auto industry, and analysts believe the Nano may force other manufacturers to lower their own pricing.

French auto maker Renault SA and its Japanese partner, Nissan, are trying to determine if they can sell a compact car for less than $3,000.

For now, the car will be sold only in India, but Tata has said it eventually hopes to export it. The Nana could become the basis for other similar super-cheap models in developing markets around the world.

As rising middle-class incomes drive demand for cars in India, automakers expect the ranks of car owners in the country to expand dramatically in coming years.

But for some, a huge influx of cars is a terrifying prospect of traffic jams at midnight, hours-long commutes and increasing pollution.

If you’re talking about urban environment, it will cause serious problems, said Jamie Leather, a transport specialist with the Asian Development Bank. It’s a major concern.

In 2005, Indian vehicles released 219 million tons of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.

By 2035, that number is projected to increase to 1,467 million tons, due largely to the expanding middle-class and the expected rise of low-cost cars, according to the Asian Development Bank.

The cheaper and cheaper vehicles become, the quicker those pollution levels will increase, Leather said.
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Chinese villagers protest in wake of killing

BEIJING, China (AP) — Chinese officials detained four people following the beating to death of a man who filmed a clash between villagers and authorities, state media said Wednesday. The killing touched off protests that underscored public anger over abusive treatment by government employees.

The swift action by officials reflected concerns that such incidents could spill over into larger protests against authorities, whose heavy-handed manner of dealing with civil disputes frequently arouses resentment.

Residents angrily marched Tuesday in front of Tianmen city hall in central China, demanding redress for the death of Wei Wenhua, a 41-year-old construction company executive, said Chen Junling, Wei’s brother-in-law.

Chen said protesters numbered in the thousands — a figure that could not be independently verified — while a Communist Party official denied any demonstrations had occurred at all.

On Monday, Wei had stopped while driving when he saw local villagers squaring off against 50 urban administrative inspectors in Wanba, a village on the outskirts of Tianmen in Hubei province, his family and state media said.

The villagers were arguing with authorities over the dumping of garbage by city trucks near their homes. The dispute evolved into a scuffle when residents tried to prevent the trucks from unloading, which Wei captured on his phone, Xinhua said.

After Wei took out his cell phone to record the demonstration, officials turned on him, punching and attacking him for five minutes, Xinhua said. Wei was dead on arrival at a Tianmen hospital, the report said. An autopsy was being conducted.

Police have detained four people and are investigating more than 100 in the killing, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Wei’s death is the latest to crystallize public discontent over abusive treatment by officials. The passions it has unleashed, if left unchecked, could complicate the task of Chinese leaders, who have promised a more compassionate, law abiding government.

In Wei’s case, the officials allegedly involved were not police, but uniformed members of the Tianmen urban administration bureau whose duties include keeping streets orderly and making sure vendors are properly licensed. Peddlers and streetside hawkers frequently accuse them of bullying and abuse.

A Tianmen government official who would give only his surname, Li, confirmed there had been protests Tuesday but refused to give any other details.

But Zhang Beiping, spokesman for the Tianmen Communist Party office, denied any demonstrations took place. He said police are investigating Wei’s death and have already detained culprits, though he declined to say how many or further identify them.

The beating was fiercely condemned online.

It’s no longer news that urban administrators enforce the law with violence, said an editorial on the news Web site Northeast News. But now someone has been beaten to death on site. It has brought us not surprise, but unspeakable anger.

Chen Yizhong, a columnist on Xinhua’s Web site, asked why violence by city inspectors is allowed to continue.

Cities need administration, but urban administrators need to be governed by law first, he wrote.

In 2003, a public outcry over the death of a 27-year-old college graduate detained for not carrying proper identification prompted China’s premier to restrict police powers of detention.

In the central city of Zhengzhou last year, 1,000 college students scuffled with police and overturned cars after city inspectors beat a female student who had set up a street stall.

In Wanba, villagers were arguing with authorities over the dumping of garbage by city trucks near their homes. The dispute evolved into a scuffle when residents tried to prevent the trucks from unloading, which Wei captured on his phone, Xinhua said.

The employee at Wei’s construction company said that the city management officials were notorious for beating up people.

What we want is for the killers to be severely punished, said Chen, Wei’s brother-in-law.
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