EU Parliament slams Eritrean writer's imprisonment

BRUSSELS (AP) — Almost 10 years after an Eritrean journalist was imprisoned as part of a crackdown on dissent, the European Parliament unanimously condemned his detention and called for him to be given a fair trial by an independent court.

Dawit Isaak, a dual Eritrean-Swedish citizen, has never faced charges but the presumption of human rights activists is that he was detained because of his criticism of the Eritrean government. He was arrested in Asmara, the Eritrean capital, on Sept. 23, 2001.

The resolution passed by European lawmakers on a 53-0 vote says the 46-year-old "has been held incommunicado and in all probability under inhumane circumstances almost permanently ever …

WINDOW WONDERLAND Marshall Field's holiday windows have served as a city tradition for over a century. This year, the tale of Snow White is bringing crowds to State Street's sidewalks.

Since 1897, generations of Chicagoans and throngs of tourists haveflocked to the Marshall Field's flagship store on State Street for aglimpse of its unique holiday windows. And if the smudge marks areany indication, this year is no exception. * Over time, Field'sscenes have become increasingly animated and intricate, and theplanning for these labor-intensive works starts early.Conceptualizing for the current Snow White-themed wonderland began inlate summer of 2003, and next year's display (top secret for now)already is well under way.

Working with New York-based Spaeth Design, which does similarprojects for Macy's and other large department stores and whichhandled the …

MONITORING TO BE HELD ON TROOPS CONTACT LINE.

Baku, June 27, 2009 (AzerTAc) -- In accordance with the mandate of special envoy of OSCE Acting Chairman, monitoring will be held June 30, near Kohanabi village of Tovuz region on the troops contact line of the Armed Forces of …

RIPKEN NEARS DEBUT.(SPORTS)

Byline: Combined wire services

JUPITER, Fla. -- Cal Ripken was talking to reporters Friday when he stopped for a moment, reached behind him and produced a half-inch shard of wood.

``Tough bench,'' he said, eyeing the splinter he yanked from the seat of his pants.

Ripken, who doesn't like sitting in the dugout under any circumstances, hopes to make his spring training debut today when the Baltimore Orioles face the Los Angeles Dodgers at Fort Lauderdale Stadium.

Ripken, 40, reported to spring training with a hairline fracture in his right rib cage and has been working for weeks to get ready to play. An hour before Friday's road game …

FDA turns down Cellegy's Cellegesic.(Tuesday, Dec. 28)(Food and Drug Administration)(Cellegy Pharmaceuticals Inc.)(Brief Article)

Shares of Cellegy Pharmaceuticals Inc. sank nearly 45 percent Dec 27, following news that the FDA issued a not approvable letter for the company's anal fissure product, Cellegesic South San Francisco-based Cellegy received the letter Dec. 23, and released the news shortly before the Christmas holiday. On the first open trading day following the letter, Michael Forrest, Cellegy's president and CEO, said the company believed a third Phase III trial provided sufficient data for approval, according to a special protocol assessment agreed upon with the FDA. The FDA's letter, he said, did specify a number of reasons as to why Cellegesic …

Mexico City nabs man in US flight attendant death

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Police arrested a young man Monday for allegedly killing a US Airways flight attendant in his Mexico City hotel room and stealing his belongings and the safe deposit box.

Authorities said 20-year-old Jose Manuel Ramirez beat flight attendant Nick Aaronson and then strangled him with a belt. Police said the victim was 27, but other reports said he was 33.

Chief prosecutor Miguel Mancera said Ramirez and Aaronson arrived at the downtown Hilton early Friday and went to the room together. Mancera said the attack and theft happened shortly after that, but added that he did not know how much money was reportedly stolen and what was in the safe box.

Other US …

Going Beyond Traditional Billing.

Eric Wetmore's not really interested in service providers who offer analog "broadcast" video.

His antennae perk up, though, when they step up to more advanced services -- digital, high-speed data and telephony. Then, he thinks, his company, Portal Software Inc., can be of service by providing business infrastructure software that goes beyond traditional billing services.

"We're providing this business infrastructure for all advanced services," he explained.

If there's already an analog billing system, that's OK.

"We'll sit side-by-side with the existing billing system. We have a peaceful co-existence strategy where we don't want to rip out …