Nation Briefs
January 28, 2005
Priest Fired From Filipino Spiritual Center
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Filipino priest will be terminated from his leadership position at the San Lorenzo Spiritual Center in Hampton Roads despite opposition by many in the area’s Filipino community, the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond has announced. Pantaleon Manalo, 68, has been involved with the center since it opened in 1994.
Last month, a small group of detractors accused Manalo of financial improprieties and asked that the priest be removed. They cited his possession of a Mercedes automobile and real estate holdings as evidence.
The diocese said there is no evidence of wrongdoing by Manalo but that administration of the center and its accounting practices have “not been good.”
“There is no reason for Father Manalo to leave because there is no problem with his leadership,” said parishioner Ron Copon, who helped gain a reprieve for the priest in December.
Japanese Infant Gets Six Transplants in Florida
MIAMI — An 11-month-old Japanese boy smiled and laughed in his mother’s arms after going through a six-organ transplant, an operation performed here in the United States because children’s organ donations are banned in Japan.
Yosuke Ohashi underwent the 8-1/2-hour transplant of the liver, pancreas, stomach, small and large intestines, and spleen on Dec. 24 at the University of Miami Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
Tomoaki Kato, the University of Miami physician who led the transplant team, said the first two years after such an operation are the most difficult, but he added that there is a 90% survival rate for the first year.
Other children have received similar transplants, but this case drew interest because Japanese law does not let children under the age of 15 donate organs, forcing families to leave the country for transplants.
Hmong Moving Slowly Into Wisconsin
STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Finding adequate transportation has become one of the principal hurdles facing the most recent wave of Hmong refugees in central Wisconsin.
Mass transit can be confusing or nonexistent, finding volunteer drivers can be difficult, and the Hmong-language version of the Wisconsin driver’s manual can be tough to comprehend for many.
Refugees settling in Stevens Point largely have had to rely on their anchor families and volunteer drivers, said Jim Vang, Hmong and Hispanic services coordinator for CAP Services.
The location of the bus routes, which may not run near where refugee families live, also can be a problem, he said.
Confusing and ambiguous translations in the state’s driver’s manual plagued many refugees, Vang said, and the manual even contradicts itself in places.
About 46,000 live in Wisconsin, which has the third largest Hmong population in the United States.
Open Skies to India
WASHINGTON — The United States and India have reached an open-skies aviation agreement that will lead to more flights, lower fares and stronger economic ties between the two countries, announced U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta.
Mineta said the agreement means the two countries “will be closer than ever before” and begins “a new era where American and Indian consumers, airlines and economies can reap the rewards of cheaper flights, more choices and faster air service.”
The agreement allows airlines from both countries to select routes and destinations based on consumer demand, providing for open routes, capacity, frequencies, designations and pricing as well as opportunities for cooperative marketing arrangements.
That includes code sharing with domestic Indian carriers to aid in making reservations and giving a greater choice of flights.
The deal also allows all-cargo operators to operate in either country without directly connecting to their homeland.
New Trial Sought in Infant Beatings
DOVER, N.H. — Ley Choeupp, 39, a native of Cambodia convicted for repeatedly beating his daughter between her birth on Oct. 1, 1999, and Feb. 16, 2000, is seeking a new trial due to translation and intelligence deficiencies.
Defense attorneys argue Choeupp was confused by the interpreter at the trial and failed to understand that he could offer evidence that the baby’s mother, Michelle Perez, might have harmed the child.
Prosecutors said his mental state was known and that appropriate measures were taken to assist him, including the translator’s services. Choeupp also had the language skills to hold jobs in the United States and communicate with his wife, who does not speak Cambodian, prosecutors said.
Chinese Company May Bid for Unocal
NEW YORK — China’s third biggest oil-and-natural-gas company is considering making a bid for all or part of U.S. rival Unocal Corp. If true, it would be the latest indication of China’s rising appetite for overseas investment.
The Financial Times said that China National Offshore Oil Corp. was considering a bid of more than $13 billion for all of Unocal, which is based in El Segundo, Calif., and is the ninth biggest U.S. oil company in terms of reserves.
The Wall Street Journal, which reported CNOOC was eyeing Unocal, said its interest was “highly preliminary” and cited no possible price. The newspaper said Unocal has an attractive array of oil and gas assets in Southeast Asia.
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