Archbishops regret gay ‘wedding’

The service was reportedly held at St Bartholomew the Great Church The Church of England’s two most senior figures have expressed concern after the “marriage” of two gay priests was held at a London church. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, said an investigation was taking place into the service. The couple – the Reverend Peter Cowell and the Reverend Dr David Lord – were already civil partners. But the vicar who performed the ceremony insisted he had no regrets. Writing for the New Statesman website, the Reverend Dr Martin Dudley said refusing to bless the pair “would have been a negation of everything I believe”. Critics say the service, held in May at St Bartholomew the Great Church in the City of London, broke Church guidelines. ‘Amazing flowers’ In a statement, the Archbishops expressed “great concern” over reports of the service. They said they could not comment on the specific circumstances of the case because a an investigation had been launched by the Bishop of London. But they said “various reference points” to the Church of England’s teaching on sexuality were “well known” and remained in place. Nothing felt even vaguely inappropriate Dr Martin Dudley “Those clergy who disagree with the Church’s teaching are at liberty to seek to persuade others within the Church of the reasons why they believe, in the light of Scripture, tradition and reason that it should be changed,” they added. “But they are not at liberty simply to disregard it.” But Dr Dudley, who insisted he was “robustly heterosexual”, wrote that he had not carried out the ceremony to provoke traditionalists. Dr Martin Dudley said the ceremony included “amazing flowers, fabulous music” “It is not we who have whipped up the whirlwind, replacing words of love and inclusion with those of hatred and exclusion,” he added.   He described the service as “not a gay rally or demonstration, but a truly joyful celebration”. “Amazing flowers, fabulous music, a ceremony both solemn and oddly homely, familiar words reordered and reconfigured, carrying new meanings. “Nothing jarred, nothing felt even vaguely inappropriate. New and untried – but not wrong.” Remain celibate The couple are said to have exchanged vows and rings in front of hundreds of guests in the event, thought to be the first of its kind in the Anglican Church. Anglicans worldwide are split over homosexuality and conservatives have condemned the service – which had no legal status – as blasphemous. Critics say the wording of a traditional wedding expressly defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. But liberals in the Church say the Bible should be reinterpreted in line with contemporary experience. Under Church of England guidance, gay priests can enter civil partnerships as long as they remain celibate. Guidance also says that gay couples who ask a priest to bless their partnership must be treated “pastorally and sensitively”.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7459269.stm

China quake toll close to 15,000

Nearly 15,000 people died in the devastating earthquake that hit China’s Sichuan province, the official Xinhua news agency has reported. More than 25,000 are still trapped in the rubble two days after the 7.9 quake struck, flattening homes, schools and entire villages and cutting roads. Soldiers have begun to reach the isolated epicentre by helicopter and on foot, bringing much needed supplies. The government has meanwhile downplayed fears about the stability of a dam. State media had earlier reported that soldiers were working to plug cracks in the Zipingpu Dam near the hard-hit city of Dujiangyan, which they described as “extremely dangerous”. But late on Wednesday, a manager of the Zipingpu Development Company said there was no risk of collapse, according to Xinhua state news agency. New footage of when earthquake struck, filmed by motorcyclist in Chengdu No damage has been reported to the massive Three Gorges Dam, also in Sichuan province, but there were concerns about dozens of smaller dams closer to the epicentre. Sichuan’s Vice-Governor Li Chengyun said incomplete figures suggested 14,463 people were dead, another 14,051 were missing, 25,788 were buried in the debris and 64,746 had been injured, Xinhua reports. Officials reached the town of Yingxiu, in Wenchuan County, to find the devastation was worse than expected – out of the town’s population of 10,000, only 2,300 have been found alive. The head of a police unit sent into the disaster zone said the losses had been severe. “Some towns basically have no houses left,” Wang Yi, told Sichuan Online news site. “They have all been razed to the ground.” The BBC’s Michael Bristow says there are collapsed buildings all along the road to the nearby city of Beichuan. “We are all Chinese people – we’ve got to help” Du Yingbi Stadiums have been put to use to house the displaced. Meteorologists are forecasting a small break in the poor weather that has hampered aid efforts. Helicopters have now been able to fly into the quake zone to take food, drinking water and medicine to Yingxiu – one of the towns in the mountainous area where the quake was centred. But the weather remains cloudy and more rain is expected at the end of the week, said the National Meteorological Centre. Slow effort China’s Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has flown to the epicentre to see relief work, having met survivors elsewhere. RECENT CHINA QUAKES March, 2008: 7.2 quake in Xinjiang – damage limited February 2003: 6.8 quake in Xinjiang – at least 94 dead, 200 hurt January 1998: 6.2 quake in rural Hebei – at least 47 dead, 2,000 hurt April 1997: 6.6 quake hits Xinjiang – 9 dead, 60 hurt January 1997: 6.4 quake in Xinjiang – 50 dead, 40 hurt The government has despatched tens of thousands of soldiers to the region to dig any remaining survivors out of the rubble and bring food, medicine and drinking water to the survivors. Roads in the mountainous area have been badly damaged by the earthquake or have been covered by landslides. Many soldiers and rescue workers have been making their way to cut off areas by foot. Others have parachuted in or have arrived by helicopter. Workers are digging through the rubble of collapsed buildings with their bare hands. Rescue workers now say hope is beginning to run out for more than 1,000 people thought to be trapped in a collapsed school building in Juyuan township, near Dujiangyan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7400252.stm

Austrian ‘admits daughter abuse’

Police said Josef F admitted sexually abusing his daughter repeatedly A 73-year-old Austrian man has confessed to imprisoning his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathering her seven children, police have said. Police said Josef Fritzl also admitted burning the body of a baby that died at the house in Amstetten, Lower Austria. Mr Fritzl has been taken to court while authorities are caring for the woman, now 42, and her six surviving children. Photos of the man’s basement show a concealed network of tiny windowless chambers which were soundproofed. Prosecutors say Mr Fritzl is expected to be taken into protective custody after appearing before a magistrate. The woman, Elisabeth, disappeared aged 18 on 28 August 1984 when, according to her testimony to police, her father lured her into the cellar, drugging and handcuffing her before locking her up. She is reported to have been made to write a letter which made it look as if she had run away. The head of the criminal affairs bureau in Lower Austria, Franz Polzer, said Mr Fritzl had admitted sexually abusing his daughter repeatedly during the time he imprisoned her. Mr Polzer said Mr Fritzl told investigators Elisabeth had given birth to seven children, including twins in 1996, but one died shortly after being born and that he had thrown the body into an incinerator in the building. Pictures of Josef Fritzl’s house and cellar The surviving children are now aged between five and 19 years.   The cellar rooms, covering an area of approximately 60 sq m (650 sq ft), were equipped for sleeping and cooking, and with sanitary facilities. A reinforced concrete door was built into the wall that separated the “dungeon” from the house and electronically locked – the code known only to the suspect, who provided his captives with food and necessities, police said. KEY FACTS IN CASE Elisabeth reappeared at home after disappearing 24 years ago Six children she says are hers have been found and placed in care One of the children, aged 19, is seriously ill in hospital Elisabeth’s father Josef Fritzl, 73, has been arrested on suspicion of incest and abduction Police say Mr Fritzl confesses to imprisoning Elisabeth and fathering her seven children Profile: Josef Fritzl In pictures: Abuse scandal Q&A: Austrian abuse case Three of the children were kept in the cellar with their mother and had never seen daylight, police told a news conference. The other three children were adopted or fostered by the suspect, after he forced Elisabeth to write a letter saying she could not look after the baby, according to police. His wife, Rosemarie, with whom he had seven of their own children, appears to have been unaware of the alleged crimes. The security chief for Lower Austria, Franz Prucher, said he had been down into the cellar where it was easy to understand how the abuse was not discovered. “The cellar is very deep,” he said. “There you can cry and nobody will hear, nobody. There you can cry as loud as you can, you can hear nothing.” The alleged abuse and Mr Fritzl’s apparent double life came to light when the eldest of the children in the cellar, 19-year-old Kerstin, became seriously ill earlier this month and had to be taken to hospital. Aerial shots of the investigation scene A television appeal by medical staff for the patient’s mother was seen by Elisabeth on a TV set in the cellar and she urged her father to let her go to hospital. Police arrested Mr Fritzl shortly afterwards and took all the children into care. “If you look at him today, you would hardly believe he was capable of doing these things. This man led a double life for 24 years,” said Mr Polzer. He said it was incredible that it had been kept secret for all that time. Both the father and Elisabeth say no one else had access to the cellar, according to police, who are appealing to anyone with information about Mr Fritzl to contact them. Asked why the captives had not tried to escape before, Mr Polzer said one had to consider the fact that the woman was small and weak and even the eldest boy, now 18, was “a small boy, a weak boy”. “You have to put yourself into the situation of these people,” he said. “They led a completely different life to ours, they do not know what we know. These children were born into the jail, they knew nothing else.” Illness Kerstin is said to be in a coma in hospital. The head of the intensive care unit at the Amstetten hospital, Albert Reiter, said the impact of her experiences would eventually become clearer. Elisabeth had not been seen in public since August 1984 “The connection between the effects of 20 years without daylight, the incest and other illnesses, we will research in the coming hours and days,” he said. The media were told the other children who had been kept in the cellar were in surprising physical health, but very pale. The region’s district governor, Hans-Heinz Lenze, said he had spoken to the five-year-old boy. “He even told me how happy he was and how fantastic it was to ride in a real car,” he said. Help offer Journalist Andreas Wetz, of the daily newspaper Die Presse, told the BBC the suspect’s neighbours in Amstetten, a small town about 130km (80 miles) west of Vienna, were in shock at the revelations. “The man who is said to have done this, they said he was funny, he talked to neighbours, he might be a little introverted, but they had no idea that this person could do this,” he said. The BBC’s Bethany Bell says the case is reminiscent of that of Natascha Kampusch, the Austrian teenager held captive in a cellar in a house in a Vienna suburb for eight years, who ran to freedom in 2006. While police are not connecting the two cases, many Austrians are asking how such matters went undiscovered, she says. Miss Kampusch, now 20, has offered to help the victims. She told Austria’s ORF radio: “I can imagine that it is very difficult both for the mother of the children as well as for the wife of the perpetrator to get through this.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7371043.stm

Woman killed and boy, 2, fights for life as police chase ends in tragedy

BY JULIE MOULT – Last updated at 18:59pm on 30th March 2008A woman was killed and a man and a two-year-old child left fighting for life after a car being chased by police ploughed into them.

The three – believed to be a family – were travelling together in a car when they were hit head-on in the early hours of Sunday morning. They have yet to be identified.

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Police in an unmarked vehicle had been chasing two men in a black Mercedes people carrier seconds before the fatal smash

Police in an unmarked vehicle had been chasing two men in a black Mercedes people carrier seconds before the fatal smash in Bethnal Green, East London.

The scene resembled a bomb site with the smashed-up remains of half a dozen cars littering the street.

Clothes cut from the injured remained on the ground as police accident investigators began their probe.

The blue Vauxhall Corsa – from which the fatally-injured woman was cut out – was barely recognizable, lying about fifty yards away from the Mercedes which was rammed into the side of another car.

Locals gathered at the spot yesterday to see the horrific aftermath of the pile-up.

The crash comes almost a decade after newsreader Sheena McDonald was lucky to survive when she was hit by a speeding police van, travelling on the wrong side of the road.

Miss McDonald spent 72 hours in a coma after suffering massive head injuries. She later went on to sue the Metropolitan Police.

The accident prompted a review of standards of police driving. According to the Home Office, 126 people lost their lives in accidents involving police vehicles in England and Wales between 2000 and 2004.

Witnesses to this latest collision say both cars jumped a red light at a junction before the Mercedes careered into at least six others, including the Corsa.

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A woman was killed and a man and a two-year-old child were left fighting for life after after their Corsa was hit

Paramedics battled to save the woman in her thirties but she was pronounced dead at 4.30am, forty five minutes after the smash.

The man was last night in intensive care at the Royal London Hospital with severe head injuries. The little girl was taken to the same hospital as a precaution.

A 45-year-old woman, who was in one of the other cars, is in a stable condition in Homerton Hospital with serious leg injuries while a 47-year-old man was treated for minor back injuries.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said five ambulances, a duty officer and an air ambulance team in a car were sent to the scene.

The spokesman added: “Sadly an adult female was pronounced dead at the scene. An adult male was taken to the Royal London Hospital.”

His condition was described as “life-threatening”.

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The scene with the smashed-up remains of half a dozen cars

Two men who fled the scene – believed to be occupants of the Mercedes – were later arrested and are in police custody.

The owner of a nearby taxi firm said one of his drivers had chased the driver and wrestled with him in the street but he had shaken him off and sprinted away.

He said: “It was chaos. The police didn’t know whether to chase the man or tend to the injured. They chose to help the other passengers first because people were so badly injured.

“There was a person lying on the ground who may have been a pedestrian crossing the junction when it happened.

“Their clothes are still lying on the road where the paramedics cut them off.

“It was ten minutes until the emergency services got there and no-one knew what to do.

He went on: “We heard the huge noises one after another as the cars piled up.

“One of our taxis was the last to crash and it was a write-off, so you can imagine the impact on the cars at the front.

“The Corsa had two passengers and they had to be cut out of the wreckage. There was a child in the back.

“They were carried out away on stretchers. Everyone was shouting and screaming and it wasn’t clear who people were.

“Cars were on both sides of the road. One of the passengers in a cab got out and started arguing with someone from the people carrier. Police had to arrest him because they were about to start fighting.

“The driver of the people carrier jumped out and ran away from the scene. One of my drivers struggled with him and tried to keep hold of him but he broke free and ran away.

“He said the man was over 6ft and he couldn’t keep hold of him.”

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The blue Vauxhall Corsa – from which the fatally-injured woman was cut out

Resident Michelle Roberts, 52, was woken by the noise.

Miss Roberts, a personal assistant, said: “There was a loud bang – and then another and another, like a series of explosions.

“I thought a bomb had gone off at first. The next thing I heard was this awful screaming. It was a woman and a man screaming in desperation.

“I didn’t look out the window or go outside because I knew something awful had happened.

“Then there was the sirens blaring out which must have been the ambulances and the police arriving. It sounded like chaos out there.”

After the accident a section of Bethnal Green Road remained cordoned off as accident investigators picked through the debris and mangled vehicles which included two black cabs.

Scotland Yard’s Department of Professional Standards has launched an investigation as is routine when police cars are involved in accidents.

A police spokesman said. “At approx 03.45 an unmarked police car was made aware of a black Mercedes car on Bethnal Green Road.

“The unmarked police car put on blue lights to alert the Mercedes to stop. At this stage the Mercedes drove away at speed and was in collision with another vehicle – a blue Vauxhall Corsa.

“The occupants of the black Mercedes decamped from the scene.

“LAS attended and three people – one man, one woman and a female child – all travelling in the blue Vauxhall Corsa were treated at the scene. The woman – aged in her 30s – was pronounced dead at the scene at 04.30.

“All next of kin have yet to be been informed. Formal identification has yet to take place and a post mortem will be arranged in due course.”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=549869&in_page_id=1770

情癡捏殺女友墮樓陪死

(綜合報道)
(星島日報報道)粉嶺嘉福鸷發生愛情大悲劇，一對拍拖十多年癡男怨女，疑因女方不滿裝修工男友曾吸毒「沒出息」，昨與他共赴巫山後，重提分手，雙方激烈爭 吵，有人將女友捏頸殺害，再刎頸和割腕自殺，但並未死去，在伴屍七小時後，喝了一瓶紅酒，復寫滿兩紙遺書：「深愛小鳳（女友）……希望世伯、伯母原諒。」 然後從二十一樓住所跳下喪生。
鴛鴦夢斷，曾吸毒躁漢疑因情變失控，昨在嘉福鸷寓所難死女友後跳樓自殺死亡，警方列兇殺及自殺案處理。消息稱，警方不排除躁漢殺人後，曾以½刀刎頸和割腕企圖自殺，弄至自己滿身鮮血，還緊抱女死者屍體。稍後，男女死者的家人亦被邀返警署，協助了解案情。

女死者潘小鳳，二十九歲，任職女文員，頸有瘀痕，被難 頸窒息致死。有現場消息稱年前曾墮胎的女死者，最近又懷孕，但警方表示需剖驗屍體，才知女死者屬實。案中男死者張伯煌，三十一歲，是地盤裝修散工，入息不固定，脾氣暴躁，曾吸毒需接受精神科治療和社署監管。

案發現場在粉嶺嘉福鸷福泰樓二十一樓一單位，屬男死者住所，其父為戶主。大埔警區署理警司（刑事）莊肇興稱，潘女與姓張男友拍拖十多年，經常到張家留宿，一對情侶儼如同居。

據悉，自○四年張被揭發吸毒，一直失業，潘女抱怨男友吸毒「沒出息」，兩人感情出現裂痕。家人稱，潘女欲與男友分手，惟張卻懷疑女友另結新歡，反而向女友逼婚，雙方多次發生爭執。

現場消息稱，潘女前晚下班到張家晚飯，後換上粉紅色睡袍在男友房間留宿，並發生性行為。至昨凌晨三時，兩人因感情問題再起爭執，張提議結婚，但潘女堅持分手；有人疑箍煲不遂，情緒失控，將潘女按倒脇上難頸圖逼她就範，結果女方慘被難死。

張伴屍一段時間亦萌死念，用½刀刎頸及割腕圖自殺，因而弄至滿身鮮血，其間他更抱覑女友屍體擬共赴黃泉，令潘女屍身亦染有血舻。

及至早上六時，張父母起脇晨運，曾拍門問兒子去不去飲茶，張隔門支吾答一聲「好」，其父母事後離家。約上午十時，張母先行返家料理家務，張父則往晨運，未幾，潘女舅母來電張家查問外甥下落，張母拍門問兒子，潘女在不在房內，兒子亦支吾答道不聽電話。

張伴屍七小時，至上午十時三十分，竟爬出窗外，從二十一樓躍下，伏屍街上，途人見狀報警。其時，張父返家途中，見街坊圍觀，走近察看，赫見兒子倒斃街頭，當場跪倒痛哭。

警方到場調查，張父帶同警員返家，發現潘女倒斃兒子房間脇上，頸有瘀痕，全身染血，初以為她被亂刀斬死，在脇邊發現兩樽藥丸和一支幾飲完的紅酒。

法醫官經到場驗屍，初步證實女死者是被難死，身上沒有刀傷。警方事後列作兇殺及自殺案處理，男女死者屍體至下午才舁送殮房，等候剖屍檢驗，以確定女死者出事前是曾被餵食藥物。

少年貼雞眼膏去痣反患癌

廣東惠州市一名少年自行用「雞眼膏」治療嘴角上的黑痣，結果黑痣潰爛，而少年體內病變成淋巴癌。

廣州《信息時報》報道，一名16歲湖南籍少年近日到惠州市中山二院求醫。經醫生檢查後，發現該少年的嘴角有黑色素瘤病變，並已開始向淋巴轉移。

該少年就讀於惠州一中學，平時頗貪靚。半年前，嘴角上長了一顆綠豆般大小的黑痣，於是在藥店買了雞眼膏貼在黑痣上，並時常用手擠壓。近日，他發現黑痣部位潰爛，下巴和頸上的淋巴結也腫大。

他前往求醫，醫生診斷為「色素痣病變伴頸淋巴結轉移」。昨天（19日），少年已切除腫瘤，正開始接受化療。醫生指出，雞眼膏內含有大量腐蝕劑，若這種化學製劑遇上已受損的黑痣，就很容易變成癌症。

小琳命危 三日情一生難忘

【東方日報專訊】 威院一宗嚴重醫療失誤，令花樣年華的小琳危在旦夕，亦斷送了一段剛萌芽的大好姻緣。威爾斯親王醫院打錯化療針事件女主角小琳，出事前三天剛與同事 Eric燃起愛火，互相肯定對方是攜手走以後人生道路的伴侶；血癌阻不了兩人相戀，但天意總是弄人，一支毒針卻奪走兩小口子的幸福和未來。Eric令小琳 度過了患病後最愉快的一星期，天曉得今天的他，只能伴她走向生命中最絕望的一周？

小琳昨日情況仍危殆，除父母及兩個妹妹外，廿四小時陪伴在側的還有跟她同為二十一歲、正式拍拖才三天的男友Eric。去年六月Eric加入一個圍棋會當兼 職助臈，至今年三月認識身患血癌、但病情好轉而出院返回圍棋會任臈的小琳。雙眼滿布紅筋的Eric昨在醫院接受訪問時苦笑稱：「一直知佢有病，但佢所有痛 苦都一一撐過，從來唔會聽到佢講悲痛、灰心、難過，幾時都笑得咁開心，我就係咁而被佢感動。」

拍拖三日 毒針拆散愛侶

Eric與小琳相識不久已深深戀上她，到本月十二日星期二晚，他乘巴士送小琳回家時終表白心畺，讓小琳明瞭他有決心與她攜手面對惡疾和未知的未來，兩人當 晚首次牽手。Eric翌日因要上班，只能接送小琳回家；到星期四，二人終首次相約結伴遊九龍灣「行街、睇戲、打機」，俱料上周五小琳便出事。

「我諗清楚……決定同佢（小琳）一齊，畀佢明白佢有病我會陪住佢，以為就算離去都會係好耐之後砼事！只係開心畄三日！一支針就將我疉砼幸福全部癦走！」他直言對事件感突然及震驚：「佢同我拍拖碹時都仲要戴假髮，出事後佢唔畀我探佢，唔想畀我見佢辛苦。」

小琳入院後情況急轉直下，她上周日主動提出想見Eric，當日亦是Eric最後一次與神志清醒的小琳獨處，他極力抑壓尠悲傷和眼眶中滾動的淚水，以低沉聲音覆述那天對小琳說的最後一句話：「我同佢講『我愛你』，然後佢答，『我都係！』」

Eric說，小琳入院首數天仍能說話，後來只能郁動眼簾，過去兩天已不能再回應任何人任何說話，瞳孔亦不能再對光線反應，但他仍握尠她手鼓勵她。Eric自言「接受現實、盼望奇畺」：「就算佢要走，我都會一直留響佢身邊，直到佢生命終結砼一剎！」

男友陪走最絕望的一周

小琳母親坦言愛女已步入人生最後數天，但女兒陷入昏迷前曾向母親表示，與Eric開始拍拖前後一周，是她患病後最愉快一周。小琳父母昨引述醫生指，對小琳腦部注射生理鹽水的方法已是「終極治療」，要她好轉畺近絕望。現只望院方能盡力搶救，亦正考慮向院方追究法律責任。

○五年患上血癌的小琳，憑藉不屈意志幾乎可戰勝癌魔，本月十五日她到威院接受共兩針的化療注射，期間威院醫生卻將本應注射入靜脈的一針錯誤注射入脊髓，神經毒素就這樣隨脊髓上腦，頸梗、腰梗、發燒，翌日便被送進深切治療部。小琳只要再接受兩針注射便完成整個療程。

■記者盧怡安、林靄雲

垃圾車橫掃大道中

【東方日報專訊】 中環雲咸街「長命斜」險重演十年前釀成十三人死傷的大車禍。一輛廿四噸垃圾車昨日清晨沿雲咸街落斜至皇后大道中，懷疑司機醉酒兼衝紅燈，先失控撞到 一輛的士，跟尠如舞龍般撞向四輛送報紙客貨車，其中一輛客貨車更被推上行人路，當時有不少報販正在該處疊報，客貨車將一名報販撞至重傷，猛撼一間金舖大閘 才停下，垃圾車司機其後涉嫌酒後駕駛被捕。

重傷報販封晃彬（四十九歲），頭、腰、右手及雙腳受傷，「尾龍骨」亦有兩截被壓至嚴重受傷。封在港島區經營報檔，且提供送報服務，每日清晨他與妻子親自到 雲咸街一帶取報紙返回報檔，事發時，封與兩名同行的三架客貨車停於皇后大道中周大福金行門前的路邊上落客區，封氏夫婦與另外兩名分別姓麥（廿六歲）及姓鍾 （六十一歲）司機俱已離開車廂，正忙於整理報紙。

衝燈連撞五車　報販重傷

昨清晨五時許，一輛廿四噸垃圾車沿雲咸街落斜擬左轉入皇后大道中，當時已轉紅燈，但垃圾車未有停車繼續俯衝，直至轉彎才煞掣，但車已失控，在交界位與一輛 沿皇后大道中西行的空載的士相撞，的士左邊車頭嚴重損毀，垃圾車餘勢未了，繼續前衝，司機不斷響號，掃毀八公尺長鐵欄，再撞向停在路邊的三輛客貨車，其中 封的客貨車被撞至衝前，碰到前邊姓鍾同行的客貨車車尾，繼而「打橫」再撞到一輛停於路中等候轉燈的客貨車車尾始停下，該車由姓黃（五十二歲）報販駕駛。

而被垃圾車撞得最嚴重姓麥的客貨車則被推上行人路，當時正在行人路上整理報紙的多名報販，嚇至雞飛狗走，但姓封的報販因背向馬路，不知「大禍臨頭」，慘被客貨車撞到飛彈數公尺，頭部流血，身體亦多處骨折，客貨車再撞到周大福金行鐵閘始停下。

警安慰傷者妻：佢仲識得郁

警方及消防員接報抵達，救護員立刻為封急救，在附近工作的封妻聞訊趕到現場，發現丈夫倒地重傷，登時情緒失控，哭如淚人，一度欲衝前撲向丈夫，惟因恐阻礙 救護員急救，遭警員阻止，由一名女警陪伴在側，女警不停好言安慰她稱：「佢都無事，佢仲識得郁硇。」封經送院治理後，情況穩定，現轉到骨科病房作進一步治 療。

據目擊者稱，肇事姓杜（四十七歲）垃圾車司機，出事後拿出一瓶一公升的清水不停飲用，惟他接受酒精測試後，證實酒精含量達卅三微克，超出標準被捕。由於他 亦稱不適，要送院治理，其後已無礙出院。杜在助查時，聲稱在落斜時腳掣失靈，致釀成意外，事後獲准以五千元保釋候查，下月廿日返警署報到。警方在現場量度 出有十五公尺長胎痕，事後將垃圾車拖返汽車扣留中心扣查，以檢驗垃圾車有否超速，以及機件性能是否出問題。

通波仔十日奪三命

專訊】 伊利沙伯醫院爆發近年最嚴重的醫療事故，該院因資深醫生流失，人手陷入青黃不接的危險期，一名升級不久的心臟專科醫生在五月尾短短十日內，主理十七 宗「通波仔」手術，疑因經驗不足及技術出錯等，令三名病人分別出現併發症和器官衰竭，喪命於手術台上，三宗個案需轉交死因裁判跟進。

伊院昨證實，三名年齡介乎四十六歲至九十九歲患嚴重心肌梗塞的病人，五月底在該院接受緊急冠狀動脈介入治療術（俗稱通波仔）後，出現併發症和器官衰竭，搶救後不治。院方已對病人家屬致以深切慰問。

據了解，三宗個案均由一名約一兩年前升職的副顧問職級、約有七年心臟科經驗的醫生負責，出事前他剛獲授權可獨立進行通波仔手術。其中一名死者為九十九歲老婦，多條血管栓塞，但該名醫生在其中一條血管放入金屬支架時，未有察覺血管出現複雜的分支，令病人血管栓塞而即時死亡。

打空針致血管閉塞

另一名死者是約八十歲老翁，醫生在手術前為注射顯影劑檢查血管栓塞情況時，卻未察覺針管未注入顯影劑即為病人心臟注射氣針，血管因此閉塞，令病人即時死亡。

第三名死者為四十六歲男子，醫生為他放入支架後即血管爆裂，但疑因經驗不足，未能及時處理，病人心臟停頓死亡。

須10至15年專科資格

伊院心臟科高級醫生何鴻光表示，上月底他正值在外國參加醫學會議，加上個案已交死因庭處理，故不肯透露詳情及評論事件。但他重申，病人接受通波仔手術後， 有百分之一病人出現如中風、心臟病發甚至死亡等嚴重事故，因此只有最資深的心臟科醫生才可進行該手術，包括有十至十五年心臟專科資格，並有足夠的通波仔手 術培訓才可獨立行事。

伊院發言人表示，為病人進行通波仔手術前，會視乎病人臨床情況和治療需要，以及不進行手術的相對結果後才作決定。上述三宗個案均是在緊急情況下需要進行的 高風險搶救手術，醫生向病人及其家屬詳細解釋手術的作用和風險後，得家人同意進行手術。院方已就病人死亡個案與其家屬會面，詳盡解釋情況。

伊院指出，該院心臟科有既定的機制以確保通波仔手術的水準和安全，負責進行手術的醫生必須具心臟科專科資格。資深的心臟專科主管聯同該科團隊每周舉行審核 會議，將手術出現併發症和死亡個案，包括上述三宗個案作詳盡檢討和調查。在每月的心臟事務會議內，亦會將個案作綜合的檢討和匯報。每一項在院內進行之手 術，其資料亦會呈報醫管局統籌的全港調查和審核計劃內。伊院每年進行一千二百至一千三百宗通波仔手術。

記者伍詠茵、梁麗兒、蘇家欣

32萬平方公里有沙化危機

國家林業局防治荒漠化管理中心副主任王信建說，中國現有32萬平方公里地區有潛在沙化危機。

王信建在中國治理荒漠化上海高峰論壇上表示，儘管全國沙化土地面積已經開始出現淨減少，由90年代後期年均擴展3436平方公里，轉變為本世紀頭四年年均縮減1283平方公里﹔但沙化仍然在局部地區繼續擴展，給當地生產生活造成嚴重生態威脅。

中科院成都山地災害與環境研究所研究員楊勇說，在實地考察中發現，長江、黃河源頭地區近年來沼澤枯竭，草甸退化，湖泊退縮，水系幹涸，局部地區出現了沙漠化徵兆，如在通天河和龍羊峽水庫附近都出現了條帶型沙化帶。

國家林業局2004年第三次全國荒漠化和沙化監測數據顯示，全國沙化土地173.97萬平方公里，佔國土面積的18%，影響著近4億人的生產和生活，每年由土地沙化造成的直接經濟損失達500多億元。

更多奴工獲救 洪洞工頭落網

山西省洪洞縣黑磚窯案件中被通緝的包工頭衡庭漢今天已被抓獲。

中國官方媒體說，衡庭漢是在湖北省丹江口落網的。但是，對衡庭漢兩名逃逸同伙的搜捕仍在進行中。

另據新華社報道，河南和陝西兩省的警方在一系列新的突襲活動中，又從小煤礦、鐵礦、磚窯解救出80名奴工。

這樣，過去一個月當中，總計有548名奴工獲救。

“瀆職失職”

此前，中國互聯網上出現400多位河南父親的聯名求救信，呼籲社會各界幫助解救他們被賣到山西黑磚窯的孩子。

該封聯名信引起輿論普遍關注，並引發警方採取逮捕行動。

“奴工”醜聞規模越揭越大，給政府創建”和諧、公正”社會的承諾蒙上陰影。

該事件引起中國最高領導人胡錦濤的關注。中國當局表示，要全面打擊強迫他人勞動的做法。

勞動保障部派遣特別小組前往中原地區，調查媒體披露的近千名未成年人被迫在磚窯充當奴工的事例。

山西省政府則要求在10天之內”無條件解救”被拐騙的民工，否則有關縣市領導將按照”失職瀆職”處理。

“就來要錢”

洪洞縣的村民說，貧窮、賺錢的機會以及社會的無動於衷等因素都與農民淪為奴工有關。

當地人說，他們不願意乾磚窯這類的苦活，所以窯主就轉向更加貧窮的地區尋找勞工。

有村民說，現在一些地方官員自詡是解救奴工的英雄，但是，長期以來，正是這些人對無照經營的磚窯不管不問。

洪洞磚窯已經被警方逮捕的窯主之一的妻子張梅（音譯）告訴路透社，磚窯民工受到虐待，工頭應當負主要責任。

但談起地方官員，張梅則說，”他們說我們非法，所以就來要錢，除了要錢之外，什麼也沒有乾”。

國內媒體報道，洪洞縣政府向民工致歉，並將按照當地最低工資標準470元的3倍，即每人每月1410元，給”黑磚窯”農民工補發工資。

中國突襲黑窯 數百“奴工”獲救

山西河南黑磚窯救548人經中央批示後，政府部門在山西和河南的黑磚窯，共救出548名被拐的民工。

山西省一些黑磚窯非法用工的嚴重問題經媒體披露後，引起中國高層領導人密切關注。胡錦濤、溫家寶、吳官正、李長春等領導同志都作了重要批示。

目前，山西省已經成立「打擊黑窯主，解救拐騙民工」專項行動領導組。聯合調查組昨日更分赴運城、臨汾、晉城三市，對打擊黑磚窯主、解救被拐騙民工專項行動進行督察指導。

按照山西省委省政府部署，在7-10天之內，必須無條件解救，不留一個死角，不留一個被困民工。如果10天後仍然發現有被拐騙民工沒被解救的，省委將按失職瀆職處理有關市、縣領導。

由今日開始，洪洞縣有關部門組成的10個小組將分赴31名被解救農民工所在的12個省、自治區、直轄市，把工資、慰問金和一封洪洞縣政府的致歉信送到農民 工手中。洪洞窯主王兵兵已經被拘留，毆打農民工的打手已被抓獲4名，1名河南籍工頭衡庭漢正在追捕中。黑磚廠的財產已經被凍結。

另外，河南警方準備赴山西解救被拐騙的民工。

纜車營運商亂講卸責

【東方日報專訊】昂坪360營運商Skyrail-ITM再被揭發懷疑企圖就纜車意外卸責。Skyrail日前曾表示，上周完成了第一階段每年例行檢查，並獲機電工 程署核實系統安全和准許繼續運作及測試，但機電署昨在立法會踢爆從沒說過昂坪纜車已通過年檢。纜車生產商耐能（Leitner GmbH）亦與Skyrail劃清界線，澄清沒有參與意外發生當日的纜車測試。政府已決定聘請海外獨立專家介入調查，預計至少需時兩至三個月，意味昂坪纜 車最快要待年底才有望重開。

P:纜索測試並非年檢

纜車飛墮事件發生接近一周，Skyrail仍未交代調查進展。立法會經濟事務委員會昨日舉行特別會議討論事件，各政府相關部門、地鐵公司及纜車管理公司等均有派代表出席。

機電署署長何光偉在會上反駁Skyrail早前的聲明，澄清六月五日至七日纜車公司進行的只是纜索縮短工程，確保纜車在纜索拉緊一段時間後仍可以安全運 作，有關工作並非年檢一部分。何光偉說，年檢原定於六月七日開始，至六月十三日才結束，纜車飛墮事故發生時年檢尚未結束，故署方從沒說過昂坪纜車已通過年 檢。

Skyrail常務董事高德偉本周三在會見傳媒時曾聲稱，上星期曾按機電署規定進行第一階段纜索測試，在上述階段的測試中也進行了一些維修纜索工作，並因這些維修工作而關閉纜車三日，高德偉說：「完成這項維修後，得到機電工程署核實，並認為纜車系統安全，可以繼續運作。」

高德偉言論遭炮轟

至於高德偉當日指並非操作出錯所致的言論，昨再被議員炮轟，李永達形容高在事故未完成調查前便作出這些言論，極不負責任，「所有卸膊砼人都要向你學習！」 陳偉業則將矛頭也指向政府，認為迪士尼、維港巨星匯以至今次纜車事故的負面新聞，「每次都說意外就不是意外」，實屬政府所託非人，促請政府痛定思痛。

經濟發展及勞工局常任秘書長鄭汝樺則透露，預計單是調查需時二至三個月，之後再交專家評估跟進。議員劉健儀則認為調查拖得愈耐，對香港愈不利，促請政府加快調查。

七專家登纜塔調查

纜車意大利生產商耐能昨日也首次發表聲明，強調該公司無參加今次測試，又說昂坪纜車採用的雙纜索設計沿用卅多年，是配合昂坪特殊地勢及天氣的最佳選擇，可加強平衡及保持纜車在纜塔之間流暢運行。

另外，七名調查昂坪纜車意外的專家，昨晨八時多重返現場爬上纜塔頂檢查損毀的滑輪，並用手吊尠數碼相機不停搖擺，模擬纜車車廂出事經過，歷時三小時。他們離去時表示，事件仍在調查，暫時不會作評論。

運沙船亂闖航道肇禍

【東方日報專訊】 佛山九江大橋發生「橋毀人亡」慘劇，廣東省政府對此宗罕見意外大為緊張，即時成立專責小組調查，初步查出意外成因是肇事運沙船違規操作，不顧安全闖 入非主航道撞毀橋柱令橋面倒塌。不願透露姓名的香港政府工程師指，當局興建本港多條跨海大橋時，已確保橋躉能抵抗重型船隻的撞擊，路政署更設有廿四小時監 測系統留意橋樑有否異常，市民毋須擔心本港會發生類似事故。

廣東省政府除於塌橋事故發生後即調派救援人員趕赴現場搜救外，副省長佟星更率領官員成立「6‧15」事故調查領導小組，循五個方面做好搜救及善後工作，目前肇事船隻已被扣留。

省政府責令徹查原因

調查小組表示，佛山、江門市政府首要會盡力做好搜救工作；其次，會核實事發前橋面施工人員及來往車輛的去向情況，以及盡快查明事故原因；最後，將派遣專家前往現場勘察橋樑安全，防止再出現類似事故，又會加強水上交通安全監管，檢討現行各項安全措施。

今次罕見意外令橫跨海面大橋安全響起警號，消息指，本港多條跨海大橋的橋躉，在設計上均可抵抗大型船隻的撞擊，符合嚴格的安全標準。此外，大橋設計亦盡量減低船隻撞到橋躉的機會，以青馬大橋為例，兩個橋躉外圍均建有類似小島的「緩衝區」，令船隻難直接撞擊橋躉。

防撞和緩衝設施不足

本地資深工程師黃澤恩估計，九江大橋的中央位置屬於主航道，主航道範圍內的橋躉可抵抗體積較大的船隻撞擊，相反距離中央位置較遠的次航道預算予體積較小的船隻駛過，該範圍內的橋躉無足夠力量抵抗大型運沙船的撞擊，故釀成今次意外。

黃續指，不少大型船隻如貨櫃船、外洋船駛進本港水域時，海事處均規定有關船隻聘請認可的領航員，避免船隻偏離航道發生意外。

香港工程師學會理事邵賢偉指，本身是高塔斜拉橋與多橋躉混合式設計的九江大橋屬於早期設計，橋躉的防撞和緩衝設施不足，一旦橋躉被大船撞擊時，未能及時卸去撞擊力危害橋面安全，他建議內地政府可加密對大橋的日常檢查，及早發現橋樑結構有否出現問題。

憂被淘汰　苦爸爸跳樓亡 (2007-06-16 06:05:00)

專訊】中年男人的悲歌。一名半生任職侍應供養兩女讀大學的父親，年前其任職的食堂結業，他因無法適應社會轉變及競爭，難以做回老本行，被迫轉任酒樓雜工，精神頗受困擾，昨午突然返回葵涌昔日任職的食堂緬懷一番，然後潛登天台縱身躍下，洞穿鋅鐵簷篷慘死。

P:曾任侍應記憶力漸差

死者郭偉成（五十三歲），生前與妻子及兩女居住順天眤，為家庭經濟支柱，獨力養妻活女。長女為科大畢業生，已投身社會，幼女仍在香港理工大學就讀。三母女接獲通知，聯同小叔及小姑趕往醫院，惜已陰陽永訣。

郭生前在葵豐街一至十五號盈業大廈一間食堂任職侍應十多年，食堂於去年易手，新老闆繼續聘用他，不久食堂因生意欠佳，被迫結束營業，郭經胞弟介紹轉往九龍 灣一間茶餐廳任侍應，疑因無法適應新環境，加上年紀漸長記憶力較差，經常落錯單及錯送食物，受到老闆責難，他心感不安，多次匿入廁所飲泣，妻子獲悉曾好言 安慰，勸喻勿給自己太大壓力。

郭早前辭去茶餐廳工作，直至日前才在住所附近一間酒樓任職雜工。重投工作後，他經常向妻子表示自己有病，周身骨痛，經醫生檢查證實無恙，懷疑是情緒病，須轉看心理醫生。

昨午一時許，郭在酒樓下班後，獨自返回盈業大廈，登上十六樓天台躍下，跌落地面物流公司停車位的鋅鐵簷篷，將簷篷壓穿墮地重創，救護員將他急送入瑪嘉烈醫院，惜抵院後不治。