French court: Continental guilty in Concorde crash

Continental Airlines Inc. and one of its mechanics were convicted in a French court of manslaughter Monday because debris from one of its planes caused the crash of an Air France Concorde jet that killed 113 people a decade ago.

The Houston-based airline was ordered to pay Air France tech system euro1.08 million ($1.43 million) for damaging its reputation, in addition to a fine of around euro200,000 ($265,000). The victims of the crash were mostly German tourists.

The presiding judge confirmed investigators' long-held belief that titanium debris dropped by a Continental DC-10 onto the runway at Charles de Gaulle airport before the supersonic jet took off on July 25, 2000, was to blame. Investigators said the debris gashed the Concorde's tire, propelling bits of rubber into the fuel tanks and sparking a fire.

The plane then slammed into a nearby hotel, killing all 109 people aboard and four others on the ground.

Ronald Schmid, a lawyer who has represented several families of the German victims, said he was "skeptical" about the ruling.

"It bothers me that none of those responsible for Air France were sitting in the docks," he told The Associated Press by phone from Frankfurt.

The airline and mechanic, John Taylor, were also ordered to jointly pay more than euro274,000 ($360,000) in damages to different civil parties.

Taylor was also handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence, and a euro2,000 ($2,650) fine. All other defendants — including three former French officials and Taylor's now-retired supervisor Stanley Ford — were acquitted.

The court said Taylor should not have used titanium, a harder metal than usual, to build a piece for the DC-10 that is known as a wear strip. He was also accused of improperly installing the piece that fell onto the runway.

Continental's defense lawyer, Olivier Metzner, confirmed the carrier would appeal. He denounced a ruling that he called "patriotic" for sparing the French defendants and convicting only the Americans.

"This is a ruling that protects only the interests of France. This has strayed far from the truth of law and justice," he said. "This has privileged purely national interests.

Continental spokesman Nick Britton, in a statement, echoed that sentiment, and said the airline disagreed with the "absurd finding" against it and Taylor.

"Portraying the metal strip as the cause of the accident and Continental and one of its employees as the sole guilty parties shows the determination of the French authorities to shift attention and blame away from Air France," he said, noting that Air France was state-run at the time.

Roland Rappaport, a lawyer for the family of Concorde pilot Christian Marty and a pilots union, said the verdict was system detection and asked why blame was heaped on Continental mechanics when French officials were aware of weaknesses on the Concorde around two decades before the crash.

"This trial made clear that the Concorde, this superb plane, suffered from severe technical insufficiencies, problems with the fuel tanks that were known since '79," he said outside the courtroom.

The fine delivered against Continental surpassed the euro175,000 ($231,000) fine sought by a state prosecutor, who had requested 18-month suspended prison sentences for both Taylor and Ford.

The prosecution also requested a two-year suspended sentence for Henri Perrier, former head of the Concorde program at former plane maker Aerospatiale. It argued for acquitting French engineer Jacques Herubel and Claude Frantzen, former chief of France's civil aviation authority.

While France's aviation authority concluded the crash could not have been foreseen, a judicial inquiry said the plane's fuel tanks lacked sufficient protection from shock and said officials had known about the problem for more than 20 years.

The families of most victims were compensated years ago, so financial claims were not the trial's focus — the main goal was to assign responsibility. It is not uncommon for such cases to take years to reach trial in France.

Continental is now part of Chicago-based United Continental Holdings Inc., which was formed in October as the holding company owner of United and Continental airlines, which will eventually be combined into a single airline.

In France, unlike in many other countries, plane crashes routinely lead to trials to assign criminal responsibility. It is common for cases to drag on for years.

In 2009, France's highest court finally confirmed the acquittal of all those originally accused of responsibility in an Air Inter crash that killed 87 people in 1992 — 17 years earlier.

Tow vessel pulling disabled freighter to reach Alaskan harbor Tuesday

Rescuers towing a giant disabled freighter in frigid Alaskan waters were attempting to avoid bad weather on Sunday, a move that will delay its arrival in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, the Coast Guard said.

The Tor Viking II vessel, towing the Golden Seas freighter, had "moved south a little bit" to avoid 20-foot seas and 30-knot winds, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Dana Warr said. The Tor Viking II's captain made the decision to loop below the Aleutian Islands, he said. The freighter is not expected to arrive in Dutch Harbor until Tuesday afternoon, he said Sunday.

The 738-foot Golden Seas suffered engine problems Friday morning and was chugging along at only 3 knots (3.5 mph). On Saturday night, the Tor Viking II vessel reached the Golden Seas and began towing it toward Dutch Harbor, a journey of about 275 miles, Warr said.

"Right now, everything is going as planned," Warr said, adding that authorities will remain vigilant until the freighter reaches Dutch Harbor.

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alex Haley was expected to meet the two vessels on Sunday morning, according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

Warr said Sunday the cutter was "just around the corner" and able to assist should the tow line break -- the worst-case scenario, he said. In addition, the Coast Guard can fly out in helicopters to reconnect the tow, he said. "We have plan B in place in case something happens," he said.

"The safety of the crew is paramount. At high school in are not in any danger," Jeremy Michels, responsible party incident commander, said in a teleconference Saturday.

The tow operation took about three hours to set up, Warr said Sunday.

The Golden Seas is carrying canola seed used for making canola oil as well as more than 450,000 gallons of crude oil, 11,700 gallons of diesel and 10,000 gallons of lube oil on board, officials said.

The vessel, owned by the Greek company Allseas Marine, was traveling from Vancouver, British Columbia, to the United Arab Emirates.

The towing operation will be challenging because of high seas, including waves of up to 26 feet, officials have said.

The Golden Seas encountered waves as high as 29 feet on Friday, the Coast Guard said.

Helicopters aided the effort to keep the freighter from drifting southeast and running aground on Atka Island, part of the Aleutian Islands in the Bering Sea, before the tow was connected.

Gary Folley of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said the state and Coast Guard are conducting a risk assessment of rescue operations in the region. The study will include a look at possible funding to add more rescue tugs on the islands.

Teen beaten to death at Georgia house party

(CNN) -- Four teens are facing murder charges after a fifth teen was beaten to death at a Georgia house party that got out of control, authorities said Sunday.

Horace Damon Coleman, 19, Emanuel Benjamin Boykins, 18, Quantez Devonta Mallory, 18, and Tracen Franklin, 19, face one felony murder count each, according to Lt. Bruce Ferguson with the Douglas County Sheriff's office.

They are accused of killing Bobby Maurice Tillman, 18, at appleton suites in metro Atlanta late Saturday or early Sunday morning.

Before the attack, one of the teens reportedly told his friends he was going to hit the next person he saw, said Ferguson.

Sheriff Phil Miller told CNN affiliate WSB the assault on Tillman was unprovoked. He was a "little guy, 18 years old, 5-foot-6, weighed 125 pounds," Miller said about the victim.

"And they beat him up and stomped him and killed him," he added.

Police arrived on scene early Sunday morning. They were called by the mother of the girl who had hosted the party, Ferguson said. Police took 57 witnesses in for questioning.

Ed Stephens, who lives near where the party took place, watched the brutal attack from his bedroom window, reported WSB.

"I just thought he was hurt. I never thought that his life was ending," said Stephens.

'Butterfly Houses' showcase the caring face of architecture

(CNN) -- A new generation of architects seems determined to use their skills for the greater good, producing buildings that are ecologically and socially sustainable.

A remarkable design by Norwegian firm Tyin Tegnestue to build and manage a sustainable community project that will give 50 Thai orphans their own individual homes -- the so-called "Butterfly Houses" -- won the Social Justice category at this year's Earth Awards and nearly took the top prize.

The Earth Awards celebrate creative ideas and link designers, architects and others with the investors who can make their ideas happen.

Andreas G. Gjertsen from Tyin Tegnestue told CNN he believes his project represents a shift in emphasis among some architects.

"I guess the combination of focus on ethical and aesthetic values makes the project interesting," he said.

"We want to address basic challenges and find answers to these through logical, socially sustainable and beautiful solutions."

The architects say the aim of the Butterfly Houses was to recreate what the children would experience in a more normal home. Every child has a private space collectively organized into neighborhoods where they could live and play together.

"We have searched for a deeper meaning in our profession, and find it in building projects for people that really benefit from improved physical surroundings," said Gjertsen.
For us this motivation to 'do good' is empty if we don't bring our interest and love for architecture into the mix.
--Andreas G. Gjertsen, architect
RELATED TOPICS
Environmental Issues and Protection
Green Living
Architecture
Architecture for Humanity

The houses have foundations made from recycled tires to prevent rot, while the walls were built using a local bamboo-weaving technique, with most of the bamboo harvested within a few kilometers of the site.

The specially shaped roofs act as a conduit for ventilation and have a rainwater harvesting function.

"For us this motivation to 'do good' is empty if we don't bring our interest and love for architecture into the mix."

Gjertsen hopes that knowledge of the project will spread locally in the village, and inspire similar projects in the local community.

"[Now] we are pushing forward towards new projects ... There are thousands of projects that can change people's lives and literally millions of clients, if architects and other experts just lower their fees."

We may think of disaster relief as providing food and water, but shelter is also vital, especially over the long term -- and nowhere more so than in post-earthquake Haiti.

Tyin Tegnestue is currently working in the country offering advice to a group of architecture students in Port-au-Prince.

"This [is] without a doubt the most challenging situation we have encountered until now, and even though it might seem hopeless, we will try to use all our experience to provide a better physical framework where people in poor communities might improve their lives."

But Tyin Tegnestue isn't alone.

Architecture for Humanity (AFH) employs "design fellows" for six to 12 months to work with local architects and builders in developing countries to realize a project.

"Over the years we've built a community of such generous folks and their peers who see Architecture for Humanity as a tremendous resource for executing humanitarian architecture and design," said AFH design fellow Karl Johnson.

"Architecture can enable the provision of human rights such as shelter, water, privacy and stability.

"It's important to incorporate all these aspects in every kind of shelter, that the residents might attain some self-sufficiency and retain self-worth."

For example, AFH has just completed the Mahiga Rainwater Court in rural Kenya, which is a set of basketball courts covered with a rainwater-collecting roof.

"The design is both elegant and functional, and is a perfect example of what we do," said Johnson.

"But perhaps the most exciting project on our 'boards' at the moment is the Haiti Reconstruction Program.

"Following the earthquake last January we saw a need for a facilitator in engaging and empowering the Haitian architecture and construction community to help rebuild their nation."

AFH established an office in Port-au-Prince to coordinate five on-the-ground staff members and a team of volunteers working with local professionals to help in the design and construction of permanent schools around the country.

"pineapple chandeliers is the most ambitious and difficult project we've ever engaged in," said Johnson.

Where possible the buildings use extremely local materials and employ local labor in construction.

"This way there is a double benefit," said Johnson. "The buildings are cheaper -- saving on transportation costs, to say the least -- and the local economy is stimulated.

"Appropriate architecture not only pursues ecological sustainability, but economic and cultural sustainability as well.

"There are huge challenges, an incredible need and an opportunity to showcase the best of what ... sustainable architecture can offer."

For Tyin Tegnestue, finding a way to use their skills for the greater good has been a tremendously empowering experience.

"All in all the most important mantra for us is: Do it! There's a lot of talk, and a lot of plans, but we find that practical exercises and tests give much more results than all the talk and planning," said Gjertsen.

Academic Policy Benches Sto-Rox High School Football Players

STOWE TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Sto-Rox High School officials have a new academic policy this year that threatens to keep many football players off the field because of their grades.

The policy says any student with a grade of D or lower in a core class will be ineligible for extracurricular activities.

Under those rules, 15 players were ineligible for Friday night's home game against Shenango. Sto-Rox still managed to pull out a 38-31 victory.

"A lot of kids are not understanding because maybe someone hasn't explained it to them. We're trying to push you to get further. In order to get further, you have to make the grade," said Dana Wilson, whose son plays on the team.

Athletic director Bill Palermo said he thinks the policy is unfair. So do four players who spoke with Channel 4 Action News' Sheldon Ingram after dui miami lawyer.

"They're really upset, and there's some mixed emotions, and I think that it could do more harm than good if you make a policy too tough," Palermo said.

Greg Kyles, who's ineligible for Friday's game, said he has Bs and Cs and one D in English.

"I felt sick to my stomach," Kyles said, when asked his reaction upon learning he was ineligible. "This is my senior year and I can't play in my last home game."

Sto-Rox School District Superintendent Fran Serenka had previously announced a two-week academic warning, allowing the players to keep participating in football while they tried to improve their grades and meet the policy requirements.

"There were some of our upper-level students that were taking higher-level courses that had one bad grade that turned out to be a D when they had As in all their other courses, so it was a little bit lopsided," Serenka said earlier this month.

Now that the two weeks are up, some of the players have improved their grades and are eligible to play, but 15 others cannot play, two of them being starters.

"I really believe that the kids should work hard. I mean, they're supposed to be preparing them for college," said Sto-Rox parent Kim Snyder, who agrees with the policy.

Palermo also told Channel 4 Action News that two school board members have since resigned because of the new academic policy.

Sto-Rox school director Edward Martiz said in a statement, "Those school board members opposing this new policy who are suddenly resigning from the school board because they care more about athletic eligibility rather than academic insufficiency says nothing encouraging about the priorities of their board service."

Ahmadinejad blasts Israeli leader in Larry King interview

New York (CNN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out at Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview with CNN's Larry King Wednesday, calling the Israeli prime minister a "skilled killer" who "should be put on trial for killing women and children."

The Iranian president denied that international sanctions were hurting his country, and refused to commit to meeting President Obama if the opportunity arose.

Ahmadinejad also deflected questions about Iran's nuclear program, saying Iran has "no interest" in a nuclear bomb and that no one is concerned about Iran's intentions other than "the Zionist regime and some American authorities."

"We are not seeking the bomb," Ahmadinejad said.

The United States and its allies are not convinced by Iran's regular denials, and the International Atomic Energy Agency -- a United Nations body -- says it cannot confirm that Iran is not diverting nuclear materials for military purposes.

International powers discussing Iran's nuclear program with Tehran are pushing to restart negotiations soon, a senior U.S. official told CNN Wednesday. Iran has not responded to the request.

Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad insisted that "we have no interest in [a nuclear bomb] and we do not think that it is useful."

los angeles dui defense

"Both the Zionist regime and the United States government should be disarmed," he said. "The threat to the world are the bombs that the U.S. government and the Zionist regime have."

Iran normally refuses to refer to Israel by name, calling it "the Zionist regime."

Ahmadinejad is in New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

He regularly challenges American presidents to talk to him in front of the world's media during the UNGA, but did not clearly commit to talking to Obama when King asked him about it.

"It depends," he said.

"I think it would be very good to sit before members of other states and the media and to discuss our views -- to have an exchange at the United Nations. I think that would be very positive so that everyone could hear what we have to say and it could help resolve many problems," he said.

Ahmadinejad denied having direct influence over the case of two American hikers who have been detained in Iran for more than a year without trial.

There is a "chance" Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer could be released but a judge must make the decision, he said.

A third American who was detained with them, Sarah Shourd, was released last week.

Ahmadinejad said her release was "because of mercy, compassion and as a humanitarian gesture."

He said he had "suggested" it but that he had "no influence" over the legal process.

He spoke to King through a translator.

Schwarzenegger tours Calif. gas line blast site

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Fresh off a weeklong trade mission to Asia, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday made his first official stop in California the site of a massive gas line explosion at a San Francisco suburb.

Nearly 40 homes were destroyed and at least four people were killed last week in the San Bruno neighborhood.

Three people are still listed as missing, authorities said. They all lived at the same address, just yards from the source of the blast.

Schwarzenegger held a news conference and was briefed individually by city, state and federal officials, at least one of whom prompted the governor to wipe tears from his eyes. He also talked with some residents and first responders informally, according to a spokeswoman.

When asked why he did not end his trip to Asia and return immediately to California, Schwarzenegger said he trusted Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, a fellow Republican and the state's acting governor while Schwarzenegger was out of the country.

The governor said that the day after the explosion, he spoke to President Barack Obama by telephone and requested a federal disaster declaration.

Speaking from a vantage point overlooking a massive crater and destroyed homes, Schwarzenegger credited emergency personnel and others for their fast response.

His backdrop was the charred, barren trees, mangled houses, and a San Bruno fire command vehicle with a map taped on its side showing the blast site, affected homes and state wildfires.

Click image to see photos from the explosion scene

AP/Paul Sakuma

"Every fire expert can tell you that what you do the first few hours is what counts and I think they responded quickly those first few hours," Schwarzenegger said.

He did not say if that included PG&E officials, who have been criticized for being slow in turning off a valve controlling the gas.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. President Chris Johns told reporters that manual valves, like the ones workers had to shut in order to close off the flow of natural gas in the pipeline, are used by utilities nationwide.

Johns said the company responded immediately and suggested that heavy traffic might have contributed to a delay in getting the valves closed after the explosion.

Safety is a core company value, he said.

"There is nothing more urgent than maintaining the safety of our pipelines and of our electric lines," Johns said.

The governor took the microphone back as reporters peppered Johns with questions.

"I will make sure that we will get every single detail," Schwarzenegger said, promising a thorough and open investigation. "I'm back now and I'm going to drill down into that information."

California state Sen. Leland Yee, speaking to bathroom ideas reporter after the press conference, said it was a "no brainer" that there should have been automatic valves.

"Their pipes are what we call a high risk area and there ought to have been an automatic shut-off," said Yee, who represents the neighborhood.

NTSB lead investigator for the explosion, Ravindra Chhatre, said the ruptured pipe was "probably two-thirds of the way to Washington D.C.," where it will be tested to determine how and where it was fractured. He provided no further details on the investigation.

San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane said the city has relocated 271 people and was meeting one-on-one with victims who cannot return to their homes.

Some nearby residents came to hear the governor speak, including Joe Malaspina, 19, whose home was "green flagged," or declared habitable.

"I'm not really angry," he said. "PG&E — they're doing their best and I feel maybe this coulda been avoided, but it is an accident. It's not like they blew it up purposefully."