A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
Bush’s daughter backs gay marriage
NEW YORK – One of the twin daughters of former US president George W Bush has opposed her father’s views and endorsed gay marriage in a new video for gay rights.
Barbara Bush (29), who lives in New York where gay marriage is not legal, made an online advertisement for gay advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign for their promotion called New Yorkers for Marriage Equality, released late on Monday.
“I’m Barbara Bush and I’m a New Yorker for marriage equality,” she said in the short online ad.
Her mother, former first lady Laura Bush, told interviewer Larry King last year that she also disagreed with her husband’s policy of defining marriage as only between a man and a woman. – (Reuters)
‘Top Gear’ show slated over remarks
LONDON – Mexico's ambassador in London has written a furious letter to the BBC to complain about "offensive and xenophobic" comments made by presenters of the popular TV motoring show Top Gear.
Ambassador Eduardo Medina Mora was infuriated by “insults” made by presenters Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May during Sunday’s episode of the cult show.
“Why would you want a Mexican car? Because cars reflect national characteristics, don’t they,” said Hammond as they discussed the Mexican sports car, the Mastretta.
“Mexican cars are just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight and leaning against a fence asleep,” he said. – (Reuters)
Massive winter storm slams US midwest
CHICAGO – A colossal winter storm stretching from New Mexico to Maine hit the agricultural heartland of the United States with snow and freezing rain yesterday.
Experts said the worst was still to come as it moved northeast.
The storm, expected to affect as much as a third of the US population, created blizzard conditions from the southern plains to the upper midwest, paralysing grain and livestock movement.
Ice and sleet created dangerous travel conditions and forced the cancellation of thousands of flights.
Moderate to heavy snows of up to 20 to 38cm are expected to blanket the central and northern midwest. In the northeast the storm is expected to dump 30-45cm of snow on Boston. – (Reuters)
Care worker admits to 114 abuse cases
ZURICH – A 54-year-old Swiss care worker has admitted abusing 114 people, including children and disabled adults, in care homes in Switzerland and Germany over the past 29 years, Swiss police said yesterday.
Police arrested the care worker last April after two disabled men, living in a nursing home, told their parents that they had sex with the man.
He has admitted to 114 cases of abuse and eight cases of attempted abuse. Most of the victims were young men and some had severe mental and physical disabilities, police said.
“Several cases involve children, among them children of nursing home employees,” police said. The youngest victim was one year old, police said. – (Reuters)