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Journalism of Courage
Five Nobel laureates, including Saul Bellow and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, were among 18 writers nominated on Friday for the first-ever Man International Booker Prize. ‘‘For us, these are eighteen authors who combine uniqueness and universality and remind us irresistibly of the joy of reading,’’ said British author and academic, Professor John Carey, who will chair the judging panel. Unlike the Man Booker Prize, awarded annually to a specific novel, the international version will be awarded every two years to a living author in recognition of his or her entire body of work. Other Nobel laureates on the inaugural list unveiled at Georgetown University in Washington were Germany’s Gunther Grass, Egypt’s Naguib Mafhouz and Japan’s Kenzaburo Oe. The winner will be announced in June in London. The prize is worth $115,000.
Koko’s caretakers cry sexual discrimination
CALIFORNIA: Two fired caretakers of Koko, the world-famous sign language-speaking gorilla, have sued their former bosses, claiming they were pressured to expose their breasts as a way of bonding with the 140-kg simian. Nancy Alperin and Kendra Keller, both of San Francisco, claim they were subjected to sexual discrimination and then wrongfully terminated after reporting health and safety violations at Koko’s home in Woodside, south San Francisco bay. The lawsuit against the Gorilla Foundation and its president, Francine ‘‘Penny’’ Patterson, Koko’s trainer, was filed this week. It seeks damages totalling more than $1 million.
UN resolution bans human cloning
UNITED NATIONS: A United Nations committee has adopted a resolution asking member states to ban all forms of human cloning, including for therapeutic purposes, a move strongly opposed by India and 34 other nations. The 71-35 vote yesterday — with 43 abstentions — reflected the sharp division among the 191 member states over the cloning issue. The resolution now goes to the General Assembly where approval is a foregone conclusion. If approved, the resolution would only be a recommendation and not a legal requirement. India joined 35 nations, including Britain, France, China, Japan, Singapore and Brazil in opposing the statement. Britain’s UN Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said this ‘‘weak and no-binding political statement’’ resulted in the world body losing the opportunity for a international ban on the ‘‘abhorrent prospect’’ of reproductive cloning because of ‘‘intransigence of states whose actions serve only to hold back medical research’’. — Agencies
