8
POPSWho are the Chaldean Christians? An archbishop seized by gunmen last month in Iraq has been found dead. The body of Paulos Faraj Rahho, the Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Mosul, was found in a shallow grave close to the city. Pope Benedict XVI said he was profoundly moved and saddened, calling the archbishop's death an act of inhuman violence. Archbishop Rahho was kidnapped not long after he left mass in Mosul, in northern Iraq, on 29 February. Three people who were with him at the time, a driver and two guards, were killed by the gunmen. It is not clear whether he was killed, or died of natural causes. Nobody has claimed responsibility for his death. The archbishop's body was found by church workers who went to the area after being contacted by the kidnappers.
5
POPSOn this day 1770: The Boston Massacre
"The Boston Massacre" refers to an incident involving the deaths of five civilians at the hands of British troops on 5 March 1770. In the subsequent trial of the soldiers, their lawyer, John Adams, argued that if they were endangered by the mob they had the legal right to fight back, and so were innocent. If they were provoked but not endangered, they were at most guilty of manslaughter. The jury agreed and acquitted six of them. Two were found guilty of murder because there was overwhelming evidence that they fired directly into the crowd. However, Adams used a loophole in British Common Law and by proving to the judge that they could read by having them read from the Bible their crime was reduced to manslaughter. Two were found guilty of manslaughter and punished by branding on their thumbs. The jury's decisions suggest that they believed the soldiers had felt threatened by the crowd. Patrick Carr, the fifth victim, corroborated this with a deathbed testimony delivered to his doctor.
9
POPSRenaissance Man After 500 years, one of Renaissance Italy's most enduring murder mysteries has been solved by forensic scientists. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola's fame has faded, but he was a celebrated figure at the Medici court. The flamboyant philosopher became an instant favourite of Lorenzo de' Medici when he arrived in Florence in 1486. Lorenzo was charmed by Pico, who was essentially a Platonic philosopher influenced by Oriental mysticism. He became famous for his incredible memory and his knowledge of Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic. Savonarola repeatedly preached against the Medicis, urging Florentines to reject the excesses of the Renaissance. Works by Botticelli and Michelangelo were burned during the "Bonfire of the Vanities" in 1497, when the monk's followers set fire to lavish furniture, mirrors, pagan books and immoral sculptures in the Piazza della Signora.
1
POPSBorn 20 Years Too Late Millionaire property developer Nicholas van Hoogstraten nas been arrested in Zimbabwe. Bundles of money allegedly found at his house were carried out by police. They also recovered pornography from Mr van Hoogstraten's home. "Van Hoogstraten is being charged under the Exchange Control Regulations for charging a service and dealing foreign currency. He is also facing charges under the Censorship Act." In 2002 a British court convicted Mr van Hoogstraten of manslaughter and sentenced him to 10 years in jail after a business associate was shot and killed. Mr van Hoogstraten appealed against the conviction and was cleared in 2003, although in 2005 a civil court awarded the murdered man's family £6m in damages.
2
POPSNazi 'death trains' exhibition Thousands of trains carried people to the extermination camps. Innocent people were packed into cattle wagons, often with little food or water, and scarcely enough air to breathe. For the Reichsbahn, it was a booming business - it was paid for each adult and child it transported to the extermination camps. Adult prisoners and children over four were charged a fare - four pfennigs per km for adults, two pfennigs for children - earning the railway millions of marks. From 1941, trainloads of 400 or more people, which amounted to huge overcrowding, received a 50% discount. Deutsche Bahn said the tracks and freight of the Reichsbahn were integral to the Nazis' extermination plan. "Without the Reichsbahn, the industrial murder of millions of people would not have been possible," said Susanne Kill, a Deutsche Bahn historian. After Berlin, the exhibition is moving to other German stations, including Frankfurt, Halle, Muenster and Munich.
0
POPSOh, What a Circus . . . There is a serious risk that without the continuing copy the late Diana provides, some British newspapers would go out of business. Please.
0
POPSDeath in the Desert Authorities say they know gang members have frequented the site, but they have received no complaints of trouble in the last 18 months. (LAT)
1
POPSIT 'Anorak' . . . Web . . . al-Qa'eda hate Tsouli, a Moroccan diplomat's son who came to Britain in 2001 and studied at an IT college in London, had been creating a website called Youbombit. By 2003, he was posting his own material, including a manual on computer hacking. Later he moved on to publishing extremist images and al-Qa'eda propaganda online. (DT)
3
POPSFamilies must help catch 'honour' killers Massoud Shadjareh, of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, said the Muslim community should not be demonised for forced marriages. "Domestic violence happens in every community, and forced marriages are also a feature in Sikh and Hindu communities," he said.
Newest Clips
see Newest Clips
4
Latest Pops
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Tags
Print
Save
Turn on live update