|
(Continued from page 23)
tered via Quatrieme Quartier, and the army went to meet them and was able to push them back," said Diallo. "There is another group that entered via the river, but they too were pushed back. It's under control," he repeated.
• For nearly 10 months, Gao was occupied by the Movement for the Oneness of Jihad in West Africa, or MUJAO, one of three al-Qaida-linked groups which invaded northern Mali a year ago. MUJAO was among the most brutal, amputating the limbs of so many accused thieves that the public place where they meted out their version of justice became known as "Shariah Square." In January, the city along with much of the rest of northern Mali was liberated by French troops, who used Mirage and Rafalle jets to bombard rebel positions before launching a ground assault.
• ___
Joe Weider, who popularized bodybuilding, helped promote Arnold Schwarzenegger to fame, dies
• LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Joe Weider, a legendary figure in bodybuilding who helped popularize the sport worldwide and played a key role in introducing a charismatic young weightlifter named Arnold Schwarzenegger to the world, died Saturday. He was 93.
• Weider's publicist, Charlotte Parker, told The Associated Press that the bodybuilder, publisher and promoter died of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley.
• "I knew about Joe Weider long before I met him," Schwarzenegger, who tweeted the news of his old friend's death, said in a lengthy statement posted on his website. "He was the godfather of fitness who told all of us to be somebody with a body. He taught us that through hard work and training we could all be champions."
• A bodybuilder with an impressive physique himself, Weider became better known in later years as a behind-the-scenes guru to the sport.
• He popularized bodybuilding and spread the message of health and fitness worldwide with such publications as Muscle & Fitness, Flex and Shape. Schwarzenegger himself is the executive editor of Muscle & Fitness and Flex.
• ___
Cities go dark for 'Earth Hour'
• It's something of a voluntary rolling blackout: Communities around the globe are going dark for an hour on Saturday evening as part of an initiative called "Earth Hour," to raise awareness of climate change.
• In more than 7,000 cities and towns across the planet, millions of residents are turning off their lights for an hour from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time to show their en (Continued on page 25)
|
|
