Mormon leader Hinckley discusses declining health
Salt Lake City – Mormon Church president Gordon Hinckley said Sunday that he is in the “sunset of my life” and suffering from some residual health problems after undergoing major surgery this year.
“I am totally in the hands of the Lord,” Hinckley said, addressing the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the second day of the faith’s twice-yearly conference.
Hinckley, 95, was hospitalized in January after doctors discovered a cancerous growth on his intestine during what was called a routine medical examination.
He had surgery and spent nearly a week in the hospital recovering.
“I trust you will not regard this as an obituary,” he said Sunday, drawing a laugh. “Rather I look forward to the opportunity of speaking to you again in October.”
Mormons gather in April and October to hear from church leaders, in speeches designed to promote faith and give spiritual direction.
Hinckley, whom church members consider a prophet of God, took a different approach Sunday, reflecting on his life and accomplishments in the church.
Hinckley is the 15th church president and worked for more than half of the 14 men who preceded him in the office.
He is credited with overseeing a rapid period of growth for the church and construction of more than 70 temples in more than 21 countries.
Membership in the Mormon Church topped 12.5 million members worldwide this year, according to statistics released Saturday.
WASHINGTON
Airline complaints rising, survey finds
Travelers increasingly are unhappy with airlines, ranking lost luggage among their biggest complaints, according to an annual survey by university researchers that rates carriers’ quality.
“They’re less on time, they’re losing bags at a rate they’ve never done before, and people are complaining again,” said Dean Headley, an associate professor at Wichita State University in Kansas and co-author of the study, being released today.
Passenger complaints increased 17 percent last year over 2004, and the rate of mishandled baggage jumped from 4.83 per 1,000 passengers to 6.06 in 2005.
Customer satisfaction last year was the lowest since 2000.
Passenger numbers are returning to pre-Sept. 11, 2001, levels, but there are 200,000 fewer airline employees to serve them.
STRATFORD, Conn.
Union ends strike at Sikorsky Aircraft
Union members voted Sunday to accept a three-year contract with Sikorsky Aircraft and end their six-week strike against the company.
Workers voted 1,488 to 1,416 on the latest pact, which includes the same contentious health care provision that led them to overwhelmingly reject the company’s first contract offer in February.
The deal covers about 3,500 workers at four sites in Connecticut and in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The three-year contract proposal also includes 3.5 percent pay raises in each year, pension improvements and a ratification bonus that has increased from $2,000 to $3,000.
RALEIGH, N.C.
Ex-Sen. Helms enters center for dementia
Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, in increasingly poor health before and since he left office three years ago, has vascular dementia and has moved into a convalescent center near his home, his wife said.
The 84-year-old Republican has been slowed by illnesses including a bone disorder, prostate cancer and heart problems. As his career neared its end, he made his way through the Capitol on a motorized scooter. He decided against seeking a sixth term and left Congress in January 2003.
TORONTO
Police probe fatal coffee-shop explosion
An apparent explosion at a popular coffee shop killed one man Sunday and brought Toronto’s downtown shopping district to a standstill.
The explosion occurred at a Tim Hortons cafe, and police said another store in the chain was locked down later in the day when a suspicious package was found there, police said.
Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair described the incident as a fire in the washroom – not a bombing – and said police were not looking for any suspects. He refused to speculate on a cause “until we determine precisely what happened in that cubicle and what caused those flames that took that man’s life.”
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip
Premier criticizes U.S. over diplomats’ limits
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh criticized the United States on Sunday for restricting diplomatic ties with the Hamas government, saying his people were being punished for electing the militant Islamic group.
Seeking to end chaos in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Interior Minister Said Siyam pledged that the new government would pacify the area but appealed for patience. Four people were killed and 36 wounded in unrest over the weekend.
Washington said Friday that U.S. diplomats are barred from making contact with officials in any Palestinian government agency controlled by Hamas, which has called for Israel’s destruction.
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone
Ex-Liberian leader to face tribunal today
Attorneys for Charles Taylor will argue for the dismissal of war-crimes charges against the former Liberian president, who appears today before a U.N.- backed tribunal bent on sending a powerful message to despots that no one is above the law.
Security is tight at the Special Court in Sierra Leone, the country to which Taylor is accused of exporting his own civil war.
Taylor, the first former African president to be charged with crimes against humanity, has repeatedly declared his innocence and will be asked to enter a plea to 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including sexual slavery and mutilation.
