Sweeping Limits on Guns Become Law in New York

Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo at a bill-signing ceremony on Tuesday with, in foreground from left, Leah Gunn Barrett of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence; Senator Jeffrey D. Klein; Sheldon Silver, the Assembly speaker; and Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

By THOMAS KAPLAN

Published: January 15, 2013

 At schools in Pinellas County, Fla., students aren't paying for lunch with cash or a card, but with a wave of their hand over a palm scanner.

"It's so quick that a child could be standing in line, call mom and say, 'I forgot my lunch money today.' She's by her computer, runs her card, and by the time the child is at the front of the line, it's already recorded," says Art Dunham, director of food services for Pinellas County Schools.

Students take about four seconds to swipe and pay for lunch, Dunham says, and they're doing it with 99% accuracy.

"We just love it. No one wants to go back," Dunham says.

Palm-scanning technology is popping up nationwide as a bona fide biometric tracker of identities, and it appears poised to make the jump from schools and hospitals to other sectors of the economy including ATM usage and retail. It also has applications as a secure identifier for cloud computing.

Here's how it works: Using the same near-infrared technology that comes in a TV remote control or Nintendo Wii video game, the device takes a super high-resolution infrared photograph of the vein pattern just below a person's skin. That image, between 1.5 and 2.5 square inches, is recorded and digitized.

The PalmSecure device is made by document-scanning manufacturer Fujitsu. So far, no other company has a palm scanner on the market — though at least one other company is working on the technology.

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A Pakistani teen activist shot by the Taliban was moved to a military hospital in Rawalpindi Thursday in critical condition.

Malala Yousufzai, 14, was flown by helicopter from the military hospital in Peshawar to one in Rawalpindi.

The latter city houses the headquarters of the Pakistani military, three officials said. They did not want to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media about the matter.

Malala is in "critical" condition, said Lt. Col. Junaid Khan, the head of neurosurgery at the Peshawar hospital. A day before, surgeons removed a bullet lodged in her neck.

She is also suffering from severe edema, the doctor said.

Edema is the abnormal accumulation of fluid in part of the body that results in swelling. Doctors said late Wednesday that Malala's condition was "satisfactory."

Taliban gunmen shot teen activist

14-year-old activist wounded by Taliban

As she struggled to recover Thursday, the United Nations was marking International Day of the Girl, which is aimed at "highlighting, celebrating, discussing, and advancing girls lives and opportunities across the globe" -- goals that Malala risked her life to pursue.

Malala's uncle, Faiz Muhammad, said his niece hadn't been conscious or responsive since the surgery to remove the bullet more than 24 hours ago.

"Doctors say she needs 48-hours' rest," he said.

Muhammad, who is in the hospital with Malala, said the family was "very worried" about her condition.

Opinion: Cowards shot this brave girl

"We are counting on all the prayers of the nation," he said. "The prayers are with us, so, God willing, everything is going to be fine."

An angry chorus of voices in social media, on the street, in newspapers and over the airwaves decried the attack against Malala as cowardly and an example of a government unable to cope with militants.

On Tuesday, Taliban militants stopped a van carrying three girls, including Malala, on their way home from school in northwestern Pakistan's conservative Swat Valley.

One of the gunmen asked which one was Malala Yousufzai. When the girls pointed her out, the men opened fire. The bullets struck all three girls.

The injuries from the shooting were not life-threatening for the two other girls. But the attack put Malala in intensive care.

On Wednesday, police took the van driver and the school guard into custody for questioning. They also said they'd identified the culprits.

Meanwhile, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and vowed to kill her if she survives. The group defended its attack against the girl on religious grounds.

Anyone who "campaigns against Islam and Shariah (Muslim law) is ordered to be killed by Shariah," the group said in a statement Thursday.

The group cites precedents for taking such action against children and women.

"It's a clear command of Shariah that any female that by any means plays a role in war against mujahedeen, should be killed," the Taliban said.

Opinion: Make schools safe for girls everywhere

Malala "was playing a vital role in bucking up" the Pakistani government and was "inviting Muslims to hate mujahedeen."

"If anyone thinks that Malala is targeted because of education, that's absolutely wrong, and a propaganda of media, Malala is targeted because of her pioneer role in preaching secularism and so-called enlightened moderation," the group said.

Pakistan's picturesque Swat Valley was once one of the nation's biggest tourist destinations.

The valley, near the Afghanistan border and 186 miles (300 kilometers) from the capital city of Islamabad, boasted the country's only ski resort. It was a draw for trout-fishing enthusiasts and visitors to the ancient Buddhist ruins in the area. But that was before militants -- their faces covered with dark turbans -- unleashed a wave of violence.

They demanded veils for women, beards for men and a ban on music and television. They allowed boys' schools to operate but closed those for girls.

International Day of the Girl: Advice from leading women

It was in this climate that Malala reached out to the outside world through her blog posts.

She took a stand by writing about her daily battle with extremist militants who used fear and intimidation to force girls to stay at home.

Malala's online writing led to her being awarded Pakistan's first National Peace Prize in November.

The Taliban controlled Malala's valley for years until 2009, when the military cleared it in an operation that also evacuated thousands of families.

But pockets remain, and violence is never far behind.

"I have the right of education," Malala said in a CNN interview last year. "I have the right to play. I have the right to sing. I have the right to talk. I have the right to go to market. I have the right to speak up."

Malala also encouraged other young people to take a stand against the Taliban -- and to not hide in their bedrooms. "God will ask you on the day of judgment where were you when your people were asking you, when your school fellows were asking you, and when your school was asking you that I am being blown up?"

Read more: 14-year-old girl wins Pakistan's first peace prize

Mian Iftikhar Hussein, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa information minister, said he was declaring a bounty of $100,000 for the capture of the culprits in the attempt on Malala's life.

The attack was criticized by governments around the globe.

"Directing violence at children is barbaric, it's cowardly and our hearts go out to her and the others who were wounded as well as their families," Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, said Wednesday.

The U.S. government has offered to "provide air ambulance and medical treatment at a facility suitable for her condition if it becomes necessary," he said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the act "heinous and cowardly" on Wednesday and said the attackers must be brought to justice.

"The secretary-general, like many around the world, has been deeply moved by Malala Yousufzai's courageous efforts to promote the fundamental right to education -- enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," a representative for Ban said.

iReport assignment: Girls + Education = ...

Setback for Pakistani teen facing blasphemy charges

Explainer: Pakistan's blasphemy laws

Pakistan's top court investigates use of girls to settle tribal dispute

Even this tolerant town has its limits.

You simply do not invite Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a pure evil crackpot Holocaust denier who wants to see Israel obliterated from planet Earth, to the United Nations on Yom Kippur, a Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

This is not just an affront to the Jews.

This is a spit in the face to all the tolerant people of this big-hearted city that plays host to the United Nations because no other city on the planet has a citizenry patient and worldwise enough to put up with the theater of the absurd that usually plays out there.

We put up with the United Nations because we are the capital of the world.

But even New York has to stop and shout that inviting Ahmadinejad to the UN on Yom Kippur explodes the envelope.

This is a vile, disgusting, detestable publicity stunt.

Inviting Ahmadinejad to the UN on Yom Kippur is a treacherous piece of stagecraft designed to promote hate for a particular people who helped make this city great — a meanspirited gimmick that desecrates the memory of 6 million murdered Jews with the histrionic antics of the world’s best-known anti-Semite on the holiest day of the Jewish year.

For shame.

The United Nations, created as a body to promote world peace, has gone out of its way to create disharmony and division by inviting Ahmadinejad, who will inject more venom into the bloodstream of the world on American shores during a presidential campaign, hoping to poison even the forgiving spirit of Yom Kippur.

This is a purely hostile political act.

The best way to deal with this hateful publicity stunt would be, of course, to ignore this monster. It would be perfect justice if all the editors in this media capital simply spiked all stories about this repulsive creep at this miserable event. It would be a perfect antidote if we aired no TV news footage and rendered what’s his face insignificant.

But that’s not gonna happen.

Ahmadinejad has a loud and unforgiving voice in Iran, which is the latest hot-button country in the Middle East, the country that Israel sees as its greatest threat, the nation that both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have drawn a nuclear red line in front of in the sand.

Ahmadinejad, a megalomaniacal tyrant, loves being the center of attention, and what better way to grab the world spotlight than to spread hate about the Jews in the UN on Yom Kippur?

This cheap, evil gimmick will get global media saturation, showing this twisted little man grinning on the world stage, spreading his invective like a global flu.

The United Nations loses what little credibility it had left with this latest affront to human decency.

Even New York, the most tolerant city in the world, has its limits.

It is also a slap in the face to this great city that Ahmadinejad has been invited to speak at the UN on Yom Kippur.

If the UN has a shred of guts or decency left, it will postpone his address. If it doesn’t, we might consider an eviction notice.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ahmadinejad-yom-kippur-speech-outrage-new-york-city-article-1.1167560#ixzz27UYKblvn