Probers hit DOH findings on killer milk tea

MANILA - Investigators of the Manila Police District (MPD) yesterday criticized the Department of Health as ''irresponsible'' for going public with an initial report that stated that the milk tea that killed two people tested negative for four toxins.

A source, who asked for anonymity, said MPD investigators were surprised that the DOH held a press conference to apparently put an end to their investigation, when autopsy results clearly showed that ErgoCha teahouse owner William Abrigo and customer Suzaine Dagohoy died after ingesting toxic substances.

“They know they only have initial results in such a sensitive case, but they wanted to look good before the press. Someone died. We should be more sensitive,” the source said.

Dagohoy’s family, according to the source, went to the MPD and said they are losing hope to get justice for her death because of what the DOH did.

“What are they trying to do? Convince the public that there was no foul play here? That the investigation is over?” the source added.

What the MPD investigators could not understand is why the DOH, led by Secretary Janette Garin, held a press conference first before talking to the police.

“They did not even give the MPD the results. In the first place, the police requested the examination,” the source said.

Autopsy reports conducted by two different government physicians show that “shock secondary to ingestion of toxic substance” was the “cause of death” for the two victims.

GARIN: CRIMINALIZE SALE OF SUBSTANCES WITH CYANIDE

Meanwhile, despite finding that the milk tea samples collected from the teahouse tested negative for cyanide, Garin urged legislators yesterday to criminalize the sale and dispensing of substances with cyanide.

She said there are alternatives to cyanide-based solutions, particularly those used for cleaning silver jewelry.

Garin urged the public to be aware of the initial signs and symptoms of poisoning such as vomiting, diarrhea, muscle weakness and loss of consciousness.

“If you smell or taste something unusual in your food or drinks, don’t eat or drink it anymore. If ingested, spit it out,” she said. – Aie Balagtas See, Sheila Crisostomo

Read more on The Philippine Star

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Britain pardons gay 'father of computing' Alan Turing

LONDON - Britain on Tuesday granted a posthumous pardon to Alan Turing, the World War II code-breaking hero who committed suicide after he was convicted of the then crime of homosexuality.

Turing is often hailed as a father of modern computing and he played a pivotal role in breaking Germany's "Enigma" code, an effort that some historians say brought an early end to World War II.

He died in 1954 after eating an apple laced with cyanide, two years after he was sentenced to chemical castration for the "gross indecency" of homosexuality. A coroner ruled that Turing committed suicide, though this has since been questioned.

Queen Elizabeth II has now pardoned Turing for "a sentence we would now consider unjust and discriminatory", justice minister Chris Grayling said.

Homosexuality was decriminalised in Britain in 1967.

"A pardon from the queen is a fitting tribute to an exceptional man," Grayling said.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the code-breaker's work had saved "countless lives".

"Alan Turing was a remarkable man who played a key role in saving this country in World War II by cracking the German Enigma code," Cameron said.

"He also left a remarkable national legacy through his substantial scientific achievements, often being referred to as the father of modern computing."

The Enigma code was used to encrypt communications between German U-boats in the North Atlantic ocean. Turing's efforts to break it were virtually unknown to the public at the time of his death, as his work was kept secret until 1974.

Turing also published pioneering work on early computers, writing in a 1936 paper of a "universal Turing machine".

Having told people he was trying to "build a brain", his theory was the first to consider feeding programmes into a machine as data, allowing a single machine to perform the functions of many -- just like today's computers.

He lost his job at Britain's electronic eavesdropping agency GCHQ after he was convicted and poisoned himself with cyanide at the age of 41.

A GCHQ spokesperson on Tuesday said the agency was "delighted about the pardon".

The pardon is a victory for supporters, including leading scientists such as Britain's Stephen Hawking, who have long campaigned to clear Turing's name.

Britain's prime minister in 2009, Gordon Brown, issued a posthumous apology to the code-breaker, saying he had been treated "terribly".

But the government rejected a call to grant an official pardon last year on the grounds that Turing was properly convicted of what was then a criminal offence.

More than 37,000 people signed an online petition last year calling for a pardon.

Pardons are usually only granted in Britain when the person is innocent of the offence and when it is requested by someone with a vested interest, such as a family member.

Turing's pardon is extremely rare in that it has been granted despite neither of these conditions being met.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com