Milestones

ARRESTED. Seventeen Canadian residents—12 men ages 19 to 43 and five juveniles—on terrorism charges in Toronto-area raids. Police seized three tons of the explosive fertilizer ammonium nitrate, allegedly intended for targets in southern Ontario.

SETTLED. By Wen Ho Lee, 66, U.S. nuclear scientist once suspected of, but never charged with, espionage; his suit against the U.S. government for allegedly violating his privacy by leaking reports that he was being investigated for spying for China; in Washington. The government will pay Lee $895,000 for legal fees and other costs. Separately, five news organizations agreed to pay Lee $750,000, ending proceedings against their reporters for not divulging sources.

DISMISSED. Vladimir Ustinov, 53, Russia’s long-serving chief prosecutor, by the upper house of parliament at the request of President Vladimir Putin; in Moscow. The Federation Council voted unanimously, bar two abstentions, to remove the man who led the prosecution of jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The Kremlin has offered little explanation, saying only that it was part of a personnel reshuffle. Ustinov’s is the latest in a spate of dismissals of high-level security and law-enforcement officials.

SENTENCED. Kim Woo Choong, 69, founder and former chairman of Daewoo who built the small textile exporter into South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate, then fled the country in 1999 as it collapsed under an estimated $80 billion in debt; to 10 years in jail for embezzlement and fraud; in Seoul. Kim, who returned to the country to stand trial last year, was also ordered to forfeit more than $22 billion—a sum far exceeding his net worth. He will not begin serving his sentence for 12 months because of heart problems. Kim’s lawyers say they plan to appeal the verdict.

DIED. Vince Welnick, 55, the last keyboardist for psychedelic-rock gurus the Grateful Dead; in Forestville, California. Formerly of the Tubes, he joined the Dead in 1990 and played with the group until it disbanded after lead guitarist Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995. Welnick, who suffered from depression, is the band’s fourth keyboardist to have died prematurely. Some fans believe the position was cursed.

DIED. Rocio Jurado, 61, flamboyant singer whose blend of flamenco, folk and romantic ballads earned her the mantle “Spain’s greatest”; in Madrid. Jurado recorded over 30 albums, five of which went platinum, and appeared in several films. Best known for the mesmerizing song Como una Ola (Like a Wave), she was also popular in Latin America and the U.S., where she performed at the White House for then President Ronald Reagan in 1985.

DIED. Shohei Imamura, 79, influential director of post-World War II Japan’s new wave, who told haunting, often surreal tales of prostitutes, pimps and working-class heroes; in Tokyo. Rejecting the idealized, selfless protagonists of classical Japanese film, he depicted resilient men and women who guard their dignity even amid brutal conditions. In 1983’s The Ballad of Narayama, one of two Imamura films to win the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, residents of a mythic 19th century village struggle with an edict requiring them to abandon their elders to die on a mountain. “I want to make messy, really human, unsettling films,” he said.

Numbers
9 MILLION Number of British men who downloaded pornographic images from the Internet last year
1.4 MILLION Number of British women who downloaded pornographic images, a 30% increase from 2004

60 YEARS Proposed retirement age in Niger, an increase from the current age of 55, in order to stem the loss of experienced workers in one of Africa’s poorest nations
42 YEARS Average life expectancy in Niger

54 Number of consecutive clay-court wins by Spanish ace Rafael Nadal after his opening-round victory at the French Open, breaking a record for men’s tennis held since 1977
125 Record for consecutive clay-court wins by any player in history, held by women’s tennis legend Chris Evert

$10.1 MILLION Record price paid at auction for a Ming dynasty vase purchased by Las Vegas gaming magnate Steve Wynn, who said he would donate it to a museum in Macau
$1.1 BILLION Cost of the casino Wynn is building in Macau

28% Proportion of Americans polled who believe the Bible is literally true, down from 38% in 1976
19% Proportion who see the Bible as an “ancient book of fables,” up from 13%