Mayor: From Timbuktu to Here

--This is a story about a place you probably don’t think exists and about a man who spends a lot of time convincing people that it does. His name is Abbas Fouad Abdel Kader, mayor of Timbuktu, located in central Mali. Kader was in New York on Monday as part of a U.S. tour to inform Americans about the problems of drought and famine in his West African country. “All of them seemed to be surprised that this is a real city, and they can see, touch and smell someone who really comes from that place,” Kader said of the Americans he has met. Kader, speaking at the Manhattan headquarters of CARE, said he expected surprises when he came here, but he said that he never suspected that his home was the end of the old phrase “from here to Timbuktu.” But Kader warned that his city and surrounding areas, where thousands continue to starve, could become mythical places lost in the dust of the encroaching Sahara.

--”We’re trying to show that just because you’re disabled it doesn’t mean you can’t reach your goals--you can,” said Canadian athlete Rick Hansen, who is on a wheelchair trip around the world. Hansen, 28, whose spine was severed in a 1973 auto accident, left his home in Vancouver on March 21, 1985, and has wheeled through more than 30 countries, seeking to inspire disabled people and raise money for rehabilitation research. He wheeled into New York on Monday, with 7,690 miles to go on his 24,901-mile route. New York Mayor Edward I. Koch greeted Hansen at City Hall, saying: “Just simply by giving so much attention to the project you have created a greater consciousness.” Hansen, who said he has been plagued by back and neck pain and tendinitis in his wrists, arms and shoulders, said: “There’s only one thing I’ve got to think about--the full commitment of my whole life. As long as I can pick my arms up and put them down again, I’ll keep going.” So far, he has raised $250,000.

--Britain’s royalty reclaimed its day in the sun Monday as Queen Mother Elizabeth celebrated her 86th birthday. The “Queen Mum” appeared with members of her family outside Clarence House, her official residence near Buckingham Palace, to greet the thousands of well-wishers. The newlyweds, the Duke and Duchess of York, were cheered as they appeared by her side, along with her daughters Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret and the Prince and Princess of Wales. Earlier, the Queen Mother was serenaded by the pipe and drum band of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guard, which appropriately played “Happy Birthday.”