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Article 1: Reports yesterday indicated Russian President Vladimir Putin views the arrival of US troops in Poland as "a threat".
US troops and tanks in Poland in 2015, as part of an earlier deployment under Sgt. Christina Dion (
Earlier this week around a quarter of 4,000 troops earmarked for Poland crossed into Poland from Germany. Also included were trucks, tanks, and Żagań, where Polish Prime Minister Antoni Macierewicz are scheduled to ceremonially welcome them tomorrow.
Part of M1 Abrams|Abrams tanks, M109 howitzer|Paladin artillery. It is the largest deployment of US troops to Europe since the ended. The presence of US assets "threatens our interests and our security," according to Putin. "It's a third country that is building up its military presence on our borders in Europe," he told the BBC. "It isn't even a European country."
Outgoing US President Barack Obama authorised the move in response to Russian intervention in Ukraine in 2014, in which Warsaw last year. Tomasz Szatkowski, Polish Undersecretary of State for Defence, noted "large exercises" by Russia near the Polish border as another reason the troops were needed.
Szatkowski also mentioned Russian action in Ukraine, which he called "aggressive actions in our vicinity". Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Mechkov, however, said the incoming troops and vehicles were a "factor destabilising European security". Russian Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov echoed Putin, saying the troops are "a threat. These actions threaten our interests, our security. Especially as it concerns a third party building up its military presence near our borders. It's the US, not even a European state."
Ties between Russia and the US are strained. Last month the US expelled 35 Russian diplomats accused of espionage, and sanctioned Russian intelligence agencies. This was in response to a CIA report issued two weeks earlier that concluded the Russian government hacked servers belonging to the U.S. Republican and Democratic parties. The CIA report said this was to turn the 2016 presidential election toward president-elect Donald Trump.
Since Szydło took office in 2015, Poland has also suffered a decline in relations with Russia. Within a week of the Law and Justice Party coming to power in Poland, it removed web pages featuring the results of an investigation into the Smolensk air disaster in Russia in 2010. The cause of the crash, which killed dignitaries including Polish President , is disputed.
A Polish probe concluded the Polish pilots put safety second in their determination to get their passengers through dense fog. It also placed blame on Russian controllers for failing to divert the aircraft. Russian investigators blamed the pilots alone. The flight was carrying high-profile political figures to attend a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union|Soviets.
Russia has refused to return wreckage, encouraging conspiracy theories about the crash. In 2015 Szydło said in response to the vanishing investigatory findings "the website has been closed and will simply remain closed."
In recent months tension has mounted further as Russia deployed missiles to nuclear-capable Article 2: captured exclusive media of a September 14 talk delivered by Russian traveller and author Viktor Pinchuk on his manual Hobo Tourism, published on English and Russian Wikibooks.
Pinchuk spoke at the 2022 Literary Festival hosted by the Crimean Republican Universal Scientific Library in Ivan Franko|I. Y. Franko. The hour-long lecture, delivered in English and Russian, addressed the advice and information given in the manual, including on overnight accommodation, self-sufficiency and Pinchuk's experience travelling.
The lecture included a question and answer session and exclusive anecdotes, such as his deportation from Fiji.
'Hobo tourism' is similar to Western-style backpacking whereby one "forgets about comfort and is prepared for a few months of the difficult, sometimes exhausting life of a vagrant". Pinchuk's own experiences chronicled in the book include an overnight imprisonment by Afghan authorities and contracting whilst in Malaysia.
Бомж-туризм (афиша).jpg|Flyer advertising the talk.
Hobo tourism textbook presentation (4).jpg|Attendees seated.
Hobo tourism textbook presentation (3).jpg|Pinuchuk answering a question.
Диплом (КрымБукФест 2022).jpg|Certification of attendance.
Hobo tourism textbook presentation (5).jpg|Pinuchuk speaking.
Hobo tourism textbook presentation (2).jpg|Pinuchuk speaking. | 1 |
Article 1: Negotiations about the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula may be resumed soon. Talks which had included China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Northern Korea, the Republic of Korea (ROK) in South Korea, the United States, Russia and Japan broke down last November when USA took sanctions against the DPRK alleging that it had engaged in money laundering.
The DPRK alarmed the world and provoked international denunciation by conducting an underground nuclear test on October 8, 2006. Since then the DPRK has indicated its willingness to resume talks on nuclear disarmament, but no date has yet been fixed for a formal meeting.
Kenichiro Sasae, head of Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau has arrived in Beijing to meet Wu Dawei, vice foreign minister of China
The DPRK's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, may also visit Beijing shortly. Article 2: Combat match at RoboGames 2008
The 6th annual RoboGames, a robot competition that takes place in the United States, was held this month with 403 robots from 18 different parts of the globe competing in the categories of combat, sumo, robo-one/androids, open, hockey, art bots and junior league.
This year's medals went to the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Brazil, India, Canada, Indonesia, South Korea and Russia (see table below). Other participants were Australia, Austria, Colombia, Egypt, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Peru and Taiwan.
'RoboGames 2009'
Flag
Country
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
40px
United States
31
30
24
'85'
40px
Mexico
2
3
4
'9'
40px
United Kingdom
6
2
0
'8'
40px
Brazil
2
3
2
'7'
40px
India
0
1
2
'3'
40px
Canada
1
0
1
'2'
40px
Indonesia
1
0
0
'1'
40px
South Korea
1
0
0
'1'
40px
Russia
1
0
0
'1'
Although the host country carried off most of the medals, visiting countries stood out at some events, like Mexico at 1 lb autonomous combat, 500 g autonomous sumo, 100 g autonomous sumo and autonomous line follower, Brazil at 3kg sumo (both autonomous and radio-controlled), and the United Kingdom in the "best of show" and "walker challenge" modalities.
"Taking part gave us the opportunity to test our knowledge against students from other nations, and proved that we are at the same level or better than other students from famous schools", said Mexico's National Polytechnic Institute student Erick Rodríguez who, along with his fellow team member Rogelio Baeza, took gold in the autonomous line follower event.
RoboGames, previously ROBOlympics, holds the Guinness Record for “world’s largest robot competition”. It was founded in 2004 by David Calkins to help robot builders exchange ideas and learn from each other. | 1 |
Article 1: New Zealand politician and head of the United Future party, Peter Dunne, has defended the group of 12 girls from St Margaret's College who attempted to do an "undie run" through Christ's College. Both schools are located in Christchurch, New Zealand.
According to newspaper, The Press, the 12 year 13 (seventh form) girls were stopped by staff who worked for Christ's College when they arrived at the school in their underwear.
It has been reported that the girls' punishment is to banned from the Leavers Dinner that takes place at the end of the year. Dunne replied to this report by saying: "Let’s put this into perspective. It's simply end of year hijinks. There is no malice involved and in comparison with other activities that teenagers get themselves into, this really is at the low end of the spectrum. I agree that schools need to be vigilant especially as the end of year approaches, however I think they may have gone a little over the top in punishing students for what is traditionally a harmless bit of fun."
Dunne said: "The tradition of undie runs at Christchurch high schools has been going on for many years in good spirits. Such heavy-handedness is political correctness gone mad. It is traditional for Christchurch schools to get up to such antics at this time of year. While the public expects a certain standard of behaviour I would doubt if many people would be offended by such an event as occurred on Monday."
It is said by a person that works for Mr. Dunne that he may have participated in the "undie runs" when he was a teenager.
Simon Leese, principal of Christ's College, said: "Underwear runs were a dangerous practice."
Claudia Wysocki, executive principal of St Margaret's College, did not comment as it is private and only concerns the girls involved, their parents and the school.
Dunne said: "Kids will be kids; if we are unnecessarily pedantic they will inevitably be compelled to rebel in more destructive ways." Article 2: The exit polls of yesterday's snap parliamentary elections in Austria showed the centre-right | 0 |
Article 1: Pope Benedict will be visiting Turkey, a predominantly Muslim nation, for four days starting on November 28.
Some, organized by an Islamist party, protested the visit in the streets after hearing of the Pope's trip. Security concerns are on the rise as the protests progress.
Benedict will arrive in Christianity between the Vatican and Orthodox churches. Benedict also plans to meet with political and religious leaders in Ankara.
Police are taking full measures to ensure the Pope is safe during his trip.
es:Benedicto XVI visita Turquía en medio de protestas por su presencia
fr:Turquie : manifestations contre la visite du pape Benoît XVI
Papa Bento XVI visita a Turquia em meio a protestos Article 2: Photo-collage from the '88—'94 Nicholas Babaian, Oleg Litvin, Jalpeyrie, Marshall Bagramyan
Following repatriation of convicted Azeri axe-murderer Azerbaijan subsequently pardoned, announced it is "ready for war".
The declaration is in-response to Safarov's pardon and promotion, despite the Azeri officer having been given a life sentence — with a minimum jail term of 30 years, by Hungarian authorities in 2006. Safarov was found guilty of the 2004 murder of Armenian officer Budapest, when both Safarov and Margaryan were attending a Nagorno-Karabakh War and being mocked by Margaryan and another Armenian.
On his return home, Safarov was met with a hero's welcome, given a pardon by president , promoted to the rank of major, awarded eight-years of back-pay and given a house. Armenia sees these acts, when it was expected that Safarov would serve out his prison term in Azerbaijan, as highly provocative.
Armenian President declared: "We don't want a war, but if we have to, we will fight and win. We are not afraid of killers, even if they enjoy the protection of the head of state" .
Historically both Armenia and Azerbaijan lay claim to some of the same territories, an issue complicated by the intermingling of ethnic populations so some areas have no clearly demarcated Azeri and Armenian border; these potential sources of conflict remained quiescent whilst both nations were subsumed by greater powers. However, the collapse of the Ottoman and Russian Empires in the wake of the First World War led to the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, fighting broke out which only ended when the two nations were annexed by the expanding .
With the USSR's collapse, Armenia and Azerbaijan re-emerged as independent states — as-did old rivalries over territory. Between 1988 and 1994 over thirty thousand people died, and a million were displaced in bitter ethnic fighting between Armenians and Azeris over the enclave of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe brokered ceasefire, no final armistice has been signed and intermittent violence between them the two states continues. Nagorno-Karabakh remains legally part of Azerbaijan, but under effective Armenian control. On multiple occasions president Ilham Aliyev has stated his willingness to resort to force in order to assert Azeri rule, with oil wealth tipping any local arms race in favour of Azerbaijan.
On Friday, The National Security Council of Armenia decided to break ties with Hungary during an emergency summit, describing the Hungarian actions as a "grave mistake". In turn, the Azeri ambassador was summoned by Hungary on Monday regarding the breach of Azeri assurances that Safarov would serve out the remainder of his sentence in Azerbaijan. | 1 |
Article 1: Mir Hossein Mousavi (right). Unconfirmed reports say that at least one person has been shot and killed, and several others were seriously wounded, during a rally against the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in Azadi Square, Tehran, Iran. Reports say that pro-government militia opened fire on protesters after they attempted to storm a Revolutionary Guard compound.
The defeated candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, appeared at the rally and addressed the crowd earlier in the day, in contravention of a ban. In the past few days there have been reports of violence and rioting, with many people arrested. Article 2: Romani population average estimate - the size of the wheel represents the average estimate of Roma population in that country.
Romani people in Lviv Ukraine.
Rallies against the Roma ethnic minority in eight Czech Republic cities Saturday have resulted in 75 to 100 far-right activists being detained.
Violent clashes occurred between police and the demonstrators, some of who threw stones at the police forces. The largest rally occurred in the city of where between 600 and 800 protestors attacked the police and at least 60 were detained. Seven other cities, including Prague, saw similar protests.
Amnesty International confirmed that the demonstrations had been planned in advance and warned the Czech Republic government earlier this month.
“We have seen a deeply worrying trend over the past year with entrenched discrimination against Roma reaching new heights. This is a fundamental issue that the Czech authorities can’t ignore,” Amnesty International’s John Dalhuisen said.
There are between 250,000 and 300,000 Roma people within the Czech Republic. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights conducted a poll in 2011 that found over 80 per cent of the Roma people surveyed had been subject to discrimination in the past year.
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Article 1: Ministers in Australia's federal government have lost the power to veto laws in the nation's two mainland territories after legislation passed the national parliament. The legislation requires for both chambers of the parliament to strike down laws made in the Northern Territory (NT) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) parliaments.
Previously government ministers could veto laws unilaterally. "What that means is that it is no longer the case that the minister can step in with the stroke of a pen and dismiss territory laws as we've seen many instances before," Greens MP said.
The legislation is the first piece of -proposed federal legislation to be signed into law. Greens leader Senator Bob Brown said "this is a very important milestone for democracy in the territories," he said.
ACT Chief Minister welcomed the law change, saying that while the ACT government would continue to call for a joint territory-federal review into the self-government legislation, there was no need for a delay to "sensible" veto law changes. "We've never felt that overturning the laws of a democratically elected government at the swipe of a pen was a fair situation."
The opposition attempted to change the legislation to prevent the legalisation of same-sex marriages in the territories, but Government frontbencher Craig Emerson told parliament that federal marriage laws made the amendment unnecessary.
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* Article 2: South Gippsland Shire Council wards.
Since June 2019, the people of , located at the southernmost tip of Australia, have been without a local council, after a state government inquiry found "high levels of tension" within the council. Administrators were appointed by the Victorian state government in July 2019, who have governed the shire since then. However, South Gippsland's council is scheduled to be restored with an election to be held via post from October 5-22, 2021.
Wikinews interviewed one of the candidates standing in this election, Sue Plowright. She is an independent contesting the Coastal-Promontory ward, which covers towns such as Venus Bay, Waratah Bay, Yanakie, Foster, Port Welshpool, and Toora. The Coastal-Promontory Ward elects three councillors to the South Gippsland Shire Council.
I have four initial priorities to achieve in the three years the new Council will serve. The first is to contribute my ethical governance skills and knowledge to build a trusted and dynamic Council that is widely recognised for applying due process and being diligently accountable. South Gippslanders deserve a Council that acts with dignity and respect for the people and democratic processes. Achieving widespread recognition for very good governance practices, will, among other gains, enable Council to better attract funding, public, private and philanthropic, to resource opportunities such as community power projects, widespread shifts to regenerative farming, ensuring tourism is sustainable and sustainably supported and adequate community services care for the people of the Shire.
Secondly, turning climate change into exciting opportunities rather than a divisive issue is a key goal I want to achieve. At a minimum, all councils have a legal obligation to tackle climate change as per the Local Government Act 2020, but the situation is urgent and so minimal responses are not enough but organisations like Landcare are a great role model - they’ve been working bit by bit for example to fence off and revegetate rivers flowing into for 20 years or more through providing information, incentives and value adding for farmers and landowners.
A beach in Sandy Point.
The leadership of a switched on and dedicated Council can play a similar role, by connecting and enhancing all the small projects and initiatives that locals are already doing like the shared power project at Sandy Point. As a first action therefore, I will support a declaration of a climate emergency, accompanied by development of a community-led action plan that is then resourced in subsequent budgets, strategic plans and works to support and increase individuals and community initiatives.
My third priority is support for a full time youth officer/coordinator position in Council in order to facilitate a strong network of young people, services and volunteers to create spaces and events for young people, because I see shires like nearby Wellington Shire providing so many more opportunities. And fourthly, I’m working with a group we’re calling Mayday Projects to better utilise existing properties in the area to help alleviate the affordable housing emergency that we, along with many regional areas, are facing. I provide more detail about these two projects in question 6.
In summary, there are of course so many aspects to life in South Gippsland councillors will need to consider and address, thus a councillor’s approach to decision making is important. My own golden rules are to seek out diverse perspectives though listening and talking to a wide range of community members and experts; thoroughly prepare for meetings through diligently reading briefings, research reports and doing my own research; being prepared to consider new possibilities; and work to enhance existing initiatives and good will by making connections.
'Do you think the two-year period that South Gippsland Shire has been governed by administrators since its 2019 sacking has been too long, and why/why not?'
From my position as a new observer of the Council when I moved to live full time in Toora in 2016, it became clear by 2019 that a circuit breaker was required. In the end, with so many resignations and countbacks the Council make up no longer reflected the choices of the people at the 2016 election, while acrimony and dysfunction appeared to overshadow any initiatives that were achieved. I think democratic elections are always a priority over any other model or arrangement of governance and so I do think elections in 2020 along with the majority of Councils in Victoria would have been desirable. However, the two years has given South Gippslanders time to rethink and reinvigorate how we do democracy and I lend my support to this important cause through standing myself and encouraging diverse others to do so also.
', which takes up the majority of Coastal-Promontory ward's land area, attracts a significant amount of tourists on a yearly basis. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the current lockdown, there has been a large impact on local businesses. What do you think needs to be done to help business recover?'
Tidal River in Wilsons Promontory National Park.
Businesses facing the COVID pandemic are like a batsman/woman facing an incoming bouncer in cricket. Some have been able to put bat to ball and belt out a six and are thriving in the new circumstances, while for others the ball has bounced awkwardly. I'm a sole trader, having started my own educational consultancy practice in mid-2019. By the end of that year I was getting excited about what I could achieve with some interesting work in schools coming my way. But just when I was about to get cracking after the summer holidays in Term 1 2020, the first COVID lockdown hit, and the rest as they say, is history. I was not in a position to 'pivot' online as I did not yet have the recognition and networks required to shift from face to face professional development delivery to online.
It was demoralising but I’m not alone, many businesses relying on tourism for example have copped a difficult bouncer too. Business recovery strategies will therefore necessarily need to be diverse and targeted, because one size will not fit all. Some might benefit from working through a reinventing process where they’re supported through mentoring or education strategies such as a Deloittes COVID-19 recovery workbook that suggests business owners reflect, restart and revitalise. Some might benefit from re-establishment or revitalisation of traders associations and Chambers of Commerce where the focus is on a whole-of-town or district strategy. Others might benefit from provision of training and retraining opportunities, which might require lobbying TAFE providers and state government to provide appropriate courses. Multiple efforts and strategies will be required to recover, reinvent and revitalise adversely impacted businesses.
'What changes and reforms would you like to see in regards to environmental protection?'
There are so many issues around environmental protection that both need to be tackled and can also offer opportunities for farmers, communities, individuals and the beautiful South Gippsland environment. Environmental protection is a delicate balance between carrot and stick approaches. As an educator, I favour the first approach but of course regulations and legislation with ‘teeth’ are also required. In relation to the carrot approach though, one of the reforms required is to address the short term nature, and very often narrow focus, of funding for environmental projects.
A farm in
Many are funded for a year or two but it takes a tree much longer to grow than that and much longer to eradicate weeds and pest animals such as rabbits. Individuals and organisations end up spending hours hunting for funding sources and writing detailed and exacting submissions with no guarantee of a result. Then reporting and aquittal requirements don’t always respond to circumstances - such as COVID lockdowns. A whole of government and systematic review of how projects are identified, supported and funded to recognise the long term nature of environmental protection projects is required, and a dynamic Council can play a role in achieving that.
'What do you think qualifies you to be a local councillor?'
Councils are often associated with rates, roads and rubbish. Education is often said to be the three r’s of reading, (w)riting, and ‘rithmetic. So as an educator who wants to be elected to Council, I propose I have three qualifications for being a councillor: experience, expertise, and energy.
In terms of experience, I have 35+ years experience as a manager, leader, educator and administrator in a wide range of organisations, including a Shire Council as a Social Planner where I started a Youth Council and a Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group. I’ve been a senior project officer in the Victorian Department of Human Services, as it was called when I was there and managed a large team in a faculty of education in a large Victorian university.
Corner Inlet in 2017.
In terms of expertise, I have a PhD in democracy, governance and education that adds extensive and in-depth knowledge to my experiences, that I think is very important for a new Council starting afresh after administrators. I also bring energy and commitment to community as demonstrated by my involvement and leadership in many community service activities. For example I co-founded and still run Corner Inlet Youth Council and co-founded and help run Mayday Projects, a group that works on practical projects and advocacy at levels of government to increase women’s safety.
'In your local community, are there any specific projects you'd like to highlight and advocate for?'
I have two particular projects to highlight and advocate for, among many. The first is opportunities for young people. South Gippsland Shire Council doesn’t have a dedicated youth officer or coordinator and I have joined with others to previously submit that a full time position be created through the latest Council budget consultation process.
We were unsuccessful but young people need to be a high priority, always, but never more so given the COVID lockdowns, which is severely restricting their opportunities to develop socially and emotionally and just have the fun that young people should have. As soon as we can, we as a society and community need to make quick opportunities for our young folk to catch up on all the fun they’re missing out on. There are several mental health support and education strategies in place which is important, but so is having a good time.
A second project is finding a practical model for fixing and kitting out some of the empty properties around small towns and on farms etc. There is a housing affordability and availability emergency in many regional areas, including South Gippsland. SGSC is developing proposals to the State Government’s Big Build initiative and I fully support that. In the meantime as a founding member of Mayday Projects smaller, targeted and tailored projects to the needs of particular people and families and landlords could also make an impact through the cumulative effect of multiple small projects. This could also reduce the environmental impact that large new developments tend to create unless very carefully designed.
'During the COVID-19 lockdown, how have you reached out to local voters?'
I began campaigning just before the latest regional Victoria lockdown. Restrictions were in place so I was busy having lots of coffee catch ups in cafes around Coastal Promontory Ward and indeed around the shire. I was also having a crash course in social media, which is just as well given this current lockdown looks like it might last for much, if not all, of the campaign.
Closed cafe in Westfield Woden in April 2020.jpg|thumb|left|A closed cafe in Canberra during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I have a campaign website and Facebook page and am slowly building up followers, but I do struggle as usually my daughters would help me but they’re in Melbourne and very busy with home schooling, study, etc etc and I don’t want to add more work to their to do lists. I’m increasing the number of local groups I follow on Facebook, which helps me learn what’s happening and what people are talking about.
I’m running open Zoom meet and greets on Mondays at 12 noon and 8pm. In addition, I’m arranging many Zoom meet and greets with groups of friends, neighbours, interest groups, community groups, organisations, businesses etc. to hear a diverse range of ideas, wish lists and concerns. I have freely provided my phone number to anyone and everyone and a few people are taking the opportunity to call me, as well as contact me via my website and Facebook page.
'Have you ever run for a political office prior to your current candidacy for council?'
I have run for political office twice prior to my current candidacy for Coastal Promontory Ward in the South Gippsland Shire Council elections of 2021. In 2008 I ran for Sandridge Ward of 2010 I ran for the | 1 |
Article 1: left
London, England — Thursday, Wikinews spoke with Claire Harvey, the captain of Great Britain's Sitting Volleyball Team after her team's loss to Japan.
You guys played a great game. The level of the play was just fantastic and all around you.
::'Claire Harvey:' Thank you.
So you're Claire Harvey...
::'Claire Harvey:' Yes.
... and you're the captain.
::'Claire Harvey:' Yes. Yeah. That's right.
Are you guys planning to qualify for Rio?
::'Claire Harvey:' Absolutely! This was always about... we were always going to be the underdogs. We're the only team that weren't in Beijing. Most of us didn't start playing volleyball until 2009, so this was always going to be a very, very tough competition for us. We used the home slot. We earned it absolutely but we very much used it knowing that this was going to be a very tough competition but it's about gaining experience in this sort of arena that you don't get in any other arena, to take us forward into Rio.
Were you really happy with the level of government support?
::'Claire Harvey:' Yes, absolutely! Volleyball England, the VPI, Paralympics GB, have been amazing in supporting us and getting us as a group of people who'd never played volleyball before to where we are now in two and a half years.
Good news I guess is that you came out of the closet. Do you think you'll be an inspiration for other people with disabilities from that community to take up the sport?
::'Claire Harvey:' I hope. I mean, I guess. To me it's not been big news. I've never been in the closet. I need everything that I am to take me on that court as best I can and that's part of me, so it's quite a shock to me when it became big news because to me its just a part of everyday life. I'd like to think I'm an athlete first, and if being gay is part of that, and gives young people some inspiration then all well and good.
Thank you very much.
::'Claire Harvey:' You're welcome. Article 2: Kagman High School.JPG|thumb|left|Abasaa
Governor of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands today ordered all schools and colleges on the islands to close for the next ten days, aiming to "mitigate against community spread" after three cases of COVID-19 were recorded yesterday; at least two were linked to middle schools in the capital Saipan.
In a statement, Torres promised that "We have the tools in place to contain this", adding, "I want to personally assure the educational community, staff, parents, families, and students that we will do everything as a government to protect the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands as we have successfully done throughout the course of the pandemic".
The Public School System of the Northern Mariana Islands has stated the two cases have been linked with the Chacha Oceanview and Francisco M. Sablan middle schools on Saipan. No information has yet been released on the third case's origin.
The Northern Mariana Islands have previously been free of community transmission of COVID-19 for over 200 days. Including the three new cases, a total of 294 COVID-19 infections have been recorded in the Northern Marianas since March 2020.
hu:incubator:Wn/hu/Az Északi-Mariana-szigetek kormányzója tíz napra bezáratta az iskolákat három új COVID-19-es eset miatt | 0 |
Article 1: At least nine people have been reported killed in a serious collision incident between two metro trains in Washington, D.C., United States.
The collision which occurred on the Red Line between Fort Totten and Takoma Park stations of the city's Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority during the early evening (1700 local time) is also reported to have injured a number of other passengers. The fatalities include the operator of one of the trains. At 7:58 pm local time, two more fatalities were confirmed, resulting in a total of six deaths.
File photo of a Red Line metro train.
In a statement to media, Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty was quoted as saying "With the four confirmed fatalities, it is my preliminary understanding that this would be then the deadliest accident in the history of our Metro train transit system," at a news conference following the incident.
The Metro's general Manager John Catoe was also quoted as saying "We are extremely saddened that there are fatalities as a result of this accident, which has touched our Metro family. We hope to have more details about the casualties later today. Our safety officials are investigating, and will continue to investigate until we determine why this happened and what must be done to ensure it never happens again,"
The cause of the collision incident is still unclear, although it has been suggested by some sources that a derailment or head on collision may have led to the incident.
es:Accidente de trenes en Washington deja nueve muertos
fr:États-Unis : 9 morts dans un accident de métro à Washington
Dois trens se chocam em Washington Article 2: During his visit to the Middle East, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper stated Monday his country will provide the (PA) with C$66 million in assistance. Harper's visit, expected to last four days, includes meetings in Israel as well as with the PA.
File photo of Stephen Harper in 2010.
The Harper goverment says Canada, since 1993 when the Palestinian Authority was established, has given the PA assistance worth C$650 million; and the current assistance aims to support the Palestinian peace process, security, and humanitarian aid.
Harper's visit included a view of from the top of the Church of the Nativity in . In his visit to Israel, Harper met with the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, and became the first Canadian Prime Minister to give a speech at the Israeli parliament. Also, he met with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, in Ramallah. During the meeting Harper announced providing the assistance.
At a joint press conference with Mahmoud Abbas, Harper said his position isn't Israeli or Palestinian but Canadian, and added he won't criticize Israel during his first visit to the Middle East.
However, Dr. Fatah's foreign relations commissioner, member of the Political Committee, and former PA foreign minister — criticized the visit and the policy which Harper leads with his attitude towards Palestine in an article for the Canadian newspaper UN bid have taken Canada outside of international consensus, making Canada part of the problem rather than part of the solution."
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Article 1: Terri Schiavo's father made a last-minute appeal to have his daughter's feeding tube reinserted Friday.
"Terri is weakening. She's down to her last hours," said Bob Schindler, Schiavo's father. "Something has to be done and done quick."
Bob Schindler and his wife Mary filed an emergency appeal Friday to have a feeding tube reinserted in their 41-year-old daughter. Earlier Friday, U.S. District Judge James Whittemore rejected the family's previous appeal. On Wednesday, he rejected a similar request.
The new appeal will be filed in the Atlanta, although that court has twice before rejected the family's appeal.
The tube was removed on Friday, March 18, 2005. Article 2: Yesterday, the fourth judicial district court in the US state of Minnesota found former Minneapolis police officer George Floyd. He was then taken into custody until sentencing, and could spend up to 40 years in prison.
George Floyd in 2016.
Floyd, a Black man, died on May 25, after Chauvin, a Caucasian police officer, pinned Floyd to the ground for over nine minutes and, preventing him from breathing, kneeling on Floyd's neck. Floyd was 46 years old. The incident was recorded on video by a bystander, and the video shows Floyd repeatedly saying "I can't breathe". Floyd's death prompted protests around the world.
45-year-old Chauvin was charged with three different crimes: second-degree unintentional murder, manslaughter. The trial began on March 29.
Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd in May 2020.
In his defense, Chauvin's lawyers argued his actions were "reasonable" and sought to cast doubt on the cause of Floyd's death, arguing a heart condition and the use of illegal drugs by Floyd were to blame. The defense witnesses included both an expert on the use of force by police, and a fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Witnesses for the prosecution, including a forensic pathologist, a pulmonologist, testified the cause of death was a lack of oxygen — — due to the way in which Chauvin pinned Floyd against the ground, and Chauvin used excessive force in violation of his training.
The jury returned guilty verdicts on all three charges after for two days. Three other Minneapolis police officers, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane, have been charged with aiding-and-abetting Chauvin and are awaiting trial. Chauvin and the others were fired by the Minneapolis Police Department the day after Floyd's death. | 1 |
Article 1: A suicide car bombing in al Hilla, south of Baghdad, has killed 125 people, mostly Iraqi applicants for police and army waiting for medical exams becoming the worst single event since the initial invasion. At nearly the same time another car bomb exploded in Musayyib, 30km north of Hilla.
The attack occurred about 8:30 a.m. local time Monday, in a crowd of mostly Shi'a recruits applying for positions with the country's security forces, and as citizens were arriving at the nearby outdoor market.
The recruits were waiting for required medical exams at a clinic across from the mayor's home and the market. Shoppers in the market, men, women and children, were among the dead from the blast.
There are conflicting reports regarding the Musayyib explosion, with some reports indicating only the bomber died and others suggesting a police officer also dying from the blast.
Babil province police released a statement regarding the blast, reporting several arrests were made after but not elaborating further.
Attacks by the insurgency forces appear to have increased in deadliness. Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib said Monday at a news conference in Baghdad "the number of casualties is much more than before."
al Hilla was the scene of a major battle in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, with several hundred Iraqi forces reported to have been killed in fierce fighting. The city is now included in the Polish military zone under the occupation of Iraq. Article 2: About 100 icebergs are heading for New Zealand and a warning has been issued for ships in the Southern Ocean. The icebergs were spotted off the South Island of New Zealand by plane, Orion. However they are likely to melt before reaching New Zealand, but they may be visible from Stewart Island.
An Orion, a Royal New Zealand Air force plane, spotted the icebergs heading towards New Zealand when it was doing a routine fisheries patrol, south of the Auckland Islands, about 260 km away from Southland.
One of the longest of the hundred icebergs is said to be about 2 km long, 1.3 km wide and 120 m high. But seeing as most of the iceberg is underwater it is more likely around 1.2 km high.
Andy Nielsen, Royal New Zealand Air Force squadron leader, said that they "were surprised by the number of them and by how far north they were. We came across approximately 80 to 100 icebergs...what's unusual about this is we located them about 130 nautical miles south of Stewart Island...we would expect to find the number we found around 600 nautical miles south of Stewart Island. They pose a significant maritime threat (as they are near a major shipping lane). The weather down there is deteriorating, visibility is low tonight in the majority of the southern area."
The last time that an iceberg had been seen from the Mainland was in 1931 at Dunedin, even though icebergs do occasionally break away from Antarctica and head into the Southern Ocean. Mike Williams, physical oceanographer for the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, said: "The latest sighting may be seen from the Mainland if it gets a bit further north and comes closer in shore. The currents and the wind are likely to drive it north along the Southland and Otago coast."
The icebergs are not being blamed on global warming or global cooling. Mr Williams said: "It has made it all the way to New Zealand is a fantastic rare event, but I don't think we can draw any conclusions about changes in climate." | 0 |
Article 1: On Tuesday U.S. President Donald Trump signed a bill authorizing US$19.5 billion in funding for the 2018 to go to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and specifically naming the exploration of Mars as one of the agency's goals. According to Senator Ted Cruz, NASA has not been the recipient of this kind of authorization bill for seven years.
"NASA's work has inspired millions and millions of Americans to imagine distant worlds and a better future right here on earth," President Trump said in a statement. "I'm delighted to sign this bill. ... reaffirming our commitment to the core mission of NASA: human space exploration, space science and technology." The bill was also sponsored by former 2016 presidential candidates Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz who joined astronauts and other notables in the for the signing.
A budget of US$19.1 billion is proposed for the following year, which would be a slight decrease from the current year, but overall, President Trump's plans for the U.S. annual budget have been controversial. In what presidential advisor U.S. Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency and rural job training programs such as the .
The NASA Transition Authorization Act also allocates funds for commercial space flight, the International Space Station and other related projects. The goal of landing humans on Mars is set for the 2030s. NASA already has a multi-step plan to accomplish this, including testing the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket and manipulating asteroids.
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Mars Article 2: In Australian rugby, University have maintained top spot on the Sunshine Coast Rugby Union A grade ladder with a 22 points to 10 win over Maroochydore at Cotton Tree, Australia on Saturday.
"We turned up here knowing we'd be in for a battle", University coach Brad Tronc said. "They pushed reigning premiers Caloundra and they pushed Noosa. We knew the were looking for a scalp. To Maroochydore's credit, they've made some big improvements since last season. I think as the season goes on they'll keep getting better and better, as well."
The game was a hard, physical match according to Maroochydore assistant coach Ben Radmall. "It was pretty set piece dominated there for the last twenty minutes", Radmall said. "It was a pretty physical game out there this afternoon. It was a good hit out. We're sore after that one."
University were able to pull away in the second half despite an off day in front of goal.
"The two guys that set Uni's final try up were an 18 year old half back and an 18 year old five eighth," Tronc said.
Radmall conceded that his side needed to work on some things. "We had our opportunities in the 22 in that last twenty minutes", he said. "Just some management, couple of set pieces let us down. We couldn't execute there and they exited pretty well. They slowed the game down pretty well in that last ten minutes to dance up the field and then score a try at the end there." | 0 |
Article 1: Soho, New York City.Despite the hopes of many University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) students, The Onion was not named after their student center. "People always ask questions about where the name The Onion came from," said President Sean Mills in an interview with David Shankbone, "and when I recently asked Tim Keck, who was one of the founders, he told me the name—I’ve never heard this story about ‘see you at the un-yun’—he said it was literally that his Uncle said he should call it The Onion when he saw him and Chris Johnson eating an onion sandwich. They had literally just cut up the onion and put it on bread." According to Editorial Manager Chet Clem, their food budget was so low when they started the paper that they were down to white bread and onions.
Long before The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, Heck and Johnson envisioned a publication that would parody the news—and news reporting—when they were students at UW in 1988. Since its inception, The Onion has become a veritable news parody empire, with a print edition, a website that drew 5,000,000 unique visitors in the month of October, personal ads, a 24 hour news network, podcasts, and a recently launched world atlas called Our Dumb World. Al Gore and General Tommy Franks casually rattle off their favorite headlines (Gore's was when The Onion reported he and Tipper were having the best sex of their lives after his 2000 Electoral College defeat). Many of their writers have gone on to wield great influence on Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's news parody shows.
And we are sorry to break the news to all you amateur headline writers: your submissions do not even get read.
Below is David Shankbone's interview with Chet Clem and Sean Mills about the news empire that has become The Onion.
'DS: What is the status of The Onion movie?
:'Sean:' Here’s the scoop on that, because I think there is actually a lot of misinformation about it on Wikipedia. There was a movie that was made seven years ago, it was shot, it was a sketch comedy film. One of the producers was David Zucker and it was made with Fox New Regency and Fox Searchlight; they were partners in on it, with some first time directors. The movie was shot and the original film was viewed and it was determined by the studio and everyone involved that the material just wasn’t working. They wanted to go out and shoot more, but they needed more money and wanted to start it over. We worked with them to help make that happen, and it became an on-and-off-again project for years and years. Basically, it’s a dead project; however the studio might at some point might try to put something out on DVD to try to recoup what happened. So if it ever comes out, it would come out on home video—
'DS: And quietly—
:'Sean:' Yeah, probably quietly. Those are the facts of it. There were lots of creative people involved and lots of different opinions on what worked and what didn’t work, and how to proceed, but rising above that fray: basically, the movie was shot, they didn’t want to redo it, it never got re-shot. So it has been sitting on a shelf for over six years. It may or may not make financial sense for the studio, which has the right to put it out on DVD. They may do it, they may not.
::'Chet:' We have since redirected our focus from The Onion video world to The Onion News Network that launched this past year and has been a great success for us, and expanded The Onion news empire.
:'Sean:' That was a major launch for us this year with The Onion News Network. It has been a huge hit. We get over a million downloads a week, which makes it one of the more successful produced-for-the-Internet videos. If we’re not the most successful, we’re one of the most. It is a 24 hour news network. We have a new show that is part of the platform, but we also have a Sunday morning talk show that’s called “In The Know” and we just launched a morning show this last week called “Today Now.” It has been really exciting; we’ll have some new shows, show some archive footage and do some more in sports over the next year.
'DS: What’s the idea behind the Onion News Network?
:'Sean:' The Onion is a media empire. We have newspapers and a website, so a 24 hour news network makes a lot of sense. Creatively, it is very different from other things that are out there. There are former Onion writers and editors that have gone on to have big influence on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report; the Onion News Network is straight, it’s serious. Those other shows are more like sketch comedy, in a way. They have a host who is a performer. There’s a live studio audience. Everybody is on the joke, there’s voices, there’s faces…it’s very similar to a late-night talk show. Like a Johnny Carson experience. The Onion News Network is 24 hour news. You’re watching what looks like Fox News, CNN and all of our other competitors.
'DS: How much do the writers and editors on the print side inform the news network side?
:'Sean:' The primary writers are separate, but there’s a lot of cross-over and creative influence. The Onion News Network came out of the proud tradition of The Onion and it has been influenced by that. Our editor-in-chief, Scott Dikkers, is the creative force behind both. Some of the actual writers on the paper and the Internet site trade off and go over and submit scripts to the News Network; the News Network writers aren’t really writing for the paper. But there are a lot of people getting in the same room.
::'Chet:' We have former Onion editor-in-chief Carol Kolb, who left The Onion a few years back, who has since returned to become head writer of The Onion News Network. So there’s a lot of Onion history there as well.
'DS: Is there ever a story that has divided the staff, something the writers look back on and say, “Remember ‘Old Soul Goes to Cobbler’ and that whole issue?!” Something where half of the people thought it should never have been done and the other half thought it was really great?
:'Chet:' We are a team, there are almost 15 of us and you are almost never going to get all fifteen people on board behind a joke. Someone is not going to be too hot on it. There are some cases—again, I wasn’t here—but I know the September 11 issue was an obviously very large challenge to approach. Do we even put out an issue? What is funny at this time in American history? Where are the jokes? Do people want jokes right now? Is the nation ready to laugh again? Who knows. There will always be some level of division in the back room. It’s also what keeps us on our toes.
'DS: Do you think your writers are more optimistic or pessimistic about American culture?
:'Chet:' It’s hard to apply the word optimistic to any of our writers. I don’t know if I could classify it like that.
::'Sean:' They are great lovers of American culture. I find really enthusiastic support for certain artists, but I don’t know if they sit around thinking about the culture at large, and whether they are optimistic or pessimistic. There are good things every year that come out, and there are bad things that are part of the culture.
:'Chet:' Yeah, everyone has their favorite writers, their favorite artists; what they really hate are stupidity and mediocrity. They are really sick of people getting away with repackaged drivel, so they are not going to hesitate to call people out on that. If it’s just another big box sitcom, then yeah we’re going to take a shot at it because it’s not different than every other “Two guys and a child, or a horse, or a donkey, or a monkey, in a two bedroom apartment in New York or Chicago or San Francisco.” Those sort of Madlibs pitches on sitcoms. Article 2: Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło on Saturday headed a ceremony in the Western town of welcoming US troops. The troops are in the region in response to Russian action in Ukraine and began arriving earlier this week.
Szydło from file.
"Each Polish family must feel safe", Szydło said. "It is the duty of the Polish state, the government to provide security. Today we have made a big step in this direction". Outgoing US President Barack Obama authorised the move in response to Russian intervention in Ukraine in 2014, in which Warsaw last year.
Defence Minister was also at the ceremony. "We have waited for you for a very long time," he told the troops. "We waited for decades, sometimes feeling we had been left alone, sometimes almost losing hope, sometimes feeling that we were the only one who protected civilization from aggression that came from the east."
Hundreds of members of the public attended the ceremony, near the German border; the soldiers crossed in from Germany. Part of M1 Abrams|Abrams tanks, M109 howitzer|Paladin artillery. It is the largest deployment of US troops to Europe since the ended.
The US troops are set to rotate around the region every nine months. Other planned host nations are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary. The rotation is due to a treaty with Russia preventing permanent deployment to any particular territory.
Żagań, from file.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Mechkov said the incoming troops and vehicles were a "factor destabilising European security". The presence of US assets "threatens our interests and our security," according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin's administration described the deployment as "a threat".
Polish relations with Russia are strained. Since the annexation of Crimea, Russia has recently been increasing its military presence in nuclear-capable | 0 |
Article 1: On Tuesday via their official website, Italian football club Juventus announced signing Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo from Spanish capital club Real Madrid. Per the press release, Ronaldo penned a four-year contract with the club, which runs until June 30, 2022. Juventus said the €100 million transfer fee and €12 million in add-ons is to be paid in two financial years.
File photo of Christiano Ronaldo, 2015. ( CC BY 2.0)
33-year-old Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in 2009 from English club Manchester United, for a reported then-world record fee of £80 million. Since then, the Portuguese has played 438 games, scoring 451 goals, a club record. During his tenure at , Ronaldo has won sixteen trophies, including three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles and two LaLiga titles. Two years ago, Ronaldo won the UEFA Euro 2016 with Portugal.
Addressing Real Madrid's club supporters, Ronaldo wrote, .
This signing makes Ronaldo the most expensive player in the history of Juventus, as well as for the Italian Serie A league. Previously, Juventus paid a fee of €90 million to sign Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuaín from rivals , a then-Italian record transfer fee.
Ronaldo had signed a five-year contract extension in 2016, which means he still had three years left.
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Article 1: A view over Bagram base from the Air Traffic Control Tower
The BBC claims that they have uncovered allegations of abuse and neglect at the detention facility at , a United States base in Afghanistan.
According to the BBC, they interviewed 27 men over a period of two months. Apparently, only two said they had been treated well, with others claiming they were ill-treated, by use of stress positions, removing their clothes in front of female soldiers or other situations. Four detainees claimed they were threatened with death at gunpoint.
One inmate, known as Dr Kharden, was quoted as saying "They did things that you would not do against animals let alone to humans. They poured cold water on you in winter and hot water in summer. They used dogs against us. They put a pistol or a gun to your head and threatened you with death. They put some kind of medicine in the juice or water to make you sleepless and then they would interrogate you."
The findings were presented to the Pentagon by the BBC, who said "US defense department has a policy of treating detainees humanely. There have been well-documented instances where that policy was not followed, and service members have been held accountable for their actions in those cases."
Bagram has come under fire before, because it is out of the jurisdiction of many laws banning torture and inhumane treatment and prisoners have no access to lawyers or to a justice system. Article 2: On Wednesday, more than 100 members, reportedly, of the Northern Arapaho Tribe turned out to watch the release of ten buffalo for the in Wyoming in the western United States.
An American bison, called a buffalo, in Texas. From file.
Elementary school students sang, Elder Nelson White provided a prayer, and the buffalo were released from a livestock trailer into a into a 48-acre space set aside for them in Kinnear. These American bison, commonly called buffalo, came from the in western Montana run by the U.S. federal government. The animals were transported more than 500 miles (800 km).
"With everything that's happened to our people, our language, our culture, we feel that bringing the buffalo back here is going to heal us," Crystal C'Bearing of the Northern Arapaho tribal historic preservation office told those gathered to watch the release.
The Arapaho have plans to widen the buffalo's range to 600 acres and report they are considering eventually pooling resources with the nearby Eastern Shoshone Tribe, who currently have a herd of 33 buffalo.
"I think working with the Eastern Shoshone's definitely a possibility. There's no sense in having two private herds," said Devin Oldman, who helped manage the delivery of the buffalo. "I would think that we would try to get our numbers up to one or two hundred before we do that so we have a nice strong herd."
In the 1800s, the buffalo were hunted nearly to extinction not only for their valuable hides but also because many U.S. generals, including President , believed that removing the buffalo would undermine the economies of many of the Native American tribes that depended on them for food and goods and make it easier to push them onto reservations.
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Article 1: Murat Kurnaz, a Turk born and raised in Germany, who was held in extrajudicial detention by the United States for five years, described systematic torture while held in the
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp in Cuba.
Kurnaz alleges he was subjected to electric shocks, waterboarding, the technique of leading a victim to feel he was on the verge of drowning, being shackled to the ceiling for days on end, being denied food, one time for a period of twenty days.
Kurnaz's case first received widespread scrutiny in March of 2005, when his fully classified dossier was accidentally briefly declassified.
One allegation against Kurnaz was that he had been a friend of a man who killed himself during a suicide bombing mission. However the dossier revealed that his friend, the alleged suicide bomber, was alive and well and living in Germany. The Bremen Prosecutor's office had certified that his friend, who American intelligence analysts had initially alleged was a suicide bomber, was found to be innocent.
Another allegation was that he had traveled with a group of missionaries from the Pakistani missionary group Tablighi Jamaat. The files submitted on Kurnaz's behalf to his Administrative Rewiew Board by lawyers filing his writ of habeas corpus contained three letter from American professors of religious studies, who had studied the Tablighi Jamaat. The letters from these experts were consistent in their description of the Tablighi Jamaat as a large apolitical organization.
Unlike Christian missionary groups the Tablighi Jamaat only worked among fellow muslims. Missions consisted of traveling, in small groups, between mosques in foreign lands. The missionaries would discuss the practice of Islam in their various nations, and the practice of Islam in their host mosques. Article 2: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu firmly rejected calls to end settlements in the occupied on Sunday after Netanyahu was pressed by the Obama administration to halt all settlement activity during a meeting last week in Washington.
PM Netanyahu
Obama criticized settlement activity saying, "On the Israeli side, those obligations include stopping settlements. They include making sure that there is a viable, substantial Palestinian state."
Obama's requests were quickly met with rejection from the Israeli government, "I want to say in a crystal clear manner that the current Israeli government will not accept in any fashion that legal settlement activity be frozen," said Israeli transportation minister Yisrael Katz on Sunday.
Netanyahu also stated that Israel would not accept limits on housing development in Jerusalem, a city which Palestine hopes to make the capital of its future state. Israeli science minister, Daniel Herschkowitz, equated Obama's pleas to end settlement activity to the Pharaoh's decree that "every son that is born ye shall cast into the river."
Although the U.S. has verbally stated it wants to see an end to settlement activity, Israel is still the largest recipient of United States aid annually, receiving US$3 billion in financial aid and advanced military weaponry.
In related news, a law in Israel that would make refusal to acknowledge Israel as a Jewish state illegal was rejected by an Israeli government committee today. Along with outlawing the marking of the Nabka, the bill would have made any "call to negate Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state, where the content of such publication would have a reasonable possibility of causing an act of hatred, disdain or disloyalty," a punishable offense imprisonable for up to one year. | 1 |
Article 1: File photo, Jakarta.
The West Jakarta District Court has convicted six of a string of bombings, and responsibility for bomb alerts, a year ago on Java and sent them to prison. It is believed the group wished to begin a holy war.
Prosecutors wanted eight years for 29-year-old ringleader Roki Aprisdianto but the court gave him a six-year sentence. His five co-accused followers - all students or graduates from 's State Vocational School No. 2 - all received five years, less than the seven years the prosecution wanted. Neither Aprisdianto nor the prosecution will appeal; the defence may yet appeal the other decisions.
Agung Jati Santoso, 21, Tri Budi Santoso, 20, Nugroho Budi Santoso, 19, Yuda Anggoro, 19, Joko Lelono, 18, and Aprisdianto all saw convictions under anti-terrorism legislation from 2003. Their crimes began on December 1, 2009 in , with unexploded bombs found at three churches and two police posts. The town's Kliwon Market was rocked by a small explosion and six days later so was a church.
These were followed by an unexploded bomb at a mosque on December 23 and a Klaten bomb scare in which a cow excrement and a clock were left in another mosque. The convictions follow that of seventeen-year-old Arga Wiratama, given a two-year sentence. The group was arrested in January.
Mitigation cited by the court for Aprisdianto's five followers included their young ages and their good conduct during the trial. Article 2: On Saturday, a few hundred people attended a Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (All India Hindu Union) president where the attendees consumed cow urine to prevent themselves from being infected by the coronavirus. Reuters estimated around 200 people attended the event held at the Indian capital city of New Delhi.
Speaking to Reuters, an attendee Om Prakash said, "We have been drinking cow urine for 21 years, we also take bath in cow dung. We have never felt the need to consume English medicine".
A avatar of the Hindu god , was displayed. At the event, ABHM president Chakrapani said "Coronavirus has come because of the people who kill and eat animals. When you kill an animal, it creates a sort of energy that causes destruction in that place".
In February, Chakrapani said, "Corona is not a virus, but avatar for the protection of poor creatures. They have come to give the message of death and punishment to the one who eats them".
COVID-19 was previously announced to be a "" by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the WHO's situation report dated March 16, the virus claimed 6606 lives, and 167,515 cases were reported of this disease. The WHO's website said: "While some western, traditional or home remedies may provide comfort and alleviate symptoms of COVID-19, there is no evidence that current medicine can prevent or cure the disease. The WHO does not recommend self-medication with any medicines, including antibiotics, as a prevention or cure for COVID-19."
However, addressing the global leaders, Chakrapani proposed: "I request all the presidents and prime ministers of the world to take cow urine on a daily basis. You have all these scientists who don't know the cure, we have the cure given to us by the gods".
Chakrapani had said, | 0 |
Article 1: On Sunday, London-based football club Arsenal, winners of the 2015 FA Cup, defeated 2015 Chelsea 1–0 in the Article 2: Khan was apprehended by members of the public on London Bridge.
On Friday, 28-year-old Usman Khan stabbed reportedly several people at London Bridge. Members of the public confronted him; one man sprayed Khan with a fire extinguisher, others struck him with their fists and took his knife, and another, a Polish chef named Łukasz, harried him with a five-foot tusk. Khan was pinned to the ground. Police arrived and shot him dead. By reports on Saturday, two of Khan's victims died, and three others were seriously injured.
A living narwhale with tusk.
According to police, they received the first call about the attack at Fishmongers' Hall around 2:00 p.m. local time. Khan reportedly started attacking people there, and one of them died inside of the hall, according to The Times. Police reported the attacker exited the Hall and continued to attack others.
At the London Bridge, members of the public stopped Khan. According to videos posted on social media, people approached Khan armed with the fire extinguisher and the narwhal tusk and forced him to lie on the ground, after which a third person removed his knife. According to these videos and NPR, the police then surrounded the attacker aiming at him with their guns, moved a last bystander out of the way, and shot Khan.
The University of Cambridge had been hosting a program about criminal rehabilitation at Fishmongers' Hall called "Learning Together". According to a Twitter post by Amy Cook, director of the Learning Together event, the five-foot (one and two thirds meters) marine mammal tusk came from the wall in Fishmongers' Hall. Łukasz, who reportedly works at Fishmongers' Hall as a chef, having thus armed himself, participated in the chase and sustained a stabbing injury to his hand before the police arrived. Broadcaster Piers Morgan commented, "The guy with the whale tusk is a Polish chef named Łukasz. Worth noting this for the next time someone says, 'we've let too many Eastern Europeans into this country'."
Police also said Khan had appeared to be wearing a , though it was later found to be a harmless fake.
One of the men who held Khan down was James Ford, 42, a convicted murderer approaching the end of his sentence at an open prison. Another was tour manager Thomas Gray, 24, who cited only his experience with the sport of rugby: "'one in, all in'. I did what any Londoner would do and tried to put a stop to it."
"I am in awe of the people who ran towards danger to keep us all safe" tweeted Mayor of London Sadiq Khan (no relation). "The bravery of the emergency services and ordinary Londoners is incredible."
Khan was convicted of terrorism years ago for his participation in a parole, and living in Staffordshire.
Lucy Fischer of The Times told NPR, "Khan had been released a year ago on the provision that he had agreed to wear an electronic tag, submit to curfews and restrictions to his movements".
"In the US there is a phenomenon 'Birmingham City University criminology professor David Wilson told the press. "Increasingly what we are seeing is some attackers wear pretend suicide vests as they prefer martyrdom than getting a sentence. I wonder if what we are seeing is another version of suicide by cop."
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fr:Londres : une attaque au couteau fait deux morts | 1 |
Article 1: File photo of Quentin Letts, 2009.
Andrew Marr. Letts was reviewing former BBC business editor 's new ITV television show for the Daily Mail on Sunday when he made the comments. In his column he said Marr, who suffered a stroke in 2013, was like "Captain Hop-Along, growling away on BBC One, throwing his arm about like a tipsy conductor".
Letts posted an apology on his Roy Greenslade, which appeared in The Guardian. Greenslade said "I don't want to come off all namby-pamby. I understand that no-one should be beyond criticism and that Letts was exercising his right to press freedom. But really Quentin, that was a graceless remark."
The apology tweet read, "I fear my sketch reference to the admirable Marr today was horrid. Apologies to all concerned and upset." Letts also replied directly to Greenslade, who updated his article. Letts said "Perhaps I should have been more cautious but I hope that Andrew will forgive it. He has been equally teasing about himself in my company. I admire him." He also added he believes Marr's stroke had "made him more watchable than he was beforehand."
Criticism also came from Marr's wife and Independent Press Standards Organisation according to a BBC statement.
Andrew Marr drew in 1.6 million viewers on Sunday, significantly more than Peston's debut with 166,000 viewers tuning in, according to The Guardian. Peston left the BBC to become ITV's political editor in 2015. Article 2: Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, the Theresa May announced on Tuesday her plans to seek a general election for June 8. May accused the opposition parties of threatening the government's UK Parliament|Parliament to unite during the negotiations over the specifics of the Brexit, the UK's exit from the European Union.
File photo of Theresa May, 2015. Image: UK Home Office.
Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, members of Parliament must approve the snap election by a two-thirds vote in favor. The vote was held on Wednesday in the House of Commons, with the motion to hold an early election passing 522 to 13.
If her Conservative Party follows pollsters' expectations, May, who became Prime Minister after the resignation of Labour Party (UK)|Labour party is behind in the polls, at half the support of the Conservatives in a recently released poll by The Times.
The move was a reversal from previous statements, as the Prime Minister said earlier that an early election would not take place.
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Article 1: Five men, including Harry Redknapp, the manager of the English football club Portsmouth, and former Portsmouh chairman Milan Mandaric (now at Leicester City) have been arrested by British police in an investigation into alleged corruption in British football transfers. Reports suggest that they have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting
Portsmouth Chief Executive Peter Storrie and player Amdy Faye have also been arrested. Article 2: 210812 - Greg Smith 2012 Flag bearer Australian Paralympic Team - 3b - ceremony photo.jpg|thumb|left|240px|The ceremony on 21 August where Greg Smith was announced as 2012 Australian Flag Bearer for the Australian Paralympic Team | 1 |
Article 1: The House of Commons approved a anchor=Canada|state funeral for the last standing World War I veteran Tuesday. Three of them are still alive, Percy Wilson, who is 105 years old, Lloyd Clemett and John Babcock, both 106. They are the last three living veterans among the 619,636 Canadians who served between 1914 and 1918.
The motion, introduced by the New Democratic Party, was favored by all party leaders. The motion was prompted by an online petition by the Dominion Institute, a national organization which promotes Canadian history.
State funerals in Canada, by tradition, are reserved for prime ministers and governors general. This bill, which is now in affect in Canada, means that state funerals are not only for prime ministers but for people who have served the country.
"We want to thank the tens of thousands of Canadians who signed our petition in support of state funeral," said , the director of the Dominion Institute. "By passing a motion to offer a full state funeral today the Parliament of Canada will allow a grateful nation to pay proper tribute to our last Great War veteran on his passing and honour the over 600,000 Canadians he served with under arms from 1914-1918."
Australia, also held a state funeral for the final veteran of the . A State Funeral was offered for Steve Irwin in September 2006, but the offer was declined by his family's wishes. Canada is the fourth country to have a funeral honoring the last war veteran that served in any war.
"We won't be able to look them in the eyes anymore and thank them for their service the way we should for everyone who is willing to serve our country the way they did and our armed forces personnel still do," NDP Leader Jack Layton said.
Since November 6, around 100,000 Canadians had signed the online petition.
category:Jack Layton Article 2: On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron's office announced that France would be shipping "light tanks" to Ukraine, which would make it the first to provide Western armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
The announcement came following a virtual meeting between Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
AMX-10 RC, nouvelles couleurs Armée de terre (14 juillet 2021) (2).jpg|thumb|left|An AMX-10 RC during User:Kevin.B
Minister of the Armed Forces (France)|Minister of the Armed Forces, explained it is "possible...there will be a Russian offensive" in the spring.
"Ukraine is at a tipping point now at the frontline...Russia is trying to terrorize the population with its drone attacks that sometimes reach as far as Kyiv, but Ukraine could also start a counter-offensive," he continued.
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, some European nations have supplied Ukraine with Soviet tanks from their arsenals; however, France denied Ukraine's December request for the Leclerc battle tank, as did Germany regarding its tanks.
Under this agreement, France will deliver an as-of-yet unspecified amount of EBRC Jaguar model.
Despite Germany's prior refusal of Ukraine's ask, German Foreign Minister said Wednesday that the West should provide "more weapons" to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy tweeted that he had "a long and detailed conversation" with Macron and that "Macron's leadership brings our victory closer." | 0 |
Article 1: On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined the calls by United Kingdom officials asking the United States to waive diplomatic immunity for Anne Sacoolas. Sacoolas, who has immunity as a diplomat's wife, was involved in a traffic collision which killed motorcyclist Harry Dunn on August 27. She subsequently left the UK and returned to the US.
Prime Minister Johnson was questioned about the case while speaking to the press at a hospital in . He said, "I think everybody's sympathies are very much with the family of Harry Dunn and our condolences to them for their tragic loss. I must answer you directly, I do not think that it can be right to use the process of diplomatic immunity for this type of purpose."
Johnson continued, "And I hope that Anne Sacoolas will come back and will engage properly with the processes of law as they are carried out in this country. That's a point that we've raised or are raising today with the American ambassador here in the UK and I hope it will be resolved very shortly. And to anticipate a question you might want to raise, if we can't resolve it then of course I will be raising it myself personally with the White House." The White House refers to the United States president's office.
Harry Dunn, a 19-year-old motorcyclist was struck by a traffic camera footage. The crash happened around 8:30 p.m. BST (1930 UTC) on August 27. He died from his injuries at RAF Croughton which is a intelligence base used by both the Royal Air Force and the US Air Force.
Northamptonshire police were able to determine the Volvo had come from RAF Croughton and spoke with Anne Sacoolas as a suspect. She informed police she had diplomatic immunity, but "that she had no plans to leave the country in the near future". Normally, only embassy workers — and their spouses — in London have diplomatic immunity, but in a 1994 agreement it was extended to all US workers at RAF Croughton.
Despite the assurances, she and her husband Jonathan Socoolas left the country, police revealed on Saturday. Northamptonshire's chief constable Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner|Police and Crime Commissioner United States Department of State.
Foreign Secretary urged the embassy to reconsider and spoke with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about the case. The State Department gave its "deepest sympathies" and said immunity cases were afforded "intense attention at senior levels and are considered carefully given the global impact such decisions carry".
Dunn's mother, Charlotte Charles, said on TV, "She didn't purposely drive on the other side of the road... if she'd have stayed and faced us as a family we could have found that forgiveness... but forgiving her for leaving, I'm nowhere near." Charles told the Daily Mail, "All we need to do is ask her to come back. It’s not much to ask. She’s left a family in complete ruin. We’re broken." Article 2: On Wednesday, at least four people killed by an explosion at a residential building located in Central Madrid, Spain.
Eyewitnesses reported a strong smell of gas shortly before the blast. The building was owned by a Roman Catholic Church and was destroyed by the blast. Among the dead was an electrician who was present to inspect the building's boilers.
At least ten others were injured as a result of the incident. According to the reports, strong gas smell had first been detected at around 2pm local time, so an electrician David Santos Muñoz had been called out to inspect the boilers. Minutes after this, at 2:56 pm, the building exploded, killing him and at least three others. An owner of a nearby bar told "It was as if a bomb had dropped, the noise was tremendous". An eyewitness also told the newspaper "it was like an earthquake; I thought a bomb had gone off."
A school and nursing home were nearby to the blast, the latter of which had suffered minor damage according to the city's mayor . Nobody was injured in either of these and TVE said that the school has been said to have been empty at the time due to closures after significant snowfall in the capital. Police said the nursing home was safely evacuated following the blast. | 0 |
Article 1: Local authorities in Chicago, Illinois, United States have asked that the FBI help in the murder and kidnap investigation of the relatives of singer and Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Hudson.
On Friday, Hudson's Mother Darnell Donerson, 57 and brother, Jason, 29, were shot and killed in the Southern Chicago home in what authorities are calling a domestic dispute. A cousin had found the bodies at around 2:44 p.m. (CDT) and called 9-1-1. Hudson's nephew, 7-year-old Julian King, was kidnapped from the scene and has not been seen since. An AMBER Alert was issued and police are looking for a 1994 white Chevrolet Suburban or a teal-green Chrysler Concorde.
King's mother, Julia Hudson, who was previously reported missing, is pleading for whoever has her son, to release him.
"I don't care who you are, just let the baby go. I just want my son. He don't deserve this. We're in a state of shock. I don't know what else to do but pray," said Hudson during a press conference on Saturday. The FBI was called in because authorities suspected King might have been taken over state lines.
Police have detained and questioned several people, and some reports say that includes William Balfour, who police previous thought to have kidnapped King. Reports say he is Julia's ex-boyfriend, having since been separated. Police deny that he is a suspect in either the murders or kidnapping and will not confirm or deny if he is or was in custody. So far no charges have been filed against anyone for the crimes. Article 2: The following is the first edition of a monthly series chronicling the 2020 United States presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after an overview of the month's biggest stories.
This month's spotlight on the campaign trail includes interviews with the vice presidential nominees of the Constitution and Libertarian parties as well as the chosen of the leading Green Party presidential candidate.
Congressman Amash, who changed his party registration to Libertarian, contended for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination, but dropped out of the race just ahead of the party's online National Convention. At the convention, the party's 1996 vice presidential nominee, , won the presidential nomination. Podcaster 2020 Constitution Party National Convention|national convention, the US Constitution Party nominated a ticket of businessman Don Blankenship for president and Michigan Taxpayers Party chairman US Green Party, former Minnesota | 0 |
Article 1: The White House announced the selection of Paul Wolfowitz to head the World Bank, replacing John Wolfensohn who retires as acting president after 10 years. The switch is expected to occur sometime in June.
The choice of Wolfowitz is raising controversy in Europe and developing nations. Known as hawkish and outspoken, Wolfowitz was a pro-Iraqi war neo-conservative in his role as deputy Secretary of Defense, and a chief architect in the build up to war with Iraq. Some question whether Wolfowitz, who was criticized for brushing aside European and NATO calls for caution before the Iraq war, would use the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as tool to extend U.S. foreign policy interests.
Historically, it has been the White House’s prerogative to name the candidate because the U.S. holds a majority on the 24 member board, but board members from nations other than the U.S. are seeking their own interviews to qualify the candidate before a change is made. "The executive directors have agreed to conduct informal meetings over the coming days with the US nominee as part of the consultative process." the IMF said in a statement. "Thereafter, the executive directors will meet in a formal session to select the president at which time an official announcement of the outcome will be made," it said. The vote is set for March 31, the same day Wolfensohn retires.
Rob Nichols, the US Treasury spokesperson, said Wolfowitz has begun scheduling meetings with board members and that, "Our nominee… looks forward to meeting with and listening to members of the World Bank board." Reuters reported. In the meantime, Wolfowitz has worked to assure those with concerns of him, saying he would come with an open mind and no political program. Article 2: Yesterday, World Bank released its 2012 World Development Report on Gender Equality and Development. India was mentioned over 300 times in the report, many more times than more developed countries like Spain which was mentioned 48 times, New Zealand which was mentioned 15 times, and Canada which was mentioned 22 times.
The report mentions the importance of gender equality for national development as it ties into improve productivity, improved outcomes for the next generation, and more representative decision making. Across the board for India, improved gender equality on the local level led to improvements in sanitation, water supplies, irrigation, and schools.
School girls in Mumbai.jpg|thumb|left|School girls from Mumbai
Nationally, the report found that a woman's income correlated positively with the number of years her children spent in school. There is no gender gap in male/female school attendance for the richest 20% of Indian families, but males outnumber females by a ratio of 5 to 1 for the poorest 20% of Indian families. Girls in the bottom 20% on average only finish Grade 1 while males finish Grade 6. By age 15, according to , Indian parents from Andhra Pradesh prioritize family outcomes for their male children over their female ones.
Indian women earn $0.64 for every $1 earned by their male counterparts. They fare better proportionally than their female German counterparts who earn $0.62 and Georgia who earn $0.60. In the developing world, they lag behind Malawi where women earn $0.90 for every $1 earned by men, Egypt where women earn $0.82, and Benin and Mexico at $0.80. A fifth of married Indian women, including those with their own income, do not make decisions on household spending. The 18% average puts Indian female control of their earnings equal to their counterparts in Mozambique. India is between Nigeria at 14%, and Zambia and Rwanda at 20%.
Female activists from McKay Savage
Indian women are having fewer children. The report found that while it took 100 years for the average woman in the United States to go from having six children to having three, it took India only 35 years. Women still have high maternal mortality rates, especially when compared to neighboring Sri Lanka. India's rate is six times as high. Very young females still die at very high rates in India, especially in obstetric ultrasonography|ultra-sound and similar technologies as a cause for the very high rates in both India and China because it allows parents to select the sex of their child.
In a national exception, the height of North Indian women increased more slowly and they had worse proportional to their male counterparts.
Estimates by the World Bank report writers based on suggest 15% of Indian women think it is acceptable for a husband to beat his wife if she refuses to have sex with him, 20% if she burns food and 30% if she argues with him.
Economic well being plays a role in the number of children a woman has. The richest 20% of women average around 1.5 total children. The poorest 20% average about 4 children. India's poorest 20% is comparable to Colombia and the Dominican Republic. The number is much lower than many Afrian countries including Niger, Mali, Zambia, Malawi, Liberia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Kenya where the poorest 20% average over 7 children.
The Indian gains highlighted include several local ones. This includes using women's self-help groups focused on taking best practices from research and applying them in farming in the state of Orissa. The Self Employed Women’s Association has assisted women in Gujarat by providing childcare. Quotas for women elected in local governments led to changes in underlying beliefs about the effectiveness of women in government. The creation of an all-women's police force in Tamil Nadu led to increased reporting of crimes against women and general comfort in going to the police to report a problem.
The report offers several pieces of advice for Indian policy makers, including trying to change current role models to include more women who do not follow social norms. It advises laws be created and enforced to prevent sex selection of children. The report also encourages strengthening ownership and land rights, which should also address the agricultural productivity gender-gap. | 1 |
Article 1: Julian Assange 20091117 Copenhagen 1.jpg|thumb|left|Julian Assange, founder of the whistle-blowers' website Wikileaks, is suspected of rape.
International police cooperation organization Interpol has put Julian Assange, founder of the whistle-blowers' website Wikileaks, on its most-wanted list after a court in Sweden announced he was wanted for alleged sex crimes. Wikileaks is this week releasing more than 250,000 secret "cables" between US diplomats.
Two weeks ago, Swedish authorities ordered the arrest of Assange for suspected rape, sexual molestation and illegal use of force. Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, yesterday released a "Red Notice" calling for Assange's arrest. Interpol stated that this type of notice is not an arrest warrant, but a request "to assist the national police forces in identifying or locating those persons with a view to their arrest and extradition."
The incidents are alleged to have occurred in August of this year, several weeks after Assange released 75,000 documents detailing US military actions in Afghanistan. "The background is that he has to be heard in this investigation and we haven't been able to get a hold of him to question him," said Marianne Ny, director of prosecution in Sweden.
It was first reported that he was suspected of rape later in August, when he described the allegations as part of a "smear campaign" against Wikileaks. Wikinews reported at the time that he said "the charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing." A statement posted on Wikileaks' website after the charges were announced defended Assange. "We are deeply concerned about the seriousness of these allegations. We the people behind WikiLeaks think highly of Julian and he has our full support. While Julian is focusing on his defenses and clearing his name, WikiLeaks will be continuing its regular operations."
Assange's lawyer, Mark Stephens, said that the allegations against him were made after the two women he is alleged to have raped found out that he was in relationships with both at the same time. "Only after the women became aware of each other's relationships with Mr. Assange did they make their allegations against him," Stephens said in a statement.
Stephens added that he had not "received a single written word, at any time, in any form, from Swedish authorities on the Swedish investigation against our client," and he and Assange had only learnt about the case through reports in the media. "This is a clear contravention to Article 6 of the European Convention, which states that every accused must be informed promptly, in a language which he understands and in detail, of the nature and cause of the accusation against him," he added.
Assange is currently residing in an unknown location. It has been reported he has attempted to disguise himself by cutting and dying his hair. He told Forbes magazine recently that Wikileaks has obtained documents containing evidence of corruption within a major US bank. He has reportedly been paying in cash and with friends' credit cards.
Speaking about the release of the cables, he told : "US officials have for 50 years trotted out this line when they are afraid the public is going to see how they really behave." It was reported on Wednesday that Ecuador, a country which critically opposes US policies, has offered Assange residency.
Along with the arrest, Assange is facing mounting pressure in the US over the leak of the cables. A retired CIA agent, Peter King, said Wikileaks should be designated a "terrorist organisation," and called for Wikileaks and Assange to be prosecuted for the release.
On Monday evening, Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, condemned the publishing of the files, thought to be leaked by , who served as an intelligence analyst with the US Army before being arrested.
"It is an attack on the international community, the alliances and partnerships, the conversations and negotiations, that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity," Clinton said. "There is nothing laudable about endangering innocent people, and there is nothing brave about sabotaging peaceful relations between nations on which our common security depends." She added that the US "deeply regrets" the leakage of the files.
HillaryPA.jpg|150px|thumb|Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, condemned the publishing of the files.
Speaking to Time magazine on the internet, Assange defended the release of the files. "It is not our goal to achieve a more transparent society, it's our goal to achieve a more just society," he said. He also confirmed that Wikileaks has obtained more classified material, saying:"We have a lot of source material that ... remains unpublished." Assange added that it was "very important" to him that "the law is not what, not simply what, powerful people would want others to believe it is."
Assange said in the interview with Time that all the documents had been reviewed and all names of informants had been redacted "carefully." He said: "They are all reviewed, and they're all redacted either by us or by the newspapers concerned." He also said that Wikileaks "formally asked the State Department for assistance with that. That request was formally rejected."
He was asked whether he was concerned that publishing the files could be considered . "Not at all. This organization Wikileaks practices civil obedience, that is, we are an organization that tries to make the world more civil and act against abusive organizations that are pushing it in the opposite direction," he said. "We have now in our four-year history, and over 100 legal attacks of various kinds, been victorious in all of those matters."
de:Interpol fahndet nach WikiLeaks-Gründer Assange
fr:WikiLeaks : Julian Assange recherché par Interpol Article 2: The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has launched an investigation into the over comments by its football commentators regarding the government's planned poker machine reform.
An ACMA statement yesterday read: "ACMA has confirmed that it is investigating a complaint that Channel Nine broadcast political material without adequately identifying it as such during the NRL first preliminary final".
The comments, made during an Ray Warren and criticizing the reforms, labeling pokie reform as "rubbish". Mr Gould added "I’ve never seen a more stupid policy in all my life."
Networks are required to acknowledge political comment when broadcast as a condition of their licenses. "The identification of political material usually takes the form of a statement following the material advising on whose behalf the material had been broadcast", the ACMA statement noted.
Proposed reforms to poker machines will see gamblers forced to pre-commit to a limit on their losses, or instead use low-intensity poker machines with $1 bets.
Shelly Bates, Nine Network’s compliance manager, claimed, as reported by ABC's Media Watch, "The comments relating to the Federal Government proposed poker machine tax were purely the opinions of the commentators regarding matters directly affecting the NRL community". Mr Warren previously told Triple M that the comments were "a directive from up top ... to be read by at least somebody" adding, "I think it was done on behalf of the National Rugby League, who is fully supportive of the clubs."
On Monday, independents in the Australian Parliament David Gyngell, chief executive of the Nine Network, accusing the network of "attempting to mislead (and alarm) viewers", and of breaching the Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice, the Broadcasting Services Act, and the Electoral Act. Nine responded with a statement yesterday, "The Nine Network will be providing Messrs Wilkie and Xenophon with a detailed and considered response on the issues they have raised, and we are confident we are not in breach of any code provisions."
If ACMA rules Nine in breach of its license conditions the watchdog may impose a fine or further license conditions, demand action to prevent further breaches, or even suspend or cancel the network's license.
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Article 1: An FBI photo of Ghailani
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) has denied military prosecutors the chance to charge Ahmed Kalfan Ghailani - a suspect imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba over alleged involvement in the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Tanzania - with crimes that carry the death penalty. His trial for war crimes at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base will instead be for charges with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
DoD legal head Susan Crawford, who reviews each case, approved proceedings which were filed in March but refused to allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty. She did not reveal the reasoning behind these decisions.
The bombing he is alleged to have taken part in was one of a pair, the other being against the US embassy in Kenya. The suicide truck bombings killed 220 people and injured 4,000. It is alleged Ghailani acquired and transported the explosives al-Qaeda used in the attack in Tanzania, and that he and a bomber inspected the embassy together before the attack. Eleven of the fatalities and 85 of the injuries were in Tanzania.
He is charged with murder, attacking civilians and civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destroying property, terrorism and providing material support to terrorism, all in violation of the laws of war. He admits to purchasing the TNT used and a mobile phone used by another attacker and being present when the truck was bought. However, he denies knowing that the embassy was the target.
He was captured in Pakistan in 2004 and transferred to Guantanamo in 2006. The following year he faced a hearing to prove he was an enemy combatant, at which he made his confessions. Article 2: Alaska plans to count 50,000 of its remaining 90,000 ballots later today.
In Minnesota, an automatic recount is expected, as the margin is one-hundredth of one per cent.
A run-off election between Georgia's two leading candidates has been scheduled for December 2.
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The report also predicted that the UK economy could shrink by 2% during the next year.
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"Our team found that certain aggregated search queries tend to be very common during flu season each year," said Google in a blog post on the topic. "We compared these aggregated queries against data provided by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and we found that there's a very close relationship between the frequency of these search queries and the number of people who are experiencing flu-like symptoms each week."
The data will be passed on to the Centers for Disease Control, in the hope that Google figures will detect a flu outbreak earlier than the traditional government figures.
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Bennett Klein of GLADD, the gay rights organization that fought for approval by the Supreme Court, stated that the decision "does mark the end of a very long journey toward equality."
"Today, Connecticut sends a message of hope an inspiration to lesbian and gay people throughout this country who simply want to be treated as equal citizens by their government," he continued.
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Article 1: Location of Sichuan province in China
On Saturday, local authorities said a child died and three were being treated after a leisure boat capsized at Bailong Lake in , Sichuan province, China at 14:50 local time (0650 ). At about noon on Monday a search and rescue team found the body of a middle-aged male passenger; thirteen other people were still missing.
According to officials, strong winds caused the accident.
The boat had been running a three-hour tour and the accident happened several minutes before its finish. Officials on Saturday said the child was taken to hospital and pronounced dead there.
On Sunday, a Blue Sky rescue team spokesman said underwater video cameras located the boat at around 65 meters (around 215 feet) depth, with no signs of survivors. The search for the remaining then-fourteen people was ongoing.
Five families had been on board, and the boat operator, his wife, and his son.
The vessel was prepared for up to forty passengers. Article 2: Following the expiry of broadcast corporation Philippine government issued a cease and desist order dated yesterday, forcing the shut-down of broadcasting operations by the company. Later in the evening, the network signed off and went off-air. The last time the Philippine government ordered the network to shut down was during the martial law imposed by former Philippine President | 0 |
Article 1: left
London, England — The Gliders, the Australia women's national wheelchair basketball team, won a close contest 52–50 against Basketball Arena (London)|Basketball Arena in Olympic Park, London.
The Gliders have won medals at the last three Paralympics, but have yet to win a gold medal.
The game was close and tough. The scores were tied fifteen times and at no point were the Australians more than five points in front. Before the game and at each break, the Australians linked arms in a common affirmation of teamwork.
A couple of minutes into the final quarter the 45–43 with sent to the free throw line where she extended her team's lead to 47–43. A technical foul saw her straight back again to make it 48–43, the Glider's biggest lead of the game.
Brazil then struck back scoring five unanswered points to tie the score again at 48–48 but then scored one from the paint to put the Gliders back in front. She followed this by taking a rebound and another great shot to make it 52–48. Brazil was able to score once more, but the clock was now against them. Time ran out, and the Gliders ran out the winners, 52–50.
Leading scorers for the Gliders were Cobi Crispin with 18 points and Amber Merritt with 16.
category:Australia women's national wheelchair basketball team Article 2: Alex Neil, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellness, who pushed the legislation through Parliament for the Scottish government.
The Scottish Parliament approved a bill to legalise same-sex marriage by a free vote of 105–18. The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill allows for religious bodies to opt in to providing same-sex wedding ceremonies. The Bill was opposed by religious bodies including the and the Roman Catholic Church.
During the Parliamentary debate a number of amendments were advanced and rejected, including an amendment to recognise that "a belief in marriage as a voluntary union between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others for life is a belief worthy of respect in a democratic society". The bill allows humanist celebrations in addition to civil and religious ceremonies.
, the Scottish cabinet minister responsible for the legislation, said: "This is a historic moment for equality in Scotland. I am proud that the Scottish Parliament has taken this progressive and hugely important decision in favour of equal rights in our country. It is right that same sex couples should be able to freely express their love and commitment to each other through getting married. Marriage is about love, and that has always been at the heart of this issue."
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Article 1: Flag of Hong KongAfter a week of swirling rumors, Hong Kong's leader Tung Chee-hwa announced at a press conference today at 5:36 p.m. that, "An hour ago, I tendered my resignation as Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to the Central Government." It has not yet been officially accepted by Beijing, though it is likely to pass as a formality.
Though Tung cited health reasons for his decision, it is widely believed he was given the signal to resign by the central government of the People's Republic of China.
"I am 68, because of long hours, 16 to 18 hours a day has taken toll on my health. The third quarter of last year, I began to feel very exhausted, and my immunity is not as good as it was before. Doctors told me that my health used to be good, but if I work this particular schedule continuously it won't do. Doctors asked me to change lifestyle, if i don't comply, my health will be in decline and will suffer from more exhaustion."
When asked whether he was pushed out by Beijing, Tung replied, "That is not the case at all. The central government has repeatedly affirmed the work that I and my colleagues of the SAR government have done, so that is not the case at all."
Tung had become extremely unpopular in the last few years, culminating in a July 1, 2003, rally when over 500,000 people demonstrated against his handling of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the economy and controversial state security provisions.
With his resignation, chief secretary for administration Donald Tsang will take over as provided by the Basic Law. A special election is required within 120 days according to the Chief Executive Election Ordinance.
In his final comments, Tung expressed regret in his inability to complete his term because of his poor health.
"The sense of attachment... with Hong Kong people is enormous, it's just a very special feeling. Its kind of sad to leave."
Related news story on news.gov.hk Article 2: Human Rights Secretary Nilmário Miranda said that Brazil will defend China in the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. According to him, the Chinese showed some advances in the human rights area recently.
Last year Brazil voted for China and helped to stop a discussion on the subject in UN. The only Latin American countries who favored China in 2004 were Brazil and Cuba.
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es:Brasil apoya a China en Comisión de Derechos Humanos de la ONU
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Article 1: dogma that’s driven into you as a kid can be hard to overcome."All photos: David ShankboneBoston-based singer-songwriter Antje Duvekot has made a name for herself in the folk music world with powerful ballads of heartbreak and longing for a deeper spirituality, but coming up empty-handed. Below is David Shankbone's interview with the folk chanteuse.
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'David Shankbone: Tell me about your new album.
:'Antje Duvekot:' It’s called Big Dream Boulevard and it’s the first studio album I made. It’s not so new; I made it in May of 2006. It’s produced by Séamus Egan, who is the leader of a fairly renowned band named Solas.
'DS: You mentioned you used to explore more dark themes in your work, but that lately you are exploring lighter fare. What themes are you exploring on this album?
:'AD:' In the future I am hoping for more light themes. I feel like I have worked through a lot of the darkness, and personally I feel like I’m ready to write a batch of lighter songs, but that’s just how I’m feeling right now. My last record, Big Dream Boulevard, was a pretty heavy record and that was not intentional. I write what is on my mind.
'DS: What were you going through that made it so dark?
:'AD:' The record is drawn from my whole writing career, so it’s old and new songs as well. I wasn’t going through anything in particular because it was spanning a wide time period. I think it’s fair to say that over all I turn to music in times of trouble and need as a therapeutic tool to get me through sadness. That’s why I tend to turn to music. So my songs tend to be a little darker, because that’s where I tend to go for solace. So themes like personal struggle with relationships and existential issues.
'DS: What personal relationships do you struggle with?
:'AD:' A lot of my songs are about dating and relationship troubles. That’s one category. But a lot of my songs are about existential questions because I struggle with what to believe in.
'DS: Do you believe in a higher power?
:'AD:' I’m sort of an atheist who wishes I could believe something.
'DS: What do you believe?
:'AD:' It’s undefined. I think I’m spiritual in music, which is my outlet, but I just can’t get on board with an organized religion. Not even Unitarianism. I do miss something like that in my life, though.
'DS: Why do you miss having religion in your life?
:'AD:' I think every human being craves a feeling that there is a higher purpose. It’s a need for me. A lot of my songs express that struggle.
'DS: Does the idea that our lives on Earth may be all that there is unsettle you?
:'AD:' Yes, sure. I think there’s more. I’m always seeking things of beauty, and my art reflects the search for that.
'DS: You had said in an interview that your family wasn’t particularly supportive of your career path, but you are also saying they were atheists who weren’t curious about the things you are curious about. It sounds like you were a hothouse flower.
:'AD:' Yes. I think what went with my parents' atheism was a distrust of the arts as frivolous and extraneous. They were very pragmatic.
'DS: They almost sound Soviet Communist.
:'AD:' Yeah, a little bit Laughs. They had an austere way of living, and my wanting to pursue music as a career was the last straw.
'DS: What’s your relationship with them now?
:'AD:' I don’t actually speak to my mother and stepfather.
'DS: Why?
:'AD:' A lot of reasons, but when I was about 21 I was fairly certain I wanted to go the music path and they said, “Fine, then go!”
'DS: That’s the reason you don’t speak with them?
:'AD:' That’s the main. “Go ahead, do what you want, and have a nice life.” So the music thing cost the relationship with my parents, although I think there may have been some other things that have done it.
'DS: That must be a difficult thing to contend with, that a career would be the basis for a relationship.
:'AD:'Yes, it’s strange, but my love of music is perhaps stronger for it because of the sacrifices I have made for it early on. I had to fight.
'DS: Would you say in your previous work some of your conflict of dating would have been birthed from how your relationship with your family? How do you see the arc of your work?
:'AD:' My songs are sort of therapy for me, so you can trace my personal progress through them Laughs. I think there is some improvement. I wrote my first love song the other day, so I think I’m getting the hang of what relationships are all about. I’m ever grateful for music for being there for me when things weren’t going so well.
'DS: Has the Iraq War affected you as an artist?
:'AD:' Not directly, but I do have a few songs that are political. One about George Bush and the hypocrisy, but it’s very indirect; you wouldn’t know it was about George Bush.
'DS: How has it affected you personally?
:'AD:' I feel sad about it. People say my music is sad, but it’s a therapeutic thing so the war affects me.
'DS: The struggle to be original in art is innate. When you are coming up with an idea for a song and then you all of a sudden stumble across it having been done somewhere else, how do you not allow that to squelch your creative impulse and drive to continue on.
"I was just thinking about the whole dream of becoming a musician. I want to maybe do a research project about people’s dreams and how they feel about them after they come true. It’s really interesting. They change a lot. When I was 17 I saw Ani Difranco on stage and I wanted to do that, and now I’m doing it. Now I think about Ani very differently."
:'AD:' That’s a good question. I started writing in a vacuum just for myself and I didn’t have a lot of feedback, and I thought that what I’m saying has been said so many times before. Then my songs got out there and people told me, ‘You say it so originally’ and I thought ‘Really?!’ The way I say it, to me, sounds completely trite because it’s the way I would say it and it doesn’t sound special at all. Once my record came out I got some amount of positive reviews that made me think I have something original, which in turn made me have writer’s block to keep that thing that I didn’t even know I had. So now I’m struggling with that, trying to maintain my voice. Right now I feel a little dried-out creatively.
'DS: When I interviewed Augusten Burroughs he told me that when he was in advertising he completely shut himself off from the yearly ad books that would come out of the best ads that year, because he wanted to be fresh and not poisoned by other ideas; whereas a band called The Raveonettes said they don’t try to be original they just do what they like and are upfront about their influences. Where do you fall in that spectrum?
:'AD:' Probably more towards Augusten Burroughs because when I first started writing it was more in a vacuum, but I think everyone has their own way. You can’t not be influenced by your experience in life.
'DS: Who would you say are some of your biggest influences in the last year. Who have you discovered that has influenced you the most?
:'AD:' Influence is kind of a strong word because I don’t think I’m taking after these people. I’ve been moved by this girl named Anais Mitchell. She’s a singer-songwriter from Vermont who is really unique. She’s just got signed to Righteous Babe Records. Patty Griffin just moves me deeply.
'DS: You moved out of New York because you had some difficulty with the music scene here?
:'AD:' I feel it is a little tougher to make it here than in Boston if you are truly acoustic folk lyric driven. I find that audiences in New York like a certain amount of bling and glamor to their performances. A little more edge, a little cooler. I felt for me Boston was the most conducive environment.
'DS: Do you feel home up in Boston?
:'AD:'I do, and part of that is the great folk community.
'DS: Why do you think Boston has such a well-developed folk scene?
:'AD:' It’s always historically been a folk hub. There’s a lot of awesome folk stations like WUMB and WERS. Legendary folk clubs, like Club Passim. Those have stayed in tact since the sixties.
'DS: Is there anything culturally about Boston that makes it more conducive to folk?
:'AD:' Once you have a buzz, the buzz creates more buzz. Some people hear there’s a folk scene in Boston, and then other people move there, so the scene feeds itself and becomes a successful scene. It’s on-going.
'DS: Do you have a favorite curse word?
:'AD:' Giggles Cunt. Giggles
'DS: Really?! You are the first woman I have met who likes that word!
:'AD:' Oh, really? I’ll use it in a traffic situation. Road rage. Laughs
'DS: Do you find yourself more inspired by man-made creations, including people and ideas, or nature-made creations?
:'AD:' I love nature, but it is limited. It is what it is, and doesn’t include the human imagination that can go so much further than nature.
'DS: What are some man made things that inspire you?
:'AD:' New York City as a whole is just an amazing city. People are so creative and it is the hub of personal creativity, just in the way people express themselves on a daily basis.
'DS: Do you think you will return?
:In theory I will return one day if I have money, but in theory you need money to enjoy yourself.
'DS: What trait do you deplore in yourself?
:'AD:' Like anyone, I think laziness. I’m a bit a hard on myself, but there’s always more I can do. As a touring singer-songwriter I work hard, but sometimes I forget because I get to sleep in and my job is not conventional, and sometimes I think ‘Oh, I don’t even have a job, how lazy I am!’ Laughs Then, of course, there are times I’m touring my ass off and I work hard as well. It comes in shifts. There are times there is so much free time I have to structure my own days, and that’s a challenge.
'DS: When is the last time you achieved a goal and were disappointed by it and thought, “Is that all there is?” Something you wanted to obtain, you obtained it, and it wasn’t nearly as fulfilling as you thought it would be.
:'AD:' I was just thinking about the whole dream of becoming a musician. I want to maybe do a research project about people’s dreams and how they feel about them after they come true. It’s really interesting. They change a lot. When I was 17 I saw Ani Difranco on stage and I wanted to do that, and now I’m doing it. Now I think about Ani very differently. I wonder how long it took her to drive here, she must be tired; I’m thinking of all the pragmatic things that go on behind the scenes. The backside of a dream you never consider when you’re dreaming it. To some extent, having my dream fulfilled hasn’t been a let-down, but it’s changed. It’s more realistic.
'DS: What is a new goal?
:'AD:' Balance. Trying to grow my career enough to make sure it doesn’t consume me. It’s hard to balance a touring career because there is no structure to your life. I’m trying to take this dream and make it work as a job.
'DS: How challenging is it to obtain that in the folk world?
:'AD:' There’s not a lot of money in the folk world. In generally right now I think people’s numbers are down and only a few people can make a living at it. It’s pretty competitive. I’m doing okay, but there’s no huge riches in it so I’m trying to think of my future and maintain a balance in it.
'DS: Do you think of doing something less folk-oriented to give your career a push?
:Not really, I’ve done that a little bit by trying to approach the major labels, but that was when the major labels were dying so I came in at a bad time for that. I found that when it comes to do it yourself, the folk world is the best place to make money because as soon as you go major you are paying a band.
'DS: More money more problems.
:'AD:' More money, more investing. It’s a hard question.
'DS: What things did you encounter doing a studio album that you had not foreseen?
:'AD:' Giving up control is hard when you have a producer. His vision, sometimes, is something you can’t understand and have to trust sometimes. See how it comes out. That was hard for me, because up until now I have been such a do it yourself, writing my own songs, recording them myself.
'DS: What is your most treasured possession?
:'AD:' I’d like to say my guitar, but I’m still looking for a good one. I have this little latex glove. Laughs It’s a long story—
'DS: Please! Do tell!
:'AD:' When I was in college I had a romantic friend named David, he was kind of my first love. We were young and found this latex glove in a parking lot. We though, “Oh, this is a nice glove, we’ll name him Duncan.”
'DS: You found a latex glove in a parking lot and you decided to take it?
:'AD:' Yeah Laughs. He became the symbol of our friendship. He’s disgusting at this point, he’s falling apart. But David and I are still friends and we’ll pass him back and forth to each other every three years or so when we’ve forgotten his existence. David surprised me at a show in Philly. He gave Duncan to the sound man who brought it back stage, and now I have Duncan. So he’s kind of special to me.
'DS: If you could choose how you die, how would you choose?
:'AD:' Not freezing to death, and not in an airplane, because I’m afraid of flying. Painlessly, like most people. In my sleep when I’m so old and senile I don’t know what hit me. I’d like to get real old.
'DS: Would you be an older woman with long hair or short hair?
:'AD:' I guess short hair, because long hair looks a little witchy on old people.
'DS: Who are you supporting for President?
:'AD:' I’m torn between Obama and Hillary. Someone who is going to win, so I guess Hillary.
'DS: You don’t think Obama would have a chance of winning?
:'AD:' I don’t know. If he did, I would support Barack. I don’t really care; either of those would make me happy.
'DS: What trait do you value most in your friends?
:'AD:' Kindness.
'DS: What trait do you deplore in other people?
:'AD:' Arrogance. Showiness.
'DS: Where else are you going on tour?
:'AD:' Alaska in a few days. Fairbanks, Anchorage and all over the place. I’m a little nervous because I will be driving by myself and I have this vision that if I get hit by a moose then I could freeze to death.
'DS: And you have to fly up there!
:'AD:' Yeah, and I hate flying as well—so I’m really scared! Laughs
'DS: Is there a big folk scene in Alaska?
:'AD:' No, but I hear people are grateful if anyone makes it up there, especially in the winter. I think they are hungry for any kind of entertainment, no matter the quality. Laughs Someone came to us! I actually played there in June in this town called Seldovia, that has 300 people, and all 300 people came to my gig, so the next day I was so famous! Everyone knew me, the gas station attendant, everyone. It was surreal.
'DS: So you had that sense of what Ani DiFranco must feel.
:'AD:' Yeah! I was Paul McCartney. I thought this was what it must be like to be Bruce Springsteen, like I can’t even buy a stick of gum without being recognized.
'DS: Did you like that?
:'AD:' I think it would be awful to be that famous because you have moments when you just don’t feel like engaging. Article 2: Taylor Swift at the 2019 American Music Awards.
Taylor Swift's Evermore album has returned to the top position on the Billboard 200 chart this week, after an 8307% increase in sales. Evermore, which was released in December, only had its vinyl edition issued on May 28, although preorders were available from the moment of the album's release.
In the week ending on June 3, Evermore sold 192 thousand copies, setting the record for the biggest sales week of the year. Billboard credited the rise of Evermore back to No. 1 to a number of factors, including "modern-era record-breaking vinyl LP sales — 102 thousand — Swift-signed CDs and deep discounting on its digital album". The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums in the United States on a weekly basis, combining album sales and streaming.
In this week's chart, Evermore jumped from 74 to 1, marking the biggest jump to the number 1 position since Radiohead's This House Is Not for Sale on the March 10, 2018 chart, caused by a bundling of concert tickets with the album. Evermore broke the record for the biggest sales week for a vinyl album, having initially sold over 40 thousand copies from May 28 to May 31 to edge out the previous record holder, Lazaretto (album)|Lazaretto. By the end of the week, Evermore had sold 102 thousand vinyl copies.
The delay of Evermore's vinyl release is due to the length of time vinyl records take to produce. As Evermore was only announced a day before its release, it is likely that there was not sufficient time before its release to complete the production of physical editions of the album, including vinyl editions. In other countries where Evermore hit no. 1 upon its December release, it also recieved a boost. On the United Kingdom's Official Albums Chart Top 100, Evermore jumped 70 spots to the no. 4 position. Australia's ARIA Top 50 Albums chart saw Evermore go up nine spots to no. 38. In New Zealand, Evermore was one of the fastest rising titles on the Official Top 40 Albums chart, re-entering at no. 30.
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Article 1: A fighter jet crashed, killing the pilot, at Songkhla, Thailand this morning during an annual anchor=Thailand|Children's Day airshow.
Three Thai JAS 39C Gripens in flight, from file.
The JAS 39C Gripen crashed onto a runway at around 9:30 am local time (0230 Aircraft rescue and firefighting|airport fire vehicle rolled over while responding.
Children screamed in video footage of the crash. The Prayut Chan-o-cha offered his sympathies to Pattavee's relatives.
Thailand began purchasing the Swedish-built Gripen jets in 2008 and has twelve. None of its neighbours have similar aircraft, which cost the nation around 2.5 billion baht (US$70 million) each.
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Avião de combate cai durante o show aéreo no Dia das Crianças na Tailândia
fr:Thaïlande : avion de combat écrasé lors d'un spectacle aérien Journée des enfants Article 2: Portrait of Griffith taken January 12, 2020.
Economic Secretary to the Treasury|Economic Secretary to House of Commons Tuesday the government was considering a "digital pound", with public consultations on the attributes and regulation of | 0 |
Article 1: The emblem of the United States Northern Command, which was created to support local authorities with homeland security.United States President George W. Bush deployed the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team to a new role on United States soil last Wednesday, training for dealing with national crises. Critics claim that act of the Executive Branch violates the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits military participation in domestic matters.
In 2007, the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act was introduced; it overturned the Posse Comitatus Act by allowing the Commander in Chief to suppress 'insurrection' and 'restore order'. When it was repealed in 2008, Bush stated that he did not respect the later repeal.
The combat team, renamed CCMRF (C-hemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive C-onsequence M-anagement R-esponse F-orces), has been assigned for year-long duty and training at Fort Stewart to prepare them for "civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios" such as security or natural disasters. After a year, a new unit will take its place.
CCMRF will be under the control of the Northern Command (NORTHCOM), and now has the same legal authority as a unit deployed to Iraq under the direct control of the Executive Branch. The unit will have use of engineer and medical units, the Marine Corps Chemical, Biological Initial Reaction Force, and a Navy weather team, as well as members of the Defense Logistics Agency and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. A spokeswoman for NORTHCOM added that both wheeled and tank vehicles would be available for the CCMRF.
In July the unit was assigned a new commander, Col. Roger Cloutier. "If we go in," he said proudly of the deployment, "we’re going in to help American citizens on American soil". CCMRF will be training in both traffic and riot control equipment, and will be the first to use the Army's new nonlethal package, which is intended for war-zone and not domestic use.
NORTHCOM's September 30th statement includes a quote attributed to "future operations division chief" Colonel Michael Boatner saying, “This response force will not be called upon to help with law enforcement, civil disturbance or crowd control, but will be used to support lead agencies involved in saving lives, relieving suffering and meeting the needs of communities affected by weapons of mass destruction attacks, accidents or even natural disasters.”
The action has raised concerns for some citizens like journalist Naomi Wolf, an author critical of the Bush administration, who referred to the deployment as a 'coup' in a well-circulated viral video and issued Americans a call to action.
NORTHCOM is a joint command established post-9/11 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities. When Hurricane Katrina damaged Mississippi and Louisiana, several active-duty units were pulled from various posts and mobilized to those areas, but were not assigned to NORTHCOM, but instead individual commands under provisional authorities.
Military officials have not yet responded to a request for comment. Article 2: Gaetz' official 2020 portrait.
On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives voted 321–103 against a resolution that would require the president to withdraw the roughly 900 US troops stationed in Syria.
Republican Representative introduced the resolution on February 21.
Gaetz stated: "I do not believe what stands between a caliphate and not a caliphate are the 900 Americans who have been sent to this hellscape with no definition of victory." The Associated Press noted a US operation in Syria four days earlier had wounded four US servicemembers, while killing a senior Islamic State leader.
On his congressional website, Gaetz argued: "Congress has never authorized kinetic participation of U.S. Armed Forces in Syria."
Representative United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs|House Foreign Affairs Committee and a Republican, argued withdrawing forces could lead to a resurgence of the Islamic State. "Withdraw of this legal, authorized US troop deployment must be based on the total defeat of ISIS," he continued.
Representative , the Foreign Affairs Committee's top Democrat, said: "This measure forces a premature end to our mission at a critical time for our efforts." However, he expressed opposition to an indefinite presence of US forces in Syria.
The US has conducted military operations in Syria against the Islamic State since September 2014 as part of Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2001 (AUMF) and the .
The 2001 AUMF, the longest continuously-used AUMF in US history, was originally passed to authorize military action after the September 11 attacks, while the 2002 AUMF first authorized the Iraq War.
Congressional efforts to enact new authorization for anti-Islamic State operations began in late 2014, according to a report.
On June 17, 2021, the House of Representatives passed H.R.256, voting to repeal the 2002 AUMF. Meeks said then: "Repeal is crucial because the executive branch has a history of stretching the 2002 AUMF's legal authority." The bill did not pass the US Senate.
On Wednesday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 13–8 to approve a repeal of the 2002 AUMF and a 1991 AUMF, clearing it for a vote before the full Senate. | 1 |
Article 1: Location of Iran
A top US commander said yesterday that the United States is not planning a preemptive attack on Iran despite increasing rhetoric from Washington, D.C. The United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also denied that an attack was imminent, stating that there is no Congressional authorization for military action against Iran.
The denials came as The Observer ran a report saying that US personnel involved in interrogating insurgents in Iraq are under "huge" pressure to find evidence against Iran. It quoted Micah Brose, a privately contracted interrogator working for the US military there, as saying that information on Iran is "gold".
"They push a lot for us to establish a link with Iran", Brose claimed in the interview, adding that "it feels a lot like, if you get something and Iran's not involved, it's a let down." He further claimed that people have said to him that "they're really pushing the Iran thing." Brose denied being asked to manufacture evidence, but stated that "if a detainee wants to tell me what I want to hear so he can get out of jail ... you know what I'm saying."
The US has in the past been accused of using exaggerated and fabricated evidence to build its case against Iraq prior to the war.
The article by the British based newspaper said most military intelligence officers refused to comment but that one said "The message is, 'Got to find a link with Iran, got to find a link with Iran.' It's sickening."
A strike is "not in the offing" - William J. Fallon
On Monday, Admiral William J. Fallon, the commanding officer of United States Central Command which is responsible for the Middle East, East Africa and Central Asia, speaking in Financial Times, said that a strike against Iran is "not in the offing."
"None of this is helped by the continuing stories that just keep going around and around and around that any day now there will be another war which is just not where we want to go," Fallon continued. "Getting Iranian behavior to change and finding ways to get them to come to their senses and do that is the real objective. Attacking them as a means to get to that spot strikes me as being not the first choice in my book." Despite saying this, he refused to rule out a strike against Iran in the future.
"The question is, why will Tehran not talk to us?" - Condoleezza Rice
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was on ABC's This Week on Sunday, saying that a Senate resolution designating Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization does not authorize military action.
"There is nothing in this particular resolution that would suggest that from our point of view. And, clearly, the president has also made very clear that he's on a diplomatic path where Iran comes into focus," Rice said.
"This resolution is saying that there needs to be strong measures taken against Iran, which we have definitely done," Rice continued. "And if the Iranians suspend their enrichment and reprocessing, I'm prepared to meet my counterpart anyplace, anytime, anywhere. So the question isn't why will we not talk to Tehran. The question is, why will Tehran not talk to us?"
"No congressional authority exists for unilateral military action against Iran" - Hillary Clinton
Senator Hillary Clinton, who is running for President, voted for the resolution. She has said that the resolution could not be used to justify war, but rather it seeks to escalate diplomatic efforts. "We wish to emphasize that no congressional authority exists for unilateral military action against Iran," she said in an open letter on November 1, 2007.
Attack on Iran would be a "nightmare" - Joschka Fischer
Last week, former Foreign Minister of Germany, Joschka Fischer said that he was worried that the upcoming US Presidential election could heighten tensions between the US and Iran. He found particularly worrisome a statement by Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani in October that "If I am President of the United States, I guarantee you, we will never find out what they will do if they get nuclear weapons, because they are not going to get a nuclear weapon ... the military option is not off the table." Article 2: The periodic table as it stands today. The four newly discovered elements are officially added by IUPAC following the five months of public review. The new names would replace the current placeholder names.
The nihonium, tennessine, and — are to be subject to a five-month period of public scrutiny which ends November 2016. IUPAC allows the teams of scientists who discover and synthesize new elements to name them, subject to process.
Element number 113, nihonium, is named after the Japanese name for the country of Japan — — where it was first synthesized and discovered by researchers at the institute.
Elements 115 and 117, moscovium and tennessine, were co-discovered by researchers in the United States and Russia. Moscovium's name comes from the Moscow-based where researchers discovered the element. Similarly, tennessine is named after the US state of Tennessee where chemical research is commonly conducted.
Lastly, element number 118, oganesson, is named for a Russian physicist, , team leader from the synthesis of tennessine, element 117.
Elements 113, 115, 117, and 118 complete the bottom row of the current periodic table. Further discoveries would likely add a new row on the table. Currently, these elements are given the systematic placeholder names ununtrium, ununpentium, ununseptium and ununoctium, respectively.
The elements are formed as a result of colliding two smaller atoms together to form a larger atom. These resultant atoms are made in small amounts, are generally unstable, and decompose into smaller components in periods of time less than a second.
IUPAC confirmed discovery of these four elements in December. These were the first confirmed discoveries since IUPAC confirmed elements 114 and 116, livermorium, in 2011.
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Article 1: Shrine to Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell Tube Station in December 2006.
London's Metropolitan police force has been found guilty of endangering the public during an anti-terrorism operation that lead to the death of an innocent Brazilian man in July of 2005.
The British jury at Old Bailey convicted the police force of violating the Health & Safety legislation because the operation was deemed an excessive threat to the public. They also stressed that no individual culpability should be placed on Cressida Dick, the officer in charge of the operation. The police force was fined £175,000 and ordered to pay £385,000 for legal expenses.
"This was very much an isolated breach brought about by quite extraordinary circumstances," said Justice Henriques. "One person died and many others were placed in potential danger."
Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, was at Old Bailey to hear the verdict. He said he plans to "continue leading the Metropolitan police." Len Duvall, chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said it "fully supported" Blair. A spokesperson for Gordon Brown said that Blair continues to have the confidence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
However, Asad Rehman, a spokesperson for the victim's family, called for Blair's resignation. "Whilst it was a difficult day, that does not mean that procedure and the Metropolitan Police did not fail," he said.
Electrician Jean Charles de Menezes died in the Stockwell Tube Station after being shot in the head by police officers seven times. They mistook him for another man, Hamdi Adus Isaac (aka Osman Hussain), who failed in the July 21, 2005 attack on the London underground one day before. Article 2: On Friday, the Uruguay language academy shared a statement rejecting football player Edinson Cavani's ban of three matches and a £100,000 (US$137,000) fine ruled by (FA) in England.
Edinson Cavani, from file, 2008.
The sanction was made on Thursday based on a comment on striker (football)|striker made to a fan who congratulated him on his football performance.
In particular Cavani wrote " negrito" and the FA concluded this was "insulting, abusive, improper and brought the game into disrepute" and "an 'aggravated breach' ... as it included reference, whether express or implied, to colour and/or race and/or ethnic origin."
According to the Uruguay language academy, terms like "negro" (black) and specially its diminutive "negrito" —like terms such as "gordo" (fatso) or "gordito"— are often used in an endearing or friendly way and Further the statement says:
"In summary", the statement from the Uruguay language academy signed by its president, minister of the sister=w:es|Wilfredo Penco, concludes by saying,
This was not the only Spanish language academy supporting Cavani against the accusation of racism. The Argentina language academy —Argentina, another country of the Rioplatense Spanish— on December 22 called on the FA to acquit Cavani and
Meanwhile, in Argentina and Uruguay on Friday, the hashtag #graciasnegrito became a trending topic on Twitter, in support of Cavani against the sanction received. | 0 |
Article 1: Australian newspapers and magazines could be fined up to 30,000 for breaches of media standards, according to a submission to Julia Gillard's media inquiry. The fine is said to be reserved for "exceptionally grave" or persistent breaches, and suggests that newspapers could be censured or reprimanded "where appropriate".
PM Julia Gillard announced the media inquiry earlier this year under pressure from Greens leader , as part of an attempt to boost public confidence in the media following the News of the World hacking scandal. However, fears exist that the inquiry could impede freedom of the press, with the Newspaper Publishers' Association stating that a free press should be accountable to its market and not the government.
The Press Council has also suggested the appointment of a new panel headed by a retired judge in an attempt to remove the criticism of it being a "toothless tiger". Retired judge Ray Finklestein is leading the inquiry.
Council Chair Professor Julian Disney said it was important that new legislation be extended to include the growing number of online news and "blog" websites. He also voiced concern over the legalistic nature of the inquiry, saying "The Council is concerned that if it had the power to impose heavy sanctions its processes might have to become so formal, adversarial, slow and expensive that most people will not able or willing to complain to it."
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner recommends that a single set of privacy principles or guidelines be considered for all media organisations, as well as web-based publishers and bloggers who would otherwise not be regarded within the traditional definitions of journalism.
Labor leader Senator has called for the media inquiry to hold to account, after they reported on leadership instability within the government. Senator Cameron dismissed the report as "absolute lies".
"The press are an absolute disgrace, they are a threat to democracy in this country and we should absolutely be having a look at them," he said in parliament. "I'm saying it's a fabrication. They run unsubstantiated stories in relation to the leadership of the party."
Finkelstein however denied the inquiry is linked to Senator Cameron's calls for an examination into News Limited, stating it will instead focus on the "style and content" of reporting.
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Monday's Goalball match
London, England — A winless Australia women's national goalball team met the United States in group play yesterday night at London's Copper Box and failed to pick up their first win, going down 0–3.
Prior to the start of the game, both team's fans made themselves heard with Australian supporters chanting "Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!" and United States fans chanting "U-S-A! U-S-A!" The United States's Jen Armbruster scored all three of the United States goals, one of them coming off a penalty shot. While the United States had no fouls in the game, Australia had four for high balls.
The two teams played with contrasting styles. The United States spent most of their time upright, only dropping and lunging to block the ball after the Australians threw it. Meanwhile, the Australians spent most of their time low and close to the ground as they lunged to prevent the ball from going into the goal. The Australians, who were all wearing green and gold socks, were louder than the United States and talked to each other more while on court.
Australia came into the match having lost 1–3 to both Japan and Canada. They have one game left to play at the London Paralympics when the play Sweden, who have lost 1–5 to the United States, tied Japan 0–0 and beaten Canada 2–1.
With a 5–1 win against Sweden and a 1–2 loss to Japan, the United States still has to play Canada in pool play.
Goalball was created in 1946 as a sport exclusively for people with a visual disability and designed to help veterans returning from World War II with their rehabilitation. Games in the Paralympics have two twelve minute periods, with a three minute break between halves. Players are blindfolded to insure equal ability to see while on the court, and the game can be stopped to ensure goggles are properly fitted. Standing in front of a long goal, they throw the ball at the opposition team's net who in turn try to block it by hearing the ball, which contains a bell, and using their bodies to prevent the ball from going in. The audience is asked to remain silent during play. | 0 |
Article 1: Senior Canadian officials said Tuesday that U.S. president George W. Bush has not returned a telephone call Paul Martin made to him last week, due to the Canadian government's decision to not participate in the U.S. missile defence initiative.
The Prime Minister was hoping explain Canada's reasons for saying no.
Although the White House has formally stated it's "disappointment" on the decision, it also stated that Bush would likely talk with Martin on the issue when the two meet with Mexican President Vicente Fox on March 23 to discuss the future of NAFTA, the North American free trade agreement.
A Martin spokesperson told the Toronto Star that "the decision to not participate (in ballistic missile defence) ... was Canada's alone to take ... The Bush administration, while disappointed in the decision, recognizes that fact and is not seeking apologies." The CanWest News Service reported that another Martin spokesperson, Melanie Gruer, played down the reports by saying that "The President has been travelling," and that Prime-minister Martin's aides acknowledge the pressures on busy leaders' schedules.
U.S. officials had mentioned that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's decision to postpone a visit to Ottawa was in response to the non-participation decision. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew spoke twice to Ms. Rice, finally ensuring that she will come to Canada as planned, despite concerns it was cancelled over the disagreement.
Martin, orgininally backed the missile defence initiative and committed to closer co-operation with Washington when he came to office in 2004. This position was reversed last week Article 2: Gordon Brown: A recession is coming Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has today admitted that the developed world will enter a recession.
"Having taken action on the banking system, we must now take action on the global financial recession," he said, speaking to Members of Parliament (MPs). "There will be a recession in America, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and - because no country can insulate itself from it - Britain too," he continued.
These comments echo those made recently by Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England.
Leader of the opposition David Cameron said that Brown should take some of the blame for the crisis. "He claimed the credit in the boom, why won't he take responsibility in the bust?"
Sushil Wadhwani, who was formerly a member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee also reacted to these recent comments. "The committee has been too slow to acknowledge the risks of a recession and they have fallen behind the curve," he said. "The consequence of their relative inactivity so far is that the recession is likely to be deeper and more prolonged than was necessary."
Markets today continued to fall dramatically. As of 15:30 UTC, the FTSE 100 index had fallen by 152.18 point to a value of 4077.55, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell back below 9,000 with a 2.89% drop. | 0 |
Article 1: Parlsquareprotests.jpg|thumb|185px|left|File photo of anti-war protestors in Parliament Square. Taken in 2003
United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced today that the independent inquiry into the Iraq War will be held in private. It has been called for by opposition MP's and Labour MP's since the invasion and it was announced today that it will start next month.
It is planned to take at least a year, according to Mr. Brown, and is being held in private for national security matters and to protect Britain's military capability.
Protestors have reacted angrily to the news, believing the government will try to hide blame. Article 2: Protest in Minsk against Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko on September 20, 2020 after the controversial August election.
On Monday, Canada, the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom and the United States imposed new sanctions on senior officials and entities in Belarus over the May 23 diversion of a Ryanair flight and subsequent arrest of dissident journalist and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega, as well as "repressive practices" committed by the Belarusian government.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on April 1, 2021.
The joint action was aimed at putting pressure on Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko's "regime", a joint statement read, citing "continued attacks on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and international law", as well as the "politically motivated" arrest of Mr Protasevich and Ms Sapega.
The statement went on to express support for "the long-suppressed democratic aspirations of the people of Belarus", calling for Belarusian co-operation in investigations into the incident, the release of all political prisoners, adherence to the recommendations of an expert mission by the (OSCE), of which Belarus is a participating state, and OSCE-facilitated dialogue between the government and opposition.
The circumstances surrounding the forced landing of Ryanair flight FR4978 from Lithuania to Greece in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, are contested. As reported by Sky News, state media says the diversion was due to threat of explosives on board, a claim calls "dubious and still unverified".
Total restrictive measures varied between the countries and regional organisation. Canada sanctioned 17 new individuals for a total of 72, and five entities described in a press release as being "due to the ongoing disregard for human rights demonstrated".
The EU, through the Council of the European Union, extended its restrictive measures by 78 individuals and eight entities related either to human rights violations or the "forced and unlawful landing", to a total of 166 individuals and fifteen entities. Those who are impacted, including judges, businesspeople, university rectors and government ministers, will be subject to an asset freeze, and persons affected prohibited to enter or transit through EU territory.
The measures also prohibit EU citizens and companies from making money available to the designated. According to the Associated Press, EU policy chief Heiko Maas said, will impact the "economic areas that are of particular significance for Belarus and for the regime’s income"; those targeted include the export of fertiliser ingredient petroleum.
The United Kingdom furthered sanctions levied with Canada in September on eight Belarusian officials, including Lukashenko, his son, and senior government members. New restrictions include eleven individuals and two entities, which are henceforth subject to asset freezes and travel bans.
Among those targeted includes petroleum exporter BNK (UK) Ltd, which, according to its 2019 report of the director presented to Dominic Raab said "cutting off oil export revenue streams" was one way the government would "hold the Belarusian regime to account".
The United States, through the State Department and United States Department of the Treasury|Treasury Department, imposed visa restrictions on 46 Belarusian individuals holding "key positions" in the country, according to a press release, and added 16 individuals and five entities to a designated list. In addition to concerns of the country's "transnational repression" and "affronts to international efforts", the US also cited the "fraudulent" as cause for the sanctions' imposition.
The timing of the sanctions was questioned by Belarusian Nikolai Shchekin on state media network the , noting the date June 21 is one day before the anniversary of the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, or the "Great Patriotic War". According to CNN, the US attempted to announce its sanctions earlier, prior to a meeting between US president Joe Biden and president of Russia Vladimir Putin, but was held up by the EU. | 1 |
Article 1: Arizona Senator Jeff Flake announced on Tuesday he will not seek reelection when his term in the Senate is up next year, citing issues within the United States Republican Party and with President Donald Trump, whose behavior he called "reckless, outrageous, and undignified." The Trump administration said Flake had poor support among his constituency.
In a speech on the floor of the Senate, Flake said, "The notion that one should stay silent as the norms and values that keep America strong are undermined and as the alliances and agreements that ensure the stability of the entire world are routinely threatened by the level of thought that goes into 140 characters — the notion that one should say and do nothing in the face of such mercurial behavior is ahistoric and," he said, "I believe, profoundly misguided." He later added on CNN's The Lead, "It's difficult to move forward in a Republican primary if you have been critical of any of the behavior that's gone on... We Republicans certainly can't countenance that kind of behavior. We ought to stand up and say 'This is not right. This is not us. This is not conservative.' "
Senator Jeff Flake in 2016.
"Based on the lack of support he has from the people of Arizona, retirement's probably a good move," Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the media. Recent polls showed Flake has limited popularity with Republicans in Arizona.
Last year President Trump told other Arizona politicians he planned to personally spend US$10 million to see that Flake did not win the Republican primary, the intra-party election that names the party's official candidate. About two months ago Trump tweeted in support of Flake's rival for the primary nod, , "Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He's toxic!"
Republican Senators Bob Corker, who have also been critical of President Trump, stood and clapped at the end of Flake's floor speech. Corker later called Flake a "real conservative." Republican Senator John Cornyn and Democratic Senator referred to it as "sad" and "depressing."
Kaine commented, "When someone as good and decent a person as Jeff Flake does not think he can continue in the body, it's a very tragic day for the institution."
Flake has recently published a book, Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle, in which he criticizes what he sees as Trump's negative effect on the tone of United States politics. Politically, Flake has differed from President Trump on trade and immigration, specifically the North American Free Trade Agreement, with Flake in favor of both agreements and Trump against. Flake also co-authored a 2013 law that would have given undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship if it had passed. Trump is in the early stages of building a wall on the U.S.– border in an attempt to prevent people from entering the U.S. illegally and has issued three executive orders limiting immigration from specific countries, though these were later blocked.
United States senators serve six-year terms. One third of the Senate is elected or reelected every two years.
United StatesPolitics and conflictsElectionsRepublican Party (United States)ArizonaDonald Trump Article 2: Shake map of the quake
On Sunday, September 11 at 9:46AM local time, (UTC+10), a powerful earthquake struck Papua New Guinea near . There were reports of injuries and at least three dead several hours after the quake.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake measured 7.6Mw on the . "This could definitely be a damaging earthquake," said Jana Pursley, a geologist with the USGS. She expects damage from the quake to be moderate to severe.
The epicenter was reported to be east of Kainantu and below the surface.
Three people were reported killed in the gold-mining town of Wau according to Charley Masange, the disaster director for Port Moresby, said the quake "most likely caused considerable damage" though it was too early to assess the total impact.
"It’s a common thing that earthquakes are felt here, but it usually doesn’t last as long and is not as violent as this one," said Renagi Ravu, a local geologist who lives in Kainantu. "It was quite intense." According to Ravu, approximately ten thousand people live in and around the town which is in the .
Papua New Guinea is in the so-called which sees frequent volcanic activity as well as earthquakes. In 2018, a similarly powerful earthquake struck the highlands killing at least 125 people. | 0 |
Article 1: Kim Jong-il on August 24, 2011
The Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-il, has died according to the heart attack. Kim apparently died two days earlier on December 17 aboard a train. According to North Korean media, Kim was 69. However, other records from the former Soviet Union place his age at 70.
At the same time, Kim's son, has been named as the "Great Successor" by North Korean state media. Citizens are being told they "must faithfully revere respectable comrade Kim Jong-un. At the leadership of comrade Kim Jong-un, we have to change sadness to strength and courage and overcome today's difficulties," according to KCNA.
According to , South Korea's military is on "emergency alert" following a meeting by South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). According to a JCS official, "We're keeping close tabs on the demilitarized zone (DMZ), Joint Security Area (JSA) and Northern Limit Line (NLL) for possibilities of North Korean provocations."
South Korean President also presided over a meeting. A statement from Lee's office said, "The government will remain thoroughly prepared while keeping a close watch over the situation in North Korea. The government will also cooperate closely with the international community to maintain peace and safety on the Korean Peninsula."
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ca:Mor el dictador nord-coreà Kim Jong-il
cs:Zemřel severokorejský vůdce Kim Čŏng-il
de:Kim Jong-il ist tot
es:Kim Jong-il, líder de Corea del Norte ha muerto a los 69 años
fa:رهبر كرهشمالی درگذشت
fr:Corée du Nord : mort du leader Kim Jong-il à 69 ans
ko:조선민주주의인민공화국 국방위원장 김정일, 사망 공식 보도
ja:北朝鮮の最高指導者・金正日氏逝去 列車内で
pl:Kim Dzong Il nie żyje
Kim Jong Il morre e é substituido pelo filho Kim Jong-Un Article 2: Former South Korean Leader was arrested today over corruption allegations.
File photo of Park Geun-hye, 2013.
A court in Choi Soon-sil.
Park Geun-hye was accused of working with Choi Soon-sil to use foundations to accept donations from major South Korean companies. The foundations then backed the former president's policy initiatives. Park was also accused of accepting bribes for political favours from conglomerates, such as from Jay Y. Lee.
In the hearing Park argued against her arrest that she posed no flight risk and swore she would not tamper with evidence. After her eight hour's worth of testimony, a judge at the Seoul District Court said there was sufficient evidence to arrest the former leader and said evidence could be destroyed if they did not.
Both Park and Choi deny they did anything wrong.
Park has been put in a detention facility located just outside Seoul to await further legal proceedings. Officials for the facility have said Park will be expected to adhere to the existing rules in place at the centre.
Elections to appoint a new president are scheduled to be held on May 9.
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Article 1: With the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) having called off Monday's demonstration and march on Bangkok's police headquarters, Thailand's Queen Sirikit (Thai: สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสิริกิติ์ พระบรมราชินีนาถ) and HRH Princess Chulabhorn Valayalaksana (Thai: สมเด็จพระเจ้าลูกเธอ เจ้าฟ้าจุฬาภรณวลัยลักษณ์ อัครราชกุมารี) attended the cremation and funeral of Angkana Radubpanyawoot, one of the protesters killed in clashes between police and PAD protesters last Tuesday.
The queen, consort of the highly popular and revered eighty-year old Thai monarch Bhumibol Adulyadej (Thai: ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช), was joined by police chiefs, leaders of the PAD movement, and many protesters. Presiding over the ceremonies, the queen was accompanied by army chief Anupong Paojinda (Thai: อนุพงษ์ เผ่าจินดา), the opposition Democrat party leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva (Thai: อภิสิทธิ์ เวชชาชีวะ), and newly elected Bangkok Governor, Apirak Kosayodhin (Thai: อภิรักษ์ โกษะโยธิน). Founder and de-facto head of the People's Alliance for Democracy movement, Sondhi Limthongkul (Thai: สนธิ ลิ้มทองกุล) attended as the protest group's representative, along with thousands of others mainly from the PAD.
Queen Sirikit spoke with Angkhana's father, Jinda Radappanyawut during the Buddhist cremation ceremony. He later discussed their conversation, detailing that the queen had given moral support and said that his daughter was a decent person who had been helping the King and working for the good of the nation. Jinda's wife, Angkhana's mother, was not present at the funeral; she continues to be treated for injuries sustained during the protest outside parliament. The Bangkok Post report detailing this meeting mentions that the king has donated funds to help those injured in the police clampdown.
At the closing of the funeral services there were scuffles between PAD protesters and the Army's Commander-in-Chief, Anupong Paojinda, as he attempted to leave. Security guards had to assist him in reaching his car and protesters banged on the car as it drove away.
With a sub-committee appointed by the country's Human Rights Commission due to report within the week, details are beginning to emerge accounting for the number of injuries and severity of some in last Tuesday's clashes outside parliament. Nearly 500 were injured as police employed tear gas to try and disperse the crowd of PAD protesters blockading parliament. The group, originally formed seeking to topple deposed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his Thai Rak Thai party, had disbanded in September 2006 following Thaksin being removed by a coup. The 2007 general election saw them reform to oppose the new government formed by the People's Power Party (PPP) who are widely regarded as a proxy for the ex-PM living in exile in the UK. The PAD protest aimed to stop the PPP government from announcing their legislative programme which included measures to amend the constitution and rehabilitate Thaksin and others from the now-outlawed Thai Rak Thai party. Investigations started during the coup period leave Thaksin and others accused of vote buying and electoral fraud.
Porntip Rojanasunan, the director of Thailand's Central Institute of Forensic Science has indicated that the tear gas employed was likely responsible for the many injuries during the October 7 crackdown. A number of the canisters were found to contain RDX, a militarily employed explosive. RDX is considered a powerful explosive and the quantities likely involved would have left craters. Other types of tear gas were employed, manufactured in the United States and Spain, but during the protest it was the RDX-laced variety which originated in China that had been favoured. Porntip's agency demonstrated the firing of these tear gas canisters from a shotgun to the Human Rights Commission committee on Sunday, noting that one exploded canister "left a hole in a metal pipe". It is claimed that the lethal tear gas was sourced from a third party and not directly from China.
Along with the two fatalities, fifteen people remain hospitalised from last week's police action, with one critically injured having lost his right arm.
Monday's planned PAD protest and march on Bangkok police HQ was cancelled to allow people to attend the cremation and funeral services for the two dead. No new date for the protest has been announced. Article 2: On Wednesday, in the final, Manchester United defeated Dutch capital-club Ajax AFC 0–2 to win the Europa League title and qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage despite finishing sixth in the this season. A deflected goal from Paul Pogba's left-footed shot in the first half and a flick goal by in the second half ensured that José Mourinho's side lifts its third trophy in this season, previously winning and the .
Before the kick-off, a one-minute silence was observed at the , Stockholm, for the victims of a suicide attack in on Monday. The English side had just 33% ball possession in the entire match, completing 192 passes out of 276. A comparatively young Ajax team, with the average age of the starting lineup no more than 23 years, had 88% passing accuracy, with 565 successful passes. Manchester United had better numbers for defense, recovering 64 balls – 22 more than Ajax, and had almost twice as many ball clearances as the Dutch counterpart. A total of 32 fouls were committed in the match, and the official booked six players – three players of each side received a yellow card.
At the age of 17 years and 285 days, Ajax's became the youngest player to play in the Europa League final, while Marcus Rashford became the youngest winner of the tournament at the age of 19 years and 205 days.
A deflection off from Paul Pogba's left-footed shot gave United an early lead. Ajax's shot-stopper saved 's close-range strike. Another attempt in the first half by Ajax's was saved by . The half time ended 0–1. Minutes into the second half, Armenian midfielder Mkhitaryan scored a goal just in front of Ajax's net, which doubled Manchester's lead. Five players were booked in the second half. Ajax's attempts in the final minutes of the game were stopped by Romero, not giving them a chance to reduce the difference.
Last season, Premier League club Liverpool FC lost the Europa finals against Spanish side Chelsea won the tournament four years ago against | 0 |
Article 1: In a vote of 74-25 last Thursday, the US Senate passed a measure that would change laws, making it harder for individuals seeking relief from their debt burden to avoid repayment. Almost twenty Democrats joined Republicans, who currently hold a majority of the seats in the US Senate, in passing the bill.
Lobbyists for credit card companies and financial services firms have worked for the bill during the last two administrations. A similar measure passed both the Senate and House during the previous administration, but then President Bill Clinton pocket-vetoed the measure in 2000.
"There has been an explosion of bankruptcy," said Iowa Republican Sen. Charles E. Grassley, the bill's sponsor. "We preserve the principle of a fresh start, but we also establish a principle that if you have the ability to repay some of your debt, you are not going to get off scot-free." However, Massachusetts Democratic Sen., Edward M. Kennedy said, "This legislation makes the bankruptcy courts of the United States the collection agency for the credit-card industry."
The bill impacts a broad spectrum of law, but the most significant impact is on personal bankruptcy filings. Individuals who get behind in repaying credit card debt face high interest charges and stiff late payment fees. By only meeting minimum payment requirements, borrowers remit to the lender over the life of the loan an amount in interest and other fees that can far exceed the value of the principal balance of the loan. This can put consumers who run up high balances on various cards at financial risk of default. Critics of the bill blame these aggressive lending practices as a contributing factor in the rising trend of bankruptcy filings from 1996.
It also affects debtors who have run up large medical bills.
Patients with a past medical history that disqualifies them from full medical coverage, can easily find themselves facing insurmountable medical bills after just a short stay in the hospital. These individuals will no longer be able to get a fresh start after these personal disasters, and will be forced to live in poverty until they can pay off their medical bills as part of their Chapter 13 filing. (Prior to this bill, they would have been able to file Chapter 7, completely discharging their debt.)
Chapter 13 provisions. Under Chapter 13 protection, an individual's debt is not forgiven; rather it is restructured for payment under more lenient terms.
Under the old bankruptcy law, a personal bankruptcy attorney could not be held financially responsible for his clients mendacity. Under the new bankruptcy law, the bankruptcy attorney is responsible for his client's lies to the Court about his assets and the bankruptcy attorney and his insurance carrier can be held responsible by the Bankruptcy Court.
The result is that personal insurance companies will not offer the sort of coverage that they would need to continue to practice.
So when consumers need to file personal bankruptcy under the new law, they will be unlikely to find a bankruptcy attorney to represent them. Consumers will have to file pro se: such consumers will be likely to fail due to the complexity of the law.
The bottom line is that the field of personal bankruptcy law as a practice area of law will cease to exist when the new bankruptcy law takes effect, and consumers will be unable to secure legal counsel and so consumers will lose what legal protections counsel now affords them.
Under the new bankruptcy law about one half million Americans will be forest to pay for at lest 5 years on longer they will be held in servitude as chattel they will be completely subservient to a dominating influence of the company that holds the loan. Their loan will be put on the market for sale for profit. The people will be forced to work harder. People who fail to go to court will have a arrest warrant made out in their name and people who refuse
to pay. They will be subject to fines and or jail. About fifty thousand Americans will punished by a fine and or about three
thousand Americans every year will go to jail under the new bankruptcy law. For some people this will be a third strike they will be put in jail for life.
__NOTOC__ Article 2: Oral arguments in the landmark case of MGM v. Grokster legal battle were heard before the Supreme Court of the United States March 29. In the case, 28 entertainment companies have joined together to sue StreamCast, maker of Morpheus software, and Grokster.
A final ruling is expected on the case within a few months. The issue heard before the court was an appeal of prior decisions made since 2001 at the U.S. district court level and from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Both of those decisions were in favor of Grokster's right to market its P2P software.
P2P stands for peer-to-peer software, which uses the Internet as a medium for millions of users to distribute digital content, such as music, movies, books, and software, among themselves. By far the majority of the content distributed through this method is without the permission of the copyright holder.
Morpheus is one of the most-popular peer-to-peer software products worldwide. StreamCast also operates MusicCity.com. Lawyers from the EFF Foundation (www.eff.org) are serving as defense counsel in the case.
The result of this case could determine the ultimate fate of P2P software in the U.S., whether it is legal for software companies to produce and sell software that, in the opinion of some, facilitates profit illegally from the trade in copyrighted materials. However, even if illegal in America, such software might still be widely available from international hosts due to technological limitations of enforcing such a ruling. The companies behind this effort are aiming to hold technological innovators legally responsible for infringing uses of their technology.
"About 36 million Americans — or 27 percent of internet users—say they download either music or video files and about half of them have found ways outside of traditional peer-to-peer networks or paid online services to swap their files". As a measure of public opinion on the issue, they stated, "49% of all Americans and 53% of internet users believe that the firms that own and operate file-sharing networks should be deemed responsible for the pirating of music and movie files," according to Pew Internet & American Life Project in their most recent survey,
The landmark Betamax decision of 1984 () is the most relevant U.S. case law in this matter (note: the precedent Betamax case supports the legality of P2P netowrks). A decision in the case could either affirm Betamax, or overturn it. This is the case that essentially created the VCR market in America for distributing movies at home, and so in this modern technologically updated version, there are billions of dollars in future revenues now at stake. | 1 |
Article 1: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld faces human rights abuse allegations
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld faces a federal lawsuit brought today by the American Civil Liberties Union and , filed in his home state of Illinois. The suit charges that he bears direct responsibility for the torture and abuse of detainees in U.S. military custody.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court on behalf of eight men who were subject to torture and abuse at the hands of U.S. forces under Secretary Rumsfeld's command. The parties seek a court order declaring that Secretary Rumsfeld's actions are in violation of the U.S. Constitution, federal statutes and . Article 2: US forces firing a howitzer at Mission Support Site Conoco, Syria in June 2021 .
The Executive Office of the President of the United States said Monday the nation's Syria mission will persist despite strikes on US bases.
John Kirby (admiral)|John Kirby said: "We're not going to be deterred ... by these attacks from these militant groups."
On March 23, a drone attacked a Coalition base close to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps the same day.
A US official told CNN on March 25 two aerial attacks the previous day on Coalition forces at the bases of Mission Support Site Conoco and Green Village injured one US soldier, who was in stable condition then, and damaged a structure, respectively.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK organization, reported on March 25 the US strikes killed three Syrian government soldiers and 11 Syrian and five non-Syrian government-aligned fighters.
US President Joe Biden said the same day: "Make no mistake: the United States does not – does not – seek conflict with Iran. But be prepared for us to forcefully protect our people ... That's exactly what happened last night ... We're going to continue to keep up our efforts to counter terrorist threats in the region."
On Sunday, the Syrian foreign ministry disputed the US assessment of the targets of the latter's March 23 airstrikes and stated Syria would "end the American occupation" of the nation. The Iranian foreign ministry released a statement alleging the US targeted "civilian sites" and denouncing the strikes.
The US' Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria, which operates in tandem with the international Coalition, began in 2015, and has spanned multiple presidencies. In October of that year, the US helped establish the (SDF), which it continues to support with training and arms.
Al Jazeera reported the US, after its withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, assured SDF leaders it would not also withdraw from Syria. Kino Gabriel, previously a spokesperson for the SDF, told Al Jazeera: "They the Americans were very strong to make it clear that this is not the same as Afghanistan."
In August, the Syrian government demanded the US withdraw its troops; its foreign ministry said: "The American side must immediately and unconditionally withdraw its military forces that are present on the territory of Syria illegally, refrain from stealing and smuggling Syrian oil and wheat, and lift the cover and protection for armed separatist groups and armed terrorist groups that are present in the illegal American military base 'Al-Tanf.'"
On March 8, the US House of Representatives voted 321–103 against a resolution to order the withdrawal of the approximately 900 US troops deployed to Syria, mostly to the south and east of the country.
The resolution was sponsored by Representative , who said: "Congress has never authorized kinetic participation of U.S. Armed Forces in Syria."
Representative argued: "This measure forces a premature end to our mission at a critical time for our efforts." | 1 |
Article 1: Yesterday, WikiLeaks, the organisation behind the Edward Snowden leaks, released files going into detail about the CIA's hacking capabilities.
WikiLeaks logo.
The collection, which WikiLeaks dubbed "vault 7", contains 8761 files including claims the CIA can bypass the encryption of many popular encrypted messaging apps including Signal (software)|Signal, Telegram, Weibo, Confide, and Cloackman, and hack all major phone and computer operating systems, including 24 individual Android exploits, and smart TVs. It is claimed the CIA can use the Samsung F8000 TV to spy while seemingly turned off, a technique WikiLeaks claimed was a collaborative development of the CIA with MI5. It also alleges the US consulate in Frankfurt is used as a "sensitive compartmentalised information facility", a secret base from which US spies hack Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
WikiLeaks compared the surveillance technology with 1984 (novel)|1984, in which the TVs watch the citizens. The CIA said, "We do not comment on the authenticity or content of purported intelligence documents", though no spokesperson from the home office was available to comment. However, Edward Snowden, ex-CIA hacker and whistleblower who previously leaked CIA documents, said he thought they looked authentic, claiming the documents contained inside information.
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Article 1: Kissing
The first comprehensive global study of sexual behaviour, published today as part of The Lancet's Sexual and Reproductive Health Online Series, found that people aren't losing their virginity at ever younger ages, married people have the most sex, and there is no firm link between promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases.
Experts say data gleaned from the study will be useful not only in dispelling popular myths about sexual behaviour, but in shaping policies that will help improve sexual health across the world. Researchers looked at previously published studies on sexual behaviour in the last decade.
Professor Kaye Wellings, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicines, and her colleagues analysed data on sexual behaviour in the last decade from 59 countries.
The report also shows no support for the common notion that there is a culture of multiple sexual partners in countries with poor sexual health. Multiple sexual partners, it turns out, are more common in industrialised than in developing nations.
The study also found that contrary to popular belief, sexual activity is not starting earlier. Nearly everywhere, men and women have their first sexual experiences in their late teens; from 15 to 19 years old — with generally younger ages for women than for men, especially in developing countries.
"A single woman is more able to negotiate safe sex in certain circumstances than a married woman," said Paul van Look, director of Reproductive Health and Research at the World Health Organisation, who was unconnected to the study and points out that "married women in Africa and Asia are often threatened by unfaithful husbands who frequent prostitutes".
There is much greater equality between women and men with regard to the number of sexual partners in rich countries than in poor countries, the study found. This imbalance has significant public health implications. Because of the diversity of sexual habits worldwide, Wellings warns that no single approach to sexual health will work everywhere. "There are very different economic, religious and social rules governing sexual conduct across the world," Wellings said.
For example, men and women in Australia, Britain, France and the United States tend to have an almost equal number of sexual partners. In contrast, in Cameroon, Haiti, and Kenya, men tend to have multiple partners while women tend only to have one.
Along with other industrialised countries, Australia was one in which having two or more sexual partners in the past year was comparatively common.
Single men and women in Africa were fairly sexually inactive: only two-thirds of them reported recent sexual activity, compared with three-quarters of their counterparts in developed countries.
In what researchers said was proof the sexual double standard was still strong, more men than women reported having more than one partner.
"These findings beg the question of who the men are having sex with," they wrote.
Italy had one of the lowest percentages of men who had sex before age 15 (4 per cent), compared to 18 per cent in the United States and 30 per cent in Brazil and the Dominican Republic. The researchers said early initiation was more likely to be non-consensual, unsafe and generally to be regretted later.
The study suggests that unequal treatment of girls and women as the major sexual-health issue.
The researchers call for providing sexual health services to unmarried young women, supplying condoms, decriminalizing commercial sex and homosexual sex, and prosecuting the perpetrators of sexual violence.
Experts say data gleaned from the study will be useful not only in dispelling popular myths about sexual behaviour, but in shaping policies that will help improve sexual health across the world.
"There's a misperception that there's a great deal of promiscuity in Africa, which is one of the potential reasons for HIV/AIDS spreading so rapidly," said van Look
Fewer than half of unmarried non-virgins reported having sex in the past month.
Some of the major findings the survey found were:
*School-based sexual education delays and does not hasten onset of sexual activity.
*First sexual experience is often forced or sold.
*Marriage is no safeguard of sexual health. It is more difficult for married women to negotiate safe sex and condom use than it is for single women.
*Condom use is increasing, but condom-use rates remain low in many developing countries.
*Among girls who marry at a very young age, "very early sexual experience within marriage can be coercive and traumatic."
*While there is no major trend toward earlier sexual experience, a trend toward later marriage has led to an increase in premarital sex.
*Public health measures to improve sexual health should focus not only on individual behaviours but also on broader issues such as gender, poverty, and mobility.
*Public-health messages intended to reduce sexual risk-taking "should respect diversity and preserve choice."
*Monogamy is the dominant pattern in most parts of the world. Men report more multiple partnerships than do women. Such men are more likely to live in developed nations. Article 2: Tragedy struck Huntsville, Alabama Monday morning when a school bus transporting Lee High School students to a local trade school careened over a retaining wall on an elevated part of Interstate 565 at the U.S. highway 231 exit and plummeted 30 feet.
Killed in the initial crash were Nicole Ford, 19, Christine Collier, 16. Tanesha Hill, 17, died later at Huntsville Hospital. A fourth victim, Crystal Renee McCrary, 17, died Tuesday. Anthony Scott, the bus driver, and 14 students remain hospitalized, according to Huntsville Hospital spokeswoman Pam Sparks.
Huntsville Police spokesman Wendell Johnson said a 1990 Toyota Celica apparently hit the Laidlaw Education Services-contracted school bus. The bus driver apparently attempted evasive action, and a reaction sent the right tire climbing up the protective barrier. The buses momentum caused it to teeter on the wall briefly, flipped upside down, careening headlong onto the ground below. It was unclear if the driver jumped or was ejected, though National Transportation Safety Board spokeswoman Debbie Hersman said the bus driver was found on the overpass, and that, "We are trying to determine why the bus driver was on the overpass."
Investigating agencies at federal, state and local levels include the NTSB, Alabama State Department of Transportation, Alabama Department of Public Safety, and Huntsville Police Department.
Thad Sokolowski, a 17-year-old Lee High School eyewitness said, "The orange car was going to pass the bus. He thought something was wrong with the car, like his tire got blown out because it started fishtailing." He added that the orange Toyota hit the bus, "but not hard. It was a bump," adding that the bus "skidded down the rail and it was gone."
His description of the wreck was given to his mother, Bonnie Sokolowski, and published in the Huntsville Times, because he did not want to speak with reporters.
Police Chief Rex Reynolds said evidence will be presented to a Grand Jury, as is required by state law for fatalities involving minors, and added that charges have not yet been filed against the 17-year old Toyota driver. Chief Reynolds said the bus driver had a clean driving record.
Mass chaos ensued and Crestwood Medical Center and Huntsville Hospital, the two local hospitals, both activated their Mass Casualty action plans. Emergency response personnel from throughout the area were called upon to assist in rescue efforts. Huntsville Hospital emergency room physician Dr. Sherrie Squyres said all off-duty hospital medical and nursing personnel were requested to return to work, and that three trauma surgeons and one neurosurgeon were committed exclusively to accident response.
Among the problems facing hospital and rescue personnel was the absence of personal identification among the victims. Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Ann Roy Moore said that the Lee High School principal had initiated a student ID card program, "but not every student carried the ID."
Brad Holley, Field Director for Alabama Department of Education, noting the tragedy said "We have not had a student killed while riding a school bus since 1969." Huntsville's last school bus related fatality was November 19, 1968 when a bus transporting students from Lee High Chapman Junior High Schools careened off Bankhead Parkway on Monte Sano Mountain above Tollgate Road. Faulty brakes caused that wreck.
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Article 1: The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame announced this week the names of its four inductees for 2005. They include filmmaker Steven Spielberg, author Philip K. Dick, artist Chesley Bonestell and animator Ray Harryhausen.
Scheduled to take place on May 6 in Seattle, this will be the first induction ceremony since the hall of fame moved to Seattle from its previous home in Lawrence, Kansas. Induction into the hall is not based on any single work, according to the hall's press release, but for a lifetime of creative endeavors that "shaped" the science fiction genre.
Inductees come from four categories: film, television and media, literature, art, and a category called "open" which is designed for individuals who do not fit into one of the other categories. 2005 is the first year the hall inducted people for works other than literature. Article 2: 1965 Peel P50, The World's Smallest Car (Lane Motor Museum).jpg|thumb|125px|Peel P50
The Peel P50, a single door, three wheel microcar went on display at New York's Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum on Monday.
The Peel Engineering Company manufactured 50 to 100 of the one-seater vehicles which weighed 130 lb (59 kg), and are 52.8 in (134 cm) in length, 47 in (120 cm) in height and 39 in (99 cm) in width.
The little car can travel as fast as 38 mph (61 kph), and comes equipped with a handle on the car so the driver can pull the car to back up.
Only twenty of the vehicles have survived since 1963, and the original price of £199 has soared to approximately £40,000 (US$ 65,000) today. | 1 |
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