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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 |
Article 1: Texas representative proposes to outlaw 'sexy' cheerleading
Al Edwards proposed a bill last week to ban "sexually suggestive" high school|high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools.
The movements typical to cheerleading are sexual, said Edwards, and send out the wrong message, especially as youth should be encouraged to be more reserved where sex is concerned. The penalty for schools that continue to allow the activity would be a cut in state funding.
Edwards filed the bill after witnessing several performances in his district.
Several others agree with Edwards’ proposal.
"Anything that promotes family-oriented behaviour is a good thing," said Rhonda Roberts, a director for the United Spirit Association.
"I don't think this law would really shake the industry at all. In fact, it would give parents a better feeling, mostly dads and boyfriends, too," said J.M. Farias, who owns Austin Cheer Factory. He pointed out that cheering competitions frown on the movements in question.
Cheerleading is a recreational activity and sometimes competitive dance and , to encourage crowds to cheer on sports teams. It is a popular activity practised by millions of American students. In Texas, there are competitions that start at the age of four. Article 2: The last convoy of US soldiers crosses the border from Iraq into Kuwait, ending the eight-year long Iraq War.
The last convoy of US soldiers crossed the border from Iraq into Kuwait on Sunday, effectively bringing the controversial eight-year long Iraq War to an end. The final convoy, containing around a hundred US military vehicles with five hundred troops, exited Iraq at 0738 AST (0438 UTC) Sunday.
Private First Class Martin Lamb described the departure as "a good feeling ... knowing this is going to be the last mission out of here". The event was "part of history, you know — we're the last ones out," according to Lamb.
The Iraq War, which commenced in 2003 on the pretext of Iraq possessing Shia Islam faith and communities, reaching its peak in 2006. The following year, a large number of US troops were sent into Iraq; the number of sectarian and insurgent attacks subsequently declined.
The Iraq War involved a maximum of over 170,000 US troops, stationed in Iraq at more than 500 bases. Tens of thousands to over 100,000 Iraqi citizens and close to 4,500 US troops were killed as a result of the war. The financial cost of the Iraq War was almost US$1 trillion (€767 billion or £638 billion) to the US government.
US presence in Iraq has been reduced to 157 soldiers in charge of military training at their embassy in the capital Baghdad and a minor base of US marines. The US federal government reportedly intended to retain a minor counter-terrorism presence in Iraq, as well as the continuation of military training in the country. However, negotiations between US government representatives and Iraqi officials were unsuccessful, as they failed to reach an agreement on legal matters, such as troop immunity.
In 2008, the Bush administration had committed to withdrawing all US troops from Iraq by the end of 2011, a movement which was announced by his successor and current US president Barack Obama in October 2011. Obama signified the conclusion of the war with Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister of Iraq, earlier this month. In a speech in North Carolina at , Obama stated that the country US troops were leaving is now "sovereign, stable and self-reliant".
US and Kuwaiti soldiers close the gate between Kuwait and Iraq, after the last military convoys passed through, signaling the end of the Iraq War.
Reaction to the US government's decision has been mixed. According to opinion polls in the United States indicate that a majority of Americans believe the war lasted longer than it should have done. Obama himself had opposed the war when he ran for president and vowed to end it. News agencies report Iraqis glad to see the US leave, but concerned for the future.
reports that Iraqis also have mixed feelings, such as Safa, a 26-year old baker using a pseudonym, who said "I am proud — all Iraqis should be proud, like all those whose country has been freed. The Americans toppled Saddam, but our lives since then have gone backward." He also said, "The situation will only improve if politicians work on fighting corruption and adopt reforms."
A 50-year-old mother calling herself Umm Mohammed said, "I don't think we can ever forgive the Americans for what they did to us, from killings to terrorism. Those people Americans think only about themselves, and not about the consequences of their actions."
Mohammed Abdelamir, 60, said "We must all cooperate and work to improve the economy, the society, and begin rebuilding, and not fight because we are seeing that some politicians have already begun putting a stick in the wheel."
Other Iraqis who worked for Americans are fearful over their departure, fearing they may be killed. John, a pseudonym for one such Iraqi, said to Al-Jazeera, "It’s a fact to these people, we betrayed our country, anyone who worked with the Americans. They think we don’t even deserve to be Iraqi."
Mark, another such Iraqi, said "All the people around me know that I was working with the Americans. We feel that we are in danger from anyone who was against the US troops." John and Mark both worked for (PRT) in Iraq. Both men have applied for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) which the US government created in 2008 for Iraqis who have worked for US forces.
However, there is an immense backlog for applicants, as over 30,000 await a decision. So far, only 7,000 SIV visas have been issued. John has been waiting for a visa for over a year, Mark has been waiting nine months since applying in March. Mark said, "They said we should wait at least six months, but this is crazy". And, "For nine months I am jobless, waiting for that visa. I have nothing to do." | 1 |
Article 1: left
The Haitian cholera outbreak has killed 292 people and infected over 4000, according to the Haitian government, although there are no new cases in the earthquake ravaged capital, . Neighboring countries, Dominican Republic and Jamaica have begun to implement measures to prevent the disease from spreading.
The Deputy Director of the (PAHO), Jon Andrus said, "health aides are in Haitian camps, educating people about proper food, water and waste treatment." He also added that "the goal is to provide 24-hours-a-day medical care."
The United Nations (UN) is calling the outbreak "extremely serious" and it would be "irresponsible to plan for anything but a considerably wider outbreak." A United Nations spokesperson also expressed concerned that the disease might become more widespread. Members of CARE medical teams have been working non-stop to treat the sick, but the number of people who need treatment still remain high.
Although no cases of the disease have been reported in the Dominican Republic or Jamaica, the countries are beefing up their defenses. The Jamaican Prime Minister, , said yesterday that the coast guard have increased their high seas patrols to prevent individuals infected with the disease from fleeing to the country. He also added that "we must all ensure that we practise good hygiene, wash our hands with soap regularly, drink only boiled water or bottled water." Golding informed the cabinet that the Ministry of Health has begun to beef up operations in select towns which are still suffering from high waters due to the passage of Tropical Storm Nicole.
In the Dominican Republic health officials are present and are currently putting measures in place to prevent the disease from spreading over to the country. These include tight border control and bans on cooked or raw food from Haiti.
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On Friday afternoon, amateur shooters were briefed about a three-year-long trial of hunting in national parks of New South Wales, Australia. The meeting was held in Griffith near Cocopara Nature Reserve, where the first shooting operation of the trial was to occur on Saturday, targeting the .
The National Parks Wildlife Service (NPWS) has used aerial culls and baiting to reduce Cocoparra's goat population, but there are said to be thousands of goats at the reserve. The feral animals to be hunted in other reserves may include cats, deer, dogs, and pigs, beside goats — depending on the reserve.
Shooters in the supplementary pest control trial were to be closely supervised by rangers, as the trial was monitored and its effectiveness evaluated. In a partnership of NPWS and the (NSW) Inc, qualified volunteers were recruited, under the Sporting Shooters Association's hunting program. According to Mick O'Flynn, the Acting Director Park Conservation and Heritage with the NPWS, the four shooters selected for the first shooting operation received comprehensive safety and training instruction.
Following announcement of the close partnership of shooters with NWPS staff, the Greens cancelled planned picketing of the first shooting operation. However, State Greens MP (Member of Parliament) warned, "This needs to be a government-run program, not run by the biggest gun lobby group in Australia". He called limiting the meeting to members of the Sporting Shooters Association "outrageous". Another concern raised by the Greens was the danger of armed people, not only to animals, but also to people visiting the national parks, should the shooters be unsupervised after the trial.
The trial was announced in the second half of 2013, though the plan has been significantly modified over time and has come to be regulated under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, in contrast with the original proposal of recreational hunting in national parks, as it was announced in May 2012 by New South Wales Premier Shooters and Fishers Party. The government needed at least one vote from a Shooters and Fishers Party MP to pass electricity privatisation legislation, as both Labor and Greens opposed it. O'Farrell's plans to allow pest control by licensed individuals called for licencing by the Game Council of New South Wales.
Following a report sharply criticizing the Game Council, the government dissolved it in mid-2013, suspended hunting on public lands, and reconsidered the plan to allow amateur hunters into national parks — thus breaking the earlier promise to the Shooters and Fishers Party.
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Article 1: Although Monday night's quake off Indonesia, at 8.7 on the Richter scale, was one of the ten largest in the past 100 years, the death toll has been relatively few. Damage was also less than expected, and the feared tsunami never eventuated. But 430 are confirmed dead, with aid workers guessing a final toll of 1,000 to 2,000.
Over 270,000 died following last year's December 26, 9.0-Richter quake and tsunami, prompting alarm when such a large quake struck on Monday night. Mass evacuations and alerts turned out to be unnecessary, when the potential hazard of a tidal wave failed to arise.
Initially Indonesian Vice-President Yusuf Kalla put the number of dead at the island of Nias, near the quake's epicentre, at up to 2,000. But officials who flew over the area said the damage could be less than expected.
Indonesian National Coordinating Disaster Relief Agency said only 330 were so far confirmed dead at Nias, with a further 100 coming from another island, Simeuleu, according to the head of the health office in Aceh province, Mulya Hasjmy, and numbers expected to rise as workers further explore the rubble.
The quake occurred offshore, with its centre around 205km west of Sibolga on Sumatra island, and 245km southwest of Sumatran city Medan, about 320km from that of the quake which caused December's tsunami.
Oxfam aid workers at Gunung Sitoli, the main town on Nias, described the scene. "The water system has failed completely and huge holes have been made in the roads," said Alessandra Villas-Boas. "Bodies are being pulled from the rubble as I speak."
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has declared a state of emergency, and is to visit Nias today. The airport there was found to be intact, patients were receiving medical treatment already, and a field hospital was in the process of being erected on mainland. Article 2: Justin Bieber was due to appear on the same episode of the show
A man was seriously injured yesterday after a stunt went wrong during a live game show in Germany. Samuel Koch, 23, suffered injuries to his neck and back after he failed to jump over a car being driven by his father on the show (Wanna bet?). The show was halted after the accident for the first time in the show's history.
A spokesperson at Dusseldorf University Hospital commented on Koch's condition. He said Koch was "in an extremely critical stage" and warned that he was showing "signs of paralysis".
Koch was attempting to jump over five moving cars using spring-powered stilts known as "". He jumped over the first three but hit the fourth vehicle and crashed to the floor.
Several celebrities were due to perform on the show after the stunt had taken place. Canadian singer Justin Bieber was one of those due to appear. He cancelled his appearance after the accident and released a statement through his Twitter page. The singer said "some things are more important than putting on a show." He also sent his wishes to Koch saying, "Please pray for Samuel Koch and his family as we wait and hope for his health and safety."
Wetten, dass..? has been running for 29 years and is shown several times each year. The show features members of the public performing stunts on which the celebrity guests predict the outcome. The show has been known as a family friendly show, however, a German newspaper has questioned whether the show is suitable for children after the accident.
said, "Since Saturday evening, finally, parents have to think seriously about whether Wetten Dass…? represents an appropriate format for children. It was not really foreseeable that many children would be watching as a contestant sustained life-threatening injuries but there has always been an element of risk surrounding the program."
The producers of the show have announced that the programme will continue to broadcast despite the accident. Thomas Bellut, the programme director of the television station, made the announcement . Bellut told a public radio station, "'Wetten, dass' will certainly continue." He did defend the show's safety standards saying, "We will boost our safety standards once again although we were always of the opinion that they could hardly be more stringent."
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Article 1: On Thursday, South Korea's Football Association sacked as the head coach. Stielike's last match as South Korea's head coach ended in a 3–2 defeat against Qatar in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.
File photo of Stielike
63-year-old Stielike was in charge of the Korean team since September 2014 succeeding Asian Cup in 2015 without conceding a goal, but lost to Australia in the extra time of the final.
In the group A of Asian countries for the next year's World Cup qualification, South Korea is second in the table after already-qualified Iran, who has 20 points — seven more than Korea. Korea is to face Iran on August 31, and Uzbekistan on September 5.
Tuesday's defeat against Qatar was Korea's third defeat in their last five games. In the eight qualification games, Korea won four and drew one game. A second-place finish would earn the Korean team automatic qualification, but faces potential competition with third place Uzbekistan, who is trailing by only one point.
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Sports
Cat: FIFA Article 2: Putin addresses the General Assembly on September 28, 2015.
The United Nations General Assembly voted 143-5 Wednesday to reprimand Russia for its October 5 annexation of four regions of what is internationally recognized as Ukraine.
During Russia's ongoing invasion, forces held four referenda on the prospect of joining Russia in four Ukrainian oblasts (provinces) that were widely condemned as illegal. On October 5, President Vladimir Putin passed legislation incorporating the territories.
Text from the resolution, first presented before the Security Council September 30, declares the referenda and annexations "illegal" and urges Russia to "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces." Mediation through "political dialogue, negotiation, mediation and other peaceful means" were encouraged, but nations were pressed to "refrain from any action that might be interpreted as recognizing" changes to Ukraine's territorial extent.
The original text was authored by Albania and the United States, and failed due to Russia's veto power in the Security Council. Moscow had attempted to make the General Assembly vote through to grant non-aligned nations "flexibility and breathing space" in choosing sides, but the General Assembly rejected the motion.
143 nations voted for the resolution, while 35 abstained, 11 did not vote, and four, with Russia (Belarus, Nicaragua, North Korea and Syria), voted against. | 0 |
Article 1: Flight path of Air France Flight 447 on 31 May/1 June. The solid red line shows actual route, the dashed line is the planned route after the last radar contact. The Brazilian Air Force has located bodies and wreckage of Atlantic Ocean. At least two bodies have been recovered so far.
Brazilian Air Force Colonel Jorge Amaral confirmed that search teams had recovered 2 male bodies and wreckage including a seat, briefcase, oxygen mask, laptop computer and a ticket stub issued to a passenger from the flight. He added that experts on human remains were traveling to the recovery site to examine the findings. The 228 people on board the aircraft are presumed dead.
Previously retrieved debris from the likely vicinity of the airplane's disappearance was yesterday revealed to actually be trash from passing ships. A wooden cargo pallet and two buoys had been recovered, but are now believed to have been from a ship.
Jorge Amaral confirming that search team recovered 2 bodies
Air France flight 447, traveling from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Airbus A330-200 was last heard via radio at 22:30 local time (01:30 UTC) on June 1 and vanished from radar approximately off the Brazilian coast.
The cause of the crash is not yet known. Earlier today it was revealed by French authorities that Flight 447's plane sent 24 error messages shortly before it disappeared. They also said that the plane's auto-pilot was not active, although they say that from the error messages it is impossible to determine the reason for it being inactive. The crash is said to be the world's worst aviation disaster since 2001.
Aeronáutica confirma o resgate de peças e corpos que podem ser de passageiros Article 2: Authorities in the Mexican state of Sonora arrested 7 state officials, from the state finance department, yesterday; and charged them with negligent homicide for the deaths of 47 children in a fire at a daycare centre that occurred earlier this month.
In 2005, the Hermosillo, Mexico daycare was advised to carry out repairs in a safety inspection went unheeded. It is felt that negligence contributed to the massive fire Friday afternoon, June 5, taking the lives of 47 toddlers and infants and injuring the majority of the 142 children being cared for by six staff who were also hospitalized.
Location of Hermosillo
The ABC Daycare Centre installed a brightly coloured tarpaulin as a ceiling below the high roof. In 2005 the owners were advised to remove the tarp, and equip emergency exits and the main exit with larger and wider regulation sized doors. The daycare owners did not make the recommended changes, and continued to receive contracts to operate and also passed subsequent safety inspections including one a couple of weeks before the fire.
Officials have determined that the fire began in the neighboring warehouse which was used by the northern Sonora state Finance Department and contained license plates, tires, and paperwork. Nobody was working Friday and this warehouse was locked with the air conditioner left running. The air conditioner overheated, short circuited and melted its aluminum housing which began flames in the paperwork below. This neighboring warehouse had no fire alarms, fire extinguishers nor water sprinklers installed.
"The fire was caused by the overheating of an air conditioner due to continuous and prolonged use," said Eduardo Medina Mora, the Attorney-General.
The fire and smoke rose above the wall connecting the daycare and Finance Department warehouse, and was trapped in the daycare between the tarp and the warehouse ceiling. The daycare fire alarms were installed below the tarp, and did not alert the staff to the fire trapped above the tarp until the tarp itself caught fire which instantly dispersed smoke and flames onto sleeping infants below. One of the emergency fire exits was padlocked shut and could not be used the day of the fire by rescue teams.
Seven finance department officials have been arrested on negligence and charges of negligence are to be laid also against seven others. "They are employees and officials with the Finance Department who have a direct responsibility for the warehouse where the fire started," said Abel Murrieta, the state Attorney General.
The fire chief of Hermosillo has been removed from his position.
The wives of two high ranking state officials operated the privately run daycare under contract from the Social Security Institute. These two state officials have resigned. The owners will be charged with negligence by the state's Finance Department. The Social Security Institute will also begin a civil lawsuit against the owners. The head of the Social Security Institute has stepped down and others have been suspended. | 0 |
Article 1: Russia 2018 World Cup.jpeg|thumb|left|Russian bid personnel celebrate the awarding to Russia the Alexander Wilf
Football's governing body, FIFA, today announced Russia is to host the 2022 World Cup. The decision was made by FIFA's 22 executive members, who conducted a ballot in today. Russia beat England, Spain-Portugal and Holland-Belgium to host the event in 2018. The Qatar bid was picked ahead of the United States, Australia, Japan, and South Korea to stage the 2022 tournament.
Deputy Prime Minister of Russia spoke briefly to react to his country's victory. "You have entrusted us with the FIFA World Cup for 2018 and I can promise, we all can promise, you will never regret it. Let us make history together," he said. Some analysts had suggested that Russia would not win the right to host the tournament, since Prime Minister Vladimir Putin had decided not to travel to Zurich, but remained in Moscow. FIFA President Sepp Blatter said of Russia: "I am sure that to organise the World Cup in that region, or that continent, it will do a lot of good for this part of the world."
Russia captain said he was "very, very happy" with the result. "It is going to have a huge impact in sports, in our economy, in the development of the country and even in politics. The influence of football in the world is huge. You can see that even today with the presentations and those who were making them," he said. "It’s going to be the best World Cup in history because Russians are so hospitable. I hope it will change the way that Europe and the world view Russia—and hopefully change the opinion of Russian people too."
Sheikh Emir of Qatar, praised FIFA for "believing in change".
"Everyone is celebrating in the Middle East; everyone was behind us since the very beginning. They believed in us the whole way. And I’m so glad FIFA believed in us as well," Al Thani added. "I’m speechless, but very proud and happy. I’m so proud that the Middle East was recognised by FIFA. We are so privileged to have a tournament like this coming to our region for the first time. It shows the value of FIFA and what it stands for as an organisation. As I promised, we will not let FIFA down. Everything we have promised until now will become a reality." Speaking about why Qatar won the bid, he said: "What made us different is that we pushed the boundaries; we created new concepts, things which were not conventional but still very possible, very realistic for a country like ours. Therefore we are very proud to represent a new era, a new age for FIFA to look towards the future—the World Cup is for everyone.
The managing director for the Spain-Portugal joint bid, Miguel Angel Lopez, commented on losing out to Russia. “FIFA thought it was better to promote football in other latitudes and there we are," he said. "The decision is focused on taking football to regions which have never held a World Cup." Former Belgian footballer said: “Russia is a political choice and Qatar is an economic choice. You can say that to some extent the sport has been the loser with the decision for these two World Cups.”
Japan Football Association Kuniya Daini added: “We had heard people say our bid was too soon so it’s possible that was the reason. We knew it would be tough but it’s still a big disappointment. We have set a target of hosting the World Cup alone by 2050 so we will be bidding again.” The Australian Sports Minister told local media: “We’re all pretty shattered over here. It was a bit unexpected because we thought we had run a first-class campaign to win. We did our best ... unfortunately it wasn’t the case.”
Making the announcement, Blatter said: "We have had four bidders for 2018 and we can have only one winner. Three of the bidding associations must go home saying 'what a pity'. But they must say football is not only by winning but football is also a school of life where you learn to lose. That's not easy." The 2010 World Cup was held earlier this year in South Africa, and Brazil will host the . When the bids for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments were announced in March 2009, Blatter praised the number of countries who wanted to host. "We are very pleased about the fantastic level of interest in our flagship competition, with all initial bidders confirming their candidature."
__NOTOC__ Article 2: The 2014 Winter Paralympics officially opened last night in Sochi, Russia. The ceremony was attended by Russian Federation leader Vladmir Putin. 45 nations are competing, including Argentina, Kazakhstan, the United States, Mexico, Armenia, Brazil, Ukraine, and Russia. During the speech about values to be upheld during the Games, sexual orientation was mentioned. There were no direct mentions of the situation in the Crimea region of Ukraine, whose 31-athlete-strong delegation participated in the parade of nations with only their flag bearer. During a press conference earlier yesterday, the Ukrainian Paralympic Committee President said the team had two or three options they were considering for the Opening Ceremony. | 1 |
Article 1: 24 years ago Iraq and Syria severed diplomatic relations because Syria accused Iraq of giving support to the Muslim Brotherhood who were causing disorder in Syria. Now, as an outcome of meetings between Walid Moallem the Syrian Foreign Minister, the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, relations will be restored.
Both countries are agreed that the borders between them should be sealed more tightly to prevent the flow of fighters, arms and ammunition to Iraq, Syria saying that Iraq should do more to secure the border than it has been doing lately.
The two countries are agreed that US troops are needed in Iraq at present but that they should leave as soon as they are no longer needed. Syria wants a timetable for the progressive withdrawal of US forces.
The steps needed to establish full diplomatic relations and to open embassies in Baghdad and Damascus are set out in an agreement signed today in Baghdad. Zebari proclaimed "We will hoist the Iraqi flag in Syria and the Syrian flag in Iraq”.
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Meanwhile, President Talabani has agreed to meet Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran on Saturday to discuss security matters.
Although the British Prime Minister has been encouraging more positive relations between Iraq and its neighbors, Syria and Iran, the United States has been critical of both of them. Last week, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she was opposed to including Syria and Iran in talks about security in Iraq. She accused Syria of having aligned itself with "the forces of extremism" and expressed frustration that despite repeated talks with Syria, nothing seems to have influenced their behavior. Regarding Iran, she said she could see nothing in its behavior that suggested it could contribute to stability in the area. She expressed the view that Iraq must take more responsibility for its own security.
Today, the White House welcomed the news of the rapprochement between Syria and Iraq. The spokesman for the US National Security Council saying "We’ve always encouraged Iraq’s neighbors to take a role in supporting and assisting the unity government in Iraq”.
President Bush met the Iraq Study Group, headed by former secretary of state James Baker on Monday. The Democrats in the Group said that, in order to encourage the Iraqi government to face its responsibilities, there should be a phased withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, starting now. The President rejected this suggestion, remarking that this was a military matter and depended upon the situation on the ground.
Recommendations from the bi-partisan study Group are expected to be delivered to the President and Congress sometime in December this year. The group is composed of five Democrats and five Republicans. Article 2: Satellite imagery of clouds over Australia from March 21 to March 24 2021 causing floods.
On Tuesday, higher than average amounts of precipitation have ceased in New South Wales (NSW), south of Queensland, and north-east of South Australia. Over the course of the prior five days, these heavy rains caused floods and hazards to farms and dwellings, with up to a month quantity of rainfall falling within 48 hours on Monday and Tuesday in some areas, notably 150mm of rain at the , (BoM) reported.
River flooding conditions on Wednesday, March 24, 2021.
On Tuesday, BoM said the situation reportedly started to ease, with rains moving towards the east, but emphasised the water levels were continuing to rise in some areas and many flood alerts remained active. Meteorologists said the eastern areas may clear from floodwater quickly, the other regions to the west of the Great Dividing Range would be affected for much longer, potentially weeks or months before the water levels come back to normal. Thick fog was likely to occur at approximately this coming weekend as air temperatures drop below dew point at night and mist may develop, meteorologists warned, as reported.
Daily rainfall history in Australia from March 17 to March 24, 2021
In ABC News reported multiple cows rescues in rivers and in the surf, and an instance of a dwelling being reportedly swept from premises on a wedding day of its owners. ABC News reported a farmer losing his animals and his house at Mid-North Coast. Of residential areas, Hawkesbury continued to experience raising levels of flood as of Monday. Ian Wright, a researcher from Western Sydney University, commented saying the floods in Hawkesbury are dangerous due to the terrain and rigorous water supply from adjacent rivers to the area, citing a related publication about it by the | 0 |
Article 1: Carlos Celdran being interviewed on-camera at a pro-Reproductive Health Bill rally at the Philippine Congress in November 2009
Popular Filipino social commentator and tour guide Jose Rizal, Celdran, 37, entered Alfredo Lim, Manila Archbishop Edward Adams, and other Catholic bishops present, standing before the altar with a sign bearing the word "Damaso" — a reference to the villainous, power-wielding Spanish friar from Rizal's novel Noli Me Tangere, who represents the abuses of the Catholic Church during the 19th century Spanish occupation of the Philippines. He shouted "Stop getting involved in politics!" before he was taken away by the police at around 4:30 p.m. Once outside, Celdran said the Church officials "need to hear what the Filipinos are saying: that 90 percent of the people want the RH Reproductive Health Bill."
At around 8:15 p.m. the Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes, who previously headed the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate (CBCP-ECBA), said, "What is approved by people does not mean it is approved by God."
Celdran reported in a media interview following his arrest that "I kinda showed the priests what civil disobedience was like. The Millennium Development Goals of the Philippines hinge on controlling the population and maternal health, but they have done nothing but lie and blackmail...the Presidents and deprive the poorest of the poor of reproductive health services." He had announced the action via tweet the previous day, saying: "Carlos Celdran is going to go to Manila Cathedral at 3pm to COUNTER the CBCP/Bible anti-RH group. Anyone want to join me?"
Celdran has been tweeting and giving media interviews from his jail cell. Through Twitter he expressed surprise that the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines filed charges. He faces up to five years in prison. At approximately 5:25am Manila time, he tweeted "its just hitting me now. I can't believe the CBCP Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines has the capacity and the desire to see me jailed. Who is next?"
It appears that this action was part of a larger program of protest, as the previous day he had invited his Facebook friends to a flash mob photo opportunity in front of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines taking place October 1, where he reported he would be wearing a bishop's costume.
Celdran was freed almost a day later on 6,000-peso (US$138) bail. Friends of the artist had set up a Facebook fan page calling for his release, drawing more than 12,000 supporters by the time he posted bail.
"I apologize for being rude, but it was necessary for me to be rude," he told reporters while in custody on Thursday. "I am sorry for the method that I used but I have no apologies for the message that I made."
In a statement Friday, Manila's 238 priests expressed "disapproval and condemnation" of the protest.
"These actions cannot by any means be considered within the purview of freedom of expression," the statement said. "Instead they were malicious acts directed towards a faith, a religion that was represented by its leaders and the faithful gathered."
President Benigno Aquino's support of the people's right to contraception has angered the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines and galvanized church opposition to the Reproductive Health Bill, that calls for contraceptives to be provided in government hospitals and sex education to be taught in public schools.
"We are approaching these issues from the moral aspect like the unborn. Abortion is a grave crime, excommunication is attached to those (acts). That is an issue of gravity. That is a violation of God’s commandment," said Odchimar over the Church-run Radio Veritas.
Malacañang Palace shrugged off Odchimar’s declaration. "We are guided by our conscience. My position has not changed. The state’s duty is to educate our families as to their responsibilities and to respect their decisions if they are in conformity to our laws,” President Aquino said.
Proponents of the Reproductive Health Bill have argued that rapid population growth and high fertility rates have exacerbated crushing poverty, and birth control could be a powerful way to raise living standards.
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In an address to the nation on Friday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to repeal three controversial farm laws, explaining "we have decided to repeal all three farm laws and will start the constitutional process to repeal all the three laws in the upcoming parliament sessions that starts at the end of this month".
In September 2020, President 2020 Indian agriculture acts, they were the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, and Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill.
The bills were passed by the Indian Parliament during the monsoon session of 2020. Some farmers in Punjab and Haryana protested the reforms, expressing strong apprehension and criticism that the new laws would disrupt the Minimum Support Price system and leave them at the "mercy" of large conglomerates.
Modi also asked the protesting farmers to desist and return to their homes. While farmers were seen celebrating after the decision of the government near the Ghazipur border, Rakesh Tikait declared that the farmers would continue the protests until the bills have been completely scrapped in the parliament.
The Indian National Congress, the country's main opposition party, hailed the decision of the government, with former party leader satyagraha, made arrogance bow its head. Congratulations on the victory against injustice! Hail India, hail India’s farmers!" | 1 |
Article 1: The death toll from the weekend Mahakam River.
The number of wounded is currently 39 injured; reports from locals suggest 33 people remain missing at the scene in Kutai Kartanegara district, where "Kalimantan's Golden Gate Bridge" linked the towns of Samarinda. A six-month-old baby is among the dead.
Kutai Kartanegara Bridge.
Cars, motorbikes, and buses all fell into the Mahakam River when the bridge came down during repairs. Another car was left overturned and balanced upon wreckage over the water. State-owned builders PT Hutama Karya completed the bridge about a decade ago in the image of California's . A cable on the 720-metre structure is thought to have failed as workers dealt with it; six of the repair crew were reported missing yesterday. It had been the longest suspension bridge in Borneo.
Eyewitnesses described heavy traffic at the time of the collapse, and one survivor said he left his truck to investigate a traffic jam. Some people were left trapped by debris as the bridge came down. "It happened so fast, only about 30 seconds," according to National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Nugoroho.
National search and rescue head Daryatmo said yesterday cranes will attempt to move debris today, with new reports saying echo-sounding equipment will be used to check it is safe to begin lifting. It is believed the bodies of more victims will be found trapped in vehicles beneath the water, which is 35-40 metres deep. Visibility is poor, and one official explained authorities are still unsure how many vehicles are on the riverbed.
The famous Golden Gate Bridge in the USA, which the bridge in Borneo aimed to replicate.
"The above-water search is continuing, but underwater operations have not been carried out because we're worried that the bridge's pylons are unstable and could collapse any time," said Nugoroho today. He explained that bodies had washed onto the riverbanks overnight and were recovered today.
The president, , has sent three ministers to the site to investigate the accident, while Bambang Widaryatmo, head of East Kalimantan's police, promised "parties found to be negligent will be prosecuted". The government has promised a replacement ferry service. The river is closed to boats as rescue operations continue, and a 22-strong team has been dispatched from the national police, comprising six forensics experts, five disaster victim identification specialists, and eleven investigators. They are there to augment the East Kalimantan Police. Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih yesterday visited survivors in Parikesit Hospital and promised them medical treatment at government expense.
Some people swam ashore after falling, with the aftermath filled with screams. Survivor Syakrani, 24, yesterday asserted "The authorities should have closed the bridge if it was under repair." His words were followed by a Jakarta Globe editorial declaring the accident "unacceptable".
The Globe went on to comment upon suggestions corruption may have played a role; "It is too early to point fingers and look to place blame, but if shoddy materials were used in the building of the bridge, those responsible must answer to the public." Another suggestion is coal barges striking the bridge may have weakened it. Local coal company Harum Energy lost five percent of its share value today amid fears the river blockage will hamper their ability to ship coal.
Samarinda's seen a population and construction boom lately. A few years have seen the population triple and the construction of a large mosque, and a sports stadium; an airport and port are set to follow. However, the Corruption Eradication Commission warns 70% of the corruption it investigates concerns government contracts and up to 40% of money earmarked for infrastructure ends up stolen.
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* Article 2: Yesterday, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the European Space Agency's (ESA) Euclid EDT (1512 UTC) from dark energy, and the .
An artist's impression of Euclid.
Costing €1.4 billion, Euclid was to spend about a month traveling around to the James Webb Space Telescope. There, it would observe about a third of the sky beyond the Milky Way for six years.
NASA designed and built Euclid's Near Infrared Photometer, and NASA's Infrared Processing and Analysis Center|IPAC senior research scientist stated Euclid and Roman would "add up to much more than the sum of their parts ... Combining their observations will give astronomers a better sense of what's actually going on in the universe."
Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Euclid was scheduled for launch from French Guiana on a Russian Soyuz rocket in March 2023. | 0 |
Article 1: Glasgow won the right to host the event after winning the vote 47 to 24 against Nigeria. The games will be held in July and August of 2014 and will last for 11 days with over 6000 athletes and officials expected to attend the event.
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The launch of the product five months after its US release was marred by a Carphone Warehouse computer glitch which meant that credit and debt card transactions could not be completed.
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The Thames Barrier has re-opened after being closed last night in preparation for the event, however officials have been criticised by some local people for not doing enough to inform the residents and not giving them enough time to defend their property.
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* Article 2: 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. | 1 |
Article 1: China announces details of anti-secession law.
China passed a new law that codifies a legal basis for authorising the use of military force to stop Taiwan from formally declaring its independence from the mainland. The anti-succession law was passed by the National People's Congress on March 8 in Beijing.
The deputy chairman of the NPC told members gathered at the Great Hall of the People that, "If possibilities for a peaceful reunification should be completely exhausted, the state shall employ non-peaceful means and other necessary measures to protect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity." The broad language of the law does not specify any exact measures China might take, but its effect is to reinforce the mainland's long held position of a one-China principle.
The Mainland Affairs Council in Taipei described the law as "malicious" and "crude". Taiwan views the development as violating international norms for peacefully resolving disputes. "This law exposes China's plot to impose armed force to swallow up Taiwan," read the council's written statement. "In essence, it has handed its military a blank check to unleash force against Taiwan." A Taiwanese Defence Ministry spokesperson announced that military exercises will be held this summer to practice defending against an attack.
The White House had urged China to reconsider the law before it was passed. White House press secretary Scott McClellan said, "We view it as unhelpful - something that runs counter to recent trends toward a warming in cross-strait relations. We oppose any attempts to determine the future of Taiwan by anything other than peaceful means."
China has always officially maintained that Taiwan, which split from the mainland in 1949, is a rogue territory which must eventually reunify with China. Just recently in a ‘four point guideline' set forth on March 5, 2005, Chinese President Hu Jintao said, "On no account shall the 1.3 billion Chinese people allow anyone to undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will not have the slightest hesitation, falter or concession on the major principle issue of opposing secession. The 'Taiwan independence' secessionist forces must abandon their secessionist stand and stop all 'Taiwan independence' activities."
Chinese opposition to a plan by Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian for a referendum on a new constitution that may violate Jintao's ‘four-point guideline' is seen in part as prompting the new law.
sv:2005/03/08:Kina hotar använda "icke-fredliga medel" 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: Kathmandu, the capital of the Asian country of Nepal, has been shut down after former Maoist rebels called a strike to protest to the alleged killing of one of their leaders.
Businesses, schools, and factories closed down on Monday, when members of the Young Communist League (YCL) entered city intersections to enforce the strike. Vehicles of drivers who have defied the strike have been torched and vandalised.
The protests and strikes come several days after local Maoist leader Rajendra Phuyal was found dead in the country's capital on June 11. The rebels suspect that he had been killed, and want an investigation into the incident. Article 2: Elena Congost Mohedano.ogg |thumb|left|Laura Hale interviews Elena Congost Mohedano for Wikinews
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With the IPC Athletics World Championships scheduled to start this Friday, Wikinews interviewed Spanish T12 classified long distance runner 1500 meters.
Hello, I'm interviewing Elena Congost Mohedano who is a Spanish Paralympic athlete who won a silver in London and is going to Lyon to compete in the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships. Having won a medal in London are you going to get another one in this one?
:: : Yes! I train all year to go to win a medal.
Which medal?
::'Elena Congost Mohedano': Gold! (laughs)
Which event?
::'Elena Congost Mohedano': In 1500m.
So you're a long distance runner. And you don't train/run with a guide because you're, what, T-13?
::'Elena Congost Mohedano': I'm T-12.
::'Elena Congost Mohedano': Yes.
Do you expect it to get much worse over your continued history competing?
::'Elena Congost Mohedano': Now it's stalled, but next year it's possible.
Do you plan to stick since you've been competing since 2002, right...?
::'Elena Congost Mohedano': Yes, Unintelligible.
Do you plan to continue running until 2020 if Madrid gets the Games?
::'Elena Congost Mohedano': I don't know. (laughs) First 2016 in Rio, and then... I don't know.
There's so few women competing for Spain. Is that an additional challenge as an athlete in this country?
::'Elena Congost Mohedano': No... In this country there are more girls in 200m and . More people. In middle distance no. Two, three, four girls only.
Why do you think there's so few women on the Spanish team? It's like 27 total Spanish competing, and there's like three women?
::'Elena Congost Mohedano': I don't know... The level is high internationally, but in Spain... no more level.
Someone with a visual impairement, there's a lot of sports you could do?
::'Elena Congost Mohedano': The people now are very lazy. (laughs) No one runs. (laughs)
With so many sporting opportunities for people with vision impairments in Spain, why did you choose track and field?
::'Elena Congost Mohedano': When I was young, my dream was to become an athlete. I saw them in tv, in races, and I told my parents "my wish is to win a gold medal in the Olympics!"
Is there any particular athlete you remember from when you were young being particularly inspiring?
::'Elena Congost Mohedano': No. | 0 |
Article 1: The late BBC Foreign Correspondent, Brian Hanrahan
The veteran BBC Foreign Affairs correspondent cancer.
During his career with the BBC, Hanrahan had travelled almost the whole of the world, covering such news events as the assassination of the Indian Prime Minister, fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the massacre by Chinese troops in Tienanmen Square, Beijing, and the coming to power of Mikhail Gorbachev and the subsequent rise of the "" era in Russia.
But it is for his coverage of the aircraft carrier, watching Harrier Jump Jets taking off and landing, that he "counted them all out, and I counted them all back."
In 2001, Hanrahan travelled to the United States to anchor a series of special programmes concerning the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre.
Hanrahan also covered some of the more sombre events in recent British history, providing commentary and coverage with BBC News of the deaths and subsequent funerals of both Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon|Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
Commenting upon the news, BBC Director General said: "Brian was a journalist of unimpeachable integrity and outstanding judgement, but his personal kindness and humanity also came through. That is why audiences and everyone who knew him here will miss him very much."
The Deputy Director General of Journalism at the BBC, , described Hanrahan as "one of the BBC's greatest journalists", adding: "His work covering the Falklands War produced some of the most memorable war reporting of the last 50 years. His great craft of using words sparingly but powerfully is a lasting memory for me. A beautiful writer, a beautiful man, whose passion for the BBC and for high standards in journalism inspired us all. All Brian's friends and colleagues across BBC News offer their sympathies to his family today and salute one of the giants of broadcast journalism."
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On October 13, Tatton Spiller, the founder of online news service Simple Politics, answered queries from Wikinews reporter Ash Thawley. The organisation, as of today, had 829,000 followers on , 233,000 on Facebook, and 83.7 thousand on Twitter, with posts covering political news within the United Kingdom, including policy, quotes from politicians, and collations of headlines.
Well, it was a feeling that we weren't doing politics very well, we weren't trying to explain it. I worked at Parliament for a bit, and Parliament couldn't do anything 'cause they were too worried about impartiality, like they couldn't say anything 'cause they were so worried about it. Um, and also, honestly, I had a total, uh, breakdown, ... I was a teacher at the time and I couldn't really do teaching anymore and so I needed a project, and so I got stuck into this thing, um, and I didn't really know where it was gonna go. The idea was to explain as they went through; as each bill went through Parliament, I wanted to tell people what the changes to their lives would be, I wanted to make people aware.
So it started off as a website, and it started off straight after David Cameron won his majority in 2015, and the goal then was to...just get-I-I-I-I don't know what the goal was. Like I say, I was very very ill at the time, um. But no-one was coming, it was a website, and no-one was coming to the website, because who goes to websites, right? So someone told me I had to go onto social media, so I ... went onto Twitter, and then I realised that I wanted people to see it on Twitter, and then I launched on Facebook, and so the goals I suppose then were growth, 'cause the more I grew, the more I could explain stuff. Um, and then Instagram came along a lot later, I didn't want to go on Instagram, my colleague Hattie said that I had to go on Instagram, and I said "fine, you have to do it and set it all up", and then obviously, well, Instagram is where ... it's all taken off.
Um...I mean, aside from growth, ... it's very difficult because our aim, the aim of SP, is to help people have better conversations about politics — they're more informed, more understanding of the people to whom they're talking, less abusive, all that stuff — and that's impossible to measure. Absolutely impossible to measure. Then over the COVID-19 pandemic, I suppose, the goal was just to help people, because it was this awful time and we could help. We were in a fortunate position to be able to help and ... that was an absolute privilege. And now, ... we just trundle along each day trying to help people understand what's going on, I suppose.
'What do you think is the most important attribute for a journalist to have? Do you think Simple Politics displays it well?'
I think that, um...well, ... clarity's got to be the most important part of journalism, because if you're not getting your message across, then ... you're lost. Doesn't matter how clever or important your story is, if you're not communicating it, then ... you know, you're not starting. I think we do clarity quite well. I think, the other thing, ... I'm always impressed by actual-I'm not an actual journalist, um, what impresses me is their ability to listen to a whole speech, for example, and then work out exactly what the story is from it. ... Isolating the biggest story from...well, life, I mean, it comes down to clarity again. There's so much going on all day, every day...that it's really hard to work out what the story is. ... Simple Politics does it okay, 'cause we have to ask ourselves "what's the story for our readers", and we have quite specific demographics so ... we're less good at that. We're very good at being clear, sometimes we don't get the story right.
'With your short-form style of content, it is easy to fall into sensationalism. Do you think you avoid it? What steps do you take to do that?'
Mostly. We mostly avoid sensationalism, because ... we don't refer to speculation in the press. When the press are saying "oh, this might happen, this might", we ... ignore it, even if the story, is, like, it would do really well on social media to say that, you know, "on Tuesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's gonna resign" 'cause some junior civil servant said that, and there are other sites that do that. We want people to know they can trust what we say...and sometimes we have to sacrifice a bit of , we have to sacrifice some likes, I suppose, um, to do that. Do we do it sometimes? Well, sometimes, I just find stories exciting, and, uh, maybe I get overexcited, and maybe a little bit sensationalist — it's not really, I don't think. It depends what you mean by sensationalism.
'What type of news do you think works best with your content style? What can't you easily report on?'
Um...what works best is policy announcements, is when we can get ideas, ... because that's-that's our . One politician wants to do this, here's a problem, here's what one person says, here's what another person says. That's perfect for us, we love that. Um...I mean, in terms of UK politics, sometimes what's hard is sometimes, like, a speech will be an hour long, and we have to pull out three or four things and there's not quite space, and it's harder for us to do. And sometimes we're all like, "what are we adding", if it's about analysing ... it's hard to know what SP adds.
We can't be, we're ... never gonna be The Times journalism. So, what is good about our content is that we can make it pop, and we can get complicated ideas and make them simple, but it does mean that sometimes we have to miss out detail, or context, or, you know. ... The team and I, ... we talk a lot about what we're going to include, because you've really got a maximum space here. And if you put too much text in, nobody's going to read it anyway, even if you go "oh, do you know what, it's really important to have all of this", and you make it a small font size, no-one's going to read it anyway. So that, we struggle with that, I suppose.
'Is there anything you'd like to improve in regards to Simple Politics?'
I mean, everything. I think everything we can improve. Um...we often aren't doing much work ... 'cause we're just us, we don't do much work at the weekend when some stories come out. I think that we could certainly do better at working out when not to post, 'cause we're nerds, and we often think "oh, this is really exciting", but actually it's not. So we could work out when not to post more, we can work out the optimum amount of time-time we can adverti-I mean we only advertise our own stuff, we don't just take any money from anywhere else, um...but when can we advertise without annoying people, but so we still sell things, and we also ask for donations, that's-it's really hard to get that line right, so you're not ignoring people.
'What do you think is in the future for Simple Politics?'
Well the future is the general election. Next year, we have a , and ... we've never had a general election in SP's time where we've had so much of a following. And I feel the ... responsibility, I suppose, I feel the responsibility of-of that election quite strongly, how we can be truly impartial, how we can help people have better election conversations, and whether that's going round the country talking to people, whether that's doing shows, whether that's doing videos, whether that-I mean, we need to really start thinking from the ground up ..., um...what can we do to help people look at policy and understand why people disagree with each other, why some-one policy is better, all-all that stuff. ... That's where we go, and after the election, the May after the election, SP will have been together, I'd have been doing it for ten years, so I don't know, I need to think about the future after that, what, what, what. But for now, it's all about the election next year. | 1 |
Article 1: Earlier today, San Fermín de los Navarros church in Madrid, Spain celebrated its patron saint day with a small festival in the street outside of and in the courtyard of the church with over two hundred people in attendance. The patron saint day, Running of the Bulls in .
The celebration, called "Chupinazo", started in Madrid with a rocket being launched at noon. Following this, music was played, and sausages from the Chistorra|Chistorras were given to festival goers. Free bread and wine were also given out. Many attendees wore red handkerchiefs adorned with shields of Navarre. The church sold handkerchiefs and other commerative materials, while using the event to solicit funds to fix the roof. Article 2: A vehicle packed with explosives was detonated this morning in Gao, Mali. At least fifty died.
French troops arrive in Mali 130123-F-GO452-629.jpg|thumb|left|250px|File photo of French troops arriving in Mali during the 2013 intervention.
The bombing targeted a camp housing government soldiers and rebels, some of whom were in a meeting at the time. Northern Mali was seized by Islamic militants in 2012, with France leading a military intervention the following year. The camp was formed as part of a disputed ceasefire.
Occasional attacks continue, and the latest is the worst in years. French Interior Minister called the attack "highly symbolic". French President François Hollande visited the scene last week.
Victims included people tasked with providing patrols, part of a United Nations-backed move to quell the violence. Malian President took to Twitter today to declare three days of mourning. His government stands accused by Human Rights Watch of not taking adequate measures to protect the nation's citizens.
The government says the dead include five suicide bombers. al-Mourabitoun conducted the attack.
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Article 1: 2021 United Kingdom budget|2021 budget on Wednesday in the House of Commons. This comes amid significant damage to the country's economy from the COVID-19 pandemic, in which over 700 thousand people have lost their jobs, with the economy shrinking by 10%.
Sunak (pictured in 2017), who delivered the budget on Wednesday.
Sunak announced an extension of the scheme, which had been paying employees who could not work due to the pandemic 80% of their wages. He said it would be extended until September. The scheme also mentioned firms would have to pay 10% of this in July, and 20% in the months of August and September as the scheme ends. It was also announced that support for self-employed people would continue, with another grant for between February and April.
Other support for workers included the Pound sterling|£8.91/hour from April, and an existing £20 weekly increase in being extended through September.
Sunak also announced some changes to taxation in the country, with corporation tax rising to 25% in April 2023. Sunak said that this would be the lowest rate in the national insurance, and stamp duty on house purchases in Northern Ireland and England will be extended to June 30,--> with alcohol and continuing to be frozen.
For hospitality firms, VAT will continue to be frozen at a reduced rate of five percent. The free port|freeports were also announced in locations at Felixstowe and Humber; Liverpool City Region; Solent; and Teesside. These would allow reduced customs costs, and encourages investment. Article 2: The meeting place of the European Council in the EU2017EE Estonian Presidency
The European Council, representing European Union (EU) member states, approved the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulations on Tuesday, which Reuters described as the first regulations of such depth in the world.
Council approval for MiCA, which the European Parliament passed in April, set the regulations, in the legislative process since 2020, for a phased rollout from July 2024.
, finance minister for Council president nation Sweden, said: "Recent events have confirmed the urgent need for imposing rules which will better protect Europeans who have invested in these assets, and prevent the misuse of crypto industry for the purposes of money laundering and financing of terrorism".
Under the new rules, companies issuing, trading in, and insuring crypto assets, including stablecoins, would need a licence to operate within the EU; if "noncompliant", the bloc would publicly name them.
Lawmakers designed the new regulations to preserve stability in markets while reducing manipulation and , according to the Associated Press.
MiCA would establish firms' liability for losses and require them to disclose risks for investors and fees.
Under rules slated to take effect in January 2026, companies must record parties to crypto transfers, which Reuters said would aid enforcement of taxation and anti-money laundering laws.
MiCA would extend members' cooperation on taxation to crypto.
The Council's approval came as several crypto entities have collapsed, including exchange Bankruptcy of FTX|which went bankrupt, and the TerraUSD stablecoin; some enterprises have urged international consistency in regulations.
The United Kingdom has stated its intention to regulate stablecoins, then uninsured assets, and is in the process of considering feedback on policies the government proposed last year.
Hester Peirce, a commissioner of the United States' regulator, stated officials at various levels of government in his country were investigating their role in the market, telling a conference: "We are wandering in the desert a bit". | 1 |
Article 1: The execution chamber at San Quentin Prison, the home to all male death row inmates.
On Thursday, the California Supreme Court upheld a ballot measure, Proposition 66, approved by voters last November which speeds up the death penalty appeals process. The court, however, weakened a provision of the proposition setting a deadline for appeals.
The plaintiff in the case, former supervisor Ron Briggs, claimed that the proposition was unconstitutional under the California Constitution which prevents ballot measures from addressing more than one subject. The court disagreed with Briggs' claim, writing that "Proposition 66 is more focused on a single subject" than other measures upheld by the court.
The weakened portioned of the measure would have set a deadline of five years for the appeals process. The court wrote in its opinion for the case, Briggs v. Brown, that "provisions of Proposition 66 that appear to impose strict deadlines on the resolution of judicial proceedings must be deemed directive rather than mandatory" in order to prevent difficulties with the .
The new measure moves review from the Supreme Court to the lower courts. Habeas corpus review allows those convicted to contest procedures from during the trial process, such as possible problems with jurors. The measure also ended public review of execution methods.
Briggs had also challenged how the proposition affects habeas corpus review, but the court ruled in favor the defendants.
Five justices, of the court's seven, signed the majority opinion. Two justices were defendants in the case as part of the Judicial Council and recused themselves, and two alternate justices were brought in from appeals courts in Santa Ana and Sacramento. The council is responsible for making policy for the state's courts.
Currently, the appeals process for death penalty cases can last for years or even decades. The ballot measure sought to speed this up. It could affect 15 or more inmates currently sitting on who have already completed the appeals process.
The state has not conducted any executions since 2006. A federal court imposed a moratorium on the use of California's lethal injection method in 2006 after a challenge to the methods used. This order remains in effect, so the state must first receive approval from the federal court regarding its method before it is allowed to resume executions. In January a proposal to conduct lethal injection with a single drug was rejected by a state agency.
There were 747 people on California's death row as of Thursday according to the state corrections department. The state applies the death penalty for several crimes including murder, treason against the state, train wrecking causing death, and perjury causing the execution of another. Lethal injection is one of two methods used by the state for executing inmates. The gas chamber remains an option for inmates who elect that method of execution.
While voters approved Proposition 66 last November with 51% voting yes, another ballot measure to repeal the death penalty, Proposition 62, was rejected by voters in the same election with 53% voting against.
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* Article 2: Yesterday evening, the Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Gesundheit und Pflege|Bavarian State Ministry of Public Health and Health Care in Munich, Germany confirmed a case of coronavirus infection in a man from district. The man has been isolated and is in good condition, the report said.
Known cases of novel coronavirus as of January 28, 2020.png|left|thumb|alt=The total number of known cases of the novel coronavirus according to WHO Situation reports.|Known confirmed cases of novel coronavirus, per WHO.
Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the 2019-nCoV coronavirus global risk assessment from "moderate" to "high". The regional risk was "high", and the risk assessment in China "very high".
According to the official WHO report yesterday, there had been 2741 confirmed cases, 80 deaths, 461 severe cases, and 5794 suspected cases in China, 37 confirmed cases in other countries.
WHO said they are uncertain whether it may possible for the infected individuals to be infectious before symptoms show, during the incubation period. China has invested about nine billion US dollars to develop efficient diagnostics and treatment. | 0 |
Article 1: 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. Article 2: Donald Trump July 2023 by Gage Skidmore.jpg|thumb|left|Trump at last month's West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach, Florida.
Monday, a Fulton County, Georgia grand jury seated in Atlanta indicted nineteen people, including former United States President Donald Trump, on 41 counts overall, Trump himself facing thirteen. Referencing the Republican's election loss to President Joe Biden in 2020 in Georgia and nationally, it alleged they "refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump."
The grand jury's indictment continued: "That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states."
Fulton County District Attorney told press later the accused had eleven days to surrender.
Trump faced a charge of violating the Georgia (RICO) along with his co-defendants; three counts of soliciting a public officer to violate their oath; conspiracy to commit impersonation of a public officer; two each of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, and false statements and writings; conspiracy to commit filing false documents; and filing false documents.
Trump said the day of the indictment: "I didn't tamper with the election!" Ahead of the announcement of the charges, his 2024 presidential campaign claimed the prosecution the Democratic Willis was leading was "election interference". In a statement the campaign said: "The timing of this latest coordinated strike by a biased prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democrat jurisdiction not only betrays the trust of the American people, but also exposes true motivation driving their fabricated accusations." He previously repeatedly asked for her disqualification based on her public remarks on the case.
On Tuesday, he wrote on his social media website, Bedminster, New Jersey|Bedminster, New Jersey".
On Thursday, he announced he would not stage the press conference, posting to Truth Social: "Rather than releasing the Report on the Rigged & Stolen Georgia 2020 Presidential Election on Monday, my lawyers would prefer putting this, I believe, Irrefutable & Overwhelming evidence of Election Fraud & Irregularities in formal Legal Filings as we fight to dismiss this disgraceful Indictment".
This fourth case followed indictments of the former president in New York City, on state-level charges of to conceal hush money payments, the first indictment of a US president Miami, Florida, on federal charges of purposeful retention of classified documents; and Washington, D.C., on federal charges of "pursuit of unlawful means of discounting legitimate votes and subverting" the 2020 election.
Unlike impeachment and conviction by the US Congress, a criminal conviction unrelated to insurrection would not have legal effects on Trump's campaign, but, as the charges were state-level, a US president could not pardon those, if any, found guilty or remove state prosecutors.
In its 98 pages, the indictment mentioned 30 more involved in the conspiracy, but did not charge or name them. It said Trump and associates, including lawyers Rudy Giuliani and , both indicted alongside him Monday, unsuccessfully attempted to persuade state officials involved in the certification of the results.
It described Trump asking Governor Brad Raffensperger, both Republicans, to interfere with the results — calling Raffensperger on January 2, 2021 to ask him to "find" votes so Trump could overcome Biden's victory and employees to pronounce the results "corrupt".
It said Trump made false claims of election fraud in, without success, petitioning courts to undo the results in lawsuits against Georgia.
The indictment.
According to the indictment, Trump organized individuals to present themselves as legitimate electors, including state Republican Party chairman David Shafer and Cathleen Latham; some said the Trump campaign told them they would cast their presidential votes only if Trump's legal efforts to overturn Biden's victory were successful. The grand jury indicted Shafer and , another alleged participant in the scheme, who worked on Trump's 2020 campaign.
The indictment continued Trump attorneys three times attempted to convince members of the Republican-majority Georgia legislature to present their election fraud allegations. It said the US Department of Justice's civil division's top official, , prepared a never-sent letter asking legislators to "convene a special session" on the results and the electors it would certify to vote for president, charging Clark.
The grand jury described how "several of the Defendants ... falsely accused Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman of committing election crimes", then used these claims as basis for their argument the Georgia legislature and others in its government should alter the results.
Executive Office Chief of Staff of trying to gain unauthorized entry to a | 1 |
Article 1: Yesterday, a United States federal jury convicted porn star Article 2: A map of the results:
Surpassing the Conservatives, Labour became the largest party in UK local government Friday after Thursday's local elections in England.
The party had been in the minority in local government since 2002.
Elections occurred for 230 local government authorities, marking the first time all these seats had been contested since 2019.
Comparing the results to those in 2019, the BBC and Sky News reported the Conservatives lost over 1,000 councillors; the PA news agency reported that removing those who left the party between elections meant they had lost 960 councillors. PA reported Labour gains of 635 seats, with the Liberal Democrats flipping 416 and the Green Party 200.
Conservatives gained control of two authorities but lost 45. Labour lost control of the Mid Suffolk - for the first time.
Authorities suspended voting in the Coxford ward of the Southampton City Council following the death of the Conservative candidate on polling day, with the Council promising a new poll within 35 working days.
Labour Party leader Sir Parliament election. Addressing supporters in | 0 |
Article 1: Kjetil Ree
American economist bailout because of its weak growth and high amount of debt. Roubini made the comments to the newspaper. He said that it is becoming "increasingly likely" that Portugal will need international help. His comments came after Ireland received a €85 billion bailout from the European Union.
Portugal has become the second most likely euro rose around $1.33. After trading at $1.3181 in , it sank to its lowest level since September 21.
Roubini also commented on the situation of Spain, the fourth largest economy in Europe. He said that the country is "too big to bail out." Nicholas Smith, the director of equity research at in Tokyo said: "The one to really watch is Spain, as the eurozone's fourth largest economy, bigger than Greece, Ireland and Portugal put together. The question is whether the Union has the capital firepower to rescue Spain in the way it has for Greece and Ireland."
He commeted on the euro zone as a whole. He said "The economic outlook over the next few quarters, the next few years, is going to be weak economic growth ... The policy consequence is going to be more monetary easing," Roubini added. "The only central bank officially against further quantitative easing is the , but the pressure coming on sovereigns and the pressure coming on the financial sector in the euro zone are going to force the ECB to provide liquidity and increase base money." Article 2: On Tuesday, United States President Donald Trump issued a series of seven pardons and four commutations. All of the pardons issued were "full and unconditional". The commutations included, among others, Democrat Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois; Trump is a Republican.
Blagojevich in 2008
Rod Blagojevich was jailed for corruption after he tried to sell Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat after Obama was elected president, among other charges. He was sentenced to fourteen years in prison, serving eight before being granted clemency. According to CNN, multiple officials pressured Trump not to commute Blagojevich's sentence, including Republican members of the House of Representatives Mike Bost.
Judith Negron was convicted of both health care fraud and conspiracy to commit the same, money laundering and conspiracy to commit the same, and multiple other crimes. Negron served eight years of a thirty-five year sentence before being granted clemency.
Crystal Munoz was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 1,000 or more kilograms of marijuana in 2008 in the Western District of Texas, and was sentenced to serve 188 months (15 years, 8 months) in prison. Her sentence was commuted after serving twelve years.
Tynice Nichole Hall was convicted of multiple drug violations, as well as related charges involving possession of a firearm, in 2006 in the Northern District of Texas. She was granted clemency after serving almost fourteen years of an eighteen-year prison sentence.
Trump granted Angela Ronae Stanton a full and unconditional pardon. Stanton was convicted of conspiracy to transport in interstate commerce a stolen motor vehicle and tampering with a vehicle identification number in 2007 in the Northern District of Georgia.
Trump granted Ariel Manuel Friedler a full and unconditional pardon. Friedler, formerly the president and chief executive officer of Virginia-based Symplicity Corporation, pled guilty to conspiring to hack into the computer systems of two competitors to improve his company’s software development and sales strategy. He was sentenced to two months in prison in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2014.
Trump granted David Hossein Safavian, formerly the Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff. He was convicted in 2006. The | 1 |
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: Vettel Webber China 09.jpg|thumb|left|Vettel (foreground) and Webber during the previously won Grand Prix
Red Bull Racing driver, Sebastian Vettel won the FIA Formula One 2009 Santander British Grand Prix from pole at the Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire, England. His teammate, Mark Webber, came second.
As the current leader of this season Jenson Button started sixth on the grid of his home Grand Prix, his Brawn-Mercedes teammate Rubens Barrichello took third joining Red Bull's drivers on the podium.
Felipe Massa came fourth for Ferrari) despite starting eleventh. Jenson Button came very close to Massa and and Nico Rosberg from Williams but was unable to pass them and came only sixth gaining three points for the Brawn team.
Jarno Trulli (Toyota) and Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) closed the top eight.
Trulli's teammate, Timo Glock came ninth with Giancarlo Fisichella on his back - a good result for the Force India team.
Jenson Button still leads the drivers' standings with 64 points so far, 23 points ahead of his teammate and 25 ahead of Vettel. The constructor's championship is topped by Brawn GP with more than a hundred points, Red Bull follows 30.5 points behind.
This year the British Grand Prix was expected to be the last held at Silverstone as Donington Park continues reconstruction to meet Formula One next year. | 1 |
Article 1: The death of Michael Jackson on Thursday has caused several last-minute changes to films and television dramas.
In Hollywood, Brüno, the film whose premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre last night prevented fans from reaching Jackson's own star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was edited at the last minute to remove a scene involving La Toya Jackson. The scene involved the lead character, the eponymous Bruno played by Sacha Baron Cohen, interviewing La Toya Jackson, making jokes about the pitch of Michael's voice and his famous white glove, and pestering her for Michael's home telephone number.
The scene may or may not remain cut for the theatrical release of the film, to occur in a few weeks' time. Speaking at a party after the premiere, the film's director, Larry Charles, said "We decided to take it out for tonight and we'll reassess before the release whether to keep it out."
In the United Kingdom, the June 26 episode of the BBC's flagship soap opera, EastEnders, which is normally recorded several months ahead of transmission, was altered at the last minute to insert an extra scene where character Denise Wicks mentions Jackson's death to Patrick Trueman. 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: A federal jury found Bernard Ebbers guilty on all nine counts in an indictment for fraud, conspiracy and false regulatory filings. The verdict was handed down by a New York jury after 8 days of deliberation on the former WorldCom CEO and mastermind behind the accounting scandal that brought down the telcom giant.
AP writer Erin McClam reported that when the verdict was announced, “Ebbers’ face reddened.”
Sentencing is set for the second Tuesday of next week when he could receive 85 years in prison for the conviction.
Ebbers who took the stand in his own defence, said he left the details of the company's accounting to others and that he had no knowledge of shady practices. But Scott Sullivan, the ex-chief financial officer of the company and key prosecution witness, directly linked Ebbers to the fraud. Sullivan agreed to co-operate with prosecutors in the hopes of receiving a lenient sentence for his own involvement in the scandal.
The fall of WordCom sparked a massive class action law suit by investors. The plunge in WorldCom's stock changed the capitalized value of the company in the range of $11 billion as the scandal unravelled. Secuities fraud cases stemming from the suits will probably break new legal ground where the involvement of investment banks and public accounting firms who would normally check company irregularities will be called into legal question. Article 2: North Korea (orange) and China (green) on a map.
In an article published by Human Rights Watch late last week, over 1100 North Koreans living in China are described as being at risk of being sent back to North Korea. According to the article, around 50 and escapees were recently sent back to their place of origin following their arrest by Chinese police and border authorities.
An anonymous witness told that "The Dandong customs office was opened just for today and they Chinese border authorities sent about 50 North Korean escapees back to North Korea on two buses." The witness also added that "dozens of police officers lined up in front of the customs office to block public access and ensure nobody was filming."
As a reaction to the sudden spread of COVID-19, North Korea closed its borders totally, which halted the repatriation of defectors. The recent repatriation was the first of its kind since January 2020, when North Korean authorities closed the Yalu and Tuman rivers into China before the pandemic occured.
This repatriation action caught the eye of the United States' Department of State, with an official spokesperson saying that "We are particularly concerned by recent reports that nearly 50 North Koreans were forcibly repatriated." The spokesperson said that the United States urges China to "fulfill its international obligations as a party to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its UN Convention Against Torture."
Radio Free Asia's article cites that some among the 50 repatriated were soldiers and pilots who had served in the North's Air Force.
Returning such refugees to North Korea, where they face imprisonment and torture from the authorities, is a violation of the United Nations' 1951 Refugee Convention, 1967 Protocol and the UN Convention against Torture. According to the article by Human Rights Watch, at least 1170 North Korean people are held in various prisons in China's Liaoning provinces, where they face deportation after being charged with criminal offenses.
Both countries maintain a friendly relationship, with both leaders having exchanged greetings on July 11, as reported by state newspaper . A 1986 bilateral border protocol signed by both nations warrants the deportation of any and all defectors and other North Koreans illegaly staying in China.
According to data reported by South Korea's , only two defectors from the North reached South Korea between April and June of this year, the lowest number ever recorded since the Ministry started recording the inflow of defectors. Such a decrease in the amount of defectors is mainly being attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, as North Korea entirely stopped people from leaving or entering the country, while still claiming to have no cases of the virus.
North Korean defectors often transit through China to reach either South Korea or another safe country, as the Sino-Korean border is easier to cross than the North-South border. The closest defector-friendly country accessible by land to defectors is the South-East Asian country of Vietnam. | 0 |
Article 1: Wikinews recently published an article which explained that NorthComm, through an Executive Order of the President of the United States, directed the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team to return to the United States from active duty missions in Iraq to begin training in a new role. NorthComm says that these troops will be used to protect the United States from threats within the United States, as well as to provide a support role to local and state agencies during times of emergency, such as with Hurricane Katrina.
Critics, however, believe that moving an active military unit back to United States soil represents a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which makes it illegal for federal military resources to act as law enforcement agencies against civilians. The article included citations from critic Namoi Watts, who based part of her opinion on an interview with retired U.S. Air Force Colonel David Antoon. Ret. Col. Antoon stated that a military coup was already under way through the actions of NorthComm, and that other branches of the government would be powerless.
Wikinews reporter Kevin Fields had an opportunity to speak with an active duty member of the United States Army, a sergeant who is currently deployed to a peace keeping mission in Iraq. Federal laws officially prevents him from giving making any statement on military policy, however he agreed to do so on the condition of anonymity. The initials used here are not his initials of his name, only used as a pseudonym. Sgt. P.S.N. was asked to review a source article from the Army Times website which provided the original breaking information, and to provide his opinions on the article as well as follow-up questions.
'Kevin Fields: In summary, what do you believe is happening here, from a military standpoint?'
: 'Sgt. P.S.N.': As far as I can tell, they won't be in charge of law enforcement, so no, this is not a violation of Posse Comitatus. As far as crowd control and disaster relief are concerned, that's certainly not without precedent.
'Kevin Fields: Right, but before they've always been under the control of state officials, such as a governor or local law enforcement, correct?'
: 'Sgt. P.S.N.': The National Guard was called into Little Rock in 1957 to prevent black students from enrolling in Central High School as per Brown v Board. Eisenhower called in the 82nd Airborne, federalized the Arkansas National Guard, and ordered them to escort the students into the school. They hung around for months afterward to keep the peace. The military was used to quell the Watts riots in South Central L.A. in the 1960s, and again in the aftermath of the Rodney King trial in 1991.
: In the cases where NorthComm is called to provide troops from the 1st BCT of the 3rd ID, they will still be used at the discretion of the local officials.
'Kevin Fields: So it is possible that the President can assign federal troops to act in law enforcement officials, and it NOT violate Posse Comitatus? Or would such a case clearly violate it, but nothing can be done about it?'
: 'Sgt. P.S.N.': No, the president cannot order them to act as law enforcement. He can order them to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign AND domestic.
'Kevin Fields: What would be the difference?'
: 'Sgt. P.S.N.': You're not going to see Humvees patrolling your city streets, writing tickets, and arresting shoplifters, wife beaters, or even rapists and murderers. You 'will' see them stop rioting, looting, violent demonstrations, and the like if the local law enforcement does not possess the ability to do so. They won't be involved without either a request from local officials or a determination by DHS or FEMA that such involvement is necessary.
'Kevin Fields: Critics have suggested that this is part of a strategy to usurp power and consolidate it in the Presidency. Is it possible for a President of the United States to stage a coup by deploying the CCMRF and NorthComm to permanently take over an area where there is rioting or a national disaster?'
: 'Sgt. P.S.N.': No. For one thing, Congressional oversight prevents this. For another, I'm quite certain the Supreme Court would claim original jurisdiction in a case such as that. This is one reason presidents are limited to two terms.
'Kevin Fields: So even though this unit, and NorthComm, are under the direct command of the President, Congress can still stop his actions?'
: 'Sgt. P.S.N.': They can call for hearings to examine his actions. Congress is who impeaches and ultimately removes the President from office if he usurps his authority.
'Kevin Fields: Critics say that such hearings would not be swift, and that such action would not directly affect the President or any action he takes through this unit. Would you agree with that?'
: 'Sgt. P.S.N.': The only mandate NorthComm has is to provide 'support' to Homeland Security operations, so no.
: The three things I'd ask you to remember are these: First, there is precedence dating back nearly to the beginning of this nation's history for using the military in times of national emergency or cataclysmic disaster. Second, when there are cases where the citizens of an area have overpowered the police, such as in New Orleans during Katrina or the aforementioned riots in L.A., the military's mandate to defend the U.S. against domestic enemies is pretty much a no-brainier at that point. Third, who else is training to handle mass casualty situations such as dirty bombs, 9/11 type of events, or mass poisoning epidemics? These are things that the United States military are trained to handle that relatively few other agencies are equipped or funded to handle.
: The whole point of NorthComm is so that the military is better organized and better able to respond on short notice than we were after Katrina.
'Kevin Fields: Thank you for your input into this story.' Article 2: On Monday, United States Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president. The move came after Sanders ended his own presidential bid last week.
In a live-streamed statement, Sanders said to Biden: "Today, I am asking all Americans, I'm asking every Democrat, I'm asking every Independent, I'm asking a lot of Republicans, to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy, which I endorse — to make certain that we defeat somebody who I believe — and I'm speaking just for myself now — is the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country".
In the 2016 United States presidential election, Sanders continued his bid against then-presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton for roughly two months longer, until June, and didn't endorse her until July.
Biden and Sanders announced they were to form six working groups relating to different policy fields. The groups are to cover health care, climate change, immigration, education, criminal justice, and the economy. | 1 |
Article 1: The Australian government has been keeping quiet about a UN committee's repeated criticism of its record on race issues. A report issued over two weeks ago by the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has not received comment from the government in the media, and domestic media coverage has been scant, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, and confirmed by a search of news search engine news.google.com.
According to Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) National Director David Cooper before the case was heard by the UN committee, "We fully expect the government is going to deflect it by criticising the UN process."
In fact, this criticism was given in the session, and nothing has been heard from the Australian Federal Government since, on the committee hearing and report.
After reciting a list of Australian anti-racism initiatives, ambassador to the UN Mike Smith, described the 18 committee members' work in the previous session five years ago as "cursory" and "unreasonable". He said they had largely ignored progress being made in Australia, yet displayed "an unquestioning acceptance" of critics of the Government.
Regis de Gouttes of France called Mr Smith "exceptionally rude".
Jose Lindgren Alves of Brazil told him, "As a veteran diplomat, this statement, with its language describing programs and attacks on NGOs, reminds me of the sort of statement from communist bloc countries and Latin American dictatorships that Australia used to condemn."
The committee was positive about a number of improvements in race-related issues in Australia over the five years since its last report. These were,
* the criminalising of acts and incitement of racial hatred in most Australian States and Territories
* progress in the economic, social and cultural rights by indigenous
peoples
* commitment of state and federal governments to work together on the issues
* programmes and practices among the police and the judiciary, aimed at reducing the number of indigenous juveniles entering the criminal justice system
* the abolition of mandatory sentencing in the Northern Territory
* the adoption of a Charter of Public Service in a Culturally Diverse Society to ensure that government services are provided in a way that is sensitive to the language and cultural needs of all Australians
* and the numerous human rights education programmes developed by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC).
However the report contained a large number of serious criticisms, and a reminder that the Convention prohibits direct as well as indirect discrimination. Australia was asked to report back on progress on a number of items within one year.
The criticisms were,
* that there was nothing to stop racially discriminative Commonwealth laws
* proposed reforms to HREOC that may limit its independence and hinder its effectiveness at monitoring Australia's compliance with the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
* the abolition of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), an elected body of indigenous representatives, the main policy-making body in Aboriginal affairs
* a lack of legislation criminalising serious acts or incitement of racial hatred, in the Commonwealth, the State of Tasmania and the Northern Territory
* that reported prejudice against Arabs and Muslims had increased
* that counter-terrorism legislation may have an indirect discriminatory effect against Arab and Muslim Australians
* reportedly biased treatment of asylum-seekers by the media
* difficulty in gaining successful litigation under the Racial Discrimination Act in the absence of direct evidence
* that no cases of racial discrimination, as distinct from racial hatred, have been successfully litigated in the Federal courts since 2001
* reversal since 1998 of progress made under 1993's Native Title Act and Mabo case, with new legal certainty for government and third parties provided at the expense of indigenous title
* diverging perceptions between governmental authorities and indigenous peoples and others on the compatibility of the 1998 amendments to the Native Title Act with the Convention
* that proof of continuous observance and acknowledgement of the laws and customs of indigenous peoples since the British acquisition of sovereignty over Australia is required to establish native title
* very poor conditions of employment, housing, health, education and income for indigenous Australians, compared with non-indigenous
* mandatory sentencing in Western Australia, which disproportionately impacts indigenous Australians
* the "striking over-representation" of indigenous people in prison, and dying in custody
* that indigenous women are the fastest growing prison population
* allegations, accompanied by State denials, of discrimination in the grant of visas against Asian and Muslim people
* Australia's mandatory detention of migrants determined to be illegal, including asylum-seekers, particularly when it affects women, children, unaccompanied minors, and the stateless
* that many have been in detention for over three years
* lack of access by many migrants and protected refugees to social security
* precariousness of circumstances, and denial of right of family reunion, for many protected refugees
* that the Federal Government has rejected most of the recommendations adopted by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation given in 2000
* Article 2: Location of Queensland within Australia
The parliament of the Australian state of Queensland has passed a law recognising same-sex civil unions. Victoria, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory already officially recognise such relationships.
"The bill that is before the Parliament is a bill that seeks to strike a blow against prejudice and strike a blow against discrimination," Premier Parliament of Queensland|parliament during debate.
Health Minister Geoff Wilson voted against the bill saying, "The more I have thought about it, about what I personally believe according to my faith, unfortunately I can't support the bill."
Independent Member of Parliament Peter Wellington tweeted, "I supported the Civil Partnership Bill because it is fair and reasonable and respects the rights of all."
While the governing Liberal National Party of Queensland|Liberal National Party voted en masse against the Bill.
"The LNP will prioritise the issues for all Queenslanders, and civil partnership is not on the priority list in the minds of Queenslanders," said Jarrod Bleijie, LNP Member of Parliament. "The passing of this bill will not save Queenslanders money, it will not ease pressure on their cost of living pressures, it will not get our treasured AAA credit rating back."
Gay rights campaigners were thrilled. Parents and Friends of Gays and Lesbians national spokeswoman Shelley Ardent told reporters "There was absolute joy, it was fantastic. There were a couple of hundred people watching the vote and we made so much noise when the laws passed that we got in trouble".
The billed passed 47 votes to 40. | 1 |
Article 1: Hurricane Paula 2010-10-12 1620Z.jpg|thumb|170px|left|A view of Hurricane Paula from a NASA NASA/ GSFC, MODIS Rapid Response System
Tropical Storm Paula, the eighteenth tropical cyclone of this year's Atlantic hurricane season, has weakened into a remnant low near the northern coast of Cuba, the (NHC) says. It had earlier made landfall in western Cuba.
The NHC, the warning center appointed by the Atlantic Ocean, reported at 9 am Caibarién, in , Cuba.
One to two inches of rain is still expected to fall today through Saturday over central Cuba and the central Bahamas, the NHC added. NHC forecaster said in the center's last warning that Paula's remnants will "continue to move east-southeastward until dissipation in about 12 to 24 hours".
Paula had earlier affected Mexico's and Honduras, where up to eight inches of rain fell and 19 homes were damaged.
Paula was the sixteenth named tropical storm of the year. Earlier this year, hurricane expert Dr. Phil Klotzbach told Wikinews that he expected "this year will have 15 named storms, 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes." Article 2: Map of the initial Russian attacks on Ukraine as of February 24, 2022.
Russian troops began an invasion of Ukraine by firing missiles at several cities yesterday.
On state television, Russian President Vladimir Putin described this as the beginning of a "special military operation" in Ukraine with the aim of "the demilitarization and de-nazification of Ukraine" at 06:00 in Moscow, 03:00 UTC. After this announcement, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law nationwide.
Explosions of Russian missiles were heard in cities Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Odesa and in the Donbas region with the aim of destroying Ukrainian military command centres. Gunfire was also heard near , Kyiv's main airport, and sirens were heard throughout the city.
Putin said that Russia had been left with no choice but to defend itself against what he described were threats from Ukraine after Russian-backed separatists in Donetsk sent a plea to Moscow to help stop alleged Ukrainian aggression. The claim was dismissed by the United States as Russian propaganda.
On Monday, Russia passed a bill recognizing the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine as independent states, followed by agreements of friendship, cooperation, and assistance with the republics.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres made a plea to Putin to stop the war "in the name of humanity" after Putin announced the military operation.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised the West will respond "decisively" and that Putin had "chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction". The British Defence Secretary Liz Truss have also condemned the invasion, Truss adding they will "use every lever at our disposal to stop Putin in his tracks" and "nothing is off the table".
US President Joe Biden condemned the attack as "unprovoked and unjustified", adding that he will be meeting with G7 leaders today, and asserting the US and allies "will be imposing severe sanctions on Russia".
President of the European Commission Government of Russia|Kremlin would be held accountable.
Spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said "all parties should work for peace instead of escalating the tension or hyping up the possibility of war", criticizing "those parties who were busy condemning others" for a lack of a supposed reaction.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg condemned Russia's "reckless and unprovoked attack" on Ukraine and said NATO allies would meet to tackle the consequences of Moscow's "aggressive actions". | 0 |
Article 1: A New Zealand police car landed on its roof after colliding with a truck in Upper Hutt at 9am NZDT (2100 UTC) today, closing State Highway 2.
The highway patrol car flipped, and its siren-lights ripped off, during a collision with two other cars at an intersection of River Road and Gibbons Street.
The police officer had minor injuries, but needed surgery to his hand and the truck driver was not hurt, a police communications spokesman said.
The Serious Crash Unit is currently investigating.
Senior Sergeant Benge says police are speaking with witnesses, but will not have a clear idea about what happened until they can speak with the people involved in the crash. He says that could be a few days away.
Benge says initial investigations indicate the police car was not involved in a pursuit, however witnesses say the car appeared to be rushing to a job with lights flashing.
The truck was carrying a load of windows and shattered glass was scattered over the intersection. Article 2: Natapei had previously lost his seat due to a paperwork error in 2009
The prime minister of Vanuatu has lost his seat after a motion of no confidence. Cancun, Mexico.
The vote took place after several members of parliament became unhappy with Natapei's decisions. He had tried to suspend five members of parliament from the house. There was also concern about his support for Melanesian Spearhead Group, the trade group of the South Pacific.
This is not the first time that Natapei has lost his seat. In 2009, he lost his post when he failed to notify parliament that he left the country. He was on an official visit to Trinidad and Tobago at the time. Natapei took the post of prime minister in 2008. , the deputy prime minister until the motion was passed, has been sworn in as Natapei's replacement. | 0 |
Article 1: Ariel Sharon's controversial plan calls for the withdrawal of Israeli forces and civilians from the Gaza Strip and some parts of the West Bank.
Israel's parliament, the Knesset, voted against a bill calling for a referendum on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's controversial plan to withdraw Israeli forces and civilians from the Gaza Strip and some parts of the West Bank. The vote passed 72-39, with three abstentions and six absent. The vote removes the last major hurdle for Mr. Sharon to implement the proposed plan, scheduled to start in July.
Mr. Sharon's administration has not yet survived the upcoming vote on the 2005 budget, which takes place on Tuesday. But it has secured the support of the secular Shinui party, so a majority looks likely. Shinui had reservations about the amount of money transferred under the budget to projects organised by ultra-Orthodox parties. Under Israeli law, if the budget fails to pass, new elections must be held. Opponents of the disengagement plan intend to use the budget vote to topple Mr. Sharon's government, and several MK's attacked Shinui for their decision to support the budget.
Mr. Sharon's position sparked a rebellion from his own center-right Likud party, with a significant majority of Likud MKs voting in favour of the bill, including several members of his own cabinet. Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, and Education Minister Limor Livnat all voted in favour of a referendum. Article 2: Nabil Hasan al-Quaety, a photo- and videojournalist from Yemen, died in the city of Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)|ongoing civil war.
Al-Quaety, who contributed to Agence France-Presse among other news organizations, openly supported independence for South Yemen. The Houthi rebels. Both the council and the government called for his death to be investigated.
Aden, pictured in 2013 from file.
Multiple assailants attacked al-Quaety shortly after he left his nearby home, then, according to security officials, fled. He is survived by three children and his pregnant wife. A freelancer, he was a 2016 finalist for his coverage of the conflict. In 2019 he survived a drone attack that left six soldiers dead. The city's security chief, Abdullah al-Jahafi, announced on Facebook on Tuesday there were suspects in custody.
"Nabil's murder is unacceptable and constitutes a terrible new blow to journalism in Yemen... journalists are now favourite targets, regardless of the region they cover", said Sabrina Bennoui of Reporters Without Borders. Phil Chetwynd, director of global news for AFP, called the death "the senseless killing of a courageous journalist doing his job despite threats and intimidation." Chetwynd also praised the quality of al-Quaety's work.
Jornalista iemenita Nabil Hasan al-Quaety morto a tiros em Adem | 0 |
Article 1: U.S. Republican Party presidential candidate Internal Revenue Service (IRS), filed a complaint on Monday with the Fox News Republican Party presidential debate. Everson argues his exclusion violates Title 11 of the in that debate hosts must not "structure the debates to promote or advance one candidate over another", and must "use pre-established objective criteria to determine which candidates may participate in a debate."
File photo of Mark Everson
Everson served as Commissioner of the IRS from 2003 to 2007, during the American Red Cross, worked in the cabinet of Indiana governor alliantgroup. He announced his candidacy this past March with a sixteen-page open letter in which he outlined the six pillars of his campaign: amnesty for illegal immigrants, reinstatement of the , a promise to serve only a single presidential term, and calls for tax reform, deficit reduction, and corporate responsibility.
Fox News claims Everson fails to meet the criteria it established for Thursday's two debates. Only seventeen candidates meet the criteria, which require a candidate "consistently" be included in "recognized" opinion polls. The prime-time event features the top ten candidates by average polling percentage. The other seven participate in a separate debate just before the prime time event.
In his complaint, Everson urges the FEC to compel Fox News to include him in the second tier debate as the eighth participant.
Everson argues Fox News, in violation of Title 11, "structured the debates to promote or advance one candidate over another" through a July 27 change to its criteria that replaced a pre-existing one percent polling threshold with a threshold admitting those "consistently" included in "recognized" polls. He alleges this was done to ensure the inclusion of the low-polling candidates former Carly Fiorina, former New York governor US Senate|Senator Governor of Virginia|governor , because Fox News recognizes these candidates as "major players."
Furthermore, Everson argues the Fox News criteria are not "objective," as Title 11 requires, because they fail to define the terms "consistently" and "recognized" when referring to polls. He asserts he was included in the Republican Party's online straw poll in May and is the only candidate still listed on that poll who has been excluded from Thursday's debate.
Richard Winger, publisher of , says Everson is "completely correct" in his challenge. However, he believes Everson only has a chance of success if he actually files a lawsuit rather than simply complaining to the FEC. Article 2: Vladimir Kara-Murza (Junior) Toronto Legislature 2018.jpg|thumb|left|Kara-Murza addressing the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada in 2018.
On Monday, a Moscow, Russia judge sentenced political activist Russian ruble|rubles (~US$4,900).
Kara-Murza is a dual citizen of Russia and the United Kingdom.
The UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office summoned Russian Ambassador James Cleverly said: "Vladimir Kara-Murza bravely denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine for what it was — a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter".
UN Commissioner for Human Rights said the conviction was "another blow to the rule of law and civic space in the Russian Federation."
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International also condemned the verdict, which the judge took minutes to issue.
Diplomats and foreign journalists were not allowed into the courtroom, but watch the proceedings on screens from in another room at the courthouse.
"I know that the day will come when the darkness engulfing our country will dissipate," Kara-Murza said in court. "This day will come as inevitably as spring comes to replace even the frostiest winter."
Russian spokesperson declined to comment on the case to the Associated Press.
A speech Kara-Murza delivered in Arizona, United States in March 2022 was involved in the charges. During this speech, he told Arizona legislators Russia was committing war crimes in Ukraine, including "bombing of maternity hospitals and schools". According to the BBC, his allegations were independently verified, but Russia deemed them "false information".
Russia instituted criminal penalties for the dissemination of false information about its military days after invading Ukraine.
Poisoned in 2015 and 2017, Kara-Murza was an associate of , who was assassinated in 2015. | 1 |
Article 1: Total S.A., a French oil company has fired 900 contract workers at Lindsey Oil Refinery in North Killingholme, North Lincolnshire, England in response to a wildcat strike which took place at the facility this week. Total is calling the strike "illegal" and "unofficial"; the oil workers, meanwhile, accuse Total of having broken an agreement not to cut jobs by giving 51 workers redundancy. Total claims no such agreement exists. The workers were employed by Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., a contractor at the site, who are constructing a new hydro-desulfurization unit.
Lindsey Oil Refinery "Total can confirm, with regret, that our contractors have now started the process of ending the current employment contracts for their workforce", the company said in a statement e-mailed to the media.
Workers were informed of the termination decision on Thursday and will have until Monday, June 22, to re-apply for their former jobs.
The strike at Lindsey this week sparked sympathy strikes by workers in energy and the chemical industry around the United Kingdom, which draws extensive revenues from North Sea oil. Attempts by the UK government-sponsored Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service to resolve the dispute between Total and the Lindsey workers failed. Trade union Unite said that it was "extremely concerned about the ramifications" of the firings, while GMB urged both sides to return to the discussion table. Total has made an end to the strike a precondition of a resumption of negotiations; meanwhile, the Lindsey workers' demands include a withdrawal of the 51 redundancies, an end to overtime, and sharing out of the remaining work at the construction project without layoffs.
Lindsey was the site of labor strife earlier in the year, with a week long strike in February brought about over employees' protests at foreign labor being brought to the refinery to undercut British workers' wages. IREM, an Italian construction company working at the site, has made heavy use of the Posted Workers Directive, which as interpreted by the European Court of Justice allows companies to make use of foreign labor from within the EU in one country while paying them only the minimum wage and offering only the coverages and benefits applicable in the employees' home countries.
The plant, which refines 221,000 barrels of oil each day, will remain at full capacity.
According to its annual report, Total had a 2008 net income of €13.9 billion. Since the firings were announced, shares of Total have gone up in price 0.94% to €39.315 in morning trading. Article 2: The British Conservative-Liberal Democratic coalition government has scrapped plans by the previous government to change the rules on equal pay between men and women.
Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone
The previous Labour government included a provision in the —Section 78—to allow the government the option to introduce regulations that would require companies to publish details of the difference in pay between male and female employees. If the government had activated such regulations, they would have come into force in 2013. The current government have decided not to activate this requirement and instead will only ask businesses to provide this data voluntarily and will set an "aspiration" to dramatically increase the number of women in senior positions in business.
, the Liberal Democrat MP and coalition Equalities Minister, in announcing the plans stated that the government wishes "to move away from the arrogant notion that government knows best, to one where government empowers individuals, businesses and communities to make change happen."
Featherstone announced the policy at the School of Management at , who have conducted research finding that only 12.5% of directors of FTSE 100 companies are women, up from 12.2% last year—"glacially slow" progress according to business commentator David Prosser.
Featherstone justified not implementing the pay audits due to the economic costs: "Right at this moment of financial peril to the nation is perhaps not the moment to introduce mandatory pay audits."
This breaks with a Liberal Democrat manifesto commitment, as well as contradicting Featherstone's own words two years ago in support of the audit: "A voluntary audit system for private industry is hardly worth the paper it's printed on. We need to know when the government actually plans to step in if progress isn't made."
Women's groups and trade unions have condemned this move. Dave Prentis, the general secretary of , Britain's second largest trade union, said that this is an example of the government "stripping down its commitment to equality".
Prentis continued: "It is a disgrace that women are still getting paid less than men. This move threatens to turn the clock back on all the progress already made with equal pay."
Ceri Goddard, the chief executive of the feminist campaigning group the , condemned the plans: "The persistent gap in pay between men and women is one of the starkest examples of inequality in the UK today. The government's decision not to bring into force section 78 is a huge disappointment and means this injustice will continue for a long time to come. The government has today consigned another generation of women to lower pay. Their proposal to rely only on voluntary business action on pay isn't just naive, it sends a dangerous signal that tackling discrimination against women is a choice, not a requirement."
, Featherstone's shadow minister on the Labour benches, called the news "another broken promise from the government" and said that "scrapping Labour's plan to increase transparency in pay is a backwards step for women's equality." | 1 |
Article 1: Election posters on a street in Cairo.
Early returns in the elections in Egypt suggest the Freedom and Justice Party, strongly linked to Islamist organization the Muslim Brotherhood, is likely to win 40 percent of the seats in the first elections following the fall of Hosni Mubarak, according to analysts.
Al Nour, a conservative, Islamist party, may come second. Al Nour is considered more hard-line than the Muslim Brotherhood, and a party spokesman stated they wanted the country to realize that "sovereignty comes from God". He claimed they would not harm the Coptic minority: "Touching one hair on a Copt's head violates our program."
The liberal alliance claims to have 20 to 30 percent of the vote in Cairo.
Following delays to the counting process, the results of the first stage in the Egyptian election are expected to be announced tomorrow. After this, the election process is to continue with further rounds of voting until a final decision on forming the government on January 13 for seats in the lower house, and March 14 for seats in the upper house.
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* Article 2: Tony Benn in 2007.
Tony Benn, British Labour Party politician and left-wing campaigner, died this morning at his home in west London at age 88. Benn's health had been declining since a stroke left him hospitalized in 2012.
Benn's father and both grandfathers were MPs (Members of Parliament) in the Liberal party; his father defected to Labour and became a Cabinet Minister. Benn grew up in London and was a pupil at New College, Oxford|New College, Oxford. During Royal Air Force for two years, then went back to Oxford to finish his studies. He worked as a radio producer.
Tony Benn became an MP in November of 1950 and was a member of the cabinets of James Callaghan. In 1981, Benn ran for deputy leadership of the Labour Party but lost. He also had a role in shaping the 1983 Labour manifesto. He went on to become a diarist and speaker, as well as joining in the anti-war movement and speaking out strongly against the Iraq war. The Sun newspaper once referred to him as "the most dangerous man in Britain" because of his strong left-wing political views.
Benn's son Hilary also joined Labour and is an MP for Leeds Central. He distanced himself from his father's views by saying he was "a Benn, not a Bennite".
Benn's children released a statement following his passing: "We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the NHS staff and carers who have looked after him with such kindness in hospital and at home. We will miss above all his love which has sustained us throughout our lives. But we are comforted by the memory of his long, full and inspiring life and so proud of his devotion to helping others as he sought to change the world for the better."
Labour leader David Cameron said on : "Tony Benn was a magnificent writer, speaker and campaigner. There was never a dull moment listening to him, even if you disagreed with him."
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Article 1: Christopher Hitchens speaking in 2007 at The Amazing Meeting 5 (TAM5) conference in Las Vegas.
British-born author, journalist and political commentator Christopher Hitchens has died yesterday aged 62 at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, following a diagnosis of esophageal cancer in June 2010.
Hitchens was born in 1949 in Times Higher Educational Supplement briefly, before moving on to the Martin Amis. After moving to the United States in 1981, he started writing for U.S.-based publications like Vanity Fair, Slate (magazine)|Slate.
In more recent years, Hitchens sided with George W. Bush in supporting the war in Iraq, and also went on to write a polemical book on religion, Mother Teresa—"a fanatic, a fundamentalist, and a fraud" according to Hitchens. The death of raised Hitchens' ire, stating that it is "a shame that there is no hell for Falwell to go to" and calling him a "faith-based fraud".
In his memoirs, Hitch-22, he wrote of a sexual encounter with two (unnamed) male members of Margaret Thatcher's cabinet. Hitchens was well-known for his drinking and smoking habits, consuming 50,000 cigarettes a year according to one report, and drinking enough every day "to stun the average mule" (according to Hitchens himself). The discovery of cancer last year was, according to Hitchens, "something so predictable and banal that it bores even me".
, whom Hitchens had supported against Ayatollah Khomeini's fatwa, wrote on Twitter following Hitchens' death: "Goodbye, my beloved friend. A great voice falls silent. A great heart stops".
Hitchens was not close to his brother , a conservative columnist. He is survived by wife Carol Blue, daughter Antonia, and two children Alexander and Sophia from an earlier marriage. Article 2: Building92microsoft.jpg|thumb|left|Microsoft's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, US, in 2016.
Microsoft and Spanish cloud-gaming platform Nware signed a 10-year agreement on Friday to allow Nware to stream Microsoft gaming titles.
Microsoft Vice Chairman Brad Smith announced the deal on Twitter, saying "while it's still early for the emerging cloud segment in gaming, this new partnership combined with our other recent commitments will make more popular games available on more cloud game streaming services than they are today". Financial details were kept secret by the parties.
On Wednesday, UK regulator the Activision Blizzard, citing fears it would stifle competition, saying Microsoft would have a reason to make titles exclusive to their own services. Friday's agreement would extend to titles held by Activision in the event the acquisition is successful.
Reuters described the Microsoft-Nware deal as an attempt to provide reassurance that the acquisition of Activision would not harm competition.
Microsoft has previously signed agreements with companies, including Boosteroid, to allow streaming both Activision and Microsoft titles on their services. Both companies spoke up against CMA's decision, with Nvidia tweeting "we see this deal as a benefit to cloud gaming and hope for a positive resolution".
Addressing these agreements, the CMA said "implementing the ineffective remedy would have replaced market forces with ongoing regulatory obligations overseen by the CMA, when competitive forces in a free market are much better placed to achieve the right outcome" and "such remedies are described as ‘behavioural’ because they seek to regulate the behaviour of the businesses… contrary to their commercial incentives." The CMA specified that Microsoft's proposals "did not sufficiently cover different cloud gaming service business models, including multigame subscription services" and are "not sufficiently open to providers who might wish to offer versions of games on PC operating systems other than Windows."
Microsoft announced their intentions to challenge the CMA's decision, with Activision saying they would "work aggressively with Microsoft to reverse this on appeal".
In the US, the filed a suit to stop the purchase of Activision. According to Reuters, European regulators are expected to make a decision by May 22. | 1 |
Article 1: UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifiers - England v Estonia.jpg|thumb|right|300px|England did win this October 13, 2007 match versus Estonia, 3-0 at Wembley Stadium.
Steve McClaren and his deputy Terry Venables have both been sacked by the English Football Association after a unanimous decision by board members during an emergency meeting held earlier today.
The decision was announced by the FA chief executive Brian Barwick in a press conference held this morning after widespread speculation due to the poor performance of the English national team which last night failed to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2008 competition. The cost of removing him from his post is thought to cost £2.6 million.
According to a study by the Centre for Economic and Business Research, missing out on Euro 2008 could cost the British economy as much as £1 billion.
The recruiting process has already started to find the next manager for the team, only 18 months after 46-year-old McClaren was given the role. During the press conference the FA admitted that not qualifying for the competition was "embarrassing". Article 2: A magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred off the eastern coast of Japan yesterday at 23:08 local time (1408 kilometre|km. As of late yesterday, BBC reported about 50 people were injured in the earthquake. Reports indicated nearly a million houses had no power. In Tokyo, the BBC also noted, the earthquake was felt strongly.
There have been at least fourteen aftershocks to this earthquake, the Yoshihide Suga, advised people to stay inside and be prepared for the risk of aftershocks.
No tsunami warning was issued. However, some residents of coastal areas have chosen to evacuate to higher places. One person who evacuated told the BBC "even if people say we don't need to worry about a tsunami, I won't buy it ... I learned from my bitter experience 10 years ago, and that's why I evacuated."
The JMA said this earthquake may have been an aftershock of the 2011 earthquake which caused a tsunami, the tenth anniversary of which is in a few weeks. The 2011 earthquake and resultant tsunami resulted in more than 18,000 deaths. It also caused radiation leakage at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Of the current event, Prime Minister Suga said "there have been no anomalies reported from any of the nuclear facilities".
es:Sismo de 7,3 grados sacude a Fukushima
nl:Aardbeving voor oostkust Japan
Japão: Terremoto de magnitude 7,3 abala Fukushima | 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: Riayd al-Maliki (left) and Össur Skarphéðinsson (right) at the ceremony in Reykjavík, Iceland
This Thursday, following a vote two weeks ago in the Icelandic parliament, the country's government granted formal recognition to the state of Palestine. The Six-Day War.
In the vote taken by the 63 members of parliament, 38 voted for and 13 abstained. In passing the resolution Iceland became the first Western European state to formally recognise the Palestinian state. In late November Cyprus similarly recognised Palestine with 1967 borders.
The move by the Icelandic government comes as European states such as France, Spain, and Ireland have upgraded their countries' Palestinian missions to full embassies recently.
Islândia reconhece formalmente Estado Palestino com fronteiras de 1967 | 1 |
Article 1: President Bush (center) announces resignation of Rumsfeld (left), to be replaced by Gates (right).
The Associated Press is reporting that U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is about to resign. President George W. Bush announced that he will nominate Robert Gates, former head of the CIA, as a replacement for Rumsfeld, speaking at a White House press conference at 1 p.m. today.
Rumsfeld is the second longest serving defense secretary, serving in the post from 1975 to 1977 under President Ford and under President Bush from the beginning of 2001.
"It'll be a different Congress, a different environment, moving toward a presidential election, and a lot of partisanship and it struck me that this would be a good thing for everybody", Rumsfeld told Pentagon reporters.
This is one week after President Bush told the American People that Rumsfeld was doing a fantastic job and that he wanted the secretary to stay in his job to the end of his presidency. Article 2: The posted photo of a police vehicle parked in handicapped bay in Petrer, Spain; license number removed.
A woman in Spain has been fined €800 after posting a photograph to her Facebook account of a police vehicle parked in space reserved for disabled/handicapped drivers. She was located and fined within two days of posting the photograph. The incident has now gained international attention.
The woman, who has not been named, saw the police vehicle parked in a reserved spot in es|Spanish Language|Aparcas donde te sale de los cojones y encima no te multan...|Park where you bloody well please and you won't even be fined.
Fernando Portillo, a local police spokesperson, told local media the vehicle was parked there because police were responding to an emergency. After the story was reported on a local news website, it began to be reported internationally.
On July 1, the "anchor=Citizens' Security law|Citizens' Security law" went into effect. The law was written in response to violent protests. Even before its enactment it saw widespread criticism. It was dubbed the or the "gagging law". The law prohibits .
Judge Joaquim Bosch, spokesperson, said: "It is not a law for citizens' security, but a law for the government to avoid citizens’ protests. All opinion polls indicate that the Spanish society is not at all preoccupied by security but by the economic situation and political corruption."
condemned the law in a report: "With threats of fines or threats of being beaten, the government is trying to stigmatize and criminalize people who are just practicing their rights." Virginia Álvarez, who wrote the report, noted, "instead of listening to their demands, instead of starting a dialogue, authorities are doing everything they can to impede people from protesting".
The part of the law which prohibits "the unauthorized use of images of police officers that might jeopardize their or their family's safety" is cited as the reason for the fine, however, police spokesperson Fernando Portillo said it was up to police officers involved and under the new law they could do this. "We would have preferred a different solution but they have the legal right to impose the fine,” Portillo said, but the public posting of the photo impugned the officers' sense of honor.
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Article 1: In a ruling issued Tuesday a United States federal judge dismissed a lawsuit which attempted to stop the U.S. government from selecting Anwar al-Awlaki for targeted killing.
Anwar al-Awlaki sitting on couch, lightened.jpg|thumb|left|Anwar al-Awlaki in 2008
United States federal judge for the United States Department of Justice, and held that various civil rights organizations in addition to Awlaki's father did not have the authority or jurisdiction to start the lawsuit in the first place.
Awlaki's father was supported in the case by two civil rights organizations, the American Civil Liberties Union. In the lawsuit these organizations argued before the court that targeted killing of an individual who does not present an imminent threat of life to citizens is not permitted by international law or by the Article 2: Yesterday, a United States federal jury convicted porn star | 1 |
Article 1: After almost two months of radio silence over the telephone and fax lines that serve as a hotline between North Korea and South Korea, communication was restored between the two countries on Monday.
In a speech made at a (WPK) meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for the North-South communication lines to be reopened, wishing for an "early recovery of the present inter-Korean relations and settlement of durable peace on the Korean peninsula."
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a statement where Kim Jong Un's wishes were expressed, and closed the short article with a cautionary statement directed at the South Korean government. This statement warned authorities in South Korea they "should keep in mind the meaning of reopening of the communication lines and make active efforts to solve pending important issues for saving the inter-Korean relations and opening its bright prospect."
The communication lines had been severed on the North's order in August as a method of protest exercised during US-South Korea joint military drills. The KCNA had previously stated communication would be re-established 9 AM on Monday KST ( midnight). In an article by CTV News, it is said officials exchanged greetings over telephone lines and discussed fishing activities in their disputed western maritime border.
This thawing of Korean relations comes at a heated time, with the North having conducted multiple missile tests last week. One of the said launches was confirmed by Japanese and South Korean defense ministries to be an early-stage , launched only minutes before the representative of North Korea spoke before the UN General Assembly, heavily criticizing the US. Article 2: Civilians leave Irpin after Russian attacks on March 8.
Reports yesterday indicated Ukraine has recaptured territory including , a suburb of capital city Kyiv, from Russian invading forces ahead of scheduled peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey later today.
Mayor of Irpin Alexandar Markushin said: "We have good news today — Irpin has been liberated", but told residents who had fled it was too soon to return as fighting was ongoing.
in the north-east near the border with Russia, was also reported to be back under Ukrainian control, according to a senior United States defense official who spoke anonymously with the Associated Press.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a guarantee of neutrality and ban on NATO membership were proposed by Russia as peace terms. Nevertheless, Zelenskyy told his country in a broadcast yesterday evening: "We still have to fight, we have to endure. We can’t express our emotions now. We can’t raise expectations, simply so that we don’t burn out."
He stressed "Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are beyond doubt." He also indicated flexibility regarding the semi-autonomous areas of the region.
Negotiations are planned for Tuesday in Istanbul between representatives of the two nations, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said yesterday meetings now would be counter-productive. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy should meet when the two sides are closer to agreement. | 0 |
Article 1: Governor Abbott in August 2020.
In an executive order on Monday, Texas governor banned any "entity in Texas" from requiring vaccination against the COVID-19 virus, claiming that "countless Texans" object to receiving a vaccine against COVID-19 on grounds related to "personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19."
In Executive Order GA-40, Abbott states, "COVID-19 vaccines are strongly encouraged for those eligible to receive one, but must always be voluntary for Texans."
The governor's order comes after United States President Joe Biden announced last month that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) within the U.S. Department of Labor was developing an emergency rule to mandate vaccination or weekly testing for employers with 100 or more employees.
Abbott's order cites that "in yet another instance of federal overreach, the Biden Administration is now bullying many private entities into imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, causing workforce disruptions that threaten Texas's continued recovery from the COVID-19 disaster."
Abbott called on the to pass a law against COVID-19 vaccine mandates, and has said he would rescind the order if the Legislature did so.
Previously, Abbott blocked state and local agencies from requiring vaccines for their employees, but allowed private businesses to require mandates of their own.
The noted that while Abbott has barred COVID-19 vaccination mandates, the state allows primary and secondary schools as well as post-secondary institutions to require vaccinations for a variety of diseases for their students.
Facebook Inc. and Google parent company Fort Worth, Texas, last week called for its 100,000 employees to be vaccinated or face termination. Article 2: FBI agents processing the debris on February 9.
The United States announced Monday a "significant" portion of the payload of a Chinese shot down over the Atlantic Ocean on February 4 had been recovered.
Officials said on February 9 the balloon was "likely capable of collecting and geo-locating communications" after a portion of its wreckage was taken to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) lab for analysis. They alleged China conducted an espionage program targeting over 40 countries and connected the balloon to that project.
China acknowledged ownership of the balloon and claimed it was a meteorological research craft propelled by force majeure winds off its planned course.
Chinese surveillance balloon over Billings, MT.jpg|thumb|left|The balloon over Billings, Montana on February 1.
US officials believe the balloon entered their airspace on January 28. On February 3, US Department of Defense Press Secretary and Brigadier General said the balloon was floating eastward at about 60,000 feet (18,300 meters) above the central United States and demonstrating a capability to maneuver using motors and propellers.
Ryder explained it was "well above civilian air traffic ... we do assess at this time that it does not pose a physical threat to people on the ground."
Presidential press secretary called the balloon's trajectory over the US a "clear violation of our sovereignty."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, scheduled to leave for Beijing late February 4, canceled the trip, declaring the balloon's entrance into US airspace an "irresponsible act" during a call with Chinese diplomat Wang Yi. The meeting was to have included discussions about reinforcing communications and easing tensions between the two countries.
Advisors told US President Joe Biden the military should wait until the balloon was over water before shooting it down, so the debris would not threaten civilians. He authorized the downing of the craft on February 4 as it drifted off the coast of South Carolina.
China declared the downing "an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice", while saying it reserved "the right to take further actions in response."
Biden, emerging from Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, said: "They successfully took it down and I want to compliment our aviators who did it."
Meanwhile, a second balloon flew across Latin America; on February 3, Ryder confirmed that, saying: "We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon."
In a February 6 statement, China admitted ownership of the second balloon as well, countering it, too, was a civilian weather balloon forced off its path by wind.
US officials said this is not the first time balloons have crossed US airspace, claiming at least three did during Donald Trump's presidency and another earlier in Biden's presidency, although these flights were shorter. | 1 |
Article 1: United States Senator Chuck Grassley.
United States Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has asked for the financial records of six prominent televangelist ministries for possible financial misconduct, CBS News reported. The six groups were led by Joyce Meyer, Eddie Long, Benny Hinn. Half of these people (Hinn, Copeland and Dollar) are members of the Board of Regents for the Oral Roberts University, which is currently being accused of wrong-doing. Article 2: __NOTOC__
On Wikinews, we have an exclusive audio interview with Indiana State Senator .
Today is Thursday, March 27, 2014. I am Chad Tew and we are here in The Edge radio studios with my journalism students and recording from the campus of the .
This is Wikinews.
Republican Party (US)|Republican who represents the northwest side of Carmel, Indiana|Carmel, as well as Zionsville, Indiana.
After being selected to finish former State Senator J. Murray Clark's final term in 2005, Mike Delph has served two full terms for District 29 in the Indiana State Senate. He is currently facing re-election this fall. His opponent is likely to be Democrat JD Ford, who is running as an openly gay candidate.
Senator Delph has also been considered in the past for US Congress but he declined to run, and he has already been mentioned in the Indiana media as a possible candidate for any potential opening in the in 2016. He is widely known across the state of Indiana for both his Arizona-style legislation on immigration and his support of traditional marriage.
During the legislative session this year, Senator Delph made what is known in Indiana as the "tweet heard around the world". The tweet announced the defeat of a proposed amendment to the Indiana State Constitution in a form that would have banned civil unions. Senate leader David Long punished Delph because of this tweet on the grounds that it concerned confidential caucus information. What exactly took place in that Republican caucus and between Senator Delph and Senator Long is currently unknown to the public.
Tew: State Senator Delph good morning and welcome to Wikinews.
::'Mike Delph': Thanks for having me professor.
Jones Phillips: Can you tell where you went to school at?
::'MD': I went through the Carmel school system. And I’m a graduate of Carmel High School — in 1988. And then I went on to college at Indiana University. And ultimately received four degrees from Indiana University.
Tew: And those degrees are in ...?
::'MD': I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in speech communications with minors in Spanish, biology, and an emphasis in chemistry. I have a Masters in Public Affairs with an emphasis in international relations — or comparative international relations — and public finance. I have a Masters of Science in Environmental Science, focused on applied ecology. And then I have my law degree at the Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis.
And lastly I want to know, how did you become interested in politics?
::'MD': I kind of backed my way into politics. I had served as a page for Indiana State Senator Shortridge High School. We had a family friendly connection there. But I really didn't grow up in politics. I didn't serve in student government — except one little stint when I was a graduate student at Indiana University. I served one summer stint as a representative from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. But I really wasn't involved in politics.
:: After I was getting ready to graduate from graduate school, I had planned to go to work for Washington D.C. working on Capitol Hill. So I worked out of the personal office and then the professional staff of the House Committee on Government Reform, primarily focusing on Drug War policy. I also did some work with the House International Relations Committee, which at the time was chaired by Congressman Ben Gillman from .
Hello Senator Delph, I’m Sara Behnke. We were wanting to know about your family and your work outside of the Indiana Senate.
::'MD': My family is: My wife is Beth. She is from Zionsville. She grew up in Zionsville and graduated from Zionsville High School. She is the daughter of Russ and Nancy Frankel and has one brother, who is younger, named Matthew. My in-laws are now constituents of mine, which is nice because my mother-in-law could put my yard sign in her yard without confusing her neighbors.
::I have five daughters. My oldest daughter is 19 and a freshman at IUPUI here in Indianapolis. She's our first proud graduate of Delph Academy for Girls. She did really well her first semester of college, making the Dean's List. So mom and dad were obviously very ecstatic there. I have a 17-year-old daughter, who just turned 17. She told dad that she wanted a boyfriend for her birthday, and so I went out and got a little stuffed animal of the good guy from Frozen a film, which I said you can take to bed with you every night and cuddle with. So her name is Evelyn. I have a 14-year old named Anna, a 10-year old named Emma, and my 7-year-old, who will probably — well her name is Lilly, that she believes she will be the next rock star of rock music. And she and I play my guitar and sing every night. So that's a little bit about my family.
:: I work as general counsel for a second-generation family-owned business based out of Bloomington, Indiana, named CarDon & Associates. And we are in the business of senior housing and long-term care, post-acute care, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and independent living facilities.
Behnke: We understand that you and your wife home educate your children. How did you decide to home educate your children?
::'MD': Well the name of our home school is the Delph Academy for Girls. Originally my 19-year old was part of the Carmel school system and attended Carmel Elementary and had a real challenging year, her first grade year. We were actually told by her first grade teacher that she would have a hard time graduating from high school and that college was not in the cards, which obviously was a lot for mom and dad to take with our first grader. We went and had a battery of tests done. And there was a dispute within the school system as to what, if any, learning disabilities that she might have, and what we should do about it. So we finished out that school year and went a little bit into the next, and then we just made the decision as a family that we weren't going to fight the system. We were going to take matters into our own hands and start homeschooling our daughter. Then we just started homeschooling the rest of our kids. It's turned out to be a very big blessing in the life of the Delph family for obvious reasons because our daughter has turned around her academic life in a very positive fashion and is doing very well in college, as I mentioned before.
::Another reason why we homeschool our students, is we teach in our school. And obviously you can't do that in the public school system. Our faith and Christian values are very important to Beth and I and to our daughters.
Behnke: What is your religious affliation?
::'MD': We are Christian. We are not Catholic. That is a falsehood put out on Wikipedia, and I’m not sure where that came from. I think people just assume that if you have a lot of kids that you are Catholic. And there is one nice thing about that, we live right across the street from a very large prominent Catholic Parish called, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and they have a fall festival every year and so it's the one place we can go as a family where people don't give us funny looks because of the number of girls that I have, everybody has a large family in that parish.
Hello Senator Delph, I’m Jerrilyn Thompson, and I have a question for you. The , you were awarded that in 2005. And this honorary award is awarded by the Governor. And what did you do to get this honor?
::'MD': That was something that I was recommended by former Congressman Baron Hill, who represented the southeastern part of the state. And I had gotten to know Congressman Hill when I was an executive with Comcast Corporation. We actually brought the Seymour, Indiana|Seymour, Indiana. And we had gotten to know each other, and he found out that I had served as an international election observer with the Nicaragua in 1996 and then in Joe Kernan (politician)|Kernan, before he left office as our governor, was very gracious to award me the Sagamore of the Wabash.
Thompson: Okay, just a few more questions. You had mentioned earlier about the role that Congressman Dan Burton had played in your life, could you please talk a little bit more about that?
::'MD': Well certainly. He is somebody that was my boss, I’ve known him for a good chunk of my life. When I was thirteen or fourteen, I served as a page for him. When he was an Indiana state senator. I had volunteered a little bit on his political campaigns but not a great deal. Primarily putting stickers on fire hats in preparation for his parade season.
::But I worked for him from — I want to say — 1996 to 2004. Roughly eight years, give or take. I served as a member of his professional staff when he was chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. And then I also served as a member of his professional staff, handling a number of different policy areas, including foreign policy and national security policy. I covered agricultural issues and environmental policy forum, given some of my academic background. But primarily in the national security foreign policy area, primarily focused on anti-narcotics and the drug war. I was able to travel — in addition to traveling when I was an international election observer — I was able to travel as a member of his staff to countries like Colombia.
::When I was in Colombia, I got to watch an eradication mission of coca and poppy fields down in Colombia. I also got to work on other cases. There was a new tribes and missionary case that I worked on where there were three men who were abducted by the FBI to bring that whole issue to closure. They eventually declared the missionaries as being killed by the FARC. But as you can imagine, it was one of those things where the family was in limbo and they just did not know and nobody was trying to find out for them.
::It was a great honor to work as a staff member for Congressman Burton. Probably one of the most thankful points in my time for him was when I helped write, or helped ghost write, the resolution honoring the life of Princess Diana died and all of the news coverage at the time was dedicated towards Princess Diana. And Mother Theresa is arguably somebody that had lived more of a Christ-like life than anybody, since .
Thompson: Okay one last question from me. What was your father and mother's relationship with former congressman Dan Burton?
::'MD': They went to high school together and knew him from their time in high school. And my mother specifically was involved with the when Congressman Burton was involved with the Young Republicans. And they all kind of grew up in politics together. And then she later became a volunteer for his campaign.
Jordan Mornout: You ended up losing your first campaign when you sought the nomination for Indiana's Secretary of State in 2002. Of course, your opponents that year were impressive, but can you tell us from your perspective about the dramatic finish to that nomination?
::'MD': That is a very sore subject with me, but it's not as sore as it used to be. It's interesting because you guys really... I was kind of surprised with the capturing of the whole flyer deal on the floor, which misled the convention to think that I had willingly dropped out of the race, and my strategy was to win it on the second ballot. I was everybody's second choice. The people that were supporting Richard Mourdock were supporting him because he was older and had more experience than I had. But they liked me after they got to know me, and I was their second choice.
:: And so I had literally campaigned in all 92 counties for two years of my life, driving around the state of Indiana in my American-made Luke Messer was part of the field for a time. Diana Cordray, the clerk treasurer at Carmel, was in part of the field for a time. Elvis Presley. Because we’d go to these southern Indiana counties, and he would autograph basketballs with the starting five in the 1976 Indiana University National Championship team. And that was the time that I said I had to do something because he was killing me politically, and so we started putting our name on peanut butter and passing out peanut butter. We said that if peanuts were the food of elephants, then peanut butter was the food of the grassroots of the Republican party, whose symbol was the elephant.
:: So we, we ran hard. We ran a strong campaign. And really it was that campaign that created the foundation for my ability to become a senator. But there's no question that that was a hard-fought campaign, and the way that it ended was less than favorable. Literally, the next day I had to get on an airplane to fly to Mississippi to do my 2 weeks of army training in the middle of nowhere. And I remember being on a rifle range, and a there was misfire happening, and I looked up to the safety officer on the rifle range and I said, "Was that Richard Mourdock over there?" Obviously, they didn't get the joke. But Richard and I are now friends and get along great.
Tew: And, in fact, you were both competing for Senator Richard Lugar's office.
::'MD': Well, you’re talking about the United States Senate, this last go ‘round?
Yes.
::'MD': Yeah, at the time I was finishing up my legal studies and kind of transitioning professionally. I was running my own home-based business called MA Advisory Group, which was based upon my grandfather's name of his company, the MA Delph Company, which I mentioned before. And I had thought about that for a little bit. I had been approached by some folks out in Washington, D.C., specifically that I have known for years and that had an interest in me considering that. And it really wasn't a good time for me professionally and in the life of my family. And so it wasn't something that I ever formed a committee or raised money or, started campaigning or reaching out to people to build support. But it did get in the press.
:: That led to Richard Mourdock reaching out to me. We had lunch, we talked about the opportunity, and he candidly asked me what I thought the top issues were and I told him, and a lot of what I said he ended up using as part of his platform to run against Senator Lugar. And he ultimately was successful. While that whole thing was going on, my wife and I took a three-week home school trip out to the East Coast, to visit former Revolutionary War historical sites to learn more about the founding of the country.
:: It's mistaken, in perception, that I have some type of disregard for Senator Lugar. I have very high regard for him and his leadership and specifically his public service. Anybody that serves that long sacrifices a great deal with their family and in their business financially to serve the public. So I have a tremendous regard for him personally and professionally. I just had strong reservations and disagreement with him in matters of public policy and in the direction of some of the issues he was campaigning out in the United States Senate. But there's no question that he was a strong figure in Washington, D.C.
Tew: Let's pause for a brief identification.
Law: Senator Delph, your opposition to same-sex marriage and your public expression of love for your brother Stephen has us wondering about how you reconcile what seems to some as contradictory stances. Could you explain to us your philosophical stand on homosexuality and support of traditional marriage?
::'Mike Delph': Sure, I come to my support of all of the traditional family values from my Christian convictions and my belief in the authenticity and reliability of The Bible. My faith tradition teaches me that is one in a number of sins that's listed out in the Bible, and so that's why I have an opposition to anything that institutionalizes, or legitimizes, a given sin.
::The reconciliation of the contradiction that you point out is really "love the sinner, hate the sin" type deal. You know, my brother, Stephen, is my older brother. He's had a very tough life, and we’ve been through a lot together. And you can't go through life together and experience things as a family unit. We just experienced, for example, last year the death of my father and the death of my grandmother, both of whom were close to each one of us. That was something that we went through together. You can't go through life, and go through experiences, with things like that without having love for one another, a love as brothers. And so I do love my brother. I support my brother. I support his right to be a human being, as well as I do all human beings and to live his life. And I don't tell him how to live his life. And I don’t tell him what to do, or where to go, or who to be friends with. I feel like I respect my brother; but I don't, as I’ve mentioned to the media before, I don't support the lifestyle of homosexuality because it is contrary to my Christian convictions.
Tew: Senator, your brother said on the air that you had set him up on a date. And you denied that. Could you just briefly talk about this?
::'MD': Certainly, I’ve never set my brother up with anybody nor have I done anything ever to promote his gay lifestyle. I have friends that I went to college with that I have suggested could be friends with my brothers — several of my brothers quite candidly — and in this case, I had a friend from college, who at the time had recently told me that he was gay. And my brother, I think, mistakenly made the connection that by me introducing him to a friend of mine who is gay that somehow there was more to it than that. My brother Stephen is not used to talking to the media and knows that he misspoke when he made that characterization. I love my brother. And we have reconciled that misstatement. But never in my lifetime have I done anything to go contrary to that Christian conviction and that belief that I have on that lifestyle.
Bobby Shipman: Senator Delph, this is Bobby speaking now. HJR-3 — the proposed constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage and civil unions? You said it was the best environment right now. Why is this the right time for HJR-3?
::'MD': Well, in order for a constitutional amendment to be adopted you have it to go to a legislative body, pass the House and Senate. Then you have to have an election and you have to have the new legislative body take up the exact same language and pass the House and Senate. And so from a procedural standpoint if it didn't pass in the same form this time the clock gets reset and the process starts over.
::When I surveyed my constituents, and I do an annual legislative survey, over 60 percent of my survey responses suggested that people wanted the opportunity to vote on this issue via referendum this year November of 2014. They did not indicate which way they would vote. So they could have said, "we want to vote on it because we want to reject it and we want to be done with it this year," or they could have said, "we want to adopt it into our constitution." Either way, because of the actions of the leadership of the House and the Senate, my constituents were denied that opportunity to vote and resolve this issue once and for all in November 2014. And when I engaged in this issue the one thing I heard from people across the spectrum on HJR-3 is they wanted the legislature to be done with this once and for all.
::And when I went through in my mind the different courses of action that could get us there I kept coming back to the referendum and I did not see another way that we could bring final closure and resolution to this issue, this very sensitive and difficult issue, without passing it to the people for an up or down vote. Because of the path that we chose, there is going to be pressure to bring this back next year and possibly years beyond that. So the state of Indiana is going to be forced to deal with this issue year in and year out. Which is my fear.
Shipman: With the polls in Indiana showing a change in public opinion over the past several years that is more favorable to the acceptance of same-sex marriage, do you think it's going to be harder to support traditional marriage in the future?
::'MD': Well not for me because I am who I am and I support what I support, and I support traditional and Judeo-Christian values. I think if the polling data is accurate, as you expressed it, then the folks that were the opponents of HJR-3 — specifically the folks that were in leadership within Freedom Indiana — were working against their own self-interest. Why do I say that? Well if public opinion has truly changed then it was in their interest to pass this through the legislature and send it to the people themselves for an up or down vote were the referendum would be defeated and the issue would forever be gone and dealt with. And so I think there is some dispute where public opinion is. This is a very sensitive issue. It divides families. It divides political parties. It divides neighbors. Obviously you know about my family, and there is a difference of opinion just with me and brother on this issue. There's a difference between me and my mother on this opinion. There's even a difference of opinion in the Delph household — in the house where I live. And so these are all things that our state and society have to reconcile. But to me the ultimate issue was bringing this whole thing to closure and by denying people the right to vote this November we did not bring this to closure.
Shipman: Since the amendment would have had a long lasting consequences on , didn't the process work this time?
::'MD': Well some could say that. If that brings the issue to final closure. But having sat in the legislature now for eight years, I think there's going to be pressure to bring this back this next session — some sort of version. And it may be amended to make it tougher. They may put the civil union ban back in it, which then puts it on another two years. And so for me, I don't think the information is going to be any clearer. I don't think the issue are going to be any better understood. To me it didn't make any sense to delay the final resolution of this once and for all. And for me again, the only way that I could see us bringing this to final closure was to have the referendum by the public. And if public opinion has changed, then those that support same-sex marriage worked against their own self-interest by denying the people the right to vote on this in November of 2014. Because if they would have allowed the vote and public opinion had changed, then they probably would have voted the referendum down and that would have been the debate once and for all.
Tew: But there is also the Supreme Court that the legislature would have to deal with any kind of decision that's made between now and when they act next.
::'MD': Certainly, there is a couple of things at play there. Recently, I think in Same-sex marriage in Michigan#Constitutional amendment|constitutional amendment. So there is no question that the federal courts are getting involved. There is equal protection ground litigation that is being filed throughout the country. And specifically in Indiana, I think, there has been four law suits filed challenging the Indiana Statute, which has been on the books since 1986. And so this is a big battle that's going on legally.
::Traditionally, the widely held view is that the US Constitution trumps the State Constitution and that federal decisions in court trump state constitutional law. And so those are all things that have to be reconciled with the public opinion, and with the will of the people, and what they want, and how they view their government, and how they want society to react and deal with these types of issues.
::But there is no question that even if we would have passed the constitutional amendment and even if the public would have adopted it, that that did not prevent a court challenge in federal court.
::Let me just make one more comment... To me though we cannot as a legislative body at the state level of government, live in fear of litigation. We have an Article 6 oath of office that we take to the rule of law — except the precedent. It has to do with the written law, the written constitution. We also take an oath to uphold the Indiana state constitution.
::And that oath of office is something I take very, very seriously. And that is what should drive us, our own understanding of the Constitution — not any fear of litigation in Federal Court.
Devyn Curry: Can you briefly give us your version of the chronology from the time you made the "tweet heard around the world" to the time when you were punished for the tweet.
::'MD': I will try to do the best that I can. You know the irony in all of this is that HJR-3 was really not my issue. I had found through interaction with the governor's staff that the governor WISH-TV political reporter Jim Shella — WISH-TV is at channel 8, our Dennis Kruse|Senator Dennis Kruse, who had told me that Senator David Long had wanted to control that process and have Senator Mike Young introduce the amendment on the floor that would restore the second sentence so that we could adopt the entire amendment and send it to the voters.
::For me though, if you go back and look at my press conference, I pretty methodically laid out the chronology of why I thought that Senator Long and others had taken the issue into their own hands in order to really kill the issue for the session. And when I had met with them before learning the concerns of the governor, I had met with Senator Long and Senator Brent Steele, and we were asked — because we were members of the Judiciary Committee — to do a whip count on the Judiciary members to find out if there was support to reinsert the second sentence and if there was support to pass HJR-3 to pass out of the committee. At the time, we were told that the resolution was going to go to Judiciary Committee. And then when we did the whip count, we found support to restore the second sentence, and then pass it out of committee. After that, Senator Long made the decision to not send it to Judiciary but rather to his own Committee, Rules Committee, and then he made the further decision that he wasn't going to allow any amendment. And then he was going to pass the resolution to the floor without amendment. Which if you look at the numbers, the mathematics — and again I go through all of this in my press conference, which is on YouTube in detail — If you take the thirteen Democrats and assume that they are all going to vote no, it only takes thirteen more Republicans to vote no with the Democrats. And so the mathematics works against conservative Republicans on the Senate floor. And I think all those things, in addition to other things, factored into Senator Long's decision to do what he did.
::Now in terms of the tweet when I was trying to help Senator Kruse. I had started my own whip count and I was stuck on fifteen solid Republican votes to agree on the floor to reinsert the second sentence. Well I needed twenty-six. If I didn't have twenty-six, it wasn't going to happen because of the math with the Democrats.
::And so we had caucus, I can't tell you what was discussed or said or done in caucus, but because I had filed my amendment — because at the time I wasn't positive that an amendment was going to be filed. In checking with the legislative services agency, and with the Senate majority attorney's office, I went ahead and filed an amendment to make sure that we would meet a deadline so an amendment could be filed. I did that knowing that I was stuck at fifteen votes. And so there was media interest as to whether or not I was going to call my amendment and what was going to happen. We were on the senate floor and this was after the caucus meeting. Within minutes of Dennis Kruse calling HJR-3 for second reading — and that's when I put out the tweet saying there wasn't support for me to call my amendment and that the second sentence was dead for the session of the General Assembly.
::When I did that, I did that to satisfy inquiry from probably over half a dozen different media outlets that were going to ask me or had asked me what I was going to do. Rather than have the same discussion, six to ten different times, I just wanted to handle it at once during . But what I didn't anticipate at the time was that everybody under the sun would retweet that tweet and I would start to trend nationally. At that point, this evolved into a whole other level of newsworthiness.
::Senator Long came back on the floor and asked me about it and I explained what I did and why. At the time, I thought things were resolved between the two of us. It was only later that he had a media availability and he kind of blasted me and accused me of leaking a caucus confidence that we really started to get into it within the press.
::And at that point in time, I made the decision to hold my news conference and to vote against HJR-3, if he would not allow the second sentence to be restored. I did that for a couple of reasons. One of which was I had passed out a legal memorandum from a very reputable source out of Washington D.C. that had told us that without the second sentence, our amendment had no legal consequences. So we were basically passing a statement that had no legal significance. And for me, given how divisive this was and how draining it was in terms of energy and what not, it didn't make any sense to me to pass something for political purposes that wasn't going to have any legal consequence.
::And again, I talked about all of that in my press conference on YouTube. If you haven't seen it, it will take thirty minutes of your life to watch it. It was carried live on ABC the Channel 6 news affiliate in Indianapolis and I walked through methodically the chronology of events at that press conference.
Curry: What were you trying to convey to the public through the media at the press conference?
::'MD': I was trying to bring to light what was going on with the process. And I was trying to bring to light my reasoning and thinking as to why I felt like this was a set up job from the beginning and that there was no intention to get this to the people. And how Senator Long had controlled the process. And how every step of the process the decisions that he made gave evidence to what I was saying that the people were never going to see this amendment at the ballot box in November of 2014. I also felt like it was newsworthy that one of the most conservative members of the Indiana State Senate was going to vote against the marriage amendment because it had no legal consequence. I wanted to explain to the public and to my constituents why a guy that is a strong supporter of traditional Judeo-Christian values, was not going to support the marriage amendment. Because I didn't believe that the marriage amendment had legal consequence.
Curry: Senator, did you violate caucus rules of secrecy?
::'MD': I did not.
::And the saying that I take great great umbrage with is ... the only way I can fully defend myself would be to go violate caucus protocol and confidence.
::Now I don't accuse Senator Long of lying; that is a little strong. There are some — because what has been said to the media, particularly by Senator Long — that have had the wrong perception that I may have violated a confidence of the caucus. I certainly want to clear up any kind of misunderstanding with my caucus mates. But in no way did I violate a caucus confidence. The tweet that I put out was based upon my own information, from my own whip count that I kept on this project. Senator (Scott) Schneider knew about my whip count. Senator Dennis Kruse knew about my whip count. Senator Mike Young knew about my whip count. And so this idea that I violated a caucus confidence is unfortunate, it's wrong, it's untrue, it's misleading, and, hopefully, this will help correct that record.
Senator, Chad Tew here. Who leaked the information about your punishment to the media?
::'MD': That is a great question because laughs — There is another issue over in the House of Representatives about caucus confidence being violated. I don't know if you are following that with the whole nursing moratorium issue —
::But it was interesting because the following Thursday I was called in to Senator Long and there were a couple of other senators, and they brought me in there to tell me what my consequence from this whole event was going to be. And they listed out four different things that were going to happen, and they then told me they were going to go to the caucus and privately tell them what was going to happen. Well, I get home Thursday night, that night, getting ready to have dinner, and I get a call from a Channel 13 NBC News affiliate. And they say "Senator Delph, we understand this, this, this and this are going to happen to you because of violating caucus protocol. Do you have a comment?"
::And I just find it grossly hypocritical and somewhat ironic that there would be a violation of caucus protocol to leak out this punishment that I have while they're accusing me of this. It's really all very silly.
::Since I have been in the legislature for eight years, I have been a champion of transparency and accountability. And I think the public has the right to know what their elected officials are doing on behalf of them and in some cases against them. And in this case, I did not violate a caucus confidence, and I was trying to advocate for my constituents, who wanted the right to vote on this issue as reflected in the surveys that they returned to my office. And so I felt like I was doing things to try to advocate on their behalf without necessarily taking a position from their perspective on whether they felt like this should be part of the constitution or not part of the constitution. I was trying to give them their opportunity, which they said they wanted, to vote on this one way or the other.
Tew: Concerning your punishment, you've had a number of disagreements over the years with Senate leader David Long. Does Senate leader David Long serve the Republicans in the state senate or do they serve him?
::'MD': Yeah, that is a great question. I like Senator Long. He and I every couple of years will have an issue. The legislative process is not one where conflict can be avoided. When you are in the arena, you are going to have issues, and I have enjoyed serving with Senator Long. But ultimately we the people elect elected officials to serve in the legislative branch of government. And as consent of the governed are who give and what gives elected leadership and legislatures the legitimacy to make decisions on behalf of the people." And so Senator Long has been elected by the Republican caucus to a position of great public trust — to manage the institutional integrity of the senate. And so he needs to, in my opinion — I have said this to him publicly and privately — to remember it is the people of Indiana that he represents and not just special interests or even the interest of the caucus itself — but it is the public at large. And he has also a responsibility to the institution of the senate.
Tew: Thank you, Senator. Let's pause for identification.
::'Mike Delph': Thanks for having me professor. One thing I just wanted to add from the last segment. There are a lot of YouTube videos and interviews that I’ve done and I’ve tried to be consistent in the story that I’ve been telling making sure that the truth gets communicated to the public. But when I did my press conference, I very methodically walked through my reasoning for why I believe that the marriage amendment was at least on the Senate side, set up for failure from the beginning. And I also addressed the whole tweet and where the information for that tweet came from. There's been misinformation and misperception that it was tweeted from a caucus meeting. That is a falsehood. It was a tweet that I actually put out, again, directly from the senate floor within minutes of HJR-3 being called down for a second reading, and I did that, again, because there were a number of media requests to explain what I was going to do or not do with the amendment I had filed to restore the second sentence. I would encourage your listeners and your students if they've not done so to go listen to the press conference on YouTube.
Rachel Christian: Senator Delph, you have been labeled as a social conservative. Where do you believe you fall on the political spectrum?
::'MD': You know, that's a good question. In my intro (Wikipedia: Voice Intro Project) that I read for Wikinews for the project that the professor and I worked on together, I reference myself as a fiscal and social conservative.
:: I kind of consider myself a constitutional conservative. I consider myself very independent-minded. If you look at my last election in 2010, I won my senate district 59 percent to 41 percent. Just two years prior to that, President John McCain. So I think my history has shown an ability to have people who aren't necessarily conservative Republican voters vote for me.
:: I try to listen to everybody, anybody in my district who has an issue or concern or wants to talk to me or tell me what they think about anything, always gets my ear. And you can't do this job and be effective doing this job without being shaped by the views of your constituents, some of whom may disagree with your position on a given issue.
:: So I do consider myself a full-spectrum conservative, fiscal and social, but more importantly I consider myself a Constitutional conservative.
Bradie Gray: Recently, political commentator Brian Howey wrote about your senate district. Is it fair to say that your district is not socially conservative, that your stand on HJR-3 might not been aligned with your constituents, and that the Democrats see your seat as an opportunity.
::'MD': Well you will to talk to the Democrat Party about what they see as an opportunity. I can't speak for them.
::I will tell you again. I survey my constituents every year before we go in session. And I knew that the marriage amendment was going to be something that was going to be debated and considered. I asked them if they wanted a chance to vote on this through the constitutional amendment process via referendum in November 2014. I sent that survey to all registered voters in Senate District 29 and over 60 percent of the respondents said they wanted a chance to vote in November 2014. Again I didn't ask which way they were going to vote — whether they were going to vote yes or no — but rather did they wanted the chance to vote. My position primarily was driven by that piece of information and my desire to try to advocate on behalf of my constituents to bring this whole issue to resolution.
::From a personal standpoint, this issue is very divisive. The media is fixated on it. Very little else was covered because the media was so fixated on it. And to me whether you were for the amendment or against the amendment, there was pretty strong support to being done with it once and for all. And I couldn't figure out a way to bring final closure to this without going to the referendum process to the public. And so I was hoping we could deal with this whole issue in 2014 but others felt differently that were in the leadership. And so we are going to be dealing with this issue on into the future.
::In terms of the ideology of my constituents. I have some constituents who are socially conservative. I have some constituents who are socially moderate. I have some constituents who are socially liberal. The proof is going to be when we run for reelection in November 2014 whether or not this is the driving issue to drive turnout and ultimately render judgement over the totality of my service in the senate.
::Last year, I carried three bills into law. I’ve been known widely as somebody who is a leader on Veterans and military issues. Last year, we expanded contracting opportunities for veterans returning from Enduring Freedom. I wrote and carried into law a strong reform in the area of education for high performing schools. I have led efforts in reform for local government reform in Title 36 of Indiana Code. I have been named Legislator of the Year by the American Legion. I’ve been awarded the Mr. Clean Award by for my efforts to promote lobbying reform, and ethics reform, and redistricting reform. I’ve led an effort to change the law in the area immigration reform. And again that was not a Republican or Democrat issue, it was an American patriotic issue. And a lot of my folks that were not a conservative or Republican because of my leadership on this issue supported me in 2010. We feel very good about where we were politically.
::I just actually just had a grassroots campaign committee with my team on Saturday at my house. My 19-year-old daughter Abby, who is a freshman at IUPUI, is going to serve as my campaign manager, and I'm going to teach her how to do this. We have the leader of the Anderson University, as well as IUPUI and other leaders from that will all be involved in my grass roots effort.
::Before Thanksgiving, there was some talk that somebody might try to challenge me in a primary. And our grassroots effort, we had moms and volunteers make over 7,000 phone calls to base, Republican voters. We shut that down pretty quick. We have the strongest, best grassroots team in the state senate. I welcome competition. We are going to go out and compete. And we are going to let the voters make their decisions. We feel very good where we are politically.
::From a campaign finance standpoint. We have the most money that we have ever had. We have US$180,000 in cash in the bank. I have a business man, a Christian pastor, who has offered to write a check for $25,000 to support me. Another person is going to write a check for $2500. And I suspect if I really tried to raise more money, I could raise a lot more money.
::So again I feel the grassroots, the financial support, the community support will be there for us. But ultimately I serve at the pleasure of the voters. And if they choose that they would rather have somebody else serve them and represent them in the Indiana State Senate, I certainly will respect that decision. But I will never shy away from my core convictions, or my Christian principles, or what I believe in, or what I think the right thing to do is, and I will always act on what I believe is the right thing to do.
Casie Mathies: Senator, this is Casie, how important are the business or establishment Republicans in your district and do you stand in danger of alienating them with your stands on HJR-3?
::'MD': You know there are some businesses that are in fear of litigation right now because of the whole environment around Chamber of Commerce and the Indiana Manufacturers Association. A strong history for promoting economic growth, including our latest bill this year was Senate Bill 1. Where we've given the local government units the ability to phase out the business personal property tax if they so choose to do so, and a gradual further reduction of the corporate income tax.
::One other additional point I want to make. I've also been a leader on corporate transparency reform. Last year, I also carried into law a bill that Governor Pence signed into law before a board of directors meeting of the calling for and requiring more transparency and the economic incentives that we give out to companies that say that they are going to create "X" amount of jobs in exchange for those economic incentives. So bottom line, I think my record in the senate has been very pro-business and pro-job growth and pro-economic development and so I think businesses will look more at that than they will look at HJR-3.
Sean Kerchief: Your likely opponent in next fall's election, JD Ford, says he stands for, quote, equality. Do you?
::'MD': I’ve not had a chance to meet Mr. Ford. I look forward to doing so. You know, we still have a primary to get through, and I’ll probably reserve my comments until after May. After the candidates have been officially nominated by the voters of each party. But I believe in equality. We do have equality of marriage. We just have not, ever, believed as a society that that translates to same-sex marriage. We have had over two hundred years of social norms and of standing up for traditional Judeo-Christian values and this idea of equating same-sex marriage with opposite sex or traditional marriage is a very new thing in the history and life of Indiana and our nation. And so, any man has the right to marry a woman who agrees to marry him, and any woman has the right to marry any man who agrees to marry her, and that is equal, you know, across all boundaries.
Keisha Wright: Senator Delph, What are the political stands that are going to provide the sharpest contrast between you and your likely political opponent, JD Ford this fall?
::'MD': Well again, I've not yet had the chance to meet Mr. Ford. I look forward to doing that, and I've not had the chance to be educated on what he stands for, and what his positions are, and I look forward to doing that. But what I'm told, the biographical backgrounds and positions are pretty black and white, night and day, and so I think the voters, for what I've been told without studying the issues on him, will get a sharp contrast.
:: You know I’ve served in the Indiana State Senate for 8 years. I spent four years in leadership as an assistant majority floor leader for communications revamping the whole communications process through two communications directors. I've carried a number of bills into law. I've served in business. I've run my own business out of my home. Now I serve for a privately-held company as a general counsel. I've served for a publicly traded company as an executive in their government affairs department, and so I have a lot of business experience, applied experience in the Indiana General Assembly. I’ve also had a lot of family experience raising five daughters as a home school educator.
:: I’ve been a leader in the military. I currently am a major in the United States Army Reserve serving in a number of leadership capacities during the course of my military experiences. So I'm very confident and proud of my history, of my record, and I look forward to further communicating that with my voters and Senate District 29. And I also look forward to meeting my opponent after we get through the May primary.
Tew: Just a short question. You started your military service in what year?
::'MD': June of 2001, I believe.
Tew: And you were promoted to major when?
::'MD': I was promoted to major on March 23, 2012. And that was also after the whole brouhaha over the military uniform issue with Lieutenant Colonel Mejia. I was a company commander for the 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, at the time I was a captain, company commander. And notwithstanding that I was still promoted to major. I think the military almost on a weekly basis to take a leadership position in a unit.
Meredith Harris: You have been considered for higher offices. What qualities do you have to offer not only your district, but voters all over Indiana?
::'MD': Well, I’ve not actively sought higher office. I enjoy reading about my political future in the press routinely, oftentimes over coffee with my daughters. You know, I love my country, I love my state, I love my neighbors, I love my community, I love my fellow man. I’m very concerned about the direction that our nation's going. In 2008, we crossed a barrier that was not widely reported. That was the first year that our nation started talking about operational deficits — the difference between revenue and expense on an annual basis — in terms of trillions of dollars. It is mind boggling to me that since 2008 the United States government has added a trillion dollars in national debt each and every year. We are spending our posterity into oblivion. At some point our debt will not be marketable. People won't think it's a good enough risk to invest in and at that point Judgement Day happens.
:: And I, you know, am concerned about that because I love my five daughters and I want them to grow up with opportunity. I want them to grow up in economic freedom and to be able to compete and do things and love and live and enjoy life and not have a country on the brink of collapse — of economic collapse. So I'm very outspoken on issues like that and on national security issues and also on nomination issues, and that sort of thing. And because of that, that's led to speculation.
::When the speculation took place regarding Senator Lugar and also Congressman Burton, we did have brief discussions with my family, with my daughters, around our kitchen table. Some of my daughters have been character actors, or youth interpreters I should say, at , a live museum here in central Indiana, others have served as members of the Indianapolis Children's Choir. They're all very involved in the home school community and their friends are here. So I told them that if I ran and got elected to federal office, they would either have to move out to Washington D.C., or they wouldn't get to see their dad three nights, at least three nights out of the week. And once I gave them that information, they were unanimous in their opposition to me running for Congress or the United States Senate. Until I get to a point where my family balance can be taken into consideration, I don't anticipate seeking higher office. But I'm always humble and grateful that people consider my record and my views worthy of consideration for such purpose.
Tew: Just briefly, senator. Your passage of the local government initiative that would allow governments to merge was very successful in your district, but not successful elsewhere around Indiana. What was it about your district that made it unique in that it decided to merge?
::'MD': Well the reform that came from House Bill 1362, which at the time was the most dramatic reform in Title 36, in probably 25 years or more. It allowed for the creation of a government of the people, by the people, for the people subject to the imagination. Whatever the mind could come up with, you could do up to the county boundary. And so in the case of Eagle and Union Townships deciding to dissolve themselves and then enter into a pact with the town of Zionsville and create the new town of Zionsville, it took vision. It took selfless service because you had two township trustees that had to agree to dissolve their reason for being. Not many elected officials will do something like that. It was a very courageous move by the trustee of Eagle and the trustee of Union Townships to do that. I think part of the problem that we've had in other parts of the state, including Evansville and Fort Wayne, is that the process and the law has not been adequately marketed and explained to the public and to elected officials. But right now in Indiana Code, you could reform local government up to the county boundary in just about any way imaginable to the mind. The only thing that really is the constraint is the imagination.
::I’m very proud of that. And I'm proud of the fact that the folks in Zionsville took the ball and ran with it. I was honored to work with then state representative Jim Buck, from Kokomo, who also represented Zionsville. And I represented ... at the time, not Zionsville. It wasn't until afterwards that Zionsville became part of my area.
::Here is one other neat story. The Town Hall chambers in Zionsville is the former church where Beth and I got married in. When we had this ceremony of this dissolution of Eagle and Union Townships and the creation of the new town of Zionsville. It literally happened right where we got married. And I was asked to speak right in the same place where I exchanged my wedding vows with my wife. I got up to speak and I was nervous and stammering a little bit and they're like "Senator is everything ok?" And I'm like, "For some reason, this specific location in the world, I'm in a vortex, and it makes me really nervous."
Tew: Thank you, senator. And, let's pause for identification.
Jordan Bayes: Hi, Senator Delph, Jordan Bayes speaking. What ever became of the military investigation of you and the soldier who appeared by you at a press conference?
::'Mike Delph': Well that was ultimately adjudicated by the military. Colonel Mejia ended up retiring in good standing with the military. At the time I was a captain in the United States Army Reserve, and I am now a major. So I think everybody has moved forward and moved on.
Tew: And you were never punished for that, for the record?
::'MD': There was a resolution that I had with my commanding general that is private, but there was never anything official other than on my officer evaluation report that denoted the issue.
Tew: Yes, and then you were successfully promoted.
::'MD': Successfully promoted for major and more importantly I get, I won't say harassed, but a fair number of calls from recruitment and retention people asking me to take leadership of units and to be more involved in the military, as if I have all this extra time on my hands.
::But let me just tell you, on that whole deal. I don't go through life with regrets. I had no regrets for that press conference. The purpose of that press conference was to show Ray Mejia to the world, and how a guy who came from Eli Lilly. To me that was a story that needed to be told. Nobody was telling it. Ray Mejia is very proud of his military service, as am I, and he wanted to show off what he had done in the military that was part of his identity and part of his story.
::So we were both supportive of that move, and, you know, as in life, you take positions just like when I did my press conference a couple weeks ago. I decided to do a press conference in the center of the rotunda of the Indiana State House, and I did that going into it knowing there would be consequences. That's part of leadership.
Bayes: Mitch Daniels|Daniels for instance received almost $200,000 dollars. You were the first to give money back donated by Durham in 2011 after he was charged, which was $10,000 dollars. However you kept money donated by Deepwater Horizon spill|Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010. What kind of money do you think should be given back, and what kinds do you think are alright to keep?
::'MD': You know, it's interesting, because I got introduced to Tim Durham in, I want to say September or October — I want to say it was October of 2005. It was right before my special caucus or special election for my caucus for the replacement of Murray Clark. Governor Daniels was hosting a Seymour, Indiana|Seymour in Jackson County. I did not know Tim well. I met him a couple times, but my friend Tim Motsinger — who I'd known through politics and Marion County used to be a deputy with Marion County Sheriff's Department for Jack Cottey — encouraged me to reach out to him, and I did on a couple occasions, and he wrote me two checks for $5000 dollars.
::When the whole fair finance deal was coming out, and I started learning about that, the bankruptcy trustee actually sent out a list, or made a list of people that Durham had made contributions to, asking for voluntary returns of that money. Making the argument that it wasn't his money to donate, it was the retiree's money. I was not on that list. I didn't know about the list. When I found out about the news story, I reached out on my own to the bankruptcy trustee, and said, "Hey, Tim gave me $10,000 dollars, I'd like to return it, what do I need to do?" And they were shocked. They couldn't believe it because they were trying so hard to get all this other money that you mentioned back and they were not getting much cooperation. So. Tor me I felt it was the right thing to do. You know, I pray for Tim Durham. I think that all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I also believe only one man walked this Earth without sin and his name was not Mike Delph. And so I felt it was the right thing to do to give the money back, and I did that.
::In the terms of scapegoat|scapegoatism of them was pretty shameful. This is a company that provides a lot of jobs, a lot of economic development, a lot of good things to the community. They had a tough time and they immediately used corporate assets and their ingenuity to aggressively address and correct what they had done negatively to the environment. And I felt like they should be applauded and lifted up and not condemned.
Dennis Marshall is here with our last question tonight, Dennis —
Dennis: Senator you are well known for your support of the single class basketball here in Indiana, why is that such an important issue for you?
::'MD': Dennis you're going to make me cry. I love this issue, love it. I grew up in a time that is not, obviously, today, and I just fell in love with Indiana high school basketball. I didn't play basketball in high school myself. I was a football player and I was slow and bulky and that sort of thing.
Tew: You were a wrestler, too?
::'MD': I actually was a cheerleader for the high school basketball team my senior year.
Tew: Senator, were you a wrestler?
::'MD': I love basketball, I always have. But when I was growing up I remember watching the state tournament with my grandmother. It was almost like a holiday. We'd play cards and have a cheeseball and you know salami and crackers. We'd bet a dollar a game on the games.
:: That was the time when guys like Steve Alford and New Castle High School, and Mike and Chris Heineman over at Connersville High School. There was just a tremendous amount of great basketball stories. And then I got to learn about the story of the "Milan Miracle", of the state championship run that led to the story of Damon Bailey and Bedford North Lawrence High School team. These are stories were high school basketball teams would captivate and grab the attention of the entire state. I remember when the Marion Giants with Jay Edwards and Lyndon Jones dominated for a couple years.
:: And so these are things that are very important and then when they went to this touchy feeling everybody has to have a trophy and a championship multi-class system, it took something away from our Hoosier identity. So it was something that I always felt pretty strongly about.
:: When I first got elected to the legislature, my pastor's wife was the executive assistant to the commissioner of the ISHAA, Blake Ress, and she knew how I felt about class basketball. I didn't like it and I wished we'd go back to single class basketball in Indiana. But out of unity to my church and not wanting to cause my pastor's wife consternation, I decided I would not do anything or pursue anything. Then she left the IHSAA and then I had an opportunity to interject this multi-facet education proposal. And then I met Bobby Cox, the then commissioner of the IHSAA, and I told him, "I'll table this proposal, but let's see what the public has to say." And he said, "that is a great idea. Let's do some public meetings. Let's go around the state together, let's hold a press conference and tell the world what we are doing, and let's take a vote at every public meeting. We'll give the public a chance that they didn't have at the time when we made this decision.
:: I think at the time the IHSAA and Commissioner Cox, in particular, thought that the public would be more allow the lines of multi-class basketball. We probably had 50 to 100 people turn out at every one of our meetings. We even went to former historical Gary Roosevelt up in Lake County we went down to several areas in Southern Indiana, we went to Pendleton. I don't have the list in front of me, so I'm just kind of doing this from memory. I emailed it to Professor Tew. I think the turnout or vote was 68 percent for restoration towards single class basketball.
:: One of the real joys of that whole process for me was meeting Milan, Indiana|Milan and meeting the 1954 basketball team. They all turned out for that. That was kind of a turning point in our road show. Because up until that point, the turnout was mixed in terms of whether it was single-class or multi-class. But at Milan, it was blowout. Everyone there wants to go back to single class basketball. I toured the Milan high school, and the athletic director tells me to this day he still gets calls from people all over the world wanting to know about Milan and Hoosiers.
:: He actually had a guy call him once and say how do I get to the high school, I’m flying in to Indianapolis Motor Speedway puts Indianapolis on the map, we're known as the greatest racing spectacle in world, with the . We are also known internationally for our wonderful single class basketball tournament, which lifts up and extolls the virtues of the underdog and the little guy. When we went to multi-class basketball we lost some of that cultural identity that Indiana was known for. Not only nationally but throughout the world. And I want to try to bring that back.
Tew: Thank you Senator. This has been an exclusive interview with Mike Delph. Thank you very much Senator for being with us tonight and speaking to fifteen journalism students and myself...
::'MD': Professor, it's been an honor. I really have enjoyed working with you and the University of Southern Indiana through this process. And I really enjoyed talking with your students and answering their questions. I look forward to an ongoing partnership into the future. | 1 |
Article 1: Michelle Rhee in 2008
District of Columbia Public Schools|public school system, announced her resignation on Wednesday. Rhee, who has held the position for over three years, will be replaced by Deputy Chancellor Kaya Henderson at the end of this month.
Rhee, aged 40, chose to step down after current Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray. In a Wednesday morning press conference, Rhee said that she and Gray decided together that she should resign. "This was not a decision that we made lightly," she said, "but it is one that I believe is absolutely essential to allow Chairman Gray to pursue our shared goal of unifying the city behind the school reform efforts that are making such a large difference in the lives of the children across the city. In short we have agreed together that the best way to keep the reforms going is for this reformer to step aside."
Rhee said she "completely enjoyed every minute of" her tenure as chancellor, and that leaving is "the right thing for the school system and the right thing most importantly for the children of D.C." She was charged by Fenty in 2007 to improve the city's failing public school district, but her no-nonsense tactics caused much controversy among other educators and the D.C. community, despite managing to raise test scores and lowering dropout rates.
In July, Rhee took drastic measures to reform the city's educational system by firing 241 teachers and putting 737 more on notice to improve in one year or lose their jobs as well. She pushed for performance-based evaluations, following recommendations in U.S. President Barack Obama's "Thomas B. Fordham Institute for education research, says that many people find mass layoffs and school closings troubling, even in the name of reform.
Fenty, who made Rhee head of D.C. schools in June 2007, lost his reelection bid in part due to his support of Rhee's methods. Fenty said at the press conference that she "exceeded all of his expectations." It wasn't just the results, he said, it was Rhee's "tough decision-making, what residents believe is a breath of fresh air, and a willingness to do what is right even if it has political consequences."
Gray, who is now running for mayor unopposed, agreed to a deal in which Henderson would become interim chancellor after Rhee leaves at the end of the month. The current educational leadership team will remain unchanged until the end of the school year to avoid any possible disruption of classes. Even though she is leaving, Rhee said, "All of the reforms can continue as planned." Those reforms include the new evaluation system, changes to special education, and expansion of standardized testing. However, former Assistant Diane Ravitch says that Rhee's departure shows that her tactics will be unsuccessful in the long run. "Rhee is out because her patron lost the election, and that loss should have taught the leaders of this movement that they are headed in the wrong direction. Public schools cannot be reformed without public support," wrote Ravitch.
During the press conference, Gray said that "school reform will move forward under the Gray administration. Our schools must continue to operate under the leadership of a strong, empowered chancellor who will move school reform forward, take it to the next level and work with the community so that all our stakeholders are invested in the process." When asked why Rhee would not be retained as chancellor, Gray said that it was a "mutual decision" for her to step down.
Rhee was featured in the recent documentary Arne Duncan. Fenty praised Rhee's accomplishments, saying, "All across the country now because of Chancellor Rhee and her team, from the White House to documentaries, people are touting D.C. as a model for how to attack bureaucracy and get results in an urban school system."
Although she has not publicly disclosed her next steps, Rhee said that her "goal is to continue to serve the children of this nation." She plans to "take a little time off and figure out what's next," but will be going to California to marry her fiancé, Kevin Johnson. Rhee, born to South Korean immigrant parents, graduated from Harvard University. Article 2: Princess Mako and Princess Kako at the Tokyo Imperial Palace (cropped).jpg|thumb|150px|left|Mako Komuro at the User:Kounosu1
New York yesterday to start a new life together outside of the | 1 |
Article 1: Bill Gates at IT-Forum in Copenhagen, 2004
Bill Gates's Microsoft could be fined as much as 5.0% of its daily income, roughly US$ 5 million per day according to Wall Street Journal calculatations, if it does not comply with demands set by the European Commission. The commission investigated Microsoft's practice of bundling the Windows Media Player software into the Windows operating system in 2003-2004, a practice which rivals complained was destroying the market for their own products. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday a week ago that the European Commission would decide their course of action in two weeks time.
Negotiations between Microsoft and the Commission broke down in March 2004 and the company was subsequently fined a record €497 million (US$ 613 million) for its breaches of EU competition law.
The ruling is subject to appeal, but a European Court decided in Dec 2004 that fines imposed on Microsoft by the EU would not be delayed. Microsoft paid the €497 million fine and must now ship versions of Windows without Windows Media Player. It was also decided by the EU court that Microsoft must license many of the protocols used in its products to developers in countries within the European Economic Area.
The European Commission rejected today a proposal by Microsoft to license its workgroup server software protocols. These protocols would allow programmers to build server programs that are compatible with systems and PCs running the Windows operating system. Influencing the decision were complaints from the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSF Europe), which said the per-server licensing proposal violated the principle that the protocols could be used to develop free software, because there is no way of knowing how many servers will be using free software.
"Microsoft either doesn't understand or doesn't want to understand the idea of free software," said FSF Europe spokesman Joachim Jakobs.
Jakobs explained that as free software is freely distributed, it is impossible to predict the extent of its use. Also, authors of free software would encounter copyright issues with Microsoft when using the protocols to distribute their software. Microsoft stated last Friday that it is still trying to find the balance between the need to preserve the private interests of Microsoft and the public interests.
Earlier, the European Commission rejected Microsoft's proposal to release the new Windows Media Player-free version of Windows under the name "Reduced Media Edition." Microsoft is now investigating other names suggested by the Commission. It is still unclear whether a deadline is or will be set for the demands by the EU.
* Article 2: The Bagram airfield as seen from the air traffic control catwalk
An Afghan official reported that an explosion on a road near the main base for United States troops in Afghanistan has claimed the lives of six civilians, including two children. One other child was also wounded.
The explosion tore through a civilian vehicle close to the on Tuesday, sixty kilometres outside of Afghanistan's capital of Kabul.
"Two men, two women and two children are killed. The car is totally destroyed," said interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary.
Although nobody immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, Bashary suggested the incident was "an act of insurgents", saying that "this is the worst of brutality of the enemy."
The stated on Tuesday that a spokesman for the Taliban had claimed responsibility for an attack at a military base next to Bagram, although it is not yet certain whether or not the statement referred to the same incident. | 0 |
Article 1: Yuri Kravchenko, a former Interior Minister in Ukraine, has been found dead in his home just hours before questioning for the case of murdered journalist Georgiy Gongadze. Early reports indicate that he committed suicide, but the circumstances of his death will most likely result in further investigation by the authorities.
Yuri Kravchenko was the Ukraine's Interior Minister in 2000 when Mr. Gongadze was murdered. Mr. Gongadze's headless body was buried in the woods near but his head was never found. Nobody has yet been arrested for the murder, but it was believed that Mr. Kravchenko's evidence could have led to an arrest.
de:Ehemaliger ukrainischer Minister tot aufgefunden
Ex-Ministro da Ucrânia é encontrado morto Article 2: a DHC-6 Twin Otter, similar to the one that crashed.
A passenger plane carrying tourists, has crash-landed at an airport near Mount Everest killing 18 of the 19 people on board. Of those killed were 12 German, two Australian and two Nepalese tourists. The remaining three were the plane's crew who were of Nepalese decent. The only survivor was the pilot-in-command.
The twin engine DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter plane, operated by Yeti Airlines, was flying in Nepal from the nation's capital of Kathmandu to Lukla. It was landing at the Lukla Airport when its wheels got caught on a fence at the end of the runway, causing it to hit the runway and burst into flames. Firefighters fought for nearly two hours before bringing the fire under control.
Officials blame the crash on heavy fog and bad weather. Reports state that visibility was only 1,310 feet (400 meters), which was considered to be just enough for the plane to land.
"According to initial reports we have it crashed before it was to land and caught fire. The accident was probably caused by a last minute change in the weather," said Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal chief, Yagya Prasad Gautam.
There was at least one accident at the airport in 2005 when nine people survived a crash, only suffering minor injures. That plane was operated by Gorkha Airlines.
es:Avión de pasajeros se estrella en Nepal; 18 muertos | 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: On Friday, (TfL) announced US-based booking application Uber would not get a renewed private hire operator license after their current permit expires at the end of the month. The regulatory body released an official statement on their website and stated Uber London Limited was "not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator license".
TfL said Uber London "demonstrated a lack of corporate responsibility" for reporting serious criminal offences, and for obtaining background of the drivers and medical certificates. In August, police said Uber allowed a driver despite allegations of sexually assaulting a passenger. The company has been accused of sexism and bullying. TfL in its statement also complained about possible use of "" software to prevent officials from accessing the application for law enforcement duties.
According to Uber's statistics, about 3.5 million people in London use Uber. There are some 40 thousand drivers tied with Uber within the British capital. Per the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998, Uber can appeal against TfL's decision within three weeks. Uber received an interim renewal for four months in May, and it is set to expire at the end of the month. To this announcement, Uber London's General Manager Tom Elvidge said, "By wanting to ban our app from the capital Transport for London and the Mayor have caved in to a small number of people who want to restrict consumer choice. If this decision stands, it will put more than 40,000 licensed drivers out of work and deprive Londoners of a convenient and affordable form of transport. To defend the livelihoods of all those drivers, and the consumer choice of millions of Londoners who use our app, we intend to immediately challenge this in the courts." He also added, "This ban would show the world that, far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies who bring choice to consumers."
TfL said Uber's irresponsibility could compromise the safety and security of the public. In contrast, Uber's response said their service enhances safety. London mayor Sadiq Khan, on Facebook, said, "...all companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we expect — particularly when it comes to the safety of customers. Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security. I fully support TfL's decision — it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners' safety and security. Any operator of private hire services in London needs to play by the rules."
Uber has received criticism from traditional taxi drivers as well as government officials. Uber was banned from Bulgaria and Denmark, and faces regulatory issues in France, Italy, Hungary, and Spain. It also faced legal inquiry for use of greyball in the US to resist government regulation of the application. Regarding the complaint about improper use of use of Greyball, Elvidge cited an independent review and said it "found that 'greyball' has never been used or considered in the UK for the purposes cited by TfL". Uber operates in over 40 cities and towns in the UK.
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es:Uber pierde licencia para seguir operando en Londres | 0 |
Article 1: Entertainment industry rising star Gail Berman was named president of the Viacom-owned Paramount Pictures film and television studios Wednesday. She is scheduled to start in May. Currently Berman heads up the programming division of the U.S. Fox network.
Berman is credited for the major turn-around in the fortunes of the Fox network. Their ratings were at the bottom of the heap of the four major U.S. broadcast networks when she took over programming in 2000. According to the latest Nielsen ratings, Fox is the No. 1 U.S. network in primetime programming, thanks to such hits as American Idol, real-time suspense drama, 24, and hit teen soap opera, The O.C..
In moving from television to the movies, Berman acknowledged to reporters that she faces a challenging learning curve. She replaces outgoing Paramount president, Donald DeLine. Article 2: Two of the founding members of US rock band Josh Farro|Josh and Hayley Williams announced that the brothers had told group members about their plans to leave two months before the Orlando concert.
Williams published a statement on the bands official website. "For the last year it hasn't seemed as if they wanted to be around any more," she said. "We want Josh and Zac to do something that makes them happy and if that isn't here with us, then we support them finding happiness elsewhere."
However the rock group have announced plans to stay together after the Farro brothers departure. Williams added: "We never for a second thought about leaving any of this behind. The three of us who are still here are ready to take on another chapter of our journey together ... Knowing that we have a unified passion and a clear vision makes us feel stronger than ever."
The brothers had been with Paramore since the group founded in 2004. Zac played the drums while Josh was a guitarist. The group has received numerous accomplishments including a nomination. | 1 |
Article 1: White House "worried" about leak.
Whistle-blowing website Wikileaks is preparing to leak thousands of documents detailing correspondence between U.S. embassies around the world. American diplomats have contacted international allies, briefing them on the planned disclosure.
, U.S. ambassador to Baghdad, told journalists Washington is "worried" about the leak. "Wikileaks are an absolutely awful impediment to my business, which is to be able to have discussions in confidence with people. I do not understand the motivation for releasing these documents. They will not help, they will simply hurt our ability to do our work here." He said Iraqi officials were "very unhappy" at the news. "Anybody who has confidential discussions, who finds these confidential discussions find their way into the press, is going to be very unhappy and very upset".
The documents may reveal the U.S. assisted Iraqi separatist Kurdish rebels fighting Turkey.
Whilst it is not known when the documents will be released, it is thought that it will be this weekend. The United States Congress|Congress had been made aware of the planned disclosure, and foreign governments were being notified.
U.S. State Department spokesman condemned the release; "these revelations are harmful to the United States and our interests, ... They are going to create tension in relationships between our diplomats and our friends around the world." Officials have suggested American envoys in Britain, Denmark, Israel, Norway, and Turkey have been alerted to the leak. The files are thought to be diplomatic cables—internal documents detailing secret communications between Washington and American embassies.
WikiLeaks' website claims the files are seven times larger than the release of the The Guardian praised the website as "an uncensorable and untraceable depository for the truth, able to publish documents that the courts may prevent newspapers and broadcasters from being able to touch."
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* Article 2: Yesterday, mere days before he is to leave office, U.S. President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of Army intelligence officer Chelsea Manning from 35 years to time served. Manning, who in 2010 released thousands of classified documents to the public through WikiLeaks detailing abuses of the and Afghanistan wars, has already served almost seven years in prison and is now scheduled for release on May 17 of this year.
Artist's rendition of Manning as she views herself.
The information Manning released to the public through WikiLeaks and The Guardian in 2010 included diplomatic accounts, videos, military incident logs, and battle plans, including footage of an American Apache helicopter firing on suspected Iraqi insurgents, reports of prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay without trial, and records of detainees abused by the Iraqi military. Many in Congress have denounced Manning as a traitor, stating the breach endangered U.S. national security. Manning was convicted in 2013 of 22 charges, including , but acquitted of aiding the enemy.
Republican senator John McCain, who ran for president against Obama in 2008, said "It is a sad, yet perhaps fitting commentary on President Obama's failed national security policies that he would commute the sentence of an individual that endangered the lives of American troops, diplomats, and intelligence sources by leaking hundreds of thousands of sensitive government documents to WikiLeaks, a virulently anti-American organization that was a tool of Russia's recent interference in our elections."
Not everyone has considered Manning's actions to be wrong. "Chelsea Manning exposed serious abuses," says Margaret Huang, executive director of the U.S. branch of Amnesty International, "and as a result her own human rights have been violated." Huang went on to call Obama's order for Manning's release "long overdue." Despite being a trans woman, Manning was housed in a men's prison, the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at solitary confinement and attempted suicide twice in 2016.
Obama's staff told the press WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's promise to agree to U.S. extradition if Manning was granted clemency had nothing to do with the decision. Assange is currently living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he is claiming asylum. He faces rape accusations from two Swedish women.
The Obama administration has seen what The New York Times calls an "unprecedented crackdown on leaks of government secrets." Manning is among more than 1,500 individuals whom President Obama has granted clemency during his tenure. White House Press Secretary Josh Ernest was asked if NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden would also be pardoned. Ernest said no, saying the information Snowden released was more dangerous to the U.S. public and pointed out that while Manning had gone through a formal trial and acknowledged wrongdoing, "Mr. Snowden fled into the arms of an adversary and has sought refuge in a country that most recently made a concerted effort to undermine confidence in our democracy."
This week, Obama also commuted the sentences of Puerto Rican nationalist linked to bombings in the 1970s and 1980s, | 1 |
Article 1: On Halloween night, October 31, during a 2-hour long live episode of NBC show Phenomenon, famed magician Criss Angel told Uri Geller and Jim Callahan, "I will give you a million dollars of my personal money right now if either one of you can tell me specific details of what’s in this envelope right now." While Geller ignored Angel's challenge, Callahan started to confront Angel in a hostile manner, as host Tim Vincent held him back and Geller held Angel back.
Previously Angel made it clear that he will not "tolerate" fellow magicians who try to pass their illusions off as paranormal. For example, on the day before the Halloween special, Angel told Larry King, "No one has the ability, that I'm aware of, to do anything supernatural, psychic, talk to the dead. And that was what I said I was going to do with Phenomenon. If somebody goes on that show and claims to have supernatural psychic ability, I'm going to bust them live and on television."
In the midst of the confrontation, the TV show cut to a commercial break. Vincent said the show was not "Jerry Springer." When the last contestant appeared Angel said it was "a hell of a lot more entertaining than the previous act." The following week Callahan was voted off the show by the TV audience.
James Randi, a former magician who had previously worked with Angel and a long standing critic of Geller and psychics, wrote of the incident, "Criss Angel said, in his rather lengthy comments, 'Callahan demonstrated something that is unexplainable to some' — though to whom that might have applied, I cannot fathom — and Criss is beginning to sound very much like that chap James Randi, tossing about a million-dollar challenge."
This is not the first time that Uri Geller has been challenged by a professional magician. Thirty years ago, during a French television show called Droit de réponse, Gerard Majax demonstred that all "so called" powers shown previously during the show by Geller could be reproduced by a magician even more convincingly than Geller. Article 2: With Halloween approaching, numerous haunted attractions all over Texas are preparing for the big "haunt" season. Directors and staff of such attractions must invest significant time preparing their buildings; such efforts gear up significantly during September. Wikinews caught up with some owners of these attractions to learn more about the hard work it takes to prepare for opening night.
Slaughterhouse attraction in Dallas.
Terror Nights, an attraction in Tyler, opens for the season on September 27. Ryan Laepple, owner and director of the haunt, states he's currently involved in "a blur of safety inspections, auditions, actor training, and last but not least event advertising." Laepple went on to say he stays "pretty busy until the show opens on the 27th and then things calm down some. As long as not too many things in the haunt break at once." Dean Jarnig, the director of Zombie Manor in Arlington, said he and staff have recently been spraying flame-retardant chemicals and installing new lights. Jarnig also stated he and staff are working on a promotional video for their attraction, which opens on Friday September 13.
Hangman's House of Horrors in Fort Worth is celebrating both its twenty fifth anniversary and final operational year. Some individuals who act in these attractions refer to their fellow actors as extended family. This year, some sources have even encouraged holiday job seekers to consider working at a haunted attraction to earn money. One whimsically listed the job's benefits as "... free uniforms, a complimentary hair and makeup consultation and make-over, inspirational background music, plenty of on-the-job exercise opportunities and more." Long a staple in American culture, "Haunted Houses", as they're commonly called, range in size from small garage-sized projects, up to multi floor buildings outfitted with the most elaborate of lighting and special effects. | 1 |
Article 1: Two engineers, Andrea Alù and Nader Engheta of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia have come up with a 'plasmonic cover' which they claim could render objects "nearly invisible to an observer".
The idea is still in its infancy, but it is said not to violate any obvious laws of physics. John Pendry, a physicist at Imperial College in London, UK: "The concept is an interesting one, with several important potential applications. It could find uses in stealth technology and camouflage."
Earlier attempts at constructing an invisibility screen resulted in the chameleon-principle: screens were coloured to match their background, rendering them hard, but not impossible to see, but usually from only a limited point of view.
The principle on which the technology is founded can be explained as follows: an object can be seen because light scatters from its surface back to our eyes. If the scattering of light could be prevented, the object could not be seen. By making a screen resonate in tune with the light, scattering of light would be prevented. This can be achieved by using plasmons, waves of electronic density caused by electrons in a metalic surface moving in sync. If the frequency of the light is close to that of the shield, the light scattered by the object will be negligible compared to the light scattered by the shield. For visible light, silver and gold can be used as metals, for other frequencies, such as infrared and ultra-violet, other metals will have to be used. Article 2: Rocky Anderson in 2009
Former Mayor of Salt Lake City|mayor and human rights activist Rocky Anderson took some time to discuss his 2012 U.S. presidential campaign and the newly-created Justice Party with Wikinews reporter William S. Saturn.
Anderson served as mayor of Salt Lake City for eight years (2000–2008) as a member of the Impeachment in the United States|impeachment against President George W. Bush, and for not reversing policies on torture, taxes, and defense spending. He left the party earlier this year and announced that he would form a Third party.
Anderson officially established the Justice Party last week during a press conference in Washington D.C.. He proclaimed "We the people are powerful enough to end the perverse government-to-the-highest-bidder system sustained by the two dominant parties...We are here today for the sake of justice — social justice, environmental justice and economic justice." The party promotes campaign finance reform and is attempting to appeal to the ballot access efforts, and will hold a Founding Convention in February 2012 in Salt Lake City.
Among other issues, Anderson discussed climate change, health care, education, and civil liberties. He detailed his successes as mayor of Salt Lake City, stressed the importance of executive experience, and expressed his views on President Barack Obama and some of the Republican Party presidential candidates. He spoke in depth about former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, with whom he worked during the Governor of Utah|governor and U.S. ambassador to China .
::'Rocky Anderson': I served for eight years and during that time, Salt Lake City became known as the model city for providing leadership on climate change solutions. Just before the 2002 Winter Olympic games, I declared that we would meet at least the greenhouse gas emissions during the course of three years.
Downtown Salt Lake City during the 2002 Winter Olympic games.
::I was a vigorous advocate for mass transit and was able to resurrect a Politics of light rail in North America|public opposition and not only received a unanimous vote from the city council but also obtained federal funding.
::I put in place a comprehensive World Leadership Awards|World Leadership Award by the in London for our restorative justice program, which focuses on solutions rather than simply punishment and retribution.
::I worked to provide real and effective drug prevention and education programs filling the completely ineffective D.A.R.E. program and getting proven effective programs in our schools and providing much better public education on substance abuse issues. We focused not only on the abuse of illicit drugs but also the abuse of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, which is an enormous problem in Utah and throughout the country.
::We fought against sprawl development incorporating principles of smart urban growth development with transit orientation development projects and opposition to sprawl-inducing new highways and increased dependence on the automobile.
::I started a city-wide youth afterschool and summer program called YouthCity, and always pursued public policy with the understanding that upfront investments in making things better including opportunities for young people was far better for all in our community and far less expensive than ignoring those upfront needs and having to deal with the disasters down the road. We know that if we keep our young people engaged and teach them skills including social skills, we have a lot better shot of building safer healthier and sustainable communities, and at the same time keeping these young people out of trouble.
Anderson at the 2007 Salt Lake City Marathon.
::I helped change, well, I led for the change in the culture of our police department where there was much more community-oriented policing where police were held accountable for not only excessive force against our residents and visitors but also even for rude behavior. I instituted a crisis intervention team program where officers were trained in recognizing and dealing with people with mental illnesses. Before I was mayor, I noticed that police were getting in confrontations with people with mental illnesses and escalate situations to the point of, in some cases even shooting and killing mentally ill people. We see that happen in communities all over the country and it’s so important that our police be trained to recognize the root causes of some violent behavior and understand when to back off and resolve the situation without further violence.
::Our prosecutor’s office and police department were very supportive of our restorative justice program, which took a solution based approach to a wide variety of situations including public sex, drug abuse, prostitution, dealing with both prostitutes and johns. We had a homeless court, we had a mental illness court so that if homelessness or mental illness was at the root of illegal conduct, we could deal with those issues in a constructive way rather than simply running people through the criminal justice revolving door, which is very expensive and in the end destructive to everybody’s interests.
::I was a big proponent and testified before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee regarding the proposal to transport and store high level nuclear waste, first, on a supposedly temporary basis at the Yucca Mountain in Nevada.
'How critical is it for a presidential candidate to have executive experience?'
::'Anderson': I think it’s extremely important for someone to be able to demonstrate in an executive capacity, he or she can handle the pressure, know how to deal with differing interests, and come to the best solutions. I know some people get in an executive position and they become very dictatorial and dogmatic about what they’re doing. I’ve always held the view both as a practicing lawyer, as president of my law firm and of course as mayor and then later as executive director of High Road for Human Rights, that you’re going to do a much better job if you learn as much as you can about any topic before you form your views and then still bring in those who have opposing views to hear them out and to learn, try to learn.
::Public transit with the skyline of Salt Lake City in the background.
::That’s how we were able to get the light rail project completed right in the beginning of my term. There was a group called Citizens Against Light Rail that formed and they even had their own letterhead and logo, and the leaders of that group will tell you that the first thing I did was brought the opponents all together at my home, went through what caused them to oppose light rail, and we figured out through a really constructive problem solving exercise during the course of several intense weeks, how to resolve most of those issues, and those opponents to light rail were very much in favor of it and are real champions of the community-based problem-solving process that we’ve put into place. That’s also become the national model. We put together a community team of people that was comprised of businesses and residents all along the construction route that would determine whether the contractors would receive bonus payments, and then we set very clear guidelines for those contractors in terms of dust control, noise control, hours of construction, keeping one lane of traffic open at all times so businesses could continue to have access. This system had the contractor very very sensitive to the concerns of those along the construction route and ways we certainly didn’t see during the construction of light rail down Main Street under my predecessor. And contractors ended up received either 96 or 97 percent of possible bonus payments because of that increased sensitivity, and members of the community felt like they had real power, which of course they did. That’s how it ought to be.
::I think in terms of executive experience, knowing how to bring those opposing forces together, solve problems, being respectful, and always having in mind that just because you’re in that position doesn’t make you any smarter or wiser than you were before. That shared wisdom can mean everything in terms of one’s success.
'According to an article in The Nation publication from 2006, a supporter asked you to run for president, but you told them that a run would require money and the backing of the state machine, which would be virtually impossible in conservative Utah. You added, “If I thought I could win, I would run.” How is the atmosphere in 2012 better for you than it was in 2008?'
::'Anderson': Well first of all, as reflected by the Occupy Movement, people in this country across the board understand how diseased and corrupt our system is, both our electoral system and the system of governance. We know now that there have been repeated failures in public policy that are a direct result of the corrupting influence of money. We’d have a Health insurance in the United States|medical insurance money. We wouldn’t be wasting billions, upon billions of dollars for unnecessary weapons programs, where the stranglehold and the corrupting influence of money from the Dwight D. Eisenhower|President Eisenhower during his last speech.
President Dwight Eisenhower warned, "we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."
::The deregulation of the financial institutions that led toward this nation’s and the world’s economic disaster from which we’re all still suffering, would never have come about were it not for the corrupting influence of money in the system. President Obama for instance, received more money from than any other candidate in our nation’s history, and so they got a really good return on their investment because the Obama administration has not brought one person to justice for the massive financial fraud that took place that helped lead to this economic cataclysm.
::The failure of our nation to provide international leadership on climate change and to develop a policy that would result in energy independence is a direct result of the corrupting influence of money from the coal, oil, and gas industries. I don’t think President Obama woke up one day and decided it would be a really good public policy to veto the EPA’s position of more strict limits on Keystone Pipeline, yet he’s just put it off, delayed it until after the election, and by all other signs from how he’s conducted himself as president, it is pretty apparent that he will end up approving that pipeline if he is reelected.
::So, the American people understand that. They want to see people in elective office that for a change are not going to be sustaining and sustained by the corrupting influence of money in our government. They want to see that the public interest is promoted for a change. So, we have that elevated awareness about what’s going on in our government, about which people are very unhappy as reflected in 9 percent approval rating for congress and a low 40s percent approval rating for our president.
::And at the same time, and this is what’s different than even just a few years ago: we have the democratizing impact on communications from . We’ve seen revolutions now in different parts of the world, the overthrow of dictators through a combination of courageous, tenacious people working at grassroots organizing and utilizing the tools now provided through social media. That’s why we’re going to be able to run this campaign limiting campaign contributions to $100 per person for the election cycle and maximizing in every way we can, the use of social media. This will be a people’s movement that is already gaining unbelievable traction after just one week since we announced.
::'Rocky Anderson': People can join in a number of different ways. There’s a website: justicepartyusa.org. There have been hundreds, probably thousands of inquires from people from dozens of states about getting on board, helping out as they can. There’s a steering committee, and we’re building on that steering committee as we speak. These are some great passionate, engaged, brilliant people, who’ve been working on this. But to see this happen in the sense, quite organically over time starting with discussions with people who have been contemplated doing this kind of work, coming together, building coalitions; I see the possibility of alliances or coalitions being built with different organizations around the country. The head of the Libertarian Party in one state came to us and said that he was publicly going to support what we’re doing. I’ve had Republicans contact me, telling us that they’ve had it with the craziness in that party; this extreme right wing approach that that party is now taking since the Tea Party’s had such enormous impact. We’re hearing from people who have been lifetime independents, members of the Green Party. We’ve got members of the Progressive Democrats that are being threatened to have their charter jerked by the Democratic Party because of their support for what we’re doing. In fact, one gentleman from the out of Chicago, is now on our steering committee. So this is an amazingly, cross-partisan representation of people who agree about the fundamentals and that is we need to change, not just the candidates that are playing within the system, but we need to change the system.
'You mentioned Republicans and Libertarians, what about those that believe, ideologically that the government should not be involved in regulating carbon emissions or providing health care?'
Anderson discusses Global Warming during a 2008 speech.
::'Anderson': Those who believe the government shouldn’t have any involvement in providing essential health care for our citizens are not only on the margins in our country but throughout the industrialized world. The United States is the only country that allows reliance that in fact fosters reliance on for-profit insurance companies for the provision of essential health care for our citizens. It’s simply wrong that people are dying by the tens of thousands throughout this country every year because of inadequate health care services being available to them and you know we oftentimes hear from people like former President George W. Bush that people can go to emergency rooms, well that’s just simply not true. For a lot of the early diagnoses, early diagnostic work that can save lives, there’s not an option for that if you don’t have health care coverage. A lot of people can’t afford those diagnostic tests, and as a result they’re dying because by the time they’re properly diagnosed, the opportunity for saving their lives is gone, and yet the care that then has to be provided to them until they die is going to be extremely expensive. It’s so cost ineffective what we’re doing. We pay in this country more than double per capita health care than the average among the industrialized world, and part of our so-called health care dollars is going toward the profits for the for-profit insurance companies, dividends for their shareholders, huge bonuses, all the marketing for those companies. We are the most inefficient of nations in the industrialized world in terms of how we pay for health care. Our medical results are mediocre by comparison with other health care systems. And people are paying more money for mediocre results and we still don’t cover all of our citizens. So we come out looking very very badly by comparison with the rest of the industrialized world. If we were running a corporation here, and shareholders were determining how that corporation was doing in comparison to its competitors: higher costs, far less coverage, and mediocre results? I think we’d be replacing our board of directors and the officers and demanding that we catch up with our competitors.
::The same thing is happening with education in this country. Our students are not equipped to compete with students from so many other countries. Caucasian race|Caucasian Americans being admitted to those Ivy League Schools. Why is Singapore doing so much better? Why are their students doing so much better on their testing than our students? It’s an utter failure of our educational system and it’s going to have an enormous impact in terms of the future. We’re not making the investments in education and innovation and in our nation’s infrastructure, all at the same time we’re wasting trillions of dollars on wars of aggression and continuing tactics in these countries that are creating so much hatred that leads to far less security in the long term for our nation.
::And at the same time, we’re creating conditions for absolute catastrophe. Hundreds of names of environmental refugees, utter devastation in so many communities, loss of water resources, drought, starvation because of our failure to do what is required to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses. If there’s any role for government, it’s to provide for, not only for the short term, but long term health, safety, and national security of our people and our approach on climate change has been absolutely counter to that. Pentagon studies discuss how oncoming the imminent consequences from climate change are going to create such major national security problems, and that’s going to be the case all over the world. It’s absolutely irresponsible to not be looking out for the future, and doing what’s necessary to prevent the most catastrophic consequences of climate change. And the science is as robust as one could ever expect from science. Every nation’s science academy, every major scientific organization in the United States feels the climate issues are all in agreement: the world is heating up, generally, at a much faster rate than previously predicted. We’re already seeing massive consequences including the melting of the Polar ice packs|arctic ice cap, melting of deforestation and the failure to reforest.
'In 2008, you said that you voted for Barack Obama as the “lesser of two evils”, but Cynthia McKinney were also on the ballot in Utah. Looking back now as a third party leader, do you regret not voting for a third party candidate in ’08?'
::'Anderson': In ’08…I actually…I think it was in ’08 but I…or was it ’04? Sorry. In one of those years, I swapped my vote with a Nader supporter elsewhere so that Nader would still get a net of one vote, but in a battleground state, it wouldn’t take away from the Democrat; it wouldn’t help the Republican get elected. But with the One man, one vote|one person, one vote.
::Anderson speaks at an anti-war rally in 2008.
::And the reason that I said that I felt President Obama should be supported over McCain was that he was the lesser of two evils, but I recognized that President Obama had already shown his true colors. Then, I think in the pocket of the nuclear power industry when he was in the Illinois state house. He had never really stood up on any major issue. I asked his supporters, they fell for the whole hope and change hype during his campaign, and I was always asking people, so point to one thing that he stood for, where he’s shown any courage in standing up for principle. The entire time he was in the United States Senate, he voted for full funding for the occupation of Iraq. He never stood up against torture or the other human rights abuses that were occurring during that time. He promised us before he received the Democratic nomination that he would join the filibuster in opposition to Congress providing retroactive immunity for the telecom companies for their illegal participation in the Bush surveillance program. And by the way, not all the telecom companies participated in that, they recognized that it was illegal so it wasn’t a matter of people were fooled about whether it was legal or not. But for those telecom companies that did violate the law, they should have been held accountable. But in the classic American way, the corrupt way that has developed in our system of government, three telecom companies spend some twelve million dollars on lobbyists during the course of three months they put on the press, Congress passed legislation providing for the retroactive immunity and among those voting for the immunity, now after he received the Democratic nomination was then-Senator Obama, completely betraying those that he had promised to join the filibuster. But it was just a sign of things to come, they always talked about the rule of law, he has greater contempt for the rule of law, I think, than George W. Bush. He comes into office, says, “oh, we’re going to look forward, not backwards” in terms of holding accountable war criminals? And those were criminals not only under international law, the United Nations Convention Against Torture|Convention Against Torture, but under our own laws passed by Congress: and the federal torture statute. Clearly, an illegal act, and he says, “let’s just look forward, not backwards”. But he’s done the same thing for the people who committed such massive financial fraud on Wall Street without holding any one of them accountable.
::He has reinforced this notion that there’s this narrow special aristocracy in this country, who are the most wealthy and the most powerful, and the contributors to his campaign, by the way, who aren’t going to be held accountable to the law while the rest of us oftentimes suffer just the most extreme consequences from the application of the laws, especially in the area of drugs, where tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, people have in our prisons because of violations of our drug laws.
::'Rocky Anderson': They both have been good friends of mine. The Mitt Romney I knew is a very different Mitt Romney than the one who's been running for president. The Mitt Romney I knew believed in Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo, he doesn’t seem to have any regard for human rights, he’s gone back and forth and back and forth…Well, he did it as governor before the time he announced that he was going to run for president. But he’s even done it while he’s been running for president, this time, in terms of climate change. Out of one side of his mouth, he’s talking about how climate change is a problem, we need to deal with it. By the way, George W. Bush even said that. And then later on, he says, well we don’t really know the causes of climate change. But, he knows very well the causes of climate change. He knows how the scientific community feels on that issue. But he’s doing whatever he can to win the election.
Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. Anderson referred to Huntsman as "a bright, good man."
::Anderson addresses the GLBT community of Utah in 2005.
::I think Jon Huntsman is on the whole very different than that. He stood by his views. He was governor of the state of Utah, advocating domestic partnerships, that is equal treatment under the law for members of the GLBT community. And I say equal, wasn't quite equal because he still hasn’t reached a point where he embraces the idea of marriage equality as I have for decades. And actually had marriage equality when I ran for Congress in 1996, it became a core part of the opposition against me and probably led to my defeat in 1996. But he’s stood up on these issues, he’s stood up on the issue of climate change when he was governor. I think it was fantastic when he stood up during a debate and talked about how the Republican Party should no longer be the anti-science party. What an amazing thing. I mean one would think the bar is set that low that it would be amazing, but in this environment right now, for him to say that to the Republican Party while he’s running for their nomination. And then of course he was one of only two people who had the moral courage and sense to say “we should never be torturing”, and that is so counter to our nation’s heritage from the very beginning prohibited torture of British soldiers, and that’s been not only the law, but the ethic of our country from the very beginning. It’s only changed during this last decade and that’s part of a very dangerous trend toward an imperial presidency and the disregard for human rights, and it’s really so undermined our standing and not only undermined our standing, but created so much hatred toward the United States in many parts of the world.
::So, Jon Huntsman is a bright, good man. We differ on a lot of things: I differ with him on offshore drilling, I differ with him on the keystone pipeline, on drilling in the United States Ambassador to China|U.S. ambassador to China understands all the amazing progress China has made in the area of green technology. China is just beating us in every possible way when it comes to green technology. They’re producing more than half of world’s solar panels, they’re producing more than half of the world’s wind turbines. Now, they’re incorporating these green technologies in their buildings and they’re insisting every mayor find ways to cut down on the use of energy in their communities. They know how to get the job done, and in this country, I mean, we look at our country and say well that they’re totalitarian, and yeah they have people who can say this is what we have to do, this is our goal, and now you have to go get it done or you’re not going to hold your job anymore. In this country, we have the pretense of democracy, but we know that it’s with corporations that are benefiting so much from these disasters in public policy that are calling the shots. And we're not moving toward what would serve the public’s interest, and that’s clearly shown in the area of climate change and energy policy as it is when we see the work that we’re paying a lot more for drugs than other countries because of the corrupting influence of the pharmaceutical industry and the way that we’ve been sold out by those in Congress, both Republicans and Democrats who are feeding at the same special interest trough of corrupting money.
'Did you watch last night’s December 15 GOP debate?'
::'Anderson': No. I didn’t.
'Well, one candidate that was not invited to the debate was former Louisiana governor , who like you, is limiting individual campaign contributions to $100. Did your idea to do this come from Roemer?'
::'Anderson': No. No I didn’t, frankly, I didn’t realize that he was doing that. I heard talking about how these races could be won and the message to get across to people, and I said, absolutely that’s what we ought to do. Just set a $100 limit and let everybody know: they’re equal players, we’re all shareholders, we’re all shareholders in this, and no special interest is going to come along and have any special access or influence.
::Fiscal policy of course relates to all of that. We need to bring in adequate revenues so that we’re not passing off on to the next generation this enormous debt and interest burden, and we also need to get our spending under control, but still with an eye toward priming the pump during this recession and providing the kind of infrastructure, education, and innovation that’s going to serve this country not only for the present but far out into the future.
'This is my last question. What necessary freedoms are currently lacking in American society?'
::'Anderson':There has never been a time in our nation’s history when the executive branch has claimed so much power and abused that power and that runs the gamut. Our president has asked for the legal authority to point to anybody, even citizens of this country; have them taken away, essentially kidnapped, disappeared, detained without any limit; no legal representation, no charges, no trial. It is so absolutely contrary to what our constitution is based upon and what our system of government is based upon. It’s contrary to our nation’s heritage, to our most dearly held values. The Senate just passed this incredible bill, the Federal Military Authorization Act that would allow for that detention based on who-knows-what kind of information, no standard of proof, no public hearing. It’s not like these people are infallible.
::The rule of law has been denigrated to the point never before experienced in this country. People can commit war crimes and if they’re rich and powerful enough, the United States says let’s just look forward and not backwards and let them off the hook. Not even an investigation. So we the American people have lost the freedom to even know what our government is doing and to know whether or not they’re going to be held accountable under the law.
::All three branches of government have been part of this deterioration of the law. Courts through the very subversive state secrets doctrine will dismiss cases, not on the merits, but on the basis of the very perpetrator, the executive branch, coming to it and saying that the case cannot move forward because to do so would mean the disclosure of state secrets that would be contrary to national security, and so the courts throw the cases out. That is perhaps the most subversive thing that’s ever happened in this country because our system of government is based on the system of separation of powers and checks and balances. The courts are there in large part to protect against abuses of power including illegal conduct by the executive branch. If that check isn’t there, that spells tyranny. That means the executive branch can do whatever it wants, regardless of the law, even domestic laws and treaty obligations that have been passed by Congress.
::Anderson (right) shakes hands with a peace activist and Iraq War veteran.
::So there have been torture victims, and by the way, these torture victims it has been established, they have zero connection to terrorism. Torture victims have come to our courts with the claims and they’re proven claims by the way that they were kidnapped by the Syrian prison. They were tortured. They were held for several months: one five months, the other one a year. One was a German citizen, the other a Canadian citizen. They come to our courts to challenge that illegal conduct, and by the way, the United States has assured the | 0 |
Article 1: In what trial watchers say is a blow to Michael Jackson's defense, Judge Rodney Melville ruled Monday to allow the use of past allegations of child molestation in the trial. The decision was reached in deliberations done in the jury's absence. The ruling means that prosecution, led by District Attorney Tom Sneddon, can introduce what it says are 5 cases of prior molestation.
The prosecution, which originally submitted 10 cases to the deliberations, was ruled able to proceed with 5 due to a 1995 law passed in California. The law, aiming specifically at child molestation and domestic violence cases, is unlike other cases where the prior criminal conduct of the defendant is not permissable in court.
The ruling will allow testimony in cases arising from over 10 years ago. Allegations involving the behavior of Jackson, now aged 46, with boys 10 to 13 years old at the time will be presented. So far, only one boy has agreed to testify. In the other 4 cases, third party witnesses or family members, are planned.
Jackson's defense attorney, Thomas Mesereau jr. worked to have the cases excluded during deliberations. Noting that Macaulay Culkin, of the movie "Home Alone" fame and once frequent visitor of the Jackson's Neverland ranch, in an interview with Larry King has previously and publicly stated "Nothing happened."
Mesereau promised to make a "mini-case" out of each of the new allegations, which could drag the trial on indefinitely. The AP reports him saying, "You can't stop the defense from putting on a full-blown defense and I mean just that."
In 1993, a molestation charge was settled out-of-court for $26m by Jordan Chandler, ending his accusations against Jackson. His mother plans to testify in this trial.
Defence attorney Thomas Mesereau jr.:
"This evidence would easily reduce the burden of proof and the presumption of innocence and render an unfair trial."
The Defense have claimed that some of the boys listed would testify to Jackson's innocence and that they are based on third party claims, many of which are after Michael Jackson's money. "How can you just allow a parade of third-party characters to come in without any victims?"
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Thomas Sneddon has claimed these other cases will show behavior that is "very similar, if not identical" to that which is claimed by Gavin Arvizo.
Michael Jackson has said "None of these stories are true. They are totally fabricated. It's very sad, it's very, very painful. I pray a lot. That's how I deal with it, and I'm a strong person. I'm a warrior, and I know what is inside of me. I'm a fighter, but it's very painful at the end of the day. I'm still human, you know. I'm still a human being, so it does hurt very, very, very much."
Michael Jackson continues to deny 10 counts of abuse and false imprisonment. Article 2: On Saturday, aftershocks of a powerful earthquake with reported magnitude 6.3 that struck southern Philippines on Wednesday night have increased the death toll of the extended event from five people to six due to a massive landslide following a 5.0 magnitude aftershock on Saturday.
On Wednesday, the strong tremor left five dead and, by early reports, at least 30 injured. The (NDRRMC) of the Philippines increased the previous death toll to six following the landslide caused by the 5.0 earthquake. Meanwhile, the total reported casualties increased to 167 from a previous 93 injured people.
On Saturday, reports said Wednesday's quake affected the Davao Region|Region 11 and Region 12. Over 2,000 residents near Mount Apo in Kidapawan City have been relocated to other villages in the city since Wednesday. 76 villages were affected according to NDRRMC report on Saturday, which figured 21 injured individuals in Davao del Sur, 36 in South Cotabato and seven in CNN Philippines.
In a situational report of NDRRMC, Wednesday's tremor damaged 143 buildings including 70 schools, 40 houses, seven health facilities, two worshiping areas, and ten commercial buildings. Davao City and Gaisano Mall in were damaged following aftershocks.
The Sultan Kudarat. A 5.3-magnitude quake was recorded at 4:53 a.m Thursday morning (2053 Wednesday night, UTC) in Manay, .
According to Manila Bulletin, Wednesday's earthquake, at 6.3, was the strongest recorded impacting Kidapawan City. Phivolcs recorded 611 aftershocks as of Saturday 8:00 p.m. (1200 UTC).
In response, many schools were closed on Thursday and after, with the provincial government in North Cotabato suspending classes province-wide. Charles Federic Plotena, the mayor of Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat, announced classes for students ranging from kindergarten to high school, public and private, would be cancelled, while Davao City, also cancelled graduate and post-graduate studies.
Reportedly, at least two towns —including Philippine Fault System|anchor=Other active fault systems|Mindanao Fault makes the province seismically active, while the nearby contributes to earthquakes regionally.
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Article 1: New Zealand's National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) external end of year exams started today. It is expected that "...136,000 people will be sitting exams at 405 exam centres..." Bali Haque, deputy chief executive of New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) said.
The exams will finish on December 9.
These exams are also being closely scrutinised because of the past problems with NCEA. "...there will always be some anomalies and unforeseen events, such as the traffic jams and floods of 2005," Mr Haque said, "We are confident that we are prepared for such eventualities." The problems faced in the past include when in 2005 hundreds of English papers were remarked due to a problem with the marking schedule which caused low pass rates. In 2004 a problem with the marking consistency resulted in thousands of students failing scholarships. These problems caused the government to launch an inquiry and this year the education minister, Steve Maharey, said that he is confident nothing will go wrong. Principal of Tawa college, Murray Lucas, said: "I'm quietly confident that it will go reasonably well and that there won't be the problems that were attached to the scholarship exams in 2004, and there will be a great deal more in consistency."
Over 4,500 supervisors will, of course, supervise the 555 exams.
Principals in recent weeks have criticised the NCEA for allowing students to receive credits if the answers are written in "text (SMS) abbreviations". 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: Astronomers at the University of California at Santa Cruz have discovered a new planet which is considered to be in the middle of the Habitable Zone of its parent star, a discovery which has raised the possibility of finding life on another planet. Researchers found the planet while conducting the Lick-Carnegie exoplanet survey of red dwarf. The planet, named 'light year|light years away from Earth and is hypothesised to have a generally rocky landscape with enough gravitational pull to accumulate an atmosphere.
The orbits of planets in the Gliese 581 system compared to those of our own solar system
Steven Vogt of the University of California stated that Gliese 581g potentially has a gravitational pull similar to that of Earth, which would allow humans to walk around upright on its surface although human inhabitation of the planet is in no foreseeable future. Vogt observed that there is a significant possibility that life exists on Gliese 581 g.
"Personally, given the ubiquity and propensity of life to flourish wherever it can, I would say, my own personal feeling is that the chances of life on this planet are 100 per cent," Vogt said. Only lichen, bacteria and other micro-organisms are expected to exist on the planet.
Gliese 581 g is thought to have a temperature range from extremely hot to freezing cold depending on the side with respect to its star. The average temperature is expected to range from −31 to −12 degrees Celsius.
Prior to this discovery, two other planets were discovered in the low or "cold" end and the high or "hot" end of the 'Habitable Zone', respectively, orbiting the same star.
category:North America
category:Space Article 2: On Tuesday, astronomers of the in Washington, DC, United States, announced the discovery of ten small satellites orbiting Jupiter. With this discovery, Jupiter now has 79 known satellites.
The team led by Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. The observatory is operated by the in the US. The tiny satellites, none more than five kilometres in diameter, were first observed in 2017. Orbits of these new Jovian satellites were calculated by Minor Planet Center's Gareth Williams. Williams explained, "It takes several observations to confirm an object actually orbits around Jupiter ... So, the whole process took a year."
The astronomers were looking for planets much farther out than Pluto. Sheppard said, "Jupiter just happened to be in the sky near the search fields where we were looking for extremely distant serendipitously able to look for new moons around Jupiter while at the same time looking for planets at the fringes of our Solar System".
Of the twelve satellites discovered by the team, nine were found to be , revolving around the gas giant in the direction opposite to the planet's spin. These nine new retrograde satellites take about two years to complete one revolution around Jupiter.
The remaining three satellites were prograde, spinning in the same direction as Jupiter's rotation. One of the prograde satellites, newly announced on Tuesday, took about one-and-half years to complete one revolution around Jupiter, and its orbit intersected with the outer retrograde satellites. Sheppard said, "Our other discovery is a real oddball and has an orbit like no other known Jovian moon ... It's also likely Jupiter's smallest known moon, being less than one kilometre in diameter". The astronomer also said, "This is an unstable situation ... Head-on collisions would quickly break apart and grind the objects down to dust."
Sheppard said of the composition of those satellites, they "started orbiting Jupiter, instead of falling into it. So we think they are intermediate between rocky asteroids and icy comets. So they are probably half ice and half rock."
"Valetudo" is the name suggested for the "oddball" satellite. Valetudo was the Roman god Jupiter's great-granddaughter, regarded as the goddess of health and hygiene.
Sheppard said, "Jupiter is like a big vacuum cleaner because it is so massive". Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System, with a diameter about 142,984 kilometres. The largest known satellite in the Solar System is Jupiter's Uranus has 27.
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Article 1: Terri Schiavo died this morning in St. Petersburg, Florida, moments after 9 a.m. EST. Thirteen days ago, her feeding tube was removed after courts repeatedly ruled Schiavo would not want to be kept alive in her current state. Schiavo suffered severe brain damage in 1990 after a mysterious cardiac arrest.
Many news sources allege the cardiac arrest was caused by an eating disorder, while her family maintains she had no eating disorder at all. During the attack, her brain was starved of oxygen for 14 minutes, leading to the death of many of the in her brain and possibly leaving her in a (PVS).
Michael Schiavo argued before the courts that his wife would not want to live for a prolonged period on a feeding tube. In 2001, the tube was removed, but was reinserted two days later after an appeal by Terri's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler. After the Schindler family had all of their appeals rejected, the tube was removed once again in 2003, but reinserted six days later when Governor and the Florida legislature collaborated on a bill, allowing Bush to order the tube reinserted. After the law was overturned in May of 2004, and the Schindler family's numerous appeals were again rejected, the tube was removed on March 18th.
President George W. Bush held a press conference, in part to offer his condolences to the friends and family of Schiavo. The president commended those on both sides of the issue.
An autopsy is planned to be performed in the coming days, which both the Schindler family and Michael Schiavo hope will shed some light on the cause of her brain damage.
Schiavo is survived by her husband, parents and her younger siblings Robert Jr. and Suzanne; she had no children. Schiavo was 41 years old.
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de:Terri Schiavo ist tot
es:Muerte de Terry Schiavo aumenta la polémica de la eutanasia y la muerte digna
it:Morta Terri Schiavo
pl:Terri Schiavo, 41, zmarła na Florydzie
Paciente Terri Schiavo morre nos Estados Unidos Article 2: Yesterday, it was revealed that a 64-year-old Dutch woman with severe dementia has become the first patient in the country to be euthanized after she became unable to consent. In the Netherlands, patients can request assisted dying if they are of sound mind. In this case, the woman — who is known to have been a long-time political supporter of assisted dying — signed a request for assisted dying while she was capable of doing so.
The woman was assisted to die in March according to Walburg de Jong, a spokesman for Right to Die-NL, a group that supports assisted dying. De Jong noted that it is an "important step" for euthanasia activists: "before, patients dying by euthanasia were at really very early stages of dementia, which was not the case with this woman".
The Netherlands has had legal voluntary euthanasia since a change in the law which came into force in April 2002.
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Article 1: Jack Abramoff, the disgraced ex-lobbyist began his six year prison sentence today. Abramoff himself pled guilty on January 3, to three criminal felony counts in a Washington, D.C. federal court related to the defrauding of American Indian tribes and corruption of public officials. The following day he pled guilty to two criminal felony counts in a separate federal court, in Miami, related to his fraudulent dealings with .
On March 29, he was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of more than $21 million. His prison sentence was the minimum permitted under a plea bargain with federal prosecutors. Abramoff arrived at about 6:30 a.m. ET at a prison facility in western Maryland and began serving a nearly six-year prison sentence for a fraudulent deal to buy a fleet of casino ships in Florida. The camp is all male.
Stephen Finger, executive assistant at the prison, said all inmates work while there. Incoming inmates such as Abramoff typically are assigned to jobs such as food service work. Finger said that inmates can work their way up from low-level jobs paying 12 cents an hour to better positions paying up to 40 cents an hour.
Abramoff has ties to many Republican officials including former Representative John Doolittle. Article 2: The SpaceX Factory.jpg|thumb|left|SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, 2020.
Thursday, the Employment discrimination|hiring discrimination targeting asylees.
The Department of Justice described its desired outcome as "fair consideration and back pay" for those who faced this alleged discrimination, other damages as the court ordered, and SpaceX altering its practices to avoid discrimination.
The US government asserted the company, which Elon Musk founded and has owned, incorrectly stated it could not hire anybody not a US citizen or permanent resident under US export law. The government said that discouraged asylees from seeking jobs there.
The government said SpaceX did not "fairly" consider these applications in relation to jobs including those for which advanced degrees were necessary, as well as welders and cooks. | 1 |
Article 1: Hudson holds her Oscar.
In what appears to be a domestic disturbance, the mother and brother of American singer and Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Hudson were shot and killed in their home in Chicago, Illinois. Hudson's nephew has also been reported kidnapped from the crime scene and his mother cannot be located.
Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason, were found dead at about 2:44 p.m. (CDT) in Southern Chicago. Reports indicate that a relative found the bodies and called 9-1-1. Police say that there is no evidence of forced entry into the house.
An AMBER Alert has been issued for Julian King, the 7-year-old nephew of Hudson. Police say that he was taken from the scene in a 1994 white Chevrolet Suburban or a teal-green Chrysler Concorde. Police previously thought it likely that the boy was with William Balfour, whose relationship to Hudson or her family is not yet known, except that he listed Hudson's mother's address as a place of residence with the Illinois Department of Corrections. Balfour is currently in police custody and is being questioned, but King was not with him. Police say that the AMBER Alert remains in effect.
TMZ.com reports that Balfour is currently on parole from serving time in prison for attempted murder. Authorities consider him armed and dangerous. TMZ also notes that Hudson's sister Julia, Julian's mother, cannot be located and has not been seen since she ended her bus driving shift earlier in the day.
Unconfirmed reports have stated that Hudson was not at the house at the time of the incident. While some reports indicate that she was in Los Angeles, California where she was scheduled to begin filming a new music video on Monday, Agence France-Presse says that Hudson was in Tampa, Florida, and is now on her way back to Chicago. Article 2: Donald Trump taking oath on the Bible at the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
At 12:00 p.m. local time (1700 Donald Trump took the oath of office and was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States in the nation's capital,
Both the Obamas, Bill and , and other previous presidents were present.
Melania Trump were welcomed in the morning by outgoing president Michelle Obama. At 12:00 local time (17:00 John G. Roberts swore in Donald Trump as the new President of the United States. Donald Trump took his oath on the Mike Pence was sworn in on the Reagan Bible.
After assuming the presidency, Donald Trump made his first speech as President of the United States, including the words "January 20, 2017 will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer."
Barack Obama left a letter to his successor on the nineteenth-century presidential desk in the White House . | 0 |
Article 1: The Indian Railways (IR) has tied up with the Canadian transport solutions major Rupee (Rs) 22,000-crore (one crore is 10 million) dedicated freight corridors on the eastern and western routes.
Bombardier produces regional aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment.
Bombardier Transportation officials have met Railways' officials for exploring the option of setting up a greenfield electronic freight locomotive manufacturing facility and an assembling unit in India.
Analysts feels that IR will need at least 500-600 electronic freight locomotives, besides the same number of diesel locomotives for dedicated freight corridors in the first phase. "Conservative estimates for a normal locomotive are between Rs 13 crore and Rs 15 crore. The investment required for manufacturing electronic freight locomotives is around Rs 10,000 crore," the analysts said.
It is also been learned that IR would also pick up a stake in this project.
Bombardier President, Transportation, Andre Navarri confirmed talks with IR, "We are keen to take part in the dedicated freight corridor project, but the nature of the agreement with the Indian government is yet to be finalized."
IR will come up with a detailed plan and tenders for the proposed corridor by mid-November. Article 2: On Saturday, in the Copa América match for third place, Colombia defeated hosts United States in the , in Arizona.
File photo of David Ospina, who won Man of the Match.
USA had more shots than Colombia, but the Colombians had slightly better ball possession. Colombian striker Tim Howard just after the half an hour mark as Los Cafeteros were 1–0 up at half time.
Two players — one of each team — were sent off. of USA was booked in the 88th minute and later sent off. Colombian collected two yellow cards in two minutes and was sent off along with Orozco.
Goalkeeper won the Man of the Match award making two saves and two clearances.
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Copa América
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Arizona | 0 |
Article 1: VinceCable2.jpg|150px|thumb|left|British Business Secretary Vince Cable
British Business Secretary Vince Cable has tonight been reprimanded by Prime Minister David Cameron after saying he was "at war" with News Corporation's attempts to take full control of .
Cable will remain in the cabinet, but he will have no further role in the takeover bid. A statement released by officials in Downing Street said Cable's comments were "totally unacceptable and inappropriate". The statement confirmed Cable will no longer have responsibility over matters relating to media and broadcasting.
In a secret recording made by journalists from a British newspaper posing as members of the electorate, Cable said he had already decided to block the takeover bid. "I am picking my fights, some of which you may have seen, some of which you may haven't seen," he said in the recording. "I don't know if you have been following what has been happening with the Murdoch press, where I have declared war on Mr Murdoch and I think we are going to win."
In another extract from the recording, Cable says: "I have blocked it the takeover bid, using the powers that I have got. And they are legal powers that I have got. I can't politicise it, but for the people who know what is happening, this is a big thing. His whole empire is now under attack. So there are things like that, that being in Government ... All we can do in opposition is protest."
News Corporation, owned by Murdoch, owns 39% of BSkyB, but wishes to purchase the other 61% for £7.8 billion. Cable had pledged to remain impartial in the decision, and had ordered to investigate the takeover bid. News Corporation stated they were "shocked and dismayed" at Cable's comments, and said they "raise serious questions about fairness and due process."
A source inside Downing Street said the government took "swift and firm action" in stripping Cable of his powers over the takeover bid. "He will have absolutely nothing to do with media," the source added.
The business secretary apologised for his remarks, saying: "I fully accept the decision of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. I deeply regret the comments I made and apologise for the embarrassment that I have caused the Government." Political commentator Twickenham, London. Article 2: Media organisations in the United Kingdom have been focused on Edinburgh this week following the disappearance of three-year-old Mikaeel Kular. With the discovery of a body today Wikinews has found evidence suggesting media has been caught out by Scottish contempt of court law.
BBC coverage of the matter, censored by our correspondent who is in Scotland. The censored areas identify the detained person and include an image of them.
The notes the differences. "...dock identification is a more important part of court procedure in Scotland and therefore pictures of the accused cannot be published until the trial is over. Scottish judges consider it contempt to publish pictures of the accused." Despite this, many sources, including the BBC, have named a person detained by police and published their photograph. The BBC did this online, in addition to naming the detained individual on Radio 4.
Our correspondent is based in Scotland and has been advised by a lawyer not to identify anybody detained until they have appeared in court, even if they have been arrested and charged. The Contempt of Court Act 1981 is designed to prevent prejudicial material going in front of juries before trial. Although UK-wide legislation, the law is interpreted differently north of the border than in .
The BBC College of Journalism advises Scottish legal advice be sought before publishing images of the accused. Channel 4's Producer's Handbook notes "the law has tended to be interpreted more strictly in Scotland" but does not advise on how so. Images of arrested persons in high-profile cases are often published in cases south of the border.
Channel 4 is also amongst organisations to have named the detained person and put an image of them online. Police announced last night that a body believed to be the missing child had been found in and that an individual had been detained. The boy had been missing since Thursday morning although there was a possible sighting of him then. Hundreds of volunteers have assisted police searching the Scottish capital for the boy.
Wikinews has also found the following organisations publishing material that may prove problematic as the case becomes a major media story.
The Guardian featured this box on their homepage today, naming the detained person.
*Sky News named the person in question and published a photo both online and on national TV
* placed the person's name on their website
* placed a photo and name on their website
* placed a photo and name on their website, later removing the photo from their article but not their homepage
*The Daily Mail published online a profile of the person including several photos, and noted the person was friends with the victim of a gun murder in Edinburgh
* published six articles on the case online, including a timeline and two live blogs. All named the detained person.
*Metro identified the person on their website but did not publish a photo
* published the name and a photo on their website
*The Daily Star reported the person had been "immediately detained" and placed a photo on their website
*The Sun, which had offered a £25,000 reward, named the person in an article on their website that included a photo. Both the photo and identifying information appeared on their homepage.
* placed a live blog on their website naming the person
The Daily Mail have placed the story prominently on their homepage, with the material behind the boxes including a photograph, a descriptive link to a profile, and the name of the detained person.
Some Scottish publications have also been publishing similar material.
* published an article and video identifying the person on their website
*The Herald noted police would not identify the person but nonetheless placed their name and a photograph online
The articles rank amongst the most-read items on many of the news websites. Unlike in England and Wales, where only the Attorney General can prosecute contempt of this sort, in Scotland the media organisations can be charged by an accused person. Wikinewsies in Scotland have noted remarks made about the named person's alleged wrongdoing on public transport and Facebook, suggesting widespread knowledge of their identity.
Several of the organisations involved are no stranger to being prosecuted for contempt over cases in neighbouring England. In 2011 The Sun and The Daily Mail were successfully prosecuted for contempt by Attorney General Dominic Grieve after they published a photo of a murder defendant posing with a gun. The case did not involve firearms and Grieve spoke of "seriously impeded or prejudiced" proceedings if any jurors saw the photos. The trial was not stopped as the photo was removed from circulation before the jury saw it and the defendant was found guilty.
In 2011 The Sun and Mirror were fined for reporting negatively about an arrested suspect in the high-profile Jo Yeates murder investigation. Chris Jeffries, landlord of the victim, was subsequently released from police custody and proved to be entirely innocent. Jeffries also pursued action against a number of publications. Politicians subsequently considered a law banning the naming of arrested persons who have not been charged throughout the UK as a direct result of this case.
The Daily Mail and Mirror were back in court the next year for their coverage of a trial involving serial killer Milly Dowler. The trial was not yet over, however, as the jury was still considering an additional charge relating to another alleged attempted abduction. That charge was dropped because of news coverage.
Wikinews is awaiting comment from several prominent Scottish professors of law on the issues raised by this article. | 1 |
Article 1: Human Rights Watch (HRW) has today published a report based on 121 interviews which talks of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people "living in constant fear of harassment as well as physical and sexual violence" in South Africa.
South Africa's constitution upholds LGBT freedoms but the report comments "constitutional protections are greatly weakened by the state’s failure to adequately enforce them." Lead researcher Dipika Nath of HRW said authorities must act to enforce existing rules protecting LGBT people.
Lesbians in South Africa often face "corrective rape" and the perpetrators' promise "We'll Show You You're a Woman" gave the report its title. One woman reports being raped thrice: by a cousin, by a football coach, and by a pastor. She gave birth after one attack. Some attacks have proved fatal; recent times have seen several murders of lesbians in the nation.
Lesbians at a gay pride event in South Africa.
Nath says lesbians and transgender men often left education and lost jobs. Many hide their orientation, and avoid public appearances and particularly men, according to the report. It says those who ignored socially accepted dress and behaviour standards were at a particular risk. Across Africa, both politicians and the Christian church express distaste for LGBT people.
South Africa's legal position, which recognises gay marriage, is one of Africa's most LGBT-friendly. Earlier this year the United Nations passed its first resolution condemning anti-LGBT discrimination. The resolution faced African opposition but was proposed by South Africa.
The report says "activists in South Africa have recorded and analyzed dozens of incidents of sexual and physical violence against lesbians and transgender men, including rape and murder," and notes social attitudes are the root of the issue. The report claims the jobless and the working classes are at highest risk.
"A segment of the South African population lives in terror and feels like there is no one to turn to, including the police," according to HRW's Graeme Reid, who said the study is to help victims. "We are not asking for a lot."
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* Article 2: Wigmore Arcade in Ballina, New South Wales.
The local government areas of Byron Shire, the Richmond Valley in New South Wales, Australia were placed under stay-at-home restrictions effective at 6PM local time on Sunday, with residents only allowed to leave their homes for essential reasons that include grocery and other essential shopping, medical appointments, vaccinations, and caring duties. The order is to remain effective until 12:01AM on August 17th.The areas affected by the stay at home orders.
Case locations in NSW as of August 12, 08:04am.
Case locations in NSW as of August 12, 08:04am. Zoomed in on the Byron Bay area.
This follows the announcement of a COVID-19 case in the region - a man who had travelled to the Byron Shire from Sydney, also under such restrictions. New South Wales chief health officer Lismore Base Hospital, was "infectious in the community for a while", and had "symptoms for several days".
Mayor of Byron Shire Michael Lyon told residents "if anyone is not feeling well please, please go and get tested", stating while information about the COVID-19 case is emerging, "...people should be making sure they are checking in with s whenever they go into a shop or business, wearing a face mask and social distancing." New South Wales recorded 283 cases of the coronavirus on Monday. | 0 |
Article 1: B777 Continental Cibao.jpg|thumb|left|A Continental Airlines Boeing 777-200ER in the Dominican Republic. A Boeing 777 operated by Continental Airlines managed to safely land at Liberty Airport in Newark, New Jersey, today after the pilot died from natural causes en route, reports from officials say.
The flight had departed from Belgium, and safely landed at 11:49 A.M. Eastern Time.
"The captain of Continental Flight 61, which was en route from Brussels to Newark, died in flight, apparently of natural causes," said a spokeswoman for the airline in an email.
According to the airline, there was an additional relief pilot on board who took over control of the plane after the initial pilot died.
247 people were on board. There are no reports of any injuries.
es:Murió un piloto de Continental Airlines en pleno vuelo
Piloto da Continental Airlines morre em pleno voo Article 2: Kirby speaking on Wednesday.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby condemned Russian Defense Minister Order of Courage (Russia)|Order of Courage for intercepting a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea.
Kirby said: "I don't know of another military in the world — another air force in the world — that would award a pilot for smashing into a drone. If that's bravery, then I guess they've got a different definition of it. It's ludicrous, it's insulting.
"Now, we don’t know whether that pilot was trying to intentionally ram that drone or not, but he did — video evidence was pretty conclusive."
The US Air Force's footage of the incident.
On March 14, Central European Time|CET (06:03 UTC) the same day over international waters, identifying the Russian fighter jets as Sukhoi Su-27s.
United States Air Force General James B. Hecker, commander of USAFE-AFAFRICA, said: "Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on, and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner."
US State Department spokesperson , speaking to MSNBC on March 15, said: "I think the best assessment right now is that it probably was unintentional. It probably was the result of profound incompetence on the part of one of these Russian pilots."
The US Air Force's map of the incident.
The next day, the SMPTE color bars|color bars, then returns to show the drone's propeller has been physically damaged.
The MQ-9's pilots intentionally crashed the drone into the sea; EUCOM cited the damaged propeller as the reason.
Russia has denied it deliberately brought down the drone or that a Russian jet made contact with it, claiming the MQ-9's "sharp maneuvering" was responsible for its crash.
Samir Puri, a visiting lecturer in war studies at King's College London, told Al Jazeera the video does not prove intention, but he thought the Russians would fly aggressively to demonstrate "mastery over these skies and that the Americans, they can't fly these intelligence flights undisturbed."
Security Council of Russia, said: "The Americans keep saying they're not taking part in military operations. This is the latest confirmation that they are directly participating in these activities – in the war."
The Guardian speculated the incident could escalate Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Media reports disagreed on whether Shoigu presented the award to the pilots on March 17 or on Wednesday, with CNN and Insider stating the former and Sputnik and The Hill writing the date was Wednesday.
Shoigu's Ministry of Defense said the pilots "prevented the violation by the American MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle of the borders of the area of the temporary regime for the use of airspace, established for the purpose of conducting a special military operation." | 1 |
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