Monday, December 21, 2009

A man has been killed after a car accident in Cornwall, England. The collision involved a vehicle driving off a quay in Porthleven, near the town of Helston in the county and into the sea at around 2100 Greenwich Mean Time on Friday, according to reports from members of the public made to the police and the coastguard.

A major rescue operation was launched with contributions from the harbourmaster, the ambulance service, the police, the fire crews, a helicopter and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. After roughly two hours, a harbour crane lifted the vehicle out of the water that it had crashed into. It transpired that the man was the only occupant of the vehicle. It is believed that no other vehicles were involved in the incident. The man was taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital, which is situated in Truro, by ambulance. However, on arrival, he was pronounced dead.

Now tributes are being paid to 20-year-old Jamie Hocking after his death. The family of the man have said that he will be “truly missed by all who knew him”, describing Jamie with the words “loveable rogue”. The family also expressed their thanks to people offering sympathy messages and support from others, as well as the emergency services who assisted at the scene of the accident. Devon and Cornwall Constabulary are now asking any people who know of any information relating to the incident to contact them as soon as possible.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Eleven years ago the Panama Ports Company (PPC) got a concession to manage Panamanian Ports at the gates of the Panama Canal — Balboa and Cristobal. They made a contract with Panamanian State to get this concession. This concession began a conflict between ex-workers of these Ports (previously managed by Panamanian State by Port Authority) and PPC.

These Port Authority’s ex-workers says PPC violated a law written in 1992. The law states that during any privatization of State property, including land and enterprises, the workers must be offered to buy shares of the land or company. The contract doesn’t state any offer of shares to the ex-workers.

Representatives of ex-workers claim that they must receive a pay, because the shares were not offered to them.

On the last 3 years, Jose Sanchez (pictured) has set some meetings with PPC representatives. Almost all meeting were suspended because PPC representatives have not attended them.

It may seem that no one in Panama outside the engaged parties knows about the dispute. According to Mr. Sanchez there is a mass media campaign to hide events of this conflict.

Friday, January 17, 2014

A spokesperson for the Australian Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Warren Truss, announced plans this week to close four mainland immigration detention facilities — Scherger, at RAAF Scherger, Queensland; Leonora, in Leonora, Western Australia; Port Augusta, in Port Augusta, South Australia; and Inverbrackie facilities in Woodside, the Adelaide Hills, South Australia — by the end of February. The detainees would be relocated to other detention centres. Pontville detention facility, in Pontville, Tasmania, was empty and would also be closed.

The detention centres staff learned about planned closure of their workplaces from the media rather than the employer directly, United Voice, an Australian trade union, commented. It estimated the number of affected people as 100 workers and “many more” casuals and contractors.

In a statement, Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison referred to recent border protection practices to justify the decision. On Tuesday, he told PM radio, “This Government is taking control of our borders, which enables us to shut mainland detention centres down in Australia. This will save taxpayers around $89 million a year and it’s the first down-payment on the dividend of stronger border protection. … These sites are remote, relatively small and expensive. The savings … amount to at least $7.4 million a month”. He also noted that the Pontville and Scherger detention facilities would be returned to the Defence Department.

The local mayor near the Pontville detention centre, Tony Foster, said the centre was opened only three years ago and revived the local economy. Foster also complained about the short notice from the new federal government elected last year. He cited recent centre upgrade costs of $15 million, estimated the number of local small businesses serving the centre between 45 and 48, and said he would explore the option of converting it to a “corrections facility for 18 to 24 year olds” with the relevant state and Commonwealth officials.

Scott Donaghy, who runs the Brighton’s Best Bakehouse business in Brighton, said “Staff members come in for breakfast, coffee, lunch, having a meeting. Not only were they coming in but there was more money coming into the general area from wages and people living here. I’m disappointed at the fact that another employer is gone from the area.” A pharmacist-in-charge at Brighton Discount Drug Store also commented, saying that staff members from the detention centre came to Brighton for lunch and shopping.

The announcement follows controversial reports of wrecked refugee boats found near Indonesian shores by the local police. The refugees had reported being towed back from Australia by the Australian Navy, which had originally deceptively claimed Christmas Island as the refugees’ destination.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

George W. Bush vowed to get the USD 700 billion economic rescue plan through congress in a statement to the media made today.

“Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted on a financial rescue plan that had been negotiated by Congressional leaders of both parties and my administration,” Bush reminded the audience. “Unfortunately, the measure was defeated by a narrow margin. I’m disappointed by the outcome, but I assure our citizens and citizens around the world that this is not the end of the legislative process.”

“Producing legislation is complicated, and it can be contentious. It matters little what a path a bill takes to become law,” he continued. “We’re at a critical moment for our economy, and we need legislation that decisively address the troubled assets now clogging the financial system, helps lenders resume the flow of credit to consumers and businesses, and allows the American economy to get moving again.”

Market Data

“I recognize this is a difficult vote for members of Congress. Many of them don’t like the fact that our economy has reached this point, and I understand that. But the reality is that we are in an urgent situation, and the consequences will grow worse each day if we do not act. The dramatic drop in the stock market that we saw yesterday will have a direct impact on the retirement accounts, pension funds, and personal savings of millions of our citizens. And if our nation continues on this course, the economic damage will be painful and lasting.” World and US markets today are up after severe declines yesterday. Most have recovered 30% of their previous losses, meaning that the potential government expenditure was similar to the market losses.

Bush then said that he knows “many Americans are especially worried about the cost of the legislation.” He then attempted to justify the cost. “The bill the House considered yesterday commits up to 700 billion taxpayer dollars to purchase troubled assets from banks and other financial institutions. That, no question, is a large amount of money. We’re also dealing with a large problem. But to put that in perspective, the drop in the stock market yesterday represented more than a trillion dollars in losses.”

If passed, the bailout plan would have allowed for the United States government to purchase devalued mortgage backed securities, resulting from the subprime mortgage crisis, from troubled financial institutions. The US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the plan could cost up to $700 billion.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

What you are about to read is an American life as lived by renowned author Edmund White. His life has been a crossroads, the fulcrum of high-brow Classicism and low-brow Brett Easton Ellisism. It is not for the faint. He has been the toast of the literary elite in New York, London and Paris, befriending artistic luminaries such as Salman Rushdie and Sir Ian McKellen while writing about a family where he was jealous his sister was having sex with his father as he fought off his mother’s amorous pursuit.

The fact is, Edmund White exists. His life exists. To the casual reader, they may find it disquieting that someone like his father existed in 1950’s America and that White’s work is the progeny of his intimate effort to understand his own experience.

Wikinews reporter David Shankbone understood that an interview with Edmund White, who is professor of creative writing at Princeton University, who wrote the seminal biography of Jean Genet, and who no longer can keep track of how many sex partners he has encountered, meant nothing would be off limits. Nothing was. Late in the interview they were joined by his partner Michael Caroll, who discussed White’s enduring feud with influential writer and activist Larry Kramer.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Noted for his controversial attempts to foster peace deals with the Taliban, Pakistani NGO leader Khalid Khawaja was killed early today morning, a week after being kidnapped in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas while helping a British filmmaker. He was shot twice, in the head and chest, and his body was dumped near Miran Shah.

A former member of the Pakistani ISI and associate of Osama bin Laden, Khawaja fought against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and was an outspoken critic of the American-led invasion. The leader of the Defence of Human Rights NGO, Khawaja was often accused of being an apologist for Islamist militants due to his stringent demands for better treatment and legal rights for prisoners captured by both the American and Pakistani forces.

Khawaja had travelled into North Waziristan along with former ISI colleague Colonel Imam, to help British cameraman Ased Qureshi meet with Sirajuddin Haqqani and Wali-ur-Rehman as he sought to film a documentary about the rise of Islamic militancy in the region. The three were kidnapped, and their captors demanded the release of ten imprisoned militants, including Mullah Baradar, Mullah Mansoor Dadullah and Maulvi Kabir, as well as $10 million for the release of the two former ISI officers. Pakistani officials anonymously confirmed the money would likely be paid, but the insurgent leaders were unlikely to be released.

Khawaja had most recently landed on the legal defence team of five Americans arrested by Pakistan who were accused of membership in Jaish-e-Mohammed. Immediate reports suggest that a note was pinned to his body, claiming responsibility for his death in the name of the Asian Tigers which some have ironically theorised could be a splinter group of the militant organisation. The note also accused him of spying for the United States, and having taken the government’s side in the 2007 Siege of Lal Masjid. The note blamed the government for refusing to negotiate on the desired release of the jailed Pakistani militants.

The Taliban condemned those responsible for the kidnapping of the three men, noting that targeting retired officers was “an act of cowardly people”.

Unrelated to the death of Khawaja, and intending to honour the memory of those “who embraced martyrdom in the continuing war on terror”, the Pakistani government announced they were declaring April 30 Yaum e Shuhada, or “Day of the Martyrs”. Khawaja’s son Omar told the New York Times that his father “was fond of martyrdom […] and now he is lucky because he has it”.

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Robert Anker, a British dancer and member of troupe Diversity when they won the 2009 season of Britain’s Got Talent, died in a car accident in Canada on Thursday. Anker died after a collision between his Chevrolet Cobalt and a Ford pick-up truck. The accident occurred in Vaughan, Ontario at around 6:00 AM Thursday morning, local time. Anker, who moved to Canada last year, was 27 years old.

York Regional Police confirmed the accident had occurred and the driver of the pick-up truck was not injured. A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said “We are aware of the death of a British man in Canada. We are providing assistance to his family at this sad time”.

Anker’s cousin Rochelle Hanson set up a JustGiving page, by yesterday already past its target of £5,000, to raise funds for his family to travel to the funeral in Canada. Hanson said “The family are devastated. He was an amazing and talented dancer. We would love to ensure that his family don’t worry or stress about money at this time.”

Diversity, Anker’s former dance crew, tweeted “A former member of our group has tragically passed away. He inspired so many with his talent and was taken far too soon. R.I.P Rob.” The Twitter account for Britain’s Got Talent said “We are so sorry to hear of the loss of Robert Anker, our thoughts and condolences go out to his friends, family and the whole of Diversity.”

Dean Lee, a choreographer on talent show The X Factor, tweeted, “Rob Anker. I have no words to speak after hearing of your passing. This is truly heart breaking. Thanks for the memories. Shine bright.”

After winning the 2009 series of Britain’s Got Talent, Anker performed in music videos of singers Jessie J and Paloma Faith, and in the production of Thriller Live in the West End. Anker and his girlfriend Cyndi married in September.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

The Walt Disney Company has finalized a US$7.4 billion deal to acquire its long-time partner Pixar in an all stock buy-out. The deal will make Steve Jobs, current Pixar and Apple CEO, Disney’s largest shareholder with about 7% (valued at over $3.5 billion) and a member of the board of directors.

The merger was speculated all day Tuesday on the stock market and the announcement came just after trading closed for the day. Terms of the merger include Pixar’s John Lasseter becoming Disney’s new chief creative officer in charge of animation at the combined Disney-Pixar Animation Studios, as well as principal creative advisor at Walt Disney Imagineering, the unit of the company responsible for research and development of Disney theme parks worldwide.

Jobs purchased what became Pixar for $10 million in 1986 from George Lucas’s computer animation division at Lucasfilm. Toy Story, its first feature film came a decade later, and began a long string of animation hits, including Finding Nemo. Such successes proved to be increasingly elusive for Disney to manage on its own. The partnership between the two studios had become shaky in recent years, as former Disney head Michael Eisner clashed with Jobs over the renewal terms of their agreement. In 2003, prior to his dismissal from Disney, Eisner infuriated Pixar’s creative team by predicting Finding Nemo would be a failure. Steve Jobs broke off negotiations in January 2004, having told one executive previously, “I don’t see how the relationship can continue as long as Eisner is there.”