Yearly Archives: 2013

Fukushima ‘not under control’ – TEPCO official refutes PM’s assurances

"A senior TEPCO official contradicted Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by saying the radioactive water leakage at the crippled Fukushima plant is not under control. The official, Kazuhiko Yamashita, was asked his opinion of comments by Abe regarding the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Plant to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 'I think the current situation is that it is not under control,' Yamashita said at a hearing in Koriyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, on Friday before further apologizing for the leaks." Continue reading →

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NJ Causes Bridge Jam With Unannounced Lane Closures For ‘Study’

"Police and elected officials in Fort Lee, N.J., say they weren't given warning that the Port Authority planned to reduce the number of local access lanes directly from Fort Lee to the bridge from three to one—causing traffic to back up in the borough—and are still puzzled by the official explanation that the agency was conducting a study of traffic patterns. After the two local lanes handling Fort Lee traffic were closed, cars and trucks quickly clogged streets used by local travelers to reach the bridge and New York City. Local officials said the backup led to long delays for Fort Lee buses traveling for the first day of school Monday." Continue reading →

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Grid Down Acapulco: “There’s Nothing to Eat”

“Though the government would like us to believe there is rarely looting or panic in the aftermath of a disaster, the fact of the matter is that within 72 hours of any serious crisis people will lose it.  Case in point: Acapulco, Mexico.  … Continue reading →

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Bangladesh police fire rubber bullets at workers seeking $100 month wage

"The vast majority of the impoverished nation’s three million workers earn a basic monthly wage of 3,000 taka ($38) — among the lowest in the world — following a deal between unions, the government and manufacturers in August 2010. On Saturday, dozens of factories were forced to shut after at least 20,000 workers left their machines to demand the wage rise. Angry demonstrators hurled stones at the outside of some 20 factories after managers refused to allow some employees to join the protests, police said. Widespread protests seeking wage rises in 2006 and 2010 led to deadly clashes, leaving dozens of workers dead and hundreds of factories vandalised." Continue reading →

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Saudi Arabian women call new day of defiance against driving ban

"'I will drive on October 26,' activist Nasima al-Sada told AFP on Sunday, saying that some 20 women are going to take part in the campaign in the kingdom’s Eastern Province. 'Many women are enthusiastic about learning to drive, or to teach other' women how to drive, she said, as many Saudi women have obtained abroad the driving licences they are denied in their homeland. 'There is not a single text in the Sharia Islamic law that prevents us (from driving). Any pretexts used to do that are based on inherited customs,' said the online petition. The last day of of defiance against the ban was on June 17, 2011." Continue reading →

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Investigation to record victims of US drone attacks in Pakistan

"The objective, said TBIJ deputy editor Rachel Oldroyd, is to take these deaths out of obscurity and make it easier to test statements about the nature and use of drones. US authorities have been reluctant to acknowledge any civilian deaths caused by the drone operations, which have been going on since 2006. The CIA has claimed a high rate of killings of militants, saying that strikes since May 2010 have killed more than 600 militants but no civilians. This claim is contested by experts, journalists and researchers on the ground." Continue reading →

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Egyptian farmer arrested for naming donkey after top general

"An Egyptian farmer has been arrested for putting the name of the country’s military chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and an army cap on his donkey, state media said Saturday. Omar Abu al-Magd Ali al-Saghir, 31, was arrested late on Friday in the central province of Qena for allegedly insulting the general, state news agency MENA reported. The farmer was arrested after he rode the donkey through his home village in an act deemed 'directly insulting' to the army, MENA said. Sisi, who ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi on July 3, is vice prime minister and defence minister as well as army chief." Continue reading →

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Thousands march in Edinburgh to support Scottish independence

"Thousands of people marched through the Scottish capital Edinburgh on Saturday calling for independence, a year ahead of Scotland’s historic referendum on whether to break away from the United Kingdom. The pro-independence campaign 'Yes Scotland' estimated that 20,000 supporters joined the march, turning the city centre into a sea of blue and white as they waved thousands of Scottish flags. Some of the men were clad in traditional Scottish kilts as they marched up Calton Hill, overlooking the city, to the sound of bagpipes. The ‘no’ campaign — backed by British Prime Minister David Cameron’s government — claims Scotland is stronger as part of the larger United Kingdom." Continue reading →

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With its leaders facing trial, Kenya quits International Criminal Court

"Yesterday Kenya’s parliament voted to pull out of the ICC – the first African country to do so. That decision comes shortly before the ICC starts trials of Kenya's president and vice president. So far both men have said they will appear at The Hague, but speculation has begun that the vote may be the first step toward cutting off cooperation. President Uhuru Kenyatta and Vice President William Ruto were indicted for mass violence and deaths after the 2007 elections. This summer ICC officials hinted that they might allow parts of Ruto’s trial to take place in Kenya or Tanzania. But today, less than 24 hours after Kenyan lawmakers in a raucous session voted to leave the ICC, the possibility was ended." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWith its leaders facing trial, Kenya quits International Criminal Court

Somali militants claim ‘blowback’ motivation for Nairobi mall attack

"At least 39 people were killed when masked gunmen stormed an upscale Nairobi mall, Kenya’s president said on Saturday. Al Shabaab militants said the attack was retaliation for Kenya’s involvement fighting Islamists in neighbouring Somalia. Masked gunmen killed 39 people when they stormed an upscale shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a televised address on Saturday, adding that he lost family members in the attack claimed by Somalia’s al Qaeda-inspired al Shabaab rebels. The Islamist rebels said the massacre was in direct retaliation for Kenya’s military intervention in Somalia, where African Union troops are battling the Islamists." Continue reading →

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