Mainstream News

Pakistan’s Musharraf charged over murder of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto

"Pakistan’s ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf was indicted on three counts Tuesday over the 2007 murder of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in a gun and suicide attack, a prosecutor said. Charging a former army chief is an unprecedented move in a country ruled for more than half of its life by the military and where the army is still considered the most powerful institution. It was the second time that Musharraf, who ruled the nuclear-armed state from 1999-2008, had been summoned to face charges of criminal conspiracy and the murder of Bhutto in December 2007. Musharraf denies the charges and the case has been adjourned until August 27." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPakistan’s Musharraf charged over murder of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto

Russian channel censored WWII series documenting ‘dark side’ of Soviet war effort

"Penal battalions in World War II employed convicted criminals and political prisoners and were essentially a taboo subject for decades, although they were used in near suicide missions between 1942 and 1945. The Russian parliament has already passed in an initial reading a bill to ban obscene language in literature and film. Another law that was recently proposed by pro-Kremlin lawmakers imposes fines and jail terms of up to five years for 'justification of fascism,' a broad measure which would punish people who talk about crimes committed by and within the Soviet army." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussian channel censored WWII series documenting ‘dark side’ of Soviet war effort

Candy maker Hershey pays $4 million for price-fixing

"US candy maker Hershey on Friday pleaded guilty to participating in a chocolate price-fixing scheme and paid a CAN$4 million (US$4.2 million) fine. The company entered the plea at the Ontario Superior Court and, according to the Competition Bureau of Canada, received lenient treatment in exchange for its cooperation in an antitrust investigation. Earlier this month, Canadian authorities also charged Nestle, Mars and a network of independent wholesale distributors in the case after a whistle-blower tipped authorities to the scheme. The alleged price-fixing involved popular brands such as Kit Kat, Coffee Crisp, Aero, Twix, Snickers, Bounty and M&Ms." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCandy maker Hershey pays $4 million for price-fixing

Oil and gas drillers use complex schemes to stiff retired landowners for royalties

"From Pennsylvania to North Dakota, a powerful argument for allowing extensive new drilling has been that royalty payments would enrich local landowners, lifting the economies of heartland and rural America. The boom was also supposed to fill the government’s coffers, since roughly 30 percent of the nation’s drilling takes place on federal land. Over the last decade, an untold number of leases were signed, and hundreds of thousands of wells have been sunk into new energy deposits across the country. But manipulation of costs and other data by oil companies is keeping billions of dollars in royalties out of the hands of private and government landholders." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOil and gas drillers use complex schemes to stiff retired landowners for royalties

Detroit Bus Co. moving in the right direction

"In early 2012, when Detroit's dysfunctional bus system was all over the news, Andy Didorosi founded the Detroit Bus Co. with three buses and the hope he could do something to help our carless citizens who wait in frustration for buses that can be hours late and sometimes don't come at all. He got lots of press and even a citation from Detroit City Council for stepping in to help. Now a year and a half into the bus biz, Didorosi has found a way to give Detroiters a service they really need. The Detroit Bus Co. is building a program to pick up kids at 'safe spots' and drive them to summer and after-school programs and bring them safely home. The buses run on biodiesel." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDetroit Bus Co. moving in the right direction

New York City bike share tech woes enrage normally even-keeled New York bikers

"More than 38,000 New Yorkers have paid $103 for a year-long subscription, but many are still awaiting their blue key — needed to access the bikes. Officials have said 'batches of keys' are going out daily to fix the problem. But those with weekly and day passes are also dealing with spotty problems. Sometimes, docking stations in popular neighborhoods are full and users cannot park their bikes. Other times, the locking mechanisms do not work. And near busy Midtown offices, it is sometimes impossible to find a bike at night. And at some stations, payment via debit or credit card — the only way to purchase a short-term pass — does not function." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew York City bike share tech woes enrage normally even-keeled New York bikers

Attorney General hits up Donald Trump for donations while probing his school

"Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s campaign hit up Donald Trump and his pals for contributions while he was investigating the real-estate mogul’s for-profit trade school for illegal business practices. The investigation began in May 2011 and, for more than two years, Trump aides claim Schneiderman’s office told them the case was 'very weak' and would 'go away.' While the probe was under way, Trump aides said their boss, his family and his associates were repeatedly approached for thousands of dollars in campaign donations by Schneiderman’s political operation. Trump aides say now they’re being informed Schneiderman’s office is filing a civil suit against the school." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAttorney General hits up Donald Trump for donations while probing his school

Manufacturing of Zeppelins temporarily shut down sausage makers in World War I

"According to a new documentary, the quantity of cow intestines used in manufacturing the airships was so enormous – and the military appetite for the dirigibles so strong – that the making of sausages was temporarily outlawed in Germany and allied or occupied parts of Austria, Poland and northern France. With the guts from more than 250,000 cows needed to produce the bags that held the hydrogen gas in each Zeppelin, the German war machine had to choose between long-range bombing and wurst. It chose the former." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingManufacturing of Zeppelins temporarily shut down sausage makers in World War I

Egyptian iron artifacts, earliest ever found, made from meteorite

"The earliest iron artefacts ever found — funeral beads strung around bodies in a 5,000-year-old Egyptian cemetery — were made from a meteorite, archaeologists said on Monday. The nine small beads come from two burial sites dated to around 3,200 BC, where they were found in necklaces along with exotic terrestrial minerals such as lapis lazuli, agate and gold. X-ray scanners, meanwhile, showed that the meteorite iron had been repeatedly heated and hammered to make the precious jewels for the afterlife. This shows that in the fourth millennium BC, the Egyptians were already advanced in the art in smithing, say the researchers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgyptian iron artifacts, earliest ever found, made from meteorite

Bank of America intern’s death puts banks’ working culture in spotlight

"Moritz Erhardt, 21, had won a place as a summer intern at the London city offices of the US bank and was nearing the end of his placement when he was found dead in the shower at his temporary accommodation in east London. Merrill Lynch did not comment on the length of Erhardt's working hours, and also declined to comment on whether interns – who are understood to be paid £45,000 pro rata – are routinely made to work longer than 12-hour days. A fellow intern at the bank described the aspiring student as a 'superstar', adding: 'He worked very hard and was very focused. We typically work 15 hours a day or more and you would not find a harder worker than him.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBank of America intern’s death puts banks’ working culture in spotlight