Thai civil rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaichit presumed dead
Friday, January 13, 2006 Prominent Thai civil rights lawyer, Somchai Neelapaichit, is now presumed dead, according to an admission by the country’s Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. Somchai rose to prominence as a lawyer defending Muslim people accused of involvement in the troubles in the predominantly Muslim provinces of southern Thailand. According to the information provided by the PM, evidence has been provided to the Department of Special Investigations that leads them to believe the lawyer is now dead. This is not considered news by the journalist’s family, according to his wife the country’s Prime Minister admitted to her last year that her husband was dead, and gave assurances that action would be taken against those responsible. Thailand’s DSI became involved with the disappearance of Somchai in July 2005 when allegations were made that police were involved with the lawyer vanishing. His involvement in cases related to the southern insurgency was…
Five construction workers shot dead in Afghanistan
Friday, March 5, 2010 According to reports from officials, four Pakistani and one Afghan road construction workers were killed in Afghanistan yesterday by armed men. The interior ministry reported that the attack happened on Thursday morning, in the Panjwayi district in the Kandahar province, and noted that one other Pakistani and Afghan labourer were injured. The workers were reportedly en route to a building site operated by the SAITA construction firm. “They were going to work when this incident took place. We are arranging transportation of their bodies back to Pakistan,” commented Ajmal Farooqi, an executive with the company. Police official Agha said that two gunmen motorcycle opened fire on the workers, conflicting with reports from the interior ministry, which says that there were three gunmen. Agence France-Presse reports that this incident bears the hallmarks of the Taleban; however, Taleban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi remarked that “[o]ur friends did not say…
Local council in Australia rejects McDonald’s development plan
Wednesday, December 3, 2008 The development application for a McDonald’s restaurant at Minyama, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in Australia, has been rejected by the Sunshine Coast Regional Council. “We knocked back a Hungry Jack’s on Nicklin Way because of the nuisance code,” said divisional councilor Chris Thompson. “We already have a 24-hour McDonald’s at Mooloolaba, only one kilometre away, and there are already [anti-social] issues at that site.” Local residents previously vowed to fight any McDonald’s development at the proposed site due to the risk of anti-social behavior. Protest group spokesman John Meyer-Gleaves was “over the moon”. “It’s not often you knock Maccas [McDonald’s] over,” he said. Mayor Bob Abbot said Minyama was in some ways more suitable than Mooloolaba. However, he was concerned about the proximity to a residential estate. The rejection is expected to be ratified at an ordinary meeting of the council on Thursday. “It needs to…
Battle for Trafalgar Square, London as violence breaks out between demonstrators and riot police
Monday, March 28, 2011 Sunday morning showed Trafalgar Square, London damaged during the night by demonstrators. Bottles, cans, and placards littered the concrete ground of one of the most iconic landmarks in London. Demonstrators livid at government cuts had sprayed graffiti on the four bronze lions. “No-one rules if no-one obeys,” one message, next to the symbol of anarchy, read. On the steps leading up to the National Gallery lay placards, dropped by demonstrators the night before. Hours earlier the square was an arena for running battles between the anarchist protesters and riot police. First, they targetted Oxford Street, arguably the most famous shopping row in the city. The protesters, many dressed in black, hurled smoke bombs and paint at Topshop, which they claimed has systematically abused the tax system. In Piccadilly, they ransacked The Ritz, a hotel popularly known for upmarket opulence. As darkness fell over the capital, many…
Brazil’s Minas state stops sales of Toyota Corolla
Friday, April 23, 2010 Minas, one of the largest states of Brazil, has stopped the sale of the Toyota Corolla over safety concerns. The move was made after nine Corolla customers reported that their cars automatically accelerated. The state public prosecutor’s office said in an online statement on Tuesday that the problem is blamed on accelerator pedals sticking underneath floor mats. Local government said the issue was “putting in danger the lives of occupants”. According to the prosecutor’s office, sales of Corollas may resume when Toyota alters the floormats in its current models. Toyota has recalled over eight million vehicles worldwide due to acceleration problems.
Lovely And Easy On The Pocket 3 Star Hotels And Added Accommodation Opportunities Near The Historic Milan, Italy
Click Here To Know More About: Hotels Near Central Station Accomodation In Sydney Lovely and Easy on the pocket 3-Star Hotels and added Accommodation Opportunities near the Historic Milan, Italy by Yuna VanVleck Checking out the Hotel Le Favaglie The Le Favaglie is one of the latest accommodations in the fashion and design capital of Italy. This hotel is a fairly new establishment made in 2005 and completely refurbished in 2006. The hotel is part of what the Milanese dub as new Milan and is quite near many of the important shopping districts in the city. Le Fevaglie hotel rooms are decorated in a contemporary way with flat panel televisions, a mini bar, air-conditioning, a safety deposit box for those important keepsake and wireless internet connection. Hotel Le Fevaglie also has complimentary shuttle bus service going to the Lolino Dorino underground station, so tourists will find it easier to go…
Virgin train crashes in England
Friday, February 23, 2007 This article features in a News Brief from Audio Wikinews: A 9 Carriage Class 390 Pendolino train, with as many as 180 people onboard, operated by Virgin Trains has derailed and crashed in Cumbria, England. The train was the 17:15 service from London’s Euston Station to Glasgow Central. Witnesses said that several passengers have broken bones. All but one carriage have slid down the embankment and all of the carriages were derailed. 5 people are still seriously injured in hospital, including the driver Ian Black, and 11 people altogether are still in hospital. Hospital reports early on Saturday morning indicate 1 death, 84 year old lady Margaret Masson from Glasgow. “It’s our understanding there are a number of people injured on the train. We think there are numerous injuries,” said a spokesman for the Cumbria Fire and Rescue squad, Brian Mitchelhill. “A train has crashed between…
Ingrid Newkirk, co-founder of PETA, on animal rights and the film about her life
Tuesday, November 20, 2007 Last night HBO premiered I Am An Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA. Since its inception, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has made headlines and raised eyebrows. They are almost single-handedly responsible for the movement against animal testing and their efforts have raised the suffering animals experience in a broad spectrum of consumer goods production and food processing into a cause célèbre. PETA first made headlines in the Silver Spring monkeys case, when Alex Pacheco, then a student at George Washington University, volunteered at a lab run by Edward Taub, who was testing neuroplasticity on live monkeys. Taub had cut sensory ganglia that supplied nerves to the monkeys’ fingers, hands, arms, legs; with some of the monkeys, he had severed the entire spinal column. He then tried to force the monkeys to use their limbs by exposing them to persistent electric…
How Does A Portable Water Ionizer Work?
byphineasgray Water ionizers work when water is subjected to an electrical charge, separating the water into two streams at the spigots. One stream is acidic, and the other stream is alkaline. The resulting waters have specific uses, alkaline is predominately used as drinking water and acidic is usually used for cleaning. If the process is such that the water must pass over electrodes, how can a portable water ionizer work when it is not attached to a power source? How does it work? A portable water ionizer works using sticks that can have an effect on the pH of the water in the container. This can only happen if the mineral content of the source water is correct. The quality of the water is the important element, contaminates, minerals and its initial pH must be right, and to insure this, the water must be tested first to see whether it…
Hurricane Isaac heads toward Atlantic Canada
Sunday, October 1, 2006 Forecasters are predicting that Hurricane Isaac could hit Atlantic Canada as early as next week. The provinces Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have been advised to monitor the progress of Isaac. Forecasters said Isaac should stay to the east of Bermuda, but the Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland could feel the outer edges of the storm. “Some areas of Eastern Canada could feel the outer reaches of Isaac by sometime Monday or Tuesday. It was expected to strengthen slightly before then,” said hurricane specialist Eric Blake. Three years ago the Maritimers suffered through Hurricane Juan. On September 29, 2003, in Nova Scotia, Juan killed two people, smashed buildings and left about 300,000 homes and businesses without power. The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and ends November 30. Isaac had top sustained winds near 75 kilometres per hour by 11 p.m. ET (UTC?5), the U.S. National Hurricane…