Tuesday, January 15, 2008

The militant Islamist group Taliban attacked a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan last night. Seven people, including a U.S. citizen and a journalist from the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet were killed. Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre is staying at the hotel, but was unharmed.

The terrorists attacked the five-star Serena Hotel with AK-47 assault rifles, suicide vests, and grenades. The likely target was Mr. Gahr Støre and a Norwegian delegation, who evacuated into the cellar. U.S. military forced rushed to the scene, and managed to kill at least one of the attackers.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility shortly after the attack. Norway has some 500 soldiers deployed to Afghanistan.

White House press secretary Dana Perino described the attackers as “deliberate, patient people who will murder innocents”, and said that the attack “underscores the reason we have to stay on the offense against the extremists in places like Kabul but also in other places around the world.”

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Two people have been killed and 47 people have been injured as the result of a coach crash in Cornwall, England. The vehicle, which was carrying 48 passengers as well as the driver, were travelling back from a journey to the village of Mousehole to see Christmas lights. The accident occurred at 2215 GMT yesterday in the village of Townshend, not far from the town of Hayle. Road conditions at the time were icy, which may explain why the accident occurred. The first police car that arrived at the scene lost control on the icy road and crashed into the already overturned coach. The two officers in the car were uninjured, however the earlier crash had caused the deaths of two women. One of them died at the scene of the accident and the other was later killed as a result of the injuries suffered. 47 people were injured, five of them seriously.

The sequence of events that is believed to have happened, according to Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, is that the coach went off the road, collided with a tree, going through a hedge before finally overturning, causing the vehicle to end up on its side. 60-year-old Ann Ellis, who comes from the village of Illogan in Cornwall, was physically involved in the crash. Desribing her experience of this incident, she said: “All I can remember is a big bang and we just went over. I got trapped under somebody else and there was someone on top of me. It was difficult to breathe but two gentlemen dragged me out. I was shaken, really shaken. I think we all were. It was horrific.”

Derek Smith, lives near where the accident occurred. He said that “[w]e were just going to bed when we heard a knock on the kitchen door. She was covered in mud and had no shoes or socks on and was shaking as she stood there. I could hear this commotion going on.

She said to ring the police and ambulance as their coach had turned over and there were 50 people in it and some of them were injured. My wife rang 999 and the lady was in a real panic. We gave her some socks and boots straightaway because she was freezing as she had nothing on her feet.”

75-year-old Charles Parker, who is living in St. Agnes in the county, was also injured in the accident, suffering injuries to his leg and his head. “The roads were so icy,” he explained. “I heard a cracking noise and all of a sudden we had turned over. I remember later being helped out of the coach through a window. We were close to a house and they took most of the people in there. Then helicopters turned up. It was very frightening.”

Inspector Matthew Shaw, who comes from Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, explained “[i]t seems from initial investigations that the coach has slipped on ice. The road is covered in a sheet of ice, it’s treacherous, it’s difficult to even walk down there.” The amount of time taken to transport the injured passengers to a hospital was four hours.

Friday, January 11, 2008File:Flag of Hezbollah.svg

Thaicom, a Thai satellite company has begun airing Hezbollah network Al-Manar, much to Israel’s discontent. Al-Manar now can be viewed in Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East, and most of Europe, a blow to Israel who is trying to fight Hezbollah. Many fear this will increase support and recruiting for Hezbollah, which the United States, Israel and some other countries consider a terrorist organization. Thaicom considers Al-Manar programming as “news and entertainment.”

Al-Manar was designated a ‘terrorist entity’, and banned by the United States in December 2004. It has also been banned by France and Spain, and has run into some service and license problems abroad, making it unavailable in the Netherlands, South America and Canada while it has not officially been banned in any of these regions.

The station was launched by Hezbollah in 1991 with the help of Iranian funds. By 2004, Al Manar was estimated to hold 10-15 million viewers daily worldwide. Critics claim al-Manar’s agenda is influenced by Iran by virtue of the “significant portion” of Hezbollah’s budget shortfall that is covered by Iran, via some of the “US$100 and $200 million a year” Iran provides to Hezbollah itself. Al-Manar officials strongly deny this, saying they are subsidized by the Hezbollah party and donations from other Muslims, not by Iran. Al-Manar calls itself the “Station of the Resistance” (qanat al-muqawama) and is a key player in what Hezbollah calls its “psychological warfare against the Zionist enemy”

“It’s a war. Al-Manar is Hezbollah’s main communication tool, through which it spreads anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic, and anti-American incitement. It spreads Hezbollah and Iranian values of radical Islam,” Dr. Reuven Erlich said. Erlich is the head of the Terrorism Information Center in Herzliya, Israel. He added that the fact that Al-Manar can now be seen in south-east Asia, means that Indonesia and Malaysia, two countries with a large Muslim population, are open to its messages of hatred.

Thaicom said it is considering its response and will only offer a formal reaction over the weekend adding the decision to transmit Al-Manar broadcasts was a “purely business decision, which had nothing to do with politics.”

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Despite rainfall and Sunday late evening local time, street demonstrations started in Hungary hours after almost all of Hungarian electronic media coordinatedly published a taped recording of prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány‘s confidential address made to a gathering of socialist MSZP leaders on 26th May 2006.

In the recording, Mr. Gyurcsány is heard to admit openly, often using foul language that the last 1½—2 years of his government and his victory in the spring legislative elections were based on lies, doctored fiscal data and he admits the four years under his government has created absolutely nothing remarkable.

The most commonly quoted part of his monologue, when translated literally:

The original in Hungarian:

The widespread publication of this monologue quickly led to a spontaneous gathering of an estimated 1200 to 2000 people, mostly young adults, in front of the seat of the Legislature of Hungary in Budapest. About one hundred riot police and two water-cannon trucks are securing the restricted grass area around the building, while protesters are chanting with demands for Mr. Gyurcsány to immediately step down and schedule a new election before the year ends.

According to midnight news, about 50 young people are leading a march in the rural town of Zalaegerszeg with the intention to harangue more support for the protest and lead a crowd to Budapest.

The prime minister has appeared on a liberal controlled cable TV channel “ATV” and later on nationwide commercial television “TV2”. He pledged not to resign. He said the taped disclosure was fine, as the country can now finally understand why their spring censoring of state fiscal information and their election promises were justified – according to him the victory of Christian conservative Fidesz party would have pushed the country into even deeper economic and social turmoil.

According to a Hír TV editorial, the current scandal and the resulting public protest bears a harrowing similarity to early events of the Hungarian revolution of 1956 when a group of university students started a street protest against the communist regime after hearing leaked excerpts of the Secret Speech made by Nikita Khruschev wherein he denounced his predecesor’s (Josef Stalin) regime. This comparison is disputed by other media.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Five passengers have died and more than a dozen are injured after a bus bound for Montreal from New York City crashed through a guard rail in upper New York state on Monday evening.

The Greyhound bus was heading north on Interstate 87 when it rolled over at around 6:45 pm before reaching Westport, New York, about half way between Albany and Montreal. Several passengers were still trapped two hours after the crash, according to the Plattsburgh Press Republican.

“All we did was try to comfort people,” said Plattsburgh Mayor Daniel Stewart. “I also did a lot of French to English translation for police. Many on the bus were tourists returning to Canada.”

The dead include a 16-year old boy and 34-year old man, both from Montreal, and a 69-year old woman from an undisclosed Canadian location. The other two victims are both from New York State including the bus driver.

Thirty-seven passengers were taken to Champlain Valley Hospital in Plattsburgh, New York, following the crash. Twenty-two were treated and released.

Two passengers were have been transferred to Montreal General Hospital where they are in intensive care. Four others are in stable condition.

Reports suggest that the bus crashed through a guard rail after passing a truck, went down an embankment and rolled at least twice before landing upside down. The rear and top of the bus were crushed and one of its back wheels was turned inward. According to Don Jaquish, deputy director of the Essex County, New York Emergency Services, many of the passengers were thrown out of the bus and landed on a grassy area nearby.

Major Richard Smith, Jr., of the New York State Police said that investigators believe a tire failure may have been a contributing factor in the crash. Survivors say they heard a loud bang before the bus lost control.

Smith said that 48 of the 52 passengers on the bus sustained injuries. Greyhound Bus No. 4014 had been due to arrive in Montreal at 9:10 pm. Many of the passengers are believed to be from the Montreal area.

The highway remained closed late Monday between Exits 30 and 31 in both directions.

Family members can call Greyhound at 1-800-972-4583 for more information.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

General Motors ^NYSE: GM (GM) and Chrysler have both begun to offer layoff packages to their workforces.

The automobile manufacturers have been hard hit in the recent economic downturn and have been forced to seek federal aid from the U.S. government. Reports say that GM’s package includes a $20,000 cash payment and a $25,000 new vehicle voucher. Chrysler will offer a $25,000 vehicle voucher and $50,000 with healthcare and $75,000 without. Both will offer the deal to most United Auto Workers (UAW) union members – 62,000 at GM, which is seeking to cut 31,500 jobs by 2012.

The two companies have received $13.4 billion in federal loans to keep them operating, but Congress required them to produce viability plans to demonstrate they were making significant cost cuts and labor concessions in return for the money. UAW workers in Detroit earn $28 an hour; their replacements will earn about half that. The UAW’s “jobs bank”, a system where workers without duties are still paid, has stopped at both companies.

GM is also attempting to engineer a debt-for-equity swap, reducing its liabilities from $27.5 billion in unsecured debt to $9.2 billion. It is also seeking to sell a truck manufacturer, the Delco Electronics parts group and the Hummer and Saab Automobile vehicle brands.

The entire motor manufacturing sector has suffered under the economic downturn, with the Ford Motor Company ^NYSE: F announcing a $14.6 billion annual loss, although it has not sought federal aid. GM and Chrysler both ran out of operating funds in December, leading to the federal bailout.

Saturday, June 18, 2005

MasterCard International announced Friday that multiple instances of fraud have been tracked back to CardSystems Solutions, Inc., a company that processes credit card transactions and other payments. Customer names, banks, and account numbers of up to 40 million cardholders have been exposed, of which about 13.9 million are MasterCard-branded cards, the company said. Visa and American Express cards were also affected.

“The breach appears to be the largest yet involving financial data,” said David Sobel, of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

CardSystems issued a statement late on Friday that said it learned of the potential breach 26 days ago, but that the FBI told the company not to advise the cardholders nor the public at large. CardSystems also said their statement had been vetted by the FBI.

A spokesperson for the FBI said that the agency had asked CardSystems not to disclose information that could compromise the investigation, but that it had not asked CardSystems to fail to disclose the breach at all.

Michael A. Brady, C.F.O. of CardSystems, told the Associated Press that “we’re absolutely blindsided by a press release by the association,” when speaking of MasterCard’s release. A MasterCard spokesperson said that the company was obligated to inform its customers of the breach.

MasterCard spokesperson Sharon Gamsin said that CardSystems was hit by a virus-like computer script that stole customer data for the purpose of fraud. She said MasterCard does not know how the script got into the CardSystem network.

Sobel said this theft “indicates that this is a shadowy industry where the consumer never really knows who is going to be handling and using their personal information. Presumably, the affected consumers thought they were dealing with MasterCard.” Having a third-party process credit card transactions is common practice in the industry.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Wikinews reporter Iain Macdonald has performed an interview with Dr Isabella Margara, a London-based member of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). In the interview Margara sets out the communist response to current events in Greece as well as discussing the viability of a communist economy for the nation. She also hit back at Petros Tzomakas, a member of another Greek far-left party which criticised KKE in a previous interview.

The interview comes amid tensions in cash-strapped Greece, where the government is introducing controversial austerity measures to try to ease the nation’s debt-problem. An international rescue package has been prepared by European Union member states and the International Monetary Fund – should Greece require a bailout; protests have been held against government attempts to manage the economic situation.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

David S. Touretzky, prominent free speech activist and critic of Scientology, discussed his opinions on the recent Internet backlash against the Church of Scientology in an interview with former Scientologist and Wikinews reporter Nicholas Turnbull. The recent conflict on the Internet between critics of Scientology and the Church has been spurred on in declarations by a nebulous Internet entity using the name Anonymous that the Church of Scientology “will be destroyed”. Anonymous has directed recent protests at Scientology centres across the world, which have attracted significant numbers of individuals supporting the cause. In recent e-mail correspondence with Wikinews, a representative of the Church of Scientology declared that the Church considers the activities of Anonymous to be illegal, and that Anonymous “will be handled and stopped”.

Touretzky, a research professor in artificial intelligence and computational neuroscience at Carnegie Mellon University, has been a prominent critic of the Church of Scientology since mid-1995, and has been protesting against Scientology vociferously since then; he has also run websites that publish material that Scientology wishes to keep suppressed from the public eye, such as extracts from Scientology’s formerly-confidential Operating Thetan (OT) materials. Touretzky views the actions of the Church of Scientology as being “a threat to free speech”, and has endured harassment by the Church of Scientology for his activities.

The Church of Scientology continues to suffer damage to its public reputation through increased exposure on the Internet and vocal protests by Scientology critics such as Prof. Touretzky. A recent event that focused intense attention on Scientology’s totalitarian attitude was the leak of an internal Church of Scientology propaganda video to the Internet video sharing site YouTube, in which celebrity Scientologist Tom Cruise spoke heavily in Scientology’s jargon and stated that that “we [Scientology] are the authorities” on resolving the difficulties of humanity. The declaration of war by Anonymous followed shortly after this leak, in the form of a video posted to the Internet.

The ongoing dispute, cast by some as Scientology versus the Internet, brought Scientology terms such as “SP” (Suppressive Person, an enemy of Scientology) and “KSW” (Keeping Scientology Working) into general usage by non-Scientologists from the late 1990s onwards; increased attention has been drawn to Scientology by the release of the Cruise video in addition to media coverage. This focus has caused an even greater propagation of these terms across the outside world, as Touretzky comments in the interview.

Wikinews asked Prof. Touretzky about the impact that the activities of Anonymous will have on Scientology, the public relations effect of the Tom Cruise video, the recent departure of individuals from the Church of Scientology’s executive management, the strategies that Anonymous will employ and Touretzky’s experiences of picketing the Church.