Janoski News Blog

Passengers of a Antarctic cruise have been rescued after the ship they were on ran aground.

"The cruise ship became stuck on Thursday in Wilhelmina Bay, a peninsula that reaches towards the southern tip of South America" BBC News reported.

The ship was carrying over 80 passengers from around the world. They were all rescued by the Chilean Navy "that was to take them to Chile's Frei Base in Antarctica, which has an airstrip from which they can be flown out of the area" MSNBC reported.

Most of the crew, and the captain stayed on board the ship to try and salvage it. No one was hurt.

Posted by janos014 at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Washington Post reported Sunday that North Korean media say its military has informed South Korea that effective December 1 overland passage through a past military warzone will be banned.

The report says the border shutdown will mean a total suspension of tourism to the North Korean city of Kaesong.

A blog linked to the WA Post article said North and South Korea technically are still at war with the North holding a majority of the power.

South Korean Unification Ministry Spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun said if North Korea follows through, there will be a negative impact on inter-Korean relations.

Posted by janos014 at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reporter Chris Kraul for the LA Times spoke to an Ecuadorian peasant farmer who has nothing to gain from an oil-polluted farm where oil giant Chevron has been cleaning up their mess in the Amazon region.

After 30 of the farmers cows have died and medical bills to pay for his children's skin cancer from the oil resting in his backyard, a verdict has yet to be reached in a controversial, long-running lawsuit where peasant farmers alike are battling Chevron and its subparts in the Ecuador Amazon.

In 2001, Chevron acquired Texaco who had been drilling oil from 1972 to 1990 and subsequently polluted a vast area of the Amazon. Chevron claims Texaco cleaned their spills and blames Petroecuador for any further mess in the area. At the time, Texaco owned 37.5 percent of the oil in the region and Petroecuador owned rights to the rest.

Residents and farmers of the area say their groundwater and soil is contaminated and causing issues out of their control to solve. If they win, the LA Times reported,"the case could set a worldwide precedent: Foreign plaintiffs have never collected for alleged offshore environmental damage caused by a U.S. company".

A report filed in a New York Court has thus far estimated that Chevron was liable for up to $8 billion in health and cleanup costs.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-amazonoil17-2008nov17,0,7299994.story

Posted by janos014 at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Three men convicted in the 2002 bombings in Bali that killed 202 people and spurred the Indonesian government to act more forcefully against Islamic militants were executed by a firing squad early Sunday morning, the Indonesian attorney general’s office said (The New York Times).

Tied side by side to wooden posts, the bombers — Imam Samudra, Amrozi and Mukhlas, also known as Ali Ghufron — were simultaneously shot in a field on a small prison island off western Java, officials said.

The executions brought an end to years of uncertainty about the fate of the three men, who were convicted in 2003 but whose deaths was put off many times because of government fears about a political or terrorist backlash.

The American and Australian Embassies received anonymous threats last week warning that they would be
attacked if the executions were carried out (The New York Times).

Amnesty International said the executions should be the last time Indonesia uses the death penalty (The Manila Times). The Bali attack was the bloodiest in a sustained period of al-Qaeda-inspired jihadist violence in the world’s most populous Muslim country, including a car bombing on the Australian Embassy in 2004.

Posted by janos014 at 7:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

China's government officials announced an enormous economic stimulus plan Sunday that aims to reguvinate their own country's weakening economy as well as "fight the effects of the global slowdown" said the New York Times.

The plan, which was unveiled at a meeting of finance ministers from 20 nations in São Paulo, Brazil, includes cutting taxes, loosening credit and increasing government spending on multiple projects, such as the construction of low-income housing, transportation systems and the development of rural infrastructure, the official new China News Agency said.

The $568 billion --- which is roughly 7 percent of China's gross domestic product — will also be used over the next two years to construct new railways, subways and airports and to rebuild communities devastated by an earthquake in the southwest in May, reported the LA Times.

Analysts welcome the large stimulus package, saying the spending will help businesses, bolster demand for commodities and lift consumption, which would then give a boost to a world economy that is faltering.

Posted by janos014 at 6:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dozens of local authorities in Britain are unable to retreive nearly $1.5 billion in Icelandic bank accounts .

The Icelandic government took over the banks holding the British money las month as the entire country "teetered on the brink of bankruptcy because of the worldwide financial meltdow," according to the Los Angeles Times.

Iceland’s financial problems have been faltering since last spring, and this fall, as the financial crisis deepened, the government took over two of the country’s three largest banks, according to the New York Times.

The problems increased when Iceland realized Britain had used its using its 2001 antiterrorism laws to do the freeze, which appeared to brand Iceland a terrorist state.

The Icelandic prime minister, Geir H. Haarde, responded by accusing Britain of “bullying a small neighbor� and said the action was “very out of proportion.�

Iceland’s key interest rate now stands at 18 percent. The currency, the krona, has declined 44 percent in the last year.

Icelandic foreign minister, Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir said Britain’s decision had sent Iceland back some 30 or 40 years.

“This is a major crisis,� she said. “We haven’t been in this situation for, probably, ever. We cannot solve it alone. We need solidarity from partners, from friendly countries, and we thought the U.K. was one of them.�

Posted by janos014 at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times Reported Sunday that the ruling Communist Party of China announced its new rural reform policy that allows farmers to lease or transfer land-use rights for the first time.

“The new measures adopted are seen by economists as a major breakthrough in land reforms initiated by late leader Deng Xiaoping 30 years ago,� reported Xinhua, the country's official news agency.

The new policy allows farmers to sell, swap, subcontract, or lease their land-use rights whereas the current system assigns land to the farmers. This new reform will allow room for more productivity and efficiency that could increase output.

The Times reported critics have warned changing the current system could threaten the security of having a piece of land and possibly lead to millions of landless farmers. However, corruption has filtered into the current arrangement as local officials and developers have illegally seized farmland for urban expansion while paying minimal compensation to farmers.

Posted by janos014 at 10:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fighting broke out over the weekend leaving 33 killed and thousands homeless in Guwhati, India , the New York Times reported.

Villagers from two tribes turned against each other with machetes and bow and arrows. Cheif minister Tarun Gogoi issued "shoot on sight orders" for any remaining rioters.

"The fighting began in the Udalguri district of Assam State, about 60 miles north of Dispur, the state capital. It then spread to neighboring districts," the times wrote.

Meanwhile, USA Today reported Saturday American and Indian diplomats discussed a new agreement that opens up U.S. nuclear trade with India. No deal or final agreement has been made.

Posted by janos014 at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

British candy maker Cadbury is recalling eleven types of Chinese-made chocolates after finding it contained melamine, the same banned chemical linked to the sickness of over 500 children whose baby formula was tainted.

Cadbury spokesperson told USA Today it is too early to detect how much of the chemical was used in the chocolates at the Beijing factory.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported police have arrested 22 people and seized over 480 pounds of the chemical in raids throughout the past few weeks.

Chinese authorities believe suppliers trying to boost output diluted their milk, adding melamine because its nitrogen content can fool tests measuring protein content, reported the New York Times.

Subsidies are being issued by the Agriculture Ministry to farmers and manufacturers who are experiencing a loss of demand for their milk products. There are no details issued regarding the subsidy plan.

Posted by janos014 at 8:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

China and the people of the world were greeted from outer space Saturday afternoon when a Chinese astronaut performed the nation's first spacewalk.

Zhai Zhigang emerged from the Shenzhou VII spacecraft waving to his country during a live broadcast of Zhigang making Chinese history with his 15 minute walk in space.

The New York Times reported this achievement was the next step in establishing China as an economic and technological superpower. President Hu Jintao called the voyage "another milestone in the Chinese people's march towards aerospace science."

The triumph was part of China’s effort to establish a space station by 2020 and eventually to land on the moon, BBC News reported.

The three 42-year-old astronauts returned safely to earth in their space capsule late Sunday afternoon after spending nearly three days in low earth orbit, according to Chinese state television.

Before China, only the United States and former Soviet Union had sent people into space.

Posted by janos014 at 6:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pakistan rejected U.S. offer to aid in the investigation of the weekend suicide bombings that killed 53 people at the Islambad Marriott, repoerted USA Today.

"We do not need help. We are competent. We reject it," Interior Ministry adviser Rehman Malik told USA Today reporters Sunday after the U.S. offered FBI help in pursuing the terrorists behind the attack.

Maulana Fazal ur Rehman of the religious political party Jamiat Ulema Islam asked Sunday for Pakistan to drop the current policy of allying with the United States against militants, a policy set in place by former president Pervez Musharraf.

Current President Asif Ali Zardari has pledged to fight militants and increase the counterterrorism campaign but is conflicted with the idea of using force against militants possibly causing them to retaliate against civilians, the New York Times reported. President Zardari is also weary of accepting id from the Bush Administration because "Pakistanis are largely opposed to American policies in the region."

Meanwhile, the death toll in the hotel destruction rose to 53, with at least 266 people wounded, officials said on Sunday.

Posted by janos014 at 9:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

George Michael walked away from a police station in London with a "relatively mild punishment" after arrested for the possession of drugs, BBC reported.

The 45-year-old British singer was caught with class A and class C dugs, offenses punishable up to seven years in prison. Michael walked from the police station with a caution after he took full responsibility for possessing the lethal substance.

"The decision not to prosecute him is very surprising considering his criminal history with drugs. This decision leaves the Metropolitan Police open to accusations of one law for the rich and famous," police told the Telegraph.

Lord Mackenzie, a former President of the Police Superintendent's Association, criticized the decision to let not charge Michael for poseesion of cocaine.

"This sends out a very negative message. He is a role model to lots of young people and for them to see that there can be no consequences if you are caught with a class A drug is very serious indeed," he told the Telegraph.

Michael was banned from driving for two years after caught while driing on drugs in May 2007. He blamed his behavior on the death of his mother a decade ago and has come to conflict with the law on several accounts for drug possession since then.

Posted by janos014 at 8:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Australian reported a second child has died from contaminated milk powder in China and the number of sick infants has risen to 580. The children have been afflicted with kidney stones from baby formula that ended up with dangerous levels of melamine, a chemical used to make plates, bowls, plastics and glues.

While the source of the contamination remains unknown, the China Daily says it is unlikely dairy farmers mixed the chemical melamine in fresh milk.

"We believe the contamination is more likely to have occurred at milk collecting stations," Li Changjiang, minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), told the China Daily.

700 tons of baby milk has been recalled from the market since Tuesday and 19 people have been detained from private milk collecting stations for mixing melamine in the milk to pass factory quality tests. When mixed with milk, the chemical makes the liquid appear rich in protein.

"The authorities will continue their probe into the case and those found guilty will get 'severe punishment'", the China Daily reported.

Posted by janos014 at 9:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)