International arms dealer Viktor Bout arrested in Thailand

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Viktor Bout, an international arms dealer, has been arrested in Thailand. Bout was arrested by the Royal Thai Police on Thursday, after checking in at a Sofitel luxury hotel in the Si Lom district of Bangkok.

Viktor Bout is suspected of supplying arms to the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, FARC, as well as combatants on both sides of African civil wars. He has been dubbed the “Merchant of Death” by the press as well as the book Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes and the Man Who Makes War Possible by Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun.

At a press conference held by Thai police they said that Bout is being investigated for “procuring weapons for terrorists and conspiring with terrorists.” According to Maj. Gen. Surapol Thuanthong, Bout said “The game is over” when he was arrested.

“This multi-country operation culminating in the arrest of Viktor Bout in Thailand is a model for how suspected dangerous international criminals need to be investigated, charged and brought to justice in the 21st century,” said Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble.

Federal prosecutors in the United States hope to get Bout extradited for prosecution on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

The 2005 film Lord of War has been said to have been inspired by Viktor Bout.

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Australian health workers to close intensive care units in Victoria next week

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Members of Australia’s Health Services Union (HSU) will go on strike in Victoria next week in a dispute over stalled wage and career structure negotiations. Over 5000 physiotherapists, speech pathologists and radiation therapists will walk off the job next week, effectively closing the state’s 68 largest health services.

The strike will force the closure of intensive care units and emergency departments across the state.

It is feared the strike could continue into Easter.

National secretary of the HSU, Kathy Jackson said admissions would be crippled, while intensive care patients would have to be evacuated to New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia as hospitals will not be able to perform tests or administer treatment.

“When an ambulance shows up you can’t admit a patient without an X-ray being available, you can’t intubate them and you can’t operate on them,” she said.

“If something goes wrong in an ICU you need to be able to X-ray, use nuclear medicine or any diagnostic procedure,” said Ms Jackson.

Ms Jackson said the HSU offered arbitration last year, but the state government refused. “They’re not interested in settling disputes, they hope that we are just going to go away.”

“We’re not going away, we’ve gone back and balloted the whole public health workforce in Victoria, those ballots were successful, 97 percent approval rating,” she said.

The HSU is urging the government to commence serious negotiations to resolve the dispute before industrial action commenced.

The government has offered the union a 3.25 per cent pay increase, in line with other public sector workers but the union has demanded more, but stopped short of specifying a figure.

Victorian Premier John Brumby said the claim would be settled according to the government’s wages policy. “The Government is always willing and wanting to sit down and negotiate with the relevant organisations . . . we have a wages policy based around an increase of 3.25 per cent and, above that, productivity offset,” he told parliament.

The union claims it is also arguing against a lack of career structure, which has caused many professionals to leave the health service. Ms Jackson said wages and career structures in Victoria were behind other states.

Victorian Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu said he was not in support of the proposed strike and called on the government to meet with unions. “There could not be a more serious threat to our health system than has been announced today.”

“We now have to do whatever is possible to stop this strike from proceeding,” he said.

The opposition leader will meet with the union at 11:30 AM today.

Victorian Hospitals Industry Association industrial relations services manager Simon Chant said hospitals were looking at the possible impact and warned that patients may have to be evacuated interstate if the strike goes ahead.

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The Best Rates With Car Hire International

At Car Hire International we take immense pride and joy in offering you with the cheapest rates for your car rental needs in several parts of the world. Our efficient service and lowest rates are achieved thanks to the innovative CarTrawler technology that helps us to efficiently scan a large database to enable us to provide you with the cheapest car rental rates. Because of the CarTrawler search service, we at Car Hire International can provide the most attractive and lowest possible prices on your car rentals in a wide range of locations around the world.

Why do we use CarTrawler? Because we are a part of the CarTrawler network consisting of more than 500 car rental companies in around 22,000 locations in 175 countries of the world, we can use the search service to regularly search across its comprehensive network to secure the best deals for our clients. Because we have a reliable and efficient partner to perform this specialized service for us thanks to its vast network, we at Car Hire International can focus our energies to serving your needs more effectively. We have confidence in CarTrawler’s reliable cusstomer support, backed by our own follow-up should our clients need it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbLoU6dEisg[/youtube]

How does our system work to deliver you convenience and the lowest prices? Our system at Car Hire International is comprehensive but fairly straightforward. To serve you better, we have customized our interface to create a seamless link that connects us with both you and CarTrawler. Through this interface we provide you with an online registration form which can be filled in a simple step by step process. You only need to insert simple details like your estimated time of arrival, point of arrival and so on. We also allow you to choose from the type of car desired. After we have received this information into our system, we use the CarTrawler service to search its network of 500 plus car rental companies in its 175 country locations.

Thanks to its spread and speed, CarTrawler then secures the lowest rate offered by the 500 plus car rental companies. Among the most notable ones are included Avis, Budget, Hertz, Thrifty and other well-known companies. We also offer an attractive additional insurance policy for your customers in the form of Excess Insurance. The price quoted is inclusive of taxes such as Collision Damage Waiver, RFT, VAT and others so you do not have to pay anything other than the price. Therefore, we are able to provide you the best car rental deals in any part of the world.

How do you place an order with Car Hire International? Fairly easily from the comfort of your home. All you need to do is complete an online reservation as described above. Within 48 hours, you will receive a confirmation voucher by e-mail from Car Hire International with the details of your trip and the car you have been provided. Simply present it at the depot and enjoy your trip with peace of mind.

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International Car Rental Get information on car rentals and other valuable resources at CarTrawlerAuthor: Lily Gamble

Thousands rally in Columbus, Ohio, for undocumented immigrants’ rights

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

On March 26, thousands rallied outside the Columbus, Ohio statehouse, advocating rights for undocumented immigrants. This was one of a series of rallies following one in Los Angeles, which was reported to have drawn over 500,000 attendees.

The sponsoring coalition included the Immigrant Worker Project, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), UFCW Local 880, MIGUATE (of [Dover, Ohio]), and the Red [network] de Inmigrantes de Ohio. Organizers wanted to raise awareness of bill pending in the US Senate, HR 4437, which would make it a felony to be an illegal alien, or to assist aliens in entering or staying the country illegally. Organizers also called for “true” immigration reform plan that would provide a path to citizenship for all immigrant workers.

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World Trade Organization allows Antigua to ignore US$21 million of US copyright per year

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Arbitrators at the World Trade Organization (WTO) have granted the Caribbean country of Antigua and Barbuda a special dispensation to ignore United States copyright law.

In their report, the WTO panel stated that Antigua possessed “no effective trade sanctions against the USA” and agreed to allow the country to ignore up to US$21 million worth of US copyrights a year. While this amount falls significantly short of the US$3.4 billion per year dispensation that Antigua was seeking, it is far higher than the US$500,000 per year allocation that US negotiators were pushing for.

The ruling comes at the end of a five year legal contest between Antigua and the USA regarding the USA’s blocking of offshore online gambling sites. Because many of these sites were located in Antigua, the Antiguan government filed a complaint with the WTO saying that the US prohibition constituted unlawful restriction of trade. When the WTO agreed, Antigua pressed for US$3.4 billion in punitive damages. They asked to have this penalty assessed as permission to copy US intellectual property, since there was no trade embargo that Antigua could impose on the US to collect the amount for itself. The panel agreed that Antigua had no way to collect punitive damages through trade sanctions. However, they lowered the amount of damages to US$21 million per year.

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Divorce Advice Women Must Know

Divorce Advice Women Must Know

by

Maryann Floretta

In the heat of the moment, you can easily act out of fear and resentment. This happens also in divorce. And since women are the more emotional of the spouses, they end up making poor financial decisions because they were too angry, too hurt, or too afraid to think rationally.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIwlMJhQaew[/youtube]

If you feel as though you are in the same boat as many of these women, stop before it is too late. Follow the divorce advice for women we have below: Take Stock of Your Net Worth In the traditional family setting, the men are the breadwinners and the women are the ones responsible for child rearing and keeping the domestic scene together. However, in these modern times, the image of the man as the sole breadwinner is being dispelled as many women are now taking on that role. Now, suffice to say that both men and women are on equal footing when it comes to providing financial support for the family. In any case, as divorce advice for women, it is important that you take stock of all your assets and liabilities when considering a divorce. Make a list if you have to and indicate which one is yours, his, or joint. Also. as an added divorce advice for women, organize your financial file, making sure that you include the following: * Tax returns for the past five years * Retirement account records * Insurance policies (life, disability, long-term care, health, homeowners, auto, and umbrella) * Investment account statements (brokerage, mutual funds, IRAs, SEPs, custodial, and 529 plans) * Wills * Living wills * Trusts and powers of attorney * And other important legal/financial documents Use these as your reference when it is time for you to divide your assets. Value vs. Price Sometimes, assets in a marital relation may not yet be turning a profit. However, when you ask a professional to assess it, the objective business valuation says that it is promising. This is what is called value, as opposed to price. A good divorce advice for women is to understand the value of assets, not just their worth at the time you are considering a divorce. For instance, the husband might own a business, however, it has yet to turn in a profit. But then the prospect looks promising and you are certain that the business is going to make a turn for the better in the future. As a divorce advice for women, you should consider waiting to receive a guarantee of a percentage of the future sales proceeds, profits, and/or income. This is good divorce advice for women because this way, the business remains for the benefit to the family (children). On top of that, you receive what is rightly yours. Get more information about engagement and widow at ContentConnection.com.

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Divorce Advice Women Must Know

Canadian Prime Minister Harper meets with U.S. President Bush

Thursday, July 6, 2006

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with President George W. Bush at the White House today. The meeting was a short one and focused primarily on global security, particularly bilateral security issues addressing the two countries.

One of the larger issues was the pending U.S. law that would require everyone crossing the Canada-U.S. border to have a passport or a special identification card. Prime Minister Harper said; “if the fight for security ends up meaning that the United States becomes more closed to its friends, then the terrorists have won,” as part of his appeal that Congress delay or reject the proposed border law. [1].

Prime Minister Harper brought birthday greetings and a surprise gift. But Bush found out about it during the press conference in the East Room. A Canadian reporter had allegedly blew the secret. [2].

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Sony Fair 2008 starts in Taipei, Taiwan with “HD Entertainment Park”

Friday, April 4, 2008

The fifth annual Sony Fair, established and organized by Sony Taiwan Limited in Taipei, Taiwan since 2004, started at the North Square of Taipei 101 near the TWTC Hall 3 from April 3 to 13. With more opportunities and chances of Blu-ray and High-definition markets, the organizer named its theme slogan with “High-definition Entertainment Park”.

Since the Sony Fair was established in 2004, several brand new AV-media products made their stages at this show and took good effects in it. And this time, after winning the consumer market in the optical storage battle, I’m proud to announce that “Not only Sony, all our groups are BACK“! With several varied and new technologies, the lifestyle changed rapidly with modern people. A typical example is the invention of LCD Television, that drove the high-definition becoming the mainstream in this digital AV-media era. Since I visited Taiwan 2 years ago, I saw several future miniatures from Blu-ray and high-definition AV-media products. Finally in this [digital AV-media] era, this dream became reality and several accessories like digital cameras and recorders also integrated with those new technologies above and showcased in this fair.
This year of Sony Fair with the main theme of “HD Entertainment Park”, showcased not only newly-launched Sony ? , but also BRAVIA, showcased at 2007 Taipei IT Month, games and consoles of PS3 and PSP, showcased at 2008 Taipei Game Show and 2008 Softex Taipei. Because of marketing strategies [by Sony], we [Sony] brought up opportunities and achievements for high-definition markets like Sony Pictures Entertainment, Chunghwa Telecom, and Public Television Service, who produced several HDTV programs with different styles. By the way, the “Audio Gallery” showcase varied ways to enjoy digital music like Walkman, integrated with Bluetooth technology recently, will be released in the middle of April 2008.

Not only executives supported this show, and high-definition AV-media showcases, but Sony BMG Taiwan will also invite several vocalists to hold some mini concerts in the Sony Fair 2008 to bring up the visitors during holiday nights.

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Looted, possibly contaminated body parts transplanted into USA, Canadian patients

Monday, March 20, 2006

Fears of contaminated bone and skin grafts are being felt by unsuspecting patients following the revelation that funeral homes may have been looting corpses.

Janet Evans of Marion, Ohio was told by her surgeon, “The bone grafts you got might have been contaminated”. She reacted with shock, “I was flabbergasted because I didn’t even know what he was talking about. I didn’t know I got a bone graft until I got this call. I just thought they put in screws and rods.”

The body of Alistair Cooke, the former host of Masterpiece Theatre, was supposedly looted along with more than 1,000 others, according to two law enforcement officials close to the case. The tissue taken was typically skin, bone and tendon, which was then sold for use in procedures such as dental implants and hip replacements. According to authorities, millions of dollars were made by selling the body parts to companies for use in operations done at hospitals and clinics in the United States and Canada.

A New Jersey company, Biomedical Tissue Services, has reportedly been taking body parts from funeral homes across Brooklyn, New York. According to ABC News, they set up rooms like a “surgical suite.” After they took the bones, they replaced them with PVC pipe. This was purportedly done by stealth, without approval of the deceased person or the next of kin. 1,077 bodies were involved, say prosecutors.

Investagators say a former dentist, Michael Mastromarino, is behind the operation. Biomedical was considered one of the “hottest procurement companies in the country,” raking in close to $5 million. Eventually, people became worried: “Can the donors be trusted?” A tissue processing company called LifeCell answered no, and issued a recall on all their tissue.

Cooke’s daughter, Susan Cooke Kittredge, said, “To know his bones were sold was one thing, but to see him standing truncated before me is another entirely.” Now thousands of people around the country are receiving letters warning that they should be tested for infectious diseases like HIV or hepatitis. On February 23, the Brooklyn District Attorney indicted Mastromarino and three others. They are charged with 122 felony counts, including forgery and bodysnatching.

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