Welcome to Newslip. Today is Sunday, 26th April 2009. I'm Wesley Gerrard and here are the stories making this week's news.
President Ahmadinejad of Iran has caused a stir at the UN Racism summit in Geneva. He took to the stage declaring about the state of Israel that "They sent migrants from Europe, the United States... in order to establish a racist government in occupied Palestine." At this point, UN delegates from many Western countries including Britain, walked out of the conference in protest. The conference had been already boycotted by the United States, Israel, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. High on the agenda was the relationship with the Islamic world and in an era where Nazi ideas and Apartheid have died out, Israeli-Palestinian issues are still an area where racial ideas divide.
A Devon farmer has introduced a breed of cattle to the UK that hasn’t been seen on these shores for 4000 years. The Heck cow was during the Second World War, part of Nazi plans to rule the world. The cow was seen as symbolic of Teutonic ambition and satisfied the genetic aspirations of Himmler and Hitler’s obsession with idyllic rural agriculture. The aim was that these Iron Age cattle would fill a primeval Aryan wilderness in conquered Nazi Europe. Hitler may never have arrived here but in the Twenty-First century it seems that we are inheriting part of his Nazi legacy.
The Sunday Times Rich List has been published, revealing that the top 1000 earners in the UK have lost a fortune in the economic downturn. The total value of their assets is £258 billion compared with last year’s record £413 billion. The number of billionaires has fallen from 75 to 43. Heading the
list are Indian Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, Russian Roman Abramovich and the Duke of Westminster. Never in the 21 year history of the rich list has the affluence of the richest people fallen so much.
The Home Office has issued new rules about the right of Gurkha soldiers to resettle in the UK. Gurkha veterans and their supporters are up in arms about the decision which doesn’t give them automatic rights to resettlement but means that they have to satisfy certain criteria such as, for example, serving twenty years as a soldier when the maximum amount of time a Gurkha rifleman can serve is only fifteen years. Gurkhas who signed up after 1997 when the Gurkha base was moved from Hong Kong to the UK are guaranteed automatic rights. Joanna Lumley is a long time supporter of this 200 year old British regiment and she has led the way in condemning the government for not recognising the bravery and commitment to British Empire that the Nepalese division has achieved.
A Somali teenager has appeared in a US federal court after being captured during a US Navy raid on pirates in the Indian Ocean. Abde Wale Abdul Kadhir Muse’s mother initially claimed that he was a juvenile but a US judge decided that he could stand trial as an adult. The youth is the first person in over a century to be tried for piracy and at court he was crying. He had been captured during the rescue raid of the Maersk Alabama container ship captain where three of his pirate colleagues died. He had apparently been on board a US warship demanding a ransom.
The ruling ANC party have been victorious in the South African elections, falling just short of a two thirds majority. It showed a 4% decline in its share of votes compared with the previous elections. In a sign of things to come opposition parties were pleased with their results. In five years time, the next general election will include for the first time voters who were born since the end of apartheid and who have no direct experience of the fight against it. ANC leader Jacob Zuma is likely to be the next South African President.
Chancellor Allister Darling revealed his new budget this week. In it he introduced a 50% tax rate for earners above a £150 000 threshold. People in this bracket such as Michael Caine have claimed that it forces them out of the country. The economy is forecast to shrink by 3.5% in 2009. Public borrowing is to increase to £175 billion. A series of schemes and investment for the unemployed is to be introduced. There were also increases to duty on fuel, alcohol and cigarettes. The budget has been condemned by some as an act of class war and city analysts have criticised the chancellor’s figures claiming that he has made gross miscalculations.
Barack Obama has turned his attention towards some of the controversial torture techniques introduced to the CIA by the former Bush administration. He has published some of the legal guidelines of his predecessors but has drawn the line at prosecuting some of those involved. It was revealed that as early as 2002 Condoleezza Rice authorised the CIA to use waterboarding techniques on suspected Al Qaeda prisoners. This drowning form of torture was used 266 times on Abu Zubaydah and Khalid Sheikh Mohammad though it is claimed that the excesses revealed useful information. Other interrogation methods mentioned in released memos include week-long sleep deprivation, forced nudity and the use of painful positions.
The final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war which has raged since 1983 are apparent. The Sri Lankan government forces have the remaining Tamil Tiger insurgents trapped in a 5 square mile area in the northeast of the Indian Ocean island. The Tamils have declared a ceasefire as they struggle to survive but the government have denounced this saying that they will only accept surrender. The last gasps of civil strife have resulted in a mass exodus of civilians in the area, many tens of thousands evacuating their homes and traversing swamps and lagoons to get to safety. About 15000 civilians are still trapped in the final resistance pocket. The Tamils have been fighting for an independent state though their cause looks likely to imminently fail thus bringing an end to one of the bloodiest and prolonged conflicts of modern times.
And this week's top story...
An epidemic of swine flu has broken out in Mexico leading to the deaths of over 80 people. Many public offices have closed in Mexico City and people are being urged not to shake hands or kiss for fear of spreading the disease. Tourists from Mexico have returned home carrying the disease and there have been cases identified in the USA, New Zealand, France, Spain and Israel. The disease is similar to seasonal human flu but contains genetic material which is usually found in flu outbreaks in birds and pigs. It is particularly resistant to conventional flu treatment and most of the dead have been young adults. Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has announced emergency measures to deal with the situation and the World Health Organisation is doing as much as it can to control the disease.
That's all for Newslip. Thanks for tuning in. See you again soon. Goodbye.
President Ahmadinejad of Iran has caused a stir at the UN Racism summit in Geneva. He took to the stage declaring about the state of Israel that "They sent migrants from Europe, the United States... in order to establish a racist government in occupied Palestine." At this point, UN delegates from many Western countries including Britain, walked out of the conference in protest. The conference had been already boycotted by the United States, Israel, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. High on the agenda was the relationship with the Islamic world and in an era where Nazi ideas and Apartheid have died out, Israeli-Palestinian issues are still an area where racial ideas divide.
A Devon farmer has introduced a breed of cattle to the UK that hasn’t been seen on these shores for 4000 years. The Heck cow was during the Second World War, part of Nazi plans to rule the world. The cow was seen as symbolic of Teutonic ambition and satisfied the genetic aspirations of Himmler and Hitler’s obsession with idyllic rural agriculture. The aim was that these Iron Age cattle would fill a primeval Aryan wilderness in conquered Nazi Europe. Hitler may never have arrived here but in the Twenty-First century it seems that we are inheriting part of his Nazi legacy.
The Sunday Times Rich List has been published, revealing that the top 1000 earners in the UK have lost a fortune in the economic downturn. The total value of their assets is £258 billion compared with last year’s record £413 billion. The number of billionaires has fallen from 75 to 43. Heading the
list are Indian Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, Russian Roman Abramovich and the Duke of Westminster. Never in the 21 year history of the rich list has the affluence of the richest people fallen so much.
The Home Office has issued new rules about the right of Gurkha soldiers to resettle in the UK. Gurkha veterans and their supporters are up in arms about the decision which doesn’t give them automatic rights to resettlement but means that they have to satisfy certain criteria such as, for example, serving twenty years as a soldier when the maximum amount of time a Gurkha rifleman can serve is only fifteen years. Gurkhas who signed up after 1997 when the Gurkha base was moved from Hong Kong to the UK are guaranteed automatic rights. Joanna Lumley is a long time supporter of this 200 year old British regiment and she has led the way in condemning the government for not recognising the bravery and commitment to British Empire that the Nepalese division has achieved.
A Somali teenager has appeared in a US federal court after being captured during a US Navy raid on pirates in the Indian Ocean. Abde Wale Abdul Kadhir Muse’s mother initially claimed that he was a juvenile but a US judge decided that he could stand trial as an adult. The youth is the first person in over a century to be tried for piracy and at court he was crying. He had been captured during the rescue raid of the Maersk Alabama container ship captain where three of his pirate colleagues died. He had apparently been on board a US warship demanding a ransom.
The ruling ANC party have been victorious in the South African elections, falling just short of a two thirds majority. It showed a 4% decline in its share of votes compared with the previous elections. In a sign of things to come opposition parties were pleased with their results. In five years time, the next general election will include for the first time voters who were born since the end of apartheid and who have no direct experience of the fight against it. ANC leader Jacob Zuma is likely to be the next South African President.
Chancellor Allister Darling revealed his new budget this week. In it he introduced a 50% tax rate for earners above a £150 000 threshold. People in this bracket such as Michael Caine have claimed that it forces them out of the country. The economy is forecast to shrink by 3.5% in 2009. Public borrowing is to increase to £175 billion. A series of schemes and investment for the unemployed is to be introduced. There were also increases to duty on fuel, alcohol and cigarettes. The budget has been condemned by some as an act of class war and city analysts have criticised the chancellor’s figures claiming that he has made gross miscalculations.
Barack Obama has turned his attention towards some of the controversial torture techniques introduced to the CIA by the former Bush administration. He has published some of the legal guidelines of his predecessors but has drawn the line at prosecuting some of those involved. It was revealed that as early as 2002 Condoleezza Rice authorised the CIA to use waterboarding techniques on suspected Al Qaeda prisoners. This drowning form of torture was used 266 times on Abu Zubaydah and Khalid Sheikh Mohammad though it is claimed that the excesses revealed useful information. Other interrogation methods mentioned in released memos include week-long sleep deprivation, forced nudity and the use of painful positions.
The final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war which has raged since 1983 are apparent. The Sri Lankan government forces have the remaining Tamil Tiger insurgents trapped in a 5 square mile area in the northeast of the Indian Ocean island. The Tamils have declared a ceasefire as they struggle to survive but the government have denounced this saying that they will only accept surrender. The last gasps of civil strife have resulted in a mass exodus of civilians in the area, many tens of thousands evacuating their homes and traversing swamps and lagoons to get to safety. About 15000 civilians are still trapped in the final resistance pocket. The Tamils have been fighting for an independent state though their cause looks likely to imminently fail thus bringing an end to one of the bloodiest and prolonged conflicts of modern times.
And this week's top story...
An epidemic of swine flu has broken out in Mexico leading to the deaths of over 80 people. Many public offices have closed in Mexico City and people are being urged not to shake hands or kiss for fear of spreading the disease. Tourists from Mexico have returned home carrying the disease and there have been cases identified in the USA, New Zealand, France, Spain and Israel. The disease is similar to seasonal human flu but contains genetic material which is usually found in flu outbreaks in birds and pigs. It is particularly resistant to conventional flu treatment and most of the dead have been young adults. Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has announced emergency measures to deal with the situation and the World Health Organisation is doing as much as it can to control the disease.
That's all for Newslip. Thanks for tuning in. See you again soon. Goodbye.
No comments:
Post a Comment