A compilation of brief news reports for Monday, May 7, 2007.
A 30 meter section of a gas pipeline in Luka (near Kiev) in Ukraine has been destroyed by an explosion. Although supplies to Europe via this pipeline have stopped, Ukrainian Energy Minister Georgi E. Boyko said that supplies to Europe would not be affected.
“There are no changes in volumes of gas being transported,” Yuri Korolchuk said. “Volumes due to pass through the damaged section are being redirected through the Soyuz pipeline.”
Normal flows are reported in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania.
Sources
Copper prices are rising. Between record copper imports from China, and a mining strike in Peru, the prices have climbed to over $8100 (United States dollars) a tonne, for a gain of $575 dollars over the last week. However the upward trend is not new, it has been climbing for quite some time. In April 2003, the price of copper was under $2000 a tonne.
The metal market has been tending up due to growth in the Chinese industrial production. This trickles down to the local level, where the buying price at scrap yards is ever climbing, making scrap metal collection a more profitable endeavour for individual people using pick up trucks or other such vehicles to collect and cash in the scrap metal at metal buying yards. It can be collected via agreements with businesses, from the garbage, or, sometimes, by theft.
Copper prices fell today on the NYMEX commodity exchange from US$3.7545 per pound to US$3.7125 based on the July futures contract.
Sources
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This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details. |
One man was killed and another injured by an exploding backpack in the parking lot of the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The explosion happened at 4 a.m. PDT when the victim tried to remove a the object left on top of his car.
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are on the scene. Aerial images did not show any apparent damage.
“We believe the victim was the intended target of this,” Bill Cassell said, spokesperson for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. “This is being treated as a homicide in which the weapon used to cause death is a non-traditional weapon.”
Both of the victims worked at the Luxor.
Sources
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This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.
Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.
Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.
Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.
Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age. |
Friday, September 2, 2005
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, better known as BSE or “mad cow” disease, may have been caused by human remains ingested by British cattle, two scientists said today.
Alan Colchester and his daughter Nancy Colchester, from the University of Kent and University of Edinburgh, respectively, suggested that the remains of humans cast into the Ganges in an Indian funeral rite contaminated Indian animal feed that was imported to the U.K. If some of the humans died of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, bone meal infected with CJD would have entered the British food chain, causing the similar BSE in cattle.
Admitting the evidence was not solid, the two scientists still argued that this new theory merited further review. The current theory of the origin of BSE involves the transmission of scrapie, a similar disease that affects sheep, to cattle. Prions, infectious proteins that would be the only disease-causing agents without nucleic acid, are thought to be the cause of all of these diseases.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
A robotic system at Stanford Medical Center was used to perform a laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery successfully with a theoretically similar rate of complications to that seen in standard operations. However, as there were only 10 people in the experimental group (and another 10 in the control group), this is not a statistically significant sample.
If this surgical procedure is as successful in large-scale studies, it may lead the way for the use of robotic surgery in even more delicate procedures, such as heart surgery. Note that this is not a fully automated system, as a human doctor controls the operation via remote control. Laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery is a treatment for obesity.
There were concerns that doctors, in the future, might only be trained in the remote control procedure. Ronald G. Latimer, M.D., of Santa Barbara, CA, warned “The fact that surgeons may have to open the patient or might actually need to revert to standard laparoscopic techniques demands that this basic training be a requirement before a robot is purchased. Robots do malfunction, so a backup system is imperative. We should not be seduced to buy this instrument to train surgeons if they are not able to do the primary operations themselves.”
There are precedents for just such a problem occurring. A previous “new technology”, the electrocardiogram (ECG), has lead to a lack of basic education on the older technology, the stethoscope. As a result, many heart conditions now go undiagnosed, especially in children and others who rarely undergo an ECG procedure.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
A court in England, UK has jailed a policeman for ten months after he was convicted of defrauding his car insurance company.
Police Constable Simon Hood, 43, arranged for a friend who dealt in scrap metal to dispose of his Audi TT, then claimed it had been stolen.
Hood had been disappointed with the car’s value when he tried to sell it two years after its purchase in 2008. He arranged for friend Peter Marsh, 41, to drive the vehicle to his scrapyard in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Marsh then dismantled the vehicle with the intent of disposing of it, but parts were later found wrapped in bubblewrap at Ace Tyre and Exhaust Centre.
Marsh picked up the TT from outside nearby Gorleston police station. Records show mobile phone conversations between the conspirators that day in March, both before and after the vehicle was reported stolen. The pair denied wrongdoing but were convicted of conspiring to commit insurance fraud after trial.
The fraud was uncovered after Hood told former girlfriend Suzanne Coates of the scheme. It was alleged before Norwich Crown Court that he had confessed to her in an effort to resume their relationship. Coates said that after the pseudotheft, Hood told her “he didn’t want to look for it. He said it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, which I thought was a bit strange.”
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Shortly afterwards Hood suggested they should become a couple once more, she said; she challenged his version of events regarding the car: “He said he did it but I couldn’t tell anyone. He said he did it with Peter. Peter had a key and took the car away and it was going to be taken to bits and got rid of so it was never found.”
Hood was defended by Michael Clare and Marsh by Richard Potts. Both lawyers told the court that their clients had already suffered as a result of the action in mitigation before sentencing. Clare said Hood had resigned from the police after fifteen years of otherwise good service and risked losing his pension. “It is not a case where his position as a police officer was used in order to facilitate the fraud,” he pointed out. “His career is in ruins.” Hood is now pursuing a career in plumbing.
Potts defended Marsh by saying that he, too, had already suffered from his actions. His own insurers are refusing to renew their contract with him when it expires and his bank withdrew its overdraft facility. His business employs 21 people and Potts cited Marsh’s sponsorship of Great Yarmouth In Bloom as amongst evidence he supported his local community.
Judge Alasdair Darroch told Marsh that he did accept the man was attempting to help his friend. He sentenced Marsh to six months imprisonment, suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 250 hours of community service. He was more critical of Hood:
“As a police officer you know the highest possible standards are demanded by the public. You have let down the force. You knew throughout your career that policemen that get involved in serious dishonesty get sent to prison.”
3 Things You Must Know Before Building A Granny Flat In Your Backyard
by
Casey Eeles
Granny flats are a wonderful addition to any existing property, particularly if you want extra room around the home, somewhere for your kids or folks to live, or an easy investment property. This fully self contained home extension is built on the same plot of land that your main home is and can share the backyard area or you can fence a section off in your yard. If you are thinking of adding this smaller home on your property, it is best to spend some time doing research to avoid some of the common pitfalls. Importantly, there are three things you must know before building a granny flat in your backyard, and the following tips will help you along your way.
1. Can I put one in my backyard?
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This is a common question and there is not a lot of information out there that helps you understand what is involved. When building a granny flat you first need to check that you have enough space for the unit to fit in your backyard. Measure up the area you are intending on building, draw a sketch, measure from all the boundaries (fences, pools, house, trees) and mark this down. Although this seems like a complex process, it will make life a lot easier later on when choosing your flat design. Keep in mind too that councils have certain regulations when it comes to building a granny flat, which leads to our next tip.
2. Council Regulations
There are separate building and planning regulations when building a granny flat in your backyard. All councils in Victoria have different regulations as there are different overlays on everyone s property so it is best if you call or visit your own council, you will need to speak with both the building department and planning department. Building departments are more about the structure (the unit needs to meet all building code and Australian Standards) and the positioning of the actual flat is why a building permit is required. The planning department is more about overlays (heritage, wildfire etc) and will issue a planning permit if required. As building permits are a requirement for all granny flats in Melbourne they should automatically have this service in the finish price of your flat, however town planning is not required for all, so this will not be included in the price but the company you go with should also be able to offer this service.
3. Choosing a Company
So you now know that you can start looking for someone to start building a granny flat in your backyard, but who. Start by looking at designs that suit your needs, some companies will let you design your own unit if you cannot find what you are after. When looking at plans, look for simple layouts, the simpler the design the more affordable it will be, make sure you have enough space in the rooms and work through the list to find that it includes everything that you need. You might even consider looking at building a smaller home yourself or find a company that also sells kit granny flats as these will be prefab and will save on cost. When it comes to prices make sure that the building permit, home warranty insurance, plans and specification as well as the unit and installation are all included in your granny flat price.
As you can see there are a few logistics that need to be sorted before you startbuilding a granny flat, however if you bear in mind these three tips then the process should be rather easy. These self contained homes come in many different designs and can be interior decorated any way you like, giving you complete freedom to use whatever colours, finishes and materials you like. Whilst granny flats are well suited to ageing people (parents and grandparents), they are incredibly versatile as a home – whether it s as a teenage retreat, which you can one day rent out and make extra income from, the opportunities are endless.
If you re looking for quality granny flats or assistance in building your granny flats, call Matt s Homes & Outdoor Designs on 1300 62 88 77. Matt s Homes has a wide range of granny flats, with one, two and three bedrooms. For a full package service (from planning through to permits to design and installation), visit http://www.mattshomes.com.au. Mention this article to get 10% off.
Article Source:
ArticleRich.com
Sunday, May 18, 2014
The governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, has warned that the state of the housing market in the United Kingdom is the current biggest domestic threat to the country’s economy, due to lack of house building, and regulatory issues.
In an interview to be aired on Sky News today, he said the housing market is the “biggest risk” to the economy and has “deep, deep structural problems”. Of house building he said: “There are not sufficient houses built in the UK. To go back to Canada, there are half as many people in Canada as in the UK, twice as many houses are built every year in Canada as in the UK and we can’t influence that.”
“We’re not going to build a single house at the Bank of England. We can’t influence that. What we can influence […] is whether the banks are strong enough. Do they have enough capital against risk in the housing market?”
Carney also said the Bank of England would look into the procedures used to issue loans and mortgages to see if they were being granted appropriately: “We’d be concerned if there was a rapid increase in high loan-to-value mortgages across the banks. We’ve seen that creeping up and it’s something we’re watching closely.”
Kris Hopkins responded to Carney on behalf of the government, saying the government “inherited a broken housing market, but our efforts to fix it are working”. “We’ve scrapped the failed top-down planning system, built over 170,000 affordable homes and released more surplus brownfield sites for new housing. We’ve also helped homebuyers get on the housing ladder, because if people can buy homes builders will build them. Housebuilding is now at its highest level since 2007 and climbing. Last year councils gave permission for almost 200,000 new homes under the locally-led planning system and more than 1,000 communities have swiftly taken up neighbourhood planning. It’s clear evidence the government’s long-term economic plan is working.”
Earlier this month, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development called on the UK government to “tighten” access to the ‘Help to Buy’ scheme introduced by George Osborne and the coalition government in 2013. ‘Help to Buy’ has also recently been criticised by three former Chancellors of the Exchequer — the Conservatives Norman Lamont and Nigel Lawson, and former Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling. Darling said: “Unless supply can be increased substantially, we will exacerbate that situation with schemes like Help to Buy.”
Monday, February 12, 2007
On Sunday the representatives of International Business Machines Inc. said that the company will launch its new desktop software system for businesses. IBM’s new product is called “Open Client Offering”. The company hopes that its product will put Macintosh or Linux software on a more equal footing with Windows.
The Open Client Offering software was developed by IBM in-house, as well as with partners like Novell Inc. and Red Hat Inc. It is to answer the questions regarding the cost-effectiveness of managing Linux or Apple desktop personal computers alongside Windows PCs.
IBM officials stated that Open Client Offering will allow enterprises to use the same software on Windows, Linux or Apple’s OS X. It will be unnecessary for companies using Open Client to pay Microsoft for licenses for operations because these will no longer rely on Windows-based software.
Scott Handy, IBM’s vice president of Linux and open source, stated that the company worked together with the open source community and in the end found a way to develop a software that is able to function regardless of the operating system.
To create an alternative to Microsoft, IBM is going to offer Open Document Format software that the company developed for word processing, spreadsheets or presentations, instant messaging and blog tools and Internet Explorer’s long time rival – Firefox Web browser.
The software developers at IBM believe that the usage of Open Client Offering can cut the cost of managing applications as well as maintenance and cost regarding customer support on company networks that require other software rather than Windows.
PSA Peugeot Citroen, being the second largest car manufacturer, signed a multi-year agreement with Novell, which is the provider of Linux software, to run Linux on its 20,000 desktop PCs. In addition Linux will be installed on 2,500 server computers.
RedMonk’s analyst, Stephen O’Grady, said that today there is a strong appetite for Windows alternatives. However, he said, this doesn’t mean that the alternatives are to displace Windows wholesales. O’Grady outlined that no one is going to significantly damage the desktop dominance of Microsoft.
Funeral Homes and 5 Grief Stages
by
aardis
When a loved one has passed away, funeral homes can help you take care of many of the arrangements. You’ll have to make decisions about burial, caskets, cremation, urns, plots, and more. No matter the age of your loved one or the reasons for his or her death, this is still one of life’s most difficult experiences. To help you get through the grief stages intact, it’s helpful to join support groups or work with a therapist who is trained in helping ease clients through the grief process. In order to heal, there are five stages to go through: denial, anger, bartering, depression, and acceptance.
1. Denial: When someone dies, survivors often avoid the pain by denying it. During this stage, individuals typically feel emotionally numb. They may avoid thinking about what’s happened by staying busy, sleeping a lot, drinking too much, or other coping strategies in order to not feel pain. Because there are lots of formalities and plans to make with funeral homes, insurance companies and lawyers, it’s easy to initially slip into denial mode.
2. Anger: Once the reality of their loss sinks in, survivors may feel angry. They may be mad at life, their higher power, the deceased, themselves, and anyone else who steps into their path. It’s understandable to feel rage at the world when a beloved loved one has died from a disease, an accident, or even old age. It’s always too soon to lose a loved one.
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3. Bartering: During this stage, survivors process their grief with a series of “what if’s.” They may reason, rationalize, and agonize over what has happened. “If only he’d worn his seat belt,” “… taken his medicine,” or “…exercised more.” This is a time for regrets and sometimes guilt about a perceived mistake made during the final portion of the loved one’s life.
4. Depression: Next, depression often settles in over survivors like a black cloud. During this stage, individuals may cry, become apathetic, or lose interest in friends, work, food, and life, in general. If a counselor’s help hasn’t been sought yet, this is definitely the time for some assistance. The good news is that the next step is acceptance, which is the final stage.
5. Acceptance: After reeling through a series of intense and uncomfortable emotions during the grief process, eventually the grieving individual will reach the acceptance stage. This is when the survivor emerges with a richer and more thorough understanding of the circle of life.
If you’ve lost a beloved family member or friend, funeral homes can help you with all of the burial and ceremony arrangements. For dealing with the grief stages, it’s wise to get additional help. A trained therapist or support group can work wonders to help you heal during this difficult part of life.
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Funeral Homes and 5 Grief Stages
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Five tourists including a child, have been killed in a car accident in Kruger National Park in South Africa. Four of the tourists were from Austria and one was from Germany. The driver survived the crash with minor injuries.
On Thursday November 29, the tourists were traveling in a Mercedes-Benz 4×4, near a gate to the park when the driver “miscalculated” the turn onto a bridge crossing the Letaba river, causing the car to plunge over the edge, flip over and fall into the river below with the roof in the river’s water.
No names have been released as authorities are attempting to contact the family members of those killed. It is not known if the driver will be charged.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sixteen policemen were killed by unidentified assailants in Kashgar, in the predominantly Muslim Xinjiang region of China. Another sixteen officers were wounded in the attack, in which two attackers drove a lorry into the station. The government of the People’s Republic of China has repeatedly warned of unrest leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Xinhua News Agency reports that the attackers drove a dump truck into the police officers during the officers’ morning exercise at about 8:00 am local time (0:00 GMT), then threw grenades into the police barracks and attacked with knives. The BBC reports that fourteen of the police deaths occurred at the scene, with two more dying en route to hospital. They also report one of the alleged attackers received a leg injury. The attackers were arrested, according to police.
After they were arrested by the police, the assailants were described as being 28 and 33, and of the Uyghur minority, a Turkish speaking people who reside primarily in the Xinjiang region. The police found an additional 10 explosives in the truck as well as what was described as a “home-made gun.”
The autonomous Xinjiang region of China is a large, sparsely-populated territory in the north-west of the country. The population includes many groups, but the largest is the Turkic peoples including the largely Muslim Uyghurs. Kashgar is an oasis city at an important junction of trade routes, near China’s western borders, and was a part of the historic “Silk Road.”