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Saturday, January 3, 2009

University of Ghana law professor John Atta Mills, age 64, was confirmed on Saturday as the winner of the runoff presidential election, the fifth in Ghana since the return to multi-party democracy in 1992.

According to Electoral Commission Chair, Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Atta Mills obtained 50.23 percent of ballots cast on December 28, or 4,521,032 votes, while Nana Akufo-Addo got 49.77 percent or 4,480,446 votes. Despite the ruling party’s call to boycott, the Tain local election officer also announced that Atta-Mills obtained 19,566 votes in Friday’s special election there, while Nana Akufo-Addo had only 2,053 ballots.

In the parliamentary elections, Atta Mills’s NDC won 114 seats to the NPP’s 107. Minor parties and independent candidates won seven seats while two are still being contested.

President John Kufuor appealed for sobriety and urged the candidates to accept the official result.

A presidential election was held in Ghana on 7 December 2008, at the same time as a parliamentary election. Eight candidates contested the first round of voting.

Ghana’s electoral commission announced on December 10 that a run-off election must be held on 28 December, 2008 for the Ghanaian presidency. The commission said that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo won 49.13% of the vote, slightly more than the other main candidate, John Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who obtained 47.92%. However, neither candidate reached the 50% mark needed to declare an outright winner to succeed President John Kufuor, who will step down after two terms.

Turnout on election day was very high. Out of some 8.6 million votes cast, more than 200,000, or 2.4% of the full total, were rejected. Overall voter turnout in the election was 69.52%.

The second round was to be rerun on 2 January 2009 in the Tain District due to ballot papers irregularities. As the number of voters in Tain, which has a constituency of about 53,000 eligible voters, exceeded Atta Mills’ margin of victory without the results, the Election Commission stated it would not announce Atta Mills as the winner until after the election rerun in Tain.

The NPP sought to delay voting in Tain as it claimed that “the atmosphere in the rural district was not conducive to a free and fair election”, but the court said it would only hear the case on January 5, denying the NPP an injunction. The NPP then proceeded to call for a voting boycott, for which it was criticized by civil groups.

On December 21, 2006, former Vice-President John Atta-Mills, who unsuccessfully ran as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate in 2000 and 2004, was overwhelmingly elected by NDC as its candidate for the 2008 presidential election.

Former Foreign Minister Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was elected as the 2008 presidential candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) at a party congress on December 23, 2007. Although he fell short of the required 50%, the second-place candidate, John Alan Kyeremanten, conceded defeat and backed Akufo-Addo.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Airports worldwide have implemented new security measures in the aftermath of the Christmas Day 2009 incident involving Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is accused of attempting to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam, The Netherlands to Detroit, Michigan.

The BAA, the airport authority of the United Kingdom, announced Sunday that it would add full-body scanners to airports through out the country as soon as practical. The body scanners cost £100,000 (€112k, US$160k) a unit and they will be implemented at all six of BAA’s controlled airports. This came after Prime Minister of the UK, Gordon Brown, said that he was committed to using the controversial technologies.

“We’ve recognised that there are new forms of weapon that are being used by al-Qaeda, so we’ve got to respond accordingly. We will do everything in our power to tighten up on the security that is essential,” said Brown to BBC News. Critics have said that the scanners are ineffective and would not have detected the weapons used in the Christmas day attack, and that they would create airport delays.

The BAA released a statement saying “It is our view that a combination of technology, intelligence and passenger profiling will help build a more robust defence against the unpredictable and changing nature of the terrorist threat to aviation,”.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of the civil liberties group Liberty, said that the BAA should not profile saying, “Has no one noticed the terrorists’ ability to capitalise on discrimination, or the recruits from a range of different backgrounds? Whether on the street or at the terminal, suspicious behaviour is a sensible basis for search by policing professionals; race or religion is not.”

The United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced new guidelines today about international travel to the United States. All passengers from targeted countries will have their carry-ons searched and be patted down, Politico reports. Travelers from all other nations will be searched randomly more often.

The targeted countries include Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and Somalia. Other targeted countries were not revealed for security reasons.

TSA spokeswoman Kristin Lee, said in a statement that the new measures go “beyond simply looking at passports and now looks at itineraries from and through countries of interest…Because effective aviation security must begin beyond our borders, and as a result of extraordinary cooperation from our global aviation partners, TSA is mandating that every individual flying into the U.S. from anywhere in the world traveling from or through nations that are State sponsors of terrorism or countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening. The directive also increases the use of enhanced screening technologies and mandates threat-based and random screening for passengers on U.S. bound international flights.”

The new regulations went into effect at midnight EST (05:00UTC) on January 4.

The Netherlands interior ministry announced December 30, 2009 that all passengers on commercial flights from the nation to the United States will have to be screened using the full body scanners. Originally U.S. officials advised Holland not to use such scanners due to privacy concerns, but now Guusje ter Horst said that “all possible measures will be used on flights to the U.S.” in the wake of recent events.

Nigeria will install full 3-D image scanners to all of its airports beginning this year. The suspected bomber from the Christmas day attack originated from an airport in Lagos Nigeria, which had full-body imaging machines which may have been able to pick up the bomb.

The Nigerian government has expressed discontent with the new U.S. regulations, saying that it will discriminate against the 150 million innocent Nigerians if they wish to travel to the U.S..

Friday, January 20, 2006

Iran, has decided to pull its finances out of European banks and into different foreign banks. A senior Iranian official stated that this is an attempt to pre-empt possible U.N. sanctions over its resumption of nuclear fuel enrichment activities.

Comments by Iran’s central bank governor Ebrahim Sheibani, carried on air by the ISNA student news agency, confirmed that Iran had started transferring funds.

“We transfer foreign reserves to wherever we see as expedient. On this issue, we have started transferring. We are doing that,” Sheibani told the ISNA agency.

Ebrahim Sheibani also told the agency that the assets were being moved to an “undisclosed” location.

It is unknown exactly how much money is involved or whether or not Iran’s investments in Europe would be affected by the move. Traders have said that they had already factored such a possibility into the market.

Gary Samore, an expert on Iran and vice president for international programs at the McArthur Foundation in Chicago, said “the move reflected concern by Tehran that the Europeans might take unilateral measures amid the crisis over its nuclear program.” He also added that its decision to pull its assets from Europe “makes sense in terms of preparing for the possibility that Europe might take some measure to impose some financial sanctions. I don’t know that it changes the diplomatic formula. The key issue is still the question of whether or not the Western group can engineer a formal referral to the Security Council.”

It is unclear if an asset freeze or other punishment is imminent in Iran, but it has happened before. The country’s assets in the United States have been frozen since Iranians seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held its staff hostage after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

An Italian court last year had ordered an Iranian bank account to be frozen at the request of U.S. plaintiffs who were seeking compensation for terrorist acts they believe were supported by the country (Iran).

Earlier the EU drafted a resolution that calls for referring Iran to the 15-nation council. But it is said to stop short of asking for punitive measures against Iran. The IAEA is expected to meet on February 2, 2006 to discuss Europe’s draft.

Friday, January 16, 2009

American politician Roland Burris of the United States Democratic Party was sworn in Thursday as US president-elect Barack Obama’s replacement in the United States Senate.

Burris was initially not admitted into the Senate, even though Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich appointed him to the position, due to allegations that the governor tried to sell the seat. Blagojevich was arrested and has been impeached for the alleged crime. Burris was denied his position on January 6 by other Democratic members of the Congress because his appointment papers were not signed by Jesse White, the Illinois Secretary of State, who had refused to sign his name due to the charges faced by Blagojevich.

Burris was officially sworn in by United States Vice President Dick Cheney with no objections from other members of the Congress. Harry Reid, the senior Democratic senator from Nevada and majority leader, who had led the opposition to Burris being appointed, welcomed him into the Senate.

“On behalf of all senators, Democrats and Republicans, we welcome you as a colleague and a friend,” Reid said.

“No one’s ever had anything against Sen. Burris. Like any other senator, he’ll have to learn the ropes and not get lost getting to committee hearings, like I have. I think he’ll come in with people open to meeting with him and getting to know him. I think it will be just fine,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota on the matter. Most other comments by senators stated that they were not against Burris as a person, but were against his appointment by Rod Blagojevich.

With the appointment, Burris becomes the only African-American member of the United States Senate. This makes the count of Democrats to Republicans in the Senate 58 Democrats and 41 Republicans, with the final seat waiting on a vote recount ordered by Norm Coleman in his loss to Al Franken of Minnesota.

Friday, June 2, 2006

Buffalo, New York —In a statement, attorney Arthur Giacalone in charege of the case, Nancy Pollina et al opposing Savarino’s Elmwood Village Hotel, who is co-owner with Patty Morris of Don Apparel at 1109 Elmwood in Buffalo, New York has said that the preliminary hearing in New York State Supreme Court has been delayed.

“The court appearance has been adjourned for two weeks to 6/22,” said Giacalone.

The Elmwood Village Hotel is a 72-room, seven-million-dollar hotel proposed by Savarino Construction Services Corporation and designed by architect Karl Frizlen of the Frizlen Group. Its construction would require the demolition of at least five buildings, currently at 1109-1121 Elmwood, which house several shops and residents. Although the properties are “under contract,” it is still not known whether Savarino Construction actually owns the buildings. It is believed that Hans Mobius, a resident of Clarence, New York and former Buffalo mayoral candidate, is still the owner. The hotel is expected to be a franchise of the Wyndham Hotels group.

Buffalo’s Common Council, Planning Board, Mayor of Buffalo, Byron W. Brown, Savarino Construction Services Corporation, Hans J. Mobius and his son Hans S. Mobius owners of the properties at stake, Pano Georgiadis, owner of Pano’s Restaurant on Elmwood, and Cendant Corporation, the parent company of Wyndham Hotels are among those named in the suit.

According to Giacalone, the city of Buffalo has requested two week extension to prepare their defense. Area councelman Joseph Golombek has been contacted to further confirm the date change request, but has not yet responded.

==Related Wikinews==

• “Others named in lawsuit against Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal” — Wikinews, April 26, 2006
• “Lawsuit sends Buffalo, N.Y. hotel proposal to New York Supreme Court” — Wikinews, April 25, 2006

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 crashed 1,750km (1,100 miles) north-west of Rio de Janeiro killing all people onboard, on Friday September 29. National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) has confirmed that the crashed Brazilian airplane did crash into a smaller aircraft. Rescue workers and air force personnel are searching the wreckage for bodies

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Reuters, AFP, the Associated Press are reporting that a gas explosion in a Turkish school killed at least seventeen girls Friday.

Reuters reports the initial death toll at sixteen, with 27 injured. The number of deaths later rose to 17 when a body was removed from the rubble. Two survivors were pulled from the rubble as rescuers worked into the night. One girl is still missing.

“We won’t stop until we find her,” village mayor Mehmet Demirgul, told the Associated Press.

About fifty students and teachers were in the school, where some had gathered on for Islamic study in the three-story structure in the village of Balcilar, near Taskent in the Konya province .

Merve Avci, a 13-year-old, slightly injured student spoke to the Anatolian news agency: “I was in the part of the building which didn’t collapse with five of my friends immediately after the explosion, and we felt flames rising from the downstairs to upper floors.”

Anatolian says that Avci was in the process of washing before pre-dawn prayers, when a noise in the building’s kitchen led Avci and some teacher to investigate. She says she saw a loose gas pipe before being ordered back to her room. She says she smelled gas coming from somewhere above her room before the explosion.

“We think the collapse was caused by a gas canister explosion in the building, given the burns on the injured,” Konya province health service official Galip Sef told Reuters.

Mayor Demirgul said a leak in a pipe carrying liquefied petroleum gas is the probable cause of the pre-dawn blast.

“We are hearing voices. I believe those inside the rubble will be saved,” Demirgul told reporters, according to the Associated Press and Reuters.

The Associated Press reports that a small portion of all three stories of the building were left standing. This is confirmed by images displayed on the Reuters website.

The building is owned by a religion foundation and is under investigation when Turkish authorities found an non-approved annex to the structure, according to AFP.

The explosion is unrelated to the bomb blast in northern Turkey on July 28.