A compilation of brief news reports forSunday, October 22, 2006

October 20, 2006

The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has urged the Lebanese government to speed up the process of disarming the Hezbollah. Annan said that transforming Hezbollah into a solely political party with no armed branch should bring the country a step closer to full sovereignty.

October 19, 2006

Early this morning at approximately 5 a.m. local time, the weapons warehouse in Para?in, Serbia caught on fire. Most of the weapons in the warehouse were the explosives so there were explosions in the warehouse for more than 1 hour. Approximately 8 people were wounded in the accident; among them were a few policemen.

October 18, 2006

On Tuesday morning, United States President George Bush signed into law the Military Commissions Act of 2006.

October 18, 2006

The government of Iran has banned service providers from offering high-speed internet access, of speeds above 128kbps. The telecom regulator declined to explain the reasons for the ban, which is seen by a pro-reformist newspaper, Etemad as part of an effort to counter western “cultural invasion”.

October 17, 2006

A subway train in Rome collided with another in Vittorio station. At least one woman has died and 60 people are injured.

Friday, September 9, 2005

Italian-based Fiat Auto SPA and US-based Ford Motor Co. announced they signed an agreement to cooperate in designing two small car models. This came only seven months after General Motors severed their relationship with Fiat.

Both companies plan to work together on a new version of the popular Fiat Cinquecento and on a replacement for the Ford Ka, both to be based on the Fiat Panda platform.

The cooperation can help reduce the companies’ small car production costs and ease financial difficulties they are facing. Ford is struggling with high labor and health care costs, while Fiat suffers from its unprofitable Italian plants.

After the deal was announced, shares of Fiat rose $0.06 to $9.44, while Ford gained $0.06 to $9.95 on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

Monday, December 3, 2007

The caretaker prime minister of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, reappeared on the political stage today as he accepted the royal request to suggest solutions to the ongoing federal government formation talks.

Recollecting his statement to the press on June 10, 2007, when he recognised his electoral loss and the victory of his opponent Yves Leterme, he told reporters today that he “hadn’t thought nor hoped to face you once more, but the King has asked me to inform him on a short term about possible strategies to deal with the political stalemate in which we have ended up over the last few months.”

Indeed, after 177 days, the country’s political parties have still found no compromise on the roles of the French- and Dutch-language community. Two days ago, Leterme returned to King Albert II to tender his resignation as leader of the formation talks.

The incumbent PM said he would discretely contact the leaders of all democratic parties during the next few days. He said his starting point would be dual: the country needs a considerable reform of its federal status, and there are certain urgent problems that outrange the capacities of the caretaker government dealing with the ongoing affairs.

Verhofstadt called for all involved to take responsibility, in the interest of the country and its citizens.

Sunday, June 12, 2005

In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin adopted the following resolution at their state convention:

CALLING ON THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO INITIATE IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS AGAINST PRESIDENT BUSH, VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY AND DEFENSE SECRETARY RUMSFELD FOR HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS

WHEREAS, the Downing Street Memo shows that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld began planning and executing the war on Iraq before seeking Congressional and UN approval;

WHEREAS, UN weapons inspectors showed prior to the invasion that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, there is further mounting evidence that the Administration lied or misled about “mushroom clouds,” “connections to 9/11,” and “war as a last resort” as they sought UN, Congressional, and public approvals;

THEREFORE, RESOLVED, the DPW asks Congress to immediately begin impeachment proceedings against President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld.

The resolution alleges that the Bush administration “lied or misled” Congress and the American people concerning the justification for the war. The “Downing Street memo” and reports from U.N. weapons inspectors are mentioned as evidence of deception.

Newly elected state party Chairman Joe Wineke said, “Democrats, not only in Wisconsin but throughout the U.S., have been outraged by what we believe has been a clear cover-up of why the U.S. went into Iraq,” and that the resolution expresses “the sense of frustration that Democrats in Wisconsin have over fighting a war for the wrong reasons.”

Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor, does not think the resolution will be successful and said that even if the House of Representatives began impeachment proceedings against the president and vice president, “I don’t think you can impeach the secretary of defense”.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Penske Automotive Group, Inc., an Ohio-based investment group and Telesto Ventures have indicated separately that they are interested in purchasing the Saturn auto brand from General Motors (GM).

According to The Wall Street Journal, Nissan-Renault is interested in purchasing Saturn. Bloomberg, however, indicated that Nissan-Renault may be a partner of Penske’s potential bid. If Penske acquired the brand, they would distribute Saturn vehicles and outsource the assembly.

GM revealed that the Saturn brand along with Saab and Hummer were up for sale when unveiling their restructuring plans to Congress for governmental loans. While the Pontiac brand was originally to be a niche brand, GM had changed their plans recently and decided to eliminate the brand.

Telesto Ventures is an investment group that includes private equity firm Black Oak Partners LLC of Oklahoma City and several Saturn dealerships. Initially, Telesto will purchase Saturn branded cars from GM then act as a general retailer for foreign brands. Telesto is in talks with several foreign manufacturers.

The Ohio group includes many former senior auto company managers plus private financial backers, chemists and engineers who live in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Florida. This group plans to initially purchase cars from GM then purchase existing but closed plants due to automaker restructuring. Additionally, one of the partners indicated a willingness to accept some “legacy” cost in relation to the United Auto Workers. The Ohio group is also pursuing possible loans or other support from national and state governments.

GM is reviewing several offers for Saturn. GM has contracted with S.J. Girsky & Co. to advise them on the sale.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

New Zealand has been voted the coolest place in the world by United Kingdom brand: CoolBrands.

Coolbrands is owned by a consultancy firm in the UK, called Superbrands. It started in 2001, CoolBrands is a way of telling how ‘cool’ a brand is. Superbrands defines “brands that have become extremely desirable among many style leaders and influencers. They have a magic about them, signifying that users have an exceptional sense of taste and style.”

George Hickton, chief executive of Tourism New Zealand, said: “This win is a vindication of the recent work we’ve put in to the UK market, with the Chelsea Flower Show and our 100% Pure New Zealand advertising campaign ensuring New Zealand stays top of mind with potential travellers.”

“It’s very gratifying to see we are such a desirable destination, especially as this poll includes opinion leaders who can have an real influence on people’s travel choices.” says Mr Hickton. “this is the second award New Zealand has received in the UK this September, with Conde Nast Traveller magazine also voting New Zealand best destination this month.”

Editor of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine, Sarah Miller, called New Zealand a “point of authenticity.” And professional nation brander, Wally Olin, said “New Zealand has been very, very clever. It has turned its disadvantages into advantages.”

“Reaping the benefits of its recent marketing campaign, New Zealand is apparently the hottest place to be,” said the London News.

650 brands were chosen by researchers which were then put before 23 judges and were made available for the public, of which 1,725 people participated in an online survey. Five percent of the original 650 made it to the finals, including Morocco, Maldive and Australia.

New Zealand receives most of its tourists from Australia, closely followed by the UK.

The top ten destinations included:

1. New Zealand
2. Morocco
3. Fiji
4. Prague
5. Australia
6. Maldives
7. Amsterdam
8. Brighton
9. Bahamas
10. Bermuda

Friday, August 15, 2008

Hissen Habre, the former President of Chad, has received a death sentence for plotting to overthrow the Chadian government. He is currently in exile and is living in Senegal.

In addition, the head of Rally of Forces for Change, Timane Erdimi, was sentenced to death in absentia as well as 10 other individuals. Erdimi is related to the current President of Chad, Idriss Déby. 32 other people were penalized with hard labor.

The inquiry said that Habre’s government was responsible for 40,000 politically motivated murders and 200,000 torture cases.

The trial, which began on Tuesday, lasted for three days. The individuals tried in the hearing, received no legal defence throughout the period. El Hadj Diouf, Habre’s lawyer in Senegal, stated that “this is a manipulation … I’m not taking this seriously.” Habre is expected to be tried in Senegal per the request of the African Union. The trial could potentially be years away, as no official date has been set.

Since being forced out of power in 1990, Habre has fought in a rebellion against the Chadian government along the eastern border of the country.