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Australia has “World’s Best Milliner” (not Minister)

Hunt-direct-actionTyping Error: Greg Hunt Actually Won Best Milliner In The World Award (Not Minister As Initially Reported) By  on February 10, 2016  http://www.theshovel.com.au/2016/02/10/typing-error-greg-hunt-actually-awarded-best-milliner-in-the-world/ Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt has not, in fact, won the award for Best Minister In The World, but rather a prize for hat making.

Initial reports this morning suggested Mr Hunt had won the inaugural ‘Best Minister In The World’ award at the World Government Summit in Dubai, leading to widespread bewilderment in Australia.

But a spokesperson from the Summit this afternoon said that it was nothing more than a typing error on the certificate, and that the award was actually for Mr Hunt’s millinery achievements.

While Mr Hunt is not well known for his hat-making prowess, the award was seen as more credible amongst analysts. “It did seem very far-fetched when the initial report came out. Whereas the hat-making thing – while a little strange – is at least plausible,” Political observer Ben McDaniel said.

A Liberal Party insider said the new award made more sense. “I’m not sure exactly what Greg Hunt has done for the millinery industry. But I’m confident it’s more than what he’s done for the environment”.

February 12, 2016 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Indian Point power plant radioactive leak gets worse

Cuomo to launch probe into troubled Indian Point power plant as radioactive leak gets worse

BY   NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

The amount of radioactive tritium leaking from the Indian Point nuclear power plant is growing, officials said Wednesday, prompting Gov. Cuomo to launch a multiagency probe into operations at the troubled plant
February 11, 2016,

New samples from groundwater monitoring wells show 80% higher concentrations of tritium compared with when the leak was first reported Saturday.

Cuomo had already ordered the state health and environmental conservation commissioners to investigate the incident. But on Wednesday, he ordered a more sweeping investigation that also includes the Department of Public Service.

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP WANTS INDIAN POINT POWER PLANT SHUT DOWN

In addition, investigators from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are scheduled to visit the plant on Thursday to look into the incident.

Entergy, the company that runs the plant, insisted there is no threat to public health or safety.

“Last week the company reported alarming levels of radioactivity at three monitoring wells, with one well’s radioactivity increasing nearly 65,000%,” Cuomo said. “The trends of unexpected outages and environmental incidents like these are extremely disconcerting.”………

environmentalists, who have called for the plant to shut down during the probe, said there have been too many leaks and other problems at the plant over the years.

“The news just keeps getting worse,” said Paul Gallay, president of the watchdog group Riverkeeper. “Our concerns go beyond the spike in tritium levels. This is about a disturbing recurrence of serious malfunctions — seven over the last eight months.”…… http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/indian-point-power-plant-radioactive-leak-worse-article-1.2526779?cid=bitly

February 12, 2016 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Arbitrary detention of Julian Assange – United Nations finding

Julian Assange arbitrarily detained by Sweden and the UK, UN expert panel finds United Nations Human Rights Office GENEVA (5 February 2016) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arbitrarily detained by Sweden and the United Kingdom since his arrest in London on 7 December 2010, as a result of the legal action against him by both Governments, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said today.

In a public statement, the expert panel called on the Swedish and British authorities to end Mr. Assange’s deprivation of liberty, respect his physical integrity and freedom of movement, and afford him the right to compensation (Check the statement:  http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=17012&LangID=E)

Mr. Assange, detained first in prison then under house arrest, took refuge in Ecuador’s London embassy in 2012 after losing his appeal to the UK’s Supreme Court against extradition to Sweden, where a judicial investigation was initiated against him in connection with allegations of sexual misconduct. However, he was not formally charged.

“The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention considers that the various forms of deprivation of liberty to which Julian Assange has been subjected constitute a form of arbitrary detention,” said Seong-Phil Hong, who currently heads the expert panel.

– See more at: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=17013&LangID=E#sthash.oPdlDR4g.dpuf

“The Working Group maintains that the arbitrary detention of Mr. Assange should be brought to an end, that his physical integrity and freedom of movement be respected, and that he should be entitled to an enforceable right to compensation,” Mr. Hong added.In its official Opinion, the Working Group considered that Mr. Assange had been subjected to different forms of deprivation of liberty: initial detention in Wandsworth Prison in London, followed by house arrest and then confinement at the Ecuadorean Embassy.

The experts also found that the detention was arbitrary because Mr. Assange was held in isolation at Wandsworth Prison, and because a lack of diligence by the Swedish Prosecutor’s Office in its investigations resulted in his lengthy loss of liberty.

The Working Group established that this detention violates Articles 9 and 10 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, and Articles 7, 9(1), 9(3), 9(4), 10 and 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Check the Working Group’s Opinion on Julian Assange’s case (No. 54/2015), adopted in December: http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Detention/A.HRC.WGAD.2015.docx

NOTE TO EDITORS:
The Opinions of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention are legally-binding to the extent that they are based on binding international human rights law, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The WGAD has a mandate to investigate allegations of individuals being deprived of their liberty in an arbitrary way or inconsistently with international human rights standards, and to recommend remedies such as release from detention and compensation, when appropriate.
The binding nature of its opinions derives from the collaboration by States in the procedure, the adversarial nature of is findings and also by the authority given to the WGAD by the UN Human Rights Council. The Opinions of the WGAD are also considered as authoritative by prominent international and regional judicial institutions, including the European Court of Human Rights.

……… http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=17013&LangID=E#sthash.oPdlDR4g.dpuf http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=17013&LangID=E

February 12, 2016 Posted by | civil liberties, Sweden, UK | Leave a comment

China and Soviet Union nearly started World War III

text-historyHow the Soviet Union and China Almost Started World War III  The National Interest, Robert Farley 9 Feb 16 Americans tend to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis as the most dangerous moment in Cold War brinksmanship. Despite some tense moments, Washington and Moscow resolved that crisis with only the death of U.S. Air Force pilot Maj. Rudolph Anderson Jr.

Seven years later, in March 1969, a contingent of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers raided a Soviet border outpost on Zhenbao Island, killing dozens and injuring scores. The incident brought Russia and China to the brink of war, a conflict that might have led to the use of nuclear weapons. But after two weeks of clashes, the conflict trailed off.

What if the brief 1969 conflict between China and the Soviet Union had escalated?…….http://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-the-soviet-union-china-almost-started-world-war-iii-15152

February 12, 2016 Posted by | history, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

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