The Inquisitr » News

Coal Mine Explosion Kills At Least 42 In China

AHN — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Harbin, China (AHN) – Rescuers in China’s Heilongjiang Province are searching for survivors after a gas explosion in a coal mine struck while workers were deep underground.

Authorities at the Xinxing Coal Mine in Hegang City confirm at least 42 miners are dead and believe another 66 are missing. Another 29 miners are at a local hospital with a variety of injuries, including six seriously wounded workers.

The accident occurred at about 2:30 am on Saturday, local time. The Heilongjiang Longmei Mining Holding Group, which owns the Xinxing Mine, says there were 528 miners working on the site at the time of the accident.

(Image: Chinese State Media)

Mobile Home Fire Kills 5 In Central Florida

AHN — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:17:10 +0000

Ocala, FL (AHN) – Authorities are investigating the cause of a mobile home fire in Ocala, Florida that has left five people dead.

Local authorities responded to a blaze at the Ocala Estates in Marion County. The fire occurred before sunrise on Saturday and fire rescue discovered the bodies after they put out the flames.

According to local reports, a woman and her four children, ages 3 months, and 2, 4 and 6 years, were killed.

E.Republic Acquires Times Publishing’s Governing Magazine

AHN — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:11:32 +0000

St. Petersburg, FL (AHN) – The Times Publishing Co. agreed Friday to sell Governing magazine to California media company e.Republic for an undisclosed price.

Governing began publishing in 1987 and claims governors, mayors, lawmakers, local council members and policy advisers among its 85,000 readers.

The Sacramento, CA, based e.Republic publishes Government Technology magazine and operates several web sites concerned with state and local government and education. It also runs the Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute.

Times Publishing publishes the St. Petersburg Times, a free daily tabloid, business magazine Florida Trend and the political fact-finding web site PolitiFact.com.

E.Republic’s chief operating officer, Paul Harney, said in a joint statement that the acquisition creates the largest media firm providing news, research and analysis of the $2.9 trillion state and local government market.

“The Times Publishing Company takes great pride in Governing, which we nurtured from its inception 22 years ago into the powerful brand it is today,” said Times vice president Andrew Corty. “As part of this combination, Governing has a bright future educating and informing its senior-level readership across the nation.”

This is the second publication Times Publishing has sold this year. In July, Congressional Quarterly was acquired by the Economist Group, which publishes Roll Call magazine.

The deal will close after Thanksgiving.

Governing will maintain its offices in downtown Washington, D.C., under the same editorial leadership, according to the statement.

Lou Dobbs: Senate, White House A Possibility

AHN — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:43:40 +0000

West Palm Beach, FL (AHN) – Former CNN host Lou Dobbs says he is not ruling out running for Senate or making a run for the White House in 2012.

Dobbs, 64, has been answering questions about his future since leaving CNN earlier in November after being pressured by network executives to alter his style of journalism and take a more middle-of-the-road approach.

Dobbs is known to be a big critic of President Barack Obama, and is strongly anti-immigration.

The 30-year veteran said if he decides to run for U.S. Senate it will be in New Jersey, where he is a resident, and if he decides to run for the White House it will be on a third-party ticket. Dobbs has not made a decision as of yet.

Study: Pregnant African Women Increasingly Avoid HIV Testing

AHN — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:00:33 +0000

London, England (AHN) – A recent paper in an AIDS journal reveals a large proportion of pregnant Ugandan women are going out of their way not to be HIV tested. By not adopting prevention is the best cure the women are increasing the risk of mother-to-child transmission.

Health officials say mother-to-child transmission of HIV can be easily and cost-effectively prevented using a short course of antiretroviral therapy. However, this is effective only if the mother is willing to be screened for HIV.

The findings the study sheds light on are quite sobering because currently there is an opt-out policy for HIV testing even though the HIV prevalence in Uganda is 6.4 percent.

A study analysis by Faculty of 1000 reveals that a year after the implementation of the opt-out policy, fewer than 60 percent of pregnant women were tested for HIV in 2007 in the majority of countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, the exception being Botswana where voluntary counseling and subsequent testing rates are higher.

Russian High Court Bans Death Penalty

AHN — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:38:23 +0000

Moscow, Russia (AHN) – Russia announced on Thursday that it was reaffirming its ban on the death penalty. The announcement came ahead of a January 1 legal suspension date.

The country’s Constitutional Court issued the ruling and said the use of death as a public deterrent to crime is now deemed impossible. The court cited the numerous international deals state officials signed banning it.

The original moratorium on the death penalty was enacted in 1996 when the country joined the Council of Europe. Despite the moratorium capital punishment however still remains in its criminal code and the country’s parliament has yet to officially outlaw executions. Despite the ruling by the Constitutional Court which was a key factor for the company to be admitted into the Council of Europe most opinion polls show the Russian people actually support a death penalty. A recent survey said that only one in four was against the penalty, mainly over fears judges would mistakes.

The current Penal Code on the books permits the death penalty for the following five crimes – murder with certain aggravating circumstances, attempted murder of a government or public official, attempted murder of a person carrying out justice or a preliminary investigation, attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, and genocide.

Under Russian law no crime has a mandatory death sentence. The above five instances where death penalty is permitted also allow a sentence of life imprisonment as well as a prison term of not less than eight or 12 (depending on crime) nor more than twenty, years. Furthermore men under the age of 18 or above the age of 65 at the time the offense was committed, and all women, are not eligible for a death sentence.

AOL to Shed 2,500 Jobs in Prep for Spin-Off

AHN — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:23:26 +0000

New York, NY (AHN) – Thousands of AOL employees can expect an unmerry Christmas next month as the company announced Thursday it will lay off or fire up to 2,500 employees in the coming weeks.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said the personnel reductions were part of the planned spin-off of AOL from Time Warner.

The company is trying to save $300 million a year through the restructuring, according to the filing. AOL also will take another $200 million in related charges.

A voluntary layoff program will begin Dec. 4 and continue through Dec. 11. If AOL does not get enough interest in the buyout program, it will begin firings.

Chief Executive Officer Tim Armstrong informed the company’s 6,900 employees in an e-mail that he would fore-go his 2009, which was expected to be at least $1.5 million.

AOL acquired Time Warner for $106 billion in 2001. The spin-off, announced by Time Warner in May, will occur Dec. 9. AOL will begin trading as a separate company the next day.

Share of Time Warner (TWX) were down 2 percent at 3:20 p.m.

Search Engines Increasingly Becoming Part of Modern Day Learning Process

AHN — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:03:44 +0000

University Park, PA (AHN) – According to Penn State researchers search engine use is not just part of our daily routines; it is also becoming part of our learning process.

The researchers seeking to discover the cognitive processes underlying searching studied the search habits of 72 participants while conducting a total of 426 searching tasks. What they found is that people tend to use search engines to fact checking users’ own internal knowledge, meaning that they are part of the learning process rather than simply a source for information.

Furthermore people’s varying learning styles can affect how they use search engines.

“Our results suggest the view of Web searchers having simple information needs may be incorrect,” said Jim Jansen, associate professor of information sciences and technology. “Instead, we discovered that users applied simple searching expressions to support their higher-level information needs.”

Internet search engine analysts say the study results provide useful information about how search engine use has evolved over the past decade and clues about how to design better search engines to address users’ learning needs in the future.

Detroit father accused of shooting, killing 15-year-old son in field

Kim LaCapria — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:22:11 +0000

37-year-old Jamar Pinkney Sr. is facing a first degree murder charge in the Monday shooting death of his son, 15-year-old Jamar Pinkney Jr., in a field in Detroit’s Highland Park.

The incident was sparked by allegations that the younger Jamar Pinkney had “sexual contact” with a three-year old. The boy’s mother, Lazette Cherry, confirmed to the Detroit Free Press that her son had admitted the incident to her, at which time she involved the elder Pinkney:

“I called and told his father. This isn’t something you sweep under the rug,” she said.

Cherry said the elder Pinkney arrived at the home with a gun, ordered his son to strip and marched him outside despite her protests.

“He got on his knees and begged, ‘No, Daddy, No,’ and he pulled the trigger,” Cherry said.

Defense attorney Corbett O’Meara hopes prosecutors will take Pinkney’s mental state into consideration when compiling their case:

“If something were to happen that would cause a reasonable person to lose control of himself, that is something the prosecution would have to take into account,” O’Meara said outside Highland Park District Court.

FAA computer glitch in Atlanta causes nationwide delays

Kim LaCapria — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:22:50 +0000

A glitch in a flight-plan program used by pilots at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is impacting flights across the US this morning.

As of 8am EST, AirTran Airways spokesman Christopher White indicated that 22 flights had been canceled across the nation and “dozens” more have been delayed due to the problem, a glitch that forces pilots to manually enter flight plans. White told CNN that the delays are unlikely to clear up without impacting flights throughout the day:

White said the problem will have “a pretty major impact on operations” and the cancellations will have a ripple effect.

“We will be a mess all day,” he said.

The problem, which had no effect flight safety, began after 5am and lasted until about 9:40 am EST. Although delays are centered in Atlanta, the “ripple effect” of delayed flights means prospective travelers should check ahead before heading to the airport to ensure arrivals/departures have not been affected.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/11/19/travel.glitch/index.html

US Army Suicide Rate Hits Record Despite New Mental Fitness Program

AHN — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:25:33 +0000

Washington, D.C. (AHN) – Suicides in the Army are set to hit a record, having reached the same number as last year. But military officials believe the statistic belies the progress being made in addressing what they say has been a historical deficit in how mental health problems are prevented and treated.

According to Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli, 140 active-duty soldiers and 71 soldiers not on active duty killed themselves this year. The active-duty suicides are equivalent to the total in 2008, while the number on non-active duty soldiers are higher by 14.

“Obviously we would prefer not to have another suicide this year or in the years that follow. But we know that will not be the case,” Chiarelli said in a press conference. “We talk about these incidents of suicide using figures and percentages. However the grim reality is, each case represents an individual, a person with family and friends and a future ahead of him or her… it is not a single problem with a defined set of symptoms or markers.”

“Over the past eight months, every suicide has been briefed to me,” he added. “And although we have made changes to Army policy based on many of the lessons learned, we still haven’t found any statistically significant causal linkage that would allow us to effectively predict human behavior.”

Chiarelli said suicides rose at Fort Campbell, and fell in Fort Hood, a post where troops prepare for and return from deployment and known for its abnormally high suicide rate. In addition, most of the suicides at Fort Campbell were by soldiers who never deployed.

Defense officials have been taking aggressive steps to address mental health issues of troops amid debate in Washington about whether to send more troops in the Afghan war, which is on its eighth year.

Roughly $3.3 billion is allocated in the 2010 defense budget for caring for injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments last month also held its first ever mental health summit.

“It is important to put these numbers in context and to talk about why we believe, despite these numbers, that we are making some progress,” Chiarelli said in his press conference. “Since March, the general trendline, with the exception of a couple of months, has been down. And we attribute this reduction in the number of suicides to the many actions we have taken, since February, to inform and educate leaders and soldiers on this important issue.”

The Army is working to end the stigma associated with seeking and receiving help for mental health, and has a new Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program that trains troops to be psychologically resilient.

It also has developed a new questionnaire for Military Entrance Processing stations, and for the first time gave a full battalion of returning soldiers mental health evaluations.

“We had a portion of that population, of that battalion, do face-to-face. And we had a portion of that population do it online,” Chairelli explained. “The key here is to be able to supplement our behavior health care providers for the return of a battalion. We want to increase this to a brigade and provide everybody, early on in the process, that evaluation and to come back at the 90-180-day mark and do it again, to identify those individuals who may be having trouble with reintegration.”

The Army is sorely in need of healthcare providers to continue its efforts. It has a shortage of about 300 substance abuse counselors and 800 mental healthcare providers.

Clinton In Afghanistan To Attend Karzai Inauguration

AHN — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:16:08 +0000

Kabul, Afghanistan (AHN) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived unannounced in Kabul, Afghanistan Wednesday to grace the inauguration of President Hamid Karzai.

Clinton met with Karzai at the presidential palace to congratulate him from getting a second term and signal Washington’s support for him despite his controversial election victory. She will also deliver Washington’s message for the Afghan government to stop corruption.

Clinton also met with the commanders of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Generals Stanley A. McChrystal and Karl W. Eikenberry, to get an overview of the security situation in the country.

At the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Clinton praised the diplomatic staff for their work amid a dangerous environment.

Report: 49 Million, or 14.6 Percent, of Americans Hungry; 1.02 Billion Hungry Worldwide

AHN — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:41:03 +0000

Washington, D.C. (AHN) – More people are going hungry in the United States with 49 million Americans, or 14.6 percent of the population, having trouble getting enough to eat.

In addition, some 5.7 percent of Americans experienced such high food insecurity that they either reduced the amount of food they ate or disrupted their eating patterns, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The report was troubling because while much of the developing world experiences high rates of food insecurity, most of the developed world has had lower rates of hunger.

But the United States is not alone in seeing higher numbers of people going hungry, the number climbed to 1.02 billion worldwide, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. And although the Philippines has become one of the most developed countries in Asia, it is among the nations at risk of experiencing a growing problem of food insecurity.

According to projections from an assessment by the USDA’s Economic Research Services (ERS) earlier this year, the number of hungry people in Asia could grow by 13 percent if there were a decline in export growth and a cutback in net capital inflows. In that worst-case scenario, the number of hungry people in the Philippines could jump to 20 percent of the population, ERS officials said.

Driver Trying to Flee Florida Accident Causes Fiery Crash Killing Another Motorist

AHN — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:27:58 +0000

Hollywood, FL (AHN) – A driver attempting to flee from a crash on Interstate 95 instead caused a fiery rush hour wreck. In the driver’s wake was a fiery carnage that left one person dead and several more injured.

According to authorities, the person who died perished when his vehicle went up in flames. A spokesman for the Florida Highway patrol has said in published reports that the remains were so charred investigators may need dental records to identify the person.

Reportedly, a man driving a Cadillac Escalade sideswiped two vehicles, and then sped off. However, before he could get away he hit two more cars. First, he struck a Ford Taurus, and then witnesses say the Escalade hit a Ford Expedition that stopped in the emergency lane. The resulting impact and crash ignited both SUVs and they burst into flames.

Officials say the man in the Expedition died at the scene. While authorities reveal that four people were rushed to an area hospital seeking medical treatment for their injuries, including the driver of the Escalade.

Of those injured, two are listed in critical condition.

Officials also say that people who witnessed the crash and blaze tried to rescue trapped victims but the flames were too intense. Traffic came to standstill on the heavily used highway for nearly five hours.

Charges may be forthcoming depending on the outcome of an investigation by authorities.

Orange County Firefighters Working to Contain Blaze

AHN — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:04:17 +0000

Orange County, CA (AHN) – Firefighters in Orange County are working to extinguish a wild land fire that began on Monday.

The blaze northeast of San Juan Capistrano has grown to more than 250 acres but is now 75 percent contained. Two firefighters have sustained minor wounds. The Ortega Highway remains open, and no structures are threatened.

The fire broke out at 11:30 am on Monday after a tractor hit an electrical pole. The California Department of Forestry and Fire, the same day, implemented a fire weather watch, saying several counties including Orange would experience gusty northeast winds and very low humidity.

More than 300 firefighters using three helicopters and one helitanker have been working to contain the fire, against winds with gusts of as much as 17 mph.

Australian Senator Calls Scientology A Criminal Organization

Duncan Riley — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:54:20 +0000

Australian Senator Nick Xenophon, best known in Australia for being the country’s biggest anti-gambling zealot, has a new target that like Pokies (slot machines) also likes to suck users dry: Scientology.

In an address to the Australian Senate Tuesday night, Xenophon declared that the Church of Scientology was a “criminal organization that hides behind its so-called religious beliefs.

Xenophon went on to detail letters he had received from former Scientologists in Australia, which he said made “extensive allegations of crimes and abuses that are truly shocking – crimes against them and crimes they say they were coerced into committing.”

”These victims of Scientology claim it is an abusive, manipulative, violent and criminal organisation, and that criminality is condoned at the highest levels.”

Xenophone called for a full police and Senate investigation, and also queried whether the Church should be allowed to keep its tax-exempt status.

“The activities of this organization should be scrutinized by parliament because Australian taxpayers are, in effect, supporting Scientology through its tax-exempt status. I say to all Australians: as you fill in your tax return next July or August, ask yourself how you feel knowing that you are paying tax and yet this criminal organization is not. Do you want Australian tax exemptions to be supporting an organization that coerces its followers into having abortions? Do you want to be supporting an organization that defrauds, that blackmails, that falsely imprisons?— because, on the balance of evidence provided by victims of Scientology, you probably are” he told the Senate.

“Do we really want to be funding an organization that turns supporters into victims in its pursuit of power and wealth? That is why I am calling for a Senate inquiry into this organization and its tax-exempt status. In the past Scientology has claimed that those who question their organization are attacking the group’s religious freedom. It is twisted logic, to say the least. Religious freedom did not mean the Catholic or Anglican Churches were not held accountable for crimes and abuses committed by their priests, nuns and officials— albeit belatedly. Ultimately, this is not about religious freedom. In Australia there are no limits on what you can believe. But there are limits on how you can be- have. It is called the law, and no-one is above it.”

Under Australian parliamentary rules, speakers have “parliamentary privilege” which allows them to speak out on issues without being subject to defamation laws.

Wife Who Helped Husband Abduct, Enslave Utah Teen Pleads Guilty

AHN — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:53:40 +0000

Salt Lake City, UT (AHN) – A woman who helped her husband abduct a teenager in March 2002 and enslaved her for nine months pleaded guilty to kidnapping charges before a Salt Lake City court on Tuesday.

Wanda Eileen Barzee, 64, also agreed to a 15-year-sentence and to testify against her husband, Brian David Mitchell, for the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart when she was 14. Mitchell, a self-proclaimed prophet, took Smart to a remote camp and made her his bride.

Barzee helped Mitchell keep Smart chained. Smart was raped several times by Mitchell.

The trial of Mitchell is pending as prosecutors worked to prove he is mentally competent to face charges in court.

Costco drops banhammer on Coke products

Kim LaCapria — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:55:41 +0000

Costco has taken a surprising stance in a pricing dispute with the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company, banning Coke products from Costco stores.

A Costco executive confirmed the ban to the AP, citing the disagreement over pricing, but refusing to comment further on the ongoing dispute. Coke told the AP that they intended to negiotiate in “a spirit of fairness” and that Costco is an “important customer.” Coke’s lineup of soft drinks includes Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Full Throttle energy drinks and Aquafina water.

While Costco won’t be removing Coke from the shelves, don’t expect any restocking of the brand’s offerings until the issue is settled between the two giants. If you’ve absolutely got to have Costco-sized Coke for your Thanksgiving shindig, or you’ve got a habit and a Costco card, you might want to stock up in the meantime until Costco and Coke resolve their differences. Or switch to Pepsi.

Best time to view the Leonid Meteor Shower 2009 is tonight

Duncan Riley — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:17:00 +0000

The annual Leonid Meteor shower reaches its peak early tomorrow morning (17th US/ 18th Australia) for those game enough to stay up or wake early to see it.

The Leonid Meteor shower is a prolific shower associated with the comet Tempel-Tuttle. The name, as it might suggest, comes from their location in the sky visually in alignment with Leo.

Depending on where you are during the shower will change what you can expect: in North America, expect to see between 30 and 200 meteors per hour. If you’re in Asia you could see more than 500 an hour, and possibly more than 1000 an hour.

If you’re looking to view the meteor shower in Australia, you might be hard pressed to see much at all, at least relative to how far south you are and you ability to view Leo. The meteors will appear in the North East.

Best time to view the Leonids meteor shower 2009 is from 1:30am through to dawn.

Four Pacquiao Fans Die From Heart Attack While Watching Boxing Bout

AHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:10:22 +0000

Manila, Philippines (AHN) – Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto is luckier than four fans of Manny Pacquiao despite losing his welterweight bout against the Filipino pugilist. The fans died from heart attack while watching the boxing bout on TV on Sunday.

In Butuan City, Concordio Paredes, 69, dropped dead while watching the second round of the Pacquiao-Cotto duel at an eatery.

In Batangas City, Cecilio Cabrera, 62, suffered a heart attack while watching the fight at a hotel. He was declared dead on arrival at a local hospital.

In Davao City, police officer Jose Paco, 59, finished watching the match before succumbing. He was also dead on arrival at a local hospital.

In Mabalacat, Pampanga, Abelardo Fernando, 70, suffered a heart attack after the seventh round. He was rushed to a hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

There were three other Pacquiao fans watching the fight in different parts of the Philippines when they suffered a cardiac arrest or stroke. But they all survived.