Austrian police find dozens dead inside lorry

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Austrian police find dozens dead inside lorry

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Austrian police today found an estimated 20–50 decomposing corpses in an apparently abandoned lorry.

Roadworkers who spotted the vehicle, which had been there since yesterday at least, alerted police. Responding officers found it full of corpses. The lorry is on the so-called “Eastern Motorway”, the A4, close to the Hungarian border. It was on the hard shoulder between Neusiedl and Parndorf, closer to Parndorf.

The victims are thought to have suffocated. Police are seeking the driver. The Krone published an image of a non-articulated food lorry on the hard shoulder, which they report is the vehicle in question. The photo shows a pool of dark liquid on the ground beside the vehicle.

Video from a passing motorist shows at least one helicopter on-scene. The truck, which has pictures of meat on the side, shows branding for Slovakian food firm Hyza. Earlier today the company’s website sported an apparent anti-immigration graphic, which has since been removed.

Wikinews got in touch with Hyza. “We are truly sorry about [the] tragedy” they told us in a statement. They said they have checked GPS trackers on their fleet and all their vehicles remain in Slovakia. The statement says the lorry in question was one of 21 Hyza vehicles sold on last year. It was then sold again and exported to Hungary, where it is now registered. Hyza told us the new owners have not changed the branding on the vehicle. According to the Bild newspaper, Agrofert — the parent company of Hyza — said in a statement the new owners were required to do so.

Hyza says they will “actively cooperate with Slovak police”, and “express [their] sincere condolences to the bereaved families.”

Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner called it “a dark day” and called for European Union-wide measures to protect immigrant refugees and tackle human traffickers. Neighbouring Hungary is constructing a border fence across its entire frontier with Serbia. Yesterday alone saw a record 3,241 attempts to enter Hungary illegally, according to authorities there.

Conflict in Syria and other parts of the world has led refugees to Europe. Once inside, they can move freely inside the Schengen Area, which covers most of the EU.

Austrian police earlier this week arrested three motorists suspected of people smuggling. One driver is accused of moving 34 people, ten of them children, into Austria from Serbia. The group were left by the roadside near Bruck an der Leitha and reported struggling to breathe in the van.

Posted: July 14th, 2018 by

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US home sales fall at fastest pace on record

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US home sales fall at fastest pace on record

Monday, January 25, 2010

Sales of previously owned homes in the US fell at the fastest rate ever recorded last December, according to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

According to the association, existing home sales fell 16.7% last month, to an annual rate of 5.45 million, the largest crash since 1968. The figure was less than the 5.90 million units, or an eleven percent drop, predicted by most analysts.

Sales of homes went up for the entire of 2009 to 5.156 million units, or 4.9% for the year, and prices dropped from 2008 by 12.4%.

NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun described the figures as being “probably the largest annual drop since the Great Depression”. He said that “the market is going through a period of swings driven by the tax credit. We’re likely to have another surge in the spring. Job creation is the key to a continued recovery in the second half of the year.”

Pierre Ellis, a senior economist for Decision Economics in New York, commented on the figures, saying: “The drop in home sales is the payback for the acceleration of sales that occurred with the original first-time home buyers tax credit. […] There is an issue as to whether the decline represents a fundamental weakening.”

“The housing market continues to face significant headwinds, including high unemployment, record delinquencies and foreclosures, the specter of rising mortgage rates as the Fed’s [mortgage-backed securities] purchase programs comes to a close in late March, and tight credit,” Omair Sharif, an economist for RBS Securities, noted.

“Still, the resale market showed resilience in the second half of 2009, and the expansion and extension of the tax credit to April 30 could boost purchases during the spring selling season,” he said.

“We’ll see a pickup in existing home sales in the next couple of months as people take advantage of the tax-credit extension”, economist Adam York of Wells Fargo Securities LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina claimed. He fore-casted a pace of 5.4 million. He said that there were unlikely to be buyers of homes, despite the fact that the U.S. was “past the bottom.”

All four regions of the country saw a decline in sales. In the Northeast, sales fell 19.5 percent, in the Midwest, they plunged 25.8 percent. The South, the country’s largest region, saw a 16.3% decline, while in the West, sales waned by 4.8%.

US stocks fell slightly after the announcement, but went back up later in the day.

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John Reed on Orwell, God, self-destruction and the future of writing

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John Reed on Orwell, God, self-destruction and the future of writing

Thursday, October 18, 2007

It can be difficult to be John Reed.

Christopher Hitchens called him a “Bin Ladenist” and Cathy Young editorialized in The Boston Globe that he “blames the victims of terrorism” when he puts out a novel like Snowball’s Chance, a biting send-up of George Orwell‘s Animal Farm which he was inspired to write after the terrorist attacks on September 11. “The clear references to 9/11 in the apocalyptic ending can only bring Orwell’s name into disrepute in the U.S.,” wrote William Hamilton, the British literary executor of the Orwell estate. That process had already begun: it was revealed Orwell gave the British Foreign Office a list of people he suspected of being “crypto-Communists and fellow travelers,” labeling some of them as Jews and homosexuals. “I really wanted to explode that book,” Reed told The New York Times. “I wanted to completely undermine it.”

Is this man who wants to blow up the classic literary canon taught to children in schools a menace, or a messiah? David Shankbone went to interview him for Wikinews and found that, as often is the case, the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

Reed is electrified by the changes that surround him that channel through a lens of inspiration wrought by his children. “The kids have made me a better writer,” Reed said. In his new untitled work, which he calls a “new play by William Shakespeare,” he takes lines from The Bard‘s classics to form an original tragedy. He began it in 2003, but only with the birth of his children could he finish it. “I didn’t understand the characters who had children. I didn’t really understand them. And once I had had kids, I could approach them differently.”

Taking the old to make it new is a theme in his work and in his world view. Reed foresees new narrative forms being born, Biblical epics that will be played out across print and electronic mediums. He is pulled forward by revolutions of the past, a search for a spiritual sensibility, and a desire to locate himself in the process.

Below is David Shankbone’s conversation with novelist John Reed.

Contents

  • 1 On the alternative media and independent publishing
  • 2 On Christopher Hitchens, Orwell and 9/11 as inspiration
  • 3 On the future of the narrative
  • 4 On changing the literary canon
  • 5 On belief in a higher power
  • 6 On politics
  • 7 On self-destruction and survival
  • 8 On raising children
  • 9 On paedophilia and the death penalty
  • 10 On personal relationships
  • 11 Sources
  • 12 External links

Posted: July 14th, 2018 by

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New Kent County Virginia: An Elite Address Since Colonial Times}

Submitted by: Elaine VonCannon

Since Colonial times, New Kent County Virginia has been a place where elite landowners, farmers, and professionals lived and prospered. Because New Kent County lies practically equidistant between Williamsburg and Richmond, Virginia, it offers rural seclusion while remaining close to big city amenities. New Kent County was home to many prominent politically connected and wealthy families, whose descendants still reside there today.

The most notable New Kent County resident was the mother of our country, Martha Dandridge Washington. Martha Washington was born at a farm called Chestnut Grove, in New Kent County Virginia on June 2, 1731, a property that was once nearly a 1200 acre parcel. Marthas father was John Dandridge, who emigrated from England with his two bothers William and John. In 1730, John Dandridge was County Clerk. That same year, he married Marthas mother, Frances Jones of York County. Martha was the oldest child of five sisters and three brothers. She married her first husband, Colonel Daniel Parke Custis in 1750 and lived at his estate, White House, on the Pamunky River. Custis died suddenly. Widowed and mother of two children, Martha married Colonel George Washington on January 6, 1759. Washington distinguished himself as a commander in the French and Indian War and also held an elected position of burgess in nearby Frederick County. In April of 1759 Martha and her children Jacky and Patsy moved away from New Kent County to Mount Vernon, Virginia.

During the 1800s, many other prominent Virginia landowning families, often with large land parcels or distinguished estate houses, resided in New Kent County. These included the Lipscomb family, who were mainly engaged in farming and at one time inhabited a Virginia Estate named White House. The family of Judge B.W. Lacey lived in New Kent County. Lacey served in the Virginia house of legislature in the late 19th Century. Augustine Delaware Hewlett and his loved ones also lived in New Kent County in the 1800s on a Virginia estate known as Sunnyside which is situated on the Pamunky River. This New Kent County waterfront estate consisted of 900 acres of land during Hewletts ownership of the property. Hewlett made a living from cultivating the land and selling lumber.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMRmlVLmxQw[/youtube]

The early Americans who inhabited New Kent County were of fine stock. Some served as commanders and leaders in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy. Often they were doctors, lawyers, legislators, or successful merchants. These early American ancestors are still very much alive in the minds of many inhabitants of New Kent County, Virginia, who still make their home there today.

Contemporary New Kent County Virginia is filled with infinite possibilities for the homebuyer who wants to purchase a distinguished elite address and a parcel of land along with a luxury home or a historic or country estate. The county still retains its agricultural ambience, making it a peaceful location to retire, relocate or purchase a second home. Waterfront estates are available along the Pamunky and Chicahominy Rivers and its tributaries, so the boater will find this location ideal. In order to find a waterfront estate, colonial estate, or large land parcel of land in New Kent County, work with a seasoned REALTOR who can identify when properties go on the market and can email them quickly. Call me at 757-288-4685 or email vonmor1@cox.net for an overview of available properties in the area and a commitment to finding the dream home or property desired.

For the homebuyer interested in settling into New Kent County Virginia, now is the time to invest. In addition to existing historic estates, country estates, waterfront estates, farms, and large land parcels, New Kent County has several distinguished areas from which to choose. Recently a new multi-phase community was just announced: the Farms of New Kent. This exclusive community will include 2,300 homes, an active adult retirement community, a signature golf course, vineyards, a winery, country inn, a village center, and over 600,000 square feet of retail and office space. The company developing the Farms of New Kent, Republic Land, has pledged to plan the community to be sensitive to the current rural character of New Kent, while providing for managed, economic growth.

Whether it is the simplicity of country living a family needs, or the excitement of big city culinary, cultural, and entertainment opportunities, New Kent County Virginia has it all. Living in New Kent County Virginia is a way of connecting to our rich American past, and forging a future with infinite possibilities.

About the Author: Elaine VonCannon is an award winning REALTOR with RE/Max Capital in Williamsburg, Virginia. She specializes in retirement and relocation in the Williamsburg, South Eastern Virginia area and in Virginia Estate properties. To learn more visit

voncannonrealestate.com

or

estatesinvirginia.com

. Email Elaine at vonmor1@cox.net.

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=81189&ca=Real+Estate}

Posted: July 14th, 2018 by

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New Zealand medical student funding to be reviewed

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New Zealand medical student funding to be reviewed

Monday, February 20, 2006

The New Zealand government has announced that it will be reviewing funding for medical and dentistry students at Otago and Auckland Universities to certify the institutions’ standards and help staff retention.

The dean of Auckland University’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Professor Iain Martin says the review “can’t come soon enough”.

The Medical Students Association welcomes the review. It says that it has been worried about student debt for years “High debt encourages too many graduates overseas, or into high paying areas of practice at the expense of areas like general practice”

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Oakland, California record release party catches fire

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Oakland, California record release party catches fire

Sunday, December 4, 2016

A fire broke out at a record release party in Oakland, California late on Friday night. Nine were confirmed dead the following morning with the death toll rising to 24 the next day.

The warehouse, known as Ghost Ship, was hosting a party for the release of the newest album by Joel “Golden Donna” Shanahan. It is in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood, a mix of commercial and residential buildings nestled together. The structure is one block away from Fire Station No. 13 and at least 55 firefighters spent four hours containing and stopping the fire which began at approximately 11:30 p.m.

Firefighters and police cordoned off the block to spectators. The two-story, mixed-use structure also housed the artist collective Satya Yuga who hosted the show and is being searched by firefighters. Out of approximately 50 attendees, at least 25 were declared missing. Shanahan was among the survivors.

Efforts to rescue partygoers were compounded by the roof caving in during the inferno as well as the stacks of furniture, art pieces, and supplies which turned into obstacles for first responders.

Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf:

Quote
Last night’s fire was an immense tragedy. I am grateful to our first responders for their efforts to deal with this deadly fire. Our focus right now is on the victims and their families and ensuring that we have a full accounting for everyone who was impacted by this tragedy. We are fully committed to sharing as much information as we can as quickly as possible.

The structure is owned by Chor N. Ng, who is also the proprietor of several other buildings in the East Bay. On November 13 Ng was cited by the city for having stacks of garbage in and around the warehouse. Most fatalities were reported to have occurred in the upstairs portion of the building where escape was hampered by unstable stairs and miscellaneous art pieces lying in the way. The building lacked any smoke detectors and sprinklers; fire extinguishers were found outside of the premises.

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Investments In Des Moines Angled Towards Progressive Cancer Research

byAlma Abell

Few battles are as universally accepted and fought for than the one against cancer. Cancer is ubiquitous. Cancer is a menace and the renowned focus on finding a cure has been perhaps no more determined than in 2015. Research is linking a lot of elements to cancer. For example, a high profile study on the quality of food in Americans eat is being directly linked to the increase in cancer cases in the US. Compound this with the renowned focus on health, and there is an absolute cancer crackdown.

This is coming to fruition in the variety of new immunotherapies being discovered and explored and the focus on cancer research in private Investments in Des Moines from companies such as Private Asset Advisory Group LLC. These methods seem to be more effective than what has been seen in the past with traditional chemotherapy. This year will mark the first year that these relatively new and alternative immunotherapies will be marketed in the mainstream. This is leaving billions and billions of dollars on the table with companies finding a way to provide these resources to general audiences.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv4HQG2Hz0I[/youtube]

So they are three big ways than cancers being fought in 2015, and they provide an incredibly prosperous opportunity for Investments in Des Moines that want to take a moral ground as well as a social ground.

* The fight with new immunotherapies alternative to chemotherapy

* The fight for mainstream drugs that are a lot more affordable for the masses

* The fight for a cure

Private investing has to move towards funding cancer research. This will include pushing the envelope even further towards finding a cure. But it could also be in refining and streamlining cancer efforts in new drug development as well as these commercialized immunotherapies.

The treatment of cancer has developed in a whole new way. Now companies are seeing that this battle is not only one that can be defeated in the future, but one that can be greatly minimized right now. Cancer is a constant threat. So there is a stronger push than ever (taking count of the highest cancer rates the country is seen in decades) to get rid of this risk. Furthermore, innovations and insurance on the political and has made cancer research more important than ever before and Investments in Des Moines pushing towards cancer research. Click here to know more.

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Wikinews Shorts: December 7, 2008

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Wikinews Shorts: December 7, 2008

A compilation of brief news reports for Sunday, December 7, 2008.

Contents

  • 1 ‘Progress’ seen in US auto bailout deal
  • 2 Ghana to hold elections
  • 3 Archbishop of York says Mugabe must be overthrown
  • 4 Scandal-ridden Congressman loses delayed election

Officials say that progress is being made in a deal to bail out three United States carmakers. The U.S. government will be holding weekend talks on the plan after two days of Congressional hearings.

Dana Perino, the White House press secretary, stated that discussions with both parties had been “constructive”.

Executives from the three companies – General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler – have pleaded before two Congressional committees, asking for $34 billion in order to stop collapse.

“I’m convinced that by Sunday we will have an agreement that people can understand on this bill,” said Barney Frank, a representative from the state of Massachusetts.

Sources

 This story has updates See Ghanian presidential elections go to run-off 

The people of Ghana, a country often shown of as an example of a good democracy in Africa, will vote for a new president and parliament.

The current president, John Kufuor, will resign after serving the maximum of two terms in office. The elections are expected to be close.

The three main contenders for the presidency are: the Nana Akufo Addo from New Patriotic Party, who was the foreign minister under the current president, John Atta Mills running for the National Democratic Congress, and the Convention People’s Party’s candidate, one Paa Kwesi Nduom.

Sources

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, said that Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe must be forced out of office and face trial for his crimes against humanity.

“The time has come for Robert Mugabe to answer for his crimes against humanity, against his countrymen and women and for justice to be done. The winds of change that once brought hope to Zimbabwe and its neighbours have become a hurricane of destruction, with the outbreak of cholera, destitution, starvation and systemic abuse of power by the state,” said Sentamu.

Sentamu that the power-sharing deal that was signed by Mugabe and the Zimbabwean opposition in September was “now dead”.

Dr Sentamu’s statement comes after a severe cholera outbreak spread in Zimbabwe, and saw 12,545 cases reported and 565 people dead.

Sources

Republicans experienced another victory late Saturday, as the Associated Press called the race in Louisiana’s 2nd district at 22:35 CST in favor of Anh “Joseph” Cao, heralding the first Vietnamese-American member of Congress and sending the incumbent scandal-ridden Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson home after nine terms.

Sources

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.
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.

Posted: July 14th, 2018 by

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Thousands of trapped miners rescued in South Africa

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Thousands of trapped miners rescued in South Africa

Thursday, October 4, 2007

As many as 3,200 mine workers became trapped in the in Elandsrand mine, a gold mine in South Africa about 50 miles (80 km) west of Johannesburg in Carletonville, Gauteng, after an incident on October 3. All miners have been rescued, and none of them were injured. The mine is owned by Harmony Gold Mining Corporation.

The mining company says that a lift electrical cable broke on a basket that was carrying miners, trapping thousands at least 2,200 meters (1.3 miles) below the earth’s surface. Reports from MSNBC and the Guardian Unlimited say that the shaft may have collapsed when a water or air pipe burst. The rescue operation went well with no complications, with the rescue taking just under 24 hours to complete.

“They were underground when the accident happened and they were not able to surface because an electric feeder cable that is connected to the mine lift was severed,” said a spokeswoman for the mining company, Amelia Soares. The snap was caused by a “fatigued” air pipe which burst and fell down the shaft damaging the “steelwork and electrical feeder cords,” added Soares. “They are all in good condition.”

“They are all safe. There have been no injuries or deaths,” said CEO of Harmony mining, Graham Briggs who also said that the miners were previously contacted and were given “food and water.”

Earlier reports had stated that Lesiba Seshoka, a spokesman with the National Union of Mineworkers, said that the miners have not been heard from for hours and that they could have been enduring temperatures as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).

“This is a terrible situation. The only exit is blocked, probably by a fall of ground,” said Seshoka.

Rescue workers used a mine shaft that is next to the damaged one in an attempt to reach the trapped miners, and lifted them out, 75 at a time. There was no emergency exit in the shaft which is reported to have “not been maintained for ages,” added Seshoka.

“An escape route is the most important thing and they have failed miserably. They need to ensure that the shaft is maintained. This is why we have this disaster. Our main worry is for more than 3,000 people who are underground,” said National Union of Mineworkers for S. Africa chairman, Deon Boqwana.

Current reports say that “negligence” was the initial cause for the pipe burst and that there has been a history of negligence from the mine. “We suspect negligence. Because of continuous operations there is no time to make adequate checks,” said the President of the Miners union, Senzeni Zokwana to reporters during a news conference.

The Elsrand mine is currently under development and has been since February 2001 when Harmony bought the mine. Officials state that the mine will remain closed for a minimum of six weeks, while an investigation is performed, and the mine is deemed safe for miners to continue working in it.

The mine is located in the Witwatersrand Basin of South Africa, which is said to be the location of the largest area of raw gold on the planet.

Posted: July 14th, 2018 by

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On the campaign trail in the USA, October 2016

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On the campaign trail in the USA, October 2016

Sunday, November 6, 2016

The following is the sixth and final edition of a monthly series chronicling the U.S. 2016 presidential election. It features original material compiled throughout the previous month after an overview of the month’s biggest stories.

In this month’s edition on the campaign trail: the Free & Equal Foundation holds a presidential debate with three little-known candidates; three additional candidates give their final pleas to voters; and past Wikinews interviewees provide their electoral predictions ahead of the November 8 election.

Contents

  • 1 Summary
  • 2 Free & Equal Debate
  • 3 Final pleas
  • 4 Predictions
  • 5 Related articles
  • 6 Sources

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