fuzhong.org

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Turkish police arrested two colonels and two lieutenants Saturday as part of a wide-reaching probe into a suspected coup plot. The arrests are the latest related to an alleged clandestine neonationalist organization referred to as “Ergenekon“. The Ergenekon case has had adverse effects on financial markets in Turkey, a candidate for the European Union.

Turkey’s state-run news service, Anatolian News, reported that the four Turkish army officers were arrested in Istanbul for alleged ties to a right-wing group suspected of conspiring to overthrow the AK Party government. 40 people were detained on Wednesday, including three retired army generals.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an and General Ilker Basbug, Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, held crisis talks on Thursday to discuss the recent waves of arrests. General Basbug met with the prime minister after a six-hour meeting with military commanders, including members of the Gendarmerie, Turkish Air Force, and Army. After his meeting with the prime minister, General Basbug met with President Abdullah Gul. President Abdullah Gul met with Besir Atalay, Turkey’s interior minister.

The talks between Erdogan and Basbug prompted a spate of selling on the Istanbul Stock Exchange, which fell by six percent on Thursday. TUSIAD, the main business association in Turkey, voiced its hope that investigators respect the legal rights of the suspects.

Turkish media also reported Saturday that law enforcement officials found ammunition and grenades buried near Golbasi lake outside Ankara, supposedly related to the Ergenekon organization. According to the Turkish media reports, police found a drawing in the home of former police chief Ibrahim Sahin, which led them to the site. Ibrahim Sahin was among the 40 individuals arrested Wednesday.

Deniz Baykal, who heads Turkey’s secular chief opposition party the Republican People’s Party, was critical of the arrests made by police under the AK Party government. “We are witnessing a confrontation against the Republic’s core values. This is a regime change, like in the Khomeini and Hitler eras,” said Baykal at a news conference held Wednesday. According to Baykal, the Ergenekon investigation is an attempt by the government to silence opposition. Other members of the opposition have also criticized the investigation as being politically motivated.

In a statement published in the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, Justice Minister Mehmet Ali ?ahin asserted that the Ergenekon investigation is judicial and appropriate. “The investigation has no political aspects. Detentions are purely juridical. I follow developments from the press,” said ?ahin.

Wikinews interviewed a college graduate and resident of Turkey who wished not to be named, and this individual shared thoughts on the effects of the Ergenekon investigation on local citizens. “It affected everyone in the country. Everyone wonders if they are next,” said the source. “I am terrified here – anytime the wind is not in favor of the ruling party a new wave of this crap happens.”

Members of the Turkish state bureaucracy, military, and judicial system make up the country’s secularist establishment. According to Reuters, this secularist establishment states that the arrests carried out by the AK Party are retaliatory, in response to a 2008 court case. The court case attempted to ban the AK Party, which has roots in political Islam, for anti-secular activities. The AK Party has denied these claims.

“The risk of a reaction by the military is growing as the Ergenekon probe is turning into a test of strength between the AKP and secularist circles,” said analyst Wolfango Piccoli of the Eurasia Group in a statement published in the Financial Times.

The investigation by the government began in June 2007, when officials discovered a cache of arms in Istanbul in the home of a retired military officer. According to The Guardian, in total approximately 200 people have been arrested in relation to the investigation. 86 individuals have been indicted since the investigation started, including many officials from the military and two retired four-star generals. In addition to military officials, the investigation has focused on journalists, writers, politicians and leaders of gangs. The murder of journalist Hrant Dink is sometimes cited as possibly linked to the Ergenekon case.

The indictments allege involvement in plans to increase instability in the country through political assassinations. Hürriyet reported that the Ergenekon investigation has faced criticism in the past for detaining suspects for extended periods of time in prison without charges, and for its reliance on insubstantial evidence. In the past 50 years, the country’s military has intervened to topple four governments in Turkey.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Former U.S. Commissioner of Internal Revenue Mark Everson took some time to talk with Wikinews about his campaign for the U.S. Republican Party’s 2016 presidential nomination.

Everson served as Commissioner of Internal Revenue, the administrative head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from 2003 to 2007, during the George W. Bush administration. After his departure, he briefly served as CEO of the American Red Cross, worked in the cabinet of Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, and worked for the tax consulting firm alliantgroup. He announced his candidacy this past March with a sixteen-page open letter in which he outlined the six pillars of his campaign: amnesty for illegal immigrants, reinstatement of the military draft, a promise to serve only a single presidential term, and calls for tax reform, deficit reduction, and corporate responsibility.

He was excluded from the August 6 Fox News Republican presidential debate and has been excluded from most presidential polls. However, he is listed on the Republican Party’s website as one of 18 candidates and filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against Fox News for his exclusion from the August 6 debate.

With Wikinews reporter William S. Saturn?, Everson discusses his 2016 campaign, the media blackout of his campaign, and his views on the presidency and the possible Everson administration.

Monday, May 26, 2008

The 27th Young Designers’ Exhibition 2008, recognized by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) as the largest show of student creations, recently ended Sunday May 18. It was held at the Taipei World Trade Center. Improvements and expansions were seen with 107 academical and industrial units. Different design competitions participated and showcased their products and also received awards.

It’s no doubt that companies related to design and cultural industries want to discover creative talents from academical units in this exhibition. However, most companies still try to showcase different conceptional and applicative products in order to promote Taiwan’s designs into the world market. A typical example is Fora Series, a photo-voltaic product series by the Tsann Kuen Trans-nation Group.

Before entering into their careers, students participated in this show and showcased varied styles that differ from the usual industrial businesspeople. To get more opportunities and in order to interact with the design and cultural industries, students also participated in vast competitions and tried to get the top places. Some students also tried to design conceptional products in conjunction with industrial designs, especially in some design competitions.

In summary, not only did the 2008 YODEX, have companies which can discover talents and showcase achievements of industrial design in the exhibition, but students can make their stages to showcase excellences from their creations in several competitions related to YODEX.

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Tuesday, November 6, 2007

An Australian soldier has been found dead with a gunshot wound in a barracks area in Dili in East Timor.

The soldier, working with the International Stabilisation Force in the turbulent country was found dead on the afternoon of November 5. The exact details of his death are still unknown but Air Chief Angus Houston said an inquiry will be launched as part of the investigation.

“The soldier’s next of kin have been informed and our priority is to ensure the family is receiving the support and care they need,” Houston said.

About 850 Australian Defence Force soldiers have been deployed to East Timor as part of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), the military component of United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste. The country was recognised as independent from Indonesia in 2002.

Three Australian servicemen have died on active service in one month.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Methane gas was blamed for the explosion deaths of 8 miners in southern Polish‘s Halemba coal mine Tuesday, November 21. Officials say at least 15 are missing.

Rescue efforts were halted because dangerously high levels of methane gas returned, according to Zbigniew Madej, spokesman for state-owned Coal Co., which operates the mine.

The missing miners’ locater devices were not emitting signals, increasing rescurers’ concerns for their well-being. Grzegorz Pawlaszek, head of Coal Co., said the 15 missing miners’ fate is “not known,” but added that “there is a chance to find someone still alive.”

“This is a tragedy. People have died here,” Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said when he came to Ruda Slaska to see the blast.

Earlier Wednesday, a reconnaissance rescue team descended 3000 feet toward the blast scene, only to retreat because of safety concerns related to high methane gas levels. Rescue digging efforts were also halted because of explosion concerns.

The missing men were aged 21-59. One of the miner’s family members, Andrzej Pytlik, 30, remained on scene with his sister, hoping and waiting for news of her husband, Krystian Gaszka.

Pytlik, also a miner, said through teary eyes that, “I work in the mines and I know that hope is scant because that’s the truth.”

The explosion occurred in a closed portion of the mine where the now-missing miners were working to retrieve abandoned equipment. According to Pawlaszek, the value of the equipment was $23 million, adding that “It was new equipment and that is why we decided to retrieve it.”

He indicated that the recovery work was performed under the supervision of gas detection specialists, and that the bodies of the recovered miners were difficult to identify because of the severity of burns and because their ID tags were blown away in the explosion.

The Halemba mine, located in Ruda Slaska, has produced coal for nearly 50 years, has been fraught with safety concerns and has a track record of serious accidents. One of the oldest mines in Poland, it is centrally located in the industrial Silesia region.

Earlier this year, a miner was trapped underground in the Halemba mine five days after a cave-in. In 1990, 19 miners were killed and 20 hurt in a gas explosion, and five were killed in collapse in 1991.

Inside, priests and mining officials were comforting and counseling with distraught relatives. Outside, eight white candles flickered on a main gate wall.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

British chef Keith Floyd has died at the age of 65 after a heart attack in Dorset, England.

Keith Floyd was best known for his cookery programmes, particularly on British television channel BBC, although he has also featured on shows on ITV. He was arguably most popular for his Floyd on series, with shows like Floyd on Food, Floyd on Spain, Floyd on Italy etc. He also presented Floyd on GMTV in 1998. Keith had been presenting programmes from 1984 to 2001.

On July 29, it was reported that Floyd had been diagnosed with bowel cancer in June. After undergoing five serious operations, 90% of the cancer was removed. He later had chemotherapy. He died on Monday of a heart attack in his partner’s house in Dorset, England.

Famous chefs around the world have been expressing their sadness for his death and made comments about him to British newspaper, The Guardian. Among them was Rick Stein, who said, “I first met Keith in the early 80s. He used to come to the restaurant regularly and knew Padstow well because his first wife came from Port Isaac. At a time when I was experimenting with Provençal dishes like Bouillabaisse and Bourride he was a Gauloise-smoking, red wine drinking hero who had actually owned a restaurant next to the Mediterranean. One thing was certain — he cooked like a dream and loved food and wine with a passion.”

Other cooks such as Michel Roux, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Heston Blumenthal expressed condolences. Gordon Ramsay stated, “Keith Floyd was a true original. A natural performer and a superb cook, he broke new ground with his programmes and his contribution to television cookery was immense.”

Marco Pierre White stated that, “A little piece of Britain died yesterday which will never be replaced. He was an individual, he was a maverick, he was mercurial, he was magical, he was special, he was rare.”

Keith Floyd died on September 14, the same day a documentary was broadcast on Channel 4 called Keith Meets Keith, which featured comedian Keith Allen interviewing Keith Floyd. It emerged that his death was just a few hours beforehand, however the information was unknown at the time of broadcast.

Celia Martin, who was staying with Floyd at the time of his death, gave an interview with London local newspaper Evening Standard.

“When we got home he had a siesta and got up feeling a bit headachy. We had both eaten a lot so I put it down to that. He laid down on the sofa and I thought he went to sleep. Then suddenly his breathing became erratic,” Martin said. “I phoned for an ambulance and the operator gave me instructions on how to help him. He didn’t say anything at all. The ambulance people were here for about an hour. They thought there was a chance they could save him. It was so bizarre, we were sitting down to watch the documentary at 10pm but by that time he had died.”

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Retired West Virginia engineer Lowell Jackson “Jack” Fellure won the presidential nomination of the Prohibition Party yesterday at the party’s National Convention in Cullman, Alabama. He won on the second ballot, defeating Thompson Township tax accessor James Hedges of Pennsylvania, who initially ran unopposed. Party Chairman Toby Davis of Mississippi received the vice presidential nomination.

The Prohibition Party is the third oldest existing political party in the United States, having been established in 1869. It reached its height of popularity during the late 19th century. As its name suggests, the party heavily supported the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which banned the sale of alcohol, and resulted in the US period known as Prohibition (1919–33). The party has declined since the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, but has continued to nominate candidates for the presidential election.

Fellure, 79, has run for president in every election since 1988, though usually as a Republican. This run marks his first as a member of the Prohibition Party. On his campaign website, he cites the Authorized 1611 King James Bible as his presidential platform, and calls for the teaching of the Bible in public schools, criminalization of homosexuality, and the elimination of abortion, the liquor industry and pornography. On economics, he supports reducing taxes and balancing the federal budget.

Hedges, the first Prohibition Party member elected to public office since 1959, announced his campaign in February 2010, and was the only candidate until last month. According to Vice Chairman June Griffin: “While Jim has contributed valuable resources to this Party…his positions regarding Environmentalism and passivity toward war forced me to vote for Jack Fellure. As well, his insistence on a moratorium on the building of nuclear plants caused much unrest among the membership. Yet he prevailed to install this plank.”

The ten voting Prohibition Party convention delegates and a few guests met for the National Convention, which began on Monday at the Holiday Inn Express in Cullman. Tuesday featured a short greeting from Cullman Mayor Max Townson, followed by addresses from Libertarian consultant Stephen P. Gordon, Ballot Access News publisher Richard Winger, and Eunie Smith of the Eagle Forum.

Gordon, who previously worked as the e-Campaign manager for the 2008 Bob Barr presidential campaign, jokingly commented that his speech “stunk”. He opened his address with the joke that “the way to pick out the libertarian at a Prohibition Party function is that I’m the one wearing the Jerry Garcia tie.” He discussed how third party candidates could utilize new media to their advantage, but avoided any ideological topics.

Winger, an expert on election law, discussed ballot access and the history of the Prohibition Party. He notably explained how the party had cost the Republicans presidential victories in the elections of 1884 and 1916, which forestalled the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment by Republicans, who wanted to do away with the alcohol issue. Gordon later commented that Winger’s speech was well-received by the audience.

After Winger’s speech, the convention broke for lunch. Afterwards, Smith, the widow of former Congressman Albert L. Smith, Jr., focused on immigration and education in her address. When asked about the Eagle Forum’s participation in the fight against alcohol, she commented that the group was focused on more pressing issues such as gambling.

After the nomination, some party members traveled to the grave of Sidney Catts in Florida. Catts, who died in 1936, was the first and only state governor elected from the Prohibition Party.

The party will now begin ballot access drives in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, New Jersey, Utah, Colorado, Tennessee and Arkansas. In 2008, the late Gene Amondson appeared on the ballot in Colorado, Florida and Louisiana and picked up a total of 653 votes.

Friday, September 29, 2006

New Zealand filmmaker, Peter Jackson and screenwriter Fran Walsh announced at the X06 convention, Wednesday, that they are teaming up with Microsoft to create Xbox and Xbox 360 games with their new company, Wingnut Interactive.

Wingnut Interactive will initially create another video game based on sci-fi series Halo with help from Microsoft and Bungie Studios, but staffed locally in Wellington. His second project can be whatever he likes, while trying to bring new people into the world of gaming.

Peter Jackson spoke to New Zealand news broadcaster, 3 News and said: “I want to able to experiment with ways of telling stories that’s not using the structure of a movie. It’s immersive and interactive, but it goes beyond (today’s) games. It’s what we’ve been looking forward to for 10 years. I’m sure it will start small and if things go well it will expand to fit whatever this turns into.”

Simon McCallum, computer scientist from the University of Otago, said: “For the new company to succeed it would probably need to employ a mix of industry veterans and about 20 or 30 top computer science graduates. However, at the moment New Zealand would struggle to fill any new jobs. In the past two years demand for computer science graduates had tripled while supply had halved.”

The New Zealand Game Developers Association said around 140 people work in the development of video games in New Zealand. They say the industry is worth between NZ$8 million and $10 million each year. “There is a lot of potential to do something very very big and something very revolutionary. We’ll just have to see what happens when the game comes out in a few years time, whether they deliver on that,” said Mario Wynands, from the New Zealand Game Developers Association.

David Mclean, director of Australia and New Zealand Xbox, said: “The whole ten billion dollar video games business will be looking at New Zealand and what Peter Jackson produces. There is no release date yet, because Jackson will take as long as necessary to ensure the games meet his exacting standards.”

Kerry Prendergast, mayor of Wellington said: “The venture’s potential boost to Wellington’s economy is enormous. Certainly the early advice I have is that it is worth millions of dollars and more jobs in our city.”

Peter Jackson is the producer for the movie version of Halo which is to be shot next year, in Wellington. Jackson also worked with Ubisoft to produce the King Kong video game.

Jackson said: “Xbox has fundamentally changed how people think about games. My vision, together with Microsoft Game Studios, is to push the boundaries of game development and the future of interactive entertainment.”

Microsoft also announced at X06 that it is releasing a HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360, which will come bundled with a free HD-DVD version of King Kong for a limited time only.