The company that has exclusive rights to salvage the Titanic is planning a possible expedition to the world’s most famous shipwreck next year, it emerged today.
The first expedition to the North Atlantic shipwreck since 2004 is revealed in a filing by RMS Titanic in A US District Court in Norfolk, Virginia.
Four days of hearings are scheduled to begin today on the company’s claim for a salvage award.
Lawyers for RMS Titanic confirmed the expedition plans but declined to discuss them in detail with The Associated Press.
Monday, 26 October 2009
Baghdad buries its dead after massive car bombings
Services were held around the city amid heightened security that jammed traffic during the morning rush hour. The bombings targeted two government buildings, calling into question the government’s ability to protect itself as it prepares for January elections and the US military withdrawal.
“Sadness is overwhelming today in the office,” said one government employee, who asked not to be named.
“It’s as if we are sitting at a funeral in the office because many of our colleagues and people we know were killed.”
The attacks targeted the Baghdad Provincial Administration building and the Justice Ministry, wounding hundreds of people. Officials revised the number of wounded down to about 500 today, from 700. There have been no claims of responsibility or arrests so far.
Tunisian president re-elected
Tunisia’s president has been re-elected for a fifth five-year term with 89.62% of the vote, the country’s interior ministry announced today.
It was the lowest percentage of the vote by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali since he took power in a bloodless coup in 1987.
Mr Ben Ali was last re-elected in 2004 with more than 94% of votes – a drop from his previous victories, which fluctuated between 99.2 and 99.7%.
Runner-up Mohamed Bouchiha won 5.01% of the vote and Ahmed Inoubli 3.80%, but both were viewed as largely cosmetic opposition.
The third candidate, Ahmed Brahim of the Ettajdid, or “change” movement, scored 1.57% of the vote.
“At least, we’ve established the existence of a credible opposition movement in Tunisia,” Mr Brahim said in an interview today with The Associated Press. He declined to comment on his score.
The results, which included results from Tunisians voting abroad, were announced by Interior Minister Rafik Haj Kacem at a news conference today.
The turnout rate was 89.45% of Tunisia’s 5.3 million voters, authorities said.
It was the lowest percentage of the vote by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali since he took power in a bloodless coup in 1987.
Mr Ben Ali was last re-elected in 2004 with more than 94% of votes – a drop from his previous victories, which fluctuated between 99.2 and 99.7%.
Runner-up Mohamed Bouchiha won 5.01% of the vote and Ahmed Inoubli 3.80%, but both were viewed as largely cosmetic opposition.
The third candidate, Ahmed Brahim of the Ettajdid, or “change” movement, scored 1.57% of the vote.
“At least, we’ve established the existence of a credible opposition movement in Tunisia,” Mr Brahim said in an interview today with The Associated Press. He declined to comment on his score.
The results, which included results from Tunisians voting abroad, were announced by Interior Minister Rafik Haj Kacem at a news conference today.
The turnout rate was 89.45% of Tunisia’s 5.3 million voters, authorities said.
Villagers beat bear to death
A wild bear was battered to death by villagers in east India after it mauled seven people, including a child.
The animal entered their houses in the village of Kesarapalli in the state of Orissa from the nearby Malati forest early in the morning and attacked them, a forest official said.
It is not the first time bears have been killed by villagers this year.
In the latest incident, villagers reportedly panicked and killed the bear before forest officials arrived. Some of those attacked were taken to a nearby health centre, but their injuries were not known.
The forest department registered a criminal case, but no arrests have been made yet, the Times of India quoted forest officer P K Mallick saying.
The animal entered their houses in the village of Kesarapalli in the state of Orissa from the nearby Malati forest early in the morning and attacked them, a forest official said.
It is not the first time bears have been killed by villagers this year.
In the latest incident, villagers reportedly panicked and killed the bear before forest officials arrived. Some of those attacked were taken to a nearby health centre, but their injuries were not known.
The forest department registered a criminal case, but no arrests have been made yet, the Times of India quoted forest officer P K Mallick saying.
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Jackson memorabilia goes on show
The collection includes more than 250 objects including many that have never before been seen up close in public.
It will be exhibited for the first time at at the O2 arena where the star was planning a series of spectacular farewell shows before his sudden death in June.
As well as concert and video costumes the collection includes an original Jackson 5 contract, personally commissioned portraits and Jackson’s personal Rolls Royce.
Michael Jackson: The Official Exhibition will be on show for a limited time from Wednesday and this will be fans’ only chance to see it in the UK.
Dates and venues for two further exhibitions will be announced later.
Jackson’s estate administrators John Branca and John McClain said: “Michael Jackson: The Official Exhibition will let Michael’s fans celebrate his life, artistry and humanitarian efforts in a way that respects and honours his legacy.”
Miliband backs Blair as EU president
But he ruled himself out of the other high-ranking post created by the Lisbon Treaty, High Representative for Foreign Affairs, saying: “I am not a candidate for that. I am not available.”
Mr Miliband said that a Blair presidency would be “very good for Britain as well as very good for Europe” and said he was “puzzled” by Conservative opposition to the prospect of having a British politician in such a senior European role.
The Foreign Secretary, a close personal ally of Mr Blair, appeared to suggest that the former Prime Minister would be interested in the post only if it gave him real political clout in the international arena.
The leaders of the 27 EU member states meet in Brussels on Thursday to thrash out the remit of the new president, with some of the smaller states believed to favour a low-profile role involving little more than chairing meetings.
Mr Miliband indicated that Mr Blair wanted a job in which, when he arrives in foreign capitals, “the traffic does need to stop” and he is guaranteed access to political leaders at the highest level.
The Foreign Secretary told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show: “I think it is very important for Europe that it has a strong figure in that role, it has someone able persuasively to advocate the case that is decided by the 27 member states of the EU.
“I think it would be very good for Britain as well as very good for Europe if Tony Blair was a candidate and was chosen.”
Mr Miliband said he expected the new President to be selected by the 27 EU leaders soon after the Lisbon Treaty is finally signed by Vaclav Klaus, the President of the Czech Republic, the only member-state which has not yet ratified.
“I think this is an important moment for Europe. It has got a new Commission, hopefully with the passage of the Lisbon Treaty a new system of running its affairs, a more efficient system,” said the Foreign Secretary.
“It needs to take that opportunity, otherwise we will find the world run by America and China without any reference to us.”
Death toll rises to 136 in Iraq bombings
Iraqi leaders said the attacks aimed to disrupt political progress in the months leading up to January’s crucial elections.
While violence has dropped dramatically in the country since the height of the sectarian tensions, the latest bombings underscored the precarious nature of the security gains and the insurgency’s abilities to still pull off devastating attacks in the centre of what is supposed to be one of Baghdad’s most secure areas.
The street where the blasts occurred had just been reopened to vehicle traffic a few months ago when blast walls were repositioned to allow traffic closer to the government buildings. Such changes were touted by Iraq’s prime minister as a sign that safety was returning to the city.
“The perpetrators of these treacherous and despicable acts are no longer hiding their objective but to the contrary, they publicly declare that they are targeting the state ... and aiming at blocking the political process, halting it and destroying what we have achieved in the last six years,” President Jalal Talabani said.
There have been no claims of responsibility so far, but massive car bombs have been the hallmark of the Sunni insurgents seeking to overthrow the country’s Shiite-dominated government.
Black smoke billowed from the frantic scene, as emergency service vehicles sped to the area. Even civilian cars were being commandeered to transport the wounded to hospitals.
“The walls collapsed and we had to run out,” said Yasmeen Afdhal, 24, an employee of the Baghdad provincial administration, which was targeted by one of the car bombs. “There are many wounded, and I saw them being taken away. They were pulling victims out of the rubble, and rushing them to ambulances.”
At least 25 staff members of the Baghdad Provincial Council, which runs the city, were killed in the bombing, said council member Mohammed al-Rubaiey.
The provincial council is the city government, which oversees a broad range of city services including distribution of food ration cards, a holdover from Saddam-era sanctions against Iraq. The council also administers garbage collection, electricity and the distribution of fuel for generators and is responsible for the maintenance of the cities schools. It is composed of 57 directly elected representatives.
The blasts are a blow to Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, who has staked his reputation and re-election hopes on returning security to the country.
The attacks came as Iraq was preparing for elections scheduled for January. Officials have warned that violence by insurgents intent destabilising the country could rise.
The area where the blasts occurred is just a few hundred yards from the Green Zone that houses the US Embassy as well as the prime minister’s offices.
The attacks occurred just hours before Iraq’s top leadership was scheduled to meet with heads of political parties today and reach a compromise on the disputed election law ahead of a crucial parliamentary vote in January.
The explosive-laden vehicles were sitting in parking garages next to the two government building, police said.
“They are targeting the government and the political process in the country,” Major General Qassim al-Mousawi, spokesman for the city’s operations command centre, told The Associated Press. He said the blasts were the work of suicide bombers who drove the vehicles into the parking lots, before blowing them up.
The coordinated bombings were the deadliest incident since a series of massive truck bombs in northern Iraq killed nearly 500 villagers from the minority Yazidi sect in August 2007. In Baghdad itself, however, it is the worst attack since a series of suicide bombings against Shiite neighbourhoods in April 2007 killed 183 people.
Mr Maliki toured the blast sites later in the day.
Today’s explosions also injured nearly 600 people who were taken to six area hospitals. Medical officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, gave the death toll.
Video images captured on a cell phone showed the second blast going off in a massive ball of flames, followed by a burst of machine gun fire.
“This is a political struggle, the price of which we are paying,” said provincial council member Mr al-Rubaiey. “Every politician is responsible and even the government is responsible, as well as security leaders.”
Three American security contractors, working for the US embassy in Baghdad were injured in the blasts, but no American embassy personnel were killed, said Philip Frayne, an embassy spokesman. Mr Frayne could not immediately provide details about who the contractors were escorting to the site, which company they worked for or, or the nature of their injuries.
The explosions were just a few hundred yards from Iraq’s Foreign Ministry which is still rebuilding after massive bombings there in August. The bombings were a devastating blow for a country that has seen a dramatic drop in violence since the height of the sectarian fighting in 2006 and 2007.
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