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Pentagon planning for long-term Myanmar aid

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:23:36 -0400

Pentagon planning for long-term Myanmar aid:

ARLINGTON, Va. — U.S. military officials continued Thursday to make plans for large-scale relief operation to aid cyclone-stricken Myanmar, but the refusal of the ruling military junta there to accept more than token assistance had one official concerned about possible unrest or even widespread riots.

Joint Task Force Caring Response, as the U.S. military has dubbed the humanitarian relief operation, has established its logistics headquarters at Utapao Thai Royal Navy Air Base, Thailand.

C-130 transports belonging to the 374th Airlift Wing from Yokota Air Base, Japan, are forward-deployed to Utapao in support of the operation.

One official said he is concerned that Burma’s citizens might begin to riot if they are made to suffer unassisted for too long.

“I think what we’re going to start seeing is people will rise up,” he said. He said that there are some reports from witnesses on the ground that in some areas, “people are starting to get pissed off,” although it is not widespread, and “there are no reports of the military getting violent” in retaliation.

“At some point, you’d have to say, how much suffering are you going to allow?” he said.

California Supreme Court Overturns Gay Marraige Ban

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:25:41 -0400

California Supreme Court Overturns Gay Marraige Ban:

The California Supreme Court ruled today that same-sex couples should be permitted to marry, rejecting state marriage laws as discriminatory.

The state high court’s 4-3 ruling was unlikely to end the debate over gay matrimony in California. A group has circulated petitions for a November ballot initiative that would amend the state Constitution to block same-sex marriage, while the Legislature has twice passed bills to authorize gay marriage.

UN chief to send envoy to Burma

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:36:46 -0400

UN chief to send envoy to Burma:

Secretary General Ban-ki Moon will be sending a UN envoy to Myanmar, also known as Burma, to convince military general to accept foreign aid.

More than 2.5 million people have now been severely affected by Cyclone Nagris, which hit the military-ruled country nearly two weeks ago. The official death toll stands at 38,500.

Meanwhile, there are reports that the junta are hoarding what little aid is reaching the worst hit areas around Yangon. The UN World Food program said they have only been able to move 20% of the 375 tonnes of food into the flooded plains.

Turner Prize 2008 Shortlist Announced

Wed, 14 May 2008 18:43:28 -0400

Turner Prize 2008 Shortlist Announced:

Runa Islam

For her solo exhibition Centre of Gravity at Bergen Kunsthall, Bergen and NationalMuseum of Art, Oslo and the presentation of her work at Venice Biennale 2007 for the continuing development of a unique visual language in her films. Islam creates closely choreographed films with open ended narratives that are analytical and emotionally charged.

Mark Leckey

Mark Leckey has been nominated for his solo exhibitions Industrial Light & Magic at Le Consortium, Dijon, and Resident at Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, which combine sculpture, film, sound and performance. With wit and originality, Leckey continues to find new genres through which to communicate his fascination with contemporary culture.

Goshka Macuga

For her solo exhibition Objects in Relation, Art Now at Tate Britain and her contribution to the 5th Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art for her carefully staged, mixed-media installations in which she draws on the conventions of the historical archive and exhibition making. Enacting a form of cultural archaeology, Macuga enlists the collaboration of artists past and present in dramatic environments that suggest new narratives and associations.

Cathy Wilkes

For her solo exhibition at Milton Keynes Gallery, that showed her personal approach to figurative sculpture. Through rigorous, highly charged arrangements of commonplace objects and materials, Wilkes has developed an articulate and eloquent vocabulary that touches on issues of femininity and sexuality.

Food Crisis Hits Fallujah

Wed, 14 May 2008 17:21:48 -0400

Food Crisis Hits Fallujah:

FALLUJAH, May 12 (IPS) — Sharp increases in food prices have generated a new wave of anti-occupation and anti-U.S. sentiment in Fallujah.

“This is a country that was damned by the Americans the moment they stepped on our soil,” Burhan Jassim, a farmer from Sichir village just outside Fallujah told IPS. “This is Iraqi land that has always been blessed by Allah with the best production in quality and quantity, but now see how it has been turned into a wasteland.”

Fallujah faces this new crisis after much of the city was destroyed by U.S. military operations in 2004.

The area around Fallujah city, which lies 70 km west of Baghdad, has traditionally been one of the most agriculturally productive in Iraq. Farmers planted tomatoes and cucumbers north of Fallujah, others grew potatoes south of the city near Amiriya. Both areas had plenty of date palm trees and small fruit plantations. Now production is down to a fraction of what it was.

Farmers have been struggling with changing times. “We changed our motors from electric to diesel oil to avoid electricity failures during the UN sanctions (during the 1990s),” Raad Sammy, an agriculture engineer who has a small farm in Saqlawiya on the outskirts of Fallujah told IPS. “We used to have a minimum of 12 hours electricity per day under the programmed cut, but there is practically no electricity now. And now we also have to face lack of fuel for our pumps, and the incredible increase of fuel prices on the black market.”

The price of agricultural products has skyrocketed. “The average price for one kilogram of tomatoes is approximately one dollar,” Yasseen Kamil, a grocer in Fallujah told IPS. “This price is when there is no crisis such as Americans blocking the entrance into the city. It is naturally doubled in winter when we have to import everything from Syria and Jordan.”

Fallujah residents say the price of food now exceeds their income. The average income for government employees is 170 dollars a month, and no more than 100 dollars for labourers and salesmen.

Residents say unemployment in the city is well above 50 percent. Under these circumstances, a food crisis has hit people harder than it might elsewhere.

“The social effects of the situation are enormous,” Ahmed Munqith from the city told IPS. “We believe that people are carrying out illegitimate acts in order to obtain their daily life necessities. The food crisis has led to vast corruption, and raised crime rates to peak point.”

As with any difficulty now, many Iraqis believe that the occupation forces want it this way.

“It is obvious that the prices are up and life is difficult in this city and all of Iraq because it has been so planned,” Sheikh Ala’in, a cleric in Fallujah told IPS. “Occupation planners designed this poverty in order to make Iraqis work for them as policemen and spies. Iraq is floating on a lake of oil, but there is no gas to run water pumps. What an irony.”

Residents say they are told of a world food crisis that may be affecting them. But their crisis arises mainly from local factors like shortage of water, fuel and electricity.

Whatever the reason, residents simply want relief. “We just want our lives back,” said a college student who gave her name only as Nada. “We want to eat, buy clothes, get proper education and breathe pure air. No thanks to Americans for their effort to bring us democracy that killed half of us by their bombs and is now apparently killing the other half by starvation. Can you pass this message to the American people for us?”

According to the UN, at least four million people in Iraq do not have enough food, while approximately 40 percent of the 27.5 million population do not have access to clean drinking water. At least 30 percent do not have access to proper health services.

Aussie straps in beer, not child

Wed, 14 May 2008 11:12:58 -0400

Aussie straps in beer, not child:

A car driver in Australia has been fined for strapping down his beer rather than his young child.

Police said they were “shocked and appalled” when they pulled over the car south of Alice Springs in Australia’s Northern Territory.

They said the 30-can pack of beer was strapped down between two adults in the back, with the five-year-old child unrestrained on the floor.

O2 hints at 3G iPhone launch date

Wed, 14 May 2008 08:06:57 -0400

O2 hints at 3G iPhone launch date:

The 3G version of the iPhone will be unveiled “in the coming weeks”, the boss of Apple’s exclusive mobile phone partner in the UK and Ireland hinted today.

Speculation is rife that Apple will reveal the 3G version of the phone at its Worldwide Developers’ Conference in San Francisco, which starts on June 9.

Apple has not released any technical details for the next-generation iPhone, but it is widely expected to include 3G connectivity. This would let users download data such as high-quality video much faster, and could even support mobile TV.

Speaking after the announcement of O2’s first-quarter results, the chairman and chief executive of Telefónica Europe Matthew Key said his company will be making an announcement with Apple in “the coming weeks”.

Asked exactly when the 3G phone will be available he said: “That’s more of a question for Apple … but over the coming weeks we will do a joint announcement with Apple as Telefónica Group”.

New Storm Heads Toward Myanmar

Wed, 14 May 2008 08:02:52 -0400

New Storm Heads Toward Myanmar:

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Another powerful storm headed toward Myanmar’scyclone-devastated delta, where so little aid has reached that the U.N. warned on Wednesday of a ”second wave of deaths” among an estimated 2 million survivors.

The U.S. military’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said there is a good chance that ”a significant tropical cyclone” will form within the next 24 hours and head across the Irrawaddy delta area.

The area was pulverized by Cyclone Nargis on May 3, leaving at least 34,273 dead and 27,838 missing, according to the government. The U.N. says the death toll could exceed 100,000. An estimated 2 million survivors of the storm are still in need of emergency aid. But U.N. agencies and other groups have been able to reach only 270,000 people so far.

In a sign that Myanmar may allow outside help, Dr. Thawat Sutharacha of Thailand’s Public Health Ministry said Wednesday the junta has given permission to a Thai medical team to go to the cyclone-hit delta.

Apple is gay-friendly, survey shows

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:58:19 -0400

Apple is among the top six gay-friendly brands in the US, recent research reveals. The company shares the status with Bravo, Showtime, HBO, Absolut and Levi’s. Apple is seen as gay-friendly by 39 per cent of the gay and lesbian population in the US, just behind Bravo’s 52 per cent share.

Clinton wins in West Virginia, CNN projects

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:48:27 -0400

Clinton wins in West Virginia, CNN projects:

Sen. Hillary Clinton will win West Virginia’s Democratic primary by a wide margin, CNN projects. As polls closed on Tuesday, it was too early to tell exactly how big the margin of victory was.

Her campaign is hoping a big win will raise doubts about Barack Obama’s electability in the general election.

Bombings rock Indian tourist city

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:57:36 -0400

Bombings rock Indian tourist city:

At least 60 people have been killed and more than 150 wounded after a series of bomb blasts tore through the city of Jaipur in western India, officials say.

The bombs went off near historic monuments in the crowded old city at one of the busiest times of the day.

The head of state police said it was a terrorist attack. Reports suggest the death toll could rise.

Jaipur, in Rajasthan, is a popular tourist destination about 260km (160 miles) from the Indian capital, Delhi.

No group has admitted planting bombs in Jaipur. It is not yet clear what the motive for attacking the city might be.

Clinton aims for big win in West Virginia

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:34:14 -0400

Clinton aims for big win in West Virginia:

Hillary Clinton may be looking to go out with a bang as she is poised to win big in the West Virginia primary while rumours swirl she is looking toward the exit.

Obama retains his lead in delegates and — for the first time ever in the campaign race — superdelegates.

Amidst the competition, fears of a split in the Democratic party where again disputed, as a new poll showed two-thirds of national Democrats said there is no rush for Hillary to quit the race ahead of the final vote on June 3.

Robert Rauschenberg, Titan of American Art, Is Dead at 82

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:51:50 -0400

Robert Rauschenberg, Titan of American Art, Is Dead at 82:

He died of heart failure, said Arne Glimcher, chairman of PaceWildenstein, the artist’s gallery in Manhattan.

Mr. Rauschenberg’s work gave new meaning to sculpture. “Canyon,” for instance, consisted of a stuffed bald eagle attached to a canvas. “Monogram” was a stuffed Angora goat girdled by a tire atop a painted panel. “Bed” entailed a quilt, sheet and pillow, slathered with paint, as if soaked in blood, framed on the wall. They all became icons of postwar modernism.

A painter, photographer, printmaker, choreographer, onstage performer, set designer and, in later years, even a composer, Mr. Rauschenberg defied the traditional idea that an artist stick to one medium or style. He pushed, prodded and sometimes reconceived all the mediums in which he worked.

He will be missed. Rauschenberg was so fluent and groundbreaking in so many facets of art, his influence will live on for many generations to come.

Families Argue Autism-Vaccine Link in Special U.S. Court

Mon, 12 May 2008 20:13:00 -0400

Families Argue Autism-Vaccine Link in Special U.S. Court:

Overall, nearly 4,900 families have filed claims with the U.S. Court of Claims alleging that vaccines caused autism and other neurological problems in their children. Lawyers for the families are presenting three different theories of how vaccines caused autism. The theory at issue Monday was whether vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal caused autism.

Lynn Ricciardella, a Justice Department lawyer, said that theory has not moved beyond the realm of speculation. She said that the Institute of Medicine and theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention have rejected any link between thimerosal and autism.

Deadly earthquake hits China

Mon, 12 May 2008 09:56:30 -0400

Deadly earthquake hits China:

As many as 5,000 people are dead, another 10,000 are injured as a 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook the Sechuan province.

Most of the damage is in the Beichuan county, where at least eight school collapsed, trapping as many as 900 students inside. The death toll is expected to rise throughout the clean-up effort.

For First Time, More Superdelegates Favor Obama

Sat, 10 May 2008 13:01:24 -0400

For First Time, More Superdelegates Favor Obama: The trump card Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton held in her faltering bid for president — her support among the superdelegates who can control the fate of the Democratic nomination — began slipping from her grasp on Friday as Senator Barack Obama moved into the lead on this front, with uncommitted delegates declaring their allegiance to him as others deserted her.

Democrats spend $200,000 on Political Art

Thu, 08 May 2008 19:52:39 -0400

Democrats spend $200,000 on Political Art:

Could the Clinton/Obama fight to secure the presidential nomination be clinched by a Karaoke sing-a-long? For when Democratic delegates meet in Denver from 25 to 28 August, they will be treated to $200,000 worth of “participatory” art commissioned by the city and the Democratic National Convention (DNC) host committee.

Seth Goldenberg, director of the DNC public programme Dialog:City, has asked ten artists to create work which will take place across Denver and focus on political issues. Daniel Peltz will present a Karaoke sing-along of presidential candidate speeches in bars, clubs and restaurants. The DNC has given $200,000 towards the commissions.

Australia likely to abandon $1m whale case against Japan

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:46:00 -0400

Australia likely to abandon $1m whale case against Japan : AUSTRALIA is likely to abandon its $1 million attempt to take Japan to the international court over whaling after New Zealand gave up plans to use legal action to stop the cull. The Rudd Government embraced the use of the UN’s international court soon after the election, using aircraft and ships to gather evidence against Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean.

But the New Zealand Government has since discovered “significant difficulties” with taking Japan to the international court and has abandoned the tactic.

The hunt for evidence against Japan in its “scientific hunt” for whales became highly contentious when the crew of the environmental crusader ship Sea Shepherd was accused of piracy and violence after activists threw bottles of “acid” and boarded a Japanese whaling ship.

Ahead of official visits to Japan by Kevin Rudd next month and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith this week, expectation is growing that Australia’s aggressive attempt to take Japan to court over whaling will lapse.

Last night, Mr Smith told The Australian the Government would make a final decision on whether to pursue Japan in an international court “at an appropriate time” based on legal advice and the evidence gathered by the Customs vessel Oceanic Viking.

Speaking from South Korea, he said the Government would make its decision on legal action “in dialogue with the Japanese Government”.

The likelihood of a resolution without going to an international court has increased after the New Zealand Government dropped its plans to build an international case against Japan over whaling.

Pakistan tests nuclear-capable missile

Thu, 08 May 2008 07:06:53 -0400

Pakistan tests nuclear-capable missile:

PAKISTAN today successfully tested a nuclear-capable, air-launched cruise missile with a range of 350km, the military said, a day after India tested a long-range missile.

The Hatf-VIII (Ra’ad) missile has been developed exclusively for launch from aircraft, a military statement said.

“It has enabled Pakistan to achieve a greater strategic stand-off capability on land and at sea,” it said.

The indigenously developed missile also had special stealth capabilities and could deliver all types of warheads with great accuracy, the military said.

India yesterday tested a nuclear-capable missile with a range of more than 3000km.

The south Asian neighbours, who have fought three wars since their independence in 1947, routinely test missiles in spite of a peace process launched in 2004 that has led to better relations.

Pakistan tested nuclear weapons in 1998, days after old rival India conducted similar tests.

Six New World Auction Records Set Including Monet, Giagometti, Rodin and Miro

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:13:23 -0400

Six New World Auction Records Set Including Monet, Giagometti, Rodin and Miro:

This evening’s sale of Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s New York totaled $277,276,000/£140,749,239/€178,887,742, Christie’s third highest result ever for the category. The auction featured particularly strong results for both 19th and 20th century paintings and sculpture created by some of the leading masters of art history. The sale was 82% sold by value, 76% sold by lot.

“We saw very strong prices in many areas this evening as the global market responded positively, and we are pleased with the overall result for the sale. Christie’s set new auction records for major masters, and it was particularly gratifying to note sculpture continued its ascent in the marketplace, and now commands prices equivalent to great pictures,” said Marc Porter, President of Christie’s Americas.