by rakesh | Sep 24, 2006 | World News
The Shree Air helicopter had 20 passengers and four crew. The passengers were on their way back from a conservation site at Ghunsa, in the far eastern part of the country, some 500km from the capital, Kathmandu.
Seven WWF staff are among the missing, three from WWF-Nepal, two from WWF-US and two from WWF-UK. Other passengers included government officials and representatives of other non-governmental organizations.
“We hope that all on board will be rescued safely,” WWF International’s Director General James Leape said today.
“Our thoughts are with our missing colleagues and their families and WWF is doing everything it can to help the government of in its search for the helicopter.’’
by rakesh | Sep 9, 2006 | World News
I am grateful to Gov. Bill Richardson and Ambassador Khidir Ahmed. Both have worked tirelessly with National Geographic and the Chicago Tribune to secure Paul’s release. In a telephone conversation this evening Paul told me he’s concerned about the safe return home of his Chadian interpreter and driver — Suleiman Abakar Moussa and Idriss Abdulraham Anu — who are scheduled to be released with him in El Fasher Saturday. I assured him that I and the National Geographic Society will take responsibility for getting them home safely.
Chris Johns is in Khartoum, Sudan, with Governor Richardson’s delegation.
Source: National Geographic Society
by rakesh | Sep 6, 2006 | World News
Teams are evaluating data on what might have caused a voltage spike in the fuel cell’s coolant pump that cools the fuel cell system. Mission
managers will hold a meeting at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday to assess the
issue. There will be a news conference on NASA TV at the conclusion
of the meeting.
During STS-115, the astronauts will deliver and install a girder-like
structure, known as the P3/P4 truss aboard the station. The
35,000-pound piece includes a set of giant solar arrays, batteries
and associated electronics. The arrays eventually will double the
station’s power capability.
Atlantis’ crew, Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Chris Ferguson and mission
specialists Dan Burbank, Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper, Joe Tanner and
Steve MacLean, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut, remains at Kennedy Space Center.
by rakesh | Sep 4, 2006 | World News
Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality this morning at Batt Reef off Port Douglas.
It is believed Mr Irwin’s American-born wife Terri is trekking on Cradle Mountain in Tasmania and has yet to be told of her husband’s death.
Mr Irwin – known worldwide as the Crocodile Hunter – is famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchcry “Crikey!”.
The father of two’s Crocodile Hunter program was first broadcast in 1992 and has been shown around the world on cable network Discovery.
He has also starred in movies and has developed the Australia Zoo wildlife park, north of Brisbane, which was started by his parents Bob and Lyn Irwin.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who used a photograph of his family at Australia Zoo for his official Christmas card last year, hailed Mr Irwin for his work in promoting Australia.
Mr Irwin was heavily involved in last year’s “G’Day LA” campaign.
“The minister knew him, was fond of him and was very, very appreciative of all the work he’d done to promote Australia overseas,” a spokesman said.
The Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) said a call was received about 11am (AEST) and an emergency services helicopter was flown to the boat on Batt Reef off the coast near Cairns with a doctor and emergency services paramedic on board.
Mr Irwin had a puncture wound to the left side of his chest and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Irwins have two children – a daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin, eight, and a three-year-old son, Robert (Bob) Clarence Irwin.
Bob was involved in a controversial incident with his father in January, 2004, when he dangled him near a crocodile at Australia Zoo.
Mr Irwin carried his infant son in one arm while feeding a dead chicken carcass to a crocodile with the other hand.
Child welfare and animal rights groups criticised his actions as irresponsible and tantamount to child abuse.
Mr Irwin stated any danger to his son was only a perceived danger and that he was in complete control of the situation.
Courtsey/Source: news.com.au
Photo courtsey/source: Guardian Unlimited
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PS: Traffic at news.com.au is too much so I copied the text here for your views.
by rakesh | Sep 2, 2006 | World News
Motions are also being tabled in the UK Parliament, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly, and it is planned for other countries to follow suit.
This is believed to be the first time that a global animal protection campaign has been initiated in the US and European Parliaments on the same day, and signals an international drive to end non-human primate experiments.
The ADI campaign has the backing of Twiggy, Alexei Sayle, Jenny Seagrove, Carol Royle, and Uri Geller who this week have appeared online urging people to back a primate test ban. The call is also backed by over 150 animal protection groups around the world indicating how momentum is gathering on this especially sensitive area of animal research.
International Primate Day will be marked with activity in Europe and the USA, with a new report on non-human primate experiments being delivered to Tony Blair at 10.30am on Friday, 1 September. The new ADI report will highlight not only the similarities between humans and other primates, but the crucial differences that are so important in biomedical research, as well as the non-animal techniques that could be used instead.
Jan Creamer, Chief Executive of ADI: “Earlier this year, people in the UK were horrified by the terrible side effects suffered by human volunteers, caused by the test drug TGN1412. The drug had been given to monkeys in doses 500 times stronger without such side effects.”
The report is accompanied by a new video and photographs taken this summer inside Europe’s largest laboratory monkey supply facility. The facility in Camarles, Spain currently holds several hundred macaque monkeys from Mauritius but has a capacity for around 3,000. Europe currently uses a total of approximately 7,500 macaques a year, so ADI fear the centre could fuel an explosion in EU monkey experiments.
It’s time for change
The EU is currently considering plans to overhaul animal experimentation rules under EC Directive 86/609, including a possible ban on experiments on chimpanzees and a review of the future of experiments on monkeys in the EU. If the EU takes a stand as is hoped, then it would be logical for the US to do the same.
A Written Declaration is being sponsored in the European Parliament by UK MEPs David Martin, Vice-President of the European Parliament (Labour–Party of European Socialists); Robert Evans (Lab–PES); Sajjad Karim (Liberal Democrats–Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe); together with Portuguese MEP Paulo Casaca (PES), President of the Inter Group on Animal welfare and Swedish MEP Carl Schlyter (Green Party). The declaration supports International Primate Day and urges:
“… the Commission to propose an end to all non-human primate experiments in the revision process of Directive 86/609 EC on the use of animals in scientific procedures, specifically: to prohibit chimpanzee experiments and the use of wild-caught primates in the EU and phase out all non-human primate experiments in the EU over the next 6 years.”
Jan Creamer: “There is a genuine opportunity to end the suffering of primates in laboratories. The EU has recognised this and MEPs have before them the chance to take huge step forward. These animals are our closest relatives; almost all of the primate species share more than 90% of their genetic make up with us, with chimpanzees and humans differing by as little as 2% of DNA. The similarities in behaviour, emotions, and intellectual performance between ourselves and our fellow primates are striking. It is time for the European Union to take action to protect the primate nations.”
The motion before the US House of Representatives is being tabled by Nancy Pelosi (Democrat), the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.
The motion before the Scottish parliament is being tabled by Chris Ballance (Green Party).
An Early Day Motion before the UK Parliament has been tabled by Colin Challen MP (Lab), and has the backing of fourteen MPs – Bob Russell, David Drew, Andrew Dismore, Derek Wyatt, Eric Illsley, Kelvin Hopkins, Greg Knight, Jeremy Corbyn, Ann Cryer, Andrew George, David Taylor, Rudi Vis, Betty Williams, Linda Riordan.
ADI’s London office will be rallying supporters in the UK to call on their MEPs to sign the declaration and ADI San Francisco will be doing the same in the US.
by rakesh | Sep 1, 2006 | World News
A grant was made by TPRF to Yayasan Dian Desa (YDD), a disaster-relief organization in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, to rebuild damaged water wells and restore the supply of much-needed water to the people living in this area most affected by the earthquakes. Many water wells were blocked as debris from collapsed buildings obstructed the flow of water. YDD is undertaking the restoration and reconstruction of 100 wells with its team of volunteer engineers working hand-in-hand with earthquake survivors. This partnering approach enables the survivors to become part of restoring their quality of life and to gain a sense of ownership, pride, and responsibility for the work.
A grant had been given earlier to the Indonesian Development of Education and Permaculture (IDEP) Foundation to feed 900 people for three weeks as they began to recover from the earthquakes and resulting tsunami. Dr. Michael Ricos, coordinator of IDEP’s Disaster Management Department, reported: “An entire mountain village came out to see us, and people’s faces soon lit up at the sight of the food aid we had brought. Several people were moved to tears by the fact that someone has remembered them, and my hands were firmly grasped by an elderly lady with tears in her eyes and a smile that said it all.”
Immediately following the first earthquake on May 27, 2006, TPRF had made a generous contribution to the United Nations World Food Programme for food aid to tsunami victims. WFP was one of the first relief organizations on the ground bringing food aid to people in need.
The Prem Rawat Foundation provides clean water and food to people worldwide who are most in need. Prem Rawat has spent the last four decades traveling around the world with the message that each person can find fulfillment by discovering “a peace that is already within, waiting to be discovered.”
