Thailand Bomb Blast

A series of bomb blasts hit Thailand over the last 24 hours killing at least one person and injuring more than 20 people. The bombs first went off at the tourist town of Hua Hin on Thursday night 11th August, 2016. They bombs which are believed to be detonated by mobile phones went of near Hua Hin clock tower.
Hua Hin Thailand
More explosions were reported in the southerns cities of Phang-Nga, Surat Thani,where one person died and Phuket which is popular destination among foreign tourists visiting Thailand.
The country which was preparing for the Mothers Day celebration on Friday on Her Majesty the Queens birthday caught off-guard when the unexpected event happened. The authorities have asked people not to panic. Our staff Sam from Bangkok reported that Bangkok is safe and it is safe to travel in the capital city.

On Friday morning two more explosions were reported from Hua Hin. At this stage we do not know about any causalities resulting from the morning blasts.

Thailand Explosions, Where?

According to BBC news, the explosions occurred in the following towns.

  • Two people died in Hua Hin. Totally 4 explosions.
  • 2 Blasts occurred in Patong near Phuket.
  • One explosion in Phang Nga provonce.
  • One person died in Trang province died in an explosion.
  • One person killed in Surat Thani where two blasts were reported.

For more details on the blasts see the Bangkok Post news online.

Hosni Mubarak Dead?

Hosni Mubarak Dead? Reports from Eypt indicate that the ousted president Hosni Mubarak is clinically dead. The former autocratic leader suffered a stroke and fell unconscious. He was rushed to hospital from prison where he is serving his jail sentence. Mubarak is surviving on life support devices and is in coma. Suzanne the wife of 84 years old former Egyptian president arrived at the hospital to meet her critically ill husband. News reporters around the world are waiting for confirmation from hospital authorities on the latest condition.

Hosni Mubarak who became the president of Egypt in Ocyober 1981 was ousted after 18 days of demonstrations during the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
Photo Courtesy: Presidenza della Repubblica

During the trial Mubarak’s lawyer Farid el-Deeb defended his client on the grounds of poor health condition. In June 2011, the lawyer revealed that Mr. Mubarak “has stomach cancer, and the cancer is growing.” The expelled President had undergone surgery for cancer in Germany the year prior and also has a medical condition related to circulatory problems with an uneven heart beat.

Conflicting Reports
“Any talk of him being clinically dead is nonsense” said General Said Abbas, a member of the ruling military council. While the military leader acknowledges the fact the Mr. Mubarak had suffered a stroke and fell unconscious, he denied the reports that Hosni Mubarak is dead. Here is a report from Al Jazeera.

Hosni Mubarak Health Condition Report

Man Walked Across Niagara

Thousands of people watched from the United States as Nik walked across the massive water which took him around 25 minutes to complete. Daredevil Nik Wallenda started his historic mission from Goat Island, US and finished at Table Rock Welcome Center, Canada.

Watch the video of this amazing footage.

“It’s all about the concentration, the focus, and it all goes back to the training. You know, in the middle of the wire at one point, I just started thinking about great-grandfather and paying tribute to him and all the walks that he did”
– Nik Wallenda after completing his mission.

Apparently Nik is not the first person to cross Niagara. On October 24, 1901, 63-year-old Michigan school teacher Annie Edson Taylor was the first person to go over the falls in a barrel as a publicity stunt.
Niagara Tightfalls
Maria Spelterini crossing the Niagara gorge on a tightrope on July 8, 1876

NASA set to launch new voyage to Mars

US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is launching a new space vehicle to reach Mars. The vehicle, named as “Curiosity” will be launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

“Curiosity” weighs a tone and has six wheels, however it’s a dwarf-size vehicle equipped with instruments to find if there is or was any sign of life on Mars or any condition suitable for living organisms exists/ existed on the planet.

This robot is being launched by NASA on Saturday at 15;02 GMT.

The vehicle will be launched by Atlas 5 launch rocket. Technical experts and Space engineers found no fautlts in the vehicle after replacing a battery in Atlas 5 and weather conditions are also good at present.

This would complete, NASA’s long-cherished dream regarding the Red Planet.

There is a plutonium battery used in this instrument to provide ample power to the robot to keep it active for 10 years at least. However, there are chances that the robot might stop functioning before this.

The program called as Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) has cost NASA $2.5 billion and has been subjected to severe criticism for budgetary burdens. However, the American space agency is very optimistic about the time when this vehicle would reach Mars’ surface after 8.5 months.

Rick Perry fights to win voters’ confidence

Rick Perry is trying hard to strengthen his position in the electoral race for presidential polls in 2012. Despite all his efforts, though, it seems Iowa is losing faith in Perry.

Brian Kennedy, Scott County finance chairman was found advocating President Obama and calling on people to endorse him. Obama visited Scott county twice this year campaigning for the elections.

Kennedy further stated that Scott County has become a battleground for all political rivals.Seeing a Romney leader focusing on the president, Perry can better realize that there is a need to go for Republican primary process before he could prove himself better that Obama. Already, anti0-Romney voters have split opinions about six different candidates. Thus, for Perry, it will be difficult to come even among the top ten candidates.

The Polls are scheduled in Hawkey State on Jan 3, which will further decide the future strategy of Perry for presidential polls. Before Perry could start his speech, Mike Batcher, another Iowan contesting for Congress, mocked him for his inability to remember thierd federal agency he referred.

However, Perry still tried to retain his calm and continued persuading voters to choose him. He stated, “The test of any American is not whether or not we get knocked down. We’re all going to do that. Every one of us has. But it’s whether we get up.”  He also hoped that Americans will define people by their values.

Debt crisis continues in Europe owing to turmoil in Greece, Italy

There seems no end to political chaos in Greece and now even in Italy, which lingers over the fate of euro’s health. Italy faces crisis due to high-rise in its debt rates. Markets stay unstable due to political chaos in Italy and Greece and more negative traits are looming over the fate of European Union that will ultimately affect the entire global market too.

Greeks are looking forward to form a new transitional government. In Italy, the political chaos emerged with possibilities of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi losing power. This has put investors in doubt over the future market trends  as new democratic governments are likely to make changes unfavorable to investors and so they are pulling back their money leading to more financial turmoil.

Interest rates for Italy’s debt have been increased to 6.6 percent reaching its highest so far since the inception of euro. The finance market set itself into fire following the rumors of prime minister’s possible withdrawal from power but he refuted it later.

Greece’s rush to pull itself away from EU to save itself from the depreciating value of euro had ignited a crisis as international leaders severely criticized the decision. The EU threatened to expel Greece and stop providing any aid. This compelled the political parties of the country to make a written commitment and follow European leaders’ demands in order to get the next installment of aid of $11 billion from the EU.

European Union warns Greece against drama over referendum to stay

European Union warns Greece against drama over referendum to stay

Tired of Greek illusion over the decision to withdraw from European Union to avoid damage to Greek currency, the EU threatens to expel.

European leaders—French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Merkel told Greek leader that Greece should help EU to stabilize euro instead of withdrawing to save its own national currency. The leaders also warned Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou that if Greece pulls itself from the union, they would stop providing any aid to the country. The meeting between EU leaders and Greek premier was held in in Cannes.

Following this dilemma, France’s biggest bank BNP Paribas also pulled its exposure to Greece, Spain and Italy to safeguard its balance sheet by reducing the total amount by $17 billion.

Greece was expected to receive an additional aid of 8 billion euro from EU in Novemeber.

German Chancellor Merkel stated during a news conference that she desired Greece to stay as a member of EU and help in stabilizing Euro.

Following the warning, Papandreou talked with Greek finance minister by calling emergency Cabinet meeting in Athens to solve the crisis and seek for a midway.

At the same time, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa also gathered to discuss and solve economic crisis in G20 summit that ended recently.

Leaders expect UN nuk agency to reveal details on Iran’s weapons

Leaders expect UN nuk agency to reveal details on Iran’s weapons

Leaders expect UN nuk agency to reveal details on Iran’s weapons

International leaders stated International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] would reveal information about Iran’s computer models of nuclear war and its secret development of nuclear arms.

Tehran has allegedly continued secret work to develop nuclear warms, said the diplomats while talking to media on last Friday.

The IAEA  also aims to share  the satellite imagery of a steel container , which according to the UN atomic agency, is used for testing  nuclear arms-related high explosives, added the diplomats. The UN agency is going to reveal this to 35 board members.

The IAEA had also listed Iran’s activities that indicated that the country was secretly producing nuclear weapons for almost a decade.

The new findings have strengthened these doubts as the weapon-related work has now gone wider in volume and scope, as per the intelligence reports of the IAEA.

 

The revelation increases possibilities of international military actions against Iran’s nuclear activities.

Shimon Peres, Israeli President told on international leaders should consider breaking their silence and take military action instead of diplomatic negotiations with Iran over this issue.

Meanwhile, even British media has also spread words over the issue, citing authorities who claimed that the United Kingdom was also prepared to support in case the United States considers to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Israel denies financial aid to UNESCO to oppose Palestinian membership

Israel denies financial aid to UNESCO to oppose Palestinian membership

Benjamin Netanyahu ,After the United State, it was Israel’s turn to show anger over UN decision to give recognition to Palestine as a sovereign independent state and full membership. Israeli Prime Minister  called on to stop giving financial aid to UN cultural wing—UNESCO.

Netanyahu  stated that  Israel would discontinue its contribution to UNESCO’s annual budget as the United Nations has accepted Palestine as a member. Israel’s contributions to UN cultural wing accounts for $2 million.

“The prime minister also declared that instead of contributing to UNESCO, Isreal would prefer spending this money  for cooperative initiatives in its region to fulfill similar goals.

Netanyahu’s declaration comes following the United States’ fierce reaction to UNESCO’s voting to accept Palestine as a member of UN. Israel also joined hands with the United States and opposed UN decision.  Israel’s decision of taking back its financial support from UNESCO has been severely criticized by countries across the globe.

He stated that accepting Palestine as its member, UN has pushed peace process back.  Real peace can not be achieved by negotiations with conditions, he added.

The United States pulled its hands back from helping UNESCO. The UNESCO has been receiving 22 percent of its annual budget from the United States.

Niger fears dissent among locals in delievering Gaddafi son

Bereaved Libyan leaderMuammar Gaddafi’s son Saif Al-Islam has taken shelter in Niger.

The new government Transitional National Council [TNC] is facing severe critics from the human right activists over its treatment with Gaddafi in the last minutes of his life. The rebels humiliated and hit Gaddafi before shooting him. Saif seeks to fight against TNC supporters accusing them of war crimes. He also asks help from international communities in this regard.

Niger is located in West Africa, where Gaddafi’s son has taken fugitive owning to the support from nomad Tuaregs. However the country is also under pressure to handle Saif to the International Criminal Court as he is also accused of committing war crimes during Gaddafi’s rule in Libya.

Niger, however fears there might be violent protests from Tuaregs if it gives Saif to the ICC.

Libyan rebels have gained severe criticism due to their ill treatment with former dictator Gaddafi, who exploited the country and suppressed people’s freedom for 42 years.

The ICC issued an statement from Hague saying that Saif was interacting with officials to surrender for the trial against him.

However, Saif wanted to be assured for not to be handed over to Libyan rebels who killed his father mercilessly.

Niger has so far not declared officially about presence of Gaddafi’s son within its borders.