South African police kill 2 more in crackdown on mine strikes: councillor shot, miner run over(2)

RUSTENBURG, South Africa - Days after soldiers were deployed, South African President Jacob Zuma's office announced Thursday that he has ordered military forces to assist police trying to control labour unrest in the nation's crucial mining sector.

Despite resolution of the longest and bloodiest strike, two more deaths were reported.

Even as miners returned to work Thursday at the Lonmin PLC platinum mine in Marikana, where police killed 34 miners on Aug. 16, labour advocates said police killed two more people: a ruling party municipal councillor who died of injuries from a rubber bullet and a miner who was run over by an armoured car.

Zuma's office said he was invoking the Constitution to use the military to support police "in the prevention and combating of crime as well as the maintenance of law and order in the Marikana Area ... and other areas around the country where needed" until Jan. 31. The notice from the presidency referred to section 201 (2) of the Constitution, which states that "only the President, as head of the national executive, may authorize the employment of the defence force."

Last weekend some 1,000 soldiers were trucked into the "platinum belt" northwest of Johannesburg.

Thursday morning, police in two water cannon trucks and several armoured cars confronted striking Anglo American Platinum miners at a shantytown where residents set up barricades of rocks and burning tires and logs. Before long, the fires died down and most of the police pulled back. The people dispersed, leaving a herd of goats milling around the water cannons.

Police spokesman Dennis Adriao confirmed that police fired tear gas and a stun grenade on the illegal gathering near Sondela settlement. There were no arrests, he said.

However there was a fatality from the confrontation Wednesday between police and strikers. Strike leader Evans Ramokga told The Associated Press that one miner was run over Wednesday by a police armoured car and dragged several meters (feet) before it stopped. He said the man died overnight in the hospital.

Police spokesman Adriao said he was unaware of the incident which occurred at the scene where police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to break up a march by thousands of strikers. The mines near Rustenburg belong to Anglo American Platinum, the world's largest platinum producer.

"The only thing we want is to sit down and have them hear our demands," Ramokga said. He said authorities have refused to give permission for the thousands of strikers among Anglo's 15,000 workers there to hold a protest march to back their demands for a gross monthly salary of 16,070 rand ($2,000).

Anglo issued an ultimatum for workers to report for duty by Thursday night or threatened to act on a court order declaring the strike illegal. That gives Anglo the power to fire strikers.

"Anglo American Platinum's Rustenburg mining operations are already under considerable economic pressure, any further delays in returning to work will only increase the risk to the long-term viability of these mines," it said in a statement late Wednesday.

The Marikana Solidarity Campaign meanwhile reported that African National Congress councillor Paulina Masutlhe was shopping Saturday at the Wonderkop shantytown where Lonmin platinum miners live when police firing from a speeding armoured car hit several women. Masutlhe was hit in the abdomen and leg and rushed to the hospital, where she died Wednesday, a statement said.

Adriao said he is investigating the report of a death. He said police had reported to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate that several people were hit by rubber bullets in a raid to disarm strikers on Saturday, the day after the government ordered a crackdown.

The directorate already has opened 34 murder and 78 attempted murder charges against police in the Aug. 16 shootings, the worst state violence since the white minority apartheid regime was brought down in 1994. The government has said it is awaiting the outcome of a judicial commission of inquiry that is to report to the president in January.

The solidarity campaign condemned the brutality of police and called for "the immediate identification and suspension of the police officers involved in her (Masutlhe's) murder. "

"We are also extremely unhappy that, to date, none of the police officers involved in the massacre on 16 August 2012 has been identified or suspended - this is totally unacceptable and unlawful," said the campaign that includes the powerful Congress of South African Trade Unions that is part of a governing alliance with the African National Congress party and the South African Communist Party.

The deaths at the two mines, both northwest of Johannesburg, bring the strike-related death toll to 47.

Lonmin on Tuesday resolved its five-week strike by agreeing to pay raises of 16 to 22 per cent.

The strike already has spread to several gold, platinum and chrome mines, damaging investor confidence in the country that produces 75 per cent of world platinum and is the No. 4 chrome producer and in the top 10 of gold producers.

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Faul reported from Johannesburg.

© The Canadian Press, 2012

20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.globalnews.ca/World/south+african+police+kill+2+more+in+crackdown+on+mine+strikes+councillor+shot+miner+run+over2/6442718923/story.html
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US space shuttle Endeavour to honour Giffords with flyover at astronaut husband's request

Space shuttle Endeavour flies over Ellington Field atop the shuttle aircraft carrier Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012, in Houston. Endeavour is making a final trek across the country to the California Science Center in Los Angeles, where it will be permanently displayed. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

HOUSTON - The U.S. space agency says the shuttle Endeavour will honour former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords with a flyover of her Arizona hometown on its way to the California museum where it will be displayed.

NASA spokeswoman Lisa Malone says Thursday's flyover was requested by Giffords' husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, who was the last person to fly the shuttle.

Giffords resigned from Congress earlier this year to focus on her recovery from wounds suffered in a gunman's attack last year in which six people were killed.

Malone says the flyover gives NASA the chance to recognize Giffords' legacy as a longtime advocate and champion of U.S. spaceflight.

© The Canadian Press, 2012

20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.globalnews.ca/World/us+space+shuttle+endeavour+to+honour+giffords+with+flyover+at+astronaut+husbands+request/6442717938/story.html
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Syrian TV says military helicopter has crashed near Damascus

BEIRUT - A Syrian military helicopter crashed in a rebellious suburb of Damascus on Thursday, state-run TV said, but the circumstances in which the aircraft went down were not immediately clear.

The brief Syrian TV report said the helicopter crashed southeast of Douma, a suburb that has witnessed repeated military crackdowns to purge fighters seeking to topple President Bashar Assad. No further details were made available.

"We heard the sound of several explosions and some gunfire, and few minutes later, we were told that a helicopter had crashed," said Mohammad Saeed, an activist in Douma.

In Damascus, soldiers raided a Palestinian refugee camp where many Syrians from other parts of the country's capital and its suburbs have been sheltering, arresting dozens of people in a sweeping operation, the government and opposition groups said.

Syrian TV said an army unit conducted a "special operation" during which about 100 gunmen were captured in the Palestinian refugee camps of Yarmouk and Palestine in Damascus. It gave no further details.

The Local Coordination Committees activist network reported gunfire and several casualties that accompanied the raid. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said three people were killed and dozens of others were arrested when troops stormed parts of the Yarmouk camp that has provided shelter for many residents of Damascus' Hajar al-Aswad district, an area has seen heavy fighting between rebels and government troops in recent days.

The government increasingly has been using helicopters and other aircraft in its fight against an 18-month-old rebellion against the Assad rule. Rebels have claimed to have shot down helicopters and warplanes in the past, although the regime has blamed most of the problems on mechanical difficulties.

Saeed said Syrian MiG warplanes and helicopter gunships had been flying low over the southeastern part of Douma before Thursday's crash. Speaking via Skype from Douma, he said the helicopter crashed in a district known as Tal Kurdi near a factory for household items.

Rebels in Syria are fighting mostly with light weapons. Still, they are increasingly claiming success in downing government aircraft.

In the first week of September, rebels said they shot down a MiG aircraft in Abu al-Dhuhour, an area in the northwestern province of Idlib. On Aug. 13, rebels claimed to have shot down a regime MiG-23 warplane and captured the pilot in Deir el-Zour. Syria said the pilot ejected after a technical malfunction in the fighter jet.

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Associated Press writer Albert Aji contributed to this report from Damascus, Syria.

© The Canadian Press, 2012

20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.globalnews.ca/World/syrian+tv+says+military+helicopter+has+crashed+near+damascus/6442718737/story.html
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Who are the 47 per cent? The 3 groups Mitt Romney called out in his controversial remarks

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaigns at a rally at Darwin Fuchs Pavilion in Miami, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

WASHINGTON - Just which 47 per cent of Americans was Mitt Romney was talking about? It's hard to say. He lumped together three different ways of sorting people in what he's called less-than-elegant remarks.

Each of those three groups — likely Obama voters, people who get federal benefits and people who don't pay federal income taxes — contains just under half of all Americans, in the neighbourhood of 47 per cent at a given moment. There's some overlap, but the three groups are quite distinct.

Confusingly, Romney spoke as if they're made up of the same batch of Americans.

A look at the three groups:

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OBAMA VOTERS

What Romney said: "There are 47 per cent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what."

He's right on the nose, according to the latest Associated Press-GfK poll: Forty-seven per cent of likely voters say they support Obama. And 46 per cent say they support Romney, essentially a tie. This number fluctuates from poll to poll and week to week and could shift substantially before Election Day.

Who they are:

—Most are employed: Sixty-two per cent of the Obama voters work, including the 10 per cent working only part time. A fourth are retired. Five per cent say they're temporarily unemployed.

—Most earn higher-than-average wages. Fifty-six per cent have household incomes above the U.S. median of $50,000. Just 16 per cent have incomes below $30,000, and about the same share (20 per cent) have incomes of $100,000 or more.

—They're all ages but skew younger than Romney's voters: Twenty per cent are senior citizens and 12 per cent are under age 30.

—They're more educated than the overall population: Forty-three per cent boast four-year college degrees or above; 21 per cent topped out with a high school diploma.

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PEOPLE WHO GET FEDERAL BENEFITS

What Romney said: "There are 47 per cent ... who are dependent on government ... who believe they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it."

Whether they are dependent and believe they are entitled to anything is arguable, but Romney's statistic is about right — 49 per cent of the U.S. population receive some kind of federal benefits, including Social Security and Medicare, according to the most recent Census Bureau data. Looking only at people who receive benefits that are based on financial need, such as food stamps, the portion is smaller — just over a third of the population. Many people get more than one type of benefit.

The biggest programs and their percentage of the U.S. population:

—Medicaid: 26 per cent

—Social Security: 16 per cent

—Food stamps: 16 per cent

—Medicare: 15 per cent

—Women, Infants and Children food program: 8 per cent

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THOSE WHO PAY NO FEDERAL INCOME TAX

What Romney said: "Forty-seven per cent of Americans pay no income tax."

Romney's about on target — 46 per cent of U.S. households paid no federal income tax last year, according to a study by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. Most do pay other federal taxes, including Medicare and Social Security withholding. And they're not all poor. Some middle-income and wealthy families escape income tax because of deductions, credits and investment tax preferences.

Why these people don't pay:

—About half don't earn enough money for a household of their size to owe income tax. For example, a family of four earning less than $26,400 wouldn't pay.

—About 22 per cent get tax breaks for senior citizens that offset their income.

—About 15 per cent get tax breaks for the working poor or low-income parents.

—Almost 3 per cent get tax breaks for college tuition or other education expenses.

Who they are:

—The vast majority have below-average earnings: Among all who don't owe, 9 out of 10 make $50,000 or less.

—But some of the wealthy escape taxes, including about 4,000 households earning more than $1 million a year.

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Associated Press Deputy Polling Director Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.

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Follow Connie Cass on Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/ConnieCass

© The Canadian Press, 2012

20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.globalnews.ca/World/who+are+the+47+per+cent+the+3+groups+mitt+romney+called+out+in+his+controversial+remarks/6442718760/story.html
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US seeks $1 billion fine, long prison terms in LCD price-fixing case

SAN FRANCISCO - The U.S. Department of Justice is demanding that a Taiwanese company pay a $1 billion fine, and two former top executives each serve 10 years in prison for their role in what government officials call the most serious price-fixing cartel ever prosecuted by the U.S.

The proposed sentences would be the stiffest penalty ever meted out for price-fixing convictions if a federal judge adopts the DOJ's position today.

Prosecutors contend the sentences are necessary to punish a company that unfairly forced U.S. consumers to pay billions more than they should have for electronics and to deter others from engaging in price fixing.

A jury convicted Au Optronics Corp. and the executives with participating in conspiracy with seven other companies to fix the prices of LCD screens.

© The Canadian Press, 2012

20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.globalnews.ca/World/us+seeks+1+billion+fine+long+prison+terms+in+lcd+price-fixing+case/6442718763/story.html
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Strikers block trains, but protests against Indian gov't reforms only moderately successful

Samajwadi Party activists hold an effigy representing Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his cabinet colleagues before burning it during a protest along railway tracks in Allahabad, India, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012. Angry opposition workers have disrupted train services as part of a daylong strike in India to protest rising diesel prices and the government's decision to open the country's huge retail market to foreign companies. Placard reads "Take Walmart back." (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

NEW DELHI - Angry opposition supporters disrupted trains in India on Thursday but had only limited success in enforcing a national strike to protest a government decision to cut fuel subsidies and open the country's huge retail market to foreign companies.

Political backlash against the economic reform package presented by the Cabinet last week has left Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's coalition scrambling to shore up its support and prevent early elections.

Some government allies have joined opposition parties in throwing their support behind the protests, which closed many schools and kept commercial trucks off the roads. However, many shops and businesses remained open, and the impact of the protest was barely felt in the main cities of Mumbai and New Delhi.

In a signal the government was on shaky ground, however, many of the protests in Uttar Pradesh state were led by the Samajwadi Party, which has been supporting the government from outside the fragile ruling coalition. The party said it would meet later Thursday to determine what action to take, but has been extremely critical of the reform package.

In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar state, protesters blocked railroad tracks. Some burned an effigy of Singh on the tracks, while others carried signs reading: "Go Back Wal-Mart," a reference to the U.S. retail giant that is expected to enter the Indian market under the new regulations.

Singh, who came under intense criticism in recent months for presiding over a corrupt and paralyzed government, stunned the country with last week's raft of reforms. The government announced a reduction in massive subsidies for diesel fuel and cooking gas. It also opened up the country's enormous retail sector to foreign competitors, allowed local airlines to sell stakes to foreign carriers and pledged to sell off chunks of four state-run companies.

"It's a very difficult decision for the government. We have tried to assure everybody that there was no other way except to take that decision to keep the economy on track," Information Minister Ambika Soni said.

Opponents said the fuel hike would spark higher inflation and hurt the country's poor. They said opening up the retail sector to foreign giants would crush the nation's millions of small retail shops.

"India is heading toward economic slavery," Rajnath Singh, a leader of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, said during a protest Thursday. He warned that the entry of Wal-Mart would flood India with Chinese-made goods, hurting local farmers, manufacturers and retailers.

The Trinamool Congress party announced it would pull out of the coalition Friday unless the economic package was withdrawn, leaving the ruling Congress party a few remaining hours to try to win it back. However, Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said the reforms would stand.

If the Trinamool Congress pulled out, India would be left with a minority government dependent on the outside support of either the Samajwadi Party or the Bahujan Samaj Party. The BSP said it would not decide until next month what action to take.

Government officials said they remained confident the government would survive until the next scheduled elections in 2014.

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Associated Press writer Ashok Sharma contributed to this report.

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Follow Ravi Nessman on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ravinessman

© The Canadian Press, 2012

20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.globalnews.ca/World/strikers+block+trains+but+protests+against+indian+govt+reforms+only+moderately+successful/6442718740/story.html
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Syrian TV says a military helicopter has crashed near Damascus

DAMASCUS, Syria - A Syrian military helicopter crashed Thursday near the capital, Damascus, state-run TV said.

The report said the helicopter went down southeast of Douma, a Damascus suburb. There were no further details.

The government increasingly has been using helicopters and other aircraft in its fight against an 18-month-old rebellion. Rebels have claimed to have shot down helicopters in the past, although President Bashar Assad's regime has blamed the problems on mechanical difficulties.

Mohammad Saeed, an activist in Douma, said Syrian MiG warplanes and helicopter gunships had been flying low over the area in the southeastern part of Douma before the crash.

"We heard the sound of several explosions and some gunfire, and few minutes later, we were told that a helicopter had crashed," Saeed said, speaking by Skype from Douma.

He said the helicopter crashed in a diistrict known as Tal Kurdi near a factory for household items.

© The Canadian Press, 2012

20 Sep, 2012

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Source: http://www.globalnews.ca/World/syrian+tv+says+a+military+helicopter+has+crashed+near+damascus/6442718737/story.html
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