Good morning Crasstalk. I am going to be messing around with this feature this week, so please give me any feedback you might have. Today is international news day, so let’s get to the headlines.
Protests lead to violence in Yemen. At least 26 people were killed yesterday and hundreds were injured as they demanded the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Governement forces reportedly used automatic weapons and anti-aircraft guns on protesters. Violence is escalating in Yemen and there are reports that some army units are defecting to support the opposition.
An anti-copyright political party is polling a nine percent share of the electorate in the upcoming elections on Berlin. The Pirate Party, which originated in Sweden, and has spread to a number of other European countries, opposes copyright, particularly for materials on the internet. Angela Merkle’s CDU is expected to be defeated in the election.
A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck parts of India and Nepal Sunday night. 16 are reportedly dead. Army troops are searching for survivors in the Nepalese capital and much of the region is without power. Officials are warning that there me aftershocks in the next few days.
Amnesty International has released it’s annual Death Sentences and Executions Report. Guess who’s holding strong at #4? Take that Pakistan! Also in the top 5 are Iraq (exported freedom?) and Iran. China comes in with the most executions; Amnesty estimates the number as simply “thousands.” This is proof that there are actually worse places to live than Houston.
A Ukrainian man is expected to win entry into The Guinness Book of World Records after spending 35 days living with lions in a cage at his private zoo. Alexander Pylyshenko has spent the last month living in a cage with a lioness and two cubs. Pylyshenko, who is an artist, has used the time to paint. He plans on selling the paintings made during his time in the cage to raise money for the continued upkeep of the wild animals on his property.
