London- The successor to Tony Blair and now Prime Minister, Gordon Brown announced his first cabinet.
David Miliband will be heading up the job of foreign secretary when the announcement of the new cabinet was made. Among the others anounced Alistair Darling will be taking over the post which Brown formerly headed up at the treasury where he was chief secretary of the treasury.
Jacqui Smith has been assigned as the most senior woman in the cabinet taking on the role of home secretary. She arguably will have the toughest task.
Hazel Blears, the defeated deputy leadership candidate is set to take the role of the leader of department for communities and local government.
Others who filled cabinet roles include Alan Johnston who will be head of the department of health and Peter Hain who will head the department of work and pensions.
Washington - President Bush exerted executive privilege and showed some muscle Thursday when he rejected lawmakers’ demands for documents from the office of Dick Cheney.
The documents are hopeful to show some facts in regards to the firings of federal prosecutors. Bush may be in a bit of hot water for this decision as he had his attorney tell Congress that the White House was not going to turn over subpoenaed documents for former presidential counsel Harriet Miers and Sara Taylor.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy stated in a reaction that the administration is doing some very strange movies stating that this is a “disdain for our system of checks and balances.”
Thursday was the deadline to turn over the documents but the White House stated neither Miers or Taylor would be testifying next month. The subpoenas clearly stated though that they would have to testify.
This battle could quickly end up in federal court over separation of powers.
Montreal - Police investigations into the deaths of WWE wrestler Chris Benoit and his wife and child has taken a sad, disturbing turn, as it now appears that he strangled his family and then took his own life. There was evidence of prescription drugs including anabolic steroids present on the scene, but as of now only speculations are being made about the reasons behind this terrible tragedy.
The bodies were found earlier this week, and investigators began to uncover what had actually occurred in the Benoit home. On Tuesday, June 26th at a press conference held in front of the home in rural Fayetteville, Georgia, District Attorney Scott Ballard, who was assigned to the case, stated to the press that Benoit had killed his wife and son sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning before hanging himself in a weight room.
Here are what some visitors had to say about this tragedy:
i thought this comment from the WWE regarding chris benoit was especially distasteful:
“4. The physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage. The wife’s feet and hands were bound and she was asphyxiated, not beaten to death. By the account of the authorities, there were substantial periods of time between the death of the wife and the death of the son, again suggesting deliberate thought, not rage. The presence of a Bible by each is also not an act of rage.”
what this statement has to do with anything other than the terrified attorneys within the organization–terrified that the dirty ugly drug secrets might come out–is beyond me.
Comment by EM
Just because someone is a murderer doesn’t mean they won’t be missed. Sure, this is a man that just killed his family (and there is certainly no excuse for that!), but this man was also a human being. I’m sure I’ll go against popular opinion here, but even an act of murder doesn’t make someone a “bad person”! Sure, what he did was HORRIBLE and TRAGIC, but that doesn’t mean he should be “labeled” BAD. I’m sorry, but given the choices of spitting upon his corpse or forgiving him for what he’s done, I’ll choose forgiveness any day!
Comment by Phantazm
Chris Benoit loved his family and the wwe and I know what he did was wrong. But I dont think he was in the right frame of mind. I was very upset when I ound out I still am. But I know he was not in the right frame of mind because the Chris Benoit that everony knows and loves wouldnt do this.
Comment by allison
“Roid rage” exists but is seriously over stated especially for someone who has been juicing for years as this guy obviously did.
What can sneak up on a juicer is depression. The entire Von Eric clan died as a result of that insidious side effect.
Many juicers I have met are also on anti-depressants just to be safe.
Comment by bonfiglioalberto
If Benoit had not taken his own life, then everyone would hate him. Does anyone like O.J…? No! Benoit is a killer. We don’t have to run him in to the ground and hope he rots, but how can you honestly honor him. Stop with the praise already. He was a good entertainer and a person that made a lot of awful mistakes.
Comment by dan
I’m sorry but I can’t believe that Chris did this at all. The LEO’s see the steroids and the first thing they think is roid rage and that he did it himself. Has the phones been printed to find out if it was acutally chris’s prints on them that sent the numbers? has anything been done forensics wise to determine if it was 100% Chris that did this and not someone else? I’ll never accept that he did this and that someone got away with murder. I’ve watched Wrestling as long as I can possible remember and I’m almost 40 so I’ve seen all the greats. Chris had the roids for his rehab on his neck, I have them for my back after surgery and I know a lot of others that have had them after neck and back surgeries.
I’m sticking with Chris didn’t have anything to do with this at all as far as taking his family’s life.
Comment by John
im from ireland and am an avid follower of wwe and chris benoit. me and my friends r both shocked and angered by the events that have unfolded. i pray for both sides of the familys. i think it was wrong for wwe to do a special on a man that killed a defensless child and woman, but if ever there was a time for wwe/other wrestling orginisations to stop letting there employees take these steroids etc, it has to be now, for everybody concerned. some people will have on their hands that wont wash off. let woman and child rest in peace.
Comment by dermot o sullivan
We are never to lift anyone up to a pedestal at all. Chris Benoit was placed there by the wrestling organization, himself and his fans. Like Elvis Presley with your life in glass fish bowl for all to see, how can one life right? I wonder if he was to have lived like an ordinary guy, like the rest of us, how would it have gone. This man had issues and they played out in the horrific murders of those that he claimed to love. I pray that those who run this federation and the other wrestlers will take this whole horrible scenario as a lesson to be learned. Little kids should not have a wrestler as their icon. I have struggled for many years with the wrestling federation and the way that they do these shows and the examples that are set for the kids to watch and emulate. NO for me we as adults are to be good role models and the wrestling federation does not set any good examples from the top down. I just pray that no little boy mixed up in his head from all the mixed messages sent out by the wrestling federation and it’s wrestling matches does not try to do something the same to someone whom he loves. Chris Benoit needed to get help while he was alive. Let us learn from this.
Comment by JH
I saw a documentary this idiot did a while back. It was an hour of “poor me i’m a famous wrestler who made a bunch of money and blew it all and now i want more”. His wife and son, whom he’s allegedly murdered, were in the doc also, and both seemed very sweet and supportive. Fame and fortune can ruin a person, and can apparently smother your wife and child also. Wrestling is fake.
Comment by R
First of all, I am not a fan of professional wrestling, haven’t been since I grew out of that at age 12 years. Having said that, I am as shocked at this tragedy as everyone else. As it stands right now Chris Benoit is alleged to have killed his family and himself. If that turns out to be true, the truth has to be found as to what caused this to happen. If in fact steroids are in any way responsible, then this should be a major, major wake-up call for all athletes of all sports all over this world, in this era and for the future. Performance enhancing drugs (driven by the desire to be rich and famous) are not the answer. The young people of this world that admire and emulate such athletes are doomed to horrible lives and worse deaths. Be smart, leave performance enhancing drugs like anabolic steroids, HGH, and testosterone alone. The horrible effects of these drugs remains sports’ dirty little secret. If it takes the death of a popular athlete to shed the light of day on this problem, then maybe, just maybe Mr. Benoit and his family did not die in vain. Our favorite athletes and the youth that see them as role models, need to know that we don’t want them messing with any kind of drugs, period. The cost of just one human life is too high of a price to pay for fame and fortune.
Comment by bill
Washington (dpa) - US President George W Bush said Wednesday he will name a special envoy to promote understanding between the United States and Islamic nations, and he urged Muslims to condemn extremism.
The envoy, who has yet to be named, will serve as a link to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, a 57-nation group headquartered in Saudi Arabia, Bush said.
“Our special envoy will listen to and learn from representatives from Muslim states and will share with them America’s views and values,” he said in a speech at the Washington Islamic Centre marking its founding 50 years ago.
“This is an opportunity for Americans to demonstrate to Muslim communities our interest in respectful dialogue and continued friendship,” he said.
Leaders from the Islamic world founded the OIC in 1969 in Morocco to rally Muslim unity and confront Israel. The group is now based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In sweeping remarks on US-Muslim relations, Bush used dramatic language to call for freedom across the Islamic world - “from Damascus to Tehran” - and said the US continues to work for “a democratic Palestine” that is ready to live peacefully with Israel.
Much as US leaders held out hope of freedom for decades for people behind the Iron Curtain, Bush said Muslims “plead in silence no longer.”
“We work for the day when we can welcome you in the family of free nations,” he said.
He urged moderate Muslims to stand up to extremists who “use the veneer of Islamic belief” to foment violence “and to reach out to young Muslims - even in our country and elsewhere in the free world - who believe suicide bombing may some day be justified.”
Bush voiced respect for Islam as a “faith that has enriched civilization for centuries” and insisted that terrorists are “not the true face of Islam.”
He recalled US help for earthquake victims in Pakistan and Iran, aid to Indonesia and Malaysia after the 2004 tsunami disaster, and its defence of Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo.
“The greatest challenge facing people of conscience is to help the forces of moderation win the great struggle against extremism that is now playing out across the broader Middle East,” he said.
London - After one of the longest political farewells in history, Tony Blair bowed out as British prime minister Wednesday to take to the international stage, as a new political era opened under Gordon Brown.
True to style, and reflecting the impact Blair has made as a “popstar” politician during his 10 years in power, almost everything about his departure was in the public eye.
From the removal men packing up the fridges, beds and wine crates in Downing Street, to his last ride in his official limousine and a rapturous standing ovation in parliament, the cameras were on him.
Blair, whose leadership role is known by cinema audiences around the world from the award-winning film, The Queen, has been feted by many for his political skills and “celebrity style,” but he has also been reviled as a “warmonger” for his intervention in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At the age of 54, Blair was never going to withdraw from the political stage, and it was confirmed Wednesday that he is to take on a high-profile job as an envoy for the so-called Middle East Quartet of the UN, the US, the EU and Russia.
Insiders said that Blair, who is rumoured to have been offered up to 5 million pounds (10 million dollars) for his memoirs, has deliberately not stopped to think about his future by keeping himself busy until the last minute.
“Tony still doesn’t know what is going to hit him,” said one of his advisers.
Blair, the consummate political animal, soaked up the praise heaped on him in parliament Wednesday and said he had no regrets. “Some may belittle politics, but it’s still the arena that sets the heart beating,” he said.
But those who have watched him over the last 10 years have said they have seen him change from a “happy” to a “haunted” man.
“He wanted to do good. But he is haunted by the decisions he has made,” said celebrity photographer Nick Danziger, who accompanied Blair for 30 days in the first years of the Iraq conflict.
“International leaders regret him leaving, but that is something Britons have never understood,” said Danziger.
Brown, by contrast, kept a low profile Wednesday, well prepared for the most important moment of his life by 13 years of waiting.
But those who know Brown well believe that British politics will undergo a “seismic change” under his leadership. The new leader is expected to make a full break with Blairism, turfing everyone, including the tea lady, out of Downing Street.
But Brown has got one problem. The semi-voluntary departure of Blair, and the handover, agreed by the two men 13 years ago, has not been given approval by the voter, or even by his own Labour Party.
The lack of democratic “legitimacy” accompanying the government change in Britain could lead to questions of Brown’s authority, commentators have said.
Brown has said he will lead a “new Labour Party,” bringing a shift towards more open government and a less bellicose response to international conflict.
Chancellor of the Exchequer since 1997, Brown, while lacking the charisma of Blair, says he takes his “moral compass” from his upbringing as the son of a Scottish church minister.
Observers believe that Brown will face considerable pressure for a “radical change of direction” from within the Labour Party, in order to avoid being identified with the Blair years.
If he fails to make a clean break and win popular approval, Brown could be forced into calling an early general election. That poll could either prolong his premiership - or make his tenure one of the shortest in British political history.
Montreal - More details are coming out about the death of wrestling superstar Chris Benoit who strangled his wife and suffocated his 7-year-old son over the weekend. Hours, or maybe a day later, Benoit hanged himself with the pulley of a weightlifting machine after placing a call to WWE officials to inform them that he would not be at Sunday’s Vengeance pay-per-view event in Houston as scheduled, due to “personal reasons.”
As “Monday Night Raw” began on USA Network, WWE owner Vince McMahon announced that the bodies of Benoit’s family had been found, and that they were canceling the live wrestling show scheduled for Monday. In the place of the 3-hour show, WWE aired a retrospective of Benoit’s career.
Police released a statement that they had found prescription steroids in the house, and are investigating whether steroid-induced anger or paranoia may have contributed to the bizarre and tragic murder/suicide death of the popular Benoit.
In more details, Sheriff’s Lieutenant Tommy Pope said an autopsy revealed Benoit’s wife was killed Friday and the couple’s son likely died on Saturday. Investigators believe Benoit killed himself late Saturday or early Sunday.
District Attorney Scott Ballard characterized the case as bizarre. “It applies to details regarding the deaths, but generally speaking anytime there’s a murder-suicide it would be considered bizarre around here, particularly for a child. For a 7-year-old child to be killed is bizarre,” said Ballard.
The boy had old needle marks in his arms, Ballard said. He said he had been told the parents considered him undersized and had given him growth hormones. “The boy was very small, even dwarfed,” Ballard said.
The WWE is dismissing any suggestions of ‘roid rage’ as being the cause of the tragedy, since Benoit was deliberate with the murders and left Bibles at the feet of his wife and son after killing them. A rep for the WWE says: “The physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage. The wife’s feet and hands were bound and she was asphyxiated, not beaten to death. By the account of the authorities, there were substantial periods of time between the death of the wife and the death of the son, again suggesting deliberate thought, not rage. The presence of a Bible by each is also not an act of rage.”
Sacramento, California - Winds forecasted to gust at over 50 kilometres per hour threatened to drive the devastating Lake Tahoe fire back to mountain neighbourhoods on Wednesday endangering some 1,000 homes.
The fire, which began Sunday, has already destroyed at least 276 homes and buildings. It has charred over 1,250 hectares and was 44 per cent contained Wednesday morning. Official estimates put the damage at over 100 million dollars.
On Tuesday, wind gusts breathed new life into the wildfire near Lake Tahoe, causing the blaze to jump across a fire line and threaten additional buildings, a fire official said.
“We’re going to attack those spots and get lines around those and not let them develop any further,” said Captain Chuck Dickson of California Interagency Firefighters. “That’s what our game is.”
In all, 1,889 firefighters, aided by seven helicopters and more than 100 fire engines, were involved in the effort, Dickson said.
The stronger winds prompted mandatory evacuations for 2,000 people. But many more left voluntarily, causing traffic jams on the area’s narrow and winding roads.
The National Weather Service has issued a smoke advisory, warning people of a thick layer of ash in the air that makes it extremely difficult to see and breathe.
Human activity started the fire, but it is still unclear whether the blaze was deliberately set or if it started accidentally.
California declared a state of emergency on Monday, to free state resources for fighting the blaze and repairing infrastructure.
Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, who signed the declaration, called the fire a “wake-up call” for homeowners to obey a state law that requires a 30-metre “defensible space” between their homes and wild-lands.
“If you’re not doing that, you’re running a risk for yourself, and you’re running a risk for the firefighters that might come to protect that home,” he said.
The fire reinforced fears of a devastating wildfire season this summer in the US west, following a prolonged drought. The blaze, said to be the worst in the area in 100 years, also demonstrated the growing threat of massive damage to property caused by continued construction of homes in wild-lands.
The lake sits on the border between California and Nevada, and Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons toured the area Monday. He estimated the cost of fighting the blaze at up to 50 million dollars and the overall damage at more than 100 million dollars. But the burn could also affect conditions at the famously clear lake and have a severe impact on local tourism.
The area, which is famous for its ski resorts, is dense with multi- million-dollar vacation homes and lush woodlands, which provided nearly limitless fuel for the flames.
London - Gordon Brown has become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II invited him to form a government in a meeting at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon.
Brown, who has been Chancellor of the Exchequer for the past ten years, succeeds Tony Blair who tendered his resignation to the Queen earlier on Wednesday. In an emotional Prime Minister’s Questions, Blair received a standing ovation from MPs and tributes from opposition leaders.
Tony Blair has led the Labour Party since 1994 and became Prime Minister following a landslide victory in the 1997 general election.
It is possible that Tony Blair will now resign his parliamentary seat for the constituency of Sedgefield to become an envoy to the Middle East for the quartet of the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia.
Boston - U.S. webcasters turned off the music today in a protest against the royalty rate increase by the Copyright Royalty Rate Board.
More than 14,000 webcasters took part in the protest according to the SaveNetRadio Coalition’s spokesman. Many shut off access to the music streams while many others replaced the music with long strectches of noting but silence in a protect that was called “Day of Silence.”
Coalition spokesman Jake Ward stated that “Webcasters of every size and from every corner of the country will stand united…to protest a very real and fast approaching threat to their livelihood…time is running out.”
Webcasters are asking listeners to contact their congressional representatives and tell them to support the Internet Radio Equality Act. The Day of Silence is just a preview of what internet radio may be after July 15th if the new royalty rates go into effect.
Boston - U.S. researchers have found that non-hispanic white children in the United States have the highest rate of diabetes.
Researchers stated that type 1 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in chidlren and teens. They also stated that type 2 diabetes is actually on the rise as it is linked to obesity and a lack of exercise. With the epidemic that is child obesity, this is almost expected unfortunately.
The researchers found that each year 15,000 youths are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Dr. Dana Dabela stated that “We found more type 1 diabetes than we expected in whites, blacks, and Hispanics.”
Type 2 diabetes, she stated, was found in all racial and ethnic groups including non-Hispanic whites.
Type 1 diabetes can happen when the immune system goes out of whack and attacks itself. This destroys insulin-producing cells which are required to control blood sugar.