Iran merchants and tax collectors end standoff
Posted in Islam, News, Politics, Tech, economy, what on July 18th, 2010 by admin – Comments Off
A standoff between Iranian merchants and tax collectors ended Saturday as the two sides reached a compromise in a weeks-long on-and-off strike that had cast a spotlight on the economic troubles of a nation now facing tightened sanctions.
For weeks, Tehran’s normally bustling Grand Bazaar had been eerily quiet and palpably tense as security forces stalked its dim galleries, the stalls of gold, jewelry, shoes and clothing that were shuttered under the pretense of painting their storefronts.
British climate researchers had high scientific standards, review finds
Posted in News, Science on July 8th, 2010 by admin – Comments OffClimate-change researchers at a British university failed to respond to critics in an open manner but hewed to high standards in their science and did not manipulate their data, according to findings released Wednesday of an independent review of hundreds of hacked e-mails.
The e-mails were taken from the server of the University of East Anglia late last year and caused an international stir just before a global environment summit in Copenhagen. Skeptics of human-caused climate change alleged that the e-mails showed scientists deliberately trying to suppress certain data about global warming or slanting it to support their conclusions.
But an outside review commissioned by the university rejected those claims Wednesday. The report said that, despite some injudicious comments about skeptics, the scientists’ “honesty and rigor” were “not in doubt.” It also dismissed allegations of data-tampering, saying there was no “evidence of behavior that might undermine the conclusions” of manmade climate change.
Activist convicted of assaulting Japanese whaling crew
Posted in News, what on July 7th, 2010 by admin – Comments Off
A Tokyo court on Wednesday convicted a New Zealand activist of assault and obstructing Japanese whaling ships in the Antarctic Ocean, and sentenced him to a suspended prison term.
Peter Bethune was also found guilty on three other charges: trespassing, vandalism and possession of a knife. He had pleaded guilty to all but the assault charge when his trial started in late May.
The court sentenced Bethune to two years in prison, with the sentence suspended for five years — meaning he will not be jailed.
