Wednesday, July 18 in the news.....
- Thousands of offspring of Nazi Holocaust survivors in Israel are seeking reparations from Germany to pay for psychiatric treatment they say they require as a result of trauma suffered by their parents. In response to the lawsuit, thousands of offspring of Nazi voters would like to put these descendants of survivors where they failed to put their parents.
- A train carrying yellow phosphorus derailed in western Ukraine, releasing a cloud of toxic gas into the air over 14 villages. Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk, who was at the site, compared the accident to the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in 1986. The foreign minister tried to put a positive spin on the incident, reminding tourists that a toxic gas is better for your health than cancer from radioactive contamination.
- In Japan, a nuclear power plant near the epicenter of a powerful earthquake suffered a barrage of problems, including spilled waste drums, leaked radioactive water, fires and burst pipes, the reactor's operator said Tuesday. Emergency procedures were put into action, the plans having been designed around such natural disaster scenarios, or the appearance of Godzilla.
- In the United States, the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that nearly a quarter of Republicans are unwilling to back top-tier hopefuls Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, John McCain or Mitt Romney, and no one candidate has emerged as the clear front-runner among Christian evangelicals. What's more, when one disillusioned Republican voter was questioned about which Republican could go shoulder to shoulder with the Clinton's in 2008 and beat them at their own games, the voter said Ted Bundy should never have been given the electric chair.
- Russia on Tuesday vowed a 'targeted and appropriate' response to Britain's expulsion of four diplomats in a mounting confrontation over the probe into the radiation poisoning death of a former KGB officer in London. "We're not satisfied with getting away with a civilian murder in the UK," a Russian government spokesman said.
- In Sydney, residents of Australia's largest city are being urged to create survival bags to prepare for terrorist attacks and other emergencies under a campaign launched by city council Tuesday. The "Go Bags," featured in the new terrorism awareness campaign, would include such things as maps, a radio, a first aid kit, an extra set of keys, some spare change and important documents. Residents are already complaining they're too heavy once you account for the carton of Tooheys.
- A 500-pound man has been rescued after 12 hours in a river in Wisconsin, USA. According to the Sheriff's Office, a group had gone tubing on the river when Martin Rike's tube went flat, after attempting to get out of the water and walk back, Rike, 39, began having chest pains. He had also slipped on irregular rocks, injuring an ankle and a knee. When crews attempted to rescue Rike by boat they realised how fat he was, prompting exasperated out of breath comments ahoy, such as: "It'd be easier rescuing the river and leaving you here." And: "Gee I wonder why the tube went flat." Also: "Hold on rocks! We'll get this fat bastard off you." Plus: "You want us to order pizza? This will take awhile tubby." And the crowd favourite: "Keep him wet with buckets of water, we're going to have to find a way to push him back out to sea eventually."
