Wikinews:Briefs/October 25, 2007

Audio Wikinews Audio Wikinews News Brief for October 25, 2007
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This is the Audio Wikinews Brief for October 25, 2007.

Bus explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia kills many civilians

At least 15 civilians, including women and children, have been killed in a bus explosion in Mogadishu's northern district of Yaqshiid in Somalia. The explosion occurred when the bus drove over an IED (improvised explosive device) or landmine while traveling to the Suuqa Holaha district in northern Mogadishu on Wednesday.

It is not known who was behind the latest bomb attack but it appeared to be aimed at the government or Ethiopian soldiers. In Mogadishu, the insurgency by militants linked with the ousted Islamic Courts Union has been going on since the Ethiopian invasion in December 2006-January 2007

UN report: climate change and food shortage major problems for Earth's future

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released a comprehensive report on the current state of the global environment. Climate change, food and water shortage and a decline in biodiversity threaten humanity's survival, so urgent action is necessary, the report warns.

UNEP's Global Environment Outlook: environment for development (GEO-4) report involved the work of about 390 experts in various fields from around the world.

Key findings include:

Rising sea-levels threaten the 60 percent of the population living within 100 kilometres of coastal lines.

Increasing irrigation demands will eventually cause 1 of every 10 major rivers to dry up.

And in terms of biodiversity, species are becoming extinct a hundred times faster than the rate shown in the fossil record.

Chinese police seal off monastery in Tibet

Armed Chinese police have surrounded and sealed off two monasteries in Tibet after monks began to celebrate the Dalai Lama's honor of receiving the United States Congressional Gold Medal. At least 100 monks are reported to be held inside the Drepung monastery and its not known if any have been injured or arrested. Earlier, at least 3,000 police surrounded the Zhaibung Monastery.

Other protesters and monks are reported to have been arrested and injured when police began to clash with the celebrations which started on October 16 inside the monastery. Beginning in the morning on October 17, police began to intervene to stop the celebrations throughout Tibet.

China claims that it is not aware of any report, and has not commented on the situation in Tibet.

Garuda Indonesia Flight 200's pilot's marital problems may have affected judgement

A new theory has emerged as in to why the pilot of Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 attempted to land at a hugely excessive speed, despite 15 automated warnings he was flying too quickly and the co-pilot's call for a 'go-around' procedure to be performed. 21 people were killed in the March 7 crash of the Boeing 737-400 passenger jetliner.

Stephanus Geraldus, head of the Garuda pilots association, said that problems at home and a lack of sleep may have affected Marwoto Komar's judgement. The news comes as Indonesian authorities announce they are pressing ahead with a possible prosecution.

The final report into the disaster, released on Monday, found that Komar, 45, had exhibited what was described as a "fixation" to land the plane, resulting in the excessively fast approach.

Oral Roberts University reportedly owes over $50 million

And in the United States following a story of accused mishandling and wrongdoing at a private education institution, the Oral Roberts University (ORU) Board of Regents Chairman George Pearsons said the school owes over $55 million in debt. According to IRS records, ORU had about $76 million in revenue in 2005, and its operating budget for 2007-2008 was over $82 million.

In September Richard Roberts, who served as president since 1993, was accused of wrong-doing and stepped down temporarily last week. His father Oral Roberts returned to serve for as a temporary president last week. On Monday night alumni, clergy from around the U.S., and the people fired held a rally at Morningstar Baptist Church asking for Richard to permanently resign.

This has been an Audio Wikinews brief and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 license at http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/