Category:October 14, 2007

Audio Wikinews News Brief for 2007-10-14
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The time is 5:40 UTC and this Audio Wikinews Brief for Sunday, October 14, 2007.

In the U.S., at least two people have died and at least eight to ten were injured after two semi trucks collided in a truck tunnel on Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and Santa Clarita California, causing the tunnel to be completely shut down on both north and southbound lanes. The incident occurred last Friday and firefighters are continuing to use foam to control the flames, which could take several hours to put out.

Officials say that the debris could take a day or more to remove and that a full inspection will have to be done on the tunnel before it can be used again because officials say that the structure of the tunnel has been compromised.

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso will arrive in the United States on Tuesday and will meet with U.S. President George W. Bush. On Wednesday he will attend a ceremony in his honor where he will be awarded the highest honor in the U.S. for a civilian, the Congressional Gold Medal.

This marks a historical moment as it is the first time ever that a sitting U.S. President will appear with the Dalai Lama at a public event.

The honor has not gone without protest. China has objected, accusing the Dalai Lama of "separatist activities." China also condemned a meeting with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel calling the meeting a mistake and that relations between the two nations were damaged.

Three of the last remaining leaders of the 8-8 Generation Students Group, which led the recent pro-democracy rallies in Burma, have been arrested by Burma's military junta.

The wave of protests, which began on August 15, 2007, were triggered by the Burmese government's decision to remove fuel subsidies, leading to a dramatic increase in the price of diesel and petrol. The Burmese government's subsequent violent crackdown on the protests was condemned by the United States, Britain, and France, among other nations. On October 12, the U.N. Security Council released a statement saying that it "strongly deplores" Burma's response to the protests.

Turkish officials have expressed outrage over a United States congressional resolution labeling the Ottoman Empire's World War I era killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians as "genocide". The Turkish government has warned that the resolution threatens its strategic partnership with the U.S.

House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi said the resolution will go forward for a vote in the House despite Turkish opposition.

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