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DEP order: Dismantle Freedom tank farm

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Freedom Industries tank farm responsible for the Elk River chemical contamination is going to be shut down and dismantled, according to an order from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection that was announced Saturday by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Freedom Industries tank farm responsible for the Elk River chemical contamination is going to be shut down and dismantled, according to an order from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection that was announced Saturday by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.

All chemicals must be removed from the facility by March 15.

Freedom must begin the process of dismantling, removing and disposing of all of its above-ground tanks and all associated piping and machinery by that same day, according to the order.

All 17 tanks at the Freedom facility are in inadequate secondary-containment areas, according to a news release from Tomblin's office that was issued with the order. Fourteen of those tanks still have chemicals in them.

The release says that those chemicals include calcium chloride and glycerin, both of which are common additives to household products. DEP Secretary Randy Huffman said three smaller tanks contain a semi-solid substance that is "like fatty acids." Huffman said none of the tanks contain any harmful or hazardous substances.

"During the dismantling of the tanks, Freedom Industries is ordered to install measures that ensure that secondary containment is adequate to contain any potential spills resulting from the work," the release states.

Huffman said workers from the company and the DEP are digging cutoff trenches and taking other remediation efforts to protect the river, should there be another leak before the chemicals can be moved. He also said just having people on the site is a help.

The release states that Tomblin ordered the dismantling of the tank farm, although his signature does not appear on the order. It is a "consent order," meaning the company agreed to the terms. That also means the company cannot appeal the order.

The release states that Tomblin and Huffman began discussing the option of dismantling the tanks on Jan. 10, the day after the leak was discovered.

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DEP order: Dismantle Freedom tank farm

Peter Greste declares battle for freedom of speech in Egypt after prolonged detention

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Peter Greste. Photo: ABC/Twitter: @PeterGreste

Detained Australian journalist Peter Greste has released a letter vowing to fight for freedom of speech in Egypt after being jailed for reporting on unrest in the country.

The award-winning Al Jazeera reporter was arrested in Cairo on December 29 along with colleagues Mohamed Adel Fahmy and Baher Mohamed.

The trio had been reporting on the political turmoil in Egypt when they were accused of holding illegal meetings with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB).

Egypt's military-installed leaders declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation in December, and had previously accused Al Jazeera of pro-Brotherhood coverage.

The Al Jazeera network, however, has emphatically defended its staff's actions, saying they were doing their job by reporting objectively.

Greste, who is being held in Cairo's Tora prison, says Egyptian authorities are cracking down on anyone "who refuses to applaud the institution".

Greste says he had originally planned to fight for his freedom "quietly", in part not to risk the precious little recreational time he was given.

However, he now says acquiescence on his behalf would validate the Egyptian authorities' "attack" on freedom of speech.

"I have sought, until now, to fight my imprisonment quietly from within, to make the authorities understand that this is all a terrible mistake - that I've been caught in the middle of a political struggle that is not my own," Greste writes in the letter, which has been authenticated by his parents.

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Peter Greste declares battle for freedom of speech in Egypt after prolonged detention

Freedom House: Philippines is ‘partly free’

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WASHINGTON The Philippines retained its status for the fourth straight year as a "partly free" country but was a standout among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members in a survey of political rights and civil liberties in 195 nations conducted by Freedom House.

The Washington-based non-government organization, in its Freedom in the World 2014 report, rated the Philippines one of 59 partly free countries and gave it a score of 3 points each in political rights and civil liberties. Eighty-eight countries were ranked as free and 48 were deemed not free.

ASEAN members Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore were in the partly free grouping and all, with the exception of Indonesia, had scores of 4 points each in political rights and civil liberties.

Indonesias status declined from free to partly free due to the adoption of a law that, among other things, restricts activities of non-government organizations and increases bureaucratic oversight of such groups, Freedom House said.

Its civil liberties rating declined also from 3 to 4 though it managed to eke out a score of 2 points in political rights.

It was the second time this month that the Philippines received a positive international rating.

Last week, the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal in their 2014 Index of World Economic Freedom upgraded the Philippines to 89th place from 97th previously out of 178 countries because of a dedication of reform amongst the countrys leadership.

Freedom House examines the ability of individuals to exercise their political and civil rights around the world and assigns each country two numerical ratings from 1 to 7 for political rights and civil liberties. The average of the ratings determines whether a country is free, partly free or not free.

One point represents the most free and seven the least free rating.

The remaining five other members of the ASEAN Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, Myanmar and Cambodia were deemed not free in the Freedom House report.

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Freedom House: Philippines is 'partly free'

Freedom House finds decline in political freedom in 2013

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Political rights and civil liberties declined around the world in 2013 for the eighth consecutive year, the annual report released by Freedom House said.

"Freedom in the World" said 54 countries lost ground while only 40 became more open and democratic. The report cited Egypt, where a military coup displaced an elected president, and China, where the government has cracked down on dissent.

Freedom House, which has its headquarters in Washington, is a non-governmental organization founded in 1941 to foster political liberty.

"Some leaders effectively relied on 'modern authoritarianism,' crippling their political opposition without annihilating it, and flouting the rule of law while maintaining a veneer of order, legitimacy and prosperity," the report said. "Central to modern authoritarians is the capture of institutions that undergird political pluralism. They seek to dominate not only the executive and legislative branches, but also the media, judiciary, civil society, economy, and security forces."

The report identified the 10 most oppressive countries as the Central African Republic, Somalia, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, Eritrea, Syria, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.

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Freedom House finds decline in political freedom in 2013


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