News

Sunday 21 September 2014

Aztec Art on Display

The Phoenix Museum of Antiquities today plays host to the world's most extensive collection of Aztec stone carvings. The exhibit, which will fill two entire galleries of the museum, is part of a collection belonging to millionaire Jean Paul de Monet.

M. de Monet has been exhibiting his collection throughout Europe and is bringing it to the United States for the first time. M. de Monet himself has not set foot on American soil for over 25 years. His last visit was shrouded in tragedy when armed Guatemalan revolutionaries stormed his residence, killing his wife and son.

The Phoenix police department is providing special protection for M. de Monet and his collection for the duration of his visit.

The collection will be exhibited for eight weeks, beginning today. Museum curator Antonia Thurston predicts that museum attendance will triple over the period.

To commemorate the occasion, Globe publisher John Brighter will be re-releasing a special edition of his first novel Down and Dirty In Aztec Country.

Yucca Mountain: Troops Move In

As the human barricade around Yucca Mountain National Repository entered its second week, a presidential directive sent US Army personnel in to break the siege.

Thousands of anti-nuclear protestors have gathered at the Yucca Mountain site in a peaceful protest against the dumping of nuclear waste. They have blocked access to the waste repository and damaged a section of the railroad track which is to carry in waste. A train, believed to be loaded with radioactive material, has been stranded in the Nevada desert as a result of the protestor's actions.

Department of Energy (DOE) spokesmen have met with the group's organisers but all negotiations have ended in deadlock. Officials warn that if the situation is not resolved, the waste train will pose a significant hazard. An estimated seven thousand protestors are at the site, with more arriving in a constant stream.

Troops of the 1088th mechanised infantry battalion were mobilized yesterday and moved into position around the mountain in the early hours of this morning. Army chiefs hoped that the presence of the troops would intimidate the protestors into backing down.

As dawn broke it appears that some of the protestors panicked at the sight of the troops. Small but violent clashes followed. No shots were exchanged but elements of the 1088th were forced to retreat after being pelted with missiles. The situation was eventually calmed by the protestors' spokesman, Luthor Abraham.

Mr Abraham has promised that no further violence will be initiated by his people. Meanwhile, the deadlock continues with no sign of a way forward for the government.

Related stories: Wall of Protestors Barricade Yucca Mountain

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