Thai floods break dam, threaten village

Residents of Munag Ake village are being urged to evacuate after parts of an area dike brokeThe Thai Cabinet announced national holidays to give residents time to prepare for high tideThailand's Public Health Minister has ordered health units be established to help people dealing with stress caused by flooding Damage from the flood is estimated at more than $6 billion, the government estimates
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Residents of Thailand's Munag Ake village are being urged to evacuate the area early Tuesday morning, according to Thailand's Flood Relief Operations Center.
The center's director said parts of a dike at Tambon Lak Hok, Muang District, Pathum Thani province have broken and a mass of water is expected to flow into the village.
Flood waters could reach almost five feet (1.5 meters) in the village. The FROC said the Royal Thai Armed Forces will have vehicles at Rangsit University in Munag Ake village and will be moving residents out of the area.
In addition, the Thai Cabinet announced Tuesday public holidays for the end of the month due to anticipated high tides, which could further devastate the flood-ravaged country.
The holidays will be from Thursday to next Monday and will be effective in 21 provinces that are still under water, including Bangkok and its suburban provinces, a government spokeswoman said.
"The government would like to give time to people in affected areas to prepare for floods during high tide periods between (October) 28 to 30. Some people who have houses outside Bangkok could be able to live there during flood period," said Thitima Chaiseang, the government spokeswoman.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra urged employers in both the private and public sectors to allow time off for staff affected by the floods.
In addition to allowing time off, Thailand's Public Health Minister Wittaya Buranasiri has ordered health units be established to help ease the stress of residents. He said there are about 100,000 people suffering from stress related to the flooding.
Also, starting Tuesday, the CEO of Nok Air announced the airline is canceling flights in and out of Bangkok's Don Muang Airport until October 31 due to the "flood crisis." .
Pate Sarasin, CEO of Nok Air, posted a Twitter message saying "the water level is now at a critical area at the northern part of the runway." Nok Air is allowing customers to change their flights free of charge.
On Monday, floodwaters in Bangkok reached Don Muang Airport, one of the Thai capital's two main airports and home to the flood relief operation command, according to a governor.
In addition to Don Muang, residents in five other areas should prepare for floods, move their belongings to upper floors and take shelter at evacuation centers, Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said in a news conference on Monday.
Thammasat University's gymnasium, which has been used as an evacuation center, is also flooded and without electricity and is itself being evacuated, the governor added.
As a remedy, about 4,000 people will be bused to Rajamangala Stadium in central Bangkok with the help of 300 to 400 volunteers, according to the governor.
In the east, the industrial estates of Lat Krabang and Bang Chan remained under threat, and volunteers were sought for help with sandbagging.
The governor urged the public not to panic and to follow his reports closely.
Protecting Bangkok was a priority because it comprises the economic heart of Thailand, Prime Minister Yingluck told CNN Sunday. "But it doesn't mean we have no concern for the people who are suffering from the flooding," she added.

Conrad Murray's trial resumes after five-day break

AppId is over the quota AppId is over the quota The Conrad Murray trial resumed Wednesday with an anesthesiology expert on the witness stand.NEW: Jurors will see a video Wednesday of a demonstration of propofol use in a hospitalNEW: The defense objecs to the video in which an actor pretends to suffer cardiac arrestA new California law means if Murray is convicted, he might never see a state prison cellOvercrowding means a four-year prison term could become less than two in jailTune in to HLN for full coverage and analysis of the Conrad Murray trial and watch live, as it happens, on CNN.com/live and CNN's mobile apps.

Los Angeles (CNN) -- The trial of Conrad Murray resumed Wednesday with an anesthesiology expert who is likely to be the last witness before the prosecution rests its direct case.

Murray is on trial for involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of pop icon Michael Jackson.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Dr. Steven Shafer's testimony was delayed Wednesday morning while Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor viewed a 18-minute video that the prosecution wanted to show demonstrating how the surgical anesthetic propofol is administered in a hospital setting.

Judge Pastor ruled much of it could be shown in court, including a demonstration of what happens when a patient experiences cardiac arrest while under propofol.

"It's a terrifying dramatization of a person experiencing cardiac arrest, complete with visual effects," defense lawyer Ed Chernoff said in his argument against letting jurors see it.

Deputy District Attorney David Walgren spent an extended mid-morning break re-editing the video to delete scenes not accepted by the judge, including with an anesthesiologist meeting a patient and getting a signed informed consent statement. Judge Pastor ruled that irrelevant in this case.

Dr. Shafer's testimony was suspended last Thursday to enable his lawyers to study a new lab test and allow the prosecution's anesthesiology expert, Steven Shafer, to attend a medical convention. It was delayed again after a death in the expert's family.

The judge indicated if Shafer's testimony is completed Wednesday, court would recess the following day to allow the defense to prepare before presenting its case Friday.

Prosecutors are nearing a conclusion to their direct presentation, but rebuttal witnesses could be called next week after the defense rests its case.

Prosecutors allege that Murray, who was Jackson's personal doctor as he prepared for planned comeback concerts, is criminally responsible for the singer's death because of medical negligence and his reckless use of the surgical anesthetic propofol to help him sleep.

Murray faces a maximum sentence of four years if convicted of involuntary manslaughter, but a new California law could mean the doctor would never see the inside of a state prison cell.

The law, intended to reduce state prison overcrowding, provides for most nonviolent offenders with no prior record to be kept in county jails.

A four-year sentence could become two years if Murray is ordered to serve his time in the Los Angeles County jail, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Nicole Nishida.

In addition, the Los Angeles jail is under court order to reduce overcrowding, which means many nonviolent first time offenders are allowed to serve the bulk of their time under supervised house arrest.

A conviction, however, would likely trigger the revocation of Murray's medical licenses in California, Texas and Nevada.

The trial, in its fourth week, is still expected to conclude with the start of jury deliberations next week.

Shafer is crucial to the state's effort to prove Jackson's death was caused by the doctor's gross negligence in using propofol to help the entertainer sleep.

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Riots break out in Rome as Wall Street protests go global

AppId is over the quota
Demonstrators rallied across the world today to accuse bankers, politicians of wrecking economies, but only in Rome did the global "day of rage" erupt into violence.

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